
'A Woman of Many Firsts': Bust of Mi'kmaw educator Elsie Basque unveiled
CBC
Nova Scotia's Université Sainte-Anne has unveiled a bust and space for celebrated Mi'kmaw educator Elsie Basque.
The bust was unveiled this week to mark Canada's first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
President Allister Surette said Basque's achievements as the first Mi'kmaw person to get a teaching certificate in Nova Scotia and as the first Indigenous person to teach at a non-Indigenous school in the province are part of her legacy.
"Elsie Basque was born in Hectanooga, not far from here in the Municipality of Clare, someone that had close Acadian ties as well," he said. "We're looking at ways of building relationships with our First Nations, especially our local First Nations here."
The bust is displayed in the Elsie Basque Space at the university's Louis-R.-Comeau Library. It was created by artist Kevin P Comeau, who called the clay sculpture A Woman of Many Firsts.
Her daughter, Marcelle Simon, said the expression on her face in the bust can be summed up with one of her favourite phrases: "Well, how about that!"
"She made an impact," Simon told CBC News ahead of the unveiling.