CHAIR‐ity: Restoring Connections  

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CHAIR ‐ ity:   Restoring   Connections   

https://vimeo.com/136066566   by   Beverly   Illauq   billauq@gmail.com

  

Traditionally,   Muskrat   has   been   seen   as   the   Earth   diver,   being   the   only   animal   to   successfully   dive   to   the   ocean   floor   after   the   great   flood   to   bring   up   a   small   ball   of   earth   for   the   Creator   to   begin   the   formation   of   Turtle   Island,   or   North   America.

  On   the   morning   of   the   photo   and   video   shoot   for   this   presentation   a   muskrat   came   to   our   family.

  Encouraged   by   that   visit,   I   submit   this   small   handful   of   earth,   this   idea,  

  hoping   that   in   the   end   it   may   spread   some   healing   among   the   peoples   of   Turtle   Island.

 

Overview   of   S  

1.

In   Brief  

2.

Introduction  

3.

Proposed   Solution  ‐  The   Chair   Model   of   Healing  

4.

Suggested   Implementation   Strategies  

5.

Assumptions  

6.

References    &    Acknowledgments  

 

In   Brief:  

In   order   to   improve   the   health   and   wellness   of   Canadian   Aboriginal   communities,   it   is   proposed   that   all   of   us   as   Canadians   first   and   foremost   heal   the   connections   between   First   Peoples   and   the   non ‐ Aboriginal   through   Comprehension,   Compassion,   and   Communication.

  A   Chair   Model   of   Healing   is   presented   to   describe   how   we   as   Canadians   can   restore   our   dignity   as   a   nation   of   First   Peoples   and   non ‐ aboriginal  

Canadians   living   equitably   together   in   this   settlement   that   is   Canada.

  This   presentation   calls   every  

Canadian   to   heal   their   connections,   as   individuals,   family,   community   and   as   a   nation,   and   to   live   into   full   reconciliation   within   our   nation.

  

Introduction:  

Traditionally,   most   indigenous   peoples   were   comfortable   carrying   on   important   aspects   of   the   business   of   life   seated   upon   the   ground.

  Within   their   cultural   practices   this   provided   a   stance   of   stability   and   dignity   for   them   to   relax   and   carry   on   individual   and   community   living.

  Along   with   everything   else   that   the   European   settlers   introduced   was   the   practice   of   sitting   up   and   on   chairs.

  

 

When   a   person   is   comfortably   seated   in   a   stable   chair,   he   or   she   is   able   to   safely   relax,   with   dignity,   and   focus   on   the   work   or   conversation   at   hand.

  Being   required   to   sit   in   a   chair   that   is   unstable   or   broken   leaves   one   discombobulated   at   best,   and   often   injured   in   the   breaking   process.

  Over   the   years   of   interaction   with   the   European   settlers,   the   indigenous   people   were   first   of   all   introduced   to   the   necessity   of   sitting   upon   chairs   in   order   to   relate   to   their   settler   conquerors.

  As   time   went   on   the   clash   of   cultures,   as   well   as   the   ravages   of   those   who   overpowered   and   exploited   the   aboriginal   peoples,  

 

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resulted   in   these   chairs   being   broken,   leaving   the   aboriginal   peoples   often   sitting   back   on   the   ground   but   in   an   unfamiliar   and   dysfunctional   stance.

  Now   they   were   not   only   left   without   their   traditional   cultural   practices   to   give   that   stance   its   original   stability   and   dignity,   but   they   were   locked   into   a   dependent   relationship   with   the   dominant   settler   authorities   towering   over   them,   seated   firmly   in   their   chairs.

 

Over   the   years   many   good ‐ hearted   and   well ‐ meaning   settlers   observed   the   plight   of   their   aboriginal   neighbours.

  From   their    privileged   and   often   lofty   positions   they   tried   to   help   those   sitting   amidst   the   debris   of   their   broken   lives.

  Charitable   people   and   organizations,   as   well   as   government   departments   acted   out   of   conviction   that   if   you   see   or   hear   of   someone   who   has   less   than   you,   you   must   dig   deep   into   your   pocket   and   share   your   wealth   with   them,   so   that   they   can   have   what   you   have.

  On   the   surface,   this   appears   to   be   common   sense,   and   is   indeed   common   practice,   but   it   arises   from,   and   reinforces,   a   disconnection   that   further   isolates   and   dis ‐ empowers   the   receivers   of   “charity”.

  Sometimes   this   was   manifest   in   donations   of   money   or   goods,   sometimes   in   programs   designed   with   little   or   no   understanding   of   the   actual   needs   or   cultural   backgrounds   of   those   for   whom   they   were   intended.

 

Either   way,   the   results   were   at   best   temporary   and   at   worst   abusive,   almost   always   negatively   impacting   families   and   communities.

  

Such   interventions   have   left   indigenous   peoples   sitting   amidst   the   debris   of   broken   lives,   leaving   them   weakened   and   vulnerable   to   manifesting major health problems at rates much higher than non-

Indigenous populations. (NCCAH, July 18, 2013)

It   is   time   to   change   this   imbalance   of   power,   this   inequitable   charity   that   has   been   proffered   for   two   centuries   by   the   settler   government   of   what   is   now   Canada.

  Such   attitudes   and   perspectives   must   be   reshaped   if   the   inequities   between   First   Peoples   and   non ‐ Aboriginal   Canadians   observed   in   health   indicators,   socio ‐ economic   data,   policies,   educational   outcomes   and   rates   of   incarceration   are   to   be   mitigated   and   resolved.

 

What   is   needed   is   an   equitable   partnership   among   all   Canadians.

  In   order   for   all   to   meet   and   converse   eye   to   eye,   we   all   need   to   work   together   to   rebuild   the   chair   of   dignity   that   is   our   country,   Canada.

 

Background:  

Background:   Family   and   Community   

Twelve   years   ago   our   family   began   a   tortuous   healing   journey   from   Post ‐ Traumatic   Stress   Response   and   general   disorder.

  I   found   myself   as   a   non ‐ aboriginal   mother   of   an   Inuit   family   raised   in   the   north,   whose   children   eventually   brought   home   First   Peoples   partners.

  The   various   members   of   our   blended   family   had   survived   so   very   much   in   the   North   or   in   their   own   families   of   origin,   and   together   we   were   trying   to  

  find   our   places   in   Regina.

  

My   research   had   clearly   revealed   our   family   to   be   subject   to   massive   complex   Post ‐ Traumatic   Stress  

Disorder   and   its   many   manifestations   in   physical   and   mental   dis ‐ ease.

  I   searched   relentlessly   for   health   and   social   professionals   who   might   help   us,   but   only   a   handful   of   the   professionals   seemed   to   understand   our   needs   as   a   First   Peoples’   family   dealing   with   all   the   events   of   our   lives   to   that   point.

 

None   of   these   trusted   professionals   could   help   us   with   the   roots   and   the   overall   healing   of   our   family;   for   them   it   was   largely   uncharted   territory.

  (cf   Illauq,   PTSD   as   a   Major   Health   Issue)   

 

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As   the   family   matriarch,   it   was   up   to   me   to   be   the   ‘coordinator   of   family   healing’   along   with   everything   else.

  Anyone   reading   this   essay,   who   has   experienced   first ‐ hand   the   challenges   of   living   with   the   inter ‐ generational   trauma,   brought   to   light   by   the   Truth   and   Reconciliation   Commission,   will   understand   how   much   I   needed   special   direction   in   order   to   guide   my   family   to   physical,   mental,   emotional,   social   and   spiritual   well ‐ being.

 

 

One   of   the   gifts   from   Creator   to   me   at   that   time   turned   up   in   our   garage  ‐  the   remains   of   a   chair   that   had   been   smashed   to   smithereens   by   a   member   of   our   family   during   an   outburst   of   rage.

  The   chair   not   only   described   the   healing   modalities   that   had   effectively   worked   for   us   to   date,   but   also   prescribed   a   balanced   and   balancing   approach   to   our   journey   forward.

  So   it   is   that   the   focal   idea   of   this   submission   is   a   Chair,   or   “ Chair ‐ ity ”.

  This   understanding   has   been   helping   bring   order   out   of   the   chaos   we   were   living   as   an   Inuit,   First   Nations   and   Non ‐ aboriginal   family,   suffering   from   complex   and   intergeneration   trauma   in   the   context   of   a   three ‐ culture   family .

  It   is   my   belief   that   the   same   model   can   provide   a   basis   for  

  promoting reconciliation between Indigenous and non-indigenous Canadians.  

Background:   National   Context  

It   recently   came   to   our   collective   Canadian   attention,   through   the   Report   of   the   Truth   and   Reconciliation  

Commission,   that   constructive   change,   and   by   extension,   health   and   wellness,   depends   on   repairing   or   rebuilding   connections   between   First   Peoples   and   non ‐ Aboriginal   Canadians.

  “ Getting   to   the   truth   was   hard,   but   getting   to   reconciliation   will   be   harder.

  It   requires   that   the   paternalistic   and   racist   foundations   of   the   [residential   school]   system   be   rejected   as   the   basis   for   an   ongoing   relationship.

  Reconciliation   requires   that   a   new   vision,   based   on   a   commitment   to   mutual   respect,   be   developed.

  It   also   requires   an   understanding   that   the   most   harmful   impacts   of   [the   system]   have   been   the   loss   of   pride   and   self ‐ respect   of   Aboriginal   people,   and   the   lack   of   respect   that   non ‐ Aboriginal   people   have   been   raised   to   have   for   their   Aboriginal   neighbours.

  Reconciliation   is   not   an   Aboriginal   problem;   it   is   a   Canadian   one.

  Virtually   all  

  aspects   of   Canadian   society   may   need   to   be   reconsidered.

  (TRC   Report,   Preface,   P.

  Vi )  

Other   First   Peoples,   involved   in   the   mindful   and   informative   Idle   No   More   movement,   have   expressed   similar   sentiments   this   way: “The   first   step   toward   healing   is   putting   the   past   in   its   place.

  Only   then   can   you   work   on   your   own   personal   lives,   which   will   then   naturally   stem   into   becoming   whole   as   a   community.

  The   healing   you   want   and   need   can   come   from   no   government   program,   and   no   external  

  source.”   (Anthony   Sowan   quoted   in   Coates).

 

In   her   thoughtful   and   comprehensive   book,   “Taking   Back   our   Spirits”,   Métis   author   Jo ‐ Ann   Episkenew   points   out   that   “Acculturation   stress...

  is   a   continuing   factor   in   the   perpetuation   of   anxiety,   depression,   and   other   symptomatology   that   is   associated   with   PTSD   [post ‐ traumatic   stress   disorder]..

  ‘other   symptomatology’   includes   violence,   rarely   against   the   settlers   but   rather   against   oneself,   one’s   family,   or   one’s   community,   and   addiction   as   a   form   of   self ‐ medicating   to   temporarily   ease   the   despair   of   personal   and   political   powerlessness...Addiction

  and   violence   are   not   the   only   consequences   of   postcolonial   trauma,   however....

  The   dangers   of   being   discriminated   against   go   far   beyond   psychological   stress,   higher   than   average   rates   of   heart   disease   and   other   health   problems.

  Infant   mortality,   alcohol   and   drug  

 

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problems   and   even   death   due   to   suicide   and   murder   are   much   higher   than   average.”   (Duran   &   Duran   and   Pennebaker   quoted   in   Episkenew).

 

 

It   is   my   belief   that   we   can   approach   the   core   issue   of   reconciliation   by   engaging   in   inter ‐ cultural   healing,   that   is,   repairing   the   broken   chair   that   is   present   relations   between   First   People   and   non ‐ aboriginal   Canadians ,   by   working   toward   the   healing   of   post   Colonial   stress   and   disorder   ,   and   promoting   age ‐ old   First   Peoples’   resiliency   and   health   traditions.

  In   this   way   we   will   be   able   to   improve   relationships   between   First   Peoples   and   non ‐ indigenous   Canadians,   particularly   in   Aboriginal  

Communities.

  

Proposed

 

Solution:

 

Implementing

 

the

 

Chair

 

Model

 

of

 

general

 

healing

 

principles

 

to

 

promote

 

reconciliation

 

between

 

Indigenous

 

and

 

non

aboriginal

 

Canadians

  

The   model   of   a   chair   is   as   informative   for   any   one   whose   life   is   broken,   whether   an   individual,   a   family,   a   community   or   a   nation.

  The   first   teaching   of   a   chair   is   of   the   essence   and   dignity   of   each   human   being.

  If   a   solid   maple   chair   is   smashed   to   smithereens,   the   one   part   that   remains   intact   is   the   seat.

  Just   as   the   seat   of   a   solid   maple   chair   is   unbreakable,   similarly,   no   matter   what   happens   in   our   own   lives   or   the   history   of   our   nation,   our   soul,   our   Being,   made   unique,   whole   and   complete   by   Creator   is   still   there,  

  despite   it   being   banged   up   or   painted   over.

  

Sometimes   illness,   sudden   deaths,   or   other   traumas   occur,   and   the   legs   and   the   back   of   the   chair   are   smashed   to   bits.

  We   think   we   have   nothing   left,   either   as   an   individual   or   as   a   family,   a   community   or   a   country.

  But   really,   the   ‘seat’   of   our   being   is   still   there,   the   ‘ who’   of   our   design   as   human   beings ,   or   as   a   family,   a   community   or   a   country.

 

We   might   end   up   on   'the   floor   of   the   garage',   but   still   we   can   live   into   our   lives.

  Legs   can   be   put   back   on   the   chair,   but   they   have   to   be   put   on   carefully   and   well ‐  and   each   must   be   of   equal   length.

  Using   only   one   or   two   legs   won't   work;   it   has   to   be   all   four,   or   the   chair   will   be   unstable   or   will   break   again.

  The   four   legs   to   make   the   chair   stand   stably   again   are   listed   below   in   general   healing   terms   first   

Leg   #   I.

  Body   Work  

As   human   beings   we   are   designed   to   heal   in   body,   mind   and   spirit .

  “As   human   beings,   we   are   designed   to   be   whole,   unique   and   complete.

  Our   minds,   souls   and   bodies   are   designed   to   be   healed   and   to   heal   in   finely   tuned   integration   and   cooperation”   (Illauq,   Trauma   Awareness   Module   #   5)   

  Our   natural   human   tendency,   as   the   First   Peoples’   cultural   traditions   teach   us,   is   to   use   body   work   for   healing   broken   relationships,   settling   down   the   mind,   finding   one’s   place   in   society,   finding   one’s   own   identity,   learning   to   respect   and   work   with   others,   and   generally   staying   healthy.

 

For   generations,   like   all   other   Canadians,   First   Nations,   Inuit   and   Metis   peoples   have   been   meeting   their   psycho   –   social   needs   by   a   wide   variety   of   physical   activities.

  Dancing,   singing,   walking,   climbing,   laughter,   drama,   fishing   or   hunting,   traditional   games,   adequate   and   simple   nutrition,   seasonal  

 

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cleansings   and   traditional   medicines   to   mention   just   a   few.

  These   activities   allow   the   body   to   connect   with   the   mind   and   spirit,   and   to   interact   in   an   equitable   and   respectful   way   with   others.

  As   a   founding   elder   of   Ilisaqsivik   Family   Resource   centre   in   Clyde   River,   Nunavut   ,   explained   to   me   once,   “When   we   move   our   bodies   and   learn   to   do   new   things   with   them,   our   minds   clear   up.”   

Leg   #   2.

  Belonging:  

Having   at   least   one   person   who   is   willing   and   able   to   be   unconditionally   be   present   to   you,   for   you   to   share   your   story   with   has   been   age   old   tradition   in   Aboriginal   communities.

  It   is   for   this   reason   that  

Inuit,   for   example,   maintain   traditional   naming   practice   s,   and   strengthen   kinship   ties   by   members   of   family,   either   by   blood   or   by   name,   calling   each   other   not   by   name,   but   by   their   relationship   to   each   other.

 

The   dignity,   place   and   role   of   elders   in   First   People’s   families   and   communities   is   also   indicative   of   the   deep   sense   of   belonging   that   has   been   one   of   the   most   prominent   strengths   of   Canadian   Aboriginal   cultures,   particularly   in   contrast   to   the   often   disintegrated   family   structures   of   present   day   North  

American   culture.

 

Belonging   to,   or   working   as,   a   group,   such   as   a   group   of   hunters,   a   particular   grouping   of   women   or   of   men,   a   spiritual   community,   or   a   support   group   is   also   a   traditional   way   of   grappling   with   the   challenges   of   life.

  Through   belonging   to   each   other   and   being   faithful   in   our   relationships   to   each   other,   we   are   able   to   practice   true   charity   based   on   our   delight   in   the   character   and   talents   of   another   individual.

 

Furthermore,   it   is   important   for   families   to   ‘belong’   in   community,   for   communities   to   ‘belong’   and   mentor   each   other   with   in   a   nation,   and   for   all   people   working   in   government   agencies   to   find   time   to   belong   to   each   other,   and   to   develop   inter ‐ dependence   rather   than   independence.

  

Leg   #   3.

  Information:  

Survival   depends   on   remembering   the   collective   knowledge   about   environment,   relationships,   skills,   beliefs   and   values   gained   from   generations   of   trial   and   error,   of   practising   the   skills   and   responding   to   the   details   of   the   day.

  Such   information   is   traditionally   passed   on   in   the   course   of   daily   existence   while   living,   working,   playing   together,   by   intentional   teaching   and   through   stories   and   legends.

  In   a   more   modern   context,   a   counsellor   or   psychologist   helps   a   person   discover   information   about   him/herself   that   is   useful   going   forward.

  In   addition,   journaling,   process   sketching   and   story ‐ telling   group   therapy   can   all   help   a   person   to   glean   useful   information.

  

It   is   helpful   to   receive   information   from   other   cultures   and   persuasions   around   us,   and   to   strive   to   understand   in   a   respectful   and   dignified   manner.

  One   of   the   most   crucial   kinds   of   ignorance   is   that   we   don’t   know   what   we   don’t   know.

  From   such   ignorance   comes   the   sort   of   racism,   cultural   profiling,   and   dispossession   that   we   are   face   as   Canadians,   particularly   as   we   approach   the   First   Peoples   and   the   gifts   of   knowledge   that   they   have   for   us.

  

It   is   critical   that   non ‐ aboriginal   Canadians   receive   information   on   Canadian   First   People’s   culture,   history   and   traditions.

  There   is   an   increasing   wealth   of   work   by   the   talented   aboriginal   people,   which   is   more  

 

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available   than   ever   thanks   to   the   internet.

  As   the   Canadian   public,   we   must   start   insisting   on   authentic   aboriginal   expressions   of   their   own   culture   and   history.

 

 

 

Finally,   I   would   like   to   stress   that   information   about   Post   Trauma   Stress   is   perhaps   the   most   critical   body   of   information   required   to   break   through   the   health   and   socio ‐ economic   inequities   of   the   First   Nations  

People.

 

Leg   #   4.

  Spiritual   Connections   

All   First   Peoples’   cultures   have   a   strong   spiritual   tradition   of   firm   and   dynamic   connections   with   Creator,   the   Earth,   Relatives,   and   Humanity   in   General.

  These   traditions   teach   that,   only   with   these   spiritual   connections   being   intact,   are   human   beings   are   able   to   become   “whole,   unique   and   complete”,   as   individuals,   families,   communities   and   as   a   nation.

  Each   of   these   help   each   person   become   the   best   version   of   themselves   and   to   share   the   gifts   the   Creator   has   built   into   them   for   the   good   of   creation   in   general,   and   human   kind   in   particular.

 

Spiritual   practice   s   are   best   learned   from   childhood   up   to   be   fully   understood   and   practice   d   with   true   integrity.

  But   at   anytime   of   a   person’s   –   or   even   a   nation’s  ‐  life   journey,   the   individual   or   group   of   people   can   turn   with   an   open   and   honest   heart   to   seek   out   Creator,   and   to   engage   good   and   peaceful   connections   with   Earth   and   other   human   beings   through   practice   s   of   faith,   hope,   and   true   charity.

 

Part   #   5.

  The   Back   of   the   Chair  

A   good   chair   has   not   only   the   stability   of   strong,   balanced   legs,   but   a   comfortable   and   supportive   chair   back.

  The   staves   of   the   back   of   the   chair   represent   our   memories,   both   collective   individual.

  These   memories   never   need   to   judged;   they   just   are.

  When   memories   are   allowed   to   come   and   go   without   judgment,   then   our   minds   are   able   to   continue   to   work   away   at   processing   them.

  It   is   when   memories   become   stuck,   replaying   sometimes   many   times   each   day,   that   our   minds   become   overloaded,   and   we   become   ill.

 

The   cross   pieces   on   the   chair   back   represent   the   feelings   that   tie   the   memories   together.

  They   deliver   a   strength   of   their   own,   until   the   memories   and   their   accompanying   emotions   are   acknowledged   and   processed,   leaving   behind   the   thunderstorms   of   fear,   rage   and   moving   into   a   place   of   peace.

  This   happens   when   individuals   or   groups   truthfully,   with   empathy,   face   memories   and   understand   or   acknowledge   feelings,   as   we   as   a   nation   have   done   through   the   excellent   work   of   the   Truth   and  

Reconciliation   Commission.

  This   moves   us   toward   being   able   to   have   a   ‘chair   back’   and   to   ‘relax   into’   our   lives   in   comfort   and   strength,   becoming   the   best   version   of   who   we   are   –   as   long   as   we   have   the   four   legs   of   bodywork,   belonging,   information   and   spiritual   connections   in   place.

  

The   challenge   is   to   deliberately   contribute   and   receive   the   time   and   effort   required   to   heal,   as   individuals,   as   groups   and   as   a   nation   of   treaty   Canadians.

 

With   all   four   legs   of   equal   length   firmly   back   on   our   ‘seat’   we   are   able   to   remember   WHO   we   are,   in   relation   to   Creator,   to   Earth,   to   people   near   such   as   family,   friends,   and   colleagues,   and   to   others   farther  

 

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afield.

  When   we   have   ‘our   legs   under   us’,   and   are   comfortably   settled   into   our   dignity,   then   we   can   dialogue   eye ‐ to ‐ eye   among   fellow   Canadians.

 

Implementation:

 

Meeting

 

the

 

Challenge

 

The   challenge   has   been   presented:   To   improve   community   health   and   wellness   outcomes   in   remote   aboriginal   communities,   in   a   functional,   flexible,   cost   neutral,   and   sustainable   manner.

    The   solution   has   also   been   presented:   We,   as   First   Peoples   and   non ‐ aboriginal   Canadians   alike   must   do   things   together  

(Body   Work),   become   informed   about   each   other   (Information),   seek   to   be   at   peace   with   each   other  

(Belonging)    and   nurture   healthy   Spiritual   Connections   with   Creator   and   creation,   with   people   far,   and  

  people   near,   and   living   into   our   memories   and   our   feelings.

 

This   was   a   more   impossible   mandate   a   generation   ago.

  But   in   this   age   of   social   media,   we   have   great   opportunity   to   initiate   ongoing   discussion   and   promote   a   new   paradigm   of   mutual   understanding   and  

‘Chair ‐ itable   Healing”!

  This   phenomenon,   which   works    equally   with   young   and   old,   in   remote   and   urban,   in   aboriginal   and   non ‐ aboriginal   settings   alike,   can   support   the   breadth   and   height   of   open   dialogue   needed   to   accomplish   this   paradigm   shift.

   Maximizing   social   media   functionality,   as   well   as   meeting   face   to   face   in   more   traditional   settings,   will   increase   mutual   comprehension   and   compassion,   moving   Canadians   toward   the   kind   of   equitable   communication   and   connection   that   will   inevitably  

  result   in   better   health   and   wellness   outcomes   for   Aboriginal   communities   in   our   nation.

 

What   is   required   of   those   who   care   to   engage   this   campaign   to   re ‐ master   the   attitudes   that   have   propagated   the   traumatic   destruction   of   our   treaty   connections?

  The   investment   of   informed   good   will,   time   and   energy,   empathy   and   passion.

  There   is   no   direct   cost   for   anyone   of   these   attributes,   but   the   cost   of   not   contributing   these   is   great:   the   ongoing   and   deepening   of   the   national   disgrace   that   is   the  

  present   third   world   conditions   of   First   Peoples   in   Canada.

   Going   forward   as   individuals,   families,   communities   and   a   nation   committed   to   Comprehension   of   First   Peoples’   history   and   culture,  

Compassion   when   meeting   others   eye   to   eye   and   friend   to   friend,   Communicating   with   truly   charitable   intent   and   striving   to   become   Connected   as   First   Peoples   and   non ‐ Aboriginal   Canadians,   “The   sky   is   the  

  limit!”  

 

 

Assumptions:

  

 Each   individual   is   responsible   for   his   /   her   own   healing   journey.

  No   one   can   presume   to   be   healed   by   anyone   else,   or   to   heal   anyone   else.(Sarah,   A   Cree   Elder.

  2006.

  Tamara’s   House   healing   group,   Saskatoon)   

 Community   or   national   healing   begins   with   individuals   and   families.

  It   requires   the   will   to   be   a   participant   in   the   healing   process,   not   just   an   onlooker.

  Those   who   would   help   promote   healing   in   others,   must   themselves   have   engaged   their   own   healing   journey.

 

 

CHAIR‐ity: Restoring Connections Bev Illauq NCREC, SELU, Saskatoon, March 22, 2016 Page 7

 

 The   Chair   model   of   healing   is   complementary   toFirst   Nations   medicine   wheel   teachings,   ( The  

Sacred   Tree )   as   well   as   with   many   other   works   examining   psychological   needs   and   wellness.

  The   medical,   educational,   judicialand   religious   sectors   of   present   North   American   society   are   beginning   to   acknowledge   indigenous   peoples’   inter ‐ generational   teachings:    that   body,   mind,   soul   and   spirit   must   be   engaged   in   a   balanced   way   in   order   for   health   and   wholeness   in   any   one,   at   any   level,   to   be   achieved.

 

 

What we hold in our inner heart is not visible, and it goes very deep within our spirit. To heal, the iceberg needs to be broken.... After the iceberg has broken, there is a cleansing of the body.”

-Meeka Arnakaq, Healer and Elder from Pangnirtung, Nunavut

 

 

 

Selected   References   

 

Arnakak,   Meeka   ,   The   Iceberg   Healing   Manual    http://www.ccsa.ca/Resource%20Library/The_Iceberg_Healing_Manual.pdf

 

Coates,   Ken.

   #IDLENOMORE   and   the   Remaking   of   Canada.

   University   of   Regina   Press.

  

Regina.SK.

  2015   

Illauq,   B.

  There’s   a   Nightmare   in   the   Closet:   PTSD   as   a   Major   Health   Factor   for   Women   Living   in  

Remote   Aboriginal   Communities,   in   Liepert,   B.

  et   al.

   Rural   Women’s   Health,   University   of  

Toronto   Press,   2012   

National   Collaborating   Centre   for   Aboriginal   Health.

   An   Overview   of   Aboriginal   Health   in  

Canada .

  July   18,   2013   

 

Herman,   Judith,   Trauma   and   Recovery   ,   Basic   Books,   1992   

 

 

Four   Worlds   Development   Project.

  The   Sacred   Tree   .

  1992  

Sinclair,   Murray,   Wilson,   Dr.

  Marie.

  Truth   and   Reconciliation   Report,   http://www.trc.ca/websites/trcinstitution/File/2015/Honouring_the_Truth_Reconciling_for_the

Future_July_23_2015.pdf

  retrieved   3:52   pm   ,   August   16,2015   

Duran,   Eduardo.

  Post   Colonial   Psychology ,   State   University   of   New   York   Press.Albany,   

New   York.

  1995  

 

Episkenew,   Jo ‐ Ann.

  Taking   Back   our   Spirits.

  Indigenous   literature,   public   policy   and   healing.

 

University   of   Manitoba   Press   .

  Winnipeg.

  2009  

 

CHAIR‐ity: Restoring Connections Bev Illauq NCREC, SELU, Saskatoon, March 22, 2016 Page 8

 

 

 

Acknowledgements

  for   Video   CHAIR ‐ ity:   The   Canadian   Connections  

  https://vimeo.com/136066566

 

Finian   Paibomesai    (WhiteFish   River   Potawatomi)   –   Encouragement   and   Participant   

Phil   Seymour    (Akwesasne   Mohawk)   –   Encouragement   and    Elder   Video   Participant   

Joanne   Seymour   (Curve   Lake   Ojibwa   )   –    Elder   Video   Participant   

Susan   Gander   (Ontarian)   –   Editor   

Michael   Seymour   (Akwesasne   Mohawk)   –   Editing   

Alex   Kalaway   (Ontarian)   –   Videographer   

Aliqa   Illauq   (Inuk)   –Participant   

Max   Rondeau   (Inuk,   Oji ‐ Cree)   –   Participant   

Lucien   Rondeau   (Oji ‐ Cree)   –   Participant   

Elaina   Illauq   (Inuk   &   Plains   Cree   )   –   Participant   

Jayde   Tassugat   (Inuk   )   –Participant   

Max   Nichols   (Labradorian)   –   Participant   

Sharon   Nichols   (Ontarian)   –Participant   

 

 

In

 

honour

 

of

 

Jushua

 

Illauq,

  

a

 

man

 

of

 

great

 

courage,

 

comprehension,

  

compassion,

 

communication

  

and

 

connection

 

 

In

 

memory

 

of

 

Repika

 

Iqalukjuak,

  

a

 

counsellor

 

and

 

founding

 

chair

woman

 

of

  

Ilisaqsivik

 

Family

 

Resource

 

Centre

 

in

 

Clyde

 

River,

 

Nunavut

 

 

For   further   discussion   contact   the   author:  

Beverly   Illauq,   

Box   1166,   

Kemptville,   ON,   K0G   1J0   

Tel   613   298   6209    beverlyillauq3@gmail.com

  

 

CHAIR‐ity: Restoring Connections Bev Illauq NCREC, SELU, Saskatoon, March 22, 2016 Page 9

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