Umba wastano,

Goodstoney Nation, like many other First Nations in Canada, is excited to get back jurisdiction for the lives of our children and their families – an inherent right that we NEVER gave to Canada or the Province of Alberta in the first place.

We know how much damage (and we see it every day) that Canada’s ‘taking care of our children’ has done to our children, our families, our language, our culture and our ways of being as an Indian people.

Now we are taking these back – putting the Indian back in the child, putting back our ways, putting back our language and culture.

This will not be an easy task and it will take time to find and return to our teachings, our ways, our ceremonies. We will need our Elders, our grandparents, our mothers, our fathers, our aunties and uncles. We will need every Goodstoney person to get involved as we find our way forward.

Our children are precious, our gift from the Creator to hold to our bosoms, to love and protect and give a good life. We must love them in our good way.

Isnayish,
Chief Clifford Poucette