The Spirit of All Nations.
Officials say creation of the space is a visible step toward reconciliation with indigenous communities HAMILTON — McMaster Children’s Hospital took a historic act of…
The following is a statment shared by the parents of Makayla Sault during a forum at McMaster University. It is published here in its entirety.
A hall full of Oncologists and national press gathered to hear the parents of Makayla Sault and the mother of J.J. speak at McMaster University.
Both families were invited to read prepared statements as part of a community panel addressing the prejudice they recently faced in the healthcare system and media – and why indigenous people continue to have traumatic experiences in the healthcare system.
Sonya Sault said her daughter Makayla’s experience at McMaster Children’s Hospital was traumatizing. “Every time Makayla approached the hospital her body began shaking,” she said. “She never got over the fear she experienced when she heard her parents threatened with jail and she and her brothers threatened with apprehension.”
McMaster University’s Indigenous Studies faculty, staff and students released a statement this week in honour of the life of Makayla Sault. The statement says: “We…
NEW CREDIT FIRST NATION – The entire community of New Credit is in mourning today, following the news of the passing of 11 year old Makayla Sault.
The child suffered a stroke on Sunday morning and was unable to recover.
SIX NATIONS OF THE GRAND RIVER – The 11 year old Kanienkeha’ka girl from Six Nations who was under threat to be removed from her…
We in the indigenous world are so familiar with mainstream media ‘Spam’-flavoured framing on stories dealing with indigenous matters, that for the most part we don’t even take mainstream news seriously anymore. How often are indigenous truths spun out of control from the work of a network journalist? When was the last time network news covered an indigenous story and you walked away going, Wow! What an accurate portrayal of what is going on with my people’?
This is a statement of support for Makayla Sault, her family, and the community that surrounds
her. It is of great concern to the Indigenous Studies Program at McMaster University to learn
that Makayla’s decision to self-determine the course of her treatment is being not only
dismissed because of her age, but also devalued by health care professionals because it is rooted
in Indigenous Knowledge. We are deeply troubled to hear that Makayla’s parents have faced
intimidation and threats of intervention for their choice to respect the agency of their child, and
that these choices have become criminalized. Makayla’s choice to seek out traditional medicine
is protected through the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
(UNDRIP), and should be supported and honoured. It is entirely inappropriate that her decision
has been dismissed, devalued, and characterized as irrelevant and unimportant.
NEW CREDIT – Andrew Koster, Executive Director of the Children’s Aid Society of Brant, stated that CAS will not be investigating further, files have been…
The Two Row Wampum as I understand it describes the movement over time of two vessels, a ship and a canoe, travelling in parallel down the river of life. The ship represents the settler societies of Turtle Island, such as Canada and the US, and the canoe represents the Onkwehon:we people.
