52 Ways to Reconcile: How to Walk with Indigenous Peoples on the Path to Healing - Week 36
Week 36 – Laughter is Medicine – Enjoy Indigenous Humour from Robertson, David A. 52 Ways to Reconcile: How to Walk with Indigenous Peoples on the Path to Healing
Robertson starts off the week by saying, “If you’re not laughing, you’re going to cry,” which was something he heard often in NDN country. His father would say, “When you cry, it’s pain leaving the body,” and goes on to say, “Never stop yourself from crying.”
These are tears of sadness or trauma, but what about happy tears? The kind of tears that come when you’re laughing so hard you can’t stop.
Laughter is some of the best medicine. It can be a pathway to healing, a coping mechanism, and a way of showing affection. Tim Fontaine, founder of the satirical Walking Eagle News, says that if you have been in a community for a long time and aren’t being teased, you may need to look at how you are representing yourself.
There are five things to know about Indigenous humour:
Teasing – Teasing is an important part of Indigenous humour and can be a way of building relationships and showing affection.
Humour rarely punches down – Instead, humour is often aimed at positions of power, bringing them down to a level where people feel more comfortable.
The humour can get dark – This can be a result of trauma and the experiences Indigenous people have faced.
It can be a coping mechanism – When you meet difficult situations head-on through humour, you can take away some of the power they hold over you.
It can be a mixture of drama and humour – The show Reservation Dogs is a great example of this. It was completely Indigenous-created, with Indigenous directors, writers, actors, producers, and crew.
This week, take your pick. Are you watching a movie or a show? Maybe reading a book or an article from Walking Eagle News? Or perhaps you’re going to sit back and watch a comedy show.
When Indigenous people make jokes about serious situations, it can be a way of working through trauma, a way of learning, and maybe even a way of motivating us in some way. Humour can help us look at difficult experiences differently and remind us that even in hard times, there is room for laughter.
This week, give yourself an hour or two and enjoy some laughter. Don’t feel bad about laughing, and don’t forget that laughter is medicine for everyone.
I would love to hear about something you watched or read that made you laugh. Help spread the laughter!
Want to read last weeks post, you can do so here.