Library Guides: Indigenous writing for kids!: Tribute

Helen Betty Osborne - Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls

"Almost twenty years after her death, Osborne has become a symbol of what occurs when racism and discrimination cloud the thinking of our police, the people in our courts, and in our homes. Although she lies in a graveyard far north in Norway House, her spirit is winning the war." (Priest, 1993, p.216)

Not forgetting

Betty : the Helen Betty Osborne story by Robertson, David
Call Number: E98 .W8 R63
ISBN: 9781553795445
Publication Date: 2015
"Helen Betty Osborne, known as Betty to her closest friends and family, dreamed of becoming a teacher. She left home to attend residential school and later moved to The Pas, Manitoba, to attend high school. On November 13, 1971, Betty was abducted and brutally murdered by four young men. Initially met with silence and indifference, her tragic murder resonates loudly today. Betty represents one of almost 1,200 Indigenous women in Canada who have been murdered or gone missing. This is her story. (Ages 14 +)" - Publisher
Conspiracy of silence by Priest, Lisa
Call Number: Coming Soon!
ISBN: 9780771071522
Publication Date: 1990
A narrative account of the case of Helen Betty Osborne, a native girl from The Pas Manitoba, whose slaying went unsolved for sixteen years because of racism, apathy and conspiracy.

In a dramatization

Conspiracy of Silence (in two parts)
A tragic and troubling true story which made headlines across the nation, this two-hour drama recounts the life of Helen Betty Osborne, a young Aboriginal student who was brutally beaten and slain in a The Pas, Manitoba town in 1971. Her murder remained unsolved for nearly 16 years, despite the fact that within days of the tragedy, rumours began circulating of the identity of the four men involved. It gradually came to light that rather than come forward with information, the townspeople closed ranks and refused to help the RCMP in their investigation. When finally brought to trial, a grim account of racism and conspiracy unfolded. Based on material from the book Conspiracy of Silence by Toronto Star journalist Lisa Priest.

In a poem

A really good brown girl by Dumont, Marilyn
Call Number: PS8557.U56 R44
ISBN: 9780919626768
Publication Date: 1996
A book of poems.

The poet attends to the hazardous chasm between "there's more" and "no space provided." In the powerful and poignant poem "Helen Betty Osborne," she writes, "Betty, if I set out to write this poem about you/ it might turn out instead/ to be about me/ or any one of/ my female relatives/.. Betty, if I start to write a poem about you/ it might turn out to be/ about hunting season instead,/ about 'open season' on native women/ it might turn out to be/ about your face young and hopeful/ staring back at me hollow now/ from a black and white page." - Herizons

Educating

Helen Betty Osborne Ininiw Education Resource Centre
Welcome to Helen Betty Osborne Ininiw Education Resource Centre. The site is designed to be a resource for both students and staff and to promote school programs. It is also designed to be a place where parents can locate important information and resources to help them in the educational process. Our school is N-12 with a student enrolment of approximately 1300.