Bizindawaadaanig - Let's listen to them. And Learn.
January 12, 2024
Title: Bizindawaadaanig - Let's listen to them. And Learn.
Bizindawaadaanig[1] - Let's listen to them.
Just before Christmas 2023 the Yellowhead Institute reportedly[2] had announced that it was discontinuing its annual report on the progress of Canada towards fulfilling the 94 Calls to Action outlined in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 2015 Report. The Institute apparently has become frustrated by the lack of progress being made. In 2023 no Calls to Action were completed and to-date only 13 of the 94 recommended actions have been completed leaving 81 yet to be achieved. At this pace the full list of Action will not be completed until 2081.
The sentiment of the Yellowhead Institute authors is that their efforts should be directed towards activities that might generate more meaningful and material changes. However, they also significantly identified five (5) challenges faced by Canada’s indigenous people that have impaired progress towards completing the Calls to Action.
These include:
paternalism;
anti-indigenous discrimination;
reconciliation as exploitation;
insufficient resources invested in solutions and
the general apathy of non-indigenous Canadians.
This is not to suggest that there has not been progress towards reconciliation. In 2023 the federal government made good on a child-welfare settlement to the tune of $23 billion. Subsequently the court then halved the legal fees, which were exorbitant and exploitative. As well, the Ontario provincial government working with the federal government settled a claim by 21 communities under the Robinson-Huron Treaties for unpaid annuities in the amount of $10 billion. These are certainly important legal victories albeit not directly related to the Calls for Action. The overall progress specifically sought by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission remains lagging.
As Canadians we can look at this work as an important opportunity not only to correct historic wrongs but to enhance our collective cultural awareness. By prioritizing an awareness of indigenous issues and an appreciation for the contributions indigenous people have made to our collective culture we create important positive opportunities to improve and grow as a country founded on shared land. Importantly by truly hearing key voices who demand, and have an inherent right, to be part of how as a nation we develop our natural resources we can all benefit.
Economic prosperity is an important element in fixing the relationship between Canada and its indigenous people but it certainly is not enough on its own. The authors of the Yellowhead report made this observation:
“To our minds, the only way to breathe life back into the conversation on reconciliation would be for Canada to first accept the truth that there are too many systems still in place that actively harm Indigenous peoples, particularly the most vulnerable members of the indigenous communities. Accepting this truth exposes any notion of simply ‘repairing’ the relationship between Indigenous peoples and Canadians for what it is: pure fantasy. Real and meaningful transformative change to underlying systems of oppression — not just individual tinkering around the edges of a broken colonial machine — is, therefore, required.”[3]
Whatever the ultimate solutions, collectively as Canadians we need become part of process of moving forward and reconciliation. It must be a national priority for us. It is singularly the most important issue that stands in our way of our country’s progress and can positively define who we are as Canadians. It is essential to understand the truths of Indigenous history and experience.
The efforts to support this educational work might be seen as necessarily being part of the politics of the issues. While we recognize this inevitability, in writing these articles we will make every effort to present information in as objective a way as possible. It is important for Canadians to develop their own understandings as part of the educational experience. In our view, if we are able to erase the fear and indifference felt by some Canadians and gain an audience who wants to understand more, then we have contributed.
Through these articles we will report on current events as well as reaching back into history to bring as wide a view of the Indigenous experience and history as we can.
The first lesson all Canadians need to learn is that when we refer to our Indigenous Peoples we are referring to many different groups of people who each have unique cultures, and specific experiences that vastly differ from one another. There is no single indigenous voice or viewpoint. This is part of the richness and diversity Canada enjoys and is part of its immense complexity and confusion. Regardless, our purpose in writing these articles is to explore this reality so that all Canadians, including Indigenous peoples can benefit from the variety represented amongst all our Indigenous people.
To lead off, we point to the story of The Two Row Wampum (a Treaty), known as Teiohate Kaswenta in the Mohawk language. This was an agreement reached around the year 1613 between the Dutch and the Haudenosaunee in the eastern parts of North America. It is founded upon the respectful co‐existence of two different nations.
The Two Row Wampum, stands for equity and respect, depicting two boats running in parallel denoting two nations each navigating their rivers of life without crossing the other. Each boat contains the life, laws and people of each culture. The agreement is to last “as long as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, as long as the rivers run downhill, as long as the grass grows green and as long as our Mother Earth will last.”
The agreement was expanded and affirmed nearly 150 years later in 1764 at the Treaty of Niagara, where more than 2,000 chiefs renewed and extended the Silver Covenant Chain of Friendship, a multi‐nation alliance between Indigenous Nations and the British Crown. The proceedings included a reading of the Royal Proclamation of 1763, which places a duty upon the Crown to engage in treaty‐making Nation to Nation with Indigenous peoples.
The reason the Two Row Wampum is considered as an important historic achievement is two-fold. First, it recognizes that agreements between the colonists and indigenous people are agreements between nations. Recognizing this is an important part of reconciliation as it requires Canadians to respect the fact that indigenous people have a degree of sovereignty that should allow them to govern their own affairs. Secondly, while it is impossible to suggest that the presence of the colonists would not ultimately have an impact on indigenous populations, the intent of the original Treaties was to make efforts not to interfere in each other’s culture.
Canada’s legacy is one of broken promises and it begins with our collective failure to recognize the importance of the original Agreement represented by the Two Row Wampum. It is not some ancient artifact that can now be ignored but rather is part of our heritage that we need to understand and accept. As we reflect on the meaning of the Two Row Wampum we begin a journey that leads to greater insight and a greater appreciation for what it will take to achieve reconciliation. To the extent that this newsletter contributes to this end we believe the effort is worthwhile.
[1] Ojibwe word meaning Let’s Listen to them.
[2] https://www.barrietoday.com/national-news/diminished-hope-yellowhead-institute-to-end-reports-on-trc-calls-to-action-8009353
[3] For a copy of the full report go to https://yellowheadinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/YI-TRC-C2A-2023-Special-Report-compressed.pdf
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