Although adopted from Haiti, my son Josiah is unconditionally a member of our Indigenous community_freckle removal

Although adopted from Haiti, my son Josiah is unconditionally a member of our Indigenous communityAdoption is sacred to the Heiltsuk Nation and a way to express our sovereignty

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Adoption is sacred to the Heiltsuk Nation and a way to express our sovereignty

Dr. Don Wilson(Don Wilson)comments

Sharing our family's story — after my son, Josiah, was barred from playing at the All Native Basketball Tournament in 2016 and 2017 — was not an easy process as we had to be willing to be vulnerable, authentic and truthful, and thereby process some pain.

However, as a Heiltsuk physician who cares deeply about social justice, I felt I could not pass on the opportunity when we were approached by Yasmine Mathurin, a trusted friend and the Haitian-Canadian filmmaker who directed the resulting film, One of Ours.

One of my most important goals since leaving my home community for school has been to get involved in endeavours that would improve the lives of Indigenous people. This goes back to a visit I had with one of my elders, the late Yilístis Beatrice Brown, in the mid-1980s. She told me not to worry about leaving and to do well in school. She asked me to get an education that I could then put to good use for the benefit of our nation when I came back. I often felt guilty not being able to return home as an obstetrician and gynecologist. The hospital and population there are too small to sustain my skills and specialty. Over the years, I have chosen to get involved with other projects I hoped would ultimately have a ripple effect and benefit for the Heiltsuk Nation. 

• Award-winning filmmaker shares struggles of a young Haitian adopted into an Indigenous family in Canada

Many stereotypes about Indigenous cultures, communities, families, individuals, governance, sovereignty, diversity and modern lives need to be demolished. I viewed the opportunity to tell our story and share it widely as a way to address some of these knowledge gaps.  

All Indigenous communities have oral traditions. They pass on teachings and culture through oration, storytelling, songs, dances and interpersonal interactions. Our collective history is held by knowledge keepers who share it with the younger generations. Indigenous people in Canada are not part of a monolithic culture, and this is one of the stereotypes I wanted to break down by participating in One of Ours. 

The Heiltsuk Nation belongs to a large family of First Nations tribes who make up the potlatch peoples of the West Coast. Our culture is thriving and in the process of revitalization after many decades of colonial oppression. We remain a unified and strong people and we are very proud of who we are. There are some cultural practices which evoke a particularly strong sense of pride and significance when we undertake them — and adoption is one of them. 

Adoption is part of the Heiltsuk culture: One of Ours

10 days agoDuration 1:33Josiah Wilson was adopted as a baby in Haiti and raised in an Indigenous family in Calgary, Canada.Award-winning filmmaker shares struggles of a young Haitian adopted into an Indigenous family in Canada

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