Jean Bartibogue

Elder Jean Bartibogue is a Mi’kmaq woman from the community of Esgenoôpetitj and a Clan Mother of the Jagej (Lobster) Clan. She has spent nearly 4 decades immersing herself in traditional wisdom and in knowledge of cultural teachings and ceremonies. As the UNB Kcicihtuwinut (Knowledge Carrier-in-Residence), Elder Jeannie tends to the spiritual and cultural needs of Indigenous students and is committed to helping others within a framework of traditional Wabanaki teachings.

In her almost 20 years of social work experience, Jeannie worked with Residential School survivors as a case manager; advocated for Aboriginal Women Against Violence with the Women’s Equality Committee Advisory; and held an advisory position with the Parole Board of Canada. She has worked as a Cultural Advisor and Project Manager for NBCC, Miramichi High School, and Mawlugutineg Mental Health Services, an organization that provides compassionate mental health supports in the Mi’kmaq communities of Metepenagiag, Natoaganeg, Ugpi’ganjig, Pabineau, and Esgenoôpetitj. She is a proud grandmother and an artist who paints with acrylics; her painting “Seven Generations: Tree of Life” is the book cover art for Sherri Mitchell’s Sacred Instructions: Indigenous Wisdom for Living Spirit-Based Change.

Today, Jeannie assists Wabanaki communities and young adults with land-based healing and provides groups and individuals with counselling, cultural support, and guidance. As Kcicihtuwinut, she creates opportunities for all people to learn from Traditional Knowledge Keepers – as she did in the spring of 2022, when she helped organize a week-long Treaty Renewal Gathering at UNB and led a full day of Grandmother teachings on the seven stages of life. She follows with gratitude in the footsteps of past UNB Elders-in-Residence Sagatay (Gwen Bear), Opolahsomuwehs (Imelda Perley), and Ramona Nicholas, working closely with the UNB Council of Elders and the MWC Nihkanatpat to prioritize and advance initiatives and to ensure that university processes and policies are good for Indigenous peoples.