Lorelei Boyce

Aboriginal Empowerment

Writing by Lorelei Boyce

I am Lorelei Boyce, a First Nations social worker, writer and counselor. I am based in the South Cariboo region of British Columbia.

Tume Estek and Sqwyits

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Tume Estek came home and found Sqwyits curled up in a small brown furry ball on her steps crying softly. Tume Estek could tell Sqwyits had been there on her porch crying for a long time because his eyes were puffy and red and the tears had dripped down onto his chest soaking his fur.

Sqwyits. Tume Estek. Aboriginal Empowerment Lorelei Boyce

Tume Estek crouched down a safe distance away and said, “my darling dear Sqwyits, what is the matter?”

Sqwyits said, “with the sickness going around and we are having to keep our distance from each other, I miss you.” He sobbed “I have not seen you since June and it is now well into December.”

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Why Empowerment?

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I used the word empowerment in my company’s name because I believe that my life purpose is to be a healer.

The Oxford dictionary says,

empowerment as the process of becoming stronger and more confident especially in controlling one’s life and claiming one’s rights.

Through our history of trauma through no fault of our own, i.e. residential schools, epidemics, 60’s scoop, addictions many of us no longer have a voice.  We have become so hurt that we do not feel we have the right to speak up or we are afraid to speak up.  We go through the motions of survival sometimes barely eking out a living because to ask for anything more is something that we do not feel we have the right to do.

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Tume Estek and Skemcis

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Tume Estek lived in a quiet neighborhood surrounded on each side of her small apartment by caring friends and neighbors.  Her small house overlooked the base of Broken Rock Mountain and one her favorite things was looking out the window so she could watch the  deer travel from their summer range at the base of the mountain to their winter range up in the tree line.  Every day she would look out her window for a few moments to check on their progress.  She loved to see the seasons change.  She was neither elderly nor was she middle age, she had travelled around the sun many times but the thrill of it never left her.

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Inner Drama Llama

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Traumatized people can become addicted to a stress hormone called endorphin. When stress is reduced in their lives they can go through withdrawal. These people then need to make themselves feel better so they create some stress so they can get their hit of endorphin. I call this the Inner Drama Llama. Do not feed your Inner Drama Llama! Take a deep breath and exhale. Take another deep breath and exhale.

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Inner Child: Surviving the 60’s Scoop Settlement

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We have been through so much.  Almost died how many times?  We’ve been hurt, abandoned and survived and now they come up with this 60’s scoop settlement and somehow we will get through that too.

I am going to ask you to take care of the hurt inner child during this time.  Take care of your inner child like you should have been cared for.  Feed them good food when they are hungry, let them know they are safe, you’re on the watch dog duty and are going to make sure that they are safe.  It is not like before, when anything and everything could happen, because you are now the adult and your inner child can rely on you to take good care of them.

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Indian Horse Self Care

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Going to watch the movie Indian Horse may bring up many different emotions.  It is a wonderful movie and it did my heart good to see First Nations actors bravely telling our story about Residential School.

I watched a screening of the movie as an Orange Shirt Society Board Member. We were requested to screen the movie before release.  I am a Residential School Survivor and it brought back a lot of troubling memories. At the end of the movie, I was so angered and sad that I cried big messy tears.  I was very fortunate to be with two supportive and understanding friends who sat with me and listened as I talked about my experience.

You too may feel intense emotions such as shame, fear or sadness after seeing it.  Many people have a lot of anger in seeing the movie.   We may have attended Residential School or be related or know someone who attended this movie.

Your body may experience trembling, pounding heart or feeling choked up.  We are learning about how memories are intergenerational and some of the emotions and heaviness you are feeling may not belong wholly to you but you may be carrying them for The People.

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Lorelei Boyce

Box 1946
100 Mile House
British Columbia
V0K 2E0