How would you like to dance at a Pow Wow, taste Indian bread, or go into a Native American long house? That was enough to entice my 10 year old granddaughter to join me to go to the Harvest Fest Pow Wow in London Ontario at the Archeological Museum.
"Should I wear my hair in braids?" She asked. Girls and their hair! But it was a wise choice as she fit right in during the intertribal dance. Then came all the questions. Why the big drum and what are they saying? Did they really all sleep in one room? Her eyes travelled from young and old to admire their native dress loading her smartphone with pictures to share back home.
For myself, I was touched by the speaker who introduced an elder grandmother to start with a prayer and reminding everyone that women held places of honour in their culture. She began by asking the Great Spirit for forgiveness for not speaking in her native language, because as a child she had been raised in a residential school and only remembers English. There was a drumming workshop using a short chant that focused on emotions and releasing negative ones. So similar to Richard Rohr's Welcoming Prayer. The Spirit moves where she wills.
From reading about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Senator Murray Sinclair as chairman pointed out that negative thinking about Aboriginal people came about through the educational system and needs to be reversed through positive education. "Collective efforts from all peoples are necessary to revitalize the relationships between Aboriginal peoples and Canadian society. Reconciliation is the goal"
"Reconciliation is about forging and maintaining respectful relationships. There are no shortcuts." The injustice lasted for generations and will take generations to reverse. One field trip at a time. "Can we go to another Pow Wow grandma? Next time not so far away." (It was a 2 hour car drive from Windsor).
Helen Bonyai CSJ Associate