James is a friendly 59-year-old, born in Kahnawake Mohawk Territory on the southern shore of the Saint Lawrence River.
Sadly, he wasn’t home for long. Taken away from his family at the age of 5, James was brought to Oka, Quebec and enrolled in a residential school that aimed to eradicate his language, culture, and way of life. Beyond having his very identity under siege, James suffered horrific abuse at the school.
But James nurtures what others sought to erase, taking every opportunity he can to honour and support his Indigeneity. And now, he’s helping The Ottawa Mission.
Due to the legacy of residential schools, a disproportionate amount of Indigenous people access our programs and services, and James was one of them. He persevered in life and had a great 25-year career as a waste collection operator.
But when the pandemic hit, he was unexpectedly out of work. Soon after, he couldn’t afford his rent and turned to us for shelter. Our client services and housing staff eventually helped him find a suitable apartment.
While at The Mission, James saw an opportunity to help our staff better connect with Indigenous clients. Now, he performs smudging ceremonies, with plans to perform sunrise ceremonies in the future. These deeply meaningful smudging ceremonies are important spiritual touchstones of Indigenous culture and help foster an inclusive environment for the clients that observe them.
James hopes they’ll also help staff understand the importance of Indigenous culture and ceremony in the lives of Indigenous clients.
“There are a lot of us; those who went through what I went through. This is my calling… this is what I’ve always wanted to do: help others.”
Thanks to your support, James is in a position to do just that.