Indigenous Storyteller Diana Power discusses the importance of listening to stories

By Laura Mushumanski, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

(ANNews) – “If someone tells you something – let them speak their truth,” shares Indigenous storyteller Diana Power. She adds that listening without judgement, and coming from a place of understanding can support people in just wanting to be heard instead of being told what to do. This understanding that Power speaks to is rooted in writing Indigenous Health stories and shows why these stories are important for the longevity of community, and all our relations – so we can walk in good ways and support each other in times of need.

As reiterated by Power, “Indigenous Ways of Knowing is research” and these ways of knowing are lessons that Diana has learned along the way as part of her own learning journey. They are an accumulation of lived experiences we carry with us. What we carry with us, is our own unique knowledge, a perspective that can support gaps of knowledge lacking in areas of health, social inequities – all human experiences that others may never encounter or be aware of that can be written into curriculum that trickles into better understanding one-another.

Indigenous Ways of Knowing as research is an accumulation of accountability, humility, introspection, community – all things that support the exploration into the unknown of both self-discovery and curiosity about all our relatives. When we are curious, we can create safety within relationships and start to build connections, and in turn be able to listen to understand the depths of peoples’ stories – the truth of these stories – in hopes of discontinuing history from repeating itself.

For Power, an Indigenous storyteller, “writing is a way to share pieces of ourselves with other people…and a lot of stories need to be told.” This understanding that Power walks with comes from her own lived experience as a First Nations woman witnessing and also encountering inaccessible health services, and inaccurate information about Indigenous people resulting in Indigenous Health inequities.

One thing that all Indigenous Ways of Knowing have in common is humility – being curious about what is being said and how we can come from a place of compassion and understanding. For Power, the honour of listening to stories and sharing stories is embedded in her ways of walking in the world. “I would rather show up for someone [and listen to hear their story] than to never see them again.” Power transitions lived experiences into written stories, in part, to share perspectives on the importance of the health of Indigenous peoples. They should not be undermined because they are misunderstood, instead they should be honoured because all life is sacred. For Diana, her heart’s work stems from wanting our Indigenous brothers and sisters to know that they are not alone.