DRYDEN – A star blanket and praise were bestowed upon a Confederation College instructor from Eagle Lake First Nation as this year’s recipient of the Leonard Skye “Building Bridges” Award.
The award recognizes “leadership in diversity, respect, harmony, equality and humility for others,” according to a news release from the City of Dryden.
This year’s recipient is Roy Napish Sr., an Eagle Lake (Migisi Sahgaigan) First Nation member who teaches Indigenous Studies at Confederation College’s Dryden campus.
The award’s selection committee was looking for someone “who promotes cultural diversity and engages in educational activities to achieve respect and harmony, creates an atmosphere that assists in the elimination of racism and discrimination, and fosters leadership to build a community where every person is valued,” co-chair Ted Mitchell said Tuesday.
“I really do think Roy Napish Sr. embodies all three of these objectives,” he added.
Napish is “always assisting and helping out,” said Mitchell. “He’s always trying to break down cultural barriers and allow people to learn more about his Anishinaabe culture.”
The award, conceived in 2015 to honour a longtime teacher and Elder in the Dryden area, was previously sponsored by the Dryden Area Anti-Racism Network but is now administered by the City of Dryden’s Working Circle.
Skye was the first Indigenous person to teach at Dryden High School and later served as director of education in Eagle Lake. He died in October 2022 at the age of 73.
The educator “brought the culture and ways of life and language to our local classrooms in the region . . . passionately and always unapologetically,” Lloyd Napish, an Eagle Lake councillor, told Dougall Media in 2022.
The Working Circle was formed in 2020 by Dryden council to improve relations between the city and Indigenous peoples.
Mitchell, a teacher at Dryden High School, co-chairs the Working Circle with Coun. Catherine Kiewning.
The news release announcing this year’s Leonard Skye award said Napish, a residential school survivor, helps Confederation College students “understand the colonial effects of residential schools.”
Besides teaching at the college, Napish has worked in correctional centres to encourage inmates to “walk the red road” without discrimination or stigma.
He is also a valued Elder and mentor to many in the Eagle Lake community.
Dryden Mayor Jack Harrison said Napish is highly deserving of this award.
“I first met Roy in 1998 in the forest when he was doing some logging for Eagle Lake First Nation, and our paths have crossed many times since then,” Harrison said.
The mayor described Napish as “a gentle person” who is “willing to have cross-cultural discussions to enhance our understanding and respect for each other.”
