Blocking Their Path to Prison: Song and Music as Healing Methods for Canada's Aboriginal Women

IntroductionAt opening of aboriginal justice conference in mountains of Alberta, a large shell was brought around, filled with smoldering sweetgrass. Each of us wafted that beautifully-scented smoke over our heads, eyes, ears...asking for its assistance to think, see, hear, speak and feel only in healthy and respectful ways during our time together. The discussion leader...then spoke about language differences, explaining that aboriginal languages were not as much noun- centered as they were verb-centered, trying to emphasize not thing-aspect of Creation but pattern, flow and function aspect... While discussion was fascinating, still had to wonder: why I was being told these things at a justice conference? Then...a very small event hit me...Rupert RossAssistant Crown Attorney (retired)Ontario Ministry of Attorney General1Canada's conventional prisons have been characterized as contemporary equivalents to residential schools of bygone decades notorious for their destructive effects on generations of Aboriginal peoples2 (Mallea, 2000; Ross, 2014). Aboriginal peoples of are over-represented in these prisons.3 This over-representation has been a persistent problem for decades. The problem has been pointed to by scholars and governmental officials since late 1960s (Cattarinich, 1996). However, it was paid special attention to in early 1990s. Rejecting official narratives that often blamed Aboriginal inmates for their incarceration (such as substance abuse and unemployment), scholars and activists argued that it was broader colonial legacy (cultural oppression, social inequality, loss of selfgovernment and systemic racism and discrimination) that underlay over-representation of Aboriginal peoples in Canadian prisons.4 They also argued that colonial legacy had gender-specific consequences that accounted for over-representation of Aboriginal women in prisons. They were found to be the most disadvantaged and marginalized prison population in Canada (Arbor, 1996, p. 218). Research also show that Aboriginal women's lives (or prior to) prison is characterized by poverty, abuse, violence, low self-esteem, stigmatization, prostitution, suicide, and addiction. For them, it was realized, prison had become an extension of life on outside and not conducive to rehabilitation (Sugar & Fox, 1990, p. 10). Assessments of rehabilitative needs of Aboriginal female inmates persistently showed that they were more likely than non-Aboriginal women to have needs in multiple areas. These included marital and family relationships, employment, substance abuse, and social interaction. Compared to 38% of non-Aboriginal women, approximately 66% of Aboriginal women in federal custody were assessed as having five or more rehabilitative needs (Mahony, 2015). This suggested a higher probability of recidivism for Aboriginal women, which in turn, partially explained over-representation of Aboriginal women in correctional facilities.It was realized that a of decolonization was required if Aboriginal women were to effectively respond to harmful impacts of colonial legacy. Decolonization was process of addressing historic trauma and unravelling tragic aftereffects of colonization (Archibald, 2006, p. iv). It required cultural revitalization and institutional reform that would allow Aboriginal peoples to reclaim their traditional culture and to reassert their distinct identity. The cultural revival would take various forms: a revival of Aboriginal religion, a return to Aboriginal healing methods, and promotion of Aboriginal art, language, and teachings (Wilson, 2004). Aboriginal scholars, artists, and writers would challenge colonial values and ideologies and would reintroduce Aboriginal values and view of life. Steps were also to be taken to change Canada's political and legal system in order to reduce systemic racism and injustice. …

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