Cheryl Bear is a multi award-winning singer and songwriter who uses her gifts to work toward understanding, reconciliation, and empowerment for the Canadian Indigenous peoples.

She is visiting Winnipeg to help encourage better understanding and reconciliation between the church and indigenous culture in Manitoba as a part of the Ma'wa'chi'hi'to'tan - Journey In A Good Way conference taking place in Winnipeg this weekend. 

"I think we do have quite a ways to go but I think that even the fact that this is on anybody's radar is amazing to me... For our elders to have the courage to tell the stories and for Canada to be listening, it's huge... it's maybe moving a little glacially for me, as an indigenous person, you know, I long for understanding and recognition and reconciliation and all of those things to happen yesterday but I understand that it's a long way to go. We have a lot of things to undo in order to walk together in a good way and I'm happy to be along the journey and happy to be able to try to be a bridge and help raise awareness of indigenous issues and talk in a good way to non-native people and to build up the identity of our indigenous people. To remind indigenous people that you are beautiful and smart and witty and have so much to contribute to Canada. Canada has so much to learn from indigenous people and I long to tell those stories, so it's exciting to be on this journey."

Here is more information about Cheryl Bear.