Lifetime achievement recognized at conference

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More than 800 people attended the ninth annual Knowing Our Spirits Conference on Nov. 27 to 29 in Edmonton, bustling from workshop to workshop devoted to health and healing.

Conference director Bernie Makokis said participants were impressed not only with the diversity of the workshops available, but also with the number of communities represented.

"We had workshops right from residential school issues to dealing with our community and wellness issues. It was quite diverse. We had the Blackfoot community from southern Alberta come and share their resources and knowledge and we had people from northern Alberta as well. This conference has created an awareness out there for healing and that is our whole emphasis," he said.

Makokis believes that through this conference communities can work on some of the issues surrounding colonization and residential school impacts and revitalize the values that were lost along the way.

"It's split, our communities, in terms of what our true values were originally, values and principles, such as a spirit of collaboration and in helping each other. There was a lot of sharing and a lot of kindness before this impact. Our connection to mother earth made us respect everything. This is how we survived as Aboriginal people in this country. Now we have to do a lot of work to bring these values back into our communities," he said.

"There is a lot of conflict in our communities. For example, we've adopted structures like drugs and alcohol that is not relevant to what we are as Aboriginal people. We see alcohol and drug addictions in our communities and it is these things that are splitting our communities. This is not the way we as Aboriginal people were like a long time ago," said Makokis.

The conference focuses on four components-the spirit of sharing, kindness, strength and utilizing the resources that are in the backyards of everyone's community.

"When we do not disclose our issues, we can get pretty sick, and our pain can grow on us like cancer and it affects our mind, body, spirit and emotions. At this conference we try to provide a safe environment for people who want to deal with their issues. If you look at Canada, for example, I think that it is about $114 million that we as Aboriginal people spend annually on prescription drugs. It is something that I dislike. At this conference, we want to provide the participants with optional ways of using what we have in our communities, instead of using prescription drugs," he said.

Part of the celebrations was the presentation of lifetime achievement awards to Member of the Legislature Lyle Oberg, educator Theresa Wildcat, Elder Joe P. Cardinal, Bert Crowfoot, CEO of the Aboriginal Multi-Media Society, the late spiritual leader Robert Smallboy, First Nations leader Dr. John Snow, businessman Dave Tuccaro, James Stuart of Power 92.5 FM, Edmonton City Councilor Ron Hayter, and Andy Noel, formerly of Indian and Northern Affairs.

Crowfoot, the publisher of the Windspeaker and several provincial papers and CEO of CFWE, the Native Perspective, a province-wide radio station, couldn't attend the ceremony, so his wife Lydia accepted his award on his behalf.

Her acceptance speech left many women in the audience nodding and laughing.

"Behind every successful man is a silent partner, and I'm his silent partner," she said.

"All the people that were given these awards impacted the Aboriginal community in a positive way, said Makokis.

A comedy night rounded out the planned events and kept the crowd in stitches with hilarious antics from the Saggy Mountain Boys, comedian Charlie Hill, ventriloquist Buddy Big Mountain and comedians Dale Auger and George Tuccaro.