Our Elders
Ella Paul – Millbrook First Nation
Ella Paul is a Mi’kmaw Elder from Millbrook First Nation. She is a widow, a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. Ella has always strived to achieve her goals, including graduating from University and doing work that is meaningful to her. Ella’s working career always focussed on the advancement of First Nation peoples. Ella is proud to be a pipe carrier and tells us that humility is very important to her and prefers to focus on who she is and what she does now. Ella was appointed in 2020 as the Mainland Elder to the NSNWA Board of Directors.
Caroline Joan Christie – Weko’qmaq First Nation
Caroline Joan Christie is a Mi’kmaw grandmother from Weko’qmaq First Nation, NS. Grandmother Joan has spent her life in helping to end family violence, domestic abuse, and addictions. She is the eldest of 12 siblings and holds her Mi’kmaw family values close to her heart. She is dedicated her life work, in supporting and strengthening our Mi’kmaw families. Joan graduated from St. Thomas University, with her Bachelor of Social Work. Armed with these credentials, she worked as a women’s support worker, a counsellor for residential school survivors and as an addictions counsellor. Her work in helping to create, promote and sustain healthy families is her legacy. In her later years, she moved to northern remote communities and was a guidance counsellor and programmer for Special Education. Joan brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in creating healthy families. She brings her knowledge and experience of working in challenging situations. The compassion she brings to her work does not go unnoticed. Joan is a very crafty person and enjoys sharing her talent with others. Her late husband use to refer to her as the little deer, because she was also so quick to get things done! She is our little lentu’k! Caroline was appointed as the Unama’ki Elder to the NSNWA Board of Directors in 2020.
