We Gather, Sing, and Dance: Conversations about healing a Nation and Ourselves - Hardcover

Über die Autorinnen und Autoren

Willie Poll is a Métis author from the Robinson Huron Treaty Territory (Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada) and a proud member of the Métis Nation of Ontario. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Indigenous studies and a Master of Arts in archaeology. She grew up with a close relationship to her Métis grandpa who told stories that connected her to her ancestors and culture. Willie has worked in Indigenous education across the Nation for over 10 years. Her stories are her feelings, emotions, and her tribute to the youth in her life. Willie currently resides on Prince Edward Island as a guest on the traditional lands of the Wabanaki and Mi’kma’ki people; however, she lives a nomadic lifestyle and has had the opportunity to be a guest in many places across Turtle Island.

Micaela Gilbert is an Anishinaabe artist from Sagkeeng First Nation, now living in Winnipeg, Manitoba located on Treaty 1 Territory. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Manitoba.

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     INTRODUCTION:

     What does it take to heal a nation and society that has been built on the oppression of people for the benefit of others? What does it take to overcome racism and stereotypes perpetuated by economic, political, and social systems that are based on the belief that natural and human resources are to be exploited and used for one’s own or one group’s gain? What does it take to move forward acknowledging and accepting the past, walking in a good way in the present, and healing for future generations when systematic oppression occurred in the past and continues in the present? Healing from the purposeful ongoing oppression of a people within a nation takes an open heart and mind with a willingness to learn and grow. It takes a commitment to listening to other perspectives and ways of knowing and being in the world. It takes a willingness to put aside what you were taught to believe and understand that there are multiple perspectives of truth. It takes dialogue and a desire to reflect on how one profits from or pays for the structures and beliefs that surround us. It requires a commitment to change. It takes you.

     Many harms have been done to Indigenous Peoples in the name of colonization and “civilization” in Canada. Since the creation of this country, the belief that Indigenous Peoples are somehow lesser than non-Indigenous people has been embedded in almost every choice and system carried out by the government. This attitude was a pervasive and driving force to the creation of policies in the Indian Act. 

     Prime Minister John A. Macdonald stated to parliament in 1885, “I have not hesitated to tell this House, again and again, that we could not always hope to maintain peace with the Indians; that the savage was still a savage, and that until he ceased to be savage, we were always in danger of a collision, in danger of war, in danger of an outbreak.” Indigenous Peoples have been marginalized and oppressed through societal prejudice and educational biases, along with many other means. One example of how the Canadian government has attempted to decimate Indigenous people and their cultures is the implementation of the Indian Residential School System (IRS) in Canada. Indigenous children were removed from their families with the purpose of forcing them to assimilate into colonial culture. The term colonial is used in this book in reference to worldviews, systems, and beliefs that are a part of a colonizing nation that controls the economics and politics of another nation(s) through bringing settlers and claiming power through its discriminatory policies and approaches. In Canada this was the approach of both the British and, later, Canadian governments. Deputy superintendent of the Department of Indian Affairs, Duncan Campbell Scott (1920), even went so far as to state, “I want to get rid of the Indian problem. I do not think, as a matter of fact, that this country ought to continuously protect a class of people who are able to stand alone. That is my whole point…Our object is to continue until there is not a single Indian in Canada that has not been absorbed into the body politic, and there is no Indian question, and no Indian department, that is the whole object of this Bill.” Indigenous languages and cultural practices were forbidden and Indigenous Peoples were punished for practicing them.

     Many people who listened to the accounts of the stories from residential school Survivors gathered by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in its final report in 2015 were shocked by the truths that were shared. Although Indigenous people had shared their experiences for decades, when the evidence of children’s bodies were located on the grounds of residential schools in Canada, more people began to acknowledge the need to learn the truth. As there is more evidence being uncovered, including the search for children buried on the grounds of both “schools” and “hospitals,” people are finding many historical documents that prove how the government and churches had been aware of the atrocities happening to Indigenous Peoples.

     Dr Peter Henderson Bryce published a report in 1922 about the horrific conditions children faced in residential schools. His report stated “It is indeed pitiable that … this trail of disease and death has gone on almost unchecked by any serious efforts on the part of the Department of Indian Affairs, placed by the BNA Act especially in charge of our Indian population.” How is it possible that these things continued to happen even when people, including government leaders, knew the truth? Many people knew about the purpose of these schools and the horrific conditions and abuses happening in them. It was not a secret. Residential schools are just one example of the ongoing injustices that Indigenous Peoples have and are still facing in Canada, which some non-Indigenous people ignore or demonstrate apathy toward being a part of changing.

     Lifting up the voices of residential school Survivors and other first-hand accounts from Indigenous people who have faced horrific injustices is vital to learning about the truth of Canada’s treatment toward Indigenous Peoples, as well as an important beginning step in healing. It has been 13 years since the first Orange Shirt Day was held in Williams Lake, British Columbia. Since then, Phyllis Webstad, a founding member of the Orange Shirt Day movement, residential school Survivor, and award-winning Indigenous author, has shared her story on a global level and advocated for the rights of Indigenous Peoples to be honoured, respected and honoured. In doing so, Phyllis offers a unique perspective into the social consciousness on Orange Shirt Day and Reconciliation. Her story has been shared in schools to educate the next generation to learn from the past and change the future. Although many people have some awareness about the injustices, there is still a lot of work to be done. There is not a simple one-off solution. Reconciliation is an ongoing process that requires each person to do the work and be open to learning even when it is painful or uncomfortable.

     As you read through this book, we encourage you to consider your own beliefs and perspectives by deeply reflecting and taking accountability for your role in the process of Truth and Reconciliation. You are encouraged to consider how the treatment of Indigenous Peoples has, and still is, causing ongoing divides in Canada. It is up to each of us to work toward decolonizing our thoughts, attitudes, and behaviours and to question things we take for granted or have the privilege of not having to face in our lives. This book is not a debate, but rather a dialogue. The Truth and Reconciliation process requires an open heart and mind, and a willingness to engage in difficult, and sometimes painful, dialogue in order to learn how injustices can be addressed at the individual, local, and national levels. There is a misconception that the process of Truth and Reconciliation calls on non-Indigenous people to feel guilty for past mistakes made by others. Truth and Reconciliation is not about “white guilt,” but, rather, about deepening one’s understanding about what has and is happening. It is about opening yourself up to hear another side of the narrative that was systematically suppressed for many years.

     The term white...