Cultural reconnection in Indigenous corrections: Part 2

“Reconnecting with their culture, I see a smoother reintegration into the community because they find a sense of belonging and it provides a big support network for them.”

Indigenous peoples are overrepresented in Canada’s federal correctional system, and many incarcerated individuals have had limited or no prior connection to their Indigenous culture, history, or identity. In part two of our exploration of cultural reconnection in Indigenous corrections, we look at how cultural identity and community support are key to the safe and successful reintegration of Indigenous offenders.

In this episode, we hear from Elder Josephine Buffalo, who shares her perspective on the importance of preserving Indigenous culture and the unique role Elders play in supporting incarcerated individuals. We also hear from Julia, Operations Manager at Buffalo Sage Wellness House, who explains how Section 81 healing lodges provide culturally grounded support through supervised housing, traditional teachings, and reintegration programs for Indigenous offenders.

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Kirstan: Given the generational impacts Indigenous communities have faced, including the loss of cultural identity and traditional practices, which are impacts that continue to shape lives today, the Correctional Service of Canada began offering elder services back in the 1990s

These services provide spiritual guidance and cultural support to Indigenous offenders. In 1992, Section 81 agreements were introduced. These allow Indigenous communities to operate healing lodges and deliver culturally appropriate programs. These initiatives aim to foster pride, healing, and successful re-integration into society.

On today's episode of Prisons Inside/Out, we speak with two remarkable individuals who are working to preserve and promote Indigenous culture within Canada's correctional system. I'm Kirstan Gagnon and welcome to another episode of Prisons Inside/Out.

Josephine Buffalo is an esteemed elder at Pê Sâkâstêw Centre, a CSC operated Healing Lodge in Alberta. In our conversation, she spoke about the importance of preserving culture. She also shared how her role helps offenders connect or reconnect with their cultural roots, giving them a renewed sense of identity and belonging.

Here's that conversation.

Kirstan: Great. Well, I'm here with one of the elders at the Healing Lodge here. Please introduce yourself.

Elder Josephine: My name is Josephine Buffalo from Samson Ban, and my green name is Casco Capo. I was named when I was four days old.

Kirstan: Wonderful. And how many years have you worked for the correctional Service?

Elder Josephine: Going on to 18. 17 years I finished and now I’m going on to 18 this year.

Kirstan: Tell me a bit about what you do here at the Healing Lodge.

Elder Josephine: Working in here, I learn a lot…and what I, what I gave our inmates is what we learned back home. And those are the teachings that we shared with them.

Kirstan: And what kind of impact does it make?

Elder Josephine: It is a real positive impact and a lot of these, these are men that came here, have never been introduced to any ceremonies or culture before. So that's where we come in.

Kirstan: That's where you start, and you explain to them how it works, and we talked a bit about earlier about the, you know, the expected behaviors if you're going to be here and the importance of commitment in the journey.

Elder Josephine: Yes, we explain it to them how they're going to listen to the elders and, you know, the teachings, how they're gonna carry on with their life after they leave here.

Kirstan: And can you tell me a bit about the importance of storytelling in the work you do?

Elder Josephine: We do a lot of storytelling. Mondays and Fridays and Mondays and Fridays is also set for sweat. And the ones that are not going in there, they come to the, they come to listen to us, and we explained the stories and the teachings we shared with them.

Kirstan: And in terms of the connection, you have with the men at the site, I noticed there seems to be a lot of reciprocal respect.

Elder Josephine: They show a lot of respect. And when we talk to them men, most of them remembered their grandmothers, their Kokums in the past.

Kirstan: And would you say that family connection is still very important?

Elder Josephine: It is very strong for them. It is very strong for them, but the main thing is their connection is always the grandmother, always the grandmother.

Kirstan: And do you have any examples of seeing the men apply the teachings and apply the work that you're giving to them, the investment of time you're making and the one of the staff because we talk about, you know, correctional journeys and healing journeys. And how do you make sure that they stay on track?

Elder Josephine: Some of them that left phone back and she they're telling us they're doing OK. And there's one here that was here for about 3 years. And he, he made it back to his, to his reserve and he followed, he followed the seven teachings. So, he was very a traditional person and he was going to come back and ask for some songs that go with the Sundance.

But last year we found out he passed away. And that's also the regret we have that we don't have time to say goodbye to them.
Kirstan: And he done important work on that journey, then?

Elder Josephine: Oh he did he really did he go to every ceremonial, a trail of that Sundance pow-wow’s, their ceremonies. And what he said, the biggest part in my life is, which I will continue is smudging in the morning and pray to keep him,

Kirstan: To keep yourself grounded?

Elder Josephine: To keep himself grounded. And he believed in that.

Kirstan: When we, we toured around, we saw that there's so much talent as well in terms of, and, and I'm, I'm guessing it's an important outlet for whether you, you do art or you do woodworking or you make instruments or you sing or you the gentleman making teepees. But those are important skills as well for when they're potentially released into the community. Can you tell me a bit about that?

Elder Josephine: Well, a lot of these men that come here, like I say, they don't know. They have a hidden talent and a lot of them make these rattles, and you should see on Monday we started up a project for rattle making and within two weeks they're going to start on the drums. It depends on the height where we got it. And with the blanket making, a lot of them didn't realize that they could do a blanket.

So, they're making star blankets, which is very beautiful and beadwork and whatever, whatever they can use their hands on. And one of them left. He knew how to make ribbons shirts. And that's one thing they each learn how to make a shirt with ribbons. So when they go to these parole hearings, that's who, that's what they wear. It inspired them.
Kirstan: That's great. And so you feel that some of the residents will come with a skill that they'll give to others.

Elder Josephine: Oh, yes, lots of skills. They have very, very good skills. Yeah.

Kirstan: And I noticed the art. It's really amazing and I guess you could communicate a lot through art.

Elder Josephine: One of them is in Edmonton. He came back twice, but these very good with artwork and I asked him where did you learn this from? He pointed to his forehead, his and his creativity, very creative. And he, he looks at a picture and starts writing. Yeah, yeah. And he really opened up to me and he used to come and talk to me.

Some of them are very, yeah, very close to me, talk about their lives, their childhood, and I encouragement. This is where the encouragement comes in
Kirstan: Because you're not only called upon to work for correctional service here, you're going back to your community and probably investing a lot of time in ceremonies there as well.

Elder Josephine: Oh yes, we do. And also we take them out the Sundance, Sundance singing. We teach them why they have to do this. They play a big part and at the Sundance we have a few that were able to be released to work with the region they Sundance and they made a commitment for themselves – which a few did.

Kirstan: So as a way of giving back?

Elder Josephine: That's the way of giving back. And also, they said these connections through nature is also connected to Creator. That's how they look at it.

Kirstan: OK, that's great. When I was at another institution, I'd seen the pathways program. It was some was this the space dedicated to some of the teachings and there was some meal being prepared and the residents there were beading that day. And I was just blown away by the level of concentration that was required and how some are just connecting through that culture and also learning about themselves through the process.

Elder Josephine: Oh yes, oh yes, you should see them when they start beading; they concentrate. Nothing interferes with them. They just concentrate and do it for themselves. When they leave here, that's what they're going carry.

That's why we have Elders also we join with the programs. The greatest value is to believe in themselves, to learn to forgive themselves and to move on.
Kirstan: It seems like you have no judgment.

Elder Josephine: It's not for me to judge them. And I always tell them it's not for me to judge you. I'm here to work with you and when I talked to them when…To see a grown man cry, you have to be strong not to get your tears get in the away. And then you encourage them thought that God is very forgiving. Our Creator’s very forgiving. Ask for these and I told them you will, your prayers will be answered.

And one of them came up to me and said, you know, I just lost my daughter. And that's when I lost my daughter, he said I was not bitter because I know my daughter. I wish I had been there, but I can't," she said. But I was thinking about my daughter, you know? Tears were dropping.
Here comes an eagle circling, and around me and I and I looked up and I and I thought to myself, I said, I love you, my daughter. And the eagle flew away.
These are the beliefs that they have, that the creator will send a bird or anything to show us he's there.
Kirstan: It's hard, eh?

Elder Josephine: It is hard when you see a grown man cry like a grief, but they have visitors here. When these visitors come here, they really, they're really happy about it, Yeah, to see their family. And one of them told me is that I'm gonna be more closer to my, my parents. And their comments is, he said

Kirstan: That's great.

Elder Josephine: So, he said, I'm looking forward. I am Kokum, he said. I am, and I'd like to see them. I'm gonna tell them I love them, and I'm gonna tell them that the Creator will forgive me.

Elder Josephine: Like I said, there's no judgment in our work.

Kirstan: To give back. Yes. Well, thank you for spending time with me today. I really learned a lot about your job, but also about who you are and what you give back.

Kirstan: Next we hear from Julia, the Operations Manager at the Buffalo Sage Wellness House, a Section 81 facility for women in Edmonton, AB. She explains how these Section 81 healing lodges support individuals transitioning back into the community by providing supervised housing, cultural teachings and programs that promote successful reintegration.

Next, we hear from Julia, the Operations Manager at the Buffalo Sage Wellness House, a Section 81 facility for women in Edmonton, AB. She explains how these Section 81 healing lodges support individuals transitioning back into the community by providing supervised housing, cultural teachings and programs that promote successful reintegration.
Kirstan: Thank you for having us at Buffalo Sage Wellness House here in Edmonton, AB. It's great to be here to do our podcasts and to have you as a guest. So, what do you do here?

Julia: So, I handle all the primary workers, all the staff. I have about 23 primary workers. So, it's a 24-hour schedule that I handle. And then I'm also responsible for the residents, their needs, their medical needs, what they're doing in the community, part of their case management team, basically.

Kirstan: OK, so how many people do you have here under your care?

Julia: We have room for 28 beds right now. We have 26. It's usually ranging around 26, but we will be pretty full soon. So it's a mix of inmates and conditionally released. So, day parole, stat release and full parole.

Kirstan: OK. So, would you say you're kind of like a halfway house plus minimum security or how does that work?

Julia: I would say the difference between us and a halfway house is we accept inmates, whereas a halfway house would only accept conditionally released. So, we bring inmates right from the institution and they serve the rest of their sentence here. And then we kind of get to watch them, depending on the length of their sentence reintegrate in the community.

Kirstan: And I notice that there there's a difference between a Correctional Service of Canada Healing Lodge and this type of facility which is really integrated into the community. It looks like a residential street, and you have people living here and kind of apartment style residence. Can you talk to me a bit about how that works and what the difference is?

Julia: Yeah, absolutely. So, healing lodges operated by Indigenous communities provide a space where offenders can reconnect with their cultural traditions, languages and practices. At this, cultural reconnection is often a key component key component of their rehabilitation for Indigenous individuals. It helps them heal from trauma and to find a sense of identity and purpose.

Julia: We take more of a holistic approach at Buffalo Sage and to address not just the aspects of their offence but also the underlying issues such as trauma, addiction, mental health challenges and what led them to where they are.

Julia: At Buffalo Sage we offer a number of programs such as Spirit of a Warrior, grief and loss, addictions, traditional parenting, building better boundaries, relationships and assert yourself. They often include cultural components of it is, which is cultural ceremonies, counseling, traditional teachings, healing circles, and it provides a more comprehensive and culturally relevant approach to the rehabilitation.

Kirstan: So, you only have women here, correct?

Julia: Yes.

Kirstan: So how would it work to get accepted to be able to come here?

Julia: Yeah. So, for they have to be minimum security, but we will review, you know, if they are medium, it's kind of a case by case. Usually, we'll kind of meet with them sometimes when they're at Medium and we'll kind of say, say this is what you need to do to come here. And usually, it's to get to minimum. And then they can come here. They have to sign a solemn oath, basically agreeing to follow the indigenous cultural and spiritual traditions.

Julia: And they have to be committed to the healing lodge principles, which include honesty, trust, respect and openness. And then they have to agree to abstain from substance use and terminate any gang affiliations to keep the whole house safe.

Kirstan: OK, can you tell me a little bit about what a typical day would look like in the lives of these residents?

Julia: Yeah, so we always start the day with a smudge. Our Elder’s helper, goes around the house and smudges everyone. And then we have cultural, cultural calendar. So, we'll check what's going on that day, whether it be tea and crafts with kokum, a program, starting circle pipe ceremony, what's going on during the day.

Julia: Usually they focus on, you know, working on the out with the elder doing the one on ones ceremony and program and then in the evening and they go out in the community. So, every evening they either have a sobriety meeting in the community or they'll go swimming and stuff like that stuff to get them ready in the community and used to it. But truly every day is different because every day we're dealing with different obstacles, breakthroughs, different moods. Some people, you know, wake up and they're just not feeling it and we must work through that. But throughout the day, usually we try to keep them busy. They have to complete 2 chores a day. We have medication times. So, we try to give them that structure but also a sense of independence. OK.

Kirstan: And with that independence, how do we guarantee public safety?

Julia: Yeah, I think ETA's are a huge thing because it's basically that they can go out in the community with one staff and, you know, communicate with members of the community and not have any issues. And I'm proud to say that, like, we don't have any issues on ETA's. And that does, to me, show that public safety isn't a concern.

Kirstan: Yes. And so, for our listeners, can you explain what an ETA is?

Julia: Yes, it's an escorted temporary absence. So, they need to have a pass in order to leave Buffalo Sage, basically without it being an escape. Exactly. Yeah.

Kirstan: And so how do you reinforce that? How does that, how does that work in practice?

Julia: Well, we have a gang exit strategy that they can use when they come here. So, we connect them with members of EPS and stuff like that and help work on, you know, like how to exit the gang the healthy way. Because for a lot of them it's a sense of family that they don't want to leave and it's hard for them to leave that. So, we work on them with that.

Kirstan: And so, what you described in terms of that commitment and the solemn oath that was similar at a healing lodge. And so, are you, how do you get them to follow through on that commitment on a day-to-day basis? Because there must be ups and downs, right? And you must be difficult for some of them because it's, you know, a constant adjustment. And they're always working on themselves as well on their journey. So, do you want to talk to me a bit about that?

Julia: Yeah, it’s when they come here, they always, you can tell they're quite uncomfortable because it's such a shift. You know, they see that the primary workers are wearing normal clothes rather than a uniform and don't have, you know, vest and everything. And that kind of weirds them out. It's not what they're used to. And then when they start to get comfortable, that's when we really get to see them be themselves.

Julia: And at first, they, they have this sense of like, I don't deserve to be here. They come from the institution, and they don't have that self-worth. And then we kind of teach them like, we only have 28 beds. You're here for a reason. You committed to this and you're here to heal.

Julia: So, for quite of them, it's quite a journey. Like it is, you know, having to motivate them and remind them daily until they're able to be independent and do those things on their own.

Kirstan: And just for our listeners, a primary worker is what we call a correctional officer, but in a woman's institution. And reconnection seems to be a common theme across Indigenous culture and how everything is so interconnected.

Julia: Yes.

Kirstan: And I wanted to talk a bit about support because for some of these women, I know Edmonton may may not be either home or where they're from. And sometimes that could be a good thing, but other times it could mean starting over or having to build new connections in the community because it, as you said, it truly takes a village, right? And would you say there's external partners that assist you in your work?

Julia: I would say a community is the big part, like finding them Elders in the community to help them, sponsors, housing agencies. Yeah, the community is a big thing because a lot of the women, they do want to go back to what they know, where they came from, but that is where they committed their index offence. So, we do try to encourage them to make the healthy choice and to start over here, which is really scary, but we try to connect them with as many resources as we can to make it not so scary.

Julia: Sometimes it's hard to see, you know, there is a lot of women that will get released and they do slip and it is quite a cycle. But the ones that do are successful is what makes it worth it. And then the ones that slip, we're just here to help them until they're ready to do it on their own.

Kirstan: And would you say there are any challenges in your work? I'm assuming it's a difficult line of work.

Julia: Absolutely, yes.

Kirstan: There are things that are heavier, yes. And I guess So what I noticed from a lot of our staff is that they have this tremendous ability to see the positive in every situation. So, talk to me a bit about your team and how they work through that.

Julia: Yeah, I find with a lot of the residents, self-sabotage is a huge thing that happens. They're just not used to being told that they can do it and cared for. So, then they when they have that freedom to go do things, they choose to turn back to what they know, the old ways of stuff.

Julia: So, teaching them that like they are worth it, they're here for a reason and that we are a community, and it takes a community at Buffalo Sage. Like even when residents are released, we always say like, we are here for you, call us if you need us. And we have lots of old residents that will come visit, and it's pretty awesome to see how good they're doing. And it's also an example for all our residents here.

Kirstan: So how do you lift them up?

Julia: Um, ceremony is a huge piece. I find that when there is kind of a in the house, the mood isn't the best. After we all come back from ceremony, everyone kind of has that sense of belonging and knowing that we're there for each other. And this isn't it's different than what they're used to at the institution. Like, we're here to work together and cry together and heal together because not only do the residents have to heal, the staff do too.

Yeah, absolutely.
Kirstan: And do you do ceremony here on the premises or in a space in the community?

Julia: A mix of both. We do a lot of ceremony in our cultural room here. We do pipe ceremonies, full moon ceremony, assurance circles, and then they'll go into the community for stuff like sweats. They did a water ceremony at Elk Island yesterday and they go to power practice. So, kind of a mix.

Kirstan: I know I heard that the Sundance ceremonies are very popular.

Julia: Oh, yes, yeah. And in August we go, yeah, out to Sundance for a week. And that's pretty awesome because the girls, it's a whole week that they're out there and they help out and get to experience new things. All of them have never experienced a Sundance before. And a few of our ladies, Sundance. So, we all get to go and support them. And it's a pretty special experience. Yeah.

Kirstan: And I was, I was wondering about, um, you know, federal offenders who may come here or go to an institution and literally never have connected with their culture. And what I heard when I visited a healing lodge is that it was the Elders were sometimes starting from zero really in terms of raising awareness of how they do things and why and the purpose of the teachings and, and, and kind of building that culture with them. Do you, do you have that here or do you feel like the residents start from a base?

Julia: No, absolutely. I have had a lot of ladies come here and they're like, I'm nervous, like, I don't know anything. Is that OK? And absolutely like we'll teach you along the way and you'll slowly get into, back into your culture and reconnecting with their culture. It is, I see a smoother reintegration into the community because they find out seanse of belonging and it provides a big support network for them. So even if they don't have that background that they grew up with to start here, they start here, here's a new beginning. And they learn so much from our Elder.

Kirstan: You know, there's something about that starting fresh and you beginning that is pretty powerful.

Julia: Absolutely. Yeah. It's for when everyone comes here. I always tell them, take a deep breath, you're safe now and it's time to heal.

Kirstan: Absolutely.

Kirstan: I heard a lot about in past interviews about the intergenerational trauma and also fear of authority. Yes, and that being part of that trauma.

Julia: And so, it's interesting in terms of not wearing a uniform and how that could help facilitate removing barriers. Yes, if you will. And I also, I like the way you talk about the human aspect and humanization of these women because sometimes in an institutional setting it could be less that way because there's a lot of people. And I know the staff do a really good job at trying to connect with the women and at the institutions there is space and programming for Indigenous culture. But what makes this centre unique is that all of it's dedicated to that. And you have even more that sense of community, but also the independent living component being the style of residence you are.

Julia: And that just that humanization I think is, is pretty powerful because if you're going to go back into the community, people are going call you by your first name. They're going want to get to know you, and you have to relearn some of those skills of reconnecting with people. So how do you teach that?

Julia: Absolutely. Yeah. When they come here, they're used to being only called by their last name and referred to as inmate. And. And here we're your person. You're just as important as we are. Like, there's no difference between me and you, just where you ended up in your journey. So, teaching them that you can trust us. We're here to help you. You know, we're not here to sabotage your journey.

Julia: And it's nice because when there's 28 residents and about 24 staff, they get more of that one-on-one. So, each of them has a, a caseworker or a primary worker and they get to work on their correctional plan together and meet frequently and kind of have that person.

Julia: And how I do things here is I kind of allow the residents to get a feel of where they're comfortable, Like, hey, I feel really comfortable with this stuff. And then I'm say, OK, that's your caseworker. Rather than just trying to put them with someone they don't get along with, which we do have to teach them to do. But when they come here, they're so uncomfortable that I want to give them something comfortable.

Kirstan: Do you find that a lot of the residents have trouble talking about their feelings and their past? Because that can be re traumatizing in a way.

Julia: At first, they're very hesitant to talk about their past to share the feel they may be judged and, but our programs really help with that and especially our sharing circles because it's basically everyone's vulnerable, everyone's sharing.

Kirstan: It’s a safe space.

Julia: Exactly yes. So, it definitely does take them a little bit to realize like they can share these things now and feel safe doing so.

Kirstan: No judgment is key.

Julia: Yes.

Kirstan: And do you have any examples of some good success stories or things that struck you as being meaningful to you in in your work? Yeah, lots of success stories. The ladies teach me something new every single day.

Julia: This question makes me think of one of our women. She has a life sentence, and you know, she started out at the institution in the Max for a long time and now she's here. She's our elder’s helper, she's a Sundancer, she's a role model, she’s a leader for all the ladies here and she's right now she's on her way to obtaining a university diploma in social work. So, and she is just like such a role model to the ladies and just compared to where she came from to now is kind of what makes me love what we do.

Kirstan: OK. Yeah, that's a great story. It's great work and important work. Yes. And thank you for your service.

Kirstan: Yes, absolutely. Thank you for having. Thanks for joining me today. It's our new podcasts and we're so happy to be here out in the region to capture your regional voices and highlight the important work you do. Absolutely.

Thank you so much.

Kirstan: Thank you.

A special thank you to Elder Josephine and Julia for their time and for sharing their experiences with us today. If you'd like to learn more, I invite you to listen to episode 9 of Prisons Inside Out, which is called Cultural Reconnection in Indigenous Corrections. This has been a production of the Correctional Service of Canada. And I'm your host, Kirsten Daniel. Thanks for listening.