Kelly Chinchilla’s story is about healing and finding her roots.
Chinchilla, whose spirit name is Nishkewaasiia’ed Ikwe (Shines Alone Woman) grew up in Winnipeg and always felt disconnected from her Indigenous heritage.
“I didn’t know anything about my culture when I was growing up. But I experienced all the negative things, such as being stereotyped and the intergenerational trauma our family was dealing with. I struggled with depression, anxiety and low self esteem. When I was a teenager, I went through identity issues.”
Her mother is Anishinaabe, and her parents came from two Ojibwe communities: Roseau River First Nation and Skownan First Nation. She also has Métis ancestry from her dad’s side (from Kinosota) as well as Polish, but was born and raised in Winnipeg.
Her mother was raised in Winnipeg and was part of the Sixties Scoop with her siblings. Both of her maternal grandparents went to a residential school.
“My parents both grew up in poverty, surrounded by addictions. They had their struggles, which also affected me and my siblings. But they worked their way out of it. They lived in housing and got better jobs. My dad became a police officer, and my mom became a teacher. They’re still together.”
Motherhood became the turning point in her life. Her daughter, Rylee Sandberg, was born when Kelly was 20.
“It was unplanned, and I struggled. Her dad was also First Nation. I didn’t know much about the world, and I really became a helicopter mom. Everything I did was about my daughter. Little did I know that becoming an Indigenous mother would heal me and empower me.”
When Rylee was two, Chinchilla decided she wanted her daughter to grow up proud of her Indigenous heritage.
“I wanted her to know who she is and be filled with knowledge. I took her to a powwow club in Winnipeg. That’s when she started dancing. She just went right into the circle. It was like it was made for and it still is.”
Sandberg received competitive dance lessons. Now, at just 15, she is a well-known hoop dancer in the Indigenous community.
Chinchilla also aspired to rediscover her Indigenous roots, learning about the sacred role of motherhood in traditional Indigenous societies. These teachings also inspired her own personal growth, driving her to reclaim her culture through ceremonies, language, and dance.
“I started dancing a year later. I was very shy, with low self-esteem. I learned how to make regalia and all about powwow teachings. It felt empowering to connect with my Indigenous roots. Initially I felt like I didn’t belong, because I didn’t grow up with it. But I had the right people guide me. They know the history about what was lost,” Chinchilla recalls.
“At Roseau River where my grandfather is from, and where my daughter and I are registered, they’re known for keeping a lot of the ceremonies during a time when there were Indian agents finding and arresting people for having ceremonies or during anything cultural. So, in Roseau River, they kept their practices and their stories alive. When I learned about this, I felt pride.”
Chinchilla and her daughter continued to perform at powwows and ceremonies.
“We’d get invited to Folklarama and other dancing events. and then I joined a women’s drum group. I learned ceremony songs and singing at the drum. Part of that group was also raising awareness of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG). It was a healing time, and the teachings I was learning mixed with all the anger and the hurt, and the traumas I didn’t know how to name when I was growing up.”
In 2016, she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, a condition that altered her life significantly. Yet her determination to follow her dreams never waned. She enrolled in the CATEP education program at the University of Winnipeg, which partners with Seven Oaks School Division. This opportunity allowed her to gain experience as an Educational Assistant while pursuing degrees in both Education and Arts. Upon graduation, she joined the Ojibwe Bilingual Program at Riverbend School, where she currently teaches.
Now, as both a mother and an educator, Chinchilla is helping shape a new generation of students with a stronger connection to their Indigenous heritage
Her mother teaches in the class beside hers.
“It’s about understanding the traumas. And that we can still make our choices to live a better life, especially for our kids, with what we know now compared to my mom’s generation. They didn’t have social media and the internet. I feel like her generation had a harder time when racism was so much more in your face. I think about what my daughter doesn’t have to experience”
There’s a quote Chinchilla often shares at demonstrations: “A year from now, you’re going to wish you’d started today.”
“I didn’t start learning about my culture until I was an adult, but I want people to know, it’s never too late to learn.”
