We are capable!
A Nestooaak workshop held on traditional Cree territory, that is now also home to the parishes of St. Faith and St. Stephen the Martyr, equipped more than 40 Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people from several communities, including Cold Lake, Wetaskiwin and Edmonton, with the capability to become better neighbours.
“It wasn’t until last March that I began to learn the true history of Aboriginal people in our country,” said Barb Vrolijk, a member of St. John the Evangelist parish in Edmonton. “I was so angry and ashamed that all these years I had bought into what I had been taught in school.”
Vrolijk said the truth began to unfold, at last, during a public course she attended at The King’s University last winter in preparation for the final Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Alberta event in Edmonton. She has since been motivated to learn all she can about past and present relations between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in Canada.
“The more we know, the closer we are to discovering what’s needed to make us whole,” she said at the October 17 and 18 Nestooaak. “Their story is our story, too.”
The workshop, offered by Indigenous Ministries of the Anglican Diocese of Edmonton in partnership with My People and the Edmonton Native Healing Centre, emphasized the strength of walking together in good relationship. It was an additional learning opportunity for the Anglican family (about half of the participants were Anglican). Eight Indigenous people told their stories in a sharing circle modelled after the TRC’s Churches Listening Circles, furthering reconciliation and mission, said event organizer Sharon Pasula. As Oskapêwis, Aboriginal Cultural and Educational Helper for the Edmonton diocese, it is Pasula’s role to facilitate understanding and healing among Anglican and Indigenous communities.
Nestooaaks (Mi’kmaq word meaning capable) are meant to build our capacity to understand one another and our world view differences by showing how our faith, culture and tradition are deeply connected and by examining the realities of our combined history, said Tim Stime, project coordinator for My People, a ministry founded and directed by First Nations followers of Jesus.
Exploring the theme of “Something Discovered…Something Missing,” the Nestooaak began with a Standing Stones liturgy (a unique rite infusing Cree symbols into Christian ceremony) celebrated by the Rev. Travis Enright, Canon Missioner for Indigenous Ministry.
Many people wept openly during a video presentation and discussion about the Doctrine of Discovery, led by Sharon Pasula, especially those hearing for the first time about the legalized oppression of Indigenous people by Imperial England and France in the 15th Century. The doctrine granted – in the name of crowns and Christianity – European powers the right to own, rule and exploit the Indigenous territory (and people) they “discovered.”
In 2010, the doctrine was repudiated and renounced by the General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada as being “fundamentally opposed to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” But its effects, including the legacy of suffering created by the Indian Residential School System, are lasting.
Sadly, societal attitudes, both in Canada and the US, are still shaped and influenced by this doctrine, said Tim Stime, a 4th generation settler who has been working among First Peoples since 1976.
In a session titled, “Why Can’t They Just Get Over it?” Enright invited groups of four to stand in a close circle, look one another in the eye and ask “what do we have in common? What makes us different?” Establishing commonality enables us to walk in one another’s shoes, Enright said. “To enter into real dialogue, we must figure out what we’re willing to do to walk in the way of Jesus.”
In the church sanctuary, Michelle Nieviadomy, assistant director of the Edmonton Native Healing Centre, sang an honour song in the four directions for women of the four races.
“When I think of esquao (Cree women), I think of strength,” said Nieviadomy, recipient of the 2013 Esquao Award for her work within Edmonton’s Indigenous community. Traditionally it was the women, often called clan mothers, who had the final voice in political arenas and who were responsible for the wellbeing of their families – preparing and distributing the meat hunted by the men and setting up the huge 15-foot poles for teepees, she explained. “I had my first experience of teepee-building this summer and it was hard work. These women were strong – not only spiritually, but physically.”
Nieviadomy, who is Cree and was raised on Kawacatoose First Nation in Saskatchewan, then spoke about the profound impact of colonialism and residential schools on members of her own family. Her older sister became addicted to crystal meth and was found dead, her face smashed beyond recognition, on the streets of Vancouver 10 years ago.
“Aboriginal women are five times more likely than non-Aboriginal women to suffer a violent death,” said Nieviadomy. As the Nestooaak congregation held candles, she sang, “The Unforgotten,” a song she wrote in remembrance of the 1,200 Aboriginal women reported missing or murdered since 1980.
“I am absolutely hopeful that times are changing for Aboriginal women,” said Nieviadomy. “I believe it is our call and duty to use our gifts and walk as the person God has created us to be.”
Throughout the workshop many people expressed a desire to be part of the healing and reconciliation journey but seemed uncertain about what to do next. Dr. Terry LeBlanc, CEO and Director of My People International and Indigenous Studies Program Director at Tyndale University College said getting to know our own history and one another is paramount.
“That you are here is hope,” said LeBlanc, who is Mi’kmaq/Acadian. By working to dispel existing stereotypes, “stopping the colonial activities and attitude and replacing them with understanding,” we can start to build relationships, he said.
“We need to stop looking at the struggling native man or woman on the street in a particular way and try to understand what lies beneath their hurt,” he said.
Before departing, Nieviadomy invited the Nestooaak participants to form a large circle and join hands. Playing a CD, she led the newly-bonded community in a Round Dance – an intimate and communal expression of Aboriginal spirituality.
To learn more about hosting a Nestooaak in your parish, please email Sharon Pasula:oskapewis@edmonton.anglican.org. Indigenous Ministries can facilitate evening, afternoon, or weekend workshops. For more information about the Edmonton diocese’s Indigenous Ministry Initiative, visit: http://edmonton.anglican.org/category/ministries/Indigenous-ministry.