Good morning. It's an honour to be here.
I want to first of all thank you for having us, and most of all thank Moon Voices, Ka Ni Kanichihk, for taking the time to take this training that is very important to us aboriginal women.
One thing it's enabled me to do, for all the years I've been in this field, is to have my voice when I sit among other cultures, because that's lacking. Going to Moon Voices has allowed me, as an aboriginal woman, to feel safe. It has allowed me to feel secure, and, most of all, not afraid any more that my voice matters. For many years I did live that life. I had a voice, but not to capacity, because I always felt alone. Moon Voices has enabled us to meet a lot of strong women and has encouraged us to speak about the different things that are happening to us in our everyday lives.
We must continue to educate our aboriginal women and encourage them to seek out the sisters we have in this community. As I said, I've been in Winnipeg for 20 years. I feel that I have a place to go if I feel as though nobody's listening, and I'm honoured to do that.
We learn not only how to speak but also how to find out about our tradition, our spiritual part, which is lacking in our society. The aboriginal women in this country are still at the bottom of the barrel. We have a long stride and we've been jumping through hoops. I see that title is important. We've managed to see all the different agencies and different things happen in my lifetime.
Time is running out for those of us who are already hitting 50. We must educate our young people. We must tell them about the issues of how we are decolonizing, and we must get our voices to be heard. I believe that as mothers and women we must be able to continue to focus on trying to help our whole family circle. We have fathers and we have brothers and uncles and grandpas who as yet really have no part in the healing system. Healing is an everyday thing. It's meeting with people like you to take that message further up. We are the ones on the front line.
It's very scary and we feel we're alone when we hear that another aboriginal woman has died. It's sad, because it could be our daughter or it could be our granddaughter. With all these things, I feel peace when I can go to the sisters and just smudge and pray that even with those types of things, we have hope. It's always been that way for generations, and those of us who are first nations, Métis, and Inuit have been able to start finding our places. I'm honoured to be able to share with other young women, and to go to university.
For strong aboriginal women before me and today who are still helping me, I can say thank you. I would say that to them because I think different cultures need to look at how time is changing, and we must be able to have our voices heard. It's no longer about the way society is doing it; it's about asking us. We can tell you there are too many people who try to say they can be our God-given saviour. It's not that way when you find the creator in the meaning of who you are as a Métis, first nations, or Inuit woman. Again, I'm thankful that I can go to medicines, and I can pray, and I can go to ceremonies and find out, and I can direct those to other women who are hurting.
There is no need, in 2011, for women to die at the hands of whoever.
I just want to thank you now and say it's very important that we provide services that are educational. As for funding, if you want to see change, it must start with the people who are affected by the issues that are on the table: poverty, education, murder. The list goes on and on, and I'm sure you ladies have heard it.
I'd like to say ekosi and thank you very much for listening.