 Over 200 community members, from babies to elders, took part in the traditional Anishinaabe spring feast at AICHO on March 20, 2024. In Anishinaabe tradition, sacred items need to be feasted at least twice a year: once in spring and once in fall. This is an act of acknowledging and honoring the spirits, relatives, ancestors, and other community members and the help received from them. Feasting connects Indigenous people to their own culture, their communities and their spirits.
Miigwech to our Traditional Healing Grant via Minnesota Department of Human Services Behavioral Health Division for funding these cultural experiences for the community. Lastly, miigwech to Ivy Vainio, AICHO’s Arts and Culture Coordinator, for being the lead organizer and for all of AICHO staff and Gimaajii relatives for assisting tonight. Community leaders Frances Saukko (Red Lake Nation tribal member) and Joel Boshey (Bois Forte Nation tribal member) shared the importance of having connections to culture and community in recovery. Joel shared about his personal path to recovery (5 years of sobriety).
This was a beautiful session. AICHO is thankful for Frances and Joel for the good work that they do in our community and being in service to our people and all people in recovery no matter if it's one day or 30+ years. Joel and Frances organize Duluth's Sobriety Feasts which happen the last Friday of every month at the Central Hillside Community Center from 6 pm - 8 pm. These gatherings are open to everyone regardless of "color of your skin, religious beliefs, etc." This session was part of AICHO's Expanding Indigenous Health Equity Indigenous Speaker Series. Funded by St. Louis County (Minnesota) Public Health. Miigwech to our panelists Sasheen Goslin (Prairie Band Potawatomi tribal member) Scott Thompson (White Earth Ojibwe tribal member), and Julia Butler (St. Croix Ojibwe tribal member) for sharing about their journey of recovery and sobriety - what helped them, how it feels to be sober, and what barriers are out there.
Miigwech to Mary Owen, MD, Tlingit tribal member and AICHO Board Member for facilitating this session. Miigwech to our funder the Minnesota Department of Human Services Behavioral Health Division via our AICHO Traditional Healing Grant. |
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