Clan Mothers Healing Village in collaboration with Tracia’s Trust, created a four-part land-based healing video series. Entitled “The Journey of Piyesis”, these videos have been made available to Tracia’s Trust stakeholders, Authority partners, and northern communities for continued use.
Tracia’s Trust is Manitoba’s strategy to prevent sexual exploitation and human trafficking. The mission of Tracia’s Trust is to prevent and intervene in the sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of children, youth and adults in Manitoba. The four videos chronicle the journey of Piyesis, a young Indigenous girl, who comes to understand her heritage and her culture.
EPISODE 1: PIYESIS – MOONTIME CEREMONY
Piyesis, a 12-year-old Indigenous girl, begins her transition into a woman. Ignored in a busy group home, she experiences her first Moontime and is unsure of the changes to her body. An older roommate helps Piyesis through her first period, and the two seek to discover more about who they are as well as their culture.
EPISODE 2: PIYESIS – LETTING GO CEREMONY
Piyesis thinks back on the impact of negative events in her young life and the struggles she needs to overcome. Forced to live in a group home in the city, with anger and sadness built up in her heart, she turns to nature and her ancestors to guide her to a safe place. Piyesis finds herself comforted by the land and to a letting go ceremony.
EPISODE 3: PIYESIS – SWEAT LODGE CEREMONY
Being taken away from her culture at a young age, Piyesis struggles to find her way back, but with the help of grandmothers/earth mother’s teachings, it makes it easier for her to grow and learn. Afterwards she encounters a sweat lodge, in which she learns about the sweat lodge ceremony – the next step in her journey.
EPISODE 4: PIYESIS – PIPE CEREMONY
Piyesis has attended more ceremonies, feels more comfortable, and has discovered who she is. She has gone through a sweat lodge to help her heal, and that ceremony was accompanied by a Pipe ceremony. This is where Piyesis is given her spirit name Piyesis, (meaning bird).