Yellowknife (Mar 10/03) - Georgina Fabian believes culture can heal.

Last fall, Fabian formed Red Willow Crafts, which promotes traditional skills and offers advice on family, tradition and culture.

The 51-year-old also teaches traditional crafts as a resource person at Chief Sunrise school on the Hay River Reserve.

News/North: Why have you taken on the role of promoting traditional culture?

Georgina Fabian: Because I really believe that my people can get well through culture. I feel a lot of compassion and love for my people, especially for children ... We need to start going back to our elders and asking them questions about the traditional way of life and what it was like a long time ago.

N/N: What do you hope to accomplish?

GF: What I'm hoping for is to one day have healthy Dene children who can be successful in whatever they choose to be. I want them to know I care about them. I've got five children and seven grandchildren. I stopped drinking 17 years ago before my grandchildren were born. Because my husband and I have been sober 17 years, we started turning our lives around and showing love to our children and grandchildren. Now, our grandchildren are very lovable people and very respectful. Those kind of children will grow up to be strong leaders. Those kind of children will grow up to be successful at whatever they choose to be in life.

N/N: How would a traditional lifestyle help children?

GF: In today's modern times, as a Dene person myself, we're too busy trying to live in two worlds -- the Dene way and the non-aboriginal way of life. I find there's lots of conflict. I was raised up by a mom and a dad who had never been to residential school. While I was growing up, they talked a lot about traditional values, like being respectful, and traditional teachings, like how to set snares ... All these things that I was taught when I was a child gave me a sense of identity and it was always there.

N/N: What does your business involve?

GF: I'm starting a handicraft business where I buy and sell handicrafts. And I do other activities like facilitating workshops, and consulting on family and development, tradition, and culture.

N/N: What would one of your workshops involve?

GF: In October, I was asked to do a presentation in Yellowknife to teachers ... I talked about the traditional family values and beliefs and how it was back then when families were being raised in the traditional way. I talked about what happened when the missionaries came, and how alcohol and drugs affect the family way of life and family development. I encouraged them to put education policies aside and start relating to children. Children need to know that they matter. They need to know that somebody loves them and cares for them ... Children sometimes have a hard life. Sometimes they come from a home of alcohol and maybe there's only one parent, and that one parent can't meet all the needs of the child. So there's an emotional need left, and they're not taught the traditional way of life and talked to about values.

N/N: Do you share your own story at such workshops?

GF: I can share how I'm doing my own healing. How I sobered up and the things I've done in my life that was negative, and how I turned my life around ... What it was like living in a home in alcoholism being five years old. I want them to see what a child goes through.

I grew up in a lot of violence because of alcoholism, and all the emotional pain and mental anguish. I think that stopped me from learning and affected me as a child.

From five years old, I was a parent to my parents. From five years old, I was trying to help them not to kill each other. By 10 years old, I was a parent to my little brothers and sisters.

N/N: How did you become sober?

GF: In 1986, my husband, my children and myself, we all went for treatment ... I didn't want to live that way any more. It created a lot of problems in my life and the family I was bringing up. I had a relationship problem with my husband. There was a lot of emotional pain, and I knew then that was the turning point. I remember once after a night of drinking and fighting, I was thinking there were three ways out. I could abandon my family and go back to the way I used to live and say the hell with it and leave my husband and my children and hurt them, and they'd grow up to be angry at me. Or I could say the hell with it and kill myself, and still hurt my children. Or I could stay and do something about it ... So I started working on myself. Today, my husband and I have a beautiful relationship. We have so much love between us. On our 25th anniversary we renewed our vows. I'm so glad that I smartened up before my grandchildren came because my grandchildren have never seen my husband and I drink.

N/N: Did your traditional upbringing help you overcome your problems?

GF: That traditional upbringing still stayed with me, and eventually I went back to it.

N/N: Why do you think traditional crafts are an important part of healing?

GF: The last two years I've been in the alcohol and drug program as a counsellor. I've been working with adult education. I asked them one day, 'Let's do something together.' I said, 'How about I show you guys how to sew, how to make mitts and something good like that?' So every Friday they came. I started in October and we never finished until Dec. 19. They were just so joyful with what they had done. Then to my surprise one of them said, 'You know, Georgina, when you first suggested we do this, I never thought I could do it, but look what I made, a pair of mitts.' They were so happy and at peace with themselves.

N/N: How long have you been involved with Chief Sunrise school?

GF: Over the years, I've been coming in and out of this school, teaching different things. I used to be a culture person here in the school a long time ago when my children were going to school here. This is where we started to develop our own drummers on the reserve about 1986.

N/N: What is your background in alcohol and drug treatment?

GF: I've taken alcohol and drug training and counselling training. I've got a diploma in community addictions and counselling. I've worked two years when the treatment centre first started. After the two years, I decided to leave because in a treatment environment it's like that's the only place you can work.

For me, I saw that there was more to treatment than just one area. In treatment, the people are already there and they come in from different communities.

They come there and you work with them. But in the community, you have to start reaching out to these people because they're not going to come to you. You have to get out there and get people to come and help them to see that you can get well.

N/N: Do you feel good about yourself today?

GF: Yes. I am happy with my life.