Cree, Cross Lake First Nation
Image size: 11 x 13 inches
Edition size: 575
Bella Beardy
Bella Beardy was born on December 2nd, 1918, in Cross Lake, Manitoba. This Cree community of five thousand is located approximately 130 kilometers south of Thompson. As a young girl, Bella, along with many other children from that part of northern Manitoba attended the residential school in Norway House. Later at the young age of sixteen she married Elijah Beardy. The marriage was to produce three sons and two daughters. That generation would lead to seventeen grandchildren and fifteen great grandchildren. Bella achieved notoriety by being very active in the Cross Lake community. She took her responsibilities seriously and did not retire from all her community services until into her early eighties. During most of her life Bella was in a position to assist others and that desire to help those in need is an inspiration to the citizens of the First Nation of Cross Lake.