HEALING AND RECONCILIATION FOR COMMUNITIES AND FAMILIES
Healing and Cultural Connection at Mashkwa Healing Garden
Like other Indigenous Peoples, the Métis have endured colonial policies aimed at severing cultural ties and displacing them from the land.
This disconnection has contributed to intergenerational trauma and a decline in well-being for over 8,000 Métis individuals and their families.
For many, access to their traditional culture or a sense of belonging has been limited to services run through urban organizations or community groups.
Recognizing the need for a dedicated cultural space in British Columbia’s interior, the Métis Community Services Society of BC purchased five acres of land in 2023 to create the Mashkwa Healing Garden. This sacred space provides a safe and welcoming environment where Indigenous Peoples can gather to access traditional ceremonies, land-based teachings, food sovereignty, and Indigenous ways of knowing and being. The Healing Garden will also serve as a space for traditional healing practices, Elder guidance, and cultural teachings, fostering connection to the land and community.
To help develop the physical space and ensure it can safely and comfortably welcome those seeking cultural connection, the Indigenous Reconciliation Fund (IRF) will contribute funding to build and enhance the facilities at Mashkwa Healing Garden.
With its focus on connection to the land, community, and culture, Mashkwa Healing Garden will be able to offer Indigenous Peoples in the Okanagan a pathway to healing and a renewed sense of belonging.
Archdiocese of Vancouver
