Kayas: Community DNA—
Community-driven truth-finding to bring home the missing.
The Service
“Kayas," means “it's been a long time” in Cree (nehiyawewin).
The Kayas Community DNA workshops are rooted in an urgent goal: to help bring home the missing.
Through workshops covering DNA testing, family tree building, and cultural guidance, we support community members in reconnecting with biological family; often after generations of separation caused by the Sixties Scoop, residential schools, and colonization.
While doing this work, we keep the concept of wahkotowin in mind - family ties that are already established are not removed by biology; additional connections are found instead.
Participants through this program also have the opportunity to contribute their DNA to national identification efforts, helping name the unnamed, reunite families, and put an end to ongoing violence.
This is about truth. It’s about healing. And it’s about finding our way back to each other.
Get Started
Interested in bringing a DNA healing workshop to your community?
We’d love to learn about the work you're doing, what matters most to your community members, and what you're excited about. Let’s connect and see if this program can be a good fit— or if there’s another way our efforts can support yours.
