Andrea Custer
Producer
“tānisi, mihko-asiniy iskwīw nitsithikāson ka-nīhithawīyan ikwa Andrea Custer H. Clarkekā-ākathāsīmoyan nitisithikāson. I am an asinīskāwiskwīw (Rock Cree woman) from the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation more specifically, wapāwikoscikanihk or Narrows of Fear, also known as Pelican Narrows. I have roots in māhtāwi-sīpiy (Churchill River), atihko-sīpiy (Reindeer River) and the Sturgeon Weir River (namīwi-sīpiy) Systems.”
Andrea Custer comes from a long line of traditional harvesters and land-users in the askihk (uskik) lake and iskwatam lake areas. She’s a speaker of the Rock Cree Language and the mother of five beautiful children. Her husband Randy Clarke is also a fluent speaker and avid traditional harvester from wapâtikwaciwanohk or Southend, Saskatchewan. Her mother is Julianne Custer, and her late father is Richard Highway. Andrea is the oldest of three children and is blessed to be an auntie to many nieces and nephews. Her younger siblings are Mark Custer and Holly Bergen (nee Custer).
Andrea currently works at First Nations University of Canada as a Cree Language Lecturer and Program Coordinator for the Indigenous Languages and Linguistics program in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.
For most of her professional life, Andrea has been focused on teaching Cree language –from elementary school, junior high, high school and now in a university setting.
“I love my nīhithaw language and identity. I understand why our Indigenous languages are so important for all Indigenous people.”
“I advocate for theirs as well because they are all my relations, and I am their relative. This is an important guide for me in all the work that I do in addition to my ties to the teachings and values of my people, the Rock Cree,” she said.
Andrea volunteers as president for the Rock Cree Language Council Inc. and as secretary for the Foundation of Endangered Languages (FEL) Canada chapter.
Andrea grew up spending much of the year around her community and family,who were all fluent Cree speakers. Cree is her first language. In her early teen years, Andrea left her reserve to attend the Prince Albert Indian Student Education Centre. She found this a challenging transition as she had never been away from her family, and she experienced a lot of culture shock. Andrea completed her grade 11 at Carlton High and would later return to her community to complete her grade 12. She left home again to pursue studies in higher education at First Nations University of Canada. She graduated with a B.A. in Indigenous Studies (2006) and then went on to complete her B.Ed. at the University of Alberta (2014) followed by M.Ed. in Indigenous Land-Based education from the University of Saskatchewan (2018). She hopes to be a Ph.D. student in Indigenous Language Revitalization soon!
“kinanāskomitināwāw kā-pī-natohtawiyāhk kā-isi-kīskwīyāhk nīsinān iskwīwak, nipakosīthimon kīstawāw ka-pāh-pāhpiyīk, ka-kiskinwahamākosiyīk, ikwa ka-kistīthītamīk ki-pīkiskwīnwāw.
Thank you all for coming to listen to us crazy ladies, I hope that you will laugh and learn with us and that you will honour your language,” Andrea said.