I believe that Aboriginal joy is combined with the hard work of healing. I cherish each event, I consider it to be one of the highlights of life. My mother's laugh is all the more striking because it contrasts with the silence that surrounds residential schools. The dedicated people who work with and for their community are an inspiration. So I set out to listen to how they amplify, create, and enhance Indigenous joy.
For Kim Haxton, who is Potéouatamis, Aboriginal joy looks, sounds, and smells like a connection to the land, or smoke after singing by the fire. She works to the development of land-based education, leadership and integration strategies. Here's one source of joy: “Ceremonies make you happy, kids play, tough aunts laugh.”
Community is the foundation and the motivation behind everything Cúagilákov does Jess Housty, originally from the Haízaqv nation, whether it's raising children, writing, or community organizing. Her experience and dual Heiltsuk colonial ancestry are continuously put to good use in her work related to food security, healing, land-based education, and community-led social change.
“I cut my teeth in community work in a context of crisis, and in the face of the extractive industry that threatened everything we considered sacred. At the time, it was very easy to get carried away by anger, which was just a way to mask fear,” they explain. “But I always knew that I wanted to dedicate my life to serving my people. I quickly realized that anger and fear would not allow me to pursue this long-term goal, continues Cúagilákov. For the past ten years, every day, I have been waking up and choosing joy as my guide. It doesn't erase the traumas of colonization or the hard work I have to do, but it does mean that I aim for prosperity for future generations, which gives me a solid heart. By putting joy at the heart of my work, everything I do becomes about healing, which feels fundamentally good and right.”
Children and young people evoke joy in an eloquent way. When Indigenous-led organizations prioritize it, that joy leads to healing. The underlying element that is inseparable from all progress is the healing of the intergenerational traumas caused by residential schools. THEAboriginal Head Start Association of British Columbia (AHSABC) is a British Columbia organization whose provincial program allows preschool children and their families living off reserve to experience and get support from a “village.” Director Joan Gignac explains that joy is the lifeblood of her work. “AHSABC programs bring children and seniors together to have fun, play, learn, learn, share, and grow. Knowing that seniors who went through residential schools did not have this experience as children, these activities are filled with a renewed sense of joy,” she says.
Au Western Arctic Youth Collective, Indigenous joy is an objective and a tool in every aspect of the collective's work. Created by and for young people, WAYC provides participants in the Northwest Territories with safe and inclusive spaces where they can express themselves, be themselves, learn, grow, and make mistakes, allowing them to thrive. Coordinator Monica Loreen Dillon, who is Inuvialuk, explains it this way: “It creates a sense of joy for us who are older as well, by allowing our inner child to heal and by being in these environments where we work with them.”
Finally, Indigeneyez creates a space for Indigenous people to connect, strengthen, and develop leadership skills. Recognizing that reconciliation requires allies, Kelly Terbasket of the Okanagan-Syilx Nation created KinShift, where non-Indigenous people who want to address prejudices can gain the skills they need to build better relationships. For the founder, the term “indigenous” refers to thousands of years of connection to the land, which gives her the wisdom to be a parent of the earth, an element of the web, rather than putting humans first or exercising dominance. “This relationship is based on respect, compassion, care, and reverence. Happiness is one of the things that comes from being so closely connected to all of our relationships,” says the program director. According to her, Aboriginal joy is the opposite of restriction and reflects unlimited potential.
Chehala Leonard, filmmaker Aseniwuche Winewak and producer at the National Film Board (ONF), believes that joy comes fromAskïy (the earth). “Being on the ground with filmmakers brings me the greatest joy. In short, it takes root, reminds me where I come from, and gives me the opportunity to recognize the work we're doing together,” she says.
Anishinaabe writer Waubgeshig Rice agrees. “Indigenous joy is a key part of my work, whether it's seeking it, celebrating it, or generating it. So many generations have been deprived of joy, and now that we are in a position to promote and enjoy it, I want to do my best to share it,” he said.
The work of the photographer Blackfoot and Cree Mary Big Bull celebrates indigeneity: “It's about reclaiming what was stolen from the generations that came before us. It's embracing Indigenous identity as a whole and being proud of that part of ourselves, celebrating Indigenous culture in ways we couldn't before,” says the photographer. Thus, it illustrates the beauty of the color of the skin, hair and eyes of dancers and costumes, all elements that have been perceived negatively for too long.
THEartist Jada-Gabrielle Pape, who is Saanich and Snuneymuxw, is also Counsellor certified and coach. Her most intimate work is that of advisor and coach, while her strategic and systemic activities are those of a facilitator and consultant in decolonization and the fight against racism, which she carries out with organizations. Before talking about joy, she refers to her roots. “My life's work is shaped by the family, community, elders, and knowledge keepers that I come from and belong to,” she says.
“Many of them died before they had the chance to experience all the things they taught us and fought for. So I consider it both my privilege and my responsibility to live their heritage. My daily intention is not only to fight for justice, but also to embody it, not to just talk about love and justice”, continues the artist before leaving us with these words: “I know, deep down, that this heals my ancestors and perpetuates their wishes for the world they wanted for all of us”, she concludes.