How does ceremony impact Indigenous students at the U of A? | YouAlberta

Campus Life

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Shannon is an urban member of the Saddle Lake Cree Nation living in Edmonton, Canada. Shannon's adventurous spirit has taken her to live abroad in the UK, Germany, and most recently Northern Iraq with her children and cat in tow. Life has continuously presented Shannon with both opportunities for change and lessons in human kindness, including starting her B.A. in Native Studies at the age of 50. As a former Indigenous Peoples interpreter at Fort Edmonton Park, Shannon strives to communicate the effects of intergenerational trauma and PTSD on the children of residential school Survivors to the general public. She is now working with the Women and Childrens Health Research Institute as a research assistant.

Tan'si and hello!

My name is Shannon Cornelsen and I am a member of the Saddle Lake Cree Nation located near St. Paul, Alberta. I have always had the privilege of knowing who I am and where I come from. I am a triplet, one girl with identical twin brothers, as well as two older brothers. Growing up with an Indigenous mother and a settler father -I have been carefully walking two worlds since birth. I know my ancestors and my family, grounding my place as an Indigenous woman in amiskwaciy-wâskahikan. I joined academia later in my life after my husband passed suddenly and then had to raise my three children as a single parent. I am in the last year of my program, a Bachelor of Arts in Native Studies, majoring in Native Studies, with a Certificate in Indigenous Governance and Partnerships.

There is power in the words that I use to describe my positionality and history, which is why Indigenous scholars place such value in them. I have learned from Elders that we should follow the teachings about honesty, truth, love, respect, compassion and many others. These teachings should be internalized before you can actually practice them with the world. If your heart is not connected to the words, then they lose all value. This leads me to why I am writing this piece about how ceremony impacts the lives of Indigenous students at the U of A. Is there ceremony being practiced by Indigenous students and what are they?

What is an Indigenous ceremony you may ask? They range in form from the pageantry of pipe ceremonies to pow-wow dancing to smudging. Ceremony is also in the everyday lives of a person, prayers of gratitude, honouring Mother Earth, speaking words of kindness and being humble. There are some ceremonies that should only be led by Elders - someone who knows how to pray the words with intention and conviction. Smudging with the medicines that represent our spiritual, emotional, mental and physical health is ceremony that can be done as often as you wish.

We have not always been allowed to participate in ceremonies. The Indian Act of 1876 was created to ban Indigenous people from practicing our spiritual and healing gatherings. Partly due to the perceived threat of organized Indigenous uprisings, as well as the policy of forced assimilation, spiritual ceremonies were banned until 1951. Through the colonial practices of dispossession of land, removal of children to residential schools and loss of cultural knowledge, Indigenous communities across Canada have been fighting to maintain and revitalize their ceremonies. This is but a part of these experiences. If you are looking to learn more about the history of cultural genocide in Canada, the Indigenous Canada MOOC, the most popular MOOC in Canada for years running can be found on the Faculty of Native Studies website.

There are many reasons why Indigenous people are embracing and celebrating our ceremonies again. We have lost so much of our oral histories due to the residential schools and forced assimilation into Western society. By reconnecting to our stories and teachings through practicing ceremony in all forms, Indigenous students can be supported in our educational journeys. "First Peoples' House" on the second floor of the Students' Union Building has a specific smudging room for all who need it. Practicing ceremony can be as simple as sitting in the Quad, connecting with nature and de-stressing after class. There is no "correct" way to be Indigenous, other than to be honest about your ancestry and who you belong to. There is no minimum amount of sweat lodges to attend and no secret handshakes to learn. Listen to your Elders, and reflect on their teachings so that you can celebrate and embrace ceremony in your own way. Creator listens to all and will support you in your own healing journey.

ekosi maka,

Shannon Cornelsen