The Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health presents: Pim-a-chi-ho-win - The Way We Live A Symposium on Aboriginal Culture June 23-25, 2008 Ottawa, ON Métis Artist Christi Belcourt - What Kids Learn (An Uncertain Future), 2008 36” x 48” Acrylic on Canvas Guest Speakers With her searing 1973 novel Half-Breed, Maria Campbell exposed the brutal realities of life for Aboriginal women in Canada. It also revealed the angst, anguish, dislocation, and desperation of a nation impoverished economically and spiritually. People worldwide were shocked and saddened by the plight of Canada’s Métis. The novel became a catalyst for change. The Métis Nation saw a resurgence of cultural pride and awareness, Aboriginal women organised and reclaimed themselves, governments affirmed Métis political rights, and Aboriginal literature in Canada was born. Many Canadian Aboriginal authors have followed the path first blazed by Maria Campbell. The Métis grandmother is now the author of seven books and is an award-winning playwright. She has conducted writing workshops in community halls, friendship centres, libraries, tents, and cabins. Her writers’ camp at Gabriel’s Crossing – the old Gabriel Dumont homestead near Batoche, Saskatchewan – resulted in the 1991 anthology Achimoona, a collection of stories which showcased emerging Aboriginal authors. A noted lecturer and workshop facilitator, Ms. Campbell continues to work in the areas of community development, race relations, and creative writing. She was honoured with an Honorary Maria Campbell Doctorate in Laws from the University of Regina and taught Native Studies at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. Maria Campbell received the National Aboriginal Achievement Award for bringing the story of her people to the eyes and ears of the world. Madeleine Dion Stout speaks Cree and was born and raised on the Kehewin First Nation in Alberta. She remains actively involved in Aboriginal health development and serves on several non-Aboriginal and Aboriginal boards and committees, one being the Federal/Provincial/Territorial Advisory Committee on Population Health and Health Security (ACPHHS). She has also been a member of the National Forum on Health and was a Special Assistant to the Honourable Monique Bégin, then Minister of Health and Welfare Canada. After graduating from the Edmonton General Hospital as a Registered Nurse, Mrs. Dion Stout earned a Bachelors Degree in Nursing, with Distinction from the University of Lethbridge where she has since been awarded a Distinguished Alumni Award. Mrs. Dion Stout holds a Masters Degree in International Affairs from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University. Mrs. Dion Stout is past Professor in Canadian Studies and the founding Director of the Centre of Aboriginal Education, Research and Culture at Carleton University and is past President of the Aboriginal Nurses Madeleine Dion Stout Association of Canada. Mrs. Dion Stout is now self-employed and is President of Dion Stout Reflections through which she works as an independent scholar. She has authored and co-authored several reports pertaining to the Aboriginal health sector and gender. Mrs. Dion Stout is a frequent speaker at local, national and international conferences and continues to serve several local, regional and national First Nations, Inuit and Métis organizations as a researcher, writer and lecturer. In May 2004, Mrs. Dion Stout was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Laws from the University of British Columbia. Peter Irniq, cultural proponent, public servant, commissioner of Nunavut (b at Lyon Inlet, NV, 1947). Irniq has distinguished himself for his active commitment to and advocacy of Inuit culture in general and, in particular, for promoting the Inuktitut language and the inclusion of Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit - Inuit traditional knowledge - in institutions serving the Inuit. Irniq was appointed the second Commissioner of Nunavut in April 2000. The largely ceremonial office of Commissioner resembles that of the lieutenant-governor of a province. Irniq concluded his term as commissioner early in 2005. Peter Irniq Dr. Cynthia Wesley-Esquimaux is an Asst. professor, in Aboriginal Studies and the Faculty of Social Work, at the University of Toronto. She has dedicated her life to building bridges of understanding between people. She has a particular interest in developing creative solutions to complex social issues and sees endless merit in bringing people from diverse cultures and backgrounds together to engage in practical dialogue. She is the Chair of the MacLaren Art Centre in Barrie, an Advisory Member of the Mental Health Commission of Canada, and an active and engaging media representative. Cynthia is a member of the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation in Lake Simcoe, Ontario and has made a life-long commitment to educating the public about the history and culture of Aboriginal peoples in Canada. Cynthia Wesley- Esquimaux Christi Belcourt is a Metis visual artist with a deep respect for the traditions and knowledge of her people, the majority of her work explores and celebrates the beauty of the natural world. Author of Medicines To Help Us (study prints & book, based on painting of same title; Saskatoon: Gabriel Dumont Institute, 2007), Christi has won recognition for her fine artistry through numerous awards and prizes. Her work has been commissioned by the Gabriel Dumont Institute (Saskatoon, 2004), the Nature Conservancy of Canada and the Centre for Traditional Knowledge & Museum of Nature (Ottawa, 2002), and is found in the permanent collections of the Thunder Bay Art Gallery, Indian and Inuit Art Centre, Canadian Museum of Civilization, First People’s Hall, and the Gabriel Dumont Institute. Christi is a past recipient of awards from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council and the Métis Nation of Ontario. Christi has been studying traditional plants (identification of, stories Christi Belcourt of, medicinal uses for, names in Michif and Cree) on her own for numerous years. She lives and works in Whitefish Falls, Ontario, Canada. David General has spent the past twenty years developing his distinctive imagery as a sculptor. In recent years, he began to write and lecture on First Nations art and urges First Nations artist to respond to and support the First Nations’ rights agenda. David works primarily in marble and bronze. His combination of a First Nations perspective and a modernist presentation of simple, elegant line are reasons that his work is easily distinguishable. His work has been limited to private and corporate collections Early in his art career David was a founding member and co-chair of the Society of Canadian Artists of Native Ancestry (SCANA). His involvement in the politics of art has been replaced by the politics of his community – the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory. David served seven years on the Six Nations Council and was Elected Chief of Six Nations of the Grand River from 2004 to 2007. He is an artist/politician who believes that a dynamic arts and culture community can make tremendous contribution to economic David General opportunities and sustainability within any First Nations territory. A very special thank you to our traditional teachers who helped us prepare for this cultural symposium Jim’s spirit name Mishike'n (Turtle) He is Bear Clan and Sweat Lodge Keeper. Doctor of Social Welfare, Columbia University. Taught 28 years at University of Toronto and Carleton University. Developed Bachelor of Social Work Programs in First Nation's Communities since 1990: Consulting work with First Nations Technical Institute since 1998. Jim Albert Born in Toronto. Raised in Kahnawake, Mohawk Reserve in Quebec. Named at birth by my maternal grandmother. My spirit name is Tiao Re Hen Sere which means "the first light of day" (daybreak). I am a band member of the Mohawks of Kahnawake,Iroquois Confederacy. My life is based on the principles of "The Great Law" of the Haudenasaunee (People of the Long House). I am of the Turtle Clan. Paul Skanks Monday, June 23, 2008 1a - Workshop: Aboriginal Elders’ Contributions to Civil Society Facilitator: Madeleine Dion Stout Description: This workshop focuses on Aboriginal elders and the contributions they make to civil society and the strategic program directions they help to shape. Mainstream concepts like democracy, governance, citizen engagement and social capital will be defined and parallels will be drawn to the work of elders. This workshop is guided by the fact that elders continue to play an important role in urban health settings. 1b - Workshop: Aboriginal 101 – Who are the First Nations, Inuit and Métis people of Canada? Facilitator: Guy Freedman Description - Knowing your clients is key to delivering good service. This workshop provides an opportunity to learn more about First Nations, Métis and Inuit: their cultures, traditions, values; issues and socio-economic concerns; their approach to life and living on the land we all call home. 1c - Workshop: Spirituality and Residential Schools: Moving Towards “Spiritual Rejuvenation and Transformation” Facilitator: Cynthia Wesley Esquimaux Description: Impacts of Historic Trauma and Intergenerational Grief on Indigenous Populations This is an interactive workshop with the objective of giving a solid background and building understanding on how “Historic Trauma and Unresolved Grief” continues to impact the Aboriginal population in Canada, and in turn adversely affects the spiritual foundations of Aboriginal culture. Out