Q: What do you hope settlers can learn from Indigenous teachings to better understand the land upon which we reside?
Lana: I want Edmontonians to learn to be anti-oppressive and anti-racist. To understand the colonization impacts on Indigenous peoples with the empathy of understanding. Newcomers need to know about that history too.
Q: If you’re willing to share, I know through your art and your work, you’ve tackled addressing some of the uglier parts of our nation’s history. What’s your philosophy when it comes to approaching that?
Lana: I begin with centring spirit within ceremony, guided by some amazing matriarchs, Elders and knowledge keepers/share-ers. Kinship is foundational in our Indigenous ways of knowing and being, within our language all life is related, we are interconnected and whatever we say and do impacts the web of our relatives, including our more than human kin. nîya ayisiyiniw ôma ohci asiskiy translates to I am a human of this earth, which means I have an inherent responsibility to walk with the laws of this land, truth, sharing, kindness and courage. In order to share truth of the past to the present, I need courage to acknowledge the trauma but also the strength we iniwak endured, which I hope is reciprocated by our non-Indigenous kin.
I give gratitude to the many incredible courageous and kind leaders within amiskwacîwâskahikan who continue to work with our Indigenous communities, ways of knowing and being, to help provide opportunities to address historical harms, nurture spirit, create inclusive kind spaces and open spaces for our youth to thrive. I sakwe you!