Talking Stick

When my daughter returned from Kenya this summer she brought me a special gift of a talking stick. She wanted me to have a gift with meaning. The Masai tribe is a highly organized society, strongly patriarchal in nature, with elder men sometimes joined by retired elders, deciding most major matters for each Masai group.

The chief held the symbolic stick which gave him the power to speak without interruption. When the stick was handed to another he had the floor and respect of the others and was able to speak. This small stick gave order to the gathering. The chief traditionally held the stick to show his authority much the same way our First Nations people wear headdresses.

When my daughter wished to get one of these sticks it was given because she told them that I was once a chief (Mayor) in our land. The stick is hand crafted about 18 inches (45 cms) long. It is bound with decorative fine beadwork. The tiny beads have been the mainstay of the Masai women for centuries to show their identity and position in society through body ornaments and body painting. It is curious that in the 1800's the beads that had been made for centuries from raw materials (clay, seeds, horn) were replaced with opaque glass ones from Europe.

Would it ever be wonderful if our governing bodies had a similar system where respect would be shown to speakers in a similar manner. I treasure this gift and will produce from now on at family gatherings when the rhetoric becomes heated. We can learn much from cultures where good manners are valued and rules maintained by traditions kept for their true value.

Home From Africa

What a great welcome from daughter no 1 when she burst through the door to announce that she was home from Africa. If you know my daughter you will understand that for the next hour Theresa and I just sat and listened to the most wonderful saga. She had this dream for years that one day she would go to Africa and take pictures of the elephants. Well she did.

Every word that she uttered was a verification that the money spent and the time away was well worth it. I wanted to go as well but knowing the demands were a little beyond my ability to perform I stayed home. I lived through her dream and every word she spoke was a true reflection of my own desire to be with her and my grand daughter. I loved the vitality and the deep love for Africa she experienced and it was similar to her feelings during her visits to the true north in Nunavut.

Many of her thoughts expressed a similar culture for people who live off the land. She brought me a very symbolic gift as she was given an elders stick for me as I was considered to be an elder in my own country. It is a piece of art with tiny beaded work around a stick which is given to people who are elders in their own right.

I shall treasure this gift and will no doubt be reminded many times about the symbolic significance of this gift. I am so happy to have my loved ones back in Canada safe and richer for their experience in that great continent of mystery and beauty Africa.

Inuit Circle Of Wellness

While working in the Arctic one of my job related goals was to mesh the many agencies that worked independently into a cohesive unit where services could be rendered to needy people. In a quick analysis of services I discovered that some people were having treatment from as many as five agencies at one time. We had a substantial budget for all these independent units but the Inuit were not well served.

After a meeting with the elders and group officials we determined that one wellness committee would serve the people better. After clearing the idea with the government's social services minister I was given a green light to proceed. All the agencies were happy about bringing the groups together under on roof with one clear mandate.

The women in the community were frustrated with the lack of communication between the protective services (RCMP), the courts and the wellness objectives. We held a Circle meeting. It was a voluntary coming together with 21 women, 1 RCMP, a lay minister and myself. The group pretty well was a microcosm of the women in the hamlet.

Traditional prayers were said and one old elder (61) began to tell her story of abuse, neglect and indifference to the conditions of the women who lived here in the hamlet. The women sat quietly listening to this respected person and there were sighs of agreement and tears as they all felt in tune with the speaker. As she finished one after the other told their stories.

There is a rule that what is said in a circle will not be repeated nor judged. I was so moved with the stories that I was determined to make a change.We the listeners were all changed that night and the RCMP corporal had his eyes opened and were filled with tears when he heard about the lack of sensitivity experienced by these women.

These women had alcohol abuse, drug addiction in some cases, been physically and mentally abused and nearly all have suffered from generic rape. Our small committee decided to hire a coordinator of wellness and to get to work. With a budget (substantial), a donated building and a determined group headed up not by the coordinator but the women themselves work started at once. This was only one of my responsibilities but I was able to contact the most wonderful lady who was a retired social worker.

I will call her Mary but she was something else. Five foot tall,tough as nails and a background in aboriginal settings she was the perfect one. She came in like a hurricane and never stopped nor looked back once she had her task outlined. Everyone respected her and kept well out of the way when she was on a mission. She did her job and when her 6 month contract was completed we had a special circle for her.

Instead of 21 women in need having a circle the meeting was held in the recreation hall and nearly every women in the hamlet was there as well as all of council and many men. People spoke to her and recognized her value because when she left she did not leave a void but rather a infrastructure to carry the project forward.

I invited the minister to come and she did with others from the government in Yellowknife. Our hamlet was better for the effort and I as a person looked at the Inuit and their elders in a far more compassionate way. I loved these circles and saw their value but it was only the beginning.Times have changed and life is better for women in the Arctic but there are still issues to to be looked at and work to be done.

When I left the Arctic the minister attended our annual meeting of the hamlets and gave me a small token. I still treasure it . It is a medallion with an Inukshuk stamped on it. The inscription read, The difference you make today counts in all our tomorrows.