WHITE BEAR FIRST NATIONS - Emilee Steffensen grew up an unsettled teen, feeling ashamed of who she was and that she did not belong.
An Indigenous girl raised in a white community, she thought that she was not white enough to be Caucasian and not dark enough to be Indigenous.
This played on the young woman’s mind for many years, causing her to move around from place to place, but she considered Carlyle her home.
She grew up loving art as her grandma Dale Boutin was an artist and Steffensen enjoyed the connection with her.
Steffensen’s Kookum, which is Cree for grandma, passed away 10 years ago and this sent her into depression.
She went to Avante Garde in Regina for cosmetology and did hair for two years. She then returned to Carlyle to work at the White Bear Casino.
During these years, she began to learn about her culture and understood who she truly was.
She moved to California for three years, returning when COVID-19 hit.
Steffensen left for Winnipeg to take schooling for a veterinary office assistant, but depression set in again. She completed her program and once again returned to Carlyle. She has never taken a job to work with animals, although she loves them.
Through COVID, she picked up her pencils, started to draw and realized how much she had missed this.
Working at the White Bear Casino as an administrative assistant, she is able to use her creative side, which she loves.
Steffensen designed a logo for all the missing Indigenous women and children. The Saskatchewan Health Authority loved her design and ordered 125 totes with the logo. Her logo is also pressed onto t-shirts and she makes decals for Every Child Matters.
The art she draws is all dedicated to these missing people, but it also gives her the chance to learn more about her culture.
Through her art she wishes to raise awareness about the unmarked graves from the children that were taken to residential schools.
Steffensen’s biggest support for this is her grandfather Emile Boutin, who pushed her to get going.
Her business name, Moonemis Creations, stems from her love of the moon and Greek mythology. She put Artemis, the goddess of hunt and moon together to create Moonemis.
Steffensen will have her designs and art at several local craft shows in the future.
She hopes that one day everyone will be accepted for who they are even if they seem to be different.
