This week’s storyteller’s story is needed to be heard by many, especially if you feel like looking at your lineage isn’t important.
Darla Antoine has a unique perspective as she has lineages that trace back to both First Nation (Native American) and European ancestry. She is an Okanagan First Nations Member (NW Washington and Southern British Columbia) and, among many of the pieces of her work (including a Masters’ in Intercultural Communication), she is an ancestral healer. Growing up on her maternal ancestor’s homeland in Northwestern Washington State albeit in a white farming community, she felt and continues to feel a deep connection to those lands, even though she lives thousands of miles away now in Costa Rica with her husband.
This week, Darla shares:
the stories of her grandmother’s disconnection through often violent forced assimilation (that institutionally lasted until the 1970s)
how this experience trickled down between the generations
the importance of both genealogical & spiritual work
her own return to her ancestral roots, her culture, her land and her stories after a few generations of the painful disconnect
Most Importantly: Ancestors aren’t just people of the past, they exist in present time.
The reason for so much of the familial and of the societal wounds in the world started with our ancestors, either as being the first to experience it, perpetuate it or both. Darla shares what she thinks needs to be done in order to change this.
Before you travel to that one far-off place to learn an indigenous ritual that has nothing to do with your bloodline…
Before you take on a spiritual name from another culture or language that your ancestors never spoke…
Before you study with that guru or adopt that spiritual practice du jour…
CONNECT WITH YOUR ANCESTORS.
Watch or listen to Darla’s story below.
And, to learn more about Darla’s work, you can visit her website at https://darlaantoine.com/.
Click below to watch or listen to Darla’s story.
(Length: 30:37)
Watch Darla’s Story Here
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Many of you might be thinking “I have no stories, or even interesting stories of my family” or “How can I even begin to learn more about my family’s history?”
I’ve got you covered, check out this free guide called {Y}our Connecting Conversations.