Episode 20: Everything We Need Is Here

In this episode of Let’s Talk Poverty, Jaclyn Silbernagel connects with Elder Wanda First Rider to talk about Indigenous ways of knowing and being, the importance of ceremony and teachings, and her perspective on poverty and how everything we need is here. 

In this episode 

• Reflections on two worldviews, the Indigenous and the non-Indigenous, and how we can bridge understanding through ceremony and education. 
• When there’s no word for poverty, the Blackfoot language gives a deeper understanding of community and connection,  Kimmaapiipiitisiin  – caring, sharing, compassion. 

Three key takeaways 

• The healing nature of ceremony, how smudge and ceremony teach us there is hope, and how ceremony unties people and helps us move forward in understanding the two worldviews. 
• Acknowledging how and why Indigenous people have been left behind, why education is vital, and how language is key to connecting to one’s culture. 
• How society needs to understand the root causes of the poverty that exists among First Nations, Metis, and Inuit people and the responsibility society has to help Indigenous people benefit from education and the resources of the land. We’re at a tipping point of moving forward and there’s still much to do. 
  

About Elder Wanda First Rider 

Elder Wanda First Rider has lived in Moh’kinstsis for over 50 years. She is deeply involved in community and has worked with many organizations such as the Friendship Centre, Calgary Police Service, and has sat on numerous boards. She has worked for the Catholic School Board for the past 39 years. In her previous role she assisted Indigenous students in their way of life and helped teachers learn about Indigenous practices and in 2019 was asked to be the District Elder. 

About Vibrant Communities Calgary 

Vibrant Communities Calgary (VCC) advocates for long-term strategies that address the root causes of poverty in Calgary. VCC engages the community using a collective impact approach to poverty reduction and is the steward of Calgary's community-owned poverty reduction strategy, Enough for All. VCC actively guides the implementation of the strategy through advocacy and policy, and by working with community members, organizations and Enough for All Champions. 

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