Building Relatives and Advancing Opportunities

Land-Based Healing

Miskanawah honors and acknowledges the land as a life source and foundation of sacred knowledge that is integral to maintaining holistic health and wellness. The knowledge embedded within the natural world brings together the teachings of Wahkotiwin: living in relationship, and recognizes the importance of language, our oral stories, relationality, accountability, and a greater connection to Creator and self. Land-based ceremonies and activities offer significant benefits to Indigenous people by providing culturally relevant education, promoting opportunities for inter-generational knowledge transfer, and creating safe spaces for personal and collective healing.

In the words of our Elders:

“It's really important right now. We're losing our songs. We're losing our language because we don't know oral systems ... it's so important to have a camp—something where we can bring young people to start teaching them about oral systems.” –Blackfoot Elder, Dr. Reg Crowshoe.

“The Camp gives families the freedom to learn—to be on the land and to learn from the land. The land is where we come from. We don’t own the land. The land owns us.” –Métis Elder, Edmee Comstock

Securing a permanent site for our ceremonies and land-based programming is an important priority, as Miskanawah works to ensure the availability and continuation of these essential healing opportunities for children, youth, families, and the greater community. Stewarding land on a private site ensures the security of our ceremonial items and practices and overall sustainability for our organization. Creating a permanent home fire on the land supports the continuation of Indigenous traditions, ceremonies, and practices, and an educational invitation to our allies and those seeking to further their reconciliation efforts.

Youth Camps and Truth and Reconciliation (Bringing Them Home).

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