This groundbreaking anthology brings together nine intimate and powerful stories from Indigenous women navigating menopause. Organized into ten thematic chapters that explore grief, love, laughter, food, and the gifts of aging, this collection redefines menopause through an Indigenous lens of community, spirituality, and humour.
The Laughing Beavers: Stories of Menopause, Memory, and Medicine centers Indigenous women’s voices in a conversation long dominated by western, medicalized, and often exclusionary perspectives on menopause. This book reframes menopause not as loss, but as transformation, a passage of renewal, spiritual growth, and ancestral connection. Through humour, honesty, and storytelling, these diverse Indigenous women reclaim an experience that is deeply human and deeply sacred.
About Lana Whiskeyjack
Dr. Lana Whiskeyjack is a distinguished nêhiyaw (Cree) indigiologist, scholartist, and spirit-centered community-based researcher from the Saddle Lake Cree Nation. Her career is defined by the powerful convergence of Indigenous knowledge, art, and academia, all working toward cultural and language revitalization through kinship-building, spirit-centred methods. As an Associate Professor in the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of Alberta, Dr. Whiskeyjack has earned recognition as an award-winning scholar. Her scholarship and artistic practices are deeply rooted in nêhiyaw ways of knowing and being, using Indigenous arts-based practices and visual storytelling as a method for knowledge translation and mobilization.
A core commitment of Dr. Whiskeyjack’s work is addressing the pervasive issue of gender- and sexual-based violence. She grounds her research and community initiatives in violence-informed, strength-based practices, drawing on her extensive experience in the areas of womanhood, sexual health and wellness, and the spirit of the Cree language. Her long-standing vision and dedication to lifelong learning drive current projects that focus on supporting gender- and sexually-diverse Indigenous kin and their families through ceremonial transitions. Additionally, she is actively engaged in advancing rematriation-based self-determination initiatives specifically with Indigenous men and boys, ensuring a holistic approach to community well-being and relational balance. Dr. Whiskeyjack’s contributions stand as a testament to the power of integrating ancestral wisdom with contemporary scholarship to create impactful, spirit-centered systemic change.
About Darlene Auger:
A Cree woman originally from Wabasca, Darlene Auger lives in Edmonton, Alberta, (Amiskwâci Wâskahikan). She is a fluent Cree speaker and is passionate about passing on her language through song and story. Darlene is an educator, researcher, entrepreneur, holistic practitioner, actress and singer. Darlene has a psychology degree from the University of Alberta and a doctoral degree from the University Nuhelotine Thayotsi Nistameyimakanak Blue Quills in “Iyiniw Pimâtisiwin Kiskeyihtamowin” (Indigenous Life Knowledge). She has created a healing method modeled on an ancient Indigenous parenting tool for the healing benefit of all people, and she developed this language learning kit so that she could share her knowledge with the world. Darlene is an accomplished speaker and facilitator, having presented locally, nationally and internationally.
About the Laughing Beavers:
Created in 2017 by Lana Whiskeyjack, the “Laughing Beavers” is a collective of professional Indigenous women navigating menopause together. What began as a fun, humorous space to learn Cree while discussing body changes, erotic sovereignty, and sexuality quickly evolved into a vital circle of trust.
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