Sheila De Corte

Sheila De Corte is an Ojibwe Elder and knowledge keeper from Animkii Wajiw (Thunder Mountain), which is more commonly known as Mount McKay located in Fort William First Nation in the Robinson Superior Treaty Territory of 1850. Her Spirit name is Niibin Giimiwan (Summer Rain), and she is from the Turtle Clan. Sheila was born and raised in the city of Fort William/Thunder Bay, Ontario. She retired from the Federal Public Service in January 2020 to allow her the freedom to feed her spirit by following her cultural path and to be afforded the free time to share her traditional knowledge and teachings with those who call upon her. It was through Sheila's volunteer work with the Thunder Bay National Aboriginal Day Committee in 2000 that first introduced her to her first pow wow and to the heartbeat of the big drum. This began her pull and reconnection to her Anishinaabe way of living. She entered the pow wow circle in 2002 as a fancy shawl dancer and has since transitioned into a women’s traditional dancer. She picked up her hand drum in 2014 and now leads the “Sisters of Turtle Island” Women’s Drum Group where songs, teachings, and knowledge are shared as well as the sharing of the group’s community initiatives which support important Indigenous community events. Her Anishinaabe way of living continues to pull her into many cultural related areas, which includes walking for the water to bring healing and awareness on the importance of protecting the water. She and other water walkers are fulfilling their promise to the late Grandmother Water Walker Josephine to continue the work she started for the water. Sheila shares awareness and teachings to support “For Love of the Rivers” water walks in Thunder Bay. Sheila also continues to build her relationship with the traditional medicines that she has learned about during her 4-year commitment studying under the guidance of Kathy Bird, Medicine Women, from Matootoo Lake Medicine Camp located in Peguis FN.