This week we are grateful to offer a #teachingstuesday composed by our friend Raven Lacerte from Lake Babine Nation, and co-founder of the Moose Hide Campaign . Enjoy!
"Hadih, my name is Raven Lacerte. I am Carrier- a member of the Lake Babine Nation and a part of the bear clan. I am a mother to two precious little girls- Cedar (4) and Chas (1), and partner to Dominic Paul. I am the Co-Founder of the Moose Hide Campaign. My dad and I started this work together in 2011 with the hopes of calling men, boys, and all Canadians in to work together to end violence towards women, children, and all those along the gender continuum.
My dad and I were inspired to start the Moose Hide Campaign one morning while we were on a hunting trip in the beautiful Carrier Territory along the Highway of Tears. We were blessed with a moose one morning and as we were cleaning it out, we reflected on the beauty and medicine of the land and of the moose. We decided to tan that moose hide, cut it up into small squares and ask all Canadians to wear this piece of medicine as their everyday commitment to ending violence towards women and children. My sisters and I cut up the first 25,000 squares of moose hide and hand wrote little information cards to go with the piece of hide explaining what wearing the pin signifies. Since 2011, many have started their own Moose Hide Campaigns at a grassroots level and we have engaged with organizations, governments, communities, schools, institutions, and we have now gifted out over 4 million squares of moose hide. The pin acts as a conversation starter and brings this issue out of the darkness and into the light. You can order your free gift of medicine here- https://moosehidecampaign.ca/pins/
We also host a Moose Hide Campaign Day each year where we deepen our shared commitment by being in ceremony with each other. We invite everyone into a one-day fast hosted both in person in Victoria BC, and Virtually. You can register here to join a portion or all of the day - https://moosehidecampaign.ca/general/ This year Moose Hide Campaign Day is on May 11th and we will have a sunrise ceremony, keynote speakers, workshops, a walk to end violence, and end the day with a fast breaking ceremony.
We invite folks from all walks of life to be part of this work with us. We specifically call on men and boys to join us, however anyone can wear a moose hide pin, be part of Moose Hide Campaign Day and fast with us. My hope is that everyone can see themselves in this work and know that we need everyone to be part of the solution to ending violence towards women and children and promote safety and healing for us all. We say that the Moose Hide Campaign is an Indigenous Innovation for all Canadians. Our vision for the campaign is to have 10 million squares of moose hides gifted across this Nation and to have 1 million Canadians fasting together on Moose Hide Campaign Day.
Please join us ❤
Mussi Cho,
Raven