Daron Letts
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Sep 09/05) - Soft drum beats and voices united in song floated on the wind over the Frame Lake trails late last month.

The gentle music rose from participants in the Sacred Circle Project who met among the trees and rocks near Forrest Drive for their last outdoor drum circle of the summer.

They are part of a healing community of women and men who join together to care for themselves and each other. That's accomplished through regular gatherings, in which they share conversation, music and laughter.

"Everything we do is based on First Nations traditions, ceremonies and healing practices," said Cree musician Rita Chretien, a project organizer and circle keeper. "It's been very powerful."

The project began two years ago with regular talking circles for women.

More than 100 women have since taken part.

"We're happy and proud to say that women of all colours have come to our circle on a regular basis," Chretien said.

Away from stress

The talking circle is an opportunity for women to share their feelings and concerns with other women who want to listen, away from the stresses of family and work.

The women meet for a feast of stew and bannock every week, followed by a sweetgrass ceremony and the talking circle.

They sit together in an atmosphere of mutual respect and pass around a Grandfather Rock chosen from a sacred place on Mother Earth, Chretien said.

Each woman is invited to share whatever is important to her at the time.

"Sometimes it's the only place you can go in your week where nobody interrupts, disagrees or cuts you off," she said.

"It's not about going out one evening and dumping everything you have to say - it's about sharing with people who know you and care about you and are involved in your life."

Many of the women regard the circle as a healing experience.

But six months into the project, they found they needed another way for women to connect.

"We wanted something that would be more playful - where some women might feel safer and more comfortable," she said. That's when they began holding twice-monthly sewing circles in a rented space downtown. They take turns providing childcare. Often the women share intimate stories and get to know one another very well as they sew.

"One of our philosophies is that women have the right to choose whether or not to participate in any of the activities," Chretien said. "If a woman doesn't choose to participate, we still welcome her into the circle."

The women organized a third activity last summer - the drum circles. This time the circles included men.

"Everybody needs a place to feel that they belong," she said. "We need men and they need us and we recognize that. We can only heal so far unless we stand together."

The group held four drum circles again this summer and will continue them indoors in the fall. They are planning more programs to include men.

"Our dream was that we would somehow foster a healing community and I feel that dream has come true," Chretien said. "I hope someday our little community will be a place children can grow up in."