iih-kanii-tai-staiiwa: Iih kanii tai staiiwa

The following information is protected by smudge that represents our commitment/contract to this work and the voice of knowledge keepers in our collective journey ahead.

On March 5, 2019 members of VCC, the Enough for all Strategy refresh committee and the Indigenous Advisory committee were invited to sit in circle for a truthing and guidance by a group of local elders representing the diversity that exists within our Indigenous Nations. With elements of oral practice and ceremony facilitated by Piikani Elder, Reg Crowshoe and all elders present, our circle began and is intended to be a crucial piece of this strategy for all entities who will adopt this work moving forward.

Enough for All 2.0 is a Western Non-Indigenous written construct. The Indigenous approach is one of story. To be successful we need to bring the two approaches together. They need to work together. Ceremony is a key component. The Elder’s Circle is a “contract or agreement” of our joint commitment to implement the strategy together from both of our world views. The Elders provided further thoughts, words of wisdom, ideas on how to work forward in a parallel way with both a western way and Indigenous, wise, ways of knowing.

“They talked about our way of life, they talked about our stories. In our way of life, our belief and our laws come from the land, come from natural laws. We work together in parallel. Whatever you do, needs to be culturally translated and culturally interpreted. Whatever elders say must be culturally translated and interpreted into English. His analogy of a team of horses working together. The knowledge and the systems are what we must parallel so that we can work together. If we don’t work with Indigenous knowledge within the systems, then I don’t think Indigenous people will have a buy-in or anything to grab on to and then programs will be rolled out over them.”

The insights and wisdom shared in the circle will inform the strategy’s implementation. The Indigenous definition of poverty is kimmaapiitisiin and explains what poverty means to Indigenous People. Kimmaapiitisiin is the compassion and humbleness to help poverty. The overarching theme centred on incorporating Indigenous ways of knowing into the work of agencies, sectors and systems who adopt Enough for All 2.0. Ongoing engagement of Elders, through ceremony will be incorporated into the ways we continue to convene and mobilize the work of poverty reduction in the community.

There are more than 500 places in Calgary devoted to cultures and spirituality, but not one is specifically intended for Indigenous peoples. The Indigenous Gathering Place Society is hoping to change that. Learn more about the steps taken to advance the development of an Indigenous gathering space.

In the Enough for All strategy, an Elder of the Blackfoot Confederacy explained the importance of building understanding and mutual respect with Indigenous communities: “What do we do as a responsible society to fix poverty? Kimatapsini — have empathy and compassion. Understand how the impoverished got to this state. Learn from their stories. Provide services and opportunities to help them to become independent again as the resilient Indigenous people that they are. Building understanding and mutual respect is key in reconciliation.”

In April 2021, Vibrant Communities Calgary kicked off a series of Indigenous learning events for our Champions. Participants are asked to reflect on their own Truth and Reconciliation journey and its place in the Enough for All strategy, and the barriers to moving Indigenous engagement work forward. These collaborative sessions are a step in building understanding and mutual respect with Indigenous communities.

The Burns Memorial Fund, one of our Champions, is part of the Collaborative Funders’ Table, a group of organizations that aims to improve employment outcomes among Opportunity Youth in Calgary and contribute to the broader field of knowledge about effective youth employment strategies and programs. The Table shares some of its journey and learnings in Engaging Indigenous Peoples: Lessons for Funding and Program Design.

Truth and Reconciliation Commission Reports and Calls to Action.

Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls

Learn about Indigenous rights and issues, or expand your breadth of knowledge, view a presentation about Treaty Land Acknowledgement.

To help get you started on your reconciliation journey, reference Engaging with Elders: A Co-created Story and take a look at the Calgary Foundation's Indigenous Ally Toolkit.

For historical reference, before the Enough for All strategy was refreshed in 2019, there was a stand-alone Indigenous Poverty Reduction Strategy.

Indigenous Canada is a 12-lesson course from the Faculty of Native Studies that explores the different histories and contemporary perspectives of Indigenous peoples living in Canada.

VCC's staff and Board members continue their learning journey and are advancing Goal 3 of the Enough for All Strategy. We also provide learning opportunities for Enough for All Champions and create spaces for them to share their learnings along their paths toward reconciliation.

Each Lever of Change aligns with the calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.