Who We Are
Noella Eagle
Noella Eagle is a Dakota member of the Canupawakpa Dakota Nation. She has been involved in First Nations Education for the last 26 years. She had worked at various capacities to include Teacher, Principal to Education Director. Noella is taking an administrative break and teaching back in the classroom to be inspired and motivated for her leadership role in aboriginal education. She is currently near completion of her Masters in Education Administration. Noella’s aspiration is to complete her Ph.D. in Education focusing on Administration as she sees the need for sound First Nation’s Education systems. She continues to advocate for equality education for all aboriginal learners and to instill life long learning.
Noella formed the Dakota Iapi Teunkindapi Consortium with her colleague and relative, Elaine Hall-Pratt to address the current language loss within the Dakota communities of Manitoba. She understands from 30 years of educational research that speaking your own first language is academically beneficial. She encourages and supports Language Immersion Programming.
Noella is the youngest daughter of Jerome Yuhaha and Jean Eagle both of Canupawakpa Dakota Nation and she comes from a Tiospa of six children and two adopted sisters. She is the mother of two sons, Cassidy and Travis , and one takoja, Cassie. She is the Kunshi Hanska and Tuwin Hanska to numerous children from her siblings. She enjoys traveling during the summer on the Pow Wow Trail. She enjoys reading various genres of literature. She enjoys watching sporting events and she has gone back to her love of horses. She has been blessed to have found 4 horses to add to her family.
Elaine Hall-Pratt
Elaine Hall Pratt is a Dakota from the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation in Manitoba. She is currently on leave from D.O.C.F.S. She was previously employed with SiouxValley Education Authority as the Director of Curriculum and Dakota Studies. The Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre from 1999 to March 2007; first as an English Language Arts Specialist, Curriculum Development Specialist and as a School Administration Specialist. Her previous educational work experiences includes over twenty years as a classroom teacher at all levels, administrator, and providing consultative language and curriculum supports for various educational programs for First Nations’ schools and communities. She has been very instrumental in providing support on the development of curriculum resources/materials and consultative services to First Nations communities in Manitoba. She has a Master of Education degree in Curriculum Development, and is currently pursuing her Ph. D Studies.