'For the greater good': Indigenous financial advisor works to empower others
It's often said that every name tells a story.
For Theodora Warrior, that couldn't be more true.
“My name doesn't lie,” says Warrior, a Blackfoot member of the Piikani Nation in southern Alberta. “The purpose of a warrior is not meant for battle. They are meant for protection and sacrifice for all for the greater good.”
Warrior is the first Indigenous financial facilitator for Momentum, a Calgary charity dedicated to community economic development.
Jeff Loomis, executive director of Momentum, says it's committed to having a role in reconciliation with Indigenous communities and bringing Warrior onboard ensures a culturally relevant and supportive environment to aid in financial reconciliation.
Warrior views her job as one that empowers others, particularly Indigenous families such her own who experienced poverty as a result of the residential school system.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission report says the schools amounted to cultural genocide, stripping Indigenous people of their language and customs, and has led to chronic unemployment, poverty, poor housing, substance abuse, family violence and ill health.
About two years ago, Warrior attended a money management workshop hosted by Momentum, similar to one she now teaches, and was asked to write down a vision for her future.
She had lost everything - her house, job and belongings. She says it was a cycle she had repeated for years, from housed to homeless, employed to jobless, hopeful to disheartened.
Her vision on a piece of paper, now tucked away in a safe spot, listed 17 goals, including having a two-bedroom apartment, a healthier mental state, being debt-free with savings and having a steady job.
Most of those dreams came true.
Warrior is now bringing the program that helped change her life to other Indigenous people in Alberta communities. She calls the workshop series Money Moccasins.
“Financial wellness is a lifelong journey,” says Warrior. “Walking barefoot can make the trip more difficult. Moccasins are very sturdy and strong.”
Thinking about the workshop she attended, Warrior says the information was helpful but the facilitator, who was white, lacked an understanding of unique barriers faced by Indigenous people.
The facilitator talked about spending $200 on plants, almost the same amount Warrior had received monthly on welfare.
“It had nothing to do with where we come from, what we really encounter, what we have to work with,” says Warrior.
Warrior's mother and grandmother attended residential schools.
As a child, she remembers living in apartments with cockroaches, using food banks and moving frequently, both on and off reserve. Her mother, who has three university degrees, often worked multiple jobs.
Warrior says she believes the repercussions of the residential school system left her mom struggling to find financial stability.
As Warrior became an adult, she also had trouble staying afloat.
There were months when she had money from working in the trucking or hydrovac industries. At one point, she had a five-bedroom house and was financing a new vehicle.
But, she says, everything fell apart in about nine months when a friend moved out without paying their share of the bills and work opportunities disappeared.
When looking for a place to live, she says she faced encounters with landlords who hurled racist and prejudicial comments. Sometimes she left showings in tears.
Warrior says she stayed in women's shelters and slept in empty apartments.
“I've been through it all,” she says. “Homeless. Hitchhiking. Food banks. Relying on the kindness of strangers ... the depression that comes with it, domestic violence, alcoholism, addiction.”
She says she openly shares her experiences now with those in Money Moccasins. She remembers one participant who laughed when Warrior told the class she was in bankruptcy.
“'Who better to learn from than somebody who's been there?' Warrior recalls telling the woman. ”Being open and vulnerable with them like that drops their guard.“
Warrior keeps a constant reminder of how far she's come at her desk. Her computer screensaver shows Warrior looking into the distance with her sprawling First Nation behind her.
The photo was taken the day before she lost her driver's licence for drinking. Shortly after that, in 2019, she attended her first class at Momentum and got a job with the charity.
She describes her Money Moccasins program, which started this year and explores assets, budgeting, banking, credit and consumerism, as generation changing.
“In this Western world, money is life. In our world, water is life,” says Warrior.
“This course, these classes, they give you something to hold that water. They show you that you can save your water, that your water is meant to be saved for the next generation.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 28, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
AstraZeneca says it will withdraw COVID-19 vaccine globally as demand dips
AstraZeneca said on Tuesday it had initiated the worldwide withdrawal of its COVID-19 vaccine due to a 'surplus of available updated vaccines' since the pandemic.
'Summer of discontent': Federal unions vow to fight new 3-day a week office mandate
Federal unions are launching legal challenges and encouraging public sector workers to file "tens of thousands" of grievances over the new mandate requiring federal workers to return to the office at least three days a week in the fall.
Toronto police seek suspect vehicle after security guard shot outside Drake's mansion
Toronto police are seeking help from the public as they continue to investigate a shooting that seriously injured a security guard outside rapper Drake's mansion.
'Ozempic babies': Reports of surprise pregnancies raise new questions about weight loss drugs
Numerous women have shared stories of 'Ozempic babies' on social media. But the joy some experience in discovering pregnancies may come with anxiety about the unknowns.
OPINION What King Charles' schedule being too 'full' to accommodate son suggests
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
Seafood, eat food: Calgary Stampede releases Midway menu
The Calgary Stampede has released its menu of sweet, salty and spicy treats available on the Midway for the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.
Boy Scouts of America is rebranding. Here's why they've changed their name
After more than a century, Boy Scouts of America is rebranding as Scouting America, another major shakeup for an organization that once proudly resisted change.
These snakes not only fake their own deaths, they use gory special effects to do it
Awards season may be over for human actors this year, but there’s no rest for some of nature’s most audacious thespians.