Nishnawbe Aski Nation Women's Council developing strategies at gathering in Timmins
Aboriginal women working to regain their voice
By Chelsey Romain, The Daily Press - March 3, 2011
For years women in Aboriginal communities were known as the heart of the community — leaders and decision makers who kept their families together.
However there was a change and women lost their voices.
Today they work toward getting it back.
Over three days in Timmins, the Nishnawbe Aski Nation Women's Council met with women representing some of the 49 communities with the NAN territory to discuss ways they can regain their natural role and improve their communities face.
Council member with the portfolio of communication Jackie Fletcher said it was important to bring women together for the annual conference, as a way to give women a voice.
"A lot of women stay in their communities, they are not recognized, they don't say anything," Fletcher said. "This conference encourages women to get involved in the decision making process and even to encourage them to get up to a chief's level."
The change in the role women had was changed with colonization, Fletcher said. She went on to say that men bought into the idea that women belonged in the home instead of being important pillars in the community. While things have begun to change over the years, she said it remains unbalanced.
"It's important for us to take our rightful place in Aboriginal communities and get out there and say this is the way we want it to be done as well," she said. "You can't just have all the men making the decisions."
But the role of men changed as well. Once the hunters and gatherers of food, they were put into leadership roles dealing with the economic development and government policies. For the communities to thrive, its important that the four pillars that make up the communities, Elders, men, women and youth, communicate, she said.
"We're transitioning into a new way of living and we have to look at how we're going to define our roles," Fletcher said.
The conference gave the women the chance to talk about the common social issues facing their communities and highlighted those that have seen progress.
The women were not necessarily leaders in their community, but simply women who saw the opportunity to make a difference and gather with their fellow women.
"There are leaders, Elders and frontline workers," said Fletcher. "There are all different aspects of women and that's what's great about it."
Through PATH training (Planning Alternatives for Tomorrow's Hope) the women built charts, brainstorming ideas on what they would like to see their communities become, with no obstacles or barriers. From there they looked at ways to accomplish those goals both in the short-term and long-term.
They looked Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) and how each resident of each community will have special gifts that can benefit their home.
"A lot of times we label people as an alcoholic or with a disability, but everyone has gifts" said Fletcher. "We need to look at what those gifts are and bring them into the community."
NAN Deputy Grand Chief Mike Metatawabin was on hand for the first two days of the conference said the gathering was a way to bring back the harmony that was lost to communities because of policies imposed on his people.
Metatawabin said the types of workshops like the ones held in Timmins this week need to be attended by First Nation leaders in order for solutions to their various social issues to be determined.
"We all have to come together and work on it," he said. "When you try to do things by yourself, it can be a challenge."
Both Metatawabin and Fletcher spoke of the importance of having youth participate in the discussions as well. Metatawabin spoke of the importance of knowing one's history before moving toward the future, while Fletcher spoke of the need for educated youth to come back to their communities and become a part of the process.
"There are women here up in their years who are role models and these younger women who are becoming educated need to hear the stories of what happened to our people," she said. "They need to know why we are the way we are and how we're coming out of that and that we need them to help us come out of it further."
"There are changes we've been ale to survive and adapt to," added Metatawabin. "There is a lot of negative that comes with it, but it's a matter of understanding that we've all been victim to this upheaval and we've been negative to each other, but we need to get beyond that and turn it around."
The NAN Women's Council has been in existence since 2006, hosting an annual conference.