Kainai Wellness Program looks to help heal historical trauma with its Truth and Reconciliation Week
The Kainai Wellness Program has been hosting a series of events this week in preparation for National Truth and Reconciliation Day on Sept. 30.
Wednesday marked the end of what the program calls its Truth and Reconciliation Week.
Dr. Terri-Lynn Fox, director of the Kainai Wellness Program, says events like these help heal trauma caused by the Canadian residential school system.
“We heal. Given the historical trauma, the intergenerational trauma. So it starts with us. Change starts with us, healing starts with us,” said Fox.
The wellness program held its closing ceremony for its Truth and Reconciliation Week in front of students from across the Blood Tribe Reserve.
Wednesday marked the end of what the program calls its Truth and Reconciliation Week.
Also in attendance were residential school survivors, who also participated in the ceremony.
Students and survivors passed batons between each other to symbolize the transfer of knowledge between generations.
“We also must ensure that we are passing on the good stuff. The ancient teachings, the language, the ceremonies. And so the symbolism of passing the baton is that,” said Fox.
But for others in attendance, the event meant even more.
Keith Chiefmoon, also with the Kainai Wellness Program, wants the children on the Blood Tribe Reserve to know that community will always look out for them.
“We want to let the children, our children, know, and I call them our kids, our children, that we are here to stay,” said Chiefmoon.
Keith Chiefmoon says the community will always look out for the children on the Blood Tribe Reserve.
Chiefmoon is also excited by the opportunity to be able to share and teach the younger generation about their roots and Indigenous culture.
He’s proud of the tribe for being able to overcome the trauma of the residential schools.
“Today, we are acknowledging the fact that we are still here. And we're not going no place. Because we are, what you would say, we are very resilient,” said Chiefmoon.
This was the first time the Kainai Wellness Program has held such an event for Truth and Reconciliation Day.
But officials hope it won’t be the last.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.