Editor’s note: This is the second of a three-part series looking at southern Alberta’s opioid crisis from an Indigenous perspective.
The last residential school in Canada closed in 1996. These schools were just one of many attempts by the Canadian government to assimilate Indigenous people.
These attempts have left many Indigenous people feeling lost and without a sense of identity.
Rachel Bush was adopted by a white family as a baby. It wasn’t until she reunited with her biological mother as an adult that she realized she was Native American. As a teenager, Bush found herself in a vulnerable position, but the birth of her daughter helped her break free.
“I watched some of the people I was close to in high school get addicted to stuff, so it was hard to watch. And then I had to be smarter after I had my daughter, so I’m really glad it never got to something more serious than alcohol,” Bush said.
Bush said she’s had to work hard on herself to avoid passing on intergenerational trauma to her daughter, and while she wants to reconnect with her culture, she’s struggled to find the right resources.
“My biological mother isn’t that interested in our culture, so it’s hard to learn as much from her and to try to learn as much as I can from my ancestors. It’s hard to connect as much as I would like because we all live so far apart and have different lifestyles,” Bush said.
Leslie Wells, Blood Tribe’s drug response coordinator, also experienced addiction but was able to recover with the help of leaders from her culture.
“I’m someone who’s been through it all, from past trauma to addiction and all that stuff, and it was really nice to be able to turn to support services. What really helped me was my culture, the support and the support from my elders. It was really empowering,” Wells said.
“In our culture, when you are in the midst of culture, when you are participating in ceremony, you begin to feel hope. You begin to feel a healing aspect, you begin to feel balanced with yourself mentally, physically and emotionally. Our culture offers just that. And it gives us hope, it restores our identity, it restores a strong sense of belonging to the Creator and the land,” Wells said.
Former Treaty 7 Grand Chief Charles Weaselhead has dedicated years to helping people struggling with addiction caused by intergenerational trauma. Weaselhead said reintegration into culture will have a huge impact on Indigenous people struggling with addiction.
“I think that in those early years, our community was unable to recapture the cultural values that we see today as some of the most important components of addiction and training,” Weaselhead said.
“I’m really, really happy that over time our people are coming back. You know, the spiritual side of healing is one of the most natural ways to heal our people and we’re starting to see our people starting to return to the foundation of who we are in terms of our traditions and our culture,” Weaselhead said.
Piikani Chief Troy “Bossman” Knowlton said he hopes sharing his experience overcoming addiction by returning to Blackfoot culture will inspire others to follow suit.
“I always talk about the ceremonial part of it, how it changed my life, how it was the right thing to do for me and all of the Blackfoot people, and how it gives us all a chance if we choose to live that way,” Knowlton said.
Wells echoed the same sentiment, saying the Blackfoot people welcome those in need with open arms.
“The hardest part was asking for help, but once I got through that and was able to ask for help, everyone was so welcoming. As Indigenous people, we are very collective and we work together. We are all accepting of everything. So once we knew our culture was accepted, the ceremonies all came naturally. It’s in our DNA. It’s never lost in our DNA, but it’s lost because we’ve had so much trauma and it’s repressed.”
Alexandra Noade, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Lethbridge Herald
