My local library has always been a rich source of resources and this summer, they didn’t disappoint with a number of seminars. One that caught my eye was, ”First Nations Before the Tall Ships”. The seminar was advertised as, “An immersive and enlightening presentation on the rich history and vibrant culture of Indigenous peoples before European contact“. I signed up.
The day of the event arrived and those entering into the room were greeted by Kate Dickson, a knowledge keeper and Indigenous Educator, gently tapping on a hand-held indigenous drum. This had a very calming effect on everyone as seats were chosen, and we all settled in. The session started with a gift of tobacco from the library representative to Ms. Dickson. Then the room was smudged with sage by an indigenous Metaphysician-Spiritual Healer, WhiteEagle Stonefish, to create an environment where we all could connect and be grounded in the event.
Ms. Dickson explained that she was a Coast Ts’msyen First Nation, Elder, from Pacific Northwest British Columbia. Specifically, she is from the Lax Kw’alaams Band, Royal House of Niis’gumiik, Giluts’aaw Tribe, Gispudwada Clan (Orca). She is a notable speaker on the culture, history, spirituality, and justice issues of Indigenous people. A retired secondary school vice principal and teacher, Ms. Dickson was one of the first Indigenous educators to teach full semesters of pan-Indigenous history, bringing accurate, unflinching truths to her students. So, credibility was established.
The room was set up, so all the seating was in a semi-circle, rather than the usual “theatre style” of straight rows I was used to for seminars. Ms. Dickson told us the chairs were setup in a semi-circle because the circle is rudimentary to Indigenous culture. She explained that the circle represents interconnectedness, wholeness, and the cyclical nature of life. The circle has no beginning or end, embodying concepts of timelessness, unity, and the continuous flow of existence. When people sit in a circle, everyone is equal. However, because she was presenting, the semi-circle was the next-best-thing and most appropriate for this seminar.
There were many items and artifacts displayed on a table at the front of the room and included pelts of the ”four-legged“ (a fox, a mink and a coyote, which were passed around), rocks, sacred medicines (tobacco, cedar, sage, sweet grass), drum, crafts, paintings, and many more. Ms. Dickson told us that all these items were not separate, because they all have a spirit and therefore are alive and connected.
During the session, she regaled us with creation stories, nature stories and cautionary tales on how we need to live harmoniously with nature, not harm it. Many indigenous concepts were explained: the purpose of the four seasons, the seven directions (north, south, east, west, above, below and the centre of one’s body), the importance of all the knowledge that has been passed down through generations, which provides a path on how we are to survive and move within the world’s eco system.
Yes, she touched on reconciliation and Ms. Dickson’s perspective was not what I was expecting. Reconciliation is important for healing, she explained, and many indigenous people realize that the general population had no idea of what their government was doing with residential schools to dismantle indigenous culture. However, deep within indigenous teachings and culture, is a solution for a way forward. What they really need from “us” is to bring legal and institutional strengths to be part of the solution. It all starts with facing the truth, reconciling with the past and working together to create a more wholesome society.
Judging by the comments and questions that were raised at the end of the session, everyone was captivated by Ms. Dickson’s knowledge sharing. Many expressed how much they learned about the wholistic indigenous view of the world and how there could be hope for society through the truth and reconciliation initiative. We were all left with a sense that we wanted to learn more. Fortunately, my library has more seminars conducted by Ms. Dickson planned for the fall. I will be attending.
May 2025 marked the 10th anniversary of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) final report. To date, of the 94 Calls to Action, only 15 have been fulfilled, with many others stalled or not started. To download a copy of the Calls to Action as proposed by TRC, visit The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation: https://nctr.ca/publications-and-reports/reports/
Kathy Majkut
Content Development, Copywriting