Aaliyah Jane Kelis Ottertail of Lac La Croix First Nation passed away on May 27, 2026, in Fort Frances, Ont.
Born on June 26, 2000, in Fort Frances to her mom Crystal Ottertail and dad Adrian Peirson, Aaliyah loved the outdoors and found joy in hunting, fishing, and hiking. She was skilled at snaring and had a sharp eye with her compound bow. Her favourite food was wild game and she always looked forward to punjige — moose meat in gravy — especially when her uncle Ralph would bring fresh game back from hunting in Saskatchewan. Her grandparents taught her knowledge of the bush and the lake, which she hoped to pass on to others.
Aaliyah took pride in her independence. While living in Lac La Croix, Aaliyah worked as a brush cutter with the Lac La Croix brush cutting crew. She cherished having her own space and saving money to buy nice things for herself.
She loved listening to music. She liked R&B, old country and rock and roll like her grandparents. She got her taste for hard rock, alternative, heavy metal, punk, reggae, and powwow from her mom.
Playing games on her Xbox is one of her favourite ways to unwind.
She also enjoyed shopping for nice clothes, jewelry and perfume and doing her makeup when heading into town or taking pictures.
She wanted to become a chef and loved cooking and baking traditional foods. She loved grandma Jane’s bannock and Sheila’s frybread, a recipe that belonged to their mother Doris.
She liked hearing about her family’s old history, where they all came from, and loved grama Jane and grampa Ralph’s myths legends and stories about her home.
Her grama Jane was teaching her simple remedy medicines that she could go pick herself every year near fall time.
Aaliyah loved her tight knit family, and talked with her uncle Chris every week. She was incredibly proud of her mom Crystal, and let her know she is a great mom when attending her mom’s graduation from treatment. Committed to her own recovery, Aaliyah was working toward treatment and was excited to return home to Lac La Croix. She looked forward to living with her beloved mom and baby brother, being a supportive big sister, and securing their own house in the community.
She is survived by her mom Crystal; dad Adrian; little bro Sydney; uncles Chris, Ralph, Cory; aunt Dawn (Darren); great-aunt Sheila (Jerry); great-uncles Clifford, Wayne (Beatrice), Douglas; and numerous extended families. She was predeceased by her unborn child; uncles Darren, Troy; grandmother Jane; grandfather Ralph; great-aunts Beatrice, Rita; great-uncles Elmer, James, Thomas, and Norman.
The traditional wake was held on Friday, June 5, at 2:00 p.m. in Lac La Croix. The funeral service was the next day at 10:00 a.m. in Lac La Croix. Elder Gilbert Smith officiating.
Arrangements entrusted to Northridge Funeral Home Ltd., Emo, Ontario
“Summer is not counted in days, but in memories” – Aaliyah Jane Kelis Ottertail
