Leila Johnson & Roy Henry Vickers
Section Editor: Claire J. Starrs
The Fall 2021 cover image of Trauma Psychology News features Roy Henry Vickers’ Nisg̱a’a Mountain, artwork of a Lax̱g̱altsʼap Community member in a mountain form with Northern Canada mountains behind her. The woman participated in a trauma workshop held by Leila Johnson.
This is the first time that this image has been publicly shared.
HOW CAN MOVEMENT HELP HEAL intergenerational trauma or traumatic stress? When we are free to make choices based on how we feel in the present moment, we help heal the mind-body experience. Therefore, two of the most powerful questions we can ask ourselves in a trauma-informed practice are:
- What am I noticing in my body?
- What do I want to do about that?
Here begins the story of Two Cedars, Roy Henry Vickers’ trauma-sensitive yoga art project aiming to represent actual Community and promote inclusion of all body types.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
First, we recognize the longterm impact of colonial rule, the cultural genocide and oppression that took place on these Unceded Homelands, and the pervasiveness of structural racism. The violence towards Indigenous Peoples continues when treaties are broken, waters are polluted, and stories are silenced.
We are committed to the actions and values rooted in anti-oppression and universal trauma-informed care. We pay respect to the Sages and the Elders who came before us, and to all First Nations, Inuit, Métis, and Indigenous Peoples globally who have continuously cared for these Lands which now care for all of us.
Why do we acknowledge the Land?
Acknowledging the Land is an ongoing, mindfulness practice and an Indigenous protocol. On September 13, 2007, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a universal framework entitled United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) after many years of consultation with communities worldwide. These guiding principles acknowledge that “indigenous peoples have the right to the lands, territories, and resources which they have traditionally owned, occupied, or otherwise used or acquired” (Article 26), and states these rights “recognized herein constitute the minimum standards for the survival, dignity, and well-being of the indigenous peoples of the world.” (Article 43)
We recognize the Land as a way of not just honoring Indigenous rights but also expressing our gratitude to those whose Territories we are connected to—a small but important step in understanding and remaining in right relations. [Continue to view the full image and article…]
