Have you ever been drawn to the water to think and reflect? In my own culture, Lithuanians of long ago designated sacred spaces throughout their lands, sensing vibrations and resonance that taught them about the web of life. Bodies of water, including rivers, were associated with spirituality and ritual. I have always believed in the power of water. Is it because of its clarity, or the essence of life attached to it? Perhaps its also because we are reflected in its surface. As I pause to consider that felt sense of awe that comes upon me when I am near water, I am reminded of the need to clear our biases to perceive the world with clarity and compassion. Can we see ourselves in a larger context, within systems of nature and systems of imposed order, examining the waters that have been muddied by a colonial narrative? Sometimes, the river’s flow is turbulent, full of uncomfortable truths.
The Fraser River / Setétkwe at Xats’ull surges with movement as it encounters stone. This image reflects the turbulent nature of unsettling truths. The River asks, how will we navigate these challenges?
Photo by Rick Magnell
It is an incredible privilege to sit beside the river with an elder from Secwepemc’ulucw. It is also a privilege to receive the abundance and benefits of this land, and to feel relatively safe in my daily life. In my estimation, much of that privilege comes from being a white settler here. And as I have learned about the colonial legacy and impacts on the Indigenous People of Turtle Island, it feels ever more pressing to act and address historical wrongs when I am so privileged.
We have been handed an incredible and troubling document by the Indigenous Peoples of our Nation called Canada – The Truth and Reconciliation Report of 2015 and the 94 Calls to Action provide context for what is required in terms of a new relationship between the original inhabitants and settlers. Even though many calls relate to levels of government taking action, individuals must push governments to action. In the preface we find a clear message:
“Getting to the truth was hard, but getting to reconciliation will be harder. It requires that the paternalistic and racist foundations of the residential school system be rejected as the basis for an ongoing relationship. Reconciliation requires that a new vision, based on a commitment to mutual respect, be developed. It also requires an understanding that the most harmful impacts of residential schools have been the loss of pride and self-respect of Aboriginal people, and the lack of respect that non-Aboriginal people have been raised to have for their Aboriginal neighbours. Reconciliation is not an Aboriginal problem; it is a Canadian one. Virtually all aspects of Canadian society may need to be reconsidered.
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National Centre For Truth and Reconciliation
The Commission’s main report was published in 2015 and included 94 Calls to Action.
The mentorship process with Meeka and Helen illuminated a pathway forward for learning. I’ve been seeking out relationships with Indigenous people in my community. I have made it a conscious pursuit, to learn, to honour the fact that I inhabit a territory with stewards whose knowledge systems are intrinsically linked to this exact place. It’s important to mention, too, that layered onto building relationships of respect and integrity is personal healing and accountability, and ongoing study: of literature, art, music and social media content produced by Indigenous creators. There isn’t one ‘Voice’ to define Indigeneity, so it’s important to continually seek out diverse perspectives. Historically, we didn’t have as much access to knowledge or information, but the current day offerings are readily available to us. I want to be aware of the ways I can still cause harm. I also want to empower myself and my community to take direct action for the future of ‘Reconciliation’.
Spending time beside the Fraser and Chilcotin Rivers to learn about salmon harvest with my mentor Helen becomes a philosophical and personal conversation between us two and the land. It involves talk of healing and living a good life. Another time, I was brought to the base of a cliff in Southern Secwepemcúl’ucw with Meeka to see incredible petroglyphs, anchoring the Truth of her ancestors to that place. Being there, it is very difficult to reckon with the nightmare of colonization for her People. It is very challenging to sit in these spaces with each of them, understanding the gravity of dispossession and pain their families have endured since the Crown allowed settlers to take.
Indigenous knowledge systems and Indigenous Science have and continue to promote site specific care that emerges from relationship the people have to the Land and place-based practices. Our impact as settlers often tramples on this way of existing, imposing systems that are more familiar to our imported lineages and cultural and religious norms. But if we are here, me and some of you on Secwepemcúl’ucw, others of you upon other regions of Turtle Island and beyond, is it not more appropriate to be good visitors, and honour and learn from our hosts and their territories? Site-specific sustainability has existed here since time immemorial, yet the western view is always quick to dismiss this embedded knowledge.
What if theft and dispossession could have been avoided? What if we had honoured the original aspects of Teiohate Kaswenta, the two-row wampum belt treaty ideals first established on the eastern side of Turtle Island during early contact, and pursued “parallel but separate paths of culture, religion, government and way of life”? (From www.onondaganation.org/history) Think honestly: what if previous governments hadn’t broken almost every agreement they made with Indigenous Peoples?
Through questions like these, I have been imagining what could take shape if we rebuilt our villages, towns, and cities in relationship with the culture that is linked to these lands, so that we may heal a shaky, almost non-existent foundation. Historical harms and ongoing injustices that settler colonialism pushes on Indigenous People exist. My question is, can we go from destructive thieves to guests in reciprocal relationship?
Us two and the Land
A dialogue
For me, it is in communion with the land, and with the river that I can reflect on these questions best. From that study, through relationship building, and engaging in practices that teach me to get used to the discomfort hard truths bring up, my reconcili-action takes shape. For example, I reconsider wildcrafting for its impact on the land and its stewards. I take anti-racism and unconscious bias training regularly, understanding that there are multiple inner and outer systems of oppression to work through. I engage in conscious conversation with my peers, colleagues and friends to develop ideas and tangible steps for ways we can grow as a society. Always, I keep learning.
Learning links:
National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation NCTR - Reports
Two-row Wampum Belt - History
Myisha T Hill - Heal Your Way Forward
Deyen - Canadian History Through the Lens of Indigenous Women