Gage D’Amour pouch for FASD workshops

By Lynda Banning, Union of Ontario Indians FASD worker – Superior Region

With Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, it’s a good time to announce the new workshop the Union of Ontario Indians Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Program is offering.

Gage D’Amour pouches are pretty perfect for our work as FASD Educators. This craft making activity has been used in our workshop to help families dealing with addictions.

Gage D’Amour is a French term that means “Token of Love”. A French visitor to Anishinabek communities saw that a woman would make a small pouch for a warrior she was interested in. The woman would place medicines and tokens in the pouch to provide strength and protection to her love interest during battles.

This craft can be used in workshops with parents. While a parent is preparing the pouch for their baby they could put wishes and dreams for their child into their work. Parents could prepare a pouch for their child if they are planning to be away for awhile. Children can hold onto them as a reminder of the love between parent and child. The craft could also be used as a tool to teach our Kwezens (little women) about healthy relationships.

Parents create babies and should only put goodness into our little creations. It’s important to remember that there is no known safe time and no known safe amount of alcohol for women to drink during pregnancy.