Abstract
In this article, the authors present the teachings of nêhiyaw (Cree) Emerging Elder and Knowledge Keeper Joseph Naytowhow. In a celebrated nêhiyaw (Cree) fashion, storytelling and language are used as examples of a non-linear and sometimes complicated journey back to self, culture, nature and healing. Against the background of being kidnapped, imprisoned in a religious institution, and robbed of all-things nêhiyaw (Cree), this article offers a sense of Joseph Naytowhow’s journey back to intimacy, love, and affection which aids in one’s search for emotional safety. Joseph utilizes nêhiyawîhtwâwin (Cree worldview and culture) knowledge tools such as dreaming to aid in his journey back to nêhiyawîhtwâwin (Cree culture) and nêhiyawêwin (Cree language). From a residential school internee to a leader and emerging Elder, he notes the importance of mentors in a relational approach to healing. This article provides an invitation through “the sunrise song” to “Wake up!” and create a more respectful and reciprocal world of internal wholeness.
Highlights
In alignment with the spirit of Indigenous research methods, epistemology and worldview, research can be considered a ceremony (Wilson 2008)
Joseph’s teachings show how Indigenous and nêhiyaw epistemologies are enacted through processes such as song, storytelling and ceremony while being grounded in ancestral methods of healing that have actively existed since time immemorial
Joseph’s process of coming back into his self is aided by the practice of storytelling in which the energy gained from personal experiences of healing are told through speaking
Summary
In alignment with the spirit of Indigenous research methods, epistemology and worldview, research can be considered a ceremony (Wilson 2008). Sharing takes place through storytelling and the making-meaning of each person involved. Humans are touched by some part of the story; what speaks to them becomes part of them, often making them feel more whole (King 2003; Richardson 2004). Engaging in such activities together is what binds a community, offering inclusion and belonging (Richardson and Reynolds 2014). These are all aspects of healing as they offer the opportunity to share about the past, in the present, and to ‘make peace’ or integrate past hurts
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