Centering Blackfoot Abundance in Addictions Recovery

Moderator Ruben Buck Breaker, Dr Gabrielle Weasel head, Randal Bell Asiniy Maskwa (Stone Bear), Reagan Bartel

Panel 3 – Indigenous Health Stream – Indigenous Partnerships for healthy recovery communities

September 24th Day Two – Exhibition Hall C North Building 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM

Centering Blackfoot Abundance in Addictions Recovery

Dr Gabrielle Weasel Head

Session Description

This presentation is a tribute to the legacy of a dear friend and mentor to many, Sikapinaki, Dr. Betty Bastien, of the Piikani Nation, Blackfoot Confederacy. While her recent transition to the realm of the unseen has left a significant void in the communities of the Blackfoot Confederacy, it has motivated me to better understand the nature of what it means to carry my ontological responsibilities forward in life as a Blackfoot person. Her book, Blackfoot Ways of Knowing: The Worldview of the Siksikaitsitapi, is a testament to the spirit of Blackfoot resilience as being grounded in notions of inspiration, hope and perseverance – notions that transcend Western linearity, conceptions of time and assumptions about existence, knowledge and ethical responsibilities. Betty asserts,

It is my hope that our ancestors and ancients will have their openly acknowledged place in our ways of being and becoming … that our educational institutions and social organizations generate the ways of being created by the spiritual connections among all people and that ‘which is.’ This is the hope and conviction that balance is a possibility. (p. xi)

By offering a critical analysis of the cultural paradigms that shape our knowledge and ways of being, this presentation aims to embody Betty’s hope of infusing Blackfoot spirituality and enduring lifeways into our educational institutes so that we can generate reference points for healing in ways that demonstrate how balance in life is indeed possible. I will also highlight how Blackfoot notions on abundance, wellness and meaningful purpose in life can be the antidote for addressing community violence and addictions.

Learning Objectives

  • To advance a deeper engagement with cultural worldviews
  • To provide another way of understanding addictions recovery
  • To provide critical analysis on the role of settler colonialism in Indigenous addictions.

References

Bastien, B. (2004). Blackfoot ways of knowing: Worldview of the Siksikaitsitapi. University of Calgary Press.

Bastien, B. (2003). The cultural practice of participatory transpersonal visions: an indigenous perspective. ReVision, 26(2), 41–.48.

Bearchief, R., Choate, P. & Lindstrom, G. (2022). Reconsidering Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs from an Indigenous perspective. Aotearoa New Zealand Social Work, 34(2), 30-41. https://anzswjournal.nz/anzsw/article/view/959.

Deloria, V. (1992). Relativity, relatedness, and reality. Winds of Change, 7(4), 34-40. https://library.wisn.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/130105-Relativity-Relatedness-Reality.pdf.

Yellow Bird, M. (2013). Neuro-decolonization: Applying mindfulness research to decolonizing social work. In M. Gray, J. Coates, M. Yellow Bird & T. Hetherington. Decolonizing Social Work, Routledge.

Bio

Tsapinaaki, Dr. Gabrielle Weasel Head belongs to the lands of the Blackfoot Confederacy and is a member of Kainawa. As an active Indigenous researcher and an Associate Professor in Indigenous Studies, Dr. Weasel Head’s research focuses on developing ethical spaces of engagement in the scholarship of teaching and learning, curriculum development and actively embodies Indigenous research methodologies in a diverse context ranging from resilience studies, health and wellness, emergency response, to professional development revamps.

Other Panel Members

Join us for the Alberta Recovery Summit, hosted by the 9th Annual Recovery Capital Conference taking place on September 23rd, 24th, and 25th, 2025.

 Session Streams

  • Health Care and Recovery
  • Indigenous Health
  • Occupational Health and Safety

 Key Details

  • DAY ONE September 23rd – 5:30 pm 6:30: Early Badge Pick Up and Networking Reception, 6:30 pm to 8 pm Pre Conference Presentation
  • DAY TWO September 24th – 8:45 am to 5 pm: Keynote Speakers and Breakout Sessions
  • DAY THREE September 25th – 9 am to 5 pm: Keynote Speakers and Breakout Sessions

 Hotels

Book your hotel at one of our host hotels and save money. Click on the links for the discount rates and book early as rates will go up, and they always sell out.

Schedule

Speakers

Registration

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