For generations, our ancestors have resisted the forces of colonialism to uphold and
protect our sacred knowledge and stories. The impact of COVID-19 over the last year
has compounded the pressures we feel everyday as Indigenous people. Now more than
ever, we must put our minds together and focus our energy on protecting the sacred:
sovereignty of our nations and bodies, intergenerational connections, clean air and
water, safety for our women, girls, Two-Spirits, and all our families.
With this amplified threat of the loss of our elders, precious Indigenous knowledge
holders, we have been challenged to rethink how we approach our program and forge
pathways for future generations.
To stay safe, our communities have had to physically distance from one another. To stay
connected, we were forced to think and act creatively. So, it is with fierce persistence
and dedication to our connections across generations of Indigenous women that
we are introducing our leadership model.
Spirit Aligned Leadership Program is honored to offer a program for Indigenous women
elders that now includes additional younger Indigenous women. These Future Legacy
Leaders will partner with their Legacy Leaders, engaging in cultural work to strengthen
relationships-with themselves, one another, and their cohort – for the purpose of
increasing community resiliency.
The recent May 27th discovery of the buried remains of 215 children at the former
Kamloops Catholic Residential School within the territory of the Tk’emlups te
Secwepemec in B.C. strengthened the commitment of Circle Three Legacy and Future
Legacy Leaders in their intention to heal themselves and their communities through the
work of language recovery, environmental sustainability, restoring cultural teachings and
practices of life stages with a focus on pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting, and through
creating pathways for intergenerational ancestral knowledge transfer.
We are pleased to present Circle Three’s Legacy Leaders and Future Legacy Leaders. Click through to meet them and walk with us this year, as we present their stories and
share their lessons:
- Abby Abinanti (Yurok) and Blythe George (Yurok) and Jessica Carter (Yurok)
- Levina Wilkins (Yakama Nation) and Leslie Swan (Yakama Nation)
- Lorna Williams (Lil’wat Nation) and chuutsqa L. Rorick (Hesquiaht)
- Mary Mabel Joseph (Wet’suwet’en) and Molly Ann Wickham (Wet’suwet’en)
- Mililani Trask (Native Hawaiian) and Lihau Enriquez Rosehill (Native Hawaiian)
- Norma Rendon (Oglala Lakota) and Jessie Taken Alive-Rencountre (Hunkpapa Lakota)
- Olive Elm (Oneida Nation of the Thames) and Erica Elijah (Oneida Nation of the Thames)
- Pauline Waterfall (Heiltsuk) and Kylie Gladstone (Heiltsuk)
- Serena Francis (Mi’kmaq) and Susan Bernard (Mi’kmaq)
- Virginia Gregoire (Okanagan) and Ashley Gregoire (Okanagan)
