I’d like to devote a few blogs to a thought-provoking talk by Dr Joe Solanto. Joe is an inspirational White Canadian who has real insights into indigenous healing.
In this talk, Joe points out that he was asked by the conference organisers to look at ‘Understanding and Assessing the Challenges in Aboriginal Communities’.
He emphasises that we cannot do this without talking about all people in Canada. All Canadians need to be involved in helping indigenous people improve their health and wellbeing. The same is the case in other countries where indigenous peoples have been colonised.
We all have a part to play, if only (for some people) in understanding the true history of our country and the impact it has had on indigenous peoples. Without that understanding, non-indigenous peoples will continue to place barriers to healing in front of indigenous peoples.
The part of Joe’s talk that I highlight (Start: 31’15”, End: 42’20”) looks at the consequences of intergenerational trauma and the alternative ways that we as a society can tackle these issues.