The children who were and are impacted by IRS are all precious children. And Every Child Matters. Siksika Nation Elder, the late Mrs. Margaret Bad Boy, whose Blackfoot name was Payotapoyakii, was a living example of this, having taken many children into her home to provide them with the loving kindness and care that all children need and deserve.
The late Siksika Elder Payotapoyakii (Margaret Bad Boy) was born in the late 1800s in Siksika and lived to be over 100 years old. Payotapoyakii never had any biological children, but instead she adopted numerous (more than 100) children as her own.
During the Indian Residential School period, the Blackfoot people were slowly losing touch with their cultural ways, however Payotapoyakii became a prominent teacher for anyone willing to learn. She taught about culture, language, about how the Blackfoot lived long ago, and about how to respect others- which is an important value in Blackfoot culture.
Payotapoyakii’s inspirational life has encouraged many to increase their own knowledge of Blackfoot culture, and live healthy, holistic lives. Payotapoyakii lived to be more than 100 years old by practicing her cultural ways and living a good life, including eating healthy foods, staying active, and refraining from drug use. Payotapoyakii is a true hero because she faced many hardships, but amidst them all, she saw the importance of keeping our Blackfoot culture alive, and caring for our precious children.