When Stoney Nakoda Elder Valentina Fox addressed a room of 50 people participating in a blanket ceremony at the Alliance Church last Thursday, she did so with strength, wisdom and a vulnerability that was truly humbling.
She recounted horrible tales of abuse during her time at residential schools, how she was disenfranchised from her family, her people and her culture and how the trauma of those events led to social ills not only for herself but for her children as well. She also related the journey she and her family undertook to find their truth, forgiveness and eventual healing.
Understandably, Fox has lived her life with a mistrust of non-Indigenous people but her recognition of the need to build bridges and foster understanding between her people and the rest of Canada brings her to these types of events to speak. It is that vulnerability that makes her so powerful. Despite being small in stature and soft spoken, she commands attention and her voice fills the room.
See complete story at: https://www.cochraneeagle.com/article/there-is-no-healing-before-truth-20181206