Indigenous History Month 2026: Jean Cuthand Goodwill
Born in 1928, Jean Cuthand Goodwill was a Canadian Cree nurse from Saskatchewan, and the first Indigenous woman to finish a nursing program in her province in 1954. Goodwill was born and raised in the Little Pine First Nation community, where her father, John Tootoosis, was a prominent leader. His great-uncle was the famous Cree chief pîhtokahânapiwiyin, also known as Poundmaker, whose band was attacked during the Northwest Rebellion in 1885 by Canadian troops. Pîhtokahânapiwiyinadvocated for his own community and their treaty rights and tried to come to terms with the Canadian government. Regardless, pîhtokahânapiwiyin was convicted of treason, arrested, and died as a result of his imprisonment.
His great-nephew, Tootoosis, served as the president of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations and later became a Member of the Order of Canada. Much of our knowledge about Tootoosis and his life comes from a biography written by Goodwill herself.
Goodwill was inspired to become a nurse during to her three-year stay at a sanatorium in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, recovering from tuberculosis. At this time, many Indigenous people suffering from tuberculosis were sent to segregated “Indian Hospitals" to keep them away from settler populations and observe them more closely as Indigenous people were seen as “careless” with their health. Forced sterilizations and experimentations were common at these hospitals, as well as at residential schools. Tuberculosis still disproportionately affects Indigenous communities in Canada today, due to many of the social determinants of health such as economic stability and access to medical care.
After her graduation from the Holy Family Hospital nursing program, Goodwill began working as a nurse in rural Saskatchewan, serving remote communities with little access to healthcare. During this time, she became interested in issues of Indigenous social issues, and began a magazine called Tawow, which ran throughout the 1970s, and worked to promote Indigenous culture and creative works for a wider audience.
Goodwill was instrumental in establishing the Aboriginal Nurses Association of Canada, now called the Canadian Indigenous Nurses Association (CINA), in the 1970s, and served as president of the organization from 1983-1990. The CINA’s goal was to “improve what they witnessed first hand as Indigenous nurses—the appalling overall health conditions faced by their own people.” It was not until the 1930s that Indigenous women were allowed to attend nursing school in Canada, and many Indigenous nurses likely faced discrimination in their work within settler institutions.
Additionally, Goodwill was the first Indigenous woman to serve as “special advisor” to the minister of the Department of National Health and Welfare, and was a board member of the Canadian Public Health Association. She later earned an Honorary Doctorate of Law from Queen’s University in 1986 and became an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1992. The Canadian Coast Guard even named a ship after her, the Jean Goodwill!
To discover more about the role of Indigenous people in Canada’s medical history, visit the Canadian Museum of Health Care in person or our online collection catalogue through our website.
References
https://indigenousnurses.ca/about
https://indspire.ca/laureate/jean-cuthand-goodwill-2/
https://teaching.usask.ca/indigenoussk/import/goodwill_jean_cuthand_1928-97.php
