Montreal’s Spirit Walk fundraiser to support Native Women’s Shelter

Montrealers gathered on Mount Royal Saturday to support vulnerable Indigenous women and children.

The ninth annual Spirit Walk was organized by the Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal.

The goal of the event was to actively take steps toward reconciliation.

“I think that living in the city is really difficult for Indigenous people,” said Nakuset, the shelter’s executive director. “They leave their communities, they come to the city, they have all this systemic discrimination against them and it never ends. And we want to take care of them and give them an opportunity to reboot.

“The whole idea of the Spirit Walk is to raise funds for the Indigenous women and children.”

The theme of this year’s Spirit Walk was “healing, growth and new life.”

Funds raised will go towards a healing retreat and workshops.

“For women who, for whatever the circumstances – past traumas, intergenerational hurts – end up in unfortunate circumstances in their life,” said Lynn Jacobs with the Native Women’s Shelter. “Whatever brings them there, it doesn’t matter. The important thing is to send them back up as strong women.

“In the mountains with the trees and the water and the stones, which is the bones of our mother the earth.”

Jacobs says women are welcome to bring their children to the healing retreat.

“Because the children might not have had the extensive traumas of their ancestors or their grandmas and grandpas, but they still have that in their bloodline. And it’s an opportunity to root them back.”

“It’s a feel-good activity,” added Nakuset. “The women, it’s night and day when they come back from that, like in a Zen moment, and then it gives them the courage to keep fighting.”

Additional money raised will benefit Maison Miyoskamin and Saralikitaaq Centre – a community, social and pediatric centre for Indigenous children in the greater Montreal area. It’s set to open in August.

Organizers say it’s about reconciliation, moving forward, and reclaiming.

“In our culture we don’t have a word for sorry – it’s through our actions,” said Kahienes Sky, a volunteer with the Native Women’s Shelter. “And reconciliation implies that there’s this form of a friendship and I’m going to say I’m sorry and we’re going to make it better. But I think what we’re looking at more is just a reclaiming, that we’re all responsible for each other.”