Unreserved: Moose hides, traditional medicines and language
Traditional knowledge and spiritual practices grow from the place we are from. Our connection to our ancestors, our history and ceremonies are a part of who we are as individuals, families and communities.
Unfortunately, once upon a time much of those cultural roots were cut down by federal government policy and church doctrine in attempts to assimilate First Nations people.
But those roots are being rediscovered by those who are uncovering the healing properties of plants, men who are reclaiming their roles as protectors and those re-learning language and ceremony for a new generation.
Today on Unreserved:
How a Vancouver man is using a square inch of moose hide to change the fabric of society. Paul LaCerte tells us how he was inspired during a hunting trip with his daughter to start a campaign to end violence against women and children.
Plus, a plant that mimics a bone? When Joseph Pitawanakwat was a child, his auntie told him about the medicines found in different types of native plants. But it wasn't until his wife handed him a book about the healing properties of herbs that he truly found his calling. Find out how this traditional plant practitioner is marrying science and tradition.
The First Cry Ceremony welcomes newborns to the earth in the presence of the parents' most trusted family and friends. Danielle Mukash conducts the ceremony for her granddaughter, Legend. Danielle tells us why it is normal that the baby cries during this ceremony.
A trio of 20-somethings is carving pot roast, in a typical-looking kitchen, in a typical-looking apartment in North Vancouver. But conversation here is unlike anywhere else in the world. CBC's Duncan McCue shares the story of Language House and why the residents are immersing themselves in the Sk̲wx̱wú7meshsníchim — or in English, the Skwomesh language.
And when Leah Prosper was born, the first thing her father said was that she was going to learn martial arts. Not just for self-defence; her Cree parents also wanted Leah to have a healthy self-esteem. Nine years later — find out where that skill has taken her.
We'll also hear music from Elisapie, Murray Porter, Amanda Rheaume, and CerAmony.
Tune into CBC Radio One after the 5 p.m. news in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Nunavut, and after the 4 p.m. news in Yukon and the N.W.T. for these stories and more on Unreserved.
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