PROVINCIAL INDIGENOUS YOUTH ADVISORY COUNCIL (ANCFSAO)

Mino-Pimatisiwin in Cree means “the good life”. It’s the ongoing and life-long process of seeking to live a balanced life that comes from the interconnection of our physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental well-being.

Many Nations have their own teachings on the good life. Often the universal symbol for this across all Nations is the medicine wheel. A universal trait of the medicine wheel is that all elements are interconnected and influence one another.

The medicine wheel incorporates the interconnectedness between the four aspects of well-being and the concepts within them. These concepts include wholeness, balance, relationships, harmony, growth, and healing. To achieve balance, we must pay attention to the connections between all of these aspects as well as our relationships in life. Our relationships with other human beings, the Spiritual world, the sun and moon and stars, and all of the beautiful gifts that Mother Earth provides like the animals, trees, and water.

This is the inspiration behind our campaign logo which was designed by one of our youth council members, Zakkarry Joseph. It is important to acknowledge there are many diverse First Nations, Metis and Inuit communities across Turtle Island and we would like to honour them all. Using the medicine wheel, we have included four different Nation’s translations and variations of the good life or good mind:

• Mino-Pimatisiwin (Cree)

• Mino-Bimaadiziwin (Ojibwe)

• Ka’nikonri:io (Mohawk)

• Ga’nigohi:yo (Cayuga)

As Indigenous peoples it is our inherent right to live a good life and have strong connections with our communities and culture. Our hope is that this campaign is a step along the path and journey toward collective goals in reuniting families, reconnecting and reclaiming our culture and traditional ways of life, and ultimately creating a beautiful life for Indigenous children, youth and families.