Former nurse practitioner Julie Lys is officially retired, but she still spends much of her time helping people heal, thanks to her part-time role as the NWT M茅tis NationSA国际影视传媒檚 (NWTMN) Healing and Wellness Program coordinator.

SA国际影视传媒淭he majority of work that weSA国际影视传媒檝e done so far is with women,SA国际影视传媒� the Fort Smith resident said from Costa Rica, where she has spent part of the winter with her husband. SA国际影视传媒淲eSA国际影视传媒檝e been recently trying to increase menSA国际影视传媒檚 presence and programs, but for the most part itSA国际影视传媒檚 been women, and we find a lot of times when women start to heal, so do their families.SA国际影视传媒�

Lys, who is M茅tis, joined the NWTMN in 2016, driven by SA国际影视传媒渁 desire to do healing and wellness from an Indigenous perspective.SA国际影视传媒�

SA国际影视传媒淚 tried to bring a lot of that into my practice as nurse practitioner, but I really realized it was two different systems,SA国际影视传媒� said the mother of two and grandmother of three. SA国际影视传媒淲hen I retired I approached the M茅tis Nation.

SA国际影视传媒淚 approached Ursula [Vogt], the executive director, and asked her if she could put a call out there to see what money was available for healing and wellness, and thatSA国际影视传媒檚 how I started.SA国际影视传媒�

Lys admits her programming SA国际影视传媒渟tarted really small,SA国际影视传媒� but in the years since, she and her colleagues have helped deliver a number of important programs for people across the territory, many of which are directed at women.

That includes popular monthly full moon ceremonies, as well as on-the-land fasting ceremonies.

SA国际影视传媒淲e have a full moon ceremony every month,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淚tSA国际影视传媒檚 a womanSA国际影视传媒檚 ceremony where we gather on a full moon, and we gather around a fire. We usually start the ceremony at sunset. The fire is started by a man, and then they leave, and then the women gather and we just share our stories. We share teachings, and itSA国际影视传媒檚 just a time for women to gather and give each other strength and fellowship.

SA国际影视传媒淥ne other powerful thing we did is we had fasting ceremonies,SA国际影视传媒� she added. SA国际影视传媒淚t wasnSA国际影视传媒檛 just for women, but it was all women [who participated]. Every year we would go out on the land for four days with our Elder Aline LaFlamme, and we would fast. ThatSA国际影视传媒檚 the time that we spend for ourselves, to look at our own life experiences and do some healing.SA国际影视传媒�

SA国际影视传媒楪reatest complimentSA国际影视传媒�

Practices like full moon ceremonies and fasting SA国际影视传媒渨ere almost lost through colonization and the history of residential schools,SA国际影视传媒� according to Lys.

SA国际影视传媒淏efore colonization and before the churches arrived in the North, we had our own ways of healing and our own ways of being. Reviving part of those ceremonies and those ways of being, those ways of gathering and looking after ourselves and each other is what weSA国际影视传媒檙e trying to do with the healing programs.

SA国际影视传媒淲e are working hard to kind of revive that with the Elders that come forward to work with us, just to give us our own strength and let us stand in our own power as Indigenous women. Our Elders tell us when one generation heals, it heals the seven generations before us and the seven generations after us SA国际影视传媒� it changes the way they are.SA国际影视传媒�

While Lys is motivated by a desire to help other Indigenous women heal, she said she derives immense personal satisfaction from her work, and is often moved by the feedback she receives from the people who participate in her programming.

SA国际影视传媒淚 had the greatest compliment when one young woman came to me and said, SA国际影视传媒榃hatever you did with my mom, thatSA国际影视传媒檚 what I want you to do with me,SA国际影视传媒橲A国际影视传媒� she recalled. SA国际影视传媒淚SA国际影视传媒檓 like, SA国际影视传媒榊our mom did her own work. I helped her, but she did her own work, and you can too.SA国际影视传媒� But she just saw such a change in her mom that she wanted to be like that.

SA国际影视传媒淲hen I see the change in people, itSA国际影视传媒檚 hard to even put it in words,SA国际影视传媒� she added. SA国际影视传媒淭o do the work and to lead people this way, I had to do my own healing work. I participated in all the ceremonies and fasting and did my own work, because you canSA国际影视传媒檛 really take people where you havenSA国际影视传媒檛 been yourself.SA国际影视传媒�

Like many women across the NWT and Canada, Lys is looking forward to International WomenSA国际影视传媒檚 Day, which falls on March 8 each year. She called the day SA国际影视传媒渁 time for us to celebrate our strengths and our accomplishments and recognize each other and think about who inspired us.SA国际影视传媒�

When asked about her sources of inspiration, she was quick to credit her mother and older sisters.

SA国际影视传媒淢y mother was just a wonderful, kind person,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淪he was kind to everybody and gave everybody a second chance and no matter how hard things were for people, she could see the good in everybody.

SA国际影视传媒淢y older sisters were very inspiring too,SA国际影视传媒� she added. SA国际影视传媒淥ne sister had a masterSA国际影视传媒檚 in social work in 1973. As an Indigenous woman, that was unheard of. My other sister was a teacher, and they just led the way. When we sit and talk about it now, all the struggles we had as Indigenous women working in a western model of society and trying to speak up and find our way, it wasnSA国际影视传媒檛 easy. It wasnSA国际影视传媒檛 easy for any of us, but somehow we made it through.SA国际影视传媒�