Deserae Yellow Horn (Akikinakii)

Deserae Yellow Horn, Akikinakii was born and raised, on the Piikani Nation. A proud member of the Blackfoot Confederacy, Deserae grew up with a strong sense of pride in her indigenous heritage. Her parents and grandparents are survivors of residential schools, and day school. Her grandmother Delma Yellow Horn was metis and the great, grand niece of Gabriel Dumont. Deserae was raised traditionally by her parents, learning from a young age the importance of ceremony, and had the opportunity to be heavily influenced and traditionally educated by her grandparents. She has a vast knowledge of Blackfoot history knowledge and has worked at historical sites such as Writing-on-Stone and Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump as an interpreter. She is also a well-known beader in her community and has made crowns for the Piikani Annual Celebrations. Community and reconciliation is very important to Deserae. She was one of the main organizers of an Every Child Matters rally in July 2022. She also continues to work with Mootokakio’ssin, which helps to visually return Blackfoot items back to Blackfoot people. Deserae is an Alumni of the University of Lethbridge (’17), as is her mother Joslin Smith (’01) and her eldest sister, former advisor to Minister of Indigenous Crown Relations, Andrea Yellow Horn (’15). Educational opportunities are important to Deserae, she worked formally as a recruitment officer for the University of Lethbridge. She now works as an Education Navigator for Indigenous Student Relations, providing opportunities to Blackfoot students to require help navigating their way through post-secondary. Deserae lives on the Piikani Nation, raising her son and passing her knowledge to him.