Photograph of Blackwater Creek drum, by Fawn Lyons-Gomm

The following are excerpts from the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples final report.  This Commissioners traveled across Canada and spoke to youth about issues of concern to them:

"The first time I heard the drum it was like a magnet pulling me to it. When I hear the drum and the songs it makes me want to get up and dance. When you're near the drum you can feel it in your heart because it's your heartbeat. It's only natural for a person to want to dance because it is the first sound you hear - your mother's heartbeat." Vera Wabegijic, National Youth Representative, National Association of Friendship Centres, Ottawa, Ontario, November 5, 1993

For many Aboriginal people, spiritual health is directly related to reclaiming their traditions, culture and language. During the Royal Commission on Aboriginal People's hearings in the 1990s, Aboriginal youth spoke more often about culture and identity than about anything else in the Commission's mandate. The research studies and youth cirlces sponsored by the Commission revealed these themes as well. No matter where the community, no matter who the speaker, Aboriginal youth spoke with a single voice about what culture means to them and about its place in the healing process. Cultural identity imbues all four areas of healing.

Understanding themselves as Aboriginal people is important to youth because it directly affects their self-esteem, which in turn affects their motivation to strive for a better tomorrow. Aboriginal youth have been bombarded by negative images of their people; inaccurate portrayals in the media, in old (and not so old) movies and television shows, and in school curricula that distort or ignore the contributions of Aboriginal cultures. They also face day-to-day, street level racism and government and public policies that continue to devalue Aboriginal people and culture. They see members of their communities ravaged by substance abuse and physical abuse and they wonder, is that what it means to be an Aboriginal person?

The importance of a secure sense of identity cannot and should not be downplayed or dismissed. Identity confusion or lack of identity is a major risk factor for suicidal behaviour among young Aboriginal people, as was pointed out in Choosing Life: Special report on suicide among Aboriginal people:

"In speaking to Commissioners, Aboriginal youth described both exclusion from the dominant society and alienation from the now idealized but once-real 'life on the land' that is stereotypically associated with aboriginality. The terrible emptiness of feeling strung between two cultures and psychologically at home in neither has been described in fiction and in art, as well as in testimony given before the Commission. If they have few positive role models or clear paths to follow, Aboriginal youth may be forced to turn to one another, building tight bonds against a hostile world. Their inward-looking subculture may reinforce hoplessness and self-hate, and their only exits may appear to be the oblivion of drugs and alcohol - or death."

Giving Aboriginal youth the opportunity to learn about their language, culture and traditional values teaches them that they are valid and valued individuals and that they can be proud - not ashamed - of their culture and the contributions Aboriginal people have made. Youth who gain a positive sense of self come to see their future as worth fighting for. Grounded in their culture, they can work as Aboriginal people to make a better tomorrow:

"When I hear elders talking about our culture and traditions, it moves me. Their words strengthen me and inspire me. The teachings that have been passed on to me help me along the path I have chosen. It helps focus my mind and encourages me to do my best every day." Vera Wabegijic

Four key themes emerged from what youth told the Commission regarding culture:

• the loss of culture and identity through denial and suppression;
• the importance of language;
• the role of parents and elders; and
• the challenge of moulding non-Aboriginal institutions to reflect Aboriginal values.

Aboriginal youth know their culture is more profound than a lifestyle, that it taps into the very heart of their people and their spirituality. Yet they feel their cultures are threatened, and they cling to them as the key to survival. Many feel that the traditions defining their identity are being forgotten by all but a few elders:

"Many of our parents think they are worthless. Many of them do not have the heart to serve as a stable source of love and discipline. We are experiencing a breakdown in traditional family values. We are not making human beings human. Educate us to be a guide, a friend, a companion to our parents, our people and to all Canadians. Children have dreams. Children trust grown-ups. Please don't let us down." Tara Lindsay, Iqaluit, Northwest Territories, May 25, 1992

"I have a grandfather who is 80 years old and I have been growing up with him for my 18 years. I cannot speak my language. I try. But I love him more than anything, and there's communication there...you can feel the love between us and I can hold his hand and we know we understand each other. But there is something missing when we cannot listen to the stories they have to tell, or explain how you are feeling about something. And it's very frustrating for me, knowing that this very important part of my culture is being lost." Christina Delaney, Moosonee, Ontario, June 10, 1992

This sense of loss coloured virtually every statement that youth made to the Commission. For some it was the focus of their message. For others, the sense of loss was muted or overwhelmed by strong cultural pride. The Commission's hearings often revealed these two poles: the devastation felt among youth in Aboriginal communities, and the yearning for identity through a revived and invigorated culture. This duality is played outin the lives of many young Aboriginal people.

One of the Commission's research projects revealed this yearning for identity through 'Sonny', a young Aboriginal man who abused drugs and alcohol. Sonny eventually rediscovered his sense of self through identification with his culture. At a Native Friendship Centre he was introduced to songs, dances, ceremonies and other cultural practices. Eventually Sonny was able to turn his lef around, through renewed pride and self-esteem. His culture was like a key, unlocking his capacity to heal himself.

Like Sonny, many Aboriginal youth who come into conflict with the law are either unaware of their cultural roots or are seeking to find them. The over-representation of Aboriginal youth in the justice system suggests other problems, including high unemployment and a perceived lack of opportunity, the absence of positive role models, low self-esteem, and the effects of racism and cultural devaluation.

Youth interviewed as part of a Commission research project said that they were proud of their culture, but most of them did not even know their culture until they were exposed to it at the Edmonton Young Offenders Centre. It is both sad and ironic that some youth discover their culture only behind the walls of a prison. 'Missy', a former street youth in Vancouver asked: "Why are counselling and Aboriginal culture suddenly provided after youth have landed on the street? It gives kids the wrong message - if you're behaving yourself, you're doing okay in school, you're at home and you don't run away...you don't deserve these things."