Karen Bird, Associate Branch General Manager and Investment Advisor, invited her brother Jay, a traditional healer from the Ojibwa Nation, to attend the group’s final meeting. He met employees there and gave 26 names and clans that evening.
The RBC Royal Eagles Aboriginal Resource Group biannual conference always includes a cultural component. Karen Bird, Deputy Branch Manager and Investment Advisor, invited her brother, a traditional healer from the Ojibwa Nation, to attend the group’s final meeting.
Many of Karen’s colleagues have lost touch with their community and culture – a result of generations of boarding schools – and no longer know their traditional names. Although anyone who wishes can take tobacco to an elder to learn their name and clan, Karen took matters into her own hands by inviting the elder to join them, convinced of the transformative power of such a move.
His brother Jay spent hours one-on-one with staff, and that night he named 26 names and clans. “It was a very moving evening. People felt the bonds that bind us together and the sense of belonging we all seek. They were proud and just happy to discover their identity,” Karen recalls. She will never forget their smiles the next day as they introduced themselves in English and Ojibway as their new entity.
“Knowing one’s name and clan helps shape one’s identity and worldview. It’s hard to find your place in the workplace when you don’t know who you are,” she explains. With the discovery of their name and clan, and a better understanding of their strengths, Aboriginal workers can begin to find their place within our extended family and that of the Royal Eagles. We support and accompany everyone who has not yet received their name.
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Another article in the series “A Marked Path” :
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