I have heard Bea Shawanda speak and participated in one of her workshops "We Have it ALL". I was profoundly affected by this experience and impressed with the underlying hope and compassion with which Bea delivers her message of 'moving on'.
I believe her intent is being misrepresented in comments that suggest that she is saying "forget history, disregard the pain and oppression of the past, and simply get on with it." I did not take this away from the time I spent with Bea. With greatest respect, what I heard was:
"The past happened, we cannot discount this; nor the effect it has had on the generations of our FN peoples."
"However, as with all things, what we think we know now is not always everything there is to know and, yes, to a certain extent the past has been romanticized. This creates a barrier to healing and does not allow for truth and honest dialogue."
"Healing and the path forward lies in recognizing that 'once we were warriors' and we had ALL we need."
"We have ALL we need today, within us. Nothing or nobody can take that from us. We, however, must take the responsibility of working to rediscover our strengths and bring them back into ACTION."
"Getting over it" means embracing all that has gone before, learning the lessons that must be learned from the past, picking wisely from what other cultures have to offer, holding tight to what holds value for us from the old ways, marrying the two and moving forward into the 21st century; on our own two feet, not dependent on anyone or anything; embracing our strength and our potential; recognizing our intrinsic value and acting to build self-respect and make our place in this new world...no excuses!
I voted Yes, but want to qualify with a comment:
I have heard Bea Shawanda speak and participated in one of her workshops "We Have it ALL". I was profoundly affected by this experience and impressed with the underlying hope and compassion with which Bea delivers her message of 'moving on'.
I believe her intent is being misrepresented in comments that suggest that she is saying "forget history, disregard the pain and oppression of the past, and simply get on with it." I did not take this away from the time I spent with Bea. With greatest respect, what I heard was:
"The past happened, we cannot discount this; nor the effect it has had on the generations of our FN peoples."
"However, as with all things, what we think we know now is not always everything there is to know and, yes, to a certain extent the past has been romanticized. This creates a barrier to healing and does not allow for truth and honest dialogue."
"Healing and the path forward lies in recognizing that 'once we were warriors' and we had ALL we need."
"We have ALL we need today, within us. Nothing or nobody can take that from us. We, however, must take the responsibility of working to rediscover our strengths and bring them back into ACTION."
"Getting over it" means embracing all that has gone before, learning the lessons that must be learned from the past, picking wisely from what other cultures have to offer, holding tight to what holds value for us from the old ways, marrying the two and moving forward into the 21st century; on our own two feet, not dependent on anyone or anything; embracing our strength and our potential; recognizing our intrinsic value and acting to build self-respect and make our place in this new world...no excuses!