Climate Action Figures

Season 3, Episode 3: Gracie Eagle Bear

• John Whidden

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In this episode, John  interviews Gracie Eagle Bear, a Blackfoot high school senior with a mission to preserve her culture's traditions. Gracie discusses her spiritual journey, the significance of sweetgrass, and her aspirations to become a medicine woman.

00:00 Introduction to Climate Action Figures

00:36 QuickFix: Reusable Coffee Pods

01:04 Meet Gracie Eagle Bear

01:24 Gracie's Cultural Heritage and Music Interests

02:22 Honouring Pete Provost in Europe

06:07 Sweetgrass Knowledge Transfer Ceremony

08:21 Gracie's Aspirations as a Medicine Woman

12:54 Inspiration and Family Influence

13:35 Gracie's Role in the School Program

15:50 Future Hopes and Climate Action

19:55 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

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Gracie:

Okie. My name is Gracie Eagle Bear. My Blackfoot name is Anki and I am on Climate Action Figures

Johnjohn--he-him-_1_06-09-2025_132440:

Hello and welcome to another exciting edition of Climate Action Figures. My name is John Whidden, and this week on the show you get to meet Gracie Eagle Bear. But first, this week's QuickFix, which comes from Linda in Edmonton, Alberta, and Linda says, single serve coffee makers like Keurig. You can make your own coffee, in reusable pods that you can buy for these things instead of the store-purchased ones that you have to throw away each time. So she said, just make sure you buy the kind that are compatible with your machine. that's a great QuickFix. Thanks for sharing that, Linda. And welcome Gracie.

Gracie:

Hi.

Johnjohn--he-him-_1_06-09-2025_132440:

What do you think about that QuickFix,

Gracie:

It is pretty good.

Johnjohn--he-him-_1_06-09-2025_132440:

Are you a coffee drinker yourself?

Gracie:

yes, I am a coffee drinker.

Johnjohn--he-him-_1_06-09-2025_132440:

Do you, uh, do you use the little pods or are you like us where you make the whole pot?

Gracie:

I make the whole pot.

Johnjohn--he-him-_1_06-09-2025_132440:

Wow, there you go. Then you don't have to worry about throwing anything away except for the filter, right?

Gracie:

Yeah.

Johnjohn--he-him-_1_06-09-2025_132440:

Now Gracie, your full name is Gracie Eagle Bear, and I'd love for you to say that again in Blackfoot'cause it sounded so beautiful. And tell us about the origin of that name if you don't mind. Gracie.

Gracie:

in my culture, we have our government name and which I said it, Gracie Eagle Bear, that's my government name. But in my culture, we have another name or spiritual name and it means, Pretty Bear Woman. Back in the day, they used to give us names like that because when we go to the spirit world, that's who we are. our name in the spirit world.

Johnjohn--he-him-_1_06-09-2025_132440:

That is fascinating. Well, thanks. Very much for sharing that with us,

Gracie:

you're welcome.

Johnjohn--he-him-_1_06-09-2025_132440:

and I'm told you also are a big music listener, so what kind of music do you like to listen to?

Gracie:

I like to listen to rap in country.

Johnjohn--he-him-_1_06-09-2025_132440:

Do you have favorite artists?

Gracie:

my favorite artist is, Future and Kendrick Lamar.

Johnjohn--he-him-_1_06-09-2025_132440:

Now Gracie, I heard about your school through an interview on CBC with Ramona, uh, about a trip that you were actually on to Europe. Do you wanna tell us a little bit about that trip?

Gracie:

We went to Europe and it was such an experience. The only reason why we went over there was for Pete Provost

Johnjohn--he-him-_1_06-09-2025_132440:

tell us about Pete Provost and why that drew your group to Europe.

Gracie:

Pete Provost went into the war in Vimy Ridge. He was from Peigan Nation and he went up there with his twin brother, I believe. they fought in Vimy Ridge and he didn't make it back, but his brother did. And he's the first guy on the reserve who went to go fight over there and he never made it back. So we went to go honor him at Vimy Ridge.

Johnjohn--he-him-_1_06-09-2025_132440:

To go and make the ultimate sacrifice like that is. Incredible. When you think about it. What, uh, what did you learn about Pete that, uh, that stuck with you?

Gracie:

They read this little booklet when we were having our little ceremony for him, and one thing they, um, they said about him was, he had the choice to go to war or go to jail. And that really stuck with me because. back when all the wars were happening, all the men had to go and fight for our country, you know, and they had a choice to go to war or go to jail. And he picked war to fight for our rights and for our land. And I just thought that was pretty cool of him because, um, that was, that must have been really sad for him to, to pick

Johnjohn--he-him-_1_06-09-2025_132440:

two

Gracie:

options and like he made the right choice, in my opinion.

Johnjohn--he-him-_1_06-09-2025_132440:

Yeah, I guess so what, do you wanna go to jail or do you wanna go to, you know, Europe?

Gracie:

Yeah.

Johnjohn--he-him-_1_06-09-2025_132440:

that's a terrible choice really. but what a guy that he made that choice and then sacrificed for his people and for Canada, ultimately, you say ceremony, there was some sort of a sweetgrass ceremony and you had a special part in that. Is that correct?

Gracie:

I did. Um, in that ceremony I had to like burn sweetgrass from our, greenhouse from here. And, I got the, opportunity to braid the sweetgrass because I have the rights to braid it. So I got picked to braid that sweetgrass and um, take it to Pete.

Johnjohn--he-him-_1_06-09-2025_132440:

And as you did that and the sweet grass was burned there, what a beautiful connection from, from your home to this distant place, uh, where he was buried. Did that strike you, uh, that connection between these two far away places?

Gracie:

Yes. In that moment, I, when I was braiding it at my house and smudging it and, blessing it, and I felt like when I was on my way towards where my destination was, I kind of felt that sweetgrass us, how would I say, growing and kind of getting. I don't know how to say it, but I have a picture of it. But when I got there, the sweetgrass was gray. It had gray strands on it, and I kind of felt like it was growing its hair into like a mother, getting to an age I felt like it was growing while I was going to my destination.

Johnjohn--he-him-_1_06-09-2025_132440:

Wow. So like a person would grow their hair and become the person they were meant to be. Wow. That's a beautiful story.

Gracie:

Yeah.

Johnjohn--he-him-_1_06-09-2025_132440:

that is a very cool connection to your school. And we've talked with Thomas and Mike so far about the Greenhouse and A little bit about the Sweetgrass project, but you have a very special part in that and you were part of a Sweetgrass Knowledge Transfer Ceremony. How did that all work?

Gracie:

Brett told me we were gonna have a little ceremony about the sweetgrass, and I would say two years back he asked me about, um, if I wanted to be in this whole take part of the sweetgrass thing. And said, yes, I would love to partake into that special project. So I got the opportunity to pick the sweetgrass and show Brett where the sweetgrass was. And then ever since then I've been a part of it. And then that day he asked me to go be a part of the ceremony and I didn't know that I was going to get transferred the rights by my uncle Peter Strikes With a Gun. And felt so honoured because I do a lot of sweetgrass picking myself, and I'm connected with Sweetgrass and I know where to pick it. And I just felt very honored to get that transferred to me because I always wanted to be someone who got a opportunity to pick medicines and just...

Johnjohn--he-him-_1_06-09-2025_132440:

a traditional Blackfoot ceremony

Gracie:

yeah.

Johnjohn--he-him-_1_06-09-2025_132440:

that gives you the right to be a, a sweetgrass picker or...

Gracie:

yes, I have the rights to, um, pick it. I have the rights to braid it and I have the rights to offer it, and I have the rights to grow it. And that's one thing I never thought I would be doing as I got those transferred to me because I didn't know that you could grow it on your own. And I thought that was pretty cool.

Johnjohn--he-him-_1_06-09-2025_132440:

What were your emotions, Gracie, as you received those rights?

Gracie:

I felt really honored. I felt really blessed and I felt really happy because I was praying to become a medicine woman one day, and I felt like that's just a step of it: getting the rights to the sweetgrass.

Johnjohn--he-him-_1_06-09-2025_132440:

Wow. A medicine woman someday. That sounds fascinating. What, what's your inspiration for that?

Gracie:

my inspiration for medicine woman is to just help, help our people, you know, um, hold my own sun dances and, hold my own ceremonies, hold, hold my all night smokes, and to just help people with our culture and to just go around helping our people. That's why I wanna be a medicine woman one day I feel like our next generation learning our culture.

Johnjohn--he-him-_1_06-09-2025_132440:

I am curious to know what you think are the most important ways that you can pass the knowledge on that you've learned and maybe. Part of that is what are the important ways that you've been taught that information? Who, who have been the people in your life who have taught you that?

Gracie:

Starting off first with our like old stories back in the day, what they used to do, you know? And just like, I feel like our, our little people are just like not really learning about the medicines, the importance of medicines, you know, the importance of our history, our stories. That's why I kind of wanna be a medicine woman because I kind of have stories like that and I wanna carry them on. So the next generation has those stories and has the knowledge of the medicines because I feel like our medicines and stories are lost. That's why I wanna be a medicine woman my Auntie Albertine, and, my Auntie Delia they are the ones Who I look up to because they have their own bundles. Um, my Auntie Delia's in the Sundance, you know, she really brought it up to me that I. I wanna be a part of the Sundance too, and have my own bundle, you know, because I feel like that's where my heart is connected. And my Auntie um Marissa Little Mustache, she helped me with all this knowledge. She was the one who taught me about like the medicines and our teachings, you know? My Uncle Peter Strikes With a Gun, he taught me the stories, you know, and all around, like just my family teaching me those significance of our culture.

Johnjohn--he-him-_1_06-09-2025_132440:

I have this vision of you someday, probably not far in the future, being this, uh, wise medicine woman who's sharing all these wonderful traditions with the, with future Blackfoot people and many others.

Gracie:

Yeah.

Johnjohn--he-him-_1_06-09-2025_132440:

Gracie, you started with this program, uh, that grows Sweet Grass and other things in the greenhouse. When you first arrived at the school there, and you're now a senior student at the school, right?

Gracie:

I am.

Johnjohn--he-him-_1_06-09-2025_132440:

do you remember your first impressions of the program when you first saw the greenhouse and heard about the sweet grass growing?

Gracie:

At the time I was just learning about sweetgrass and about sage and about different kind of medicine I remember one day I was picking sweetgrass and I came to school the next day and I told Brett what I was doing and he was like, oh, you do, um, sweetgrass. And I was like, yep, I do. He started coming up with these programs about sweetgrass and I didn't know that we had a greenhouse growing with sweetgrass and that was pretty cool. And he started including me in these ceremonies with sweetgrass and other ceremonies and I was really honored because at the time I was going through my spiritual journey with my culture and I was really amazed and I felt like. Creator was just teaching me other steps that I need to know about our medicines and the importance of medicines. And I feel like Creator was the one who set all this up for me to learn more about it because in my heart, I want to be a medicine woman one day.

Johnjohn--he-him-_1_06-09-2025_132440:

You sound like a very wise young woman for your tender years. Uh, I'm curious to know, you've mentioned a few names of people who have inspired you. Are there other people who have had a big influence on, on your learning First Nations' ways, Blackfoot ways, and shaping who you've become?

Gracie:

it has to be my Auntie Marissa Little Mustache. She was the one who really taught me these spiritual journeys and who really stuck by my side throughout my spiritual journey. And, um, I'm just so thankful for her because without her I wouldn't know any of this knowledge today. And she was the one who really inspired me to do these kind of things.

Johnjohn--he-him-_1_06-09-2025_132440:

Now let's just get back to the school program for a moment, Gracie. you've talked about the importance of sweetgrass and how it grew in that direction, but what, what's your day-to-day involvement like on an average day or in an average week? What kind of things do you do in the program to look after sweetgrass or the greenhouse or what have you?

Gracie:

We usually go out there and check on it, and if it hasn't been watered, that's what I would do. I, every time I go to the greenhouse, I'm always the one who's checking up on the sweetgrass sometimes, or who's making sure it's watered, and that making sure it's growing properly, making sure that no one's cutting, um, the roots. Because if you cut the roots, it ain't gonna grow

Johnjohn--he-him-_1_06-09-2025_132440:

And do you teach the younger students about this so that they understand those things as well?

Gracie:

I had some times where I went to a school and I had some kids come in the classroom and I taught them about like the sweetgrass and the importance of it and why we use it. And why it's so important to us in our culture.

Johnjohn--he-him-_1_06-09-2025_132440:

So even in high school, you're taking a big part in helping future generations to understand the importance of that.

Gracie:

Yes.

Johnjohn--he-him-_1_06-09-2025_132440:

Well, that's great. So Gracie, as you think about the future of the, the school program, the greenhouse, the sweetgrass project, as you leave the school in, uh, in the next year or two, what would you like to see that program become, as you move away?

Gracie:

I hope that, um, it gets carried on and I hope that it stays and it grows and that the next generation has somewhere to learn about the sweetgrass, and learn about the history of it, and I hope, someone like me comes along and teaches the next generations about the sweetgrass and about the greenhouse. And I hope this program stays as it is because it's a really fun program for the next generation. And it's a opportunity for them to learn how it grows and know the importance of it, and I hope it stays for the next generation.

Johnjohn--he-him-_1_06-09-2025_132440:

Okay, so that's the greenhouse. Now let me ask what, uh, where the future might take you, or maybe I should say, where you might take the future.

Gracie:

I hope that in my future, I hope I become a medicine woman, and I, I'm already taking those steps towards that. But for right now, I just wanna be someone that helps our kids, on the reserve. I wanna be a childcare and youth worker and I feel like that will bring me where I want to go in the future, helping my people just taking care of them in a way, you know?'cause we don't have that much help on the reserves. And I just wanna be that person that can help my people and maybe one day I will become a medicine woman. You know, when I become an elder. You know, I hope I become a medicine woman.

Johnjohn--he-him-_1_06-09-2025_132440:

I have no doubt that your future will be very bright, whichever way you decide to go, and all the best as you head that way. Now, Gracie, as you talk about all these, uh, desires you have to look after your people, does that come partly from your immediate family? What's the influence been there?

Gracie:

yes, it does come from my family because my family struggles with like addictions and just a whole bunch of other things that our reserve deals with. I kind of suffered with that when I was growing up and I feel like I wanna make a difference, you know, and help our people it's sad and it breaks my heart because I am still young and I can't really do anything about it. But when I get older I kind of wanna make a difference because I feel like our, my people need that change, you know, because there's hardly any hope. And, you know, watching my family go through that, it just makes me wanna do better and help our people. The positive side of it is that, I always see my family helping other people and, doing a lot of good things for them and, just making sure that they're okay. For example, my dad, the late Aaron Good Rider he was, the one who always helped the people, always helped the homeless people, and always brought them into our home and made sure that they were good and always helped people with whatever they needed help with. You know, that kind of inspired me because my dad was always a hard worker and a good person to help people

Johnjohn--he-him-_1_06-09-2025_132440:

Anyone else in your immediate family you wanna mention?

Gracie:

My grandma Florence Little Mustache because she was always the one being nice and always lovely because she was always helping people and always being there for people when they needed help. She never said no, and I kind of feel like that's where I get it from is my grandma.

Johnjohn--he-him-_1_06-09-2025_132440:

Now Gracie, you've, chosen one climate action for us today. Which have you picked?

Gracie:

I picked highway cleanup I take part every year and I like to clean up garbage every year because I feel like that helps our environment, mother Earth stay clean.

Johnjohn--he-him-_1_06-09-2025_132440:

Now Gracie, a moment ago you mentioned sometimes there's a lack of hope within your people. what gives you hope these days?

Gracie:

Knowing that there's a future out in the world, you know, knowing that there's so many opportunities in the world, you know, after traveling to Europe and Germany. I kind of felt like there was world out there and that kind of gave me hope because I don't really have hope on the reserve and knowing that there's a, a world out there and full of opportunities and just full of other people, you know, that just gave me hope right there for my future.

Johnjohn--he-him-_1_06-09-2025_132440:

That is wonderful to hear. Thank you so much for joining us today, Gracie.

Gracie:

You are so welcome.

Johnjohn--he-him-_1_06-09-2025_132440:

Thank you dear listener or viewer. if you have enjoyed what you've seen or heard here today and you can think of someone who would enjoy it as well, please pass it along to them. We love when you, uh, share the good news. We will be back again next week, same time, same place to hear from another climate action figure. Until then.

Gracie:

Go figures!