May 27, 1948 – May 08, 2023
Betty Bastien, Sikapinaki. PhD, RSW. Member of the Blackfoot Confederacy. Associate Professor Emeritus University of Calgary. Lecturer and Curriculum development for Indigenous Master of Social Work with Yellowhead Tribal College. Serves in an advisory capacity for Language Revitalization and Indigenous Strategy with University of Alberta and Calgary respectively. Publications include indigenous research methodologies, aboriginal child welfare, indigenous education, language and cultural revitalization.
Honours highlighted are the Alumni awards from the Universities of Lethbridge and Calgary, Lethbridge and YWCA and District and Esquao Awards for her distinguished commitment for the Advancement of Women; and John Hutton Memorial Award for Social Action and Policy by the Alberta College of Social Workers.
Her work has carried her internationally, the most satisfying was the Revitalization of Language and Culture Project in Guizhou China. Dr. Bastien is recognized as a leader in her profession and her outstanding work for cultural resurgence.