Indigenous Justice

Before presenting a conference paper, academics who study Aboriginal history have a tradition of acknowledging the First Nations upon whose traditional lands they are standing. This stems from historic traditions that began before Europeans showed up in Canada, when First Nations would request permission to pass through other peoples’ lands when travelling for any reason. This is a common human practice; across the globe civilizations used similar practices.

It started with a question: "Can we do Show of Hands?"

A little baffled by the question, I asked for more information. It was a justice initiative put on by the Office of Social Justice. I remembered seeing something about it on a mailing a few months before but had nowhere to go with it so it was filed under "R" (a big blue recycling bin under my desk).

At a recent Day of Encouragement focused on issues of Indigenous Justice and Reconciliation, held in Truro, NS, a pastor pulled us aside and said: “Something’s happening here. I’m not sure what it is, but God’s Spirit is at work.”