First Nations water ceremony provides comfort and healing
Food, water and shelter weren’t the only necessities provided to wildfire evacuees at the Kamloops Emergency Social Services reception centre on Tuesday.
Outside, in the middle of a basketball court, members of the Secwepemc Health Caucus and the Tk’emlúps First Nation attended to people’s spiritual needs with a water ceremony.
At centre court, a blanket was spread out and on top lay drums, braids of sweetgrass, a bag of sage, eagle feathers and a smudging bowl with an abalone shell and water inside.
“We look at supporting our people traditionally in terms of the spiritual, the mental, the emotional and the physical,” said David Archie, the health caucus’ traditional wellness co-ordinator.
“Today we’re providing the ceremony as spiritual, emotional and mental support, and the physical support of being there for community members.”
Each person who attended the ceremony was offered sage, which they were invited to pray over before placing it in the smudging bowl.
“With the ceremony we recognize all of those connections to our land, fire and water, (and the) connections to ourselves and our communities and our families,” Archie said.
Eagle feathers were then dipped into the water in the bowl and used to bless the circle, sending the prayers to their ancestors.
Tk’emlúps Chief Fred Seymour and Coun. Rosanne Casimir welcomed everyone to their territory and offered their services and powwow grounds to evacuees.
Drumming and songs closed the ceremony.
“It was to get the people together and have them think about letting go and bring a sense of peace, even if it’s for a couple of minutes. A break from all the heavy emotion they’ve been dealing with,” Archie said.
Gwen Campbell-McArthur, a Kamloops-based counsellor who volunteered to bring sweetgrass to the ceremony, said it provided comfort, healing and support to evacuees.
With the ceremony we recognize all of those connections to our land, fire and water.