Sharing traditional knowledge helps youth at Treaty 3 Kenora gathering
From Kenora Daily Miner News online at http://www.kenoradailyminerandnews.com./story.php?id=213733
Treaty 3 youth descend on Kenora for healing conference
Aboriginal youth from across Northwestern Ontario and eastern Manitoba joined with elders and community members Wednesday as they sought ways to the heal the deep troubles facing the new generation.
By Mike Aiken Thursday February 16, 2006
Aboriginal youth from across Northwestern Ontario and eastern Manitoba joined with elders and community members Wednesday as they sought ways to the heal the deep troubles facing the new generation.
Perhaps the most daunting is the appearance of crystal meth in neighbouring First Nations.
“It’s already in my community,” said presenter Kenny Kakeeway of Whitefish Bay.
Even those going through treatment can take five or six months to recover their sense of self, and another four years to regain their thought processes, Kakeeway noted.
“This is a highly addictive drug,” he emphasized, adding local treatment centres are not yet able to handle clients hooked on the drug.
At Whitefish Bay, residents have lost at least eight young members to suicide within 18 months, while another 26 have attempted to take their own lives.
Two years ago, Treaty 3 declared a state of emergency in an attempt to get outside help for their generation in turmoil. At the time, crisis call workers at Wabaseemoong (Whitedog) were logging 300 calls a month, while intervention workers estimated there were 200 children in care.
“We’re Anishinabe,” said Kakeeway.
“We lost a lot of our culture in the residential schools, so we have to go back to that,” he added, referring to the many traditional, sacred practices described by elders during the conference.
Whitefish allows alcohol, which is how harder drugs find their way into homes on the reserve, said Kakeeway.
If young people learned their traditional names and clans, they could claim their roles in society and gain a sense of belonging.
“Once you have that, then you don’t need drugs and other things,” he said.
Organizer Tina Armstrong estimated about 280 attended Wednesday’s session.