Renewing Our Friendships: A Day of Learning and Sharing - Saturday, August 19th, 2017

Algonquin birch bark canoe craftsman, Chuck Commanda, sharing his knowledge.

Last Saturday, August 19th, Plenty Canada and Mississippi Mills' All My Relations group hosted a reconciliation event in Almonte at St Paul's Anglican Church, entitled Renewing Our Friendships. We are pleased to report that the event was another resounding success!
There were a number tents set up at the event. One featured information on Plenty Canada, the Circle of All Nations, and an independent arts-based reconciliation project. The event also hosted a number of guest speakers, including Plenty Canada’s own Chuck Commanda and Shaelyn Wabegijig! Throughout the day, Chuck Commanda worked on his birch bark canoe and was there to discuss his work with the attendees.

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​For the third time this summer, we performed a smudging ceremony at our event. Afterwards, we asked attendees to share their thoughts on reconciliation. The responses that emerged from the attendees were honest, insightful, reflective, and showed much gratitude for what they learned and experienced throughout the day! Find a brief description of responses below.

• Sacred Ceremonies.
• Cosmology and the timing of our event.
• Grateful for learning --contributed to personal growth --cultivated connection to land.
• Water rights/protection --more joy & creativity in the face of violence in the world.
• Gratitude for sharing --shared responsibility, share connections, circle grows bigger.
• Attitude of custodial responsibility --struggle with First Nations --fear of being/saying something incorrect --paralyzed to share. Do more to share messages & stories.
• Self-education, gaps in history & current events. Fill in, appreciate & understand --responsible not to repeat past.
• Ways to be part of solution --educate & move forward --healthier relationships.
• Concern for conservation --humans are part of more --how to communicate that.
• Learn & understand others. What is appropriation?
• Recognize First Nations as leaders in environment & support them.
• Right to water --avoid commercialization --help the Council of Canadians.
• Sense of curiosity of history. Transmit responsibility of Canadians.
• Respect & love nature.
• Learn shared history --connect to more Native people.
• Common cause --part of healing & reconciliation.
• Participate in ceremonies. Indigenous education course --video researchers.
• Help people heal --how we can relieve pain.
• Action = reaction --think more about reciprocity in minds & hearts.
• Inspired & hopeful --much to learn from native community --how to construct a healthy future --come together as one, less separation --Native culture helps us get there.
• Concern for grandchildren’s future --sense of meaning conveyed to young people. What can we learn from Indigenous peoples? Create space for cross-cultural renewal --sense of being grounded in values. Move forward in a new way.
• Gratitude for coming together --building relationships.
• Sacredness of today --internalize us being one people.
• No need to cede land --none own --all share --share knowledge with others.
• Insight --forward together --thoughtful of others.
• Look after Earth better. Today’s garbage --take the effort to look after Earth. No water bottles. Healing all = caring for Earth.
• Actions I can take? --make priority to connect grandchildren to Canada’s shared history. Smudge was like prayer.
• Commit to deepen understanding more faithfully.
• Relationship building --living in relationship with the land.
• Youth leaders/role models --connection with the environment --community gardens --respect the Earth --prayers to those suffering.
• Be with nature --learn from her --determined to continue --reciprocity, respect & show gratitude by offering tobacco back to the Earth/plant.
• Responding to our invitation --Interest.
• Affirmation to show up.
• What can I do? Volunteer.
• More events --speak open & honest for good friendships & future.
• Issues, values, ethics, ways of life --paddle on rivers --remote community exposure --feeling there can be found here --see more events --potlucks, pow wows etc. --strengthen & pass on teachings.
• Relationships with each other, lands, & ancestors. Search for an identity with regards to the question, “What it means to be Canadian?” began with reconciliation. Canadian identity was missing her relationship with Indigenous peoples. Their voice was missing.
• Importance of gathering & reflecting.
• Indigenous peoples dealing with things daily impacts their participation.
• Local Indigenous peoples’ history --how Algonquian peoples survived.
• Indigenous peoples protect & maintain their culture by avoiding spotlight --circumstance. 
• Participate in local pow wow --participate --ask questions.
• Attend reconciliation dinner. Bringing together both cultures (IESS department at Trent).
• Blanket ceremony --advocacy --educate elementary school students about TRC --urge government to be true to UNDRIP campaign.
• Lanark Drum Group in Perth --all are welcome!
• Push province --everyone have clean drinking water. Water is a human right.
• Complexity in government processes --conversation & policy.
• Resistance for curriculum reform in the school board --human rights violations investigation.
• Teaching --education system --better understand history & ways of knowing --change the way we educate and live with the land.

​We cannot overstate how much we appreciate every single person who attends and enriches our reconciliation events. The immense interest our events generate seems to reflect a deep desire for all peoples to engage, learn, heal and reconcile together. See you at the next event!