My Story

Anita Vidya

Dear loved ones,

I am writing you my story to share a glimpse to what ‘WE’ as the human family endure in our World. I have travelled many roads in my life; but today, I walk the Red Road. I am able to do so by the Elders and teachers who hold my space for healing as I unravel the travesties of my family bloodline. Open your heart to the message that I am about share with you and be compassionate with yourself as you read my story. The hard truth that you will read in this story has helped me to become the person I am today. We are human who forgive, love and revere in our walk in this world.
All my relations,
Anita

Anita is indigenous, her family and ‘status’ are from the Cold Lake and Heart Lake area of Northern Alberta, she is recognized as a person who has suffered a loss of culture through the program imposed by the Canadian Government in cahoots with the child welfare services; it is now known as the “60’s scoop”. Sixties scoop is a program to “take the Indian out of the child” by adopting Native children into European descent families. This was a follow up program from residential schools. 

The first Prime Minister John A. McDonald alongside with the Head of Indian and Northern Affairs; Duncan Campbell Scott, formed and enforced the Indian Act with the mindset of removing the savages from their nomadic lifestyle. First Nations people were imprisoned onto parcels of land, given First Nations passports, were held back food rations and their children removed from their homes to go Residential schools. All of this was means to control and manipulate the ‘Indians’ into the agricultural way of life; A way that they believed to be the better way of life. I highly recommend the books; 21 things that all Canadians should know about the Indian Act by Bob Joseph, 2017 and Clearing the Plains by James Daschuk.

Anita has healed much of the intergenerational trauma specifically from her Mother, and Indigenous ancestors; many of them were either in residential or day school and in child services at certain points throughout their life. The abuse and systematic racism that they experienced over these generations were felt by her family and still lurk around today by many natives in many governing, medical and church Institutions. 

Anita’s mother, Darlene, lost her innocence in foster care at 11 years old, (stories told by my family is that pedophile rings were rampant in foster care homes) during that time they transported her mother to Ontario and then she was sent back to Cold Lake on a bus alone at the mere age of 11 years old after she bore Anita’s older sister. As a newborn, Darlene's first daughter was stolen by the system in Ontario and Federal Government. Today, Anita is still searching for answers on her family. 

Anita found her mom in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver on Christmas Day 2019, got her to the hospital and on June 16, 2020, Darlene Pearl Obichon passed away at the age of 58 from organ failure likely from years of alcohol, & drug abuse and 30 years of hard life on the streets. Many agree that the largest urban reservation in Canada is the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver. Many of the Murdered and Missing Women and Children are taken from the DTES and many bodies from this area were found on the Pickton Farm in 2002.

Recently, horrific evidence was discovered at the Kamloops Indian Residential school where 215 children’s remains were finally brought forward; it is no surprise to Anita as she has done her own research and has sat in ceremonies and circles with survivors. Many of these survivors went to the Kamloops residential school where they found the children’s bodies. She is thankful for evidence been shone to the world which is helping the survivors and their families to be able to grieve and have closure from these traumatic events. Remember, this is OUR Canadian History, so much of this continues and has gone on for during the last century and longer.  

My story is just one of thousands who have endured tragedy but we can use these dark moments in time to offer insight with the hopes for healing of our people and all of the human family. Walking the red road involves listening to Elders who have endured abuse in these systems and to hold space for them to grieve and move forward. The ripple effect of healing is our spiritual belief system as we hold our loved ones through these times.

Currently, Anita is on the Board of Directors for the Wheel of Life Society. We encourage you to look into your hearts and bring our vision to reality; to build a house for healing. We are raising funds to build this house on Xaxli’p territory in the Upper St’at’imc. It will be a place to meet and work with Elders and teachers from different communities to gain a common goal on healing the human family. 

You are invited to join us at our gatherings. You can reach out to Anita in learning more but be sure to check out our video & website on the packages QR code.

Right now; we need donors to bring our vision to life of the Healing House.
Website Wheel of Life.

We have a wall drive for people to buy a Wall for $500 and receive your name on an artistic plaque.

Anita is a public speaker in school programs, at gatherings, festivals and shares much online with an intention to bring awareness to the dark history of Canada, Turtle Island and the World. Theses channels are also a way she teaches people how to use Spirituality for healing. Her perseverance in educating and healing these devastating events is a deep passion of her work and she assists others to do the same through shamanism, Shamanic Yoga and ceremony with the Shamanic Yoga Institute in Squamish. She currently teaches the Medicine Wheel in the Interior and Kootenays.

Anita works as a Film Liaison with CEG Management and Angus Films; when appropriate she will take the opportunity to share her knowledge on the history of the First Nations and delivers ideas on how to be an Earth Steward in her work as a Liaison.

The reconnection to her Indigenous side has built life long connections with the Coast Salish, St’at’imc, Okanagon and Prairie peoples of Western Canada but her networks go beyond borders. She lives and thrives in the mountains of Sea to Sky, her home for over the last 20 years. 

Accountability and respect are mentored through her Elders Sheila Nyman and Theresa Bob. These matriarchs help Anita do this work in right relationship and to follow correct protocols while walking on the Red Road of life!

Thank you for reading my life story. Will you help build our healing house?

I honour the land of the Coast Salish people and recognize that I live on Skwxwú7mesh territory. 

All My Relations,

Anita Vidya
Wheel of Life Society
wheeloflifesociety.ca/donate 

E-transfer donations accepted to: wheeloflife01@gmail.com

Watch the Video to get a sense of our vision of the Healing house

Anita Vidya ~ CYA E-GOLD

My ancestry is Chipewyan Dene; situated near the Athabasca River along the North land and lakes of Alberta. My clear visions have been brewing since the early days of my youth; one vision guides me to learn and to be in a relationship directly with the spiritual knowledge of our Indigenous Spirit; one shared by the ancestors and the land. The other is to source the authentic teachings from relations across Turtle Island and beyond, and in all the worlds. Doing this work has developed a way for myself to be in reciprocity with all of our People. My ideals are to learn the traditional medicines shared by the Elders from the land and to listen intently of the oral traditions that they share. I lovingly continue on this path where I find a better way of life in this world of discernment and ceremony.

Anita is a certified Yoga teacher and has been teaching since 2012 and has been an apprentice for Mastery in Shamanism since 2014 with the Shamanic Yoga Institute. She carries the Black Stone Mesa and White stone Global Mesa through Mastery courses at the Institute. She is a Gold Canadian Yoga Alliance educator through the Shamanic Yoga Institute.