THUNDER BAY – The Matawa Education Conference is approaching 20 years running -- with this year’s gathering titled Courage and Resilience: A Pathway Forward
“After each conference, we do a survey where the participants can make recommendations or comments about how we change and make our conference better,” said Annmarie Majiskon, Matawa's education director
The keynote speaker on Wednesday morning was Adrianna Douglas-Bear, who originally came from Six Nations, southwest of Hamilton.
She told her story of growing up being bullied, both online and in person, and how her family dealt with infertility issues.
She recalled one particular event where she and her husband were asked to attend a powwow as the family was getting ready to move to Saskatchewan from Ontario.
“Dancing at a powwow was a safe space for me. I could be myself and not have to worry about what people were saying or what the next thing someone was going to do to me,” Douglas-Bear noted.
“I was standing in a line, and I heard someone come up to me and whisper in my ear ‘nice tattoos,’ giggle and then walk away.”
“I remember exactly how their breath felt on the back of my neck and how close they were to me. I started to shake because I had PTSD from the previous times I had been bullied.”
Douglas-Bear remembers walking back to her truck crying. She was ready to take her own life with pills.
“If my husband didn't open the door when he did, I would not be here. I put my husband through the wringer going through all of this. I had tried to kill myself multiple times on the way home. I had scars on my wrist and neck. My husband fought hard to keep me alive.”
What followed after that was a conversation with her parents when the truth finally came out as to how she was feeling. Her mother and father felt they had done something wrong, but Douglas-Bear stressed to her parents and the crowd, “It’s never your fault. There's nothing you can do about it. People are so mean and at times it can be too much to handle.
“Your children are fighting like crazy to stay alive when they're getting bullied because it is so tough. Don't sit there and blame yourself if this happens to you. Never be afraid to talk to anybody about what's going on in your life.”
Master of Ceremonies Janine Desmoulin felt the remarks really played into a lot of the work being done throughout the Indigenous community.
“We have to continue to be courageous and walk a resilient step forward -- because we come from a long line of ancestors who pave the way for us,” Desmoulin said.
“Despite the hardships, difficulties and struggles, this three-day event will teach us how to be brave and put your best step forward, continuing to do the work and being resilient.”
Desmoulin said the theme also ties into International Women’s Day on March 8.
“We honour the women in our life, whether it be life givers, water carriers, grandmothers, aunts or mothers. We all have a woman to pay special respect to in our life and going into International Women's Day.”
The conference wraps up on March 7.
