Indigenous Ways of Healing

This Saturday, we present Awo Taan Healing Lodge Society staff for an Open Minded Chats session. The intention is to share wisdom and explain the impact of Indigenous ways of healing to our community.

The shelter has been around since 1986, when “Ruth Scalp Lock and a group of concerned individuals wanted to create a shelter where Aboriginal women and children could seek refuge from family violence and all forms of abuse in a uniquely Aboriginal atmosphere."

Since then, it has expanded into more than a women’s shelter, becoming a place of safety and hub for community. Their programs run weekly out of their offices in Calgary, with options available for youth, families, women, and men, to address the immediate and long-term needs of individuals affected by domestic abuse. You’ll find the most current information and updates through their Facebook page.

What are Indigenous ways of healing when addressing victims of family violence? Why would there need to be a safe space to preserve these approaches for Indigenous families? Perhaps because trauma-informed practices are more effective when taking generational trauma into consideration, as well as relevant types of trauma.

We’ve noted this gap before, when considering there are specific factors that immigrant, newcomer, and refugee populations are exposed to through the preparatory, transition, and acclimation processes. For Indigenous individuals, they are faced with re-learning skills around relations that they would not have had access to from the start, as as culture was taken from people’s way of life.

“By offering a unique atmosphere where the traditional wholistic and spiritual teachings of Indigenous peoples are practiced, Awo Taan provides a culturally responsive and highly effective environment for families to move beyond trauma”.

If you’re interested in joining our Open Minded Chats session this Saturday, please click here to register for this free virtual event. We’ll see you soon.