b'MMIWGthe Grandmother Moon Lodge, a place where women could go to receive teach-ings from a collection of grandmothers. We started to do all the rights of passage ceremonies for our grandmother Elders that had stopped being done, to honour them for their wisdom and knowledge, recalls founding member Jamie Goulet of Saulteaux Mtis Nation. She stresses that the original self-governance in our communities was always matriarchal in nature, but through colonization, the matrilineal concepts of our spirituality and ceremonies were nearly eliminated.Photos courtesy of the Clan Mothers Healing Village.It was the clan mothers and the grand-mother councils before us that developed the systems of governance, and into that the educational systems and the science systems. Everything was associated to Earth mothereverything.After 20 years of experience working in their communities, helping sexually abused women and youth, those at theOntario Native Welfare Administrators AssociationGrandmother Moon Lodge felt that more needed to be done. They gatheredONWAA is a First Nation membership seven female Elders, all from differentowned non-profit organization in Ontario. territories, each with a strong voice,As ONWAA is a leading professional organization, ONWAA is and went to work building a uniquecommitted to providing services to First Nation Social Service village model of healing. We workAdministrators in Ontario. The membership is comprised of with the women in our community thatSocial Service Administrators commissioned to administer never get opportunities, says Goulet.social services in Ontario. ONWAA is not a political organization Were working with people who haveand is primarily focused on policy training, personal support, suffered sexual violence, exploitationand ensuring professional development for its membership.and trafficking. Goulet and her co-founders aimed toVISIT US TODAY! WWW.ONWAA.CAcreate a space where women could come for long-term healing over a 13-moon cycle. The other initiative in the village revolves around social enterprise to ensure people have the opportunity to train and acquire job skills. They have already graduated two cohorts underFirst Nations Energy Sustainability Associationtheir Indigenous construction company, Mother Earth Construction. These areIshkoday is the newestpeople that just came off the streets,member of the ONWAA family.suffering from addictions and constant incarceration, says Goulet. Theyre our Ishkoday is a seed of ONWAA carefully planted and growing family now. They go to work, and theyreinto its own organization with a focus directed at the study building the village.and alleviation of energy poverty in First Nations. With the same membership base as ONWAA but fully focused on the The village is set to be completedcomplexities of First Nations energy sustainability. Developing by spring of 2025 and aims to igniteculturally appropriate training and programs, policies and pathways to holistic healing. How dopractices, job aids and educational tools. It is still early dayswe educate people on the plight ofwith Ishkoday but we have a vision for impactful change!sexual violence and exploitation towards Indigenous womenthats our wholeVISIT US TODAY!WWW.ISHKODAY.CAconcept right now, says Goulet. When women get healed and take their rightful place as leaders, our communities will change instantly. Ontario Native Womens Association23'