As a homemaker, educator, language teacher, social reformer and advocate for the Carrier people and their culture, Mary John believed that education was the key to rising above the barriers that face aboriginal people today. She worked tirelessly to promote understanding between aboriginal and non-aboriginal communities.
 
The Book “Stoney Creek Woman – Saik’uz Ts’eke – The Story of Mary John” co-written with Bridget Moran documents Mary’s triumph over racism, poverty, and disease to become a respected community leader. As a mother of twelve, Mary and her husband Lazare raised their family on the Stoney Creek Indian Reserve near Vanderhoof. Mary would go on to become Vanderhoof’s Citizen of the Year, receive an honorary degree from the University of Northern British Columbia and be awarded the Queen’s Jubilee Medal and the Order of Canada.

The year after Mary John passed away George Labrash and Craig Hooper, with the support of the John Family, approached the Vanderhoof Public Library Board with the concept of the Mary John Collection, a literary legacy in honour of the respected Saik’uz elder.

On September 30, Dan Boudreau and Paul Stewart of the Nechako –Kitamaat Development Fund Society presented the Vanderhoof Public Library with the second installment of the NKDF funding that will help  make the project a reality. With the NKDF funding and support from L&M Nechako Lumber Co. Ltd, , Saik’uz First Nation, Cheslatta Carrier Nation, Alcan and Library grants, the library has been purchasing books and recently installed shelving provided by Knight Creek Furniture Gallery.

The book collection will consist of 800 books on First Nations related topics. It will be a “reader friendly” collection with titles that will capture the interest of a broad range or readers from the recreational reader to the researcher. Topics will include: Native Art, crafts, culture, medicinal plants, healing, spirituality, biographies, early journals, women’s and social issues, hunting, trapping, food and wild game recipes and living off the land, as well as books for children and young readers.  An in-depth section on the Carrier people will include theses and dissertations to aid students, researchers and teachers. There will also be an audiovisual section with DVD’s of Native stories and legends, traditional lifeways, fish and wild food preparation etc. along with CD’s of Native music and song. A small archive of maps and photographs dating from 1940 back to 1864 is also planned.

Those interested in learning more about the Mary John Collection or wishing to provide support for the project and contact Librarian Jane Gray at 250-567-4060
Emai vhpl@telus.net or Craig Hooper at 250-567-4415 email: chooper@telus.net

The Vanderhoof Public Library would like to thank the following donors for making the Mary John Collection a reality:

The John Family

Nechako-Kitimaat Development Fund Society

Cheslatta Carrier Nation

Saik'uz First Nation

L&M Lumber Ltd.

Nechako Lumber Co. Ltd

Knight Creek Furniture Gallery

Alcan Primary Metals

James B. Hoare

Craig and Ruth Hooper

George LaBrash

Dale Horita