By Suhail Hashim

May/June 2023

The dawn of Covid-19 vaccines opened new challenges. Countries had to decide how to distribute it equitably among their various populations. The need to recruit more skilled health care workers became more relevant than ever, as they were needed to administer the vaccines. 

Canada swiftly prioritized its vulnerable populations — the elderly and health care workers. There was also a push to prioritize First Nations communities.

For one who has always been inquisitive about the diverse communities of places where I have lived and visited, as well as their histories and cultures, being a health care professional enabled me to learn so much about them from my clients and patients. 

During summer 2022, I worked with the Covid-19 Vaccine Resource Team of Weeneebayko Area Health Authority (WAHA), which provides health care services to remote communities in northern Ontario living along the eastern James Bay and Hudson Bay coasts. Most of these regions’ residents share the Cree lineage.

The “First Nations,” which is preferred over “Indian” in Canada, is used interchangeably with “Aboriginal,” “Indigenous” and “Native.” Prior to contact with Europeans, estimates suggest that North America contained 1.2 to 2.6 million First Nations’ people. The Europeans not only reaped riches by establishing trading posts like the Hudson Bay Company, but also by stealing tribal lands via deceptive treaties. They also tried to erase Indigenous traditions and cultures by coercing Indigenous children to become Catholics by setting up brutal residential schools and other systems. Regardless of this dark history, I was excited about my upcoming firsthand experience with the First Nations. 

My first stop from Toronto Airport is in Timmins, a city that meets nature. Like all small Ontario cities, it has a proper infrastructure, roads and other amenities. Multiple Indigenous reserves are located around Timmins, and some notice boards are in their native language — Cree. 

From Timmins, the first stop made by aircraft is Moosonee. Small airports in these remote towns just have the essentials like a runway, a check-in counter and a toilet. There are no security checks to board flights, and sometimes no boarding passes are given to passengers. Adjacent to Moosonee, across the Moose River, is a tiny island called Moose Factory. These are the last towns where one can still connect via the mobile networks available to us in Southern Ontario. To access networks in remote northern towns, one has to purchase a SIM card from the local operators, which are usually hard to find and expensive. 

There are daily weekday flights from Moosonee Airport to even remoter towns along the James Bay coast: Fort Albany First Nation, Kashechewan First Nation, Attawapiskat First Nation and Peawanuck First Nation. One flight usually takes passengers to all these locations and returns the same day. 

The Indigenous reserves in these remote parts have no roads, which means that only trucks, vans, SUVs and similar heavy vehicles are found there. Some of the residents use buggies. Most of them speak English, but there are elders who only understand Cree. The Northern College has branches in each town. I visited and spent some time at the branch in Moosonee, whose college magazine is appropriately titled “The Feather.” This prominent symbol in Indigenous culture represents power, wisdom, high honor, trust, strength and freedom. It’s often seen in this region’s administrative offices and people’s houses, as well as on bracelets and other art forms. 

For Indigenous communities, land and animals are very important. There are land-based healing programs like walking together — a symbol of the holistic approach to healing in Cree culture. Otherwise known as “Pimi Pici Wak,” this 10-day program seeks to help those with substance abuse and other mental health challenges by encouraging them to find power in the sense of community and connect with nature’s resources. 

One main grocery store, Northern, serves as these towns’ main market. Prices are at least two or three times higher than they are in the Greater Toronto Area. One can also see how less healthy options like chips and cookies are priced lower than natural produce. Surprisingly, prices of alcoholic beverages at the government-run Liquor Control Board of Ontario outlet in Moosonee are more affordable than fresh produce. 

A resident of a senior living home told me of how before the colonizers came, the Indigenous tradition was to help those in need. “One has to share what they have with others and that’s how you keep yourself mentally sane. When the settlers came to this land, they not only stole our resources, but took away more priced traditions like these,” he said. There are stories of continuing drug abuse and addictions, and parents of children who complain about the individuals who supply illegal drugs, but no respite has been provided. 

The Nishnawbe Aski Police Service, which serves this region’s First Nation communities, cannot act against such drug offenders due to the bureaucracy’s politics and lack of strong evidence. 

The roughly 2,000-member Attawapiskat First Nation has recently been in the news for their mountain of troubles. In 2016, the Attawapiskat Council declared a state of emergency due to the increase in suicides attempts. In 2012, then-chief Theresa Spence went on a six-week-long hunger strike to call attention to Canada’s treatment of the First Nations.

Attawapiskat is also known for its housing and water crises and the government’s ongoing neglect of establishing safe educational facilities for its students. A house contains up to 10 family members. After Covid hit, it became extremely difficult for the public health team to ask residents to self-isolate when an individual showed symptoms or tested positive. 

When my team visited in July 2022, we were asked not to drink tap water (even after boiling) or to bathe or shower for more than 10 minutes, for the water was contaminated with harmful chemicals like trihalomethanes (THMs). The town had only two water plants, from which we were expected to collect water for drinking and cooking. 

In 2007, the young local activist Shannen Koostachin launched an “Education is a Human Right” campaign to lobby the government for better educational facilities for First Nation youth. Shannen died in a car accident in 2010, but her dream lives on — in 2014 a new elementary school opened.

To the north of Attawapiskat, close to Polar Bear Provincial Park, is the Peawanuck First Nation; the northernmost town served by WAHA. With a population of close to 300, it doesn’t have a hospital, only a nursing station/health center run by two community nurses who can arrange teleconferencing with doctors or airlifting if needed. 

This community had to relocate due to a flood. There is a sense of pride and determination among its residents — which I felt was missing in the other communities. Also, relative to other remote communities, addictions and substance abuse are significantly lower. The distant northern location and sense of determination might have contributed to this.

While flying between Indigenous reserves, usually at a lower altitude than commercial planes, I pondered on these small communities living among the wildlife and wilderness, on the river meeting the sea or the lake meeting the river. I thought about how they thrived and are still thriving with their attachment to the nature and animals of these lands. 

Every time my flight prepares to land in Toronto and I see how blessed we are with well-developed roads, tall structures and other amenities, I am reminded of these remote Indigenous communities weighed down with a lot of public health crises and other challenges. There is a heightened need to teach our younger generations to learn and connect with this land’s First Nations. Mere recognition of the Indigenous communities and land acknowledgments before an official program is nothing but a meager effort.

Suhail Hashim, a Registered Nurse currently working at Toronto Western Hospital, is also a public health professional. He has worked with various public health projects in Ontario, Canada and Southern California.

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By Karim Hakim

May/June 2023

Karim Hakim talked with Jamila Southwind of the Keeseekoose Tribe, mostly located in Kamsack, Saskatchewan, Canada, on behalf of Islamic Horizons. 

You will be hard pressed to find a lot of Native Muslim accounts of the hajj experience. 

As the years have gone on, Muslims of all backgrounds have found that hajj, and umra for that matter, has become increasingly difficult to perform. Challenges such as spiraling costs, visa issues and required vacation time make it difficult for Native Muslims to attend. 

Those whom Allah blesses to perform to hajj should jump at the opportunity. And for those who can help a fellow Muslin make the journey, they should consider sponsoring an Indigenous Muslim who may not have the opportunity otherwise. Once back home, the new hajji and can use the experience to benefit his/her fellow community and have an eternal ripple effect of goodness. 

Southwind related: Every day of my life, the fact that I’m an Indigenous person has mattered. I’ve been harassed, appreciated, ignored and even interviewed on TV. Sometimes it’s positive, sometimes it’s negative. Other times I’m not sure what to feel. Even on my own Native Reservation I stick out because of being Muslim. It’s been a life of standing out. And it can wear a person down. 

But when I stepped foot in Makka, for the first time in my life I shared a single identity with everyone around me. Over a million of them! Being in Makka felt like I was home — a place I had never been to before, and yet it felt so familiar. Everyone came with the same purpose, so focused that nothing else mattered.

Maybe people did express racism toward me. Maybe I did get dirty looks like back home. But I can’t tell you for sure, because I was too focused on doing my pilgrimage for Allah. It was like a dream come true. Sometimes we’d be walking without shoes, other times falling asleep beside a mosque pillar after completing many beautiful rituals. There was something so simple but deep in everything we did.

It would be dishonest to say every experience I had during my pilgrimage was positive, because there were some experiences that required patience and were negative. But I was so happy to be answering the divine call that such things didn’t matter. Normally being in a giant crowd of people can be annoying and hard to get around. But during hajj it was like a giant family. So even if it seemed overcrowded, it was still a good feeling. 

In fact, the first time I went to hajj was before the infrastructure was updated. I really recommend people look at the infrastructural changes done throughout the years. You can feel more of the different pilgrims’ experience throughout the years and the history of our umma.

One thing I can never forget is how powerful the feeling was when I arrived at the Haram. Even before entering I felt such a strong feeling inside me as I prayed to Allah. Even though that was just the beginning of the hajj, I was already changing as a person and feeling an inner strength I’d never had before.

That feeling is so amazing and so great that I can’t even describe it in words. It was my life’s most beautiful and wonderful experience. And you really do realize that out of so many people in this world, God chose you for this.

It was also a test of patience at times if people pushed you during tawaaf, walking around the Kaaba. But I convinced myself that I didn’t want to get angry. I was there for God, and I wanted to behave myself and be respectful. I think this is the part of hajj that we don’t realize is for our improvement — to be patient and well behaved for His sake even when others are pushing you or not being as respectful. 

Drinking Zamzam water was another beautiful experience. I’ve never drunk something so delicious and so fulfilling. I’ve tried so many things from nature because of my Indigenous background. Alhamdulillah, I spent much of my life learning how to live off the land and take food and drink from nature and the great outdoors. I’ve had many beautiful experiences like this in my life and have shared and taught them to others as a Native. 

But this didn’t compare to my experience at hajj with the Well of Zamzam and its blessed water! I experienced this from my own special lens because of my own background, and I think everyone has their own special ways of seeing this journey and finding their favorite parts of it.

On hajj, I never had to go buy food. My hosts would just set it out for us. It was very delicious, too. And I saw Muslims from all over the world. I remember thinking, “I wish I could see another Native! That would be so amazing!” I kept thinking about that. I had to explain my background to so many people and especially take time explaining it. I remember many of them didn’t get it at first, but after I explained they would say, “Ooh you are Ahmar Hind” (“Red Indian” in Arabic). 

After learning my background, people were very respectful and told me they really respected my people, knew about Natives and that we were strong and warriors. They appreciated our background and said they really feel bad about what had happened to us and that they have a high respect for us for we kept fighting even after our land was stolen.

After hajj I met more people who, when they found out that I was a Native, showered me with so many beautiful gifts. It was like the opposite of so many of the experiences I’ve had my entire life. Many of us Natives are treated like we are second class or trash in our own lands. We struggle and are looked down upon by many. We have struggled against this our entire lives. To be treated with dignity and have our culture appreciated changed for me in Makka. Islam and hajj showed me how we should really be treated. To this day I am so grateful to The Creator for blessing me with this journey. 

I really hope more of my Native brothers and sisters can make this amazing journey. Hajj changes your life no matter where you are from. As Natives we are used to traveling. We can be barefoot, sleep out in nature, walk longer distances, climb. We have prepared our whole lives for journeys like hajj. When I arrived in Makka, I can certainly tell you that your heart and body feel like they are home. And you never want to leave. It’s like deep in your heart. You become so peaceful and happy. And after you complete hajj, you become a new person like a newborn baby and are ready to start your life off in a better way. 

Karim Hakim, a Los Angeles native, has contributed to Muslim Vibe, OnEarth Magazine, SalaamCal, The Highlander, Fight! Magazine and more. In addition to being Southern California’s Helping Hand for Relief and Development representative, he is co-founder of Bros and Arrows and a performer of #SpokenFlows. bio

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