CLAUDETTE

I AM

A wise woman from the Kehewin Cree Nation in Alberta, I live on the Unceded Lands of the Coast Salish Peoples; the Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), and xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam) Peoples of British Columbia, Canada.

I describe myself as an arts-based researcher, getting involved with my activism to take back my power. I am reclaiming my culture. As I reflect, I get fulfilment by working on establishing safe spaces for Wisdom Speakers to allow them to share their stories using a trauma informed strengths-based approach.

I am blessed to be a Kokum (Grandmother) to eight grandchildren. I am Claudette Cardinal – Wâpakwaniy.

OPEN

After being diagnosed with HIV in 1995, it took me two years before reaching out to agencies to help deal with this “new life sentence”. In 2002 I made a conscious decision to get more involved in the HIV community, becoming a member of various organisations working on HIV such as AIDS Vancouver Island. I joined their speaker’s bureau to start sharing about my experience of living with HIV with women, youth, men.

For me it was important to open up about living with HIV to be able to educate people the importance of sharing the lived experiences of people living With HIV/AIDS, as we are the ones who live with this every day and take medications that have side effects. By now, in my 30th year of living with HIV, I have worked many hours on HIV, mental health, aging, and Indigenous-focused research initiatives. As a Community Fellow of The Feast Centre for Indigenous STBBI Research, I am now considered a leader in HIV action amongst Indigenous Women in Canada.

The positive feedback I receive highlights the critical role of engaging in community-led HIV initiatives, ensuring inclusivity and unity as we share our experiences with ART medication and its daily side effects. This makes me extremely proud of all the Wisdom Speakers involved in HIV action, showing ‘We are more then the numbers’.

Together we are truly achieving more than I expected, with each of us bringing our true authentic selves. I will continue to include my community of poz folks, they are the leaders and teachers of this movement.

“Culture is within me. Culture is me. I am Culture”