The Community Gathering organized by the Prince Albert Indian-Metis Friendship Centre (IMFC) called Sharing Our Voices To Heal lived up to its name this week.
The three-day gathering was a healing time for attendees and particularly the Indigenous community. Right from day one, it was a rapid overflowing of emotions as participants released their trauma and moving onto healing as each speaker anchors his or her part of the gathering.
“It is very inspirational, the tears of laughter and tears of healing, the stories,” said Tesa Wesley, a First Nations University student doing her Practicum at the Indian – Metis Friendship Centre. “Yesterday I participated and I cried a couple of times but it was a very good experience and I am happy that I came and participated in the healing process.”
It didn’t end there for Wesley.
“This is my first time participating and I will surely be back,” she added.
The organizers and the IMFC had one major goal which is to heal the community through the sharing of voices.
“These past days have been incredible and wonderful,” Nicole Matheis, one of the organizers said. “We’ve really been able to gather the community in a healing way by sharing laughter and tears, and hearing from our amazing speakers as well as the participants. It’s very great to see the community come together in this way.”
The participants shared experiences, asked questions, and got answers.
“I didn’t want to come initially but changed my mind along the way,” said Kayleigh Strom, another participant. “At the end I am glad I came. I and others have been relieved of some of our emotional burden, trauma, pains in a good and healing way, people got encouragement, assistance and gifts. That’s healing in a good way. I am happy I was part of this.”
The Gathering opened on Feb. 23 with a day for the men and two-spirit attendees. Day Two was for Women and Two Spirits, and Day Three for the Youths and the Elderly.
The Keynote Speakers were Patrick and Marrisa Mitsuing and they held the audience spellbound for the three days.
The men were taught what it means to be a man personally and in the family setting.
“Myself, I learnt too, like what is a man? How is a man a father? How is a man a brother, an uncle? I shared my experiences of learning what it’s like to be a man,” said Patrick Misting. “For me it’s like caring for our women, protecting our women, being a provider for our family, being healthy.”
The men were also taught about inner work, healing themselves internally, how to think, how to develop their ideas and philosophy.
“Once everything changes internally, everything changes externally,” Patrick said. “Your outer world is a reflection of your inner world. So that is what I taught them.”
Patrick added that he appreciated having the chance to speak.
“Our experience here was very welcoming like these are our uncles, aunties, brothers and sisters cousins, these are our nephews and nieces. When you have that family vibes its warm and inviting.” he said.
Talking to the women was a bit tricky and Patrick relied on Abraham Lincoln’s words that “All that I am and all that I ever will be I owe to my mother.”
He added “I didn’t have my mother growing up but I had Marrisa, my wife growing up. We not only thrive together but we survive together. I was the plant, she didn’t try to change me from the rose that I was to a lily. She saw the plant that I was and she watered me. She watered me and I grew to be the best plant that I could be, and I realised that that was Love.”
Patrick and Marrisa also showed the women what a support system means to the wife, to the family and to the community at large.
“I showed the women that I watered her too, that I want her to become the most ultimate best plant that she could be, and I hope that they find in their lives a partner that will water them and protect them, provide for them and work as a partnership in growth together.”
To the youth Patrick and Marrisa kept it simple.
“Anything is possible. Any dream is possible. You can think as big as you want and it’s possible,” he said.
They showed the participants how to find the resources to fund their dreams and purposes in life. He passed on the principles that have helped them to grow and hopes they will become the next touch bearers in the society.
They did not forget the elders and Patrick drew an analogy between the elders and the Buffalo.
“It was more about thanking them,” he explained. “There’s a Dakota teaching about the Buffalo. When there’s a storm the Buffalo will walk towards the storm. It’s the only animal that does this and the reason why it does this is that they can get into that storm and they can get past it. On the other side is the sun, is the calm. Our elders do that for us. They went through that storm for us. So it was all about honouring them and thanking them.”
For organizers like Matheis, it was a successful three days of sharing and talking.
“The people and the speakers have been sharing their stories and things that they have gone through and shared how they feel,” she said. “I think it has given inspiration to those who may be on the healing journey themselves. It’s certainly beginning to open the healing doors in our community.”
Patrick concluded the session by leaving this message that ” You got to be selfish a little bit to heal yourself in order to start helping other people and when you can get to that place of helping other people, a lot of blessings start coming into your life. Whatever you give you get back tenfold.”
It was not only an opportunity to share voices, there were opportunities to sign up for and register for some other activities like hair cuts, Tea leaf readings etc.
The Gathering was emceed by Sarah Tweidt and Dakota Favel who both added extra spice to the gathering by performing songs and dances to entertain the participants.
Favel is an award-winning Indigenous musician, motivational speaker and community voice while Tweidt is digital storyteller and was recently featured in Saskatchewanderer.
Favel was one of the speakers at the event, sharing his story about how he fought and won the battle of alcohol addition.
“As we go through this healing journey, because it takes a community to raise a child, the stories we have shared resonates with the people and if theres any that we can take home, it is that we heard, we have seen and we have learnt,” he said.
The gathering might have lasted for three day but the Indian Metis Friendship Centre has put structures in place to welcome and assist the people more often.
“We want to open the door to them to come and be provided with the resources that are offered there,” Jennifer Sanderson, one of the organizers said. “We have elders for them to know that they have someone to reach out to, people who have been through things, through trauma in life. That’s why we have the presenters, the speakers and they are able to provide that helping hand to many people that do show up here.”
Other speakers included Sanderson, Ashley Waditaka, Donna Mckay, Willis Janvier, and Nola Malebeuf.
There were other artists, musicians and performers such as Tatanka Kuwa drummers, Mitchel Dureault, Maureen Belanger and Duane Favel that offered some comedy and DJ Nyla.
More than 200 participants attended the gathering, shared their stories, asked questions, and shared wonderful meals. There were also vendors with different cultural, religious and healing pieces to sell to the attendants.
“We are just so grateful to our community for also being in partnership and lifting us up as well. Thank you to the Aboriginal Friendship Centres of Saskatchewan. Thank you to our wonderful volunteers and thank you to Nicole for her great support.”
