The Bridge Between Communities

MPI Ottawa Education Committee hosted an insightful and engaging online event on Wednesday, November 6. Award-winning speaker, storyteller, author and respected Blackfoot ceremonialist cultural carrier Elder Camille Pablo Russell led an interactive session focused on the importance of connection and how we can all build bridges between communities. Native to the Blackfoot Kanail Blood Tribe in Southern Alberta, Elder Pablo is the author of Path of the Buffalo Medicine Wheel which forms the foundation of his teachings and has pledged his life in service to following and teaching the traditional ceremonial life he grew up in with his grandparents.

MPI Ottawa Chapter member Marc Forgette, founder of Makatew Workshops, moderated the session and began by asking attendees to join him in paying tribute to the remarkable life of the Honourable Murray Sinclair, member of Peguis First Nation, Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, former Senator, and Manitoba Provincial Court Justice, who passed away on Monday, November 4, 2024.

Elder Pablo connected with the 32 attendees by sharing stories from his past including how he came to have the name “Shooting in the Air” (aa’spakk’ko’mii’kwan) and explaining how relationships between people are at the core of reconciliation. Connection breeds comfort and the ability to overcome trauma; feeling safe, included and needed come from the connections and the relationships we build with others.

Elder Pablo also enlightened attendees on the multi-faceted nature of wellness, and how Native traditions allow us to cleanse ourselves of negative energies.  These include connecting with our spirit, breathing, smudging with sage, and connecting our bodies with the elements in nature (hair = grass, bones = rocks, veins = rivers, breathing = wind, the heart = the earth’s core).  Connection, physical and spiritual, lies at the centre of it all.

Elder Pablo also spoke passionately about the need for promotion of connection and interaction between cultures. We are all at some point in our ancestral pasts “Treaty Peoples” and making direct connections and finding similarities between cultures breeds understanding and compassion.  In the world today, too many people feel unease as a result of being deprived of their cultural past. Feeling welcomed as humans on the land by Mother Earth can, on grand scale, help us address the ills of racism, bigotry and disconnectedness.  It’s also important to find places of quiet where we can feel safe. Native Elders create that place of quiet and security and a sense of being human; not a victim, but an active participant connected to the natural world. Connection of this sort helps us to know our heart well and to allow it to express itself.

Finally, and throughout the time together, Elder Pablo shared the place and importance of Native Elders in our society. Key learnings included:

• the value of Native education about the world and our place in it;
• the place and importance of gifting when connecting with an Elder (a gift is recognition that we come from the land);
• the importance of providing simple and non-threatening education to our own groups before an event of why we are connecting with an Elder;
• knowledge that the single best way to connect with an Elder is through thoughtful research. Friendship centres and Native organizations are wonderful starting points for that research.

The session concluded after 90 minutes with attendees expressing thanks to Elder Pablo for sharing so much of himself with the group, and to Forgette for moderating with such sensitivity and skill.

In the post-event survey, attendees were asked to share their key takeaways, both personally and professionally. Key themes included the importance of open communication, forming personal connections with elders, and overcoming intimidation when engaging with them. Many emphasized the value of thoughtful practices, such as meaningful land acknowledgements, gift-giving, and expressing gratitude. Attendees were inspired by the message to "go back to the basics" of humanity and understanding, with Elder Pablo Russell's insights resonating deeply. The event underscored the importance of building genuine relationships and approaching Indigenous traditions with respect and intentionality.

  Article written by: Ted Robinson, Visit Kingston

  Article edited by: Darlene Kelly-Stewart, Stonehouse Sales & Marketing Services