“Rocky” Richard Jackson from Telegraph Creek will be in town from Tuesday, May 23 to Friday, May 26 to connect with people about health & wellness and lead ceremony if people wish. If you’re interested in meeting with Rocky, please phone April at 867-332-2633 to book a time.

Here’s a few words from Rocky himself on what he offers:

“’On-nee’ means… Come here in our Tahltan language! We use it to call one’s spirit back…especially when someone experiences shock…they get scared. We believe the spirit can leave a person’s body…I believe trauma has done that to our aboriginal people through res school, etc. Our people need a reconnect and our ceremonies do that.

The fire has been used to burn and rid us of some of the traumas, too. A burning ceremony of anything we write and to do it in a discrete way, which is only between us and God/Creator.

I found it to be the same with water and how we use it in a ceremony. We are made up of water like 90 % I am told and we were in water in our mother’s womb. It makes sense to me that water can be very powerful as a form of cleansing, too. And it’s the same with fire and the earth as methods of cleansing. I could elaborate more on that when I speak. The sweats consist of the 4 elements air, water, earth and fire. It holds that power that could be related to the womb.

With what I do with these type of ceremony I try to make people feel safe…I can explain prior to and if people would like to take part. I give them the option. People have to feel comfortable and to know they are safe with anything new to them…I can relate to that.

Brushing with boughs (i.e. juniper, cedar, etc) is another form of cleansing.

Our herbal medicines, too…how we can use them as part of our healing.

I could talk on prayers, and self-care, what we can do alone to gain confidence within ourselves to take that step forward as we begin to recognize the positive changes occurring in our healing journey.”