Uplifting Indigenous Voices through Storytelling

Need help learning how to effectively engage with Indigenous communities?

Visit the Indigenous Voices in Partnerships in the Partnerships Pillar of the Healthy Communities Framework to learn more about these protocols and how to incorporate them into your projects respectfully.

Indigenous Voices in Partnerships

ARPA’s Reconciliation Journey

The Alberta Recreation and Parks Association would like to acknowledge that our role in exploring Indigenous Voices in Promotions is one of allyship rather than expertise. As recreation leaders and a member-based organization, we must lead by example in how we collaborate and move forward in reconciliation with Indigenous partners.

We are committed to action on reconciliation and acting in allyship. As part of this commitment, we aim to highlight Indigenous-informed ways of promoting community health and wellness initiatives. In doing this, we hope that we can all move forward together in a good way.

Cultural Relevance in Promotion

Context Matters; and knowing your audience is key to effectively communicating with them. Understanding their values, interests, needs and strengths informs how to connect and resonate with them. This is especially true within Indigenous communities.

Indigenous ways of being are holistic and interconnected⁽¹⁾. Health, from an Indigenous point-of-view, is a complex interplay of mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical health that is achieved by honouring and incorporating Indigenous⁽²⁾:

Culture
Traditions
Language
Medicine
Relationships with family, community, and the land

Often, Indigenous health and wellness initiatives blur the links between sociocultural practices, connection to the land and spirituality. Each Indigenous Nation, band and community has unique traditions, language and culture, as well as needs and strengths. As you and your team get to know the community, it’s important to learn and research the specific context, history and traditions of the community you’d like to promote.

Get to Know the Community

Check out these resources to help you and your team start to build knowledge and connections with the Indigenous community.

Learning About Indigenous Communities

Connect with Indigenous Communities

Alberta Native Friendship Centres Association ⁽³⁾
Calgary Foundation: Reconciliation Work⁽⁵⁾
Indigenous Organizations and Service Directory via Government of Alberta⁽⁴⁾

Moving Forward in Partnership: The Role of Allies

Understanding the role of allyship is important when working with Indigenous communities. Indigenous allyship and its action fall along a spectrum⁽⁶⁾; with Level 1 being a starting point, and Level 3 being the eventual goal:

Within the context of promotions, allyship may look like uplifting and amplifying Indigenous Self-Determination and voices within our communications and distribution. Indigenous self-determination recognizes the fundamental rights of Indigenous people to contribute, plan, deliver and decide what and how projects move forward⁽⁷⁾.

Asking community members to inform and advise on the benefits of the HEAL initiative⁽⁷⁾
Including Indigenous community leaders and key planners in the creation and distribution of promotion materials⁽⁷⁾
Highlighting the stories and testimonials of leaders within the community
Uplifting and amplifying the voices of community members to share promotions internally with their networks⁽⁸⁾
Using strength-based language in communications and promotional materials⁽⁸⁾
Making promotions culturally appropriate (i.e. including announcements within community update ceremonies such as Tea Dances within Blackfoot communities)⁽⁸⁾
Including Elders in the dissemination of the promotions and communications⁽⁸⁾
Developing promotional materials in the traditional language of the Nation
Developing oral and video promotions that respect and honour Indigenous Oral Culture

Check out these resources to help you and your team move forward in a good way.

Indigenous Voices in Partnership: From Making Relatives to Effectively Engaging with the Community, learn how to work with Indigenous Communities in partnership
Create a Community Asset Map: Identify the strengths and resources within the community that can be leveraged to improve the quality of community life.
Determine the Communities Values and Priorities: Gather the community and its leaders to create a shared vision and goals for the community.
Allyship through Indigenous Policy Advocacy and Promotion: Learn how you can support and promote Indigenous-led policies.
Build Cultural Relevance & Appropriateness in your HEAL Programs: Learn how you can tailor and adapt your programs to best support Indigenous community health and wellness.

Level 1

Transfers privilege; Speaks truth to others; and walks alongside others.

Level 2

Works directly in a system to challenge institutional barriers, policies, and structures that marginalize people.

Level 3

Works directly in a system to challenge institutional barriers, policies, and structures that marginalize people.

The Power of Storytelling

“Story telling remains an effective means of teaching and learning in Indigenous communities.”
Tribal College Journal of American Indian Higher Education⁽⁹⁾

Indigenous Oral Traditions

Oral Traditions are a key part of Indigenous heritage, knowledge sharing, and ceremony. Through the oral telling and sharing of stories and songs, Indigenous Peoples connect to their culture, worldview, history, and sense of self⁽¹⁰⁾.

Some stories are considered sacred and are reserved for ceremonies and passed along to Elders and Knowledge Keepers who provide spiritual and cultural leadership⁽¹⁰⁾. Traditional Indigenous stories teach values and guide the next generation, binding the community with a shared understanding of life and what values are desirable⁽¹⁰⁾.

Video: Storytelling with John Chiefmoon Sr.

This video features Blackfoot Elder, John Chiefmoon Sr., sharing a story from the past and draws from it a message that still might be relevant to today and the situation we were all facing during the pandemic.

(Length: 25:39mins)

Promotions & Storytelling

Use verbal methods of storytelling to share information in a culturally appropriate way. With your team and Indigenous partners, build oral and storytelling promotional materials by:

Videos are a great way to capture attention, highlight benefits, and feature local community members. Ask local leaders, champions, or participants to participate and star in videos promoting your HEAL initiative. Share the videos through:

Social media such as Instagram videos and reels
YouTube videos and channels
Local television or news broadcasts
Websites
Emails

Audio platforms are a powerful way to share stories and promotions with community members. Ask Indigenous leaders, partners, and participants to star in advertisements that can be featured on:

Local radio stations
Podcasts

Including stories in written materials is a great way to include Indigenous culture in promotions. Ask Indigenous champions, leaders, or participants to share their:

Success stories
Testimonials
Interviews/ Inspiration stories on why they got involved in the initiative

Our friends and partners at United Way Calgary and Area have done some fantastic work to make relatives and establish meaningful connections with local Indigenous communities. Watch their video about building an Indigenous Strategy and check out their summary strategy here: Akak’stiman Indigenous Strategy.

Cultural Understanding & Respect in Storytelling

As you and your team seek to uplift Indigenous Voices, it’s important to understand proper protocols and the cultural significance of sacred stories. To avoid unintentional missteps:

Some stories are sacred and may require specific protocols before a storyteller will share their knowledge⁽¹¹⁾. Additionally, some stories may be considered proprietary and owned by the community⁽¹²⁾.

It’s best practice to refer to Indigenous partners on which stories they deem best to share and to be aware of and willing to participate in cultural protocols.

Before the telling of stories, you and your team should be aware of any traditional protocols needed to set a positive intention, create a safe space, or set formality. Some protocols you may encounter are:

Smudging
Land Acknowledgements
Elder Protocol
Honorariums

Video: Grandmothers’ Circle – Protocol 101 (everything you’ve wondered about + more)

To honour and celebrate National Day for Truth and Reconciliation 2022, this session features four multi-nation Elders, including Brenda Roland (Métis), Diane Meguinis (Tsuut’ina), Doreen Healy (Blackfoot) and Karli Crowshoe (Blackfoot) who took the time to answer questions related to the proper use of protocols.

(Length: 60mins)

Need help learning how to effectively engage with Indigenous communities?

Indigenous Voices in Partnerships

Continue Exploring Promotions

Promotions – Home

National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health. A Framework for Indigenous School Health: Foundations in Cultural Principles [report on internet]. The Authority; 2010 [cited 2023 January 14]. Available from: http://www.nccah-ccnsa.ca/docs/nccah%20reports/NCCAH_CASH_report.pdf
First Nations Health Authority. [Internet].First Nations Perspective on Health and Wellness; 2012 [cited 2022 October 22]. Available from: https://www.fnha.ca/wellness/wellness-for-first-nations/first-nations-perspective-on-health-and-wellness
Alberta Native Friendship Centres Association [Internet] 2023c [cited 2023 January 14]. Available from: https://anfca.com/
Government of Alberta [Internet]. Indigenous organizations and service directory. 2023c [cited 2023 January 14]. Available from: https://www.alberta.ca/Indigenous-organizations-and-service-directory.aspx
The Calgary Foundation [Internet]. Reconciliation; 2023c [cited January 14]. Available from: https://calgaryfoundation.org/about-us/reconciliation/
Calgary Foundation. Treaty 7 Indigenous Ally Toolkit. [Internet]. Calgary: The Foundation; 2019 [cited 2022 Jan 31]. P8. Available from: https://calgaryfoundation.org/about-us/reconciliation/indigenous-ally-toolkit/
Relationship Building with First Nations and Public Health Research Team. Relationship building with First Nations and public health: Exploring principles and practices for engagement to improve community health – Literature Review. [Internet]. Sudbury, ON: Locally Driven Collaborative Projects; 2017 [cited 2022 Jan 31]. P.34. Available from: https://www.publichealthontario.ca/-/media/documents/L/2018/ldcp-firstnations-engagament-survey-report.pdf
Okpalauwaekwe, U., Ballantyne, C., Tension, S., and Ramsden, V. Enhancing Health and Wellness By, For, and With Indigenous Youth in Canada; A Scoping Review. BMC Public Health. [Internet]. 2022 [cited 2023 January 14]. 22(16300. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-14047-2
Tribal College Journal of American Indian Higher Education. [Internet]. Stories, Dreams, and Ceremonies: Anishinaabe ways of learning; May 2000 [cited 2023 January 14]. Available from: https://tribalcollegejournal.org/stories-dreams-ceremonies-anishinaabe-ways-learning/
Government of Alberta. The Oral Tradition: Excerpt from Aboriginal Perspectives [report on internet]. 2004 [cited 2023 January 14]. Available from: https://www.learnalberta.ca/content/aswt/oral_tradition/documents/oral_tradition.pdf
Government of Alberta. Creation Stories as Spiritual Foundation: Excerpt from Aboriginal Perspectives [report on internet]. 2004 [cited 2023 January 14]. Available from:https://www.learnalberta.ca/content/aswt/oral_tradition/documents/creation_stories_as_spiritual_foundation.pdf
OCAP®. [Internet]. The First Nations principles of OCAP®. OCAP® is a registered trademark of the First Nations Information Governance Centre; 2021. [cited 2022 Jan 12]. Available from: https://fnigc.ca/ocap-training/

Uplifting Indigenous Voices through Storytelling

Need help learning how to effectively engage with Indigenous communities?

ARPA’s Reconciliation Journey