Treaty Relations

5 trcm.ca and production techniques designed specifically for the city," said McCormick. the high-abrasion sole was developed in partnership with Vibram, a world leader in sole design and materials. But to maintain a connection to Aboriginal tradition, the company partnered with artist heather steppler to create a design that would transform the sole into a canvas for an Aboriginal story. Each footprint tells the story of their people. "the best part (of this business) is giving back. Because of our growth, we are uniquely positioned to serve the Aboriginal community. We are thriving, creating new horizons for Aboriginal people everywhere. As (an Aboriginal) entrepreneur, i take great pride in the fact that Manitobah Mukluks is contributing to social pro- grams in Winnipeg and across the country," McCormick said. "in many ways, i feel like Manitobah Mukluks isn't so much a business with a cause as it is a cause with a business. i dream of a day when we're not a business helping a community, but a community helping ourselves." Manitobah Mukluks is poised to transform, evolve and create more wealth for the Canadian economy and provide new opportunities for Aboriginal people as it grows. "Economists agree that a commitment to economic development in Aboriginal communities directly leads to hundreds of millions of dollars added to the Canadian economy. Add that to thousands of jobs created for Aboriginal people and it's easy to understand how much there is to gain, particularly when so much is needed," said McCormick. "Many communities continue to suffer under the weight of past injustices. i truly believe that Aboriginal businesses can help change that." McCormick added that he would love to see other Aboriginal entrepreneurs achieve the same level of success as Manitobah Mukluks. "Your Aboriginal ancestors survived because they were inventive, re- sourceful, strong. our people adapted to their environment in remarkable ways. You too can be inventive. You too can adapt to a new, ever-changing world," he said. "As (an Aboriginal) entrepreneur, there have been numer- ous obstacles and stereotypes i've had to overcome in my career, but each time i overcome a challenge, it has strengthened my resolve to do better personally and professionally." ❚ "We're the fastest-growing footwear brand in Canada and, as we grow, so does our community impact." Cree sTAr gifTs honours fAmily TrAdiTion By jenniFeR mCFee FoR tHe FRee PRess CorinnE (SapotawEyak CrEE nation) and john and thEir ChildrEn Show off produCtS from CrEE Star GiftS. submitted photo LeadingIndigenousInclusion TheUniversityofWinnipeg,locatedonTreatyOneland,is committedtoseeingIndigenousstudentsachievetheirdreams. WethanktheTreatyRelationsCommissionofManitobaforits leadershipandpartnership.EkosiandMiigwetch. Learnmoreatindigenous.uwinnipeg.ca This family business may have launched just three years ago, but its roots go more than three generations deep. Corinne Stevens-Belanger and her husband, John Belanger, opened Cree Star Gifts in Swan River in May 2011 with a special focus on birchbark bas- kets. But the story begins long before that. Stevens-Belanger is from Sapotaweyak Cree Nation, just outside Swan River, and recalled visiting an aunt who created baskets. "We grew up making them," Stevens-Belanger said. "My grandmother, Ha- zel Stevens, always sold them locally. They lived just outside the reserve on my grandpa's trapline. It was called Red Deer River. They lived off the land. They taught us what they know." While the couple completed university degrees far from home, Stevens-Be- langer's husband got a job offer that eventually brought them back. Coming full circle, Stevens-Belanger, plans to pass on the knowledge to her own kids. "It never dawned on me how important they were until we moved back here and I started making them again," she said. The baskets, which take four or five hours to build, can only be created in spring and early summer and Stevens-Belanger makes 100-200 baskets in a two- to three-month span. "It's very therapeutic and I feel good about how I am making them," she said. "It's a connection to my family. It's something we've always done. We cherish them because it's not something we can do all the time." The business gave Stevens-Belanger new perspective on her grandmother's work. "My grandmother was a businesswoman," she said. "She probably never thought of herself as one, but she sold locally. We just took it a step further. We took it outside of our community and brought it to the world, and others can too. My grandmother lives on through the baskets she taught me." Along with the baskets, Cree Star sells teepee poles (from the trees used for birchbark), bags, blankets, jewelry and rugs made by other First Nations women. "We try to support our own First Nations people," said Stevens-Belanger. "There are so many generations of families that are making things. I think it's about time we started to sell it ourselves rather than go through the middleman." ❚

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