Yesterday I cycled to Market Square in Belleville to join roughly 200 others in acknowledging Canada's 4th Truth and Reconciliation Day. We began with a blessing led by a an educator and a member of the Bear clan from the nearby Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory. She spoke in both Mohawk and English and we were invited to give assent at various times to the recognition of creatures and plants, the sun and moon and stars.
As a Christian what came to mind was the Canticle of St. Francis and Creation psalms. I am also keenly aware that not only did Christianity lose its way when it came to affirming the interconnectedness of all Creation, my religion was determined to suppress this balance expressed by various Indigenous groups around the world.
When we were on Haida Gawai in June I was dismayed to learn that Christian missionaries often insisted that Haida totem poles with their creaturely representations be destroyed under threat of eternal peril. The Haida speak of the post-missionary era beginning in the 1960s, a terrible indictment of those who supposedly came to bear witness to Christ, the embodiment of the Creator's love and the first-born of Creation.
There appears to be a seeping pushback against Indigenous recognition in the land we call Canada and this disturbs me. What we need within what is often called settler culture is humility, a willingness to listen and learn. This can be a form of repentance and a step toward Truth and Reconciliation.
We also heard about the Covenant Chain yesterday, the complex system of alliances and agreements between the British Crown and Indigneous peoples. That chain was tarnished and broken many times by a colonial power that did what was convenient and expedient. The term "covenant" is one Christians know from the promise relationships of the people who pledged allegiance to the Creator. Each year we can renew and deepen the covenant of our forebears on Truth and Reconciliation Day.
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