REGINA — A new space for learning and education has opened at YWCA Regina.
The apihkêsîs-nôtokwêhtâwin, or Old Woman Spider Place, is a ceremony hub offering a variety of resources.
“It has workshops and teachings. We have elders’ rooms, we have a ceremonial room, which is beautiful, and then also outside we have a sweat lodge,” said Jessica Gordon, senior director of decolonization, equity, diversity and inclusion.
For Indigenous people, Daniel Sangrey, co-chair and cultural steward of Old Woman Spider Place, said this will help them navigate their lives forward.
“When times get tough, they'll be able to problem-solve and have that integral foundation underneath them of their authentic identity.”
These problems, such as addictions, can be helped by a person viewing a Sun Dance, for example, noted Sangrey.
“The somatic therapy of their movement, their senses being elevated by even just smelling smudge, hearing drums, the vibrations, frequencies, seeing beautiful colours, being out in nature, touching grass, feeling wind. Like it's common, sounds like common sense, but it's very, very nurturing for the soul and for the spirit for our people to be taking things like that.”
While it’s not a permanent treatment solution, Sangrey said it will provide a stepping stone in Regina.
“So it's not somewhere to go and get all this great help and get healed and stuff, but it's supposed to kind of be somewhat of a path, some footsteps to follow.”
The space is open not only to Indigenous people but to all members of the public seeking access to resources.
“Now they [the public] have that opportunity to use space to bring in some of their reconciliation action plans and put them to use,” noted Gordon.
SGI Canada donated $2 million to keep the space operational for 10 years.
Gordon said they’re looking to ensure it can be sustainable for decades to come.
“We will be asking some of these non-Indigenous corporations, non-profits and government agencies to provide some of that support.”
Sangrey said he is hopeful to see the space expand in the future.
“If enough people are on board and working together from different capacities and government politics and within the city and then rural and First Nations, if they're able to work together and put more towards it, it would be able to serve more people.”
