As a Cree and Nakota Sioux First Nations woman from the Treaty 6 Territory in Alberta, Canada, I understand loss
from a macro-perspective and a micro-perspective. First Nations people who reside in Canada have faced many
cultural disruptions due to colonization policies that were geared toward genocide. In the past, there were
generations of First Nations children who were taken away from their homes to attend Indian Residential Schools;
including one of my uncles who never made it home. The schools were designed to “kill the Indian child” and death
may not have been physical but there were many heartfelt losses that resulted from that era, and many cultural
losses that continue to echo and resonate to this day.
At a micro level, to be human is to experience love and loss. As we collectively journey on Mother Earth, one thing is
for certain, we will all experience loss in our lives, and it can take many forms. It can be animate; the loss of a loved
one, the loss of a pet. It can be in-animate, the loss of a prized possession. It can be cultural, the loss of knowledge,
language, and ceremony. It can be spiritual loss where we constantly feel that something is missing in our lives.
Whatever the loss, we feel it, on a deep and personal level.
Indigenous Peoples around the world all share similar stories of loss due to colonial violence. As human beings, we
all share stories of personal loss. We are more alike that we are different, and despite our collective history of loss,
we have remained strong and resilient, as First Nations people.
This presentation will focus on the presenter’s experience with loss at the macro and micro level as she shares her
stories and insights along with the healing journey that brought her to a place of healing.