There is a Buddhist proverb which says that the lotus flower blooms most beautifully from the deepest and thickest mud. On the evening of Sept. 19 hundreds of Rankinmiut gathered to hold a candlelit healing circle following a tragic death in the community.
Losing one person to suicide is hard enough, but the last couple of months have been particularly hard on the Kivalliq with at least six tragic deaths in the region since the beginning of August, four of which have been in Rankin Inlet.
The deaths have taken such a toll on the community that Health Minister Lorne Kusugak took the unusual step of acknowledging the situation during a members statement on Sept. 16, remarking that SA国际影视传媒渉is fellow residents of Rankin Inlet are going through the hardest of hardships.SA国际影视传媒�
Talking about suicide is normally something that is considered taboo in the newspaper industry. The logic being that by giving attention to the deaths only encourages more people to contemplate it as an option.
This principle was reinforced by a Rankin Inlet Elder when I reached out to them for advice on the issue last week: SA国际影视传媒淭he more we hear and learn about it and the more we think about it, the more we put it into the minds of the people.SA国际影视传媒�
While there is wisdom in the silent approach, there is something to be said about being able to talk about our feelings openly and to make sure that people know they are loved unconditionally without fear or shame.
The truth is that in communities where everyone knows each other and so many people are related, these tragedies are not usually much of a secret. This has become even less so in the age of social media, where hundreds of well-meaning condolences can be blasted out with nothing more than a couple taps on a screen.
The Elder I spoke with, who asked not to be named, explained to me that the phenomenon of self-inflicted death has SA国际影视传媒渂een around a long time among our people.SA国际影视传媒�
SA国际影视传媒淲hen we were on the land we didnSA国际影视传媒檛 hear about it even though it was happening. In the 50s and 60s people started seeing it more when we started coming into communities.SA国际影视传媒�
That is not to say that this is something that should be normalized. Suicide doesnSA国际影视传媒檛 have to be a fact of life in Nunavut. Quite the opposite!
As the Elder pointed out to me, any discussion on the issue should not dwell on the negative but rather focus on solutions.
Invoking the metaphor of two wolves which we all have inside of us SA国际影视传媒� one bad and one good SA国际影视传媒� they asked: SA国际影视传媒淲hich wolf is the one who wins?SA国际影视传媒� After a brief pause they responded, SA国际影视传媒淭he one you feed.SA国际影视传媒�
Providing greater resources for addiction treatment, reducing the access to illegal drugs and increasing recreational and wellness programming is fundamental to improving mental health in our communities. Those initiatives, whether funding the grassroots or building them in-house, are the governmentSA国际影视传媒檚 responsibility and itSA国际影视传媒檚 about time we saw real action instead of more empty promises.
But healing will also require building up the bonds that keep families together.
SA国际影视传媒淲eSA国际影视传媒檙e blaming alcohol, weSA国际影视传媒檙e blaming outside sources, but itSA国际影视传媒檚 not the true root of the problem. Why are they drinking so much, why are they doing drugs so much? The problem lies within our own families,SA国际影视传媒� the Elder told me.
SA国际影视传媒淥ne of the big problems is that they donSA国际影视传媒檛 think anyone loves them anymore.SA国际影视传媒�
With the first ever National Day of Truth and Reconciliation approaching, there is no denying the brutal impact that the trauma of residential schools have had on Inuit. But for all the hardships that survivors have endured, the power of love, community and family to overcome trauma remains immutable.
The Catholic Church has inflicted enough harm on the world to prevent me from being a religious man.
But I pray that Kivalliqmiut can find a way to feed the loving wolves we all harbour deep inside so that we may blossom like the most beautiful flowers the Arctic tundra has ever seen.
