Kihew Awasis Wakamik

01/01/2026

Our regular weekly meeting is a still happening on Jan 1st!

Same time and same place

12905 64St NW
Edmonton

Join us for warm coffee, tea, smudge, great conversation and company!

12/31/2025

Come and learn to make baby moccasins with our Kistehitah kimeskanām - honour your journey/road project.

Registration is now open for our two day workshop January 31-Feb. 1.

The workshop will take place at Grow Centre and run from 10 am to 6 pm both days.

Free for Indigenous folks living in the city of Edmonton.

Finished moccasins will stay with our project to be gifted to families when their little one is ready to walk.

A light breakfast, lunch and afternoon snack are provided.

A childcare subsidy is also available (on site childcare is not provided).

Kistehitah kimeskanām is a project arising from the identification of unmarked graves at former residential school sites across Turtle Island.

It comes from a vision of a path lined with baby moccasins leading to a beautiful healing lodge. A pipe ceremony was held for the start of this project with Elder Ruth Cardinal de Ubiera in 2021.

The moccasins (maskisina), moss bags (wâspisona) and crib sized star blankets created as part of this project will honour the children who were sent to the schools, the new spirits coming into the world today and spirits journeying home.

An Elder or knowledge keeper will join us to share teachings and language.

You will go home with skills that can be used to make more crafts and be shared with others. Take home patterns and instructions will be provided.

Register at https://www.kihewawasiswakamik.com/event-details-registration/baby-moccassins-kistehitah-kimeskanam-2026-01-31-10-00

Questions? Email info@kihewawasiswakamik.com

Much gratitude to our funder ECALA and our partner Dickensfield Amity House for making these workshops possible.

12/23/2025

“Healing happens when culture leads the way”

Any organization that supports Indigenous people needs to embrace this and let the ceremonies and culture come first.

Healing happens when culture leads the way. Wellbriety Certified Treatment Centers (WCTCs) across the U.S. and Canada embody this truth by integrating the Wellbriety approach into their programs and walking alongside Native individuals and families on their recovery journeys.

Wellbriety Certified Treatment Center – Journey to Recovery.
The Journey to Recovery (JTR) program of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community provides Indigenous people with a strong, culturally grounded path to healing from substance use. Guided by the JTR Motto of Connection.Support.Love.Hope, the program blends Western treatment approaches with traditional Indigenous knowledge in an approach known as “two-eyed seeing” (Marshall, 2004). JTR offers a full continuum of care—including detox, residential treatment, outpatient services, sober living, and family involvement—while centering relationships and cultural connection. This 10–14 month model ultimately prepares participants to heal, grow, and even become peer supporters within the program.

Discover more about Journey to Recovery here: https://tinyurl.com/wctcjourneytorecovery

Interested in joining the growing network of Wellbriety Certified Treatment Centers? Visit whitebison.org/treatment-centers or call 719-548-1000 to learn how.

12/22/2025

Today is National Homeless Persons' Memorial Day ( ), commemorated each year on the winter solstice, the longest night of the year. 💙

With a lack of safe, affordable housing across the nation, domestic violence survivors often face impossible choices between abuse and homelessness for themselves and their children. NNEDV mourns all who have died because they had no safe place to live, and we're committed to advancing policy solutions and other efforts that can save lives.

Learn more about this critical intersection: https://buff.ly/35kHmOq

[Image description: A blue-toned image of small cardboard houses on a wooden surface. Above, white text reads: "Domestic violence is a leading cause of homelessness." NNEDV logo below text. The NNEDV logo consists of 66 small house shapes arranged in a large house shape, and text reading: "NNEDV National Network to End Domestic Violence."]

12/21/2025

LINK to video https://ow.ly/tRGQ50XMAwf
Trigger warning, this video deals with difficult subject matter related to Indigenous wellness.

This is an 8:29 minute video.

This episode of NDN POV delves into systemic racism faced by Indigenous peoples in the Canadian healthcare system, as well as the longstanding inequities caused by colonization.

Indigenous peoples in Canada suffer disproportionately from poor health outcomes, including higher rates of chronic disease, mental health challenges, and lower life expectancy compared to non-Indigenous Canadians. These disparities are exacerbated by systemic barriers rooted in the ongoing impacts of colonization. We know this and IDHC is committed to addressing the poor health outcomes as they relate to diabetes.

The result is a system that often overlooks or outright discriminates against Indigenous peoples, as evidenced by the tragic deaths of individuals like Brian Sinclair and Joyce Echaquan, both of whom were failed by the healthcare system. Brian Sinclair's death after 34 hours in a Winnipeg emergency room and Joyce Echaquan's horrifying, livestreamed death in a Quebec hospital reveal the dangers Indigenous peoples face when seeking care.

NDN POV offers a candid examination of these complex issues, providing valuable insights through the eyes of Indigenous leaders in Canada. As stated above, IDHC is committed to addressing the poor health outcomes as they relate to diabetes and related programming will be conducted in 2025.

12/21/2025

The holidays can be a difficult time. Please reach out if you or someone you know needs support.

Resources available include:
• 24-hour referral to community and social supports: 2-1-1
• 24-hour Mental Health Help Line: 1-877-303-2642
• 24-hour Residential Schools Crisis Line: 1-866-925-4419

12/20/2025

Registration is now open for the Tanisi Awâsisis Baby Bundle!

The Otipemisiwak Métis Government’s Children and Family Services Early Years team is excited to support Métis families across Alberta with essential items, cultural resources, and guidance to welcome new babies and foster Métis identity and belonging.

Eligibility:
- Families in Alberta expecting a newborn or with a child under 6 months old
- At least one guardian is an Otipemisiwak Métis Government Citizen

Apply once per child, while supplies last!

Learn more and register on our website. Visit: AlbertaMetis.com/Tanisi-Awasisis-Baby-Bundle

12/18/2025

Read the full article: https://linktr.ee/indigenousmidwifery

"Being able to give birth in the place of your choosing is a very empowering thing. It sets the tone of your own personal sovereignty as an Indigenous person.”
– Laura Mayer, Nipissing First Nation (Executive Director, National Council of Indigenous Midwives)

12/11/2025

❤❄ Please SHARE ❄❤❄

EMERGENCY WINTER WEATHER RESPONSE.

https://www.edmonton.ca/programs_services/emergency_preparedness/extreme-weather-winter

Caring for our city’s most vulnerable becomes especially critical in extreme weather conditions.

Winter Shelter Shuttle Service
Shuttles will operate all winter regardless of temperature to help Edmontonians that need transportation to emergency shelters.

November 3, 2025-March 31, 2026

North route starts from Northgate Transit Centre to downtown

South route starts from Southgate Transit Centre to downtown

* Information passed along from this City of Edmonton website:
https://www.edmonton.ca/programs_services/emergency_preparedness/extreme-weather-winter

❄❤❄ NOTE: ❄❤❄

If you see someone sheltering outside, it’s not just about the cold - it’s about saving a life.

How You Can Help
Call 911 for someone in serious distress or in cases of emergency

Call 211 and press 3 for the 24/7 Crisis Diversion team, if you see someone who is:

Sheltering outside

Does not have clothing to protect them from the weather

Feels unsafe, but no threat of violence is present

Is intoxicated or otherwise impaired

Is confused, disoriented or may be experiencing mental health concerns

Sleeping in a lobby or an unsafe place

This 24/7 service can help connect vulnerable individuals to safe transportation, shelter and the support they need. By making that call, you could be protecting someone from harm and potentially saving a life.