In recognition of June being National Indigenous History Month, SACE is excited to announce a new resource booklet called Rooted: Colonialism and Sexual Violence for Indigenous communities.

Rooted is a support and information guide available in print and digital format and written in accessible language.  

Our team wrote this with the intention of supporting Indigenous people, but others may find it useful too. 

Some of the questions the Rooted booklet answers are: 

• What is consent? 

• What do I do if someone sexually assaulted my friend? 

• What is trauma? 

• Where can I go for help in Edmonton and Alberta? 

Rooted also talks about The Seven Sacred Teachings that support healthy relationships and nehîyawak (Cree) natural laws that work well for kinship, and important guides for healthy relationships of all kinds. 

Rooted was developed by an Indigenous SACE staff member, with support and contributions from Kohkom Ruth Cardinal de Ubiera (Indigenous Laws and teachings), Dr. Gwendolyn Villebrun (consultation and photography), Samantha Gibbon (art), Teague Foxton (photography), Brent Wesley (photography), Native Counselling Services of Alberta (Natural Laws), and Bear Belle Design Co. (writing and design).

The project was made possible with funding through the Edmonton Community Foundation.

View the digital version of Rooted at sace.ca/rooted.

Please note: All print copies have now been distributed. 

The post New SACE Resource for Indigenous Communities: Rooted Booklet appeared first on Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton.

This is the second year that this day has been observed as a federal statutory day in Canada to recognize truth and reconciliation as well as the legacy of the Indian Residential School System. Orange Shirt Day, however, began in 2013 as an Indigenous-led grassroots movement.

September 30 isn’t just a day off work or school. As a non-Indigenous agency, SACE acknowledges the significance of this day, and commits to ongoing learning, unlearning, and bringing awareness to the impacts of colonialism, intergenerational trauma, and sexual violence.

We need to continue to listen to and learn from Indigenous Peoples’ experiences and history. We all have a role to play in truth and reconciliation, and we can all do something.

Where to buy an orange shirt

If you haven’t bought your orange shirt yet, here are a few Indigenous retailers and artists:

Orange Shirt Society

Saw-sacred Beading

Bead work & Bannock at TIX on the Square

Western Varieties

Samson Native Gallery

University of Alberta First Peoples’ House

Indigenous Artist Market Collective (I.A.M Collective) is hosting etah ka mâcipayik kîkway ᐁᑕᐦ ᑲ ᒫᒋᐸᔨᐠ ᑮᑲᐧᕀ Where something begins on September 24 & 25, 2022 at the Edmonton Downtown Farmers Market.

Local Indigenous artists to support throughout the year

Indigenous Artist Market Collective (I.A.M Collective)

kamamak_art

ebw_crafts

jenellenande

under_the_night_sky_creations

lancecardinal75

tristenjenniart.com

mobilize ᐊᐧᐢᑲᐁᐧᐃᐧᐣ

Resources

Learn more about National Day for Truth and Reconciliation at canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/national-day-truth-reconciliation.html.

National Student Memorial List: Remembering the Children Who Never Returned Home

If you are in crisis or need someone to talk to, 24-hour support is available through the National Indian Residential School Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419.

The SACE Support & Info Line for people who have been impacted by sexual violence is also available from 9 am to 9 pm daily at 780.423.4121.

SACE would like to thank pipikwan pêhtâkwan for their knowledge and guidance that inspired this post.

The post National Day for Truth and Reconciliation September 30, 2022 appeared first on Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton.

Before we can achieve reconciliation, we must start with truth. 

On Friday, May 28, the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation announced they have uncovered the remains of 215 children at the former Kamloops Residential School.  

We are truly horrified and devastated by this news. We mourn for the lives that were stolen by this violent colonial system, and stand in solidarity with Residential School survivors, their loved ones, and all Indigenous communities who are grappling with unimaginable grief. 

Sadly, we know this tragedy is not isolated: across the country, there are known – and likely many more unknown – burial sites of those who did not survive Canada’s Residential Schools. As well, thousands of Indigenous survivors and their loved ones continue to feel intergenerational trauma as a result of these institutions.  

We know that sexual assault has long been used as a deliberate tool to oppress Indigenous Peoples, both within the Residential School System, and closely tied to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two Spirit people. (MMIWG2S).  

Knowing this, and knowing our position as a non-Indigenous agency supporting people who have experienced sexual violence on Treaty 6 and Métis Zone 4, it is important for us to listen and seek guidance from Indigenous people on how best to support them in healing from sexual violence. After all, Indigenous people know their communities, traditions, languages, and cultures the best. Additionally, Indigenous people know what they need in their healing journeys and it is our job to listen and provide that support.    

We are grateful for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Final Report and Calls to Action, and Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG), for providing us with the truth of colonial violence, and tangible action items to do better.  

In a statement, Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc Kúkpi7 Rosanne Casimir said: 

“We ask all Canadians to reacquaint themselves with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Final Report and Calls to Action – upholding the heavy lifting already done by the survivors, intergenerational survivors, and the TRC. In addition, to show your solidarity, we encourage you to wear an orange shirt and start conversations with your neighbours about why you are doing so.” 

We will be taking up these action items from Kúkpi7 Rosanne Casimir, and we encourage our settler followers to do the same.  

To our Indigenous community members, if you need support, please know you are not alone. Here are some options available to you: 

National Indian Residential School Crisis Line| 24/7 | 1.866.925.4419

• Nation-wide emotional support and crisis referral services for former students and those who have been affected

Hope for Wellness Help Line | 24/7 | 1.855.242.3310 | hopeforwellness.ca

• Nation-wide counselling and crisis intervention for Indigenous Peoples in English, French, Cree, Ojibway and Inuktitut

Talk4Healing Talk, Text & Chat | 24/7 | 1.855.554.HEAL | talk4healing.com

• Ontario-based help, support and resources for Indigenous women, by Indigenous women, in 14 Indigenous languages

KUU-US Crisis Line Society | 24/7 | 1.800.588.8717

• British Columbia-based crisis support for Indigenous Elders, adults, children, and youth

SACE Support & Information Line | 9 am – 9 pm | 780.423.4121

• Emotional support, information and referrals for people who have been impacted by sexual violence

Alberta’s One Line for Sexual Violence | 9 am – 9 pm | 1.866.403.8000 | www.sace.ca

• Alberta-wide emotional support, information and referrals for people who have been impacted by sexual violence

The post The 215 Children of Kamloops Residential School appeared first on Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton.

Every year on February 14, the day most associated with love, Indigenous women, girls, Two-Spirit people, and their allies take to the streets to remember, mourn, and honour the thousands of loved ones that have been murdered or have gone missing in our country, and to protest against this injustice.

This movement to honour MMIWG2S in this way began in 1992 in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, home of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and Sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. It has now spread to cities across Turtle Island. The event in Edmonton was started by a woman named Danielle Boudreau, as a grassroots event that brings the community together. Though decades have passed since the inaugural Memorial March, the issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and Two-Spirit Peoples is just as prevalent and devastating as ever.

Our city and the broader Treaty 6 Territory/ Métis Region 4 is not an exception: we are currently in the middle of a second trial against Bradley Barton, a man accused of brutally killing an Indigenous woman named Cindy Gladue in an Edmonton hotel in 2011. In another case, Kenneth Courtorielle was arrested and charged with second-degree murder just last week in relation to the disappearance of Billie Wynell Johnson. I send love and strength to both Cindy’s and Billie’s families and loved ones as they grieve these unspeakable losses, and pray for justice in both cases.

At SACE, we know that sexual assault has been used as a deliberate tool to oppress Indigenous Peoples both historically and today, and that this is closely tied to MMIWG2S. We also know that as a sexual assault centre, we have an obligation to do more to prevent, and respond to this issue. As a first step, we launched Wîwîp’son Healing from Sexual Trauma Circle for Indigenous Women in 2020. This no-fee, closed group counselling program, more accurately called a healing circle, is intended for First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) adults. I am so grateful to PhD candidate Gwendolyn Villebrun for dreaming up, creating and facilitating this unique and essential program, and to Kohkom Ruth Cardinal de Ubiera for her teachings, guidance, and endless support to our agency and clients.

I am also proud to announce that we have recently hired an Indigenous Community Counsellor, whose focus will be to strengthen relationships with Indigenous communities. Our hope is that this new member of our team will further the work of making  our services safer and more accessible to FNMI folks. I’m so excited for the potential of this work, and where it may take us.

Though COVID-19 has prevented many people from marching today, I hope that you will all join me in finding other ways to remember and honour Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and Two-Spirit People. If you have the means, support Indigenous-serving organizations in our city, such as Native Counselling Services of Alberta, Aboriginal Counseling Services of Alberta, and the Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women. Please also join me in reading The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, and putting its Calls to Justice into action.

We all have a role to play in combating violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people.

In solidarity,

Mary Jane James
Chief Executive Officer, Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton (SACE)

The post Message from the CEO in Support of MMIWG2S appeared first on Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton.

This unique program blends Indigenous ceremony and teachings with psychoeducation about sexual trauma. It will be held at the Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton over eight weeks, starting in mid-April, 2020.

Completion of individual counselling for sexual trauma is not a requirement for participation. If you are interested in Wîwîp’son, simply contact the SACE office and ask to book an intake appointment. During your intake appointment, the Wîwîp’son facilitator will determine whether this group is an appropriate next step in your healing journey.

Supports are available to those who require transportation and/or childcare in order to participate.

To learn more and to schedule an intake appointment, please contact us at info@sace.ca or 780.423.4102.

This pilot program has been made possible by the work of PhD candidate Gwendolyn Villebrun, together with Kohkom Ruth Cardinal de Ubiera. We could not be more excited, or more committed to developing tailored programming to better serve Indigenous communities. If you would like to support our efforts to build Indigenous programming at SACE, please consider donating and let us know that you want to support this initiative with your donation.

Permission was granted by Dr. Darlene Auger to use the name “Wîwîp’son” for this program. For information on Swing Therapy, please go to wiwipson.com.

Facilitator Bios

Kohkom Ruth Cardinal de Ubiera

Ruth Cardinal de Ubiera is a First Nations woman from Saddle Lake Cree Nation and has lived in Edmonton for 22 years. She has a degree in Social Work from the University of Calgary and has worked in the areas of addiction and mental health with Indigenous peoples for 40 years. Currently she is in the position of Elder at Buffalo Sage Wellness House, a halfway house for federally sentenced Indigenous women. She is a ceremonialist of traditional Indigenous culture and is knowledgeable about Cree Natural Law.

Gwendolyn Villebrun

Gwendolyn Villebrun is Dene/Métis originally from the Northwest Territories, but has lived most of her life here in Edmonton. She has been a registered psychologist since 2005, serving predominately First Nation families and those impacted by the Indian Residential Schools. Gwendolyn has worked as team lead for health support during the Alberta tour of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and has volunteered as a founding director for Lurana Shelter Society and as an advisory council member for the Mental Health Commission of Canada. She is presently a PhD Candidate in the counselling psychology program at the University of Alberta. Her research focuses on Indigenous women’s embodied experiences of intergenerational trauma and their reclamation of identities. Gwendolyn completed her doctoral internship at the Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton in 2019-2020, at which time she developed Wîwîp’son Healing from Sexual Trauma Circle for Indigenous Women. Gwendolyn works from a trauma-informed perspective and is a certified Hakomi therapist, which is a mindful, body-centered approach.

Lori Calkins

Lori Calkins is Otipemisiwak from the Red River Settlement in Manitoba. She is an Indigenous Cultural Birth Helper supporting Indigenous families through pregnancy, birth, the postpartum experience and beyond. First trained as a doula more than 20 years ago, Lori has in recent years been on a journey of cultural reclamation, learning from elders, kokums, knowledge keepers and aunties. She works collaboratively with other birth workers through Indigenous Birth of Alberta to provide trauma-informed, inclusive support for families with a complex variety of physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, practical, social and cultural needs. Her broad knowledge of reproductive health ranges from harm reduction, pregnancy and addictions to grief, loss, healing and end of life care.

The post New For 2020: Healing from Sexual Trauma Circle for Indigenous Women appeared first on Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton.