Piikani Nation, Blackfoot Confederacy
Knowledge Keeper Betty Ann is a Blackfoot member of the Piikani First Nation, near Brocket, Alberta, Canada. She is married to Maurice Little Wolf. They work very closely together and support one another on various boards that they are a part of. Maurice and Betty Ann operated a group home on the reserve for Peigan Children’s Services from 1986 to 1990. They also took many children into their home. They adopted a baby girl born in 1982; today she is a police officer trained in Regina with the RCMP. This is their beautiful success story.
Knowledge Keeper Betty Ann was employed (now retired) for over 21 years as a Native Liaison Counselor at F.P. Walsh High School, Livingston School Range Division, in Fort Macleod, Alberta. She organized and facilitated Family Group Conferencing sessions and “Healing the Child Within” weekly sessions for grade 10 to 12 students. This program was designed in consultation with Fort Macleod agencies and the ADDAC addiction counsellor from Lethbridge, AB.
As a Native Liaison Counselor she strongly believed in positive role modeling and building positive relationships with students, staff and parents. She worked alongside and supported the students, parents, teachers and other staff members. Knowledge Keeper Betty Ann gave great respect and dedication to her position as she continued to keep up with the techniques in counselling, exploring the strategies to promote personal growth and examine the issues facing First Nations families.
On a personal level, she practices her customs, traditions, beliefs and spiritual values, and respects all, as she believes Blackfoot culture is key in fostering a connection to identity, as it restores pride and resiliency. Knowledge Keeper Betty Ann is a practicing member of the Buffalo Women’s Society.