Laws of Matriarch

Subject: Update on My Journey to Bring Angel Home Hello, Today, I received an email that left me feeling heavy-hearted and frustrated. I’m facing the same intrusive questions over and over again, and it seems like the process is only getting delayed. I can’t help but wonder, who is this manager, and why am I answering to someone I don’t even know? Do I really need to answer these questions just to keep my grandson with me? The email from my social worker detailed a long list of inquiries about my life and experiences. It felt exhausting to relive these moments, and honestly, it’s hard to keep explaining myself. Here are some of the questions I received: 1. They want more detail on what I’ve learned from my life experiences, especially from my upbringing and childhood. I previously answered “Perceiver,” but now they want me to expand on that.     2. They’re asking how my past experiences have impacted me and how I feel about them now. I mentioned that life was better after my ...

Today was another court date, but thankfully, I didn’t have to attend because the VACFSS director decided to adjourn the date for another month.  My grandson Angel is now 1 year and 9 months old, and this is the longest I’ve ever had to deal with the ministry. It’s an exhausting process that wears you down and leaves you feeling hopeless.  Even though I’ve had Angel living with me for the last nine months, I know that at any moment, a social worker and a police officer could come knocking at my door to take him away. Canada has made it nearly impossible for us to keep our children. I’m tired, and I feel like I can’t fight this battle anymore. The ministry seems to be looking for any reason to put him back into their care, and I have lost all faith in VACFSS and any agency in Canada that handles Aboriginal child welfare. Today was particularly hard. I had to sit through a session where a privileged lawyer spoke about how “you can’t just help them get their children back; they n...

As a Gitxsan grandmother, I want to share the essence of our beliefs and spirituality.  On the West Coast, our Native brothers and sisters use various medicines for prayer, like devil’s club. Our traditions are rooted in a deep respect for spirit. We don’t romanticize our rituals and practices; they are simply part of who we are, ingrained in our upbringing. Respect for life is the foundation of everything we do. Each person is born with unique gifts, and none is more important than the other. Even those who work with the spirit world remain humble, never boasting about their abilities. They simply do their job, just like everyone else. We believe that God is within us and with us always. Every thought we have is a prayer, and our ancestors walk beside us, guiding us through life. Our spirits communicate with all spirits, and the first thoughts that come to us when we seek answers are often those messages from the spirit world. In our past, we used sweat lodges to cleanse our scent...