Dr. Jacqueline (Humm) Senych - Redwater, Alberta

Métis Knowledge Keeper • Medicine Woman • Residential School Survivor • Doctoral Nurse •

Born in Alberta and moving with her family to the Northwest Territories, Jacqueline’s childhood was forever changed when she and her three siblings were taken from their home. She and her brother Jeffery were placed in the same residence but in separate buildings, Jacqueline in the girls' house and Jeffery in the boys' house, which also housed the youngest children and was run by nuns. They could see each other in the yard, but were never permitted to spend time together outside of it. The two youngest siblings were never seen there. Once, a nun asked Jeffery if he wanted to see his baby brother, but the boy Jeffery was shown was not him. Jacqueline often asked for her parents and was repeatedly told they were bad and that they needed to live in the receiving home, but she knew this was untrue as she was the oldest and held the memories of her life outside of residence.

Their grandfather, Jack Fraser, hired a lawyer in Alberta to bring them home. Though they would never return to their parents' home as they knew it, Jacqueline and Jeffery were eventually placed on a plane to Alberta, where they went to live in Newbrook with their grandmother and grandfather. Their father also returned to Newbrook, living once again in his family home to be with his two oldest children.

Newbrook was a place where community care was woven into daily life. Jacqueline’s grandmother was both postmaster and healer, running the post office from her home and preparing medicines in her kitchen. When a community member presented with diabetes, a nurse from another town came to her grandmother's house to show her how to give insulin with the prefilled syringes that they had left for the elderly male who would come each morning for his injection. Jacqueline's grandmother taught her how to give this injection as sometimes, when the man came for his shot, her grandmother would be busy at the wicket in the post office and this allowed them both to provide this service. Her grandmother also operated the local clothing depot, where families brought clothing to exchange. Children would choose outfits for the school year from the bags brought in, proudly passing on their own outgrown clothes to others. Clothes were never thought of as “secondhand” – only new to the one who wore them next. Worn-out garments were repurposed into quilts by a local Indigenous woman, an expert in stitch, ensuring nothing was wasted and sold at the post office to whoever required a new blanket.

From these beginnings, Jacqueline’s path to nursing was set. She started as a health care aide, then became a Licensed Practical Nurse, a Registered Nurse, and eventually earned a Doctoral degree. Today, she blends evidence-based care with the traditional knowledge she learned in Newbrook, always guided by the values of sharing, caring, and resilience.

She is fortunate to have four wonderful parents now. Her father remarried to a local woman who is known as “Grandmother” – an expert in beadwork, making mukluks and other garments from her father's hunted hides, and the best moose stew cook ever. Her father, known as “Grandfather,” is a trapper, hunter, fisher, carpenter, and a patriarch of the community, helping and feeding anyone in need. Her mother remarried a wonderful man who values family and friends. He was also an avid hunter and fisher. Her mother values family and often cares for her great-grandchildren when required, staying closely connected to her three remaining children, as sadly, the youngest had passed. The four parents remarkably became friends and have travelled together, shared many laughs and sadness, and today gather for all traditional holidays, keeping the community and family spirit together. Today, Jacqueline and her husband cherish time with their very large family. Their four children, spouses, and grandchildren are included in all aspects of life, whether in everyday gatherings or special occasions. Family remains at the heart of everything Jacqueline does, carrying forward the same spirit of sharing, resilience, and community she was raised with