Welcome

My name is Gerry Oleman from the Stl'atl'imx Nation and I've been asked to come talk today. Our purpose in life is basically what I'm going to talk about.

Our purpose in life is to find our gifts and to use them. As a human being, when we're coming through we pick up a gift or gifts, some people have more than one of course, and our purpose in life is to find them and then to use them. So I'd like to welcome all of the Aboriginal post secondary students that are going to be coming through, whatever institute you're coming to and lay some teachings at your feet.

In our way of life that's what we were taught: that the teachers are there and they're going to lay the teachings at our feet and it's up to us to pick them up. So you're going to be coming in to a world, a new world or a new way of life than what you're used to when you come to post secondary education. And it can be a wonderful time and there's going to be also a challenging time for many of the ones coming through. I'd like to lay some teachings at your feet about what you need to care of to be a successful student.

The areas I'd like to talk about is first off your mind, your body and your spirit - the three areas that we need to take care of as human beings. All healing work or education has to do with the mind, the body and the spirit. So for our mind to be opened to the teachings we must become the student. The word student means 'the consistent observer' - that's what the word student means. So when you come here, your job is to watch and to listen when instructor or the teacher is in the room. That's your job as a student.

Also to be the consistent observer you must take care of your body as well. I tell people now the teachings that I was taught was when the teacher was in the room to sit like an eagle, don't be slouching. Sit up straight and observe the teacher, be the observer and you're going to learn. With our spirit, that's trapped inside of our skin, that holds our body together we also must nourish that as we must nourish our mind and our body.

Part of my wish is to inspire you to find that place in you that when we push that you're going to go. You're going to keep going and your spirit is going to be strong. You're going to have this incredible will to live and to succeed and to be a kind person, a compassionate person. When you do this as a student your chances of success go up. You start to know for yourself personally that these are the areas you must pay attention to.

With your mind you cannot have distractions when you're coming here. Our people over the centuries, thousands of years, when they wanted to learn they would isolate themselves from their families, they would go out to find the teachings. It would be a sacrifice because the whole intent of education is to find your way, to find your gift and to master those gifts and start to live them on a daily basis. Then your life is going to feel full. If you do not find your gift, you're going to suffer. It's the same for every human on the planet, the ones that don't find their gift are suffering. So I really would like to you to start to meditate on this whole idea.

There are many facts out there about the problems we have as Aboriginals - that we have a high drop out rate, that we have high addiction rate, suicide, family dysfunction - in every area we look at we are overrepresented. But I come here today to say those facts, for you, are not important. What's important is your attitude, how you're thinking, because you're going to act the way you think. So I want you to think positively as a student because when you think positively and start saying 'I am a student, I am a good student' you're going to start to act that way. Because the minute or the second you say 'I cannot do this', you're putting the brakes on on your own movement, your own path in this education, the places you're going to to find your gift and to develop it and to become the master of whatever it is.

I tell students today when I talk to them, you don't compare yourself to others. You're going to be miserable if you do that. You just start to challenge yourself - what is the best that I have in me - and bring out your personal best. That's your job when you come here is to find what's your best, to challenge yourself. I see people comparing themselves to others when they come into the institution and they start to suffer, they start to start to weaken. I want to encourage you to start to say these things to yourself, to start to develop your attitude, the way you think that you're going to be a good student. That you have a voice and to use that voice. To make use of all that's available for you when you come to these institutions.

There are Aboriginal services in most universities and colleges and institutes of technology. There are people there that will help you but they're not going to know unless you use your voice. There are also people unfortunately in these places that will look at you because you're a minority and be negative with you and I really want to encourage you not to take this personally because the second you do that you're going to weaken. There are people out there that are ignorant, and they're not educated about us as a people, where we come from, our reference point of how we lived.

We have a lot to be proud of as First Nations in this land. Prior to 1492 we had no extinction happening in North America. Our people were very healthy, our minds were sound, our bodies were straight, their spirit was strong and was shown by our beliefs. The most valued people were the ones that were generous with their teachings, with the materials that they had, like food and clothing and implements. Those were the important people, not the greedy ones. They were taught how to keep this life in a harmonious way. That's where we come from, we had very strong people.

When you look at the west coast and the Nuu-chal-nuth people and the rest of the people living the west coast, they made these beautiful canoes, out of these giant cedar trees, 60 - 80 feet long without metal. They didn't have chainsaws before then and they made these beautiful seaworthy crafts. That's where we come from. We had people making bowls out of stone, out of wood and they didn't have metal. They didn't have the power tools we have today. And it is all beautiful, everything they made was beautiful, everything they made was beautiful. And it comes from their attitude of respect and love and the power of love. That's where we come from as a people, that's where you come from.

I want to encourage you to start to develop that attitude, having that attitude of respect and patience and generosity. Because once you start to live like that your circle is going to become big, it'll grow every day when you help people and you're respectful and you're generous. There are people that are going to step forward to help you. I've mentioned the facts that are here today about the poverty, the theft of our lands and all of those. I want you to forget about that for now. I want you to focus on this education you're coming to. You're building a new canoe for yourself and your family, if you have one, or the family you're going to have. And it's going to carry you if you master what you're coming here for. If you're an architect, a carpenter, working in the media, being a nurse, whatever it is you're going to be successful when you have that attitude of 'I want this, I can do this'.

Open your eyes and your ears and look at the help that's out there for you. Because as much negativity as there is a lot of help out there, there are people who are willing to help you. I want to encourage you to have that positive attitude about education. Act that way, walk that way, talk that way, live that way while you're here. I've worked with many students now, in 1995 I started at BCIT working with students. I've seen the challenges they had and I've seen them overcome it and you can do. Prejudice and discrimination, some of them were poor students, they had a hard time because they are now a minority. I've seen them walk away with that paper saying now that they have a gift and that they can use it and I've seen them become successful and you can too.

So that's what I've come here to say to you today - that you do have gifts and you are a gift to your people. And to remember the teachings that are going to be laid at your feet. You're responsible to pick them up. You have that responsibility which means you're able to respond. I want you to do that. I'm just imagining all of you out there because a lot of you are going to be way younger than me and I think of you as nieces and nephews coming to this place. And I want to encourage you to come here with an open mind and an open heart and not to be afraid to ask for help when you need it.

We all need help, every one of us at one point in our life. There are many times I've needed help. Part of my weakness was I did not ask for help when I needed it and I lost 14 years of my life because of that but it's never too late to make up your mind. My people would say 'Nas meen', which means go for it. Go with everything you have. You start to develop mantras which means 'a protection'. A mantra is a protection. Protect yourself from negativity. Say things like 'Each day I get stronger, each day I know more'. Start to develop this feeling of being a wonderful student, a wonderful observer. Listen and watch.

All your teachings come through the air. An elder told me that at one point in my life he said 'All your teachings come through the air so if you watch and listen you're going to be OK'. And also, if you run into problems, another elder, a wonderful teacher of mine, Bob George told me, 'If anyone steps on you, you make noise, otherwise they're going to keep stepping on you'. So you don't let anyone be abusive to you or hurt you as a student coming to these place. All of the institutes in British Columbia, in Canada were built with the resources that we used to take care of - the trees, the water, everything that we respected.

That's what I'd like to say to all of the students that are coming. You find that gift. If you're coming that means you got an idea. Pick it up. Develop it. Master it. Say to your mind 'This is my best. This is my best'. So you don't compare yourself. Just say 'This is my best' and help the ones who need help and it will come back to you. So that's what I'd like to say for now. Thank you.