Aboriginal graduate wins Master's thesis award

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Sitting in her office under a dreamcatcher, Connie Braun looks back over the past year with pride and amazement. She has managed to juggle the roles of wife, mother of a teenage son and two-year-old twins, co-ordinator of ABJAC (The University of Saskatchewan's Aboriginal Justice and Criminology program), instructor and the winding up of her Masters degree in Sociology at the University of Saskatchewan.

"I can only say that this was all meant to be," she states with exuberance.

Born and raised in Saskatoon, Braun completed her BA (Hons) in Sociology from U of S in 1995. As part of the undergraduate degree, she also obtained a certificate in Aboriginal Justice and Criminology, a program initiated by the Department of Sociology in 1991. ABJAC offers Aboriginal students a valuable combination of course requirements and practical experience in the form of two 12 week practicums with a variety of organizations including the RCMP and provincial justice departments.

It was during her own practicum experience for this program that Braun, a member of the Sturgeon Lake First Nation, became interested in Aboriginal justice issues.

"My work for the Saskatoon Community Mediation Services and Saskatoon Tribal Council gave me the confidence to go into the MA program. I had exposure to people and situations that helped me to learn more about myself. After that, I really knew my strengths and I wanted to broaden my horizons," she said.

Eight months into the MA program, she took another hiatus to work as Corrections Coordinator for the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN). Once again, this venue provided her with the research foundation for her MA thesis, Aboriginal spirituality in a correctional setting.

For her MA thesis, for which she won the U of S's Graduate Thesis Award in Social Sciences, 1999, Braun examined the exposure and experiences to Aboriginal culture and spirituality of men in Hobbema, one of the three healing lodges where Aboriginal men are placed toward the end of their prison term. She discovered that for many of the men, the time spent in prison and at the healing lodge was in fact their first exposure to Aboriginal culture. She also found that the men reported a positive change in their attitude and behavior after their time at the healing lodge. Many described a higher sense of self worth, along with more confidence in their abilities. Braun suggests that the safe environment at the healing lodge, coupled with the support of Elders, contributed a great deal to these changes.

"In a prison setting, so many men get accustomed to using anger as a defense mechanism, so it becomes difficult to break this cycle unless strategic supports are in place," she said. "What is great to see is that these Aboriginal men were eventually less angry at others as well as themselves. In so many ways, this time became the first step of a journey down a healing path."

She stresses that, once these men return to the community, this knowledge leads to a healthier individual and a healthier society. She adds, "as time went on, I felt I had a kinship with these men. I never knew much about my own culture (Cree) either, and these men helped me to understand my own spirituality and culture identity as well."

She talks of her research with an enthusiasm that is infectious. This journey is obviously one that Connie feels has enriched her life tremendously.

"I was meant to go to Hobbema. So many things just fell into place." she said, smiling. "First I won the University of Saskatchewan's Hantleman Scholarship (1998) which meant I had the funds to travel to Alberta to complete my research. My mother came along to look after the twins who celebrated their first birthday in Hobbema. And all along, my husband, Kevin, has been so understanding and extremely supportive."

Dr. L. Samuelson, Department of Sociology, Connie's MA thesis supervisor, speaks highly of Braun's contributions to the university and the local communiy.

"She is industrious and extremely competent in anything she puts her mind to," he said.

Today, Braun is evaluating a pilot project for the Saskatchewan Penitentiary in Prince Albert. The project looks at the responses of Aboriginal inmates in a similar program to that offered at the healing lodge in Hobbema. The new program is offered as an alternative to institutional segregation. She continues to work together with Dr. Samuelson with the ABJAC program by assisting the Aboriginal students at the U of S as they choose placements that help them realize their career goals.

Connie feels she is at a place in her life where she in not only content within herself, but also happy with the work she does in the community. She is interested in pursuing work in the area of post-release programs for Aboriginal men: "Many of the men that are in the prison feel that there are no community supports to continue the healing process begun during their time in the system, so I hope to contribute to that area in some way."

Connie has been asked to join an advisory committee that will work alongside the Native Brotherhood at Sask. Penitentiary. Once again everything is fitting into place.