Indigenous Justice

First Nations Acknowledgement   (An act towards reconciliation)

For thousands of years Indigenous people have walked
in this land, on their own (unceded) traditional territory.
Their relationship with the land is at the centre of their lives.

We acknowledge the Coast Salish People of the shíshálh First Nation, past, present, and emerging leaders and their stewardship of this land (swiya) throughout the ages.

 We believe it is important that we learn the history and legacy of Indian Residential Schools and live out the Anglican Church's and Canada's apology through living in right relationship with our indigenous neighbours.  Here are some ways how we encourage parishioners and our friends on Sunshine Coast to engage:

Spirited Drum Circle: Meeting monthly on the 4th Sunday at 4 pm at St. Hilda's, Sechelt, the Circle is facilitated by Terry Aleck and Christine Turenne.  Terry, a Pipe Carrier from Lytton First Nation, was raised Anglican and is a survivor of St. Geroge's Indian Residential School in Lytton, BC. Participants drum and sing while learning native culture through Terry's storytelling.

Sunshine Coast Healing and Reconciliation Dialogue Circle: An ecumenical and inter-religious gathering started by Anglican, Lutheran (ELCIC) and United churches on Sunshine Coast committed to inviting the settler community to learn and live out the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Call to Actions. Past and future events include dialogue circle/workshops on Cultural Competency, the Doctrine of Discovery, UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, KAIROS' Blanket Exercise, TRC's Calls to Action.

Contact:  Nancy Denham  604  885 7373  nancy_denham@sunshine.net

Syiyaya Reconciliation Movement   https://www.facebook.com/Syiyaya-Reconciliation-Movement-207183180129035/

The Syiyaya Movement and the Social Justice Umbrella highly recommend the 3 part APTN series First Contact.  http://aptn.ca/firstcontact/.

Since the conclusion of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) mandate in 2015 and the release of the TRC’s 94 Calls to Action, Anglicans across Canada have been seeking ways to continue the process of truth-telling and healing begun by the TRC. From commemorations, walks and feasts to study groups and social action groups, more and more people are getting involved in this ongoing healing journey. Reconciliation, right relationship, justice-seeking—these are all part of a “trajectory of grace”. There are many places to enter into this journey. Wherever you are at, you will find resources here to help you either enter into this journey for the first time, or take the next step on that journey.

https://www.anglican.ca/tr/reconciliation-toolkit/r

powerful video by Shane Koyczan           Inconvenient Skin

10 ways to be an ally of Indigenous people

See also  The Indigenous Ally Toolkit

Dispelling common myths about Indigenous Peoples   Myths

Events: Past and Future

June                     Indigenous Sundays 2016 to 2019  see downloaded files below

January 18, 2020     PWRDF Mapping Exercise Interactive Workshop

    Mapping the Ground We Stand On is an Interactive Workshop Exploring Indigenous and Settler Relationships. Developed by the Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund, the Mapping Exercise complements the KAIROS Blanket Exercise, and focuses in part on our personal/individual and Anglican histories. It lays out historical and contextual realities that Indigenous peoples in Canada face daily. It offers suggestions for taking action, for participants to journey further on paths of reconciliation, and for the creation of a better and more just country for all of us. As the Anglican Church of Canada continues to develop its response to the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s final report and PWRDF seeks to deepen its relationships with aboriginal peoples, the Mapping Exercise can be a useful tool for learning and reflection together, and as one step on the journey towards meaningful reconciliation between Indigenous and non- Indigenous peoples.

November 2019 to March 2020. Book Study. From Where I Stand: Rebuilding Indigenous Nations For A Stronger Canada by Judy Wilson Raybould

April 2019 to June 2019  Quest for Respect:  The Church and Indigenous Spirituality book Study

October 2018 to March 2019 Yours, Mine, and Ours book study

January to April 2018  Wrongs to Rights book study   

December 2017, Support for Bill C- 262.  Together with our Primate Bishop Fred Hiltz and with KAIROS, we support the harmonization of Canadian laws with the United Nations Declaration of The Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Sunday, September 24, 2017 Walk for Reconciliation 

Sunday April 2, 2017  Church showing of the movie Reserve 107.  Note this powerful 30 minute film can also be seen by clicking on the Reserve 107 

Sunday, June 26, 2016  Aboriginal Sunday.  See the file below for our 2016 service leaflet.

Sunday, April 26, 2015  Truth and Reconciliation Sunday

Truth and Reconciliation Sunday video by Sher Saks

Repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery

See here for a good overview of the Doctrine and what actions churches can take to counteract it.

see Anglican Church video “Stolen Lands, Stolen Hearts”  here

The repudiation of the Doctrine of Christian Discovery is fundamentally a religious issue.  It is a terrible legacy that assumed that Indigenous Peoples were naturally inferior to Christians.  As a consequence societies founded on this Doctrine have been actively involved in practices of forced religious conversion, Indian boarding schools, relocation of tribes, seizing of Indigenous lands, and other immoral and illegal practices.  This 500+ year old doctrine is still with us in a number of ways, which makes it an urgent current issue.  It is at the root of religious intolerance.   It justifies the mistreatment of Indigenous Peoples, and is directly related to the mistreatment of our Earth.   We can’t afford to treat the earth as a commodity anymore, and this implies adopting a more indigenous perspective toward our home.  We can’t simultaneously diminish and destroy Indigenous peoples while also trying to adopt their values. Religious communities must take the steps to lead our society toward a healing of the genocidal history and environmental destruction that the Doctrine set in motion.  (Phil Arnold, Professor of Indigenous Religions, Syracuse University) 

Members of St. Hilda's brought the following motion to the Diocese of Westminster 2012 Synod.                    

Be it resolved that this Synod:

1. Affirms: · World Council of Churches Executive Committee's recent decision to denounce the "Doctrine of Discovery", which has been used to subjugate and colonize Indigenous Peoples since the 15th century; · and the General Synod 2010 resolution A086 R1 [the Resolution] to "repudiate and renounce the Doctrine of Discovery as fundamentally opposed to the gospel of Jesus Christ and our understanding of the inherent rights that individuals peoples have received from God;

2. Requests our bishop to cause the declaration as outlined in the Resolution to be proclaimed in every parish and shared with all the nations and peoples located within our diocese;

3. Renews this diocese’s commitment to support the Indigenous peoples within Canada in their ongoing efforts for their inherent sovereignty and fundamental human rights as peoples to be respected;

4. Calls all Anglicans in our diocese to support and participate in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission National Gathering in September 2013. moved by Clarence Li and seconded David Moul    Passed unanimously.

For a more detailed look at the Anglican Church of Canada's Repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery see the file below.

Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action can be found here.

The U.N Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples can be found here.

See a CBC video report about Terry, John and Nancy and Reconciliation below.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/residential-school-survivor-and-anglican-couple-forge-unlikely-friendship-1.3093047

A video of our Voyage of Reconciliation in 2014 during the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's National Gathering in Vancouver.