News Article

Helping women parlay dark history into a bright future


6/30/2008 8:58:23 AM


The Honourable Ethel Cochrane, Senator, brought greetings to NAWN on behalf of the Honourable Josée Verner, Minister of Canadian Heritage, Status of Women and Official Languages. She delivered the good news of funding for Phase II of NAWN’s current project, which will see a series of train-the-trainer workshops in western and central Newfoundland over 10 months. The senator, second from left, joins the women of NAWN for a celebration song.


Sheila Robinson, president of NAWN, speaks of the new NAWN project themed, Aboriginal Women on the Verge of Rising: Breaking Barriers; Building Strong Minds.

When the Newfoundland Aboriginal Women’s Network (NAWN) became an incorporated body in December 2005, Sheila Robinson found herself on the verge of a powerful movement in the province’s history.

Robinson (nee O’Neill), a Student Development Officer at College of the North Atlantic’s (CNA) Grand Falls-Windsor campus, grew up in Kippens amid the shame and stigma that has long been part of the Island’s west coast culture for those of Native Indian descent. Mi’kmaq history was not only downplayed amongst the older generations, it was blatantly denied, as Robinson discovered when enquiring about her apparent Native ancestry.

“When I asked about it, my paternal grandmother told me her father had had two wives; that one of them was a Mi’kmaq woman, but the Mi’kmaq wife was not her mother. This was, perhaps appropriately named, a ‘white lie,’” shares Robinson.

“The product of a fisherman from France who had jumped ship in Port au Port and a local Mi’kmaq woman, my grandmother grew up ashamed of her heritage, and did not pass it on to her children.”

As a young woman, Robinson moved to Corner Brook, where there was a Native band council established. For a variety of reasons, she didn’t become active with them at that time.

“Ultimately, I didn’t feel strongly enough about it to make it happen. It was only when I moved to Grand Falls-Windsor in 2002 that I decided it was time to learn more about my heritage,” says Robinson.

“I moved there to work with College of the North Atlantic as a Student Development Officer, and I have to confess that I was so unsure of my welcome to the Sple’tk First Nations Band office that I armed myself with a batch of college calendars and used my job as an excuse to visit.”

That is when she met Bernadette (Bernie) Hanlon, the Aboriginal Client Relations Officer for Central.

“Bernie is one of the warmest, kindest people I have ever met, and she is so very proud of her Aboriginal background. I was given such a warm welcome, and stayed to chat. Bernie started letting me know about things that were happening, and I started attending [events], and meeting other strong aboriginal women who were actively practicing our cultural traditions.”

When Hanlon called Robinson to tell her about a focus group for Aboriginal women, she was excited to attend. There, she learned that women across the province were interested in forming an aboriginal women’s organization, and that a cultural retreat was being held.

“Attending that first cultural retreat was a real eye opener for me. At the time, I didn’t feel I had the cultural knowledge to run for a position on the executive, but I did accept the position of a director on the board of NAWN, representing the Exploits Native Women’s Association,” says Robinson. “From there, I have served as Vice President of NAWN, Acting President, and in September 2007, I was elected President for a two-year term.”

Marie Eastman has been President of the Exploits Native Women’s Association since 1998. The association had decided to hold the cultural retreat for all native women, with a purely cultural focus. But things didn’t exactly go as planned, as the women had issues they wanted discussed.

“And the rumblings grew stronger... the retreat was being used as a political body and not a cultural one as we had intended,” reveals Eastman.

“Women were unhappy with the provincial association (Newfoundland Native Women’s Association) because they felt it didn’t reach all aboriginal women [on the Island].”

Thus was the genesis of NAWN. It now includes five local women’s organizations (including the Exploits Native Women’s Association), two emergent women’s organizations and an additional 600 individual members who are not associated with any local women’s group. And according to Eastman, Robinson has grown with the association in a vital way.

“We really appreciate Sheila at NAWN for all her volunteer work and selfless dedication. I’ve come to know her fairly well over the years and have nothing but accolades for her,” says Eastman.

“Even though initially she didn’t volunteer for the President’s position, she’s the most capable woman we could ever hope for in that position. And from our perspective as a board, we couldn’t have asked for a more capable person to step into these shoes. She’s proven herself to be more than capable.”

NAWN’s mission is “to promote, enhance and encourage the health, social, educational, economic, cultural and political well being of the Aboriginal Women within the Island portion of Newfoundland.” The association and those within have been catalysts for many women in Newfoundland in reconnecting to their heritage and healing old wounds. Robinson is one of many who have recently embraced the teachings of their Mi’kmaq culture.

“Throughout this journey, I have continued to learn about my culture,” Robinson shares.

“I have recently joined the Sple’tk drumming and dancing group, and am learning traditional songs in the Mi’kmaq language. I have participated in smudge ceremonies, talking circles, a healing circle, and have learned many teachings from strong aboriginal women with whom I am proud to be associated.”


On the verge of rising

Since its creation, NAWN, spearheaded by the Exploits Native Women’s association (in the region covered by the Sple’tk First Nations Band), has been playing a key role in the development and reclaiming of Aboriginal women’s right to political authority over decisions directly affecting the lives of themselves, their families and the communities they represent. It also holds the objective of raising awareness on violence prevention through a series of train-the-trainer workshops on overcoming violence and abuse.

“Violence and abuse are issues that hold women back, whether they experience it personally or through members of their families and communities,” says Linda Wells, Aboriginal Organization Development Consultant at the NAWN provincial office in Stephenville.

“Fostering violence prevention and healing of abuse will provide an avenue for the development of strong Aboriginal women,” she says.

The hope is that through this healing, women will be empowered to take control of their lives and futures.

“Traditionally, Aboriginal women were considered the leaders and nurturers of their communities,” explains Wells.

“They were seen as the decision makers, creating and instilling a sense of harmony and peace in the community. Today, leadership roles of women have been largely disregarded in Aboriginal community and these women are increasingly dealing with issues of abuse, violence and powerlessness.”

A three-phase project has been developed by NAWN to directly address these issues. Titled Aboriginal Women on the Verge of Rising (Kiskat-pukuwit): Breaking Barriers; Building Strong Minds, the project’s first phase saw research, data gathering, focus groups and the development of a comprehensive training program for ongoing implementation in each of the communities represented by NAWN, promoting violence prevention and awareness among women and girls.

At a press conference held at the NAWN provincial office in Stephenville on May 23, funding was announced for Phase II – a 10-month series of culture-based train-the-trainer workshops, which also feature a significant leadership development component.

“This project acknowledges the financial support from the Women's Policy Office, Newfoundland Labrador, Canadian Heritage and Status of Women Canada, without whom this project could not have taken place,” said Robinson, at the conference.

Workshops began the first weekend of June and will continue for 10 months in western and central Newfoundland.

Phase III will see the analysis of the project to date to determine best practices in support of future continuation of leadership and violence prevention strategy as well at the implementation of comprehensive action plans for each community.

NAWN’s board is comprised of elected representatives from communities across Newfoundland. NAWN consists of 11 members representing communities throughout Newfoundland and Labrador. For more information, please visit: www.nawn-nf.com.

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Media contact:

Tanya Alexander
Public Information Officer
College of the North Atlantic
709. 643.7928
Tanya.alexander@cna.nl.ca

Or

Stephen Lee
Marketing and Communications Manager
College of the North Atlantic
709. 643.7721