collection - Northwestern Ontario Women's Decade Council Herstory Project

1 m of textual, photographic, and audiovisual records, including 70 audio cassettes.

Records were assembled and kept by the Northwestern Ontario Women's Decade Council, passed to Pam Wakewich, then passed to Jenny Roth, prior to their donation to the Archives in October 2024. Leni Untinen and Karen Dubinsky were also consulted prior to the donation.

The 1978 Young Canada Works "Herstory" project's aim was to compile material on women pioneers in Northwestern Ontario with the intention of using the material to write a book on the same theme. The hope was to illustrate the lives and achievements of Northwestern Ontario women and stimulate further interest in women's contribution to Northwestern Ontario history.

The material here was collected through interviews with over 100 women around Northwestern Ontario. Records include 70 audio cassettes with taped interviews, recorded largely in 1975, and mostly accompanied by transcripts. The records also contain research notes, news articles and photographs, related to Northwestern Ontario communities and fields of activity relating to women's history. They also include correspondence, reports, financial and other administrative records of the project leaders and workers.

The project work did not continue through to the writing of a book. These records were held but largely untouched until a project review in 1993.

In the Decade Council's 1993 report, three objectives were listed: To validate women’s contributions within the context of NWO; to restore and catalogue the records of women’s lives in NWO; and to create a resource that would provide a perspective on women’s Herstory in NWO. A detailed summary of those interviewed, their location and details on whether there is a transcript or release form were created. This report concluded with multiple recommendations with the aim of preserving the tapes and collected materials for eventual public use. This project was not continued, and the material was stored in various locations until its donation in 2024.