18th Jun 2024 Gemini 1.5 Pro
Shauna Yeomans, a Yukon First Nations Climate Action Fellow, eloquently articulates the challenges and triumphs of navigating life as a young Indigenous person in Canada. Having grown up with a limited understanding of her Indigenous heritage due to the systemic erasure of Indigenous history in mainstream education, Yeomans embarked on a personal journey of reconnection. This journey led her to discover the profound impact of residential schools on her family and community, recognizing them as a source of intergenerational trauma. This realization sparked within her a passion for reclaiming her Indigenous identity and advocating for the well-being of future generations.
"And so in early childhood development, I was essentially learning everything, this is a whole recipe about how to create a healthy human that's going to be able to do well in life and live up to their fullest potential. And so, okay, that's great. But then bringing into my own life experiences, I was like, oh, this makes a lot of sense. This makes a lot of sense of so many of our communities are grappling with such heavy intergenerational trauma and essentially just trying to escape the trauma and the hurt."
Central to Yeomans's advocacy is the concept of land guardianship, a practice deeply rooted in Indigenous traditions. Through her work with the Taku River Tlingit First Nation, Yeomans actively participates in establishing Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs), spaces dedicated to preserving and managing land according to Indigenous knowledge and values. She emphasizes the importance of these areas not only for ecological conservation but also for cultural revitalization. By reconnecting Indigenous youth with their ancestral lands and teaching them traditional practices, Yeomans believes they can foster a sense of belonging, purpose, and resilience.
"And so much of the work, it sounds like, centered on this word reconnection. Why reconnection and what does that really mean? For me, I think reconnection was reconnecting to our whole selves."
Yeomans emphasizes the collective healing power of shared experiences. She recounts her time with the Yukon First Nations Climate Action Fellowship, a group of 13 young Indigenous leaders working together to develop a climate action plan. Through this fellowship, Yeomans found a supportive space to confront the ongoing trauma of colonialism and grapple with issues such as substance abuse, mental health, and cultural disconnection. This experience highlighted for her the importance of fostering strong communities that provide a sense of belonging, support, and shared purpose.
"And so we realized, you know, like this isn't just an indigenous problem. Like this has come over, like this is a human problem. This has come over like from when settlers came over, you know, their home countries, they weren't able to take care of their own people. They brought that over with them. And so how do we take a step back and take some of these barriers and silos down and just really how do we just get back to one of my favorite quotes from Bev Sellers is reconciliation with Mother Earth."
A powerful advocate for youth empowerment, Yeomans believes young people are crucial in shaping a more just and sustainable future. She observes that youth possess a unique ability to challenge the status quo and propose innovative solutions often overlooked by older generations. Yeomans stresses the importance of creating spaces where young voices are heard and valued, emphasizing the need for mentorship and guidance rather than control. By supporting and learning from youth, Yeomans believes communities can tap into their immense potential for positive change.
"Ta-da! I think in these new generations, and I think that's one of the power of youth, is they are incredible disruptors. I remember just falling in love dancing and singing our traditional languages. And that was probably where my reconnection journey started. Just feeling that power, like so empowerment there."
Yeomans's vision extends beyond her immediate community, encompassing a desire to build bridges with Indigenous communities worldwide. Through her experiences with Students on Ice and Canada World Youth, she has witnessed the power of cross-cultural exchange and collaboration. She envisions creating more opportunities for Indigenous peoples to connect, share knowledge, and learn from each other's experiences. These connections, she believes, are crucial for strengthening Indigenous sovereignty, amplifying their voices on a global stage, and collectively addressing the shared challenges facing their communities.
"I think... I think just like one of the things that's really giving me hope and stuff is being able to connect with other Indigenous folks and being able to connect globally because there's this kinship that I feel like there's just like a language, a hidden language that we all understand. And it's just like being in that connectedness to earth and stuff. And so I've been really privileged to go on student exchanges."
Airtable