A New Way Forward Together

Kathryn Teneese, the Chair of the Ktunaxa Nation Council, in British Columbia, spoke at a gathering in the Columbia River Basin where she shared some of her ideas on reconciliation.  She said,

Chief Kathryn Teneese

 “I think that any movement forward has to come from a place of         acknowledgement and recognition.  Instead there is a notion of denial that continues to exist today.  We still have Supreme Court of Canada cases in which the premise of the government’s factums, which they table before the court action, are based on a denial of our existence…  This is the kind of narrative which has been accepted.  That it’s ok for the people in places of power to start a conversation by denying."

"Each and every one of us can do something about that. We can make the case and say to the people sitting in those positions of power: ‘That is unacceptable.  You cannot continue to do that on my behalf.’"

"I think one needs to find ways, small ways, the baby steps, because we didn’t get to the relationship we have here overnight.  We need to find the way that we can do things together that makes sense."

Quoted in John Ralston Saul (2014) The Comeback. Toronto: Penguin Books pp 259 – 262.

Groundwork for Change

Monique Woroniak

Librarian Monique Woroniak of Winnipeg, is a non-indigenous woman who was inspired by the Idle No More movement.  She decided to create a website with others that offers information and builds connections between indigenous and non-indigenous communities.  

Groundwork for Change has articles, videos, maps and links to help non-indigenous people learn about First Nations history, treaties, residential schools, the Sixties Scoop and language from indigenous perspectives.  Woroniak says, “I think these are Canadian issues – these issues belong to all of us.”

Michael Redhead Champagne

Indigenous community worker, Michael Redhead Champagne is quoted in a Sept. 2015  CBC article as saying, “The approach of Monique and the people at Groundwork for Change is one of ‘let’s respect indigenous sovereignty, indigenous knowledge, indigenous wisdom, indigenous leadership,’ and approach indigenous communities from the perspective of ‘I’m here to help and I’m here to learn.’”

Champagne goes on to say, “I think it’s important for indigenous and non-indigenous folks to be working together because we all share the same water, the same air, the same space and right now in Winnipeg I feel like people are looking for solutions.”

The Groundwork for Change website has a wealth of links that can be followed.  It is encouraging and inspiring to see the great work that many people are doing and one could spend hours reading.  You are not likely to encounter most of this on the evening news but there are good stories being told here.

RAVEN Trust

RAVEN stands for Respecting Aboriginal Values and Environmental Needs.  This seven-year-old organization based in Victoria, BC has a vision of a “country that embraces the ancestral laws of Indigenous Peoples and their equitable access to the justice system within a thriving natural habitat.” RAVEN Trust’s mission is “to raise legal defense funds to assist First Nations who enforce their rights and title to protect traditional territories.”

Last year RAVEN raised nearly one million dollars to support strategic legal challenges that tackle major environmental issues such as the Site C dam, the Tar Sands, the Northern Gateway Pipeline, the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission Project and the New Prosperity Mine Project.  As the First Nations carry out these legal battles they are protecting lakes, river valleys and diverse ecosystems for all Canadians.

RAVEN feels that “Indigenous Peoples’ rights and titles are among the most powerful forces for environmental protection in Canada.”  These legal challenges are long and expensive especially when their opponents have very deep pockets. By partnering with these First Nations, non-indigenous people stand with the indigenous communities and can work towards protecting sustainable ecosystems for all life. This seems to me, to echo Kathryn Teneese’s call to find ways we can work together that makes sense and Michael Champagne’s words that we all share the same water and the same air.

Soccer Team Heading for Attawapiskat

After learning about the high number (50) of attempted suicides in the community of Attawapiskat this year, the members of the boys soccer team at Bishop Marrocco/Thomas Merton CSS in Toronto decided to travel there this summer for a week. They say that they use soccer as an outlet and a motivator and they want to share this with the youth in the remote community.

Bishop Marrocco/Thomas Merton Boys Soccer Team

 The students want to bring soccer supplies and run a soccer training camp for the youth in Attawapiskat.  The Toronto teens are raising money for their trip on a crowd funding site set up by their teacher, which includes a description of their project.  The team plans to sleep in the same gym in which the camp will take place as the community is already overcrowded.  The project has been developed in conjunction with Attawapiskat’s recreation coordinator.  

The Toronto students are hoping to make many such trips and hope to host kids from Attawapiskat as well.  They want to offer support, learn from each other and build bridges with their northern neighbours.  You can read more at cbc.ca.

Stories of reconciliation are emerging all over Canada.  These new narratives are starting from the place of acknowledgement and recognition, from listening and learning and then finding a new way forward together that respects all of life.  This is our new story.