Strengthening family, preventing loss

Chiniki Bighorn Youth Cultural Camp was held Aug. 14 to 20 in the midst of the incomparable beauty of the Kootenay Plains.

Now in its third year, the camp has its foundations in the Stoney Nakoda community and draws strength from its traditional teachings and ceremonies.

Barry Wesley, Chiniki First Nations, Bighorn manager and one of the camp's organizers, said this year's theme focused on the preservation of life by providing youth with a strong sense of culture and community and security through the teachings of Elders.

The youth camp's focus is designed to strengthen family and community ties with its young people. The purpose of this year's camp was to stop the loss of life through suicide, drugs and alcohol and the other impacts that lessen cultural practices and beliefs.

Youth camp co-ordinator Lowell Wesley said this year's group of about 40 young people were far more interested and dedicated to learning about their traditional culture. Lowell was also pleased and exited with the youth role models because "they were more involved and outspoken this year than in other years" about learning and sharing their cultural knowledge, but also about other issues affecting Aboriginal youth.

Sixteen-year-old Gordon Deschamps said having good role models to look up to is one of the most important things young people like him need to help them keep away from drugs, alcohol and violence. Deschamps, who has family in Hobbema, said the situation there is not always ideal and the community has had many difficulties.

"My people are committing suicide, living in torture, using booze and drugs to make them happy when it only creates depression," said Deschamps. He said being immersed in the Bighorn community and taking part in the youth cultural camp gave him people to look up to and he found that it "brings out his nice side." He said working with the older men getting the camp prepared and having the chance to spend time talking with the Elders made him feel positive and healthy.
One of the most important things that youth need, he said, is to be surrounded by positive influences because it makes a difference in how a young person sees the world and sees themselves in relation to the world around them.

Deschamps said the community needs to work together and people need to "trust their wants instead of their feelings." Deschamps explained that in his view, the wants are the bigger things like wanting to be a good person, and feelings are those momentary things like wanting to feel good when you feel bad. He said young people feel bad and fool themselves that they will feel better if they drink, do drugs or lash out.

Experiences such as taking part in the youth camp, allows young people to be surrounded by parents, siblings, extended family and Elders. All take part in showing what it means for a community to pull together by sharing with each other, working, eating, dancing, drumming and listening to the teachings.

The camp experience is very much a community experience. Young people work with each other, with older community members and with the Elders in setting up some of the camp structures like the cooking tent and the gathering tent.

Young women work with older woman in preparing and serving meals and making sure that Elder and senior members of the community are shown respect and are honored by being served first.

Youth participants range in age from seven to about 18 years old, however everyone in camp from the smallest baby to oldest member participates in creating a community, learning, laughing and sharing.

Sisters Emma and Wyanne Smallboy, 16 and 18 respectively, are both athletes and involved in their community. Wyanne, who is articulate about the importance of staying true to traditional practices, said neither alcohol nor drugs are a part of Aboriginal culture, traditions or their historical way of life, nor have they been a part of her family life.

By refusing to be drawn into those activities through peer pressure or by turning away from cultural beliefs she said she is demonstrating her value and respect in herself.

Wyanne said learning respect for oneself, for ones Elders and for each other is an important aspect of the traditional values that are a part of being healthy and creating a healthy community.

Barry Wesley said learning respect for the Elders and for the traditional way of life gives young people a sense of their own place within the circle and a sense of their value within the greater whole and that is the essence of what the youth camp stands for.