Poem: Primordial Sensations and News

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Primordial Sensations

May 2, 2008

Thorough efforts,
Emanate all over the land,
Smoldering the blues,
Clear cutting the darkness,
Out of the land,
Composting old emotions,
Thinning the heavy rails of the olfactory town,
Diagnosing the subdued noises,
In the town,
In the city,
In the fields,
We absorb this primordial wisdom and energy,
Into our being,
Radiating out of our spirits,
Into the world,
Transforming,
Illuminating,
Old age wisdom,
Sincerely,
Authentically,
Sculpting,
Rebirth,
Honestly.

------

Aboriginal Women face challenges in the Canadian Economy

"Only after the last tree has been cut down... only after the river has been poisoned... only after the last fish has been caught... only then you will find that money cannot be eaten." Chief Seattle

Women's work as producers and caregivers of life is not often recognized in our money-based economy. But certain groups of women have an especially difficult time fitting into a market model of economics in which the exchange of money is the only recognized economic activity. Aboriginal women face economic discrimination on the basis of gender as well as race and culture.

We were never hungry

In Canada, 42.7% of Aboriginal women live in poverty, double the percentage of non-Aboriginal women and significantly more than the number of Aboriginal men. The average annual income of an Aboriginal woman is $13,300, compared to $19,350 for a non-Aboriginal woman and $18,200 for an Aboriginal man. As well as being overrepresented among the poor, the economic contributions Aboriginal women do make are often minimized and ignored.

Cite Libre

Women’s circle offers tools for survival

A modest office tucked away in a north-end industrial park is the home base for a program aimed at empowering Aboriginal women in a culturally sensitive and supportive environment.

“We want to give them the tools to survive, to succeed, to obtain their goals, and to bring back cultural teachings,” said Cathy Shawongonabe, a support worker with the Biminaawzogin Regional Aboriginal Women’s Circle.

An emerging program spearheaded by the local non-profit agency seeks to bridge the gap that has left many women struggling to reach educational and/or career goals.

“It is about giving them self-esteem, giving them back their empowerment, giving them back their identity,” Shawongonabe added.