Katherine Ottereyes
July 25th 1946 – March 20th 2007
The sun was warm and bright on that spring morning when a loud noise directed my attention to a chickadee that had unfortunately flew directly into our kitchen window and now lay down on the balcony. I picked up the little being in my hand and gently stroked its feathers, keeping it in the warming sun, praying that it would survive the shock it had just experienced. It was such a beautiful and fragile bird and my heart was heavy with sadness at the thought of it dying on such a nice day. “Summer is coming, you cannot die now little one” I was telling it with tears in my eyes. It was breathing heavily, then almost not. Life is beautiful but unpredictable isn’t it?…
After a while, miracle, it simply flew to the closest tree, stood on the branch and looked at me…
I knew it was thanking me, and the joy I felt was so immense. Life prevailed on that spring morning! That’s the exact moment when Steve called me and told me that Katherine passed away…
My God, how can it be, not Katherine, not now, why?
My little birdie lived, how Katherine can die…
My souvenirs of Katherine are of a strong and proud tree woman, one who stood tall, an independent thinker who strongly supported the rights of women. Generous, open, and friendly, she loved the bush and the animals. She loved to laugh around a cup of tea. She loved her native land and her culture, I learned a lot on Waswanipi’s history from her every time I visited and stayed at her home. I did not know her that much but that is what stood out of her for me…
I will always remember her though, she touched me and the news of her passage to the Creator shook me to my core. Your spirit will live on Katherine, all great beings do. Maybe, just maybe, your spirit helped my little bird to live and see another beautiful summer.
– Danielle
