Laws of Matriarch

We Must Be Brave: A Gitxsan Grandmother’s Reflection We must be brave. We must hold our ground. The topic of “elder” came up tonight, and I was asked if I consider myself an elder. Honestly, I’ve never understood why labels are so important. I suspect it has a lot to do with funding and politics, and perhaps some religious beliefs tied to fire and lightning. There’s so much pressure on Aboriginal people to be inclusive. I often feel anxious about upsetting white people, and in trying to be inclusive, we sometimes unknowingly adopt white political beliefs, which leads organizations to exclude our own Aboriginal laws and traditions entirely. Over the last 20 years, I’ve noticed more and more labels—elder, matriarch, self-determination, traditional, healer, First Nations. I’ve made mistakes in the past by giving in to the pressures of others' fears, and that’s led to a betrayal of my own Gitxsan teachings and community members. It’s a lifetime regret I carry with me. Tonight, it w...

Okay, I’ve had my grandson in my custody under Section 54.3 for 9 months now, and he’s currently 2 years and 9 months old. For those 9 months, he has been without medical coverage because the ministry has neglected to prioritize getting everything in place for his medical coverage before he was released from VACFSS custody. I spoke with Sasha about this issue and submitted the court order to Indian Affairs two months ago, but I still haven’t heard back. Once Angel is registered for Indian Status, I can order his status card, and once I receive that card, he will finally be covered under MSP. Since getting the signed court order two months ago, my grandson has been covered under my work plan with Blue Cross. However, I know that most Aboriginal people don’t have employment, which means many Indigenous children go without medical coverage for far too long. Below is the latest string of emails regarding the progress of Angel’s Indian Status registration: --- Hi, Maybe you can speak with ...