Skip to main content

From the 1870s to as late as 1996, residential schools for Aboriginal people existed in Canada. These government funded, church run schools were set up to eliminate parental involvement in the intellectual, cultural, and spiritual development of Aboriginal children. Over 150,000 children were taken from their homes and communities. The consequences of these schools on Aboriginal people groups is disheartening. Though many teachers had the best of intentions, their attempts to "get the Indian out of the child" has left a cultural void, resulting in a loss of identity for many Native children. Unfortunately this was not the only negative part of these schools. Often Aboriginal children were abused - psychologically, physically and sexually. These traumatic experiences have had profoundly affected Native people to this day. A public apology by the Canadian government was made in 2008, and from that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) was created, to discover the truth about residential schools, make that truth known to all Canadians, and work toward healing and reconciliation for both Aboriginal people and Canadians.

This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend one of the statement gathering sessions hosted by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. These are events hosted across Canada, open to the public, which give the opportunity for survivors of residential schools, and their families to make a recorded statement about their experiences. It was very powerful to sit and listen to people share their truths. The incredible courage that was shown as people opened up, and vulnerably expressed what they knew was inspirational. It was raw. It was emotional. It was real.

And it was all told so that healing and reconciliation could happen.

And we listened because to listen brings credibility and dignity to a person's story.

And we had our eyes opened, and our hearts moved, as we were reminded again and again about the horrific things that happened, and saw the resilience of people who would not let evil have the final word.

As deacons we have the responsibility to lead our congregation in acts of justice. Our Aboriginal neighbours need us to stand beside them, to support them, to listen, to hear, to be present, and to bear witness to their stories. Diaconal Ministries of Canada has identified Aboriginal people as one of eight people groups that our vulnerable in our society. You can access the resources they have by going to the justice section of their website

As members of a church community we have the responsibility to not stand idly by. I strongly encourage those of you in Canada to find out when the TRC will be near your location, and to attend - so that you can become more educated about this issue.

Sometimes the road to healing seems daunting - as this one can. At one point during the truth-sharing I turned to the person next to me and asked "can we ever do enough to fix this?". She just shook her head. I turned away, feeling defeated, and wondering if it was even worth going on. I stopped myself there, because as Christ followers we are always called to work for justice and reconciliation EVEN when our efforts seem hopeless. We are not in this alone - God, is making all things new, and we can trust that where truth and reconciliation are, he is, and we should be too.

There was a small group of CRC attendees at this event - some of whom were CRCNA staff members with Canadian Aboriginal Ministries. Although we as a denomination were not directly involved in the running of residential schools, we should not view this as a "get out of jail free" card. Rather, we need to see this as an opportunity to join in the efforts of reconciliation for the hurt that was caused by the church. As such, our denomination will be making a statement of reconciliation at one of the future National events (perhaps Saskatchewan and/or Ottawa). I think it is incredible to be part of a denomination that sees this as important and valuable. However, there is much more to be done - and you are part of that.

One woman in her public statement offered multiple ideas for what reconciliation would look like. A simple, yet beautiful request was that everyone in Canada know how to say "hello" in their Aboriginal neighbour's native language. What a profound example of loving our neighbours - saying hello.

How is your church (you) being a good neighbour to our Aboriginal friends? 

Comments

In our church, we have aboriginal members:  three children.   Also we have one adult who has some american aboriginal ancestry.  We welcome them all.  The three children are adopted by different families.  They are open adoptions so friendly relationships with bio-parents are maintained.  In one case, relationships with bio-grandparents and aunts are also continued.

Melissa, thanks for this! The timing of this is wonderful. I wonder how many people are aware of what also happened after the public apology by the government in 2008. On June 12, 2010 there was a National Forgiven Summit held in Ottawa. This was the culmination of months of heart preparation and sharing the message of Freedom through Forgiveness through the Journey of Freedom. The Journey team consisted of representatives from many First Nations, Inuit, and Metis communities. They travelled through the provinces and territories of Canada sharing their stories of healing and hope. They ended in Ottawa where they gathered with government, church, First Nations, Inuit and Metis representatives. There is a DVD called "The Release" of this gathering. There is more information on

http://www.gatheringnations.ca/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=136&Itemid=171

At this Forgiven Summit on June 12, 2010, Kenny Blacksmith was the main representative for the First Nations, Inuit and Metis. Now he is coming to BC and speaking in 5 places starting on April 21 in Prince George, Burns Lake, Gitsegukla, Kitimat and on the 29th in Terrace.

Could we, the Christian Reformed churches lift this up in prayer?  Please pray for Kenny, his wife Louise and all the other ones who are part of this tour called "Freedom 2012". We believe that this is timely and we believe in freedom and justice for our First peoples. May we be joined together in forgiveness, reconciliation and love.

Let's Discuss

We love your comments! Thank you for helping us uphold the Community Guidelines to make this an encouraging and respectful community for everyone.

Login or Register to Comment

We want to hear from you.

Connect to The Network and add your own question, blog, resource, or job.

Add Your Post