Honouring Indigenous Nurses

Indigenous Nurses Day is a celebration of the successes and contributions of First Nations, Métis and Inuit nurses to health and wellness. We honour the achievements of all Indigenous nurses, whose practice is rooted in healing and Traditional Wisdom.

Legacy

Edith Monture, Kanyen’kehà:ka (Mohawk), was born April 10, 1890 on the Six Nations Reserve. She became the first Indigenous registered nurse in what is today known as Canada and became the first Indigenous woman to gain the right to vote in a Canadian federal election because of the Military Voters Act in 1917. Edith served in World War I and was also the first Indigenous woman from Canada to serve in the United States military.
Rose Casper of St’át’imc Nation was the first Indigenous nurse in Western Canada. She attended the Kamloops Indian Residential School and was among the first students to enter high school, graduating in 1952. In 1955, Rose graduated from the St. Josephs School of Nursing in Victoria. Rose subsequently worked as a nurse in her home community of Tsal’álh (Shalalth) in St’at’imcets for more than 50 years. To honour her profound legacy, the Rose Casper Healing Centre was opened in Tsal’álh in 2003.