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Indigenous filmmaker and actor Georgina Lightning has died at the age of 63.
Her daughter, Crystle Lightning, announced the news online late Saturday night, just before 11 p.m., though no details about the cause of death were shared.
Social media posts link her death to the Enoch Indian Relay World Championship at the Enoch Park Race Track, an event Lightning posted about on her Facebook page just one day before her death was made public.
Enoch Cree Nation announced in a statement on Saturday that it “is mourning the loss of a community member following an incident that occurred during [Saturday’s] Indian Relay event.” The nation did not confirm the identity of the person who died.
It was always about taking space and bringing others with her.– Jodi Calahoo Stonehouse
RCMP told CBC News on Sunday that officers were called to the Enoch Park Race Track shortly after 6:30 p.m. Saturday, where a woman had died before police arrived.
Police said the woman who was killed was standing in the media area, but would also not confirm her identity.
RCMP said that Occupational Health and Safety will take over the investigation.
Michelle Thrush worked with Lightning on the TV series Blackstone. While she wasn’t there when Lightning died, she said she received a call in real time from a mutual friend who was there, and was looking for Lightning’s son Cody.
“It was just so incredibly tragic and shocking that it was just unbelievable,” said Thrush in an interview with CBC News.
Thrush said she called Lightning’s daughter Crystle while the family was waiting for news. Thrush said the loss of Lightning has been a huge hit to their community.
Thrush said she was told that Lightning was filming a documentary about the relay sport, and that it was a project she was passionate about.
“As Indigenous artists, we all know each other,” said Thrush. “We’re like family.”
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Close friend Jodi Calahoo Stonehouse said that the impact Lightning had on the community was unimaginable.
Despite her many accomplishments, awards, and recognition, Lightning always brought her work back to the community, and advocating to mentor young students in the industry, Calahoo Stonehouse said.
“You know what’s special about Georgina? It wasn’t about the awards for her,” said Calahoo Stonehouse, who is also an NDP MLA in Edmonton.
“It was always about taking space and bringing others with her.”
According to Calahoo Stonehouse, Lightning loved horses, and echoed Thrush in saying she was working on a documentary about the history and tradition of the Indian Relay.
Calahoo Stonehouse said Lightning was in her last phase of shooting the film on Saturday when she passed.
“She wanted to produce a film about the horse spirit and the medicine of the horse that it brings to the people,” said Calahoo Stonehouse.
She said Lightning’s children made the decision on Saturday night that they wanted to see her documentary completed. Calahoo Stonehouse will be the one to see the documentary’s completion.
“The legacy of her stories need to be finished,” said Calahoo Stonehouse.
“And I have the honor to be here today, to step in her shoes. And they’re mighty big shoes. Mighty big moccasins.”
Born in Edmonton, Lightning was a member of the Samson Cree Nation, located about 100 kilometres south of the city.
In addition to her impact in the film industry, she was widely known as an outspoken advocate for First Nations causes.
“She was a beautiful human being,” said Calahoo Stonehouse. “She didn’t just share our stories, she shared our hopes, our fears, our sadness, our pain. And she also shared love. And you know, she’s going to be missed.”
