The day before Casey Dick-Wyatt was due to take over the Wellness Almanac’s instagram account, she spent singing and drumming at Riva Fisher’s memorial, and then at a ceremony at Ullus to sing home the spirits of those who didn’t come home from residential school. The week then opened with a mass shooting in Las Vegas, before she was part of the Sisters in Spirit Vigil. Every time I opened my instagram and saw what Casey was sharing, I was grateful for her groundedness, her wisdom, and that she was at the helm for the week.

Here is Casey’s recap. 

Hi all,
I recently had the opportunity to do a week of Instagram takeover for the Wellness Almanac. It was certainly a different experience for me; I never thought I’d have troubles finding things to post or say on social media.

My week had a number of events that I addressed and was honoured to be able to share my perspective and my voice with the followers which made it easier to find things to share and talk about.

The Las Vegas shooting; a harsh reminder that our world and our time on this earth is a precious gift as well as those we surround ourselves with throughout life. Members of the community that were present have returned home and the healing has begun. The tragic experience for those present at the time of the mass shooting was a time where the greater good of humanity shone through and let us know we can create change for the better. That the good is still there, we just need to create the space for it to thrive.

The Sisters in Spirit vigil; an event I partake in every year and find myself becoming more involved in with the planning process. This event is important to me as Indigenous women, girls and two-spirited are seven times more likely to experience violence than other Canadians. Women of all education levels, shades of flesh, hometowns and professions are effected. It is truly frightening to know that this is reality Indigenous women face.

Being of not visibly Indigenous identity (by societal standards), knowing that I have a University education, I am strongly rooted in cultural teachings; knowing I am all these things and more and am still at a higher risk of being subjected to violent acts is absolutely an unacceptable state to live in and this is why I choose to stand up to battle this national tragedy as often as I possibly can so that I can one day live in a world where Indigenous women, girls and two-spirited are not victims of violence.

Thanksgiving weekend pow wow; as I stated in my ig post, Lil’wat has hosted a thanksgiving weekend pow wow for over thirty years and is a fantastic event to witness or partake in. It is a time for meeting new people, finding old friends, sharing in crowd-wide laughter and spiritual uplifting energy. Memories of childhood attendance at the old gymnasium running to my grandparents’ house between pow wow sessions for meals as well as learning all the teachings or stories (and jokes) from elders and visiting out of town relatives.

The week was full of events, love, emotions, and adventures and I am truly honoured to be able to share all of it with all of the ig followers and see all the “likes” and comments. I look forward to continuing to follow each week of takeovers on Instagram and getting to learn about each person who has invited us into their world for the week.

Kukwstumckacw,

Casey Dick-Wyatt