tānisi, I’m Andrea Custer, a dedicated and passionate language reclamation advocate. Currently, a PhD student in Indigenous Language Revitalization at the University of Victoria.
My heart work lies in my role as the Chair of PBCN Language Council Inc . This work is grounded in my home community and shaped by my upbringing on the land and the family I was blessed with. I do this work to honour my roots, the people who raised me, the community I grew up in, and the relationships that continue to guide me. It comes from a place of love, responsibility, and connection.
I’m also new to beading, it’s down time that I’ve come to appreciate in the busyness of life and I look forward to learning more skills as I grow as a beadwork artist. I’m proud to share that I come from a long line of beadwork artisans including my mother Julianne Custer, nohkomipan Maggie Highway and my Highway aunties including Aunt Flo, Aunt Yvonne, and Aunt Lena. My cousin Leanne and nitānis Alyse are also threading their needles, together we are picking up tradition and creating beautiful works of art.
During the summer, I love to head back to the homelands of my ancestors at onikāyāmihk (Uskik Lake in English) with my children and extended family members. That’s where I go to ground myself and reconnect with the land, the waters, and niwāhkōhmākanak. It is my Indigenous version of heaven on earth.
andrea-custer.ca 