Sandi L Boucher of Seine River First Nation says Indigenous communities must become the safest places for their members. She urges people to make their own spaces safe for Indigenous people as a step toward reconciliation, drawing on her mother's teaching: teach people how to treat you.
Questions this video answers
Seine River First Nation
Treaty 3 territory
59 years old
Chapters
I have a dream. And this is not a takeoff on Martin Luther King's speech. It's real. It's a vision I've had for a long time and what I'm working towards every single day. Maybe you'd like to help me. Or if not, maybe you can least agree it's a pretty good dream. Let's talk about it. Sam. Bonjour. Mishko Paganon, Queen addition across Mungdo Dam. Hi, everybody. My name is Sandy Boucher. I'm Red Thunderbolt, woman of the Loon clan, a proud member of Seine River first nation in Treaty 3 territory in Northern Ontario. And like I mentioned in the opening, I have a dream. And that is largely because of my mom. If there was one teaching that my mom highlighted over and over and over, it was the idea that we need to teach people how to treat us. As my mom would say, they've never met you before. They don't know what works for you. You have to tell them. My mom would remind me that if I wanted other people to respect me, it's not about how I treat them. It's about how they see me treating me. If I treat myself with respect, they're going to learn to treat me with respect. If you want other people to be kinder to you, they need to see you being kind to you. And if you want other people to respect your boundaries, you guessed it. They need to see you respecting your boundaries. So because of the work I do, and I do a lot of contemplation and reviewing and revisiting, you probably figured that out by now. And I was contemplating this. Teach other people how to treat you. And obviously, the treatment of Indigenous people in Canada is problematic and needs a lot of work. And that's where my dream comes in. You see, I happen to believe and I envision on a regular basis the day when my First Nation community, the community that I belong to, is the safest place in this country for me to be. It's home. I should be able to go there and get wrapped in the arms of my community. I shouldn't be judged. I shouldn't be criticized. There should be no lateral violence. There should be guidance and love and support and space to heal. If that's why I came home, isn't that an amazing idea for all of those Indigenous youth out in the middle of a city trying to navigate school when it gets to be too much, they need to know they can go back home. Not to be ridiculed, not to settle, but to rejuvenate and heal. So they can try again. And for all those women like me who for the longest time struggled just to find a safe space space, knowing that our communities are safe would be such a godsend. Let's add to that now, because of course Indigenous people shouldn't have to stay in the communities to be safe. That's ridiculous. If you're okay with that idea of Canada, that's a really lousy idea for a country. So the second stage of the dream, I'd love to get to the point where Indigenous people are safe no matter where they are. As safe on a city street as they are in the middle of the bush. And by the way, that doesn't mean carte blanche safe. There's animals in the bush that can hurt you. There's animals on the city street that can hurt you. And I'm not asking for preferential treatment. We should be as safe as any other. But this targeting of Indigenous people has to stop. This targeting of Indigenous women has to stop. Because I can tell you, I am 59 years old. I would think I was long past the dating, social interaction kind of stage between adults. But all I have to do is say no to the interest of an adult man. And the chances of hearing some horrific racial slur in response, I would say are 80%. So those people that have commented that we should quit judging non Indigenous people, I would love to be able to say that. But as long as I need to keep my senses about me to stay safe, I'm going to reserve judgment. Prove to me you're safe. I will happily bring my walls down. But don't judge me for keeping them hovering until I figure out if you are. That's just Canadian history and survival. So are you with me? Doesn't that sound like an amazing dream? And of course I'm Indigenous specific on this channel. It doesn't only apply to everyone. Everyone deserves safety. But in this country, Indigenous people are desperate for safe spaces. They do not exist in enough places. You and I can change that. And how, by the way, it's easy. It's not a national answer. Again, it's one answer. If you want to be part of this dream, all you have to do is make your space safe for Indigenous people. So whether that's your office, your cubicle, your desk, your classroom, make it safe. One puzzle piece, person in the next classroom or office. It's up to them to make it safe. Second puzzle piece. One by one, we put this crazy puzzle together and actually get to reconciliation. One puzzle piece, one safe space at a time. I think it's worth it because I have a dream. I hope you have a super duper double delicious weekend. Don't forget, check out my community. Check out my membership. I would love to see you at my kitchen table. Also that subscribe and like and notifications and all that fun stuff. I'm going to figure out this YouTube thing if it kills me, and I don't think it will until next week. I love you. Take care. Bye Bye.
