Our Healing Tree has become very popular and full of significances. It seems to mean many different things for different groups of people. But as much as the metaphor of the Healing Tree, the words are always the same words.

Everyone can see these same words, but they can also take on different meanings depending on the angle we look at them. We thought it would be great to dissect and analyze each word, as a group project; us and anyone else comfortable with leaving their opinions and comments.

We have a total of 27 words that we are going to discuss. This page will always be here and will be updated after we jump to the next word.

1. Trust - We are now discussing this word HERE
2. Confrontation
3. Forgive
4. Despair
5. Equal
6. Resentment
7. Hope
8. Racism
9. Reconcile
10. Unity
11. Agreement
12. Abuse
13. Destruction
14. Healing
15. Trauma
16. Work Together
17. Stereotype
18. Denial
19. Mending
20. Tradition
21. Tension
22. Honor
23. Hate
24. Love
25. Shame
26. Believe
27. Culture

By definition:

1. Firm reliance on the integrity, ability, or character of a person or thing.
2. Custody; care.
3. Something committed into the care of another; charge.
4.
a. The condition and resulting obligation of having confidence placed in one: violated a public trust.
b. One in which confidence is placed.
5. Reliance on something in the future; hope.

What a strong word to start with! This single word is much needed in any and all two-way conversations. If there is no trust, then the whole conversation is null. Everyone is talking and promising and hugging and laughing, but once they leave the conversation, they go back to feeling the same way they did before. Nothing changes without trust. Would I be wrong if I said that distrust begets more distrust? Trust is hard to gain, and even then it dangles from a very thin line. This connection only gets stronger with actions, not words.

The government may apologize all they want with words, but it’s their actions that count. So I open the forum to debate: do you trust their words? How healthy is the “trust” between your community and your government?

We apologize for any inappropriate commercials that might be shown before the video starts. The video hosting will sometimes add them.

Hosted by the Blue Quills First Nations College, Tribal Chiefs Ventures Inc, and Saddle Lake Cree Nation

January 8, 2010, Blue Quills College, St. Paul, Alberta

The agenda includes :

“Introduction of Dignitaries” – 9:00 – 9:45am:

Chief Eddy Makokis (Saddle Lake Cree Nation and Grand Chief, Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations),
Chief James Jackson (Whitefish Lake First Nation, Chairman of Tribal Chiefs Ventures Inc.),
Chief Al Lameman (Beaver Lake Cree Nation),
Chief Walter Janvier (Cold Lake First Nation),
Chief Clifford Stanley (Frog Lake First Nation),
Chief Morris Monias (Heart Lake First Nation),
Chief Ernest Gadwa (Kehewin Cree Nation),
Dr.Leona Makokis (President – Blue Quills First Nations College),
Gerald Cunninghamn (President Metis Settlements General Council),
Audrey Poitras (President Metis Nation of Alberta),
Glenn Anderson (Mayor of St.Paul),
George Arcand Jr. (Regional Director General Alberta Region, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada),
Herman Wierenga (Regional Director – General, Health Canada),
Various Church Representatives (to be confirmed),
Truth and Reconciliation Commissioners: the Honourable Justice Murray Sinclair, Chief Wilton Littlechild, Marie Wilson.

“TRC Commissioners and Dignitaries” – 10:00 – 12:00am

“Tour by TRC, Drive to Blue Quills First Nation College, Former Indian Residential School” – 3:00 – 5:00pm

“Memorial Feast + Round Dance” – 5:30 – 7:00pm

– Bring photos of deceased former students for the honor ceremony

“Memorial Ceremony, MC Eric Tootoosis, Poundmaker Cree Nation, Sask., Keynote Speakers – TRC Comissioners” – 10:00pm

Lunch, Giveaway, Closing – Midnight

taken from: Globe and Mail

“As a nation, we have to understand we’re living together, paddling together.”

At the end of this month, B.C.’s first aboriginal lieutenant-governor, Steven Point, expects to complete his river canoe, made from a large piece of roughed-out cedar he found not far from his official residence in Victoria.

“Somebody started this, and I’m finishing it,” said Mr. Point, a former chief of the Skowkale First Nation in Chilliwack the Fraser Valley and provincial court judge who became lieutenant-governor in 2007.

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Here is some information about the new Commemoration funding for the Interagency Committee members to give you a chance to think about this and/or discuss with others before coming to the meeting, where you can ask questions to INAC and TRC representatives.

This is an excerpt from the INAC website – the full information is at: http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/ai/rqpi/rcomm/index-eng.asp. The criteria and guidelines aren’t available yet, but there’s enough to start talking about it:

COMMEMORATION INITIATIVE OBJECTIVES:

The main objectives of the Commemoration Initiative are to:

Assist in honoring and validating the healing and reconciliation of former students and their families by acknowledging their experiences;
Provide supports in an effort to improve relationships between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people;
Provide an opportunity for former students and their families to support one another and to recognize/celebrate their strengths, courage, resiliency and achievements;
Promote Aboriginal languages, cultures, traditional values and spiritual beliefs;
Ensure the legacy of IRS, former students and their families’ experiences and needs are affirmed; and, Memorialize the Residential School experience in a tangible and permanent way.

Former students of Residential Schools are eligible for commemoration funding, as well as organizations that act on behalf of former Residential School students to develop and deliver commemoration activities.

APPLICATION INFORMATION:

Commemoration Initiatives will begin after the Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) has been established and the Indian Residential Schools Survivor Committee has been appointed. The TRC is working in partnership with INAC to develop criteria and guidelines for the Commemoration Initiative.

Once the process is in place, proposals can be submitted by: survivors, their families, communities, groups and organizations acting on behalf of former students.

The TRC will receive proposals, complete evaluations and make funding recommendations to INAC.”

In the interim, communities can prepare for the launch of Commemoration by:

• Holding community discussions to identify potential commemorative projects.
• Ensuring that all Commemoration Initiative proposals have a lasting and permanent component.
• Creating partnerships and networking with other communities and organizations as it will be necessary that proposals have regional linkages.

For more information on eligibility criteria for submitting Commemoration proposals, see Schedule J of the Settlement Agreement. (http://www.residentialschoolsettlement.ca/settlement.html)

“The National Day of Healing and Reconciliation is for communities to reach out to people who are harmed by racism and help with healing, building bridges between cultures. Your generous donation is very much part of that spirit.”

This is a great description of NDHR, and we are so happy that Stan and Linda Laite of St. John’s were inpsired by this to bring their students south from their reserve in Poplar River, 400 kilometres from Winnipeg but not connected by road.

It will be the first time these children have seen the ocean.

This was also made possible by the gracious donation of 19 free seats on O’Briens tour boat for the grade five children from the school at the Poplar River.

Through the “O’Briens Whale and Bird Tours” , the kids are going to “capture the heart and soul of Newfoundland, Canada… with a one-of-a-kind combination of natural wonder and rollicking good times.”

from: Google News

WINNIPEG — Aboriginal leaders in Manitoba are horrified that some of the reserves hardest hit by swine flu in the spring have received dozens of body bags from Health Canada.

The body bags – which were sent to remote northern reserves – came in a shipment of hand sanitizers and face masks.

Grand Chief David Harper, who represents northern First Nations, says body bags send the wrong message and no one can understand why Ottawa would do such a thing.

Harper says it’s like sending body bags to soldiers in Afghanistan.

He says First Nations are already feeling uneasy about a second wave of swine flu expected this fall without receiving body bags.

Federal officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

More info HERE

(click to see bigger)

from: CTV.CA

Manitoba chiefs angered by delay in sanitizers

First Nations leaders in Manitoba have slammed federal health officials, after a report said Health Canada delayed shipping hand sanitizers to reserves because the products contained alcohol.

Grand Chief Sydney Garrioch, who represents Manitoba’s northern reserves, said the reason behind the delay is offensive to all First Nations people. He has called on Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq to apologize.

The senior public health advisor for the Assembly of First Nations, Dr. Kim Barker, said valuable time was wasted during the early days of the H1N1 outbreak, as officials debated whether to send alcohol-based hand sanitizers to the communities.
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