A Living Memorial
Honouring Indigenous children lost to or affected by the residential school system.
The gathering space, based on the Medicine Wheel, is wheelchair accessible and provides space for quiet reflection and ceremony.
A sacred fire pit (stored offsite) is available on request.
ABOUT THE FOREST
Kapabamayak Achaak Healing Forest Winnipeg is a place for learning and healing on Treaty One Land and takes up the call for action on truth and reconciliation.
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It is a gathering place for families and communities. It is a place for healing and contemplation. It is an open-air, land- based classroom for students. It is a place for Elders to share teachings and ceremony. It is a place for reconciliation by remembering the past and envisioning the future.
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The Healing Forest encourages meaningful dialogue by creating space to examine the differences between Indigenous and settler perspectives and heal past and ongoing tensions.
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The Healing Forest Winnipeg was gifted the Spirit Name, Kapabamayak Achaak, which means “Wandering Spirit” by Peetanacoot Nenakawekapo in 2019.
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The Healing Forest is a living memorial to Indigenous children lost to or affected by the residential school system, located in St. John’s Park in the North End of Winnipeg.
Site developement began in 2017 in collaboration with the Healing Forest Winnipeg Steering Committee and Community Elders.
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It was the second Healing Forest developed in Canada and is part of a growing network of sites linked by the National Healing Forest Initiative.
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The Keepers of the Forest are working with neighbourhood schools and communities to develop a living curriculum to learn about medicine plants and Indigenous teachings. A small resource library is also available.
Vision
Land, Learn, Heal: A Path to Reconciliation
Mission
Kapabamayak Achaak Healing Forest honours Indigenous children lost to or affected by the residential school system, and offers a place for teaching and learning about all injustices from colonialism and racism, past and present. The sharing of our collective stories is a pathway to understanding All Our Relations.
Objectives
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Educating our community about the history of residential schools and the impact of colonialism and racism on the lives of Indigenous Canadians.
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Creating a space for learning and healing among those affected by past injustices through traditional ceremonies, wisdom of Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers, solitude, kinship and interconnections.
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Honouring the land, valuing land-based education, and recognizing the importance of Indigenous knowledge about medicines and plants.
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Providing a meeting place for community celebrations and collaborations that contribute to renewal and reconciliation.
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Serving as Keepers of the Forest, caring for the land, and sharing resources and teachings that emerge from the learning space.
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Guiding Principles
Kapabamayak Achaak Healing Forest responds to the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, including CTA #82:
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We call upon provincial and territorial governments, in collaboration with Survivors and their organizations, and other parties to the Settlement Agreement, to commission and install a publicly accessible, highly visible, Residential Schools Monument in each capital city to honour Survivors and all the children who were lost to their families and communities.
