At Medicine Hat’s Kom Mo Taan, people find healing

“[Kom Mo Taan] could mean a lot of of things but primarily in ceremony to help people that have experienced trauma of some sort, or have illness in the family, having some psychological issues, any challenges that they are facing,” Fox said.

“The ceremony, the prayers, the face painting; all of that is to help the individuals experiencing that.”

Chief Charlie Fox was running the ceremony inside the teepee on Friday. Eli J. Ridder/CHAT News

Organize Brenda Mercer said she wanted to hold an event in advance of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Monday.

The holiday honours the children who never returned home and survivors of Canada’s residental schools, as well as their families and communities.

She said Kom Mo Taan was an opportunity to show and teach a unique part of Indigenous culture amid a time when many Canadians are reflecting on its history.

“We wanted to introduce Blackfoot face painting,” Mercer said in reference to the painted marks placed on those who went in the teepee.

“We make tobacco ties, we ask Elder Charlie Fox if you would pray for me, for my family, for example. He then takes the tobacco, says a prayer and he paints your face with red ochre.”

Ceremonies like the one held Friday have been passed down many generations by Indigenous Peoples to help tackle the challenges they face, Fox explained.

“We continue to use these customs and traditions, these spiritual ways to help our people, for all people,” he said.

Public events that teach and explore Indigenous cultures are an important part of Canada’s journey of reconciliation with the land’s original inhabitants.

“We know that the dark history of Canada is not known by everybody, and it created a lot of challenges for our people, and today, now that we’re starting to acknowledge the truth of what happened…is a start for reconciliation,” Fox said.

Medicine Hat College, the Miywasin Friendship Centre and the Firekeepers Women’s Society will host several outdoor activities for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

The third annual event will run from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday at the college’s Medicine Hat campus.

by Eli J. Ridder, Jesse Gill

At Medicine Hat’s Kom Mo Taan, people find healing

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