Meet President Victoria Pruden

Victoria Pruden is a proud Michif Iskwew (Métis woman) and mother with deep ancestral roots in the Métis Nation. She traces her heritage to influential Métis leaders, including Cuthbert Grant and Pierre Falcon, who were friends, brother-in-laws, and leaders in the Battle of Seven Oaks. Her family was deeply involved in the Batoche Resistance, with plans for the movement taking shape at her ancestor Abraham Montour’s cabin in 1884 where a plan to return Louis Riel to Canada from Montana was launched. Born in amiskwacîwâskahikan (Edmonton), Victoria is the seventh generation of a large Métis family whose legacy includes her forefather, John Peter Pruden, an orphan from the UK (born in the borough of Edmonton in London, UK), who came to Canada, married a Cree Iskwew Patasagawis (Nancy Pruden) with whom he had 14 first generation half-breed children in Red River Settlement and Rupertsland. John Peter Pruden rose to the position of an HBC Chief Factor at Beaver Hills House, later named Fort Edmonton after his home borough in London UK and was also named a member of the Council of Assiniboia in Red River Settlement, MB.

Victoria is the daughter of George and Myrtle Pruden, and the granddaughter of Bernadette Landry Pruden and Charles Pruden. Charles and his brothers were all veterans of World War II, and all were fluent Northern Michif and Cree speakers, including utilizing their language in the war. Charles, Lawrence, Art, and Ed Pruden, were all Métis boys from Cochin Saskatchewan who served in World War II.