When Métis Elder Barb Hulme arrives at the First Peoples House, she offers a smile and encouraging words to everyone she meets. Whether she’s meeting with students in the Elders’ Lounge, leading
a crafting workshop or welcoming students to an event in the Ceremonial Hall, she exudes calm and warmth.

Barb has deep connections to Métis communities in British Columbia and Manitoba. She was born in Selkirk, Manitoba in the heart of the Métis Nation’s Red River Settlement, and is an active member of the Victoria Métis community.

After earning a diploma and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Barb entered the Canadian Armed Forces where she rose to the rank of Major. She is often called upon to represent Indigenous veterans at ceremonies and on committees.

Following her retirement in Victoria, Barb became one of the founding members of Métis Nation Greater Victoria and has served in many roles including administrator, historian, citizenship coordinator and genealogy advisor.

Barb has been involved in UVic’s Elders’ Voices program for more than three years. When she’s not spending time with students in the Elders’ Lounge at the First Peoples House, she can often be found leading beading, quilting and embroidery workshops.

She’s a strong advocate for cooking meals together. “Sharing stories and food is part of every Indigenous culture,” she said.

Barb enjoys supporting students in their journey to learn about their own cultures. In this way, Barb shows students how to understand, respect and relate to each other as First Nations, Inuit and Métis people.

“I like to interact with youth on campus because my feeling is that we may grow older in age, but the more we can interact with the youth, the younger we stay.”

Her favourite part of working at the First Peoples House is watching students graduate and moving on to future successes.

“I feel that UVic is open-armed to Indigenous students. We try to make Indigenous students feel welcome no matter where they’re from.”