Three weeks ago Canadians were shocked and shaken by the discovery of the remains of 215 children buried in the grounds of the former residential school in Kamloops. We probably shouldn't have been so shocked. Indigenous groups had been trying to tell us about this sort of thing for years, but as so often happens, those groups and their words were ignored, pushed to the side.
Now reality has been laid bare and we can't look away. Canadians of all backgrounds have held vigils, created memorials displays like the one in front of our church, prayed and wondered what they can do.
Especially in the United Church we are wondering, where do we go from here? How do we make sure this isn't an event that fades away and nothing changes? What do we do as people of faith? How is God calling us to respond? I spent a lot of time over the past two weeks going through all sorts of articles, letters, posts and prayers, trying to discern what to talk about today.
The first thing that emerged for me was that we have to start by listening and learning. As good United Church people we are keen to jump into action, but first we have to figure out who we are and what our role is.
Who we are, or at least who we are at Comox United, is settlers, people whose arrival displaced the Indigenous people originally living here. Many people don't like that term, but after all my research, I feel it's important for us to understand and accept it.
Indigenous writer Chelsey Vowel says this about the term settlers:
Settler is a relational term. To be a settler is to be bound up in the social, political, cultural and economic structures that both make Canada
possible and make it colonial. To be a settler is to exist in relation to indigenous peoples whose land was stolen and on which settlers now live, work, love and laze about. To be a settler is to be here now.
It’s not just your ancestors. It’s you, here, today.
It’s your benefiting from and recreating a system of colonialization through extraction, marginalization, abuse and violence.
I know that sounds harsh, but it's a Canadian form of white privilege. Our country exists in its present, rich form because Indigenous people lost their lands, their culture, their lives. And unfortunately, they continue to be abused by our systems.
So first we have to recognize that like it or not, by virtue of being settlers we're part of the problem historically and presently. That's what Jesus is talking about in the reading from Matthew used today. “If you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister and then come and offer your gift.”
Our Indigenous brothers and sisters have something against us setters, and rightly so. We have to acknowledge that before there can be reconciliation and healing.
Thankfully we belong to a church which has taken this seriously for many years. The United Church ran 14 residential schools from the mid 1800's to the mid 1900's. In 1986 our church apologized to Indigenous people for our role in colonization, 12 years later we apologized for our role in residential schools. We have continued developing our relationship with Indigenous groups and continued to see where changes in our attitudes and actions are needed.
At our Pacific Mountain Region (formerly BC Conference) annual meeting last week, we discussed and passed a proposal put forward by Alberni Valley United Church. You may recall there was a United Church residential school in Port Alberni, so the topic is one the church there has spent lot of time on, they have spent years developing a relationship with the First Nations people of their area.
The church there made a proposal titled: Bringing Home Lost Children:
A proposal that the General Council of the United Church undertake to offer to work with the local First Nations to locate bodies of children buried on the site of the Alberni Indian Residential School (AIRS), offer to exhume, identify and repatriate, as requested, offer to remove remaining AIRS buildings from the site and develop a plan and funding model for a Healing Centre.
This motion was carried. We also passed a similar proposal from Port Alberni, this one asking that the Pacific Mountain Regional Council take the same actions, as well as committing to contribute $1 million from our Region to a Healing Centre on the former residential school site.
While some people worried about where money would come from, others were sure United Church people would donate. One retired minister said, “If we go bankrupt as a church doing this, it will be worth it, it is some of the most important work we can do as a church.”
Our church is doing its best as an institution, but we also need to do our part as individuals. So what can we do? Where do we start?
Through the wonders of Facebook I found a post by Shaun Ladue, a First Nations friend of friend in the Yukon. I was struck by his words and asked for his permission to share them with you. He wrote:
As the news filters down about the discovered remains of 215 children, and people post news articles, I have been reading the comments – a question keeps coming up. “As a white person what can I do?”
1. Sit back, listen to us…listen to us with open hearts, open minds free of prejudice. Learn what it was like growing up Indigenous.
2. When you see an Indigenous Person out there struggling with their addiction, take a moment, pause before jumping to a snap conclusion and remember that person is hurting - hurting in a way you can’t even imagine.
3. We don’t want your sympathy – we need empathy,we need time and resources to fix this mess. Educate yourself on what the true story of Canadian/American Indigenous history is – read “The Inconvenient Indian” by Thomas King for starters.
4. Be aware of your own privilege, be aware of your own internal -isms. Work on changing them. We’re in this together, why not help each other out?
5. If you truly want to help – help in dismantling the systems that made this mess and others like it – be cognizant that the current societal systems are in place to keep Indigenous Peoples down and struggling.
Call on your local, territorial/provincial and national governments to remind them of promises not yet delivered, remind them that the Truth and Reconciliation Process needs to continue. Remind your government leaders that the Indigenous People are still living in Third World conditions while the rest of Canada is living in First World conditions.
I realize all of this can be overwhelming. So I have a couple of suggestions. The first is pray, pray for guidance, pray for comfort if you are grieving what has been done, pray for whatever it is you need in order to move forward in your relationship and understanding of Indigenous people.
The second suggestion is, think about what inspires you in all of this. Go with what comes most naturally to you. Don't do something just because you think you should or other people are doing it, do what is right for you.
If like to read, check out The Inconvenient Indian or other books.
If you are more of a movie person, find out what videos are out there that speak to the real experience of Indigenous people of Canada, not the Hollywood version, find documentaries. There's a documentary based on The Inconvenient Indian.
If you are a Facebook person, find posts and pages that resonate with you, that teach you, and share them. If you are a news junkie, be more intentional about finding articles on Indigenous issues, CBC has a whole section every day on their website and the articles there are eye opening and thought provoking.
I've heard MP's and MLA's say that we should never underestimate the power of letters and e-mails to them. So if you're a writer, send our MP and our MLA e-mails that mention the proposals from the United Church or just say you want our government to follow up on promises around residential schools. That's enough for our politicians to be able to push at their level. The more e-mails they receive, the more they can push.
Learn more about the local First Nation, the K'omox band, check out their website – it's amazing, go to events they host that are open to public. Get to know them on their terms.
We need to listen, learn, and act with, not at or for.
I'd like to end with words from another First Nations friend of a friend from the Yukon, Blake Nelson. These are words he sent to me and said I could share with you. They are words of wisdom and hope.
Yes, I am angry
But, I am not angry at you my friends and family
who are of European descent.
I am angry at governments who chose
to make an innocent life worthless.
But I am grateful for my elders who remind me to stand tall
Yes, I am angry
But, I am not angry at you for using hateful language
until you learned better. I see you growing.
I am angry at governments who chose not to see the beauty
in the cultures they didn’t understand
But I am grateful for my elders who teach us
what was thought to be lost.
Yes, I am angry
But, I am not angry at you for finding solace and peace
in the word of Christ.
I am angry at institutions who chose
to see their students as less than.
But I am grateful for Indigenous communities who build us up.
Yes, I am angry
But, I am not angry at you for the life you have led.
I am angry at policies that made my life harder.
But I am grateful for all my family and friends
who lent a helping hand when life was hard.
Yes, I am angry
Now I take some sweet grass, some sage, some cedar,
and some tobacco.
Creator, take this anger I don’t need it