Building Up Our Community Aunties To Bless Our Communities
A 13 moon online program for Metis Aunties (leaders, support people and matriarchs in the making) to build the up through community and culture.
“This program was designed for women who have taken their first steps in reclaiming our culture and traditions, through our Metis Women’s Program or other personal work as a place for them to continue to build their bundles of skills, teachings, and connection to the land and community.
I have heard you. At the end of our year long Metis Women’s Program, I hear consistently…Can we stay? Can we continue to learn. I am excited to now say…YES.
I know the hunger to not only hear the traditions that were once the backbone and background to life in our nation, but to LIVE them.
And, you’ve started down that path. Chances are you have…
- Learned to bead
- Sewn some items. Moccasins maybe. Perhaps a ribbon skirt
- Learned about the importance of decolonizing our understanding of gender and who we are within our communities
- Begun to connect with our foods
- Attended a ceremony for the first time and found yourself in love with the Red Road
- Learned to introduce yourself in Michif
- Found friendship and kinship with others along the way
- Have discovered a deep desire to restore the beauty within our communities
- Want to serve our nation through culture and community
But you aren’t quite ready to walk away from spaces that are nurturing your growth, together as community. There is more to learn, and skills to add to your bundle.
And likely you are feeling…there must be more. Can I continue to learn to bring these traditionss into my life? How con I connect to and contribute to my community? What is my place in this community as a Metis woman, and also…as someone commited to reclaiming my culture for my family and future generations?
Culture is taught gradually over time by those who are immersed in it. Normally you would be taught as a child by your parents and grandparents, and every interaction with you community beyond your family would reinforce that sense of belonging.
That sacred story of who we are is begining to be clearer to you…but you need time and repetion to have it imprint so fully on every part of you.
Like for so many others, our arts and safe cultural spaces are a beautiful doorway for us to explore these connections, traditions, and wahkootowin…kinship.
Tying the new skills you’ve gained to the patterns, history and beauty of our nation takes practice. It takes a ritual of devotion to that practice. It takes deep reflection on the teachings embedded in our arts and how they help us see our place within creation.
Our arts are not only ways we share our identity and teachings, but also a means to bless our communities.
This is what I invite you to join us for…for building that sacred connection through arts, community skill building, and service to our communities, and to the land around us.
It is my hope that these rituals, traditions, skills, and this devotion will be the firm foundation from which you can help build up our beautiful nation. It isn’t just about us as individuals…this path we are on. It’s about ensuring these traditions are brought home…firmly planted in the hearts of our kin.
For this reason, this program begins with devotion, ritual and connection, and grows into the vital and sacred role of sharing as Nikawis, aunties…little mothers, to those around us who need those same first steps as you’ve taken.
I know it’s you who will bring these beautiful traditions into your life in such a deep way that you can be the strong, beautiful, rooted matriarchs of our commuities.
And so I say to you, Taanishi, Tawaw. Hello and welcome, there is space for you here.”
– Natalie Pepin
What is included in the Auntie’s Program?
- Octopus Bag Making
- Mitases Making
- Moss Bag Making
- Smoking Cap Making
- Star Blanket Making
- And continued access to all of the Women’s Program Classes
These are self paced classes that are completed online.
You will also be able to access free cultural content along with your classes. Some of these resources include;
- Access to the weekly Northern Michif word lessons using online resources and monthly speaking circle*
- Access to the Metis Auntie’s Circle
- Access to resources and lessons on community support, circle, and kinship care skills
- Access to Monthly Live Online Zoom Gatherings*
- Access to weekly cultural teachings
* These aspects of the program are continuations of the Metis Women’s Program. All traditional teachings in the program that you have access to are designed to compliment the class you are taking. However, as culture is freely exchanged, none of these aspects are charged for in the cost of the program. Please ensure that when you share them, you likewise do so freely and without charge.
Reciprocity and Protocol are VITAL for sharing culture. Please make sure you read and understand this page PROTOCOL, RECIPROCITY and GIFTING
You get all of these, plus…
- Recipes for traditional foods
- Opportunities to attend our live camps as a helper
- Curated content from across the web including songs and stories for you to enjoy
What we hope you will leave the program with
We see that you are one of the ways to bless and empower the Metis community. This program is designed to equip you with the skills, resources, and teachings to support our nation. With these skills and resources, you will be asked to find ways to support community.
This includes;
- Creating safe cultural spaces
- Hosting community circles
- Supporting families in our child rearing and cultural living traditions
- Organizing efforts to care for and meet the needs of community
- Connect community with our cultural traditions in all aspects of life
- Supporting food sovereignty within our nation
- Supporting our nation’s connection and access to the land
Is this program for you?
This program is a good fit for you if…
- You are Metis, or from a related nation (Cree or Saulteaux). Other nations are welcome, however, our teachings may not be quite so similar as those nations listed here. PLEASE READ THIS POST BEFORE REGISTERING! http://www.meetingmyancestors.com/who-are-metis/
- You are ready to learn, have access to a phone or computer and have access to the internet
- You are searching for a starting place for teachings and want to experience your culture in your daily life
- You are financially able. I know this isn’t going to be the case for everyone. If you’d like to learn, but simply can’t afford it, I will share some thoughts for you further down.
This program is not for you if…
- You have an elder in your life who can teach you all of these things. If this is the case, I HIGHLY encourage you to learn from them.
- You are not able to interact with your circle. Even 10 minutes a day will bring so much reward in your experience.
- You don’t believe there is such a thing as a Metis culture. I don’t think you would have made it this far if that was the case, but it must be said.
- You’re in a dire situtation. If you are currently leaving an abusive relationship, facing losing your home, or unable to financially support yourself, please focus on these. Your health and wellbeing comes first.
- You hate men, settlers, or any religious group. We are creating a safe space here and we do not want to have a negative focus. Some of us have white partners and choose to participate in a religion that is not a part of our traditions or culture. If you feel very angry about others, it will be wise to wait for these teachings. They will still be here when you are ready.
It’s Feeling Like A Fit
If what you’ve read so far feels like a good fit, I encourage you to join us. I KNOW there will be so much of value for you.
Registering
This program is accepting women into our next cohort starting Feb 26th 2025. This group of women will be an amazing support as you all move through this program.
You can register at the bottom of this page.
Cost
The cost for this 13 moon program is $350.00 CAD.
Course fees support our ongoing development of our culture camp near Athabasca.
This fee includes all of your classes, and everything listed above. This fee doesn’t include materials for making your items. However, if you’d like, we sometimes have kits with those materials available.
Register By Clicking The Square Below
What if I can’t afford this right now?
We know that not everyone will be able to afford this program. There are bills to pay, groceries to buy, rent to pay. We have all been in that place. There is NO shame in this. We have several suggestions for you if this is the case…
1) Although this program doesn’t have a funder that allows us to offer grants, we would love to have you join us for our FREE 6 Week Welcome program to learn more about the Metis culture, our foods, our language and our traditions.
2) Take advantage of our payment program to divide up the costs over several payments (see below).
3) In the future, we will have individual classes to learn some of these same skills available. Although these classes don’t cover cultural content in the same ways, they are definitely a great place to learn our traditional arts. You can find a list of individual classes here.
Do you offer payment programs?
Yes! Email natalie@meetingmyancestors.com and ask to be set up with a payment program to access this program. Our payment programs allow you to divide the fee up into 2 or 4 payments. The first 1 or 2 payments are required before the first day of the program (depending on how many payments the fee is divided into).
Why aren’t your programs free?
All programs that are hosted by organizations have costs. Whether its the classroom or building used for teaching, materials, or having instructors costs covered. Online programs have fees to pay in order to cover the websites, admin, and the online platform used for classes (these all have costs) and having instructors costs covered. Some organizations have funding to cover these costs. Some don’t. We actively seek funders to cover the costs of offering programs and to be able to offer grants. However, this isn’t currently available.