| Marguerite Wabano | |
 | |
| Birth: | 28 January 1904 Kenora District, Ontario, Canada |
| Death: | 13 November 2015 Moosonee, Ontario, Canada |
| Age: | 111 years, 289 days |
| Country: |  CAN
|
| Validated | |
Marguerite Wabano (née Kioke, 28 January 1904 – 13 November 2015) was a Canadian supercentenarian whose age is validated by the Gerontology Research Group (GRG). She was the oldest known living person in Canada from the death of 112-year-old Orma Slack on 13 April 2015, to her own death seven months later.
Biography[]
Marguerite Wabano, widely known as Gookum (Cree for grandmother), was born out in the bush along Ekwan River, in the boreal forest of Northern Ontario. She was the youngest of 6 siblings, born to parents David and Hannah Kioke. She was a monolingual Cree speaker, having never learned English or French. When she was about 7 years old, she was forced to attend St. Anne's Indian Residential School, however, after 2 years of going to the school, she and her family moved further into the bush to hide from the school and the authorities. She didn’t talk about it very much. She missed her parents and living in the bush. She used to go hunting and fishing.
She later met Raphael Napihen Wabano along Kattawapiskak river, she married him and the couple had 7 children. Tragically, 3 of her children died whilst they were still very young. Wabano and her family later settled in Moosonee, Ontario. Raphael died in his 90s; the couple had been married for 75 years.
At the age of 99, Wabano was fitted with a pacemaker, although years later, doctors discovered that it had stopped working, and were unsure as to how long it had been inactive. In 2008, Wabano and other residential school survivors were invited to the Canadian House of Commons, and were issued with a formal apology by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the act of reconciliation for Aboriginal abuse.
At the time of her 110th birthday in 2014, Wabano was still living independently in her own apartment, and was still able to walk up and down stairs unaided.
When asked about the secret to her longevity, she said: "No use carrying things around. Learn to forgive, and it'll help you to live a long life." She also said that eating wild meat and drinking natural teas helped her to live a long time.
Marguerite Wabano died in her home in Moosonee, Ontario, Canada on 13 November 2015 at the age of 111 years, 289 days. She was survived by 25 grandchildren, 83 great-grandchildren, 88 great-great-grandchildren and many great-great-great-grandchildren.
Gallery[]
References[]
- 2017 GRG validations
- Granny Wabano focuses on positives of life Wawatay News, 12 January 2014
- Canada’s oldest residential school survivor dies at 111 The Star, 14 November 2015
- Residential school survivor Marguerite Wabano was granny to all The Globe and Mail, 15 November 2015
| Canada's Oldest Living Person Titleholders (V • E) |
|
Flore Beland • Emma Bingham • Herman Smith-Johannsen • Agnes Munce • Nellie Thompson • Alice Sjoquist • Lillian Ross • Marie-Louise Meilleur • Marie-Louise Meunier • Maria Mallozzi • Zelda McCague • Fanny Martland • Evangeline Saulnier • Anne Samson • Julie Winnefred Bertrand • Jennie Fitzgerald • Margaret Fitzgerald • Pearl Lutzko • Cora Hansen • Yvonne Lamoureux • Merle Barwis • Colombe Benoit-Leclerc • Orma Slack • Marguerite Wabano • Lilian Cornell • Ellen Gibb • Sarah Patenaude-Bruyere • Phyllis Ridgway • Cecile Klein • Shige Mineshiba • Mabel Mah • Helen Doan |