Dr. Gerald Gloade

Gerald Gloade is an artist, carver and educator from the Mi‘kmaq First Nation, Millbrook, Truro, Nova Scotia. Gerald started his career working as a Graphic Designer for the Nova Scotia Department. of Natural Resources‘ Communications and Education Branch. The focus of his work with the Province moved from Forestry Education to Wildlife, Wildlife to Nature and then from Nature to Native. After 25 years with the Department of Natural Resources, Gerald is currently assigned to the Confederacy of Mainland Mi‘kmaq to work on the Mi'kmawey Debert Project through the Office of Aboriginal Affairs. Located near a 13,000 year old Paleo Indian site, the Mi'kmawey Debert Project's primary goal is to build a Mi'kmaw Cultural Centre to protect the sites and share their stories. As an artist, educator and Mi'kmaw storyteller, Gerald has become both an advocate and spokesperson for the project. In his capacity as the Program Development Officer for Mi'kmawey Debert he guides the development of visitor and educational programs for the future cultural centre. His stories and interpretations of the Kluskap legends have captured many audiences. This new position has taken Gerald and his wife Natalie, and their 2 sons, Gerald Donovan and Kyle, on the road throughout Mi'kma'ki, revisiting the Sacred Places found in the Kluskap legends.

Lily-Beth Fisher

Lily-Beth (L.B) Fisher is a 15 year old grade 11 Mi'kmaw student at King's-Edgehill in Windsor. Orginally from Truro, she now lives in her community of Glooscap First Nation.

She is a previous recipient of the Mi’kmaw Kina’matneway (MK) Chief Noel Doucette Award (Glooscap, 2018), the Sammy Gehue Achievement Award (2021), and the Glooscap Nature Award (2021).

She is a Climate Change Activist, a Fancy Shawl Dancer, a provincial winning snowboarder, an Honours Student and an aspiring artist. L.B takes great interest in sharing her culture and often provides presentations to peers.

L.B has colloborated with fellow l'nu artists Quinton Sylliboy and will be working on her second piece with Gerald Gloade.

Ann Syliboy

Ann Sylliboy is from U’nama’ki, living in Essissoqnik.  She has been working as the Post Secondary Consultant at Mi’kmaw Kina’matnewey for 10 years. Ann supports Post Secondary students in all Mi’kmaq communities across the province through her work with universities, NSCC, and other provincial organizations. She worked for several years as a social worker at Mi’kmaw Family and Children’s Services before joining the team at MK.

Ann is the proud mother of three boys.  She enjoys spending her free time at the hockey rink in the winter and camping in the summer.

Taylor Baker

Taylor Baker is an Executive Councillor and Legislator for Tsawwassen First Nation (TFN). She is Indigenous with both Coast Salish and Gitxsan ancestry. Taylor was elected in 2022 at 26 years old for a 4 year term, also serving as Co-Chair for TFN’s Housing Advisory Committee. Taylor also worked on the Speaker’s Indigenous Reconciliation Advisory Committee that assisted in the development of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia’s Reconciliation Action Plan release in May 2024. In 2019, she received her Bachelor of Arts in Politics from Acadia University.

David Serkoak

David Serkoak was in born at Hicks Lake, Nunavut west of Arviat, Nunavut. David has worked in many levels in education as a teacher primary/secondary schools and vice-principal, principal, Instructor at Nunavut Arctic College, and as a curator at the British Museum of Mankind in England.

David helped to develop Inuktitut teaching materials at all levels local, regional and territorial both in NWT and Nunavut.

During his free time he spends his time making Inuit drums to many Arctic communities to the youth.  In 2008, David retired from teaching but still very busy giving workshops on Inuit Social History to Civil Servants and several Universities in Ottawa area.

He and his wife Lesley have three grown daughters, Amanda, Meeka and Karla. David spends many hours with his six grandchildren, Briana, Makayla, Kyle, Laura, Ryan and Emma.  Summer of 2017, he was invited to drum dance at North Pole via Murmansk, Russia.

In 2022, he was part of Indigenous delegation to Vatican as an Inuk elder and drum dancer.

David is also past and founder of Ahiarmiut Relocation Society, It took 28 years to get Canada to apologize to the Ahiarmiut of forced relocations.  In 2019, Ahiarmiut finally received their long-waited apology from Canada.