Be willing to listen and learn

Story by Adam North Peigan

Adam North Peigan, an advisor with the Indigenous Wellness Core, encourages all to attend one of the many events taking place this National Day for Truth and Reconciliation as an opportunity to learn. North Peigan is also the President of the Legacy of Hope Foundation.

As we honour National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, it’s a time to reflect on how far we’ve come and how much more we need to do for there to be true reconciliation.

I am a survivor of the Sixties Scoop where about 20,000-plus First Nation, Métis and Inuit children were taken, often without warning or consent of their families, by child welfare authorities and placed in non-Indigenous foster homes.

Along with my siblings, I was taken as an infant and remained in care until I aged out of the system. During that time, I was exposed to many different faiths and cultures but never educated on my own heritage.

In fact, I grew up feeling a lot of shame about who I was.

My initial return to my home nation, Piikani Nation, was a major shock and led me down a path of heavy drinking for many years. Eventually, my two eldest daughters were taken by Child Protective Services when we were living in British Columbia and placed in a non-Indigenous foster home.

That incident was the catalyst for me to break the cycle of intergenerational trauma and keep my children from going through the same things I had experienced.

Going back to our ceremony and connecting with Elders has helped me immensely on my healing journey. I’ve even become a powwow dancer with regalia I crafted myself with the help of my wife who did the beadwork. I am now incredibly proud of who I am as a First Nation man.

As part of my role at Alberta Health Services, I now get to help foster meaningful relationships with healthcare workers and Indigenous peoples seeking healthcare.

We need to create an environment where Indigenous patients feel safe, comfortable, cared for and, more importantly, won’t be exposed to racism.

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a day were our non-native brothers and sisters have the opportunity to educate themselves on the history of Canada, the contributions of the Indigenous peoples and acknowledge residential school survivors as well as those who went to residential school and did not come home.

Attend one of the many events taking place as an opportunity to learn. That's the biggest thing that we can do — be willing to listen and learn.