James Smith finding identity, healing through land-based teachings

Around the First Nation, there were teepees, sweat lodges, craft areas, outdoor cooking areas, hide workshops, smudges, pipe ceremonies, drum teachings, equine therapy, and more.

Drying moose hide (Ben Tompkins/northeastNOW)

Youth were involved with every part of the day, from preparing the food to enjoying every workshop.

“It’s not only the teaching behind it, but the hands-on learning of making it because I can go into any classroom and talk about something, but it’s totally different when I bring them outside and I teach them hands-on, they’re gonna have that memory and they’re gonna connect to that teaching,” Nelson added.

“It’s all about identity, what’s missing right now is we have many generations that were taken away to residential schools. They were stripped of their identity, their language, their cultures, their traditions and even of their land. We have to know and understand who we are and where we come from, in order to go back to the land.”

The hope is that these youth don’t face the same fate as the ones before them and that they actually receive opportunities to learn.

Glenn and Delilah Sanderson are two members of the community who are always at these kinds of gatherings to support, and this time around they got to witness their two granddaughters being a part of it all.

“I’m glad they have the opportunity to learn their purpose in life. A tree without roots is going to fall. These tragedies that have happened in our community are because of loss of identity. Without culture, you have no roots and we’re trying to regain that. It’s important to find out who we are so we can understand each other and why we suffer the way we do,” Glenn explained.

“This is teaching our community how to get back and survive on the land as community group members. This is a start and I like how our children are getting firsthand teachings. It’s very important for children to learn these things and grow up to be happy, healthy individuals who take care of themselves,” said Delilah.

Roger Whitehead has been a land-based teacher for Bernard Constant Community School for the past two years. Since beginning, he has been trying to plan something every season to fully encapsulate the way of life and consistently get them out on the land.

“We try to get them out doing something that’s land-based, so they need to be on the land. It reconnects them to their culture, we’ve been losing it through the years, and we haven’t been practicing these things, so it gets them back to their culture. Through the year, whatever season it is, that’s the activity that we take the kids out to,” he said.

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by Ben Tompkins

James Smith finding identity, healing through land-based teachings

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