Born: February 13, 1945 URS: November 1, 2023
Our beloved friend, Amina Kathleen was initiated onto the Sufi path in 1993 by Noor-un-Nisa Joan Smith, with whom Amina had a close relationship for 30 years. She was a regular attender at both Inland Northwest Sufi Camp and Northwest Sufi Camp.
Amina was also a certified dance leader, her mentor being Brian Vayu Jameson of Hamilton, Montana. Amina co-led Dances of Universal Peace for several years on Salt Spring Island, where she lived. She also led in the Nelson circle and at our local dance camp on Kootenay Lake, which she and her husband Don attended for many years. Amina played the accordion and loved to contribute music when she could. She had a special bond with the Sufi community in Nelson, and often expressed how she missed all her Sufi and Dance friends here.
Professionally, Amina was a social worker. Her last employment was teaching at the University of Victoria, British Columbia. She had students doing practicums all over the province. During these years she and Don had settled and built a home on Salt Spring Island. Their two daughters, presently both married and each with two children, were never far away, either close by on Salt Spring or on Vancouver Island. Amina had many friends both in Victoria and on Salt Spring, where she was part of a vibrant women’s circle.
Amina was an adventurer at heart. Don has fond memories of their numerous and wonderful adventures together, such as living on a sailboat and in a cabin at a ski hill, kayaking on the ocean, skiing and hiking. From the time their girls were small, they spent a part of each summer at a boat-access-only wilderness camp at the north end of Kootenay Lake on Fry Creek. Several winters saw them in a village on the west coast of Mexico for a month or two. Theirs was a very special relationship. At the time of Amina’s death, they had been married for forty-eight years.
I believe, of all things, Amina loved best to engage with other people. It was not only her social work training that enabled her communication skills. She genuinely cared about people and was interested in their lives. She was a very good listener. Many friends will remember conversations where they had her undivided attention and her careful and thoughtful responses.
Amina was my closest friend. We held this closeness over long periods of separation by distance. For years we travelled to Inland Northwest Sufi Camp together and were roommates. She was my heart sister. We shared deeply from our hearts, sitting for long mornings on my deck, figuring out the ups and downs of life, loving our Sufi path, the songs and dances. We both loved to swim. We swam at her favorite places on my infrequent trips to Salt Spring and on her short summer visits here, in the local lakes and the Slocan River.
The above photo was taken on her last visit to Nelson in 2019. Sadly, as mobility issues and illness overtook her, Amina could no longer be an adventurer. Her friends sang dance songs and recounted with her, over the phone, the memories of an amazing life.
I miss her terribly. I am certain countless others do also.
—Radha Paula Neilson
Dear, sweet, powerful Amina! You brought light, and a cosmic sweetness to all! I am truly blessed to have known you & danced & shared dreams with you. May you continue to shine like the bright & loving star that you are in our Cosmic Universe.
Amina and I delighted in finding each other at different dance camps. Her smile was infectious. We shared the challenges of social work. I felt entirely relaxed with her because she was so authentic in her response to me, to women’s circle, to life in general. And generous in her understanding of people! She was a blessing to so many, indeed our whole community. My empathy to her beloved after so many years as well.