I hope readers paid attention to Calling Lake’s 2018 storyline in the Athabasca Advocate. There was the initial cottager delegation to address crime, a response letter (my mom and I); a follow-up interview with myself and others, capped with a memorable community meeting.
I have issues with the way First Nations’ narrative is portrayed in media: addiction, crime, violence, etc. Without some perspective, people will continue to hold on to racist attitudes. And Calling Lake is my beloved hometown.
I’m satisfied that I dragged division into the conversation. Although some interaction exists between locals (as we know ourselves) and cottagers (not necessarily non-locals) we have developed into different communities thanks to socio-economic, geographical, cultural, and political factors. Some of us are focused solely on empowering ourselves, which I suppose is natural and reasonable in the individualizing pace of the world. I am guilty of that.
This is not in line with traditional cultural teachings that helped my ancestors survive over numerous generations; it also goes against healthy community development practices.
Empowerment is when individuals feel they have the ability to overcome adversity. However, we don’t live as individuals. We cannot neglect the empowerment of our community and expect it to be healthy. According to Community Organizing and Development by Herbert J. Rubin and Irene Rubin, we cannot neglect cultural and structural empowerment: envisioning the success of the entire group; and changing the structures that hinder the group. Don’t get me wrong. Empowered individuals are a boon to their community, but they cannot be an island.
First Nations have been disempowered. We are recovering from colonization, losing our land legacy and heritage. We are still left out of enterprises that enrich others. Fortunately, Calling Lake is exploring ways we can empower ourselves as a group, regardless of difference. We have already become active participants in change and rebuilding. We are doing it the best way we know how, with cultural awareness and trauma-informed practices. We have already held community gatherings thanks to some dedicated individuals, including a pipe ceremony, to declare our intention of working as a community for our community.
Communities can have short term wealth with natural resources (clearly not the case here), but prosperity for the long run requires “working together, exchanging ideas, sharing technology and resources, and helping each other to do well,” as written by Ernesto Sirolli in Ripples from the Zambezi.
Therefore, people can be empowered as individuals (think ‘bootstrap’ here), but neglecting a community’s empowerment affects everyone.
— Written by Charity Jardine, a Calling Lake resident who works at the Athabasca Native Friendship Centre.
