When it comes to healthy living, cultural and traditional educator Elizabeth Akiwenzie says care for the entire body, not just the physical being, is essential.
Cultural and traditional educator Elizabeth Akiwenzie speaks to students at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry about developing healing programs based in Aboriginal teachings.
Speaking last month to the Western community about her work developing healing programs based on Aboriginal teachings, Akiwenzie says while Aboriginal people have struggled with losing their culture, heritage, ceremonies and vision, it remains important to understand and create awareness about healing the spirit, mind and heart.
“With circular thinking there is not a beginning and no end,” says Akiwenzie, speaking as part of an Aboriginal Medicine event, in conjunction with the Global Health Program of the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry.
“We have to take care of our heart, because that is where our feelings are, which are connected to all of creation. If you feel good about who you are as a human being you can take care of the mind and the spirit.”
Having worked for a number of years with local Aboriginal communities as a counselor helping individuals and families achieve a balanced, healthy lifestyle through recovery of family values and structures, Akiwenzie says it is important to heal the complete self.
“If humans are damaged when they were young, if they have been mentally, emotionally, physically or sexually abused, (it is) guaranteed they are carrying deep emotions. If you carry fear, loneliness, hurt or shame, those emotions will sit in the body and will cause physical sickness … and it’s this physical sickness we have to go out and take care of.”
Akiwenzie, who has practiced as the AHWS Co-ordinator at the N’Amerind Friendship Centre and as a counselor for the Southwest Regional Healing Lodge, Kii-kee-wan-nii-kaan, adds she is privileged to learn from her elders.
“Not to disrespect the medical profession, that’s not my intent, because we still need those people who have that kind of knowledge,” says Akiwenzie.
“I just have a different way of being in the world, and I have a different way of going out and getting those things I need. We do have medicines and therapy to help the physical body heal. I get to go sit and learn and be taught about the medicine, how to use it, how much, how to harvest it.”
Akiwenzie wants to continue to share her views among the Aboriginal communities, noting they are struggling with awareness because so many young people have been disconnected from one generation to another.
“While I can plant these seeds of awareness for people to gain knowledge, there is so much to learn and share; there is so much to understand,” she says. “The more knowledge we have about one another, the more you know of yourself, the more we can share and learn and ask questions.
“When you know how to take care of your heart, your mind, your body and your spirit, you know how to share that understanding with one another as human beings; there is wisdom. We all have a place where we are able to help.”