About

I was born Cecilia Thanh Gullickson. My mom is Metis (maternal) and First Nations (band unknown, paternal).
I am proud to be non status Metis. I am proud of my ongoing journey as a Scoop Survivor.

My birth father is unsafe but it is important to my family that I acknowledge he was Vietnamese.

I am racialized. My mom, brother, and I are Scoop survivors.

I am the third of five siblings: I am searching for the names of 3 disappeared sisters.

I know more about my Metis ancestors because they are well documented: Cook and Halcro.

Seven generations ago we were Red River Metis. Following the resistance many of my Metis ancestors moved south and west.

For example, my great grandpa Horace Cook was born in Kinistino, Saskatchewan. My great grandma, Mildred (nee Halcro) had 12 kids!!

My safe kin is my brother’s family. I do not understand my mother's living situation. My relationship with my birth family is precarious to non existent. I am committed to my nieces and nephews.

I am a spirit living a human experience which is affected but not defined by intergenerational trauma, colonialism, violence against Indigenous women, and displacement.

I am a knowledge gatherer. My life's work is to figure out who I am and where I come from.

I am urban Indigenous (Waterloo). My birth mother and her parents are urban Indigenous (Saskatoon).

The child welfare system displaced me from Treaty 4 and 6 territory to the Haldimand Tract, six miles either side of the Grand River.

My job is to learn. This is what the Scoop experience looks like.