Q&A with Elder Roberta Price

posted on December 1, 2015

Elder Robert Price from the Snuneymuxw and Cowichan First Nations has worked tirelessly over the past three decades to educate and raise awareness about issues affecting First Nations people in a positive, informative, and productive manner. She does this by working as a First Nations educator, sharing her traditional knowledge in schools, within the community, and with First Nations people.

Healing is something Roberta is familiar with as she recalls a very painful childhood survived in foster care. Feeling isolated and separated from her culture took a toll on her. Today, she has “risen up” and is completely devoted to being an agent of positive change. The mother of four and grandmother of eight shared for the longest time, she thought she was doing the work for her children, but now realizes it’s for her grandchildren.

Roberta graciously shared some of her story with the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, describing how HIV/AIDS has affected her family and First Nations communities.

BC-CfE: How have you been able to cope with the pain of your past experiences?

Roberta Price: I believe my life up until I was forced into foster care at the age of six is what sustains me today. I was healthy, happy, nurtured, well loved, and well taken care of. What happened after I entered foster care is what broke my spirit and my ego. I was eventually diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. I credit my healing to a long-term relationship in counseling. I was blessed to be able to find a good counselor. My healing was enhanced by seeking out my culture and working with elders since the mid-1980s.

BC-CfE: How have you personally been affected by HIV/AIDS?

RP: HIV and AIDS have affected me through the loss of close family members, namely my two younger brothers. My brothers and sisters were also forcibly removed from our homes into foster homes and residential schools from a young age. I eventually discovered, when I found my mother in 1994, that all 12 of her children had been taken away. The policies of the federal government at that time led to a lot of distress in our Nations with the disconnection from our culture and the forcible removal of our children. Many of us were beaten savagely, having to endure both physical and emotional abuse at the hands of our caretakers. I feel this emotional distress affected my family which eventually led to my brothers’ AIDS diagnosis.

BC-CfE: How do you think things would have been different had your brothers been diagnosed with HIV today?

RP: I feel both would still be alive. With all the advances that have been made, it’s a completely different world today for people living with HIV. My younger brother had the best sense of humour and was immensely talented. He didn’t have to pass away from HIV wasting syndrome.

BC-CfE: Do you still see stigma against HIV in First Nations communities?

RP: Yes, very much. There still needs to be a lot of awareness and ongoing education about HIV and AIDS. A lot of First Nations people don’t even know their own history. There is a real disconnect and this affects their whole sense of self and worth.

BC-CfE: What are ways First Nations communities can begin to heal with regard to HIV/AIDS?

RP: I feel this can be achieved through education, awareness and support. I also believe that ceremony and culture play an important role. The pain and suffering my own family endured has led me to stand up and work towards solutions to stem the tide of these terrible events of preventable health effects against our people.

BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS

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Q&A with Elder Roberta Price

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