Strength in spirit, medicine, and community
Chief Allan Polchies is a prominent Indigenous leader and former Councillor who became the first two-spirited person to become Chief of Sitansisk First Nation in New Brunswick. He is well known for his dedication to Wolastoqey culture, language, and community leadership.
Allan was diagnosed with colorectal cancer at age 41. In this video from the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (CPAC), Allan speaks about the shock of receiving his diagnosis. He and his partner, Tyler, also talk about the importance of community support and Indigenous ways of healing:
“I psychologically prepared myself by reaching out to my elders in the community. You know, of course I did some sweats before I went to St. John to start the process. And sat with elders and finding the best traditional medicines that will guide me through my journey because that’s something that was important to me that I was explore because I certainly believe in my culture and the creator and the gifts that we’d been given.
You know I appreciate the medicines. I’m so happy that I live in the 21st century. And I did the western medicine, the chemo, the radiation, the technology that they have today. I give thanks for all that and those external things that I did helped me spiritually, of course, because it’s all about mind, body and soul. And if you connect those three, you connect the mind with the body and the soul with the spirit, then it can combine and it all works very well together and you need it at times because let me tell you towards the end it wasn’t fun, and I connect those three really hard together. But I did it.”
You can find the video transcript here.
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