By Henry Abel Joseph, Yekooche First Nation

"Where I come from, healing with ceremony is an action that is necessary in mending our spirits and our minds, and reaffirming who we are as Dakelh people."

Our communities are dealing with trauma from the ongoing opioid and toxic drug crisis, which is disproportionately affects Indigenous people in BC. The number of our people lost to the opioid crisis is dismal. In addition, Indigenous communities are also dealing with losses from COVID-19, and the increasing number of people that are unhoused. It’s going to take a high level of cooperation from all levels of government and our communities to come together to combat these issues.

There is a lot of blame to go around – the history of colonialism, of residential school, and now the child welfare system. There’s a lot of reasons to be angry, but we have to come together as one in order to move past it. It’s commendable what organizations like Carrier Sekani Family Services is doing to heal the collective through healing with ceremony. It is our custom to be pure of mind, body, and spirit in order to move through issues.

The healing fire is one of the necessary ceremonies for the Dakelh people. For hunters when they go to hunt – they bring their gear, and they walk through the smoke to clean their mind, their heart, and their soul. They do this to be physically fit and ready. With a clean mind and body, you prepare yourself for success each and every day, and that is the way of Dakelh.

By practicing who we are as Dakelh people and our identity, we must re-instill the importance of that identity and that pride. To have that desire to excel as a healthy human being. 

I am only a messenger of teachings and learning. Our Elders love us, and we shall follow the directives of them and our ancestors.

Mussi cho. Awetza.