09/02/2021
Indigenous people, regardless of whether we are from small remote communities, large urban settings, or someplace in-between, come together with histories and worldviews that are unique. These ways of seeing the world are such an integral part of who we are, it may be difficult to articulate exactly what our histories and worldviews are, and exactly how these factors affect what we think and do. Some First Nations people who have grown up in urban centres may have limited contact with their community and families and understanding of their Indigenous culture.
"This campaign is about learning to lift each other up, it's about bringing to light our shared philosophies, values, and customs."
Even First Nations people who do not strongly identify with their Indigenous ancestry, may face racism or be confronted with stereotypes. Far too often to avoid racism and stereotyping, some First Nation people make a concerted effort to hide their Indigenous identity, to avoid Stigma and insult. The same can happen when we come home to our communities, facing a different form of shame and contempt.
Reminding ourselves that by embracing our identity we inspire hope for others to do the same. That there’s more to our culture and our ways of seeing the world than what any book could teach us. We have such an extraordinary depth to the meaning of things within our language that no western language has a parallel interpretation of the world. You don’t have to be an indigenous person who was raised in a spiritually orientated community to understand that our cultural ways of being in the world are stepped in a relationship of observation to the spiritual world. That relatedness sees everything and everyone as related, that people, objects, and the environment are all connected.
