Elder draws on lessons of the past to help others

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Elder Alfred Bonaise is someone who has learned from his difficult experiences in his past.

While has left that past behind him now, the 55 year-old Pine Little, Saskatchewan native still uses it as a series of stepping stones to help lead other Native people to overcome their problems.

As the resident elder at Poundmaker's Lodge, the Native substance abuse treatment center, Bonaise takes a very active role in helping people break free of their addictions.

Unlike elders before him, as its cultural coordinator, Bonaise delivers twice weekly lectures drawing on his own experiences, knowledge, traditions and culture.

As a recovered alcoholic, sober for the past 16 years, -- he says he enjoys helping other people get their lives back on track.

"I've been through a lot of hard times. I know how hard it is to have an addiction," he noted.

When he was an alcoholic, Bonaise says he was out of touch with his culture and his traditions.

"I threw that away, I never used that. That's why I was so powerless," he recalled.

But now, 'the sweetgrass way' is a vital part of his life and the lessons he teaches.

"Since I recovered, I really believe in my culture. I went back to the way I was taught, the way I was told," said Bonaise.

Having walked some rough miles in his moccasins, he's now able to walk in those of others, giving them a hand overcoming problems whether they're physical, emotional, mental or spiritual.

It's essential someone with a substance abuse problem take a good, hard look at these areas before he's able to help them, noted Bonaise, who has worked at Poundmaker's since 1982 where he started as a night attendant.

In 1984, he was appointed the center's cultural coordinator.

"I really enjoy my work, every minute of it," he noted. "I was in darkness for 25 years," Bonaise said of his alcohol problem.

Jail, he recalls, used to be "my second home". He also lived on skid row, was on the run for much of his life because he was unable to face his personal problems.

Bonaise hasn't thrown those memories in the trash can; he's just put them on the shelf.

He draws on those difficult times when he tries to help others who are now traveling the path he once walked.

It's those experiences which he believes are most important when working with people who are down and out.

For Alfred Bonaise, his past has helped shape his life today, as he draws on that wisdom in guiding others as a respected elder of the Native community.