Hello everyone,
This relates to this conversation on gangs and cults and the shift in the
conversation to gangs in indigenous communities, and whether fathers attending
births might reduce the tendency to participate in gangs. It is an important
conversation.
Just as we have to look back to understand the family dynamics that contribute
to individuals following a cult, we have to look back to understand those who
join gangs. I would like to put forward the voices of those being discussed.
Sometimes too little information in a conversation can be detrimental when the
big picture is immense. As facilitators, looking at indigenous family systems
and communities systemically today in an effective and respectful way means
understanding the big picture. I will assume that many of you are aware of the
dynamics, but for those who are not, I will put forward some of the following
information from a Canadian perspective.
In Canada, the origins of the disconnection from fathers in indigenous
communities is the legacy of the Indian Residential School System (IRSS) forced
upon indigenous peoples for 150 years, along with government legislation meant
to assimilate. It was cultural genocide. It lasted a few decades in the far
North and impacted several generations. I was involved in the Truth and
Reconciliation Commission process in Canada within a community structure behind
the scenes for a decade learning about the legacy of the residential school
system on individuals, families, and communities. The intent of my involvement
was to create dialogue and cultural understanding between indigenous and
non-indigenous peoples.
Since Constellation Talk is a global conversation, I will add that the term
Eskimo is considered derogatory in Canada and it is no longer used. Neither is
the term Indian used today except in old government documents like the Indian
Act. They may call themselves these terms but non-indigenous peoples speaking
with respect would not use these terms. I won’t speak to the terminology used
in other nations. The terms Inuit, Métis, First Nations, and First Peoples are
more commonly used in Canada.
If you want to understand the dynamics behind the gangs in indigenous
communities today, the following websites and research papers may be helpful:
Aboriginal Healing Foundation Research Series:
http://www.ahf.ca/publications/research-series
A Brief Report of the Federal Government of Canada’s Residential School System
for Inuit: http://www.ahf.ca/downloads/kingsummaryfweb.pdf
Decolonization and Healing: Indigenous Experiences in the United States, New
Zealand, Australia, and Greenland: http://www.ahf.ca/downloads/ibpengweb.pdf
Warrior-Caregivers: Understanding the Challenges and Healing of First Nations
Men: http://www.ahf.ca/downloads/healingmenewebrev.pdf
Addictive Behaviours Among Aboriginal People in Canada:
http://www.ahf.ca/downloads/addictive-behaviours.pdf
Other research includes Aboriginal Domestic Violence in Canada; Fetal Alcohol
Syndrome Among Aboriginal People in Canada; Historic Trauma and Aboriginal
Healing; Aboriginal Elder Abuse; Aboriginal People, Resilience, and the
Residential School Legacy; Suicide Among Aboriginal People in Canada, etc.
The voice of Inuit women themselves:
http://pauktuutit.ca/abuse-prevention/residential-schools/
Truth and Reconciliation Canada: www.trc.ca
Without including the conversation about the legacy of the residential schools,
I feel this conversation about fathers and attendance at births will attempt to
place a tiny bandaid on a gaping wound. Yes, the physical presence of fathers
is very important. However, if both mother and father are emotionally
unavailable due to their own unresolved childhood and ancestral emotional
wounds, we know from systemic constellations that the child will likely be
emotionally traumatized and the transgenerational impact continues. That is
the situation for the majority of indigenous peoples in Canada today. A lot of
money is thrown at bandaid fixes. Canada tends to generally rank sixth or
seventh on the UN Human Development Index, however, if the situation for the
indigenous peoples is the standard we are ranked about sixtieth. If you would
like to read the final report of James Anaya, the UN Special Rapporteur on
Indigenous Peoples in Canada just put out in July 2014:
http://unsr.jamesanaya.org/country-reports/the-situation-of-indigenous-peoples-in-canada
Some communities have been more successful than others at moving forward,
however geographical isolation and leadership are key facts as well. My friends
who have successfully broken the repetitive family patterns, educated
themselves, and found success in life had to isolate themselves from others in
their own family and the community to keep from being pulled down again.
However, their success has been short-lived. These individuals are seeing
their children live out the patterns of the grandparents and great
grandparents. Their successes are not creating a new pattern. When I
introduced them to the concepts of systemic constellations they were very
interested and their greatest realization was that they had left their families
behind.
In late August, I was asked by the Superintendent of a First Nation Educational
Authority to introduce Systemic Constellations to about 100 people, the
teachers, administrative staff, and support staff of four on-reserve schools
that had experienced several recent tragic deaths amongst their school family
and coworkers. The hope was to get individuals to remain open and to express
their emotions rather than bury them. To seek help rather than to do nothing.
About half the staff were indigenous. I didn’t have a great deal of time
available. After a brief introduction, I had them break into Constellations of
three and had 2 Animal Totem Reps bring forward resources for them as they
moved into the new school year. So far the school year is off to a good start
with a greater indigenous component to the curriculum. I’m not implying this is
my doing, but as you know, you sow the seeds and let them blow on the wind
where they will.
Having attended a workshop on gang activity a few years ago on the same First
Nation reserve, gang activity within indigenous communities is a growing
problem, as it is in non-indigenous communities across the country. The youth
seek to find alternative family-like dynamics when they feel no hope in life
and feel disconnected from family, culture, and society in general. The gangs
are made up of young boys and girls and adult men and women. Lateral violence,
domestic violence, elder abuse, and addictive behaviours are all involved. The
disconnection is transgenerational including the disconnection from fathers and
separation from mothers. Children in large numbers are still being removed from
families by Child Social Services. The disconnection began between four to
eight generations ago in some families and the systemic transgenerational
legacy continues. The last school closed in 1996 - this isn’t ancient history.
You didn’t have to attend the schools to live the impact today.
If we look systemically, gangs are also quite prevalent within communities in
Canada especially where there are oppressed youth. Many come from families who
immigrated or were refugees to Canada in the last few generations from all over
the world. Disconnection from culture, homelands, and living within families
struggling to fit within mainstream society is an underlying dynamic. The
dream pictured of the good life doesn’t always pan out. Many have highly
educated parents who left their homeland to end up in jobs with lessor status.
You just have to take a taxi from the airport in any major Canadian city to
figure out the situation. This is one contributor that impacts the success of
these youth. Most attempt to just get on with life in their new homeland,
ignoring the trauma they left behind, and their past trauma travels with them
unresolved in their body and in their family system.
While at university I completed a practicum sponsored by the Canadian Red Cross
(CRC) that focused on the CRC RespectEd Prevention Educator workshops in
Aboriginal communities, which proactively address ongoing community violence
and abuse. I evaluated the program for them in several indigenous communities.
My major research project for the same degree was the topic: Healing the
Personal Wounds of Colonization: Utilizing Third Party Consultation to
Transform Canada’s Post-Residential School Societal Conflict. Hopefully
supplying the following website is not promoting something in an unacceptable
way for Constellation Talk.
https://www.academia.edu/7208215/Healing_the_personal_wounds_of_colonization_Utilizing_third_party_consultation_to_transform_Canadas_post-residential_school_societal_conflict
To put the paper in perspective, constellation facilitators can be considered a
form of Third Party Consultation. I had begun constellation facilitator
training by the time I finished the paper. We have to be very aware of the
impact we have on any situation we step into as third parties. My research
was sponsored by one of the national churches in Canada that administered
residential schools. I provide the survey results of 37 questions put to a
targeted group of both indigenous and non-indigenous peoples who had spent
decades working to shift the conflict between indigenous and non-indigenous
Canadians. The appendices supply the survey results and I would draw your
attention to Appendix A as a list of the many contributing factors to the gang
activity in indigenous communities today.
There are no simple fixes, but educating mainstream society about the
transgenerational legacy of the residential schools is the first step toward
societal change. As well as the successes, society has to own the burdens of
the ancestors and forebears. Mainstream society holds all the power to change
legislation.
I feel that systemic family constellations are an excellent fit for working
with indigenous peoples, families, and communities struggling today, however, a
strong knowledge of the background in the region you live is very important.
Understanding the legislation, history, treaty processes (Canadian), and the
land struggles are equally important. As constellators, we know the importance
of who came first and that everyone has a right to belong. In this
conversation, we know who was on the land first! We also know the importance
of acknowledging and accepting all of our ancestors just the way they were, and
many indigenous peoples refuse to look back to accept their European or other
ancestors. There are so many victim perpetrator systemic dynamics at work here
and colonization continues today. In Canada, we are all siblings attempting to
sort out how to live together as a family under one roof with respect for the
journey of one another. As 95% of my research survey participants put forward,
some percentage or tipping point of the population needs to address personal
healing before effective, long-term collective societal healing will occur.
That’s where systemic constellations may be very effective.
Patricia Robertson
Peaceful Possibilities Consulting
patricia@peacefulpossibilities
403-474-0452
http://www.peacefulpossibilities.ca/patricias-blog-family-constellations-calgary/
