Martial arts offer self-defence, confidence and healing for Indigenous women, instructor says

A desire to help protect Indigenous women in her community has led Melissa Moses to open her own martial arts studio, where she teaches self-defence and self-advocacy.

Moses, who is from Merritt, B.C., is the women's representative for the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs and is also the founder, owner and chief instructor of Nicola Valley Muay Thai and Self Defence.

"I wasn't out to become an instructor for martial arts. It just kind of happened. I felt like it's something that I can do to help my First Nations people," Moses told guest host Angela Sterritt on CBC's The Early Edition. 

She says martial arts can provide people with heightened awareness and confidence in knowing they are able to protect themselves against assault. 

Moses says she first started teaching self-defence when the National Inquiry of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, an inquiry focused on reporting on systemic causes of violence against Indigenous women and girls, commenced in 2015.

The inquiry was very personal for her because her cousin was sexually assaulted and murdered by a stranger at the age of 16, she says.

Moses says she teaches martial arts to high-risk Indigenous women and youth in order to help prevent what happened to her cousin from happening to others.

"She's one of the reasons why I do what I do," Moses said.

A time for healing

While martial arts teaches self-defence and builds confidence, it can also give women a space to heal, Moses believes.

That's important at this time, after the preliminary findings of what are believed to be the unmarked burial sites of 215 childrens' remains near the former Kamloops Indian Residential School — and it's especially important for her family, says Moses, who says her mother was a student at that residential school for seven years.

Moses says the discovery has been triggering but has also been an opportunity for healing. 

"It's not only bringing our ancestors spirits back home, but it's also helping our survivors call their spirits back and be able to heal," she said. 

Support is available for anyone affected by their experience at residential schools, and those who are triggered by the latest reports.

A national Indian Residential School Crisis Line has been set up to provide support for former students and those affected. People can access emotional and crisis referral services by calling the 24-hour national crisis line: 1-866-925-4419.