Edith Monture's legacy honoured on Indigenous Nurses Day
The first Indigenous woman to become a registered nurse in Canada—Edith Monture—was a powerful matriarch whose legacy continues to inspire nurses today.
Fourth-year University of Victoria Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) students Christina Tsuil-menak (pictured left) and Kyla Elliott (pictured right) are among those celebrating Monture’s legacy today on Indigenous Nurses Day, which is held on April 10 to coincide with Monture’s birthday.
A special event will be held at First Peoples House this afternoon to honour the contributions of Indigenous nurses and their cultural knowledge in healthcare, and to celebrate Indigenous nursing students graduating from UVic.
“When I think of Edith Monture—talk about determination,” says Tsuil-menak.
She turns to her friend and smiles.
“I see Edith in Kyla—a strong, matriarchal woman.”
Nursing aspirations
Both Tsuil-menak and Elliott are on the cusp of realizing long-held dreams of becoming registered nurses (RNs). Both have circled back to nursing degrees after other health-care careers. And, like Monture, both women are focused on strengthening their communities and creating a health-care system that is culturally safe and that treats Indigenous people with dignity and respect.
Tsuil-menak, who is St’uxwtéws (Secwépemc) and settler heritage maternally and of Métis and settler heritage paternally, worked as a licensed practical nurse (LPN) for five years and volunteered as a care aide before applying to UVic. She says the journey has been good, but hard.
“I was the only Indigenous person in my section—it was isolating for me. But I did manage to create a great group,” Tsuil-menak says. “Just knowing I would be a RN in the end of all this, that helped me stay focused.”
Elliott, who is from Tsartlip First Nation on W̱SÁNEĆ territory, worked as a health-care aid in long-term care for 10 years before deciding to return to nursing, a degree she had started at age 19. Elliott says she wasn’t ready for the degree at that young age, but determination saw her through this time.
“I knew I was meant to do more,” Elliott says. “It was time to change and time to grow and I did it.”
Monture's legacy
A Kanien'kehà:ka woman from Six Nations, Monture (pictured above) left Canada to study nursing in the United States after nursing schools refused to admit her in Canada. In 1914, Monture became the first Indigenous registered nurse in Canada. In 1917, she was the first Indigenous woman from Canada to serve in the United States military during the First World War. And she was the first Indigenous woman to gain the right to vote in a Canadian federal election, after wartime nurses were given the right to vote.
Elliott says while colonial nurses such as Florence Nightengale are widely known, Monture’s legacy deserves more attention.
“For us, we’re so fortunate to be taking our education at the time that we are,” Elliott says.
Tsuil-menak and Elliott met in the third year of the nursing program. They are grateful for their friendship. They are also grateful for leadership of other UVic Indigenous nurses, including Lisa Bourque Bearskin, Leanne Kelly and Christina Chakanyuka, who co-led an Indigenous nurses mentorship circle that provided the friends support when textbooks couldn’t.
Following in others' footsteps
They both praised the School of Nursing’s fourth-year Understanding Indigenous Health and Wellbeing course, which is taken by all nursing students.
“I really think Camosun and UVic put in a lot of effort to make changes and to make sure students are educated in Indigenous history and colonialism,” Elliott says.
As they discuss the careers ahead of them, Elliott says she wants to gain experience in multiple hospital units and go onto specialized training. Tsuil-menak would like to work with infants and families in public health, and pregnant people who use substances.
As future registered nurses, both women are keen to be leaders and follow in the footsteps of Monture.
“We’ve been given this gift of knowledge and now it’s up to us to advocate and do something about it,” Tsuil-menak says. “The people who have gone before us have opened doors and dismantled barriers. How do I continue to do that?”