Connected to community

Osemis Isbister-Bear (CIBA’00, BComm’03, MNDG’15) and Warren Isbister-Bear (BA’16) are Two-Spirit spouses and University of Saskatchewan (USask) graduates who share a passion for their professions and a commitment to Cree culture and community engagement.

Osemis, a member of the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation, attributes his interest in community development to his northern Cree upbringing in Sandy Bay, Sask.

“In my career, the push to give back and the push to be a part of community and to work with community has always been a part of who I am,” said Osemis, a human resources consultant who has worked within the child and family services sector for the past five years.

Warren, a member of the Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation, is also grounded in his Cree upbringing, drawing strength and inspiration from the teachings of love, compassion, humility, kindness, generosity, and acceptance.

“When you incorporate Cree concepts in what you do as nehiyawak—Cree people—you’re going to succeed,” said Warren, a community engagement specialist whose career has been rooted in leadership, community development, economic growth, and reconciliation.

Both Osemis and Warren have been honoured and celebrated for their professional work and for their community involvement in Saskatoon. For example, Warren received the CBC Future 40 award in 2015, when he was working as an Aboriginal inclusion consultant at the City of Saskatoon. Osemis then received the recognition in 2016, when he was employed as the general manager of Gordon Tootoosis Nīkānīwin Theatre (GTNT) in Saskatoon, formerly called Saskatchewan Native Theatre Company.

USask has played a key role in the lives of Warren and Osemis, both personally and professionally. They first met on campus as undergraduate students in the early 2000s, in a sociology class, and later married in 2014. They renewed their vows in a ceremony in 2024.

As a USask student, Osemis completed the Certificate in Indigenous Business Administration in 2000, followed by a Bachelor of Commerce degree in human resource management in 2003. He later returned to USask to earn a Master of Northern Governance and Development degree in 2015.

Osemis looks back on his time at USask with fondness. He continues to be “grateful to be a part of the ongoing journey to advance Indigenous business in the province” and he acknowledges the “top-notch education” and the mentorship he received from professors in the Edwards School of Business.

“Being a part of an Indigenous business program allowed me to learn from topics that are relevant to the Indigenous community,” Osemis said. “I made lifelong friends and colleagues that are doing amazing things in their careers and advancing Indigenous business and building that capacity and being a part of that journey for building the capacity for Indigenous professionals in the province.”

Warren came to USask after completing a recreation and tourism management diploma at Saskatchewan Polytechnic. He then enrolled in USask’s College of Arts and Science, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Aboriginal public administration in 2016. Warren found his classes in the college to be interesting and relevant to his work in the public sector.

“It helped create pathways and bridge the links between various levels of intergovernmental relations.” 

Both Osemis and Warren remain committed to lifelong learning. More than a decade ago, Warren encouraged Osemis to return to USask to obtain his Master of Northern Governance and Development degree. It was the perfect fit for Osemis, who grew up in the province’s North, and through the graduate program he met “amazing people and amazing mentors,” such as Dr. Bonita Beatty (PhD) and Dr. Greg Poelzer (PhD).

“It’s important for us to be in the North and connect to the North and be out on the land and to have some of those reciprocal teachings about connecting with the land and how you respectfully connect with all our relations,” Osemis said. “That’s a part of me.”

Warren has also flourished as a graduate student. With support from Osemis, this spring Warren completed a Master of Business Administration degree, specializing in community economic development, from Cape Breton University. His graduate work aligned with his deep commitment to creating meaningful change by living by the Cree teachings of wahkotowin (kinship), wicihitowin (helping each other), and miyo-pimatisiwin (living a good life).

“When you weave those together, just like a braid of sweetgrass, you get good medicine,” Warren said.

Outside of their careers and educational pursuits, Warren and Osemis are busy volunteers in the community. For example, they both played pivotal roles in the development and success of the Saskatoon Aboriginal Professionals Association (SAPA), a membership-based non-profit organization focused on social responsibility, mentorship, career development, and networking.

Warren and Osemis are also involved in the 2 Spirits in Motion Society (2SiMS), a national organization created for and by Two-Spirit people across Turtle Island. Warren, a powwow chicken dancer and a longtime jigger, serves as the Saskatchewan representative for 2SiMS. He was recently involved with the organization’s second annual powwow, which was held in Saskatoon in March 2025. Osemis was there alongside him as one of the head dancers at the event.

Both husbands have also been involved with OUTSaskatoon and the Saskatoon Pride festival, raising the Two-Spirit tipi and taking part in the parade, and they continue to promote inclusivity and diversity within the powwow community and within the pride festival. Together they honour the beauty of June, which celebrates and supports the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community during Pride Month and the Indigenous community during National Indigenous History Month. June 21 is National Indigenous Peoples Day—coinciding with the summer solstice—and the day recognizes and celebrates the history and diverse cultures of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples across Canada.

While they were born and raised in various parts of the province, Osemis and Warren now live in Saskatoon, on Treaty 6 Territory and the Homeland of the Métis, and they have remained connected to their alma mater since graduating. Prior to completing his education at USask, Osemis was one of the first participants in GTNT’s Circle of Voices program, an Indigenous youth theatre training program rooted in Indigenous culture that incorporates language, ceremony, and historical teachings. Years later, while serving as GTNT’s general manager, Osemis brought Circle of Voices participants to the USask campus for theatre productions at the Gordon Oakes Red Bear Student Centre. Some of the Circle of Voices participants subsequently followed in his footsteps and became USask students, too—something that Osemis was happy to see.

“Being able to be a part of pushing the Indigenous theatre forward has been very rewarding for me as well,” he said.

Through his past employment with the City of Saskatoon, Warren was dedicated to connecting urban Indigenous youth to job opportunities in the recreation sector. Mentoring and uplifting young Indigenous people continues to be important to him; at USask, for example, he has volunteered his time for an Indigenous Student Employment Readiness Program (ISERP) alumni gathering. ISERP is an Indigenous-grounded program that employs Indigenous ways of knowing and learning to help students become better prepared to enter the workforce. 

In June and all year round, Warren and Osemis are focused on helping others in the community. During the Walking with Our Sisters ceremonial art exhibit in Saskatoon, for example,  Osemis has valued making connections in Saskatoon’s core area by working as a casual youth and family support worker at White Buffalo Youth Lodge. He continues to work as a casual child support worker with the Saskatoon Tribal Council's 24-hour homes. Osemis and Warren also enjoy spending quality time together, taking on challenges such as running marathons in their shared commitment to living a healthy lifestyle.

Just as they give back to their community, they also draw strength from their community in the spirit of reciprocity.

“I think I grew up with some really good foundational community values, some very healthy values,” Osemis said.

“We are connected that way through our kinship—wahkotowin. We’re always taught you give back. We live and breathe that,” said Warren. “We’ve never gone wrong, we’ve never went astray, because when we falter the community’s there to help us. You have that connection and support.”