Life is worth fighting for: Deputy Grand Chief Goyce Kakegamic

Deputy Grand Chief Goyce Kakegamic described the pain his family suffered from the loss of a family member during this year’s NAN Day of Prayer joint service.
“Since 1986 to 2003, we lost over 476 of our sons and daughters who have taken their lives,” Kakegamic said on the evening of Nov. 13 at Dennis Franklin Cromarty First Nations High School. “In my family, a beautiful girl, accepted into university, one in Toronto and one here, she had a job, and she took her life. So I know the hurt, the agony when a family encounters that.”
Kakegamic said there is nothing so haunting as telling a mother her child is gone.
“It’s a haunting, wailing sound,” Kakegamic said. “I know throughout our territory, there are workers who are addressing these issues.”
Kakegamic said the loss of youth “brings us to our knees and hurts us to the very core.”
“That psychological shock wave breaks through our community,” Kakegamic said.
But Kakegamic also stressed that life is beautiful and worth living for, noting the speech given by a youth speaker about her own personal issues during the NAN Day of Prayer special radio broadcast over the Wawatay Radio Network earlier in the day.
“She had enormous issues and yet she spoke to our nation telling youth life is worth fighting for,” Kakegamic said. “And it’s us that can accomplish that. Life doesn’t come on a silver platter; we need to fight and make something out of our life.”
The special radio broadcast featured Nishnawbe Aski Nation’s executive council, Elders and youth while the joint service featured speeches by Grand Chief Harvey Yesno, Kakegamic and the youth speaker, a prayer service, the lighting of LED candles, a moment of silence and music by a group of musicians.
Yesno recalled a conversation he had many years ago with the late Elder Louis Waswa about the NAN Day of Prayer.
“What he told me was we have one day designated, but really we should be praying all the time,” Yesno said. “It’s not just one day in a week or one day in a month or one day in a year, but we should continue to remind people that we should always be praying.”
Yesno said he thought about Waswa’s comments and realized “you’re right on.”
“When I’m driving, I’m praying out loud,” Yesno said, noting people probably think he is talking on his phone. “Just thanking God for his goodness, that his peace will precede where I am going, asking for wisdom and knowledge, understanding and discernment, favour, asking for your protection upon your children, claiming Psalm 11 and 12 to be fulfilled wherever they be, and pronouncing blessings on people.”
The NAN Day of Prayer was first declared in 2002 by the NAN Chiefs-in-Assembly to set aside one day each year for community healing. It is designed to recognize and reaffirm the special relationship Nishnawbe Aski people have with the Creator and with the land.