Off-reserve First Nations elders want to be prioritized in Manitoba's vaccination plan

With First Nations citizens in Manitoba making up about half of new COVID-19 cases in the province, off-reserve elders and knowledge keepers want to be included on the vaccination priority list.

"We deserve the respect and the courtesy. You know, just because you live in the city doesn't mean that you should be excluded," said 69-year-old Barbara Nepinak.

Nepinak, Anishinaabe from Pine Creek, is a fluent Anishinaabemowin speaker who has spent the majority of her life living in Winnipeg.

In 2019, she and her husband Clarence Nepinak received the Order of Manitoba, the province's highest honour, for preserving Indigenous culture and languages.

Recently, she contacted her doctor to ask when she and her 72-year-old husband would be eligible to get vaccinated. She was told by her doctor to contact her band about First Nations being prioritized, who then told her to contact her doctor.

"When the [vaccine distribution] announcement came out, the government was saying First Nation communities were given priority but some of the First Nations people in the urban area, we've never really qualified for any kind of services at the community level," said Nepinak.

The Nepinaks are often asked to share their wisdom at public events and schools, and she would like to ensure that the elders who carry traditional knowledge and languages in the city are protected as the province navigates vaccine priorities.

'We look after our elders'

As of Jan. 27, the Manitoba First Nations COVID-19 Pandemic Response Co-ordination Team has reported a total of 8,188 confirmed cases among First Nations people in the province, with 3,549 on-reserve and 4,639 off-reserve.

On Monday, Manitoba announced older adults living in the community could start getting vaccinated by March, beginning with those older than 95, then moving down in one-year increments.

Arlen Dumas, grand chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, said elders and knowledge keepers hold the memory and history of Indigenous peoples.

"It's just part of our culture. You know, we look after our elders. It's just how it is," said Dumas.

Dumas said First Nations leadership has been advocating for off-reserve members with the province in regards to pandemic planning and that they are in the process of developing a phased strategy. A joint announcement is expected in the coming days.

Elder Albert McLeod said off-reserve First Nations members should be prioritized when it comes to vaccinations.

"I think in terms of research, you know, crowded housing, lack of housing, pre-existing conditions, all of that presents itself in terms of risk," said McLeod.

At 65, McLeod said he has been taking as many precautions as he can and has spent the majority of his time at home since last March. 

He would like to see vaccination prioritization for elders and knowledge keepers who live in cities like Winnipeg.

"If you look at what happened in the U.S., you know, among the Native Americans there, they lost a lot of their elders, their knowledge keepers, and I think that's something we want to avoid here as well, because… the older age group like the 60 to 80 age group is very vulnerable," said McLeod.

The province's website says as of Jan. 27, 33,361 doses of vaccine have been administered — 28,274 first doses and 5,087 second doses.