Aboriginal - Girls Action Foundation

By Binaeshee-Quae Couchie-Nabigon
The photo depicts something in nature that has been re-interpreted in our society to
be ugly and scary, while challenging us to take a closer look. I think a leader is not
someone who asks us to follow unquestionably as I have many strong women in my life
who have taught me to ask why…
When I was a young girl, I was given the option of taking any elective I wanted. I
had the choice of various cultural activities. I chose to learn about being a Native
woman.
One of the elders in our community was our teacher. The first teaching given to us
was that your period is your secret, no one else should know. The second was to never
attend ceremony or the Pow-Wow during that time. The third was that if you cook
for a man while on your period he might get sick. The fourth teaching was to never
touch or walk over a man’s belongings when you have your period because he might
go blind.
I remember feeling confused, imagining having my period as a very toxic time with
many dangers. I asked the question why. The teacher told me during that time you
are very powerful. Being only seven or eight years old I imagined a witch with no
control of her magical powers, and to be honest I was even more excited to become
a woman.
When the day finally arrived, I quickly realized that instead of feeling empowered
I was more powerless than ever. All of the restrictions and shunning made me feel
ashamed.
A week before my community’s Pow-Wow, I was sad to learn that I might not be
able to dance. To my relief, I ended my period the day before and mentioned to
my friend about how lucky I was. She told me that I was supposed to wait four
days after my period before even touching my regalia, but I told her that I would
continue to dance. Soon everyone knew and was giving me dirty looks, telling me
Binaeshee-Quae Couchie-Nabigon
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