Nikki Standinghorn has been delivering such workshops for a few years. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

By Derek Cornet

knowledge

Traditional medicine workshop attracts crowd to friendship centre

Aug 19, 2021 | 1:03 PM

Nearly 50 people attended a traditional medicine workshop Wednesday, marking the first major event at La Ronge’s Kikinahk Friendship Centre since the lifting of pandemic restrictions.

The workshop was led by Nikki Standinghorn and her son, Anton Weekusk, who are from the Sweetgrass Reserve west of North Battleford. Standinghorn operates a business called NeepSee Herbs, Teas and Traditional Medicines and also leads presentations on the topic in various communities.

“We’re in a generation where people need to start healing themselves because what we have been doing with western medicine has not been working,” she said. “That’s why we are dealing with all these addictions, that’s why we’re are dealing with the alcoholism today and the drugs. We are dealing with so much and it’s just time that we stepped up and started looking after ourselves.”

Standinghorn, who just returned from a 10-day trip presenting in Northern Alberta, explained people are interested in learning about traditional medicine and how it’s harvested. She said her business is expanding and now she is teaching her son how to properly teach about the medicines as well.

Feedback from her presentations such as the one at Kikinahk are positive and Standinghorn believes people should have access to knowledge such as hers.

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“I don’t consider myself a healer absolutely under no circumstances,” she said. “I consider myself a grocery store. I consider myself like a pharmacy. You go see a doctor, your doctor sends you to Shoppers to fill your prescription.”

The crowd at Kikinahk Friendship Centre was at capacity. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

Various medicines were on sale for the public. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

Friendship Centres Association of Saskatchewan Executive Director Laurie Bouvier attended the presentation and she said a 2019 consultation showed one of the biggest barriers women and the LGBTQ community is faced with was a lack of medicine and traditional knowledge.

Bouvier explained she came into contact with Standinghorn through a friendship centre in North Battleford.

“They were doing some traditional medicine work with Nikki, so when we had identified the need, we had actually approached a couple of different funders to see what we could do to provide access to medicines to all of our friendship centres,” Bouvier said.

Standinghorn will be headed to Calgary next, while Weekusk will conduct sessions in Regina and Fort Qu’Appelle.

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @saskjourno