Aaron McKay

Aaron McKay was born in Swan Lake, Manitoba in spring of 1991. Born to Anishinaabe parents, his mother, Bonnie Soldier is from Swan Lake First Nation, Treaty 1, and his father, Michael McKay is from Rolling River First Nation, Treaty 4. Aaron grew up in different parts of southern Manitoba but spent most of his growing years in Rolling River First Nation. From an early age, Aaron had saw the many faces of life. The good, the bad, the beautiful, the painful, the love and the anger all played crucial roles in shaping Aaron’s views of the physical and metaphysical worlds.

The Residential School system and impacts of a colonial system caused turbulence in his family, the intergenerational trauma found it’s way to him and raised challenges and would eventually lead to him turning to things that would negatively impact his life. Growing up, Aaron experienced pieces of the Anishinaabe culture, but as a teen, faced with mental health challenges, Aaron’s connection with the culture became weaker. After graduating from Erickson Collegiate Institute, he went on to enrol in Brandon University’s Bachelor of Arts program, planning to complete the Bachelor of Education. The first year of the program proved to be difficult for Aaron. The change in environment, responsibilities, and in his body and mind, led to struggles that resulted in him being placed on academic probation. After his first year, he received correspondence from Brandon University stating that if he did not meet the required grade point average, he would be suspended. Aaron felt an anger, and he directed that anger to all outside sources, until he came to a moment of silence and asked himself, “How come you didn’t try harder?” It was this moment that Aaron began to take responsibility for his actions and started on a path to understanding that he was in control of his future.

 Aaron began his healing journey, starting with therapy and applying himself to his studies. It was this therapy that changed Aaron for the better and would play a crucial role in giving him the strength to complete his Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education at Brandon University. Soon after completing his degree programs, Aaron felt as though something was missing from his life. On a visit to his home one evening, his grandfather, father, brother, and uncle were preparing for a sweat lodge ceremony. Something he had not experienced since he was 11 or 12 years old. That evening, with the encouragement from his younger brother, he entered the sweat lodge, and he found the piece he was missing, he found his spirit and his home.

Aaron works in post-secondary education and previously worked in his home territory of Riding Mountain National Park. He is working on strengthening Giiwe, a business dedicated to supporting and elevating Indigenous voices throughout Canada. Through Giiwe, he uses his photography and storytelling to share the history of his home and his life experiences.