Opening the doors to same-sex marriage

Wabigoon Lake’s Donna Chief is proud of her community’s response to her same-sex marriage.
“They are very progressive,” said Chief, vice principal with Seven Generations Education Institute and a champion softball pitcher who attended Mayville State University in North Dakota on a softball scholarship. “With same-sex marriage, they welcome that as something new for the area and they’ve totally embraced it.
“It’s funny, now that they know my lifestyle, they’re finally feeling comfortable enough to tease me about it.”
First Nations people are pretty humorous for the most part, Chief said, noting her community is no different.
“They haven’t held back and it’s been lots of fun,” Chief said. “It’s nice to have a real comfortable atmosphere and a good place to live.”
Chief married her partner Ursula Braun in August 2009 after meeting her in 2008 through the Internet, where they chatted with each other for about a year before meeting face-to-face in Toronto.
“We decided to meet in Toronto at the (Rogers Centre) powwow, a nice neutral ground,” Chief said, explaining Braun flew in from Germany for the meeting. “I had a group of friends of mine kind of check her out and my cousin Jeffrey lives in Toronto.”
Chief came out to her family once she returned home to Wabigoon Lake after the powwow.
“That was the scariest part of everything,” Chief said.
Afterwards, she found a freedom in sharing her life with everyone.
Chief said she was fortunate because her family has always focused on family talks and meetings.
“When I came back from Toronto, I did like I always do, run to my mom and dad and tell them about my trip,” Chief said. “I told them I went to Toronto to meet someone and she’s a girl. Mom was a little taken aback and she said she needed a little time to get used to the facts. My dad is pretty cool about the whole thing and said ‘We kind of knew. No matter what happens, we love you and you are still our daughter and you will always be our daughter.’”
Chief said once her mom met Braun in January 2009 and realized how well suited the two women were for each other, she gave her blessing. Chief met Braun’s family in Germany during the 2009 March break.
“Once she saw how incredibly happy I was, she was soon won over,” Chief said. “Once my mom and dad were accepting of her, we didn’t feel any reason not to move forward and get married that following summer.”
Chief said her family commended her for coming out.
“You have to take chances in life,” Chief said, quoting the advice of a cousin who lost her family in a car accident. “Don’t wait around because life can sometimes sell you short.”
Chief first realized she was gay when she was about seven or eight years old.
“I was pretty young when I knew,” Chief said. “Not knowing what to do and who to visit with about all those things, I ran away at age 19 and went to play some softball in Manitoba.”
Chief said her softball skills — as a pitcher she can throw a wicked riseball — lead to her opportunity to earn a four-year education degree at Mayville State University.
Chief is a member of the Manitoba Softball Hall of Fame due to her seven provincial championships with the Smitty’s Terminators, a bronze medal at the 1991 Canadian Championships and a bronze and gold at the Western Canadian Championships. She also pitched a no-hitter against an Iowa team in 2003.
Chief married Braun along the shoreline near the community’s powwow grounds.
“She has a Moto Guzzi side-by-side (motorcycle) and we rode in on it on the wedding day and we left in a canoe,” Chief said. “It kind of bridged both cultures.”
Chief said there is a real appreciation of First Nation culture in Germany.
“When I saw her online, I noticed she had little eagle feathers on her earrings,” Chief said. “This summer, we got Ursula an Indian name meaning Woman From Across The Ocean.”
Chief said immigration is a long process.
“The German standard of life is to work, work, work, and she hasn’t been allowed to, so that is why she has kind of taken the bull by the horns when you think of all the volunteer work she has done,” Chief said. “Work is definitely in her nature and she has been held back (from) that until her paperwork is done.”
Chief said Braun is anxious to partake in the community’s hunting culture once she clears all her immigration paperwork.
“She is a great (angler) already,” Chief said. “When you think of training your wife to be a good boat person, somebody who is going to grab the minnows and take off the fish, she came fully trained. She wasn’t squeamish about anything, you didn’t have to put a minnow on or anything.”
The couple even won a fishing derby and Braun is now planning to trade her Moto Guzzi in for an all-terrain vehicle.
“I’m glad I found my soul mate to share my life with,” Chief said.