A love letter to Indigenous youth;
written by Dani Lanouette, Special Projects Assistant
photo by Barry Takawgak (@btakawgak_photography)
Indigenous youth, you are the embodiment of love
A love passed down through countless generations of warriors and leaders
A love that’s survived genocide and countless attempts at eradicating your bloodlines
Indigenous youth, you are some of the most important teachers
You teach community how to adapt to today’s realities
You teach us all patience and love from the day you’re born
Indigenous youth, you are leaders
You lead your communities to new and accessible ways of learning and understanding
You’ll be the ones to lead the next generation of youth on their right paths
Indigenous youth, you are important
The media sometimes will make us think otherwise
While we see our relatives dying at the hands of colonial violence
We read the comments reinforcing those harmful narratives
Spewing anti-Indigenous nonsense
Sometimes we start to believe it
Sometimes it makes it hard to see the beauty we carry in our bloodlines
Indigenous youth, you matter
You are essential
You belong here
You are wanted and you hold immense value
Indigenous youth, you are not the comments section on a news article
You are not the stereotypes put onto us from the day we’re born
You are nothing less than light, passion and warmth
Keep fighting
Keep resisting
Keep living
Dani Lanouette is Anishinaabekwe, Ojibwe from Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation and Algonquin from Algonquins of Barriere Lake. In her spare time, Dani creates beadwork, is a drum carrier, a singer and a jingle dancer. Dani is also part of the 4Rs team as our Special Projects Assistant! You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @Danishinaabe!
