Aboriginal Wisdom

Today is National Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada, and in many places, including the city of Toronto, there were sunrise services celebrating the First Peoples of the land. It has become increasingly common for gatherings of every kind to begin with acknowledgment of the Aboriginal Nation which existed in that place at the time of first European contact.

There is also a growing awareness that Aboriginal environmental wisdom can inform our efforts toward understanding the ecosystems which are essential to our health and sustainability. The Western industrial scientific approach has created wealth but has done so with a huge environmental cost. And it is soulless, with a deep suspicion of the spiritual aspect of our world rather than seeking a complementary understanding.

While I am a Christian I increasingly support finding a new and humble way of listening to Aboriginal wisdom about Turtle Island which was denigrated and tossed aside as inferior to the culture of invading peoples. I'm painfully aware that Christian missionary efforts were instrumental in this destruction, often with total disregard for the biblical invitation to respect and care for the Earth.

I've written about Robin Wall Kimmerer's book, Braiding Sweetgrass, as an example of an Aboriginal writer who explores these themes with thoughtfulness and sensitivity as a scientist.

Canadian Anglican Bishop. Mark MacDonald, and Pope Francis have encouraged a greater appreciation of Native Wisdom as we address the threat of Climate Change and environmental degradation. I hope that we heed these calls as people of the Creator.