Originally published on Cortes Radio.ca, as part of the Deep Roots Initiative, Season Two

When a girl approaches puberty, her culture’s attitudes toward women and sex come at her in new and often intense ways, both by what is said and also by what is left unsaid. Elder Helen Nora Hansen was raised in a residential school that treated coming of age with the silence of shame. Michelle Robinson’s parents raised her in the bush in Klahoose traditional territory and gave her the traditional teachings about coming of age. From their dramatically different experiences, these woman have great advice on how to support our girls as they make their way toward adulthood.