Indigenous Teachings

In the nêhiyaw worldview, health and wellness are understood as miyo pimâtisiwin, or ‘living the good life,’ and is achieved by seeking mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical balance. miyo pimâtisiwin is a way of being and a commitment to living and practicing in accordance with nêhiyaw ceremonies, teachings, and values. 

Through active participation in this 1-hour workshop, participants will:

• Develop an understanding of the relationship between ceremony and healing
• Understand the significance of and meaning behind offering protocol 
• Learn how to respectfully approach Elders and offer protocol

The Seven teachings provide the foundational directions for living miyo pimâtisiwin (living the good life). Each animal has shared teachings with us, and it is through them that we learned how to behave in the world. Join our knowledge holder as they guide participants in discussing what each of the Seven Sacred Teachings means and their application to the work with Indigenous children, youth, and families.  

In this 2-hour workshop, participants will:

• Experience a smudge and understand how smudging places oneself in a sacred space, readying the participants to enter into a healing relationship
• Receive teachings on the Seven Sacred Teachings
• Learn how the Seven Sacred Teachings are applicable in many different contexts and how they can be used to better support and engage Indigenous children, youth, and families

We believe that any individual who has been given the gift of the smudging ceremony by an Elder or knowledge holder has the responsibility to practice that gift with the children, youth, and families they work with. Join our knowledge holder as they guide participants in receiving this gift, building confidence in the smudging teachings, and articulating the practice of smudging to others. 

In this 1-hour workshop, participants will:

• Experience a smudge and understand how smudging places oneself in a sacred space, readying the participants to enter into a healing relationship
• Receive smudging teachings and understand how to respectfully enter into ceremony
• Gain the confidence to lead a smudge with groups of people

Participants who attend will be able to better support and engage Indigenous children, youth, and families through ceremony.

Discover the rich traditions of Indigenous parenting (miyo opikinawasowin) with our workshop, "Teaching Traditional Parenting". This immersive experience, facilitated in ceremony, provides an overview of Indigenous parenting concepts and practices, including the history, legacy, and intergenerational impacts of colonization on parenting.

In this 6-hour workshop, participants will:

• Learn about moss bags, cradleboards, swings, baby rattles, Indigenous stories, and tipi teachings
• Gain a deeper understanding of nêhiyaw parenting from an Indigenous worldview
• Acquire practical tools to help their service users integrate these concepts into their homes

The core of this workshop was developed by the late Janet Fox from the Onion Lake Cree First Nation.