COVID-19 has been an immensely difficult challenge for isolated communities and Elders.  Angela Bishop, a Métis woman from Green Lake, Saskatchewan, and lawyer with the Department of Justice Canada for the past 25 years is a community leader who  has dedicated countless hours to sewing masks in an effort to protect the Elders of Northern Saskatchewan. Angela’s dedicated spirit attracted friends and family to volunteer in the mask making and quickly an Indigenous-Team, “The Masked Makers” was born. Their initial goal of protecting Elders in their province has since expanded to providing Indigenous crafted masks to communities across the country.

The Masked Makers are not only providing critical PPE for communities across Canada but also making masks that reflect both Métis and First Nations culture. Angela and the Masked Makers are showcasing Indigenous culture through art and symbolism in a totally innovative way and are a great example of Indigenous resiliency and innovation during these difficult times. Their work was recently recognized by the Métis Nation of Saskatchewan who donated industrial strength sewing machines to assist their important work. Today, over 10’000 face masks have been distributed across Canada.

The Masked Makers believe that pride is an important motivator in encouraging people to wear masks and have now created Canadian Flag masks, Gay Pride Masks, construction-themed masks for community checkpoint works, and masks for the Senate of Canada, for all Senators to wear. Below are several Senators showing their support of the Masked Makers and highlighting the importance of mask-wearing to all Canadians.

The Masked Makers do not accept money for their work. They are committed to supplying all the materials and time needed for this important work. They ask supporters who can to donate to a charity of their choosing or to the Core Neighbourhood Youth Co-op which assists youth in need in downtown Saskatoon. http://cnyc.ca/aboutus/