This week marks Addictions Awareness Week
WIIKWEMIKOONG—The cold did not keep the community away on the star-filled night, lit by a bright waxing moon. A group of mourners gathered at the Wikwemikoong Healing Lodge to hold a candlelight vigil to kick off Addictions Awareness Week. The walk, led by matriarchs and grandmothers in ceremonial ribbon skirts and carrying a banner is part of a four-day ceremony to honour loved ones lost to the opioid crisis.
A traditional firekeeper lit the sacred fire at 11 am Sunday, and people continued to trickle in throughout the day. The sacred fire will remain lit for the traditional four days to help the spirits of the deceased cross over and will end on Wednesday, November 22.
Deaths spiked throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and show no signs of letting up.
“I can’t believe how many people we are losing. It’s been happening for a few years, but I’m still shocked how many people, in such a small community,” the firekeeper said.
While the reason for the gathering was solemn, the energy was a celebration of life. People gathered around the fire in the circular lodge, warming themselves, sharing hot soup, teachings, and even some laughs. Everyone who came was welcomed into the healing lodge.
“This (overdose crisis) is a spiritual sickness that comes from loss of culture. We have to lift ourselves up. The solution can’t come from the outside; it has to come from our spirituality,” one ceremony goer said.
Since 2017, there has been a rise in opioid-related poisonings among First Nations communities, primarily attributed to the escalating prevalence of fentanyl within the unmonitored drug distribution. First Nations individuals notably face disproportionate representation in opioid-related fatalities, experiencing a mortality rate approximately four times greater than their non-Indigenous counterparts.
