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(Reel rattles)

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♪♪♪

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- Ivana: There was a couple
- of times in my life


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that I fell off path.

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And I straight away...

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- I went through a lot of things
- as a young person,


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- especially within my own -
- my own wellbeing.


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It's like a constant battle,

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constant balance battle

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- between living
- in the urban setting,


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and also still being connected

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- to your historical traditional
- roots and your land.


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- For 600 years when somebody
- is telling you


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- you're no good, you're this,
- you're that,


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- you're eventually going
- to believe it.


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So what I wanted to do was

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- I didn't want anyone to feel
- alone the way I did


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- when I was struggling within
- my own personal journey.


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- So now we're uplifting
- from that.


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We're coming forward from that.

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- And one of the ways that
- we were taught and told


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was through spirit,

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- through those ceremonies
- that we,


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that we're reclaiming them

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as our inherent birthrights.

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A lot of our youth,

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- they come from northern
- communities


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- where colonization
- has hit significantly.


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- So when they first come
- into our program,


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- they first start coming
- to ceremonies with us,


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- they have this belief that
- our traditional ways


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are bad or that they're wrong.

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- And that's a result
- of inter-generational effects


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- of colonization and residential
- schools.


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- We have to educate them
- that first and foremost,


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- you know, these ways are older
- than those teachings.


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- They were here for thousands
- and thousands of years


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and they were in your DNA

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- for thousands
- and thousands of years.


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- And just being able to bring
- them to that,


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- being able to help them
- realize that


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- and to learn that
- is a long process.


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So when we're feeling something

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- that doesn't necessarily
- belong to us,


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- then we have a spiritual way
- to release that.


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- And smudging is a way
- of physically


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- as well as spiritually
- releasing it.


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- When you wash your face
- and you wash your eyes,


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you're cleansing your eyes

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- so you're able to see the
- beauty in Creators world.


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You smudge your mouth

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- so that you're able to talk
- nothing but good words.


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You smudge your ears

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- so that you're able
- to hear nothing


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- but good positive things as
- well as Creators messages.


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- The smoke opens doorways
- to the spirit world.


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- So whatever you're thinking,
- whatever you're praying,


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- whatever you're talking about
- during that sharing circle


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- directly goes to the spirit
- world.


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- Is it okay if I ask you

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- 'cause I've been having been
- dreams about ceremonies


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and my reserve specifically.

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- Whatever you feel
- in your spirit is right.


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You know, just go by that

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and then just talk with them.

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- We are having a lodge,
- we're having a sweat,


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- so if you guys want to come
- to that


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you can ask about it there.

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- Talk about your dream and
- then they can give you insight.


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Then we can just go from there.

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Man: A song came to me

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in very surprising place,

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- when I was going through
- a conflicting time.


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And so I us this as my,

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my main ceremonial song now,

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- until I get, until I'm given
- a pipe ceremony,


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- which I'm in the midst
- of praying for.


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(Shakers rattle)

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(Indigenous singing)

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(Shakers rattle)

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(Indigenous singing)

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(Shakers rattle)

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(Indigenous singing)

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- - Ceremonies,
- they saved my life.


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- And I feel very connected
- to them


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- not only because they've been
- a part of my,


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- my history, my ancestral
- history


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for thousands of years

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- but also because they keep me
- balanced and connected.


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- And they remind me of why
- I'm here


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- and what I'm supposed
- to do here.


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They always bring me back home

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- when I tend to get lost
- or I stray.


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Yeah.

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(Shakers rattle)

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(Indigenous singing)