Indigenous advocates celebrate 73 years together
Couple has spent lifetime serving their country and their community
Seventy-three years ago, when marriages were arranged, Elmer Carlson went outside cultural norms and chose to marry a woman whom he saw possessed great strength, compassion, strong morals and perseverance, Nellie Makokis. The start of their life journey together began when they married on June 12, 1947.
Makokis, a status nehiyawiskwew (Cree woman), was born and resided on Saddle Lake Cree Nation until shortly after she said “I do” to Carlson, a non-status apihtawikosisannapew (Métis man).
Under the 1876 Indian Act, if a status Indian woman married a non-Indian man, she would lose her status. If a status woman chose to marry a status Indian man from another community or a non-Indian man, she would be separated from her family, community and connections to her Indigenous culture.
Makokis lost her status and rights18 days after June12,1947.
She and Carlson had 11 children, with nine of them surviving to adulthood. And when Makokis lost her status, this also meant the Carlson children would not be entitled to their status, along with connections to their ancestral knowledge and culture.
Makokis became part of an advocacy group of Indigenous women that created a movement to help one another. She was a founding member of both the Voice of Alberta Native Women’s Society, active since 1967, and Indian Rights For Indian Women, which began in ’68, advocating for status and non-status Indian women and children to regain their status.
After 38 years, Indian Rights for Indian Women’s persistence created a brighter future for Indigenous women and children. Bill C-31 passed into law in April 1985, granting gender equality under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, removing enfranchisement law and restoring status to 127,000 Indigenous women and children.
Throughout her lifetime, alongside her advocacy work, Makokis always saw education as of great importance and held it close to her heart. She persistently advocated equal rights for First Nations, Métis and Inuit with a focus on the importance of education.
Makokis was honoured by the Edmonton Public Schools division with the naming of the Nellie Carlson School, which opened its doors in September 2016. Makokis, with Carlson by her side, celebrated the opening on the south side of Edmonton.
On Feb. 8, 2016, Elmer Carlson, a Canadian Armed Forces veteran, was awarded the Legion d’honneur, the highest decoration that France can bestow, equivalent to the Order of Canada. It rewards outstanding merits of individuals from all walks of life, regardless of their respective social, economic, hereditary or national backgrounds. Carlson served overseas during the Second World War and was part of the Lake Superior Scottish Regiment.
It has now been 35 years since Makokis’s proud moment when she received her status number. Since that day, the last four digits of her phone number have matched her status number.
On July 3, Nellie Carlson will turn 93, seven years shy of a century, alongside her husband, Elmer, who turns 96 come Oct. 7. The Carlsons still reside in their family home.
Nellie Makokis has persistently advocated equal rights for First Nations, Métis and Inuit