A major step today in the link between law enforcement and members of the Indigenous community in this province.
A sweat lodge was officially opened at the RCMP Headquarters at East White Hills.
The Commanding Officer of the RCMP in Newfoundland and Labrador, Assistant Commissioner Ches Parsons says the idea came from a meeting he and other members had with Qalipu Chief Brendan Mitchell
at the powwow organized by Bay St. George Mi’kmaq Cultural Revival Committee on the west coast last summer.
Parsons says he and others took part in the first “sweat” on Thursday. He says it’s a crucial step toward reconciliation to take part with and learn from Indigenous cultures as much as possible.
Parsons says it’s hard to put into words what happens inside the sweat lodge. Tradition does not allow the lodge to be photographed, but Assistant Commissioner Parsons described it for VOCM News.
.@RCMPNL Assistant Commissioner Ches Parsons says it was time to have a sweat lodge at the White Hills RCMP Headquarters. It was built by members of @Qalipu2011 who travelled from the west coast to get the job done. @590VOCM @Fred_Hutton pic.twitter.com/6VmKSCkvYf
— Gerri Lynn Mackey (@GerriLynnMackey) November 15, 2019
He says you enter an oblong, round structure and inside there are several heated stones, called Grandfathers. Water is poured on these to create steam. He says it was a spiritual awakening and an intense physical experience. He says it’s calming and calls the experience “cathartic.”
The sweat lodge was constructed by members of the Qalipu First Nation along with consultation with other Indigenous groups.
