Indigenous Justice

Like many, I am a Christian both in spite of the church and because of the church. I would like to suggest that there are eight ways that congregations can cultivate worship practices that embrace those who bear scars inflicted by Christians.

Dear churches of the Christian Reformed Church in Canada,

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) will be drawing to a close in Ottawa at the start of June. As the TRC has journeyed across the country hearing the stories of the survivors of residential schools for the past six years, the Christian Reformed Church in Canada has also been on a journey. We want to mark this historic moment with tangible actions, actions that move us closer into relationship as people sharing this land. Will you mark this milestone with us?

Send us a picture that symbolizes your milestone, whether metaphorically (eg. a picture of broken glass that reminds you of a story that really broke your heart) or more literally (eg. a picture of yourself in a group that attended a TRC event that moved you along on the reconciliation journey).

I have a prayer.  

The most intense week of my life started when I entered a classroom for a one week course. The course was named “Exploring Indigenous Justice and Healing”, taught by Rupert Ross and offered through the Canadian School of Peacebuilding. I had read his book “Returning to the Teachings” a few years before and it had stuck with me. I was excited to hear more as I am in the field of reconciliation and justice.

There is a 36% chance that Aboriginal students in Canada will graduate high school, compared to 72% for non-Aboriginal students.

Overlooking the beauty that is Badlands National Park this summer, I remember feeling at peace. Our group of 50 spread across the breathtaking landscape and took about 15 minutes to just sit in silence, take in the sights, and reflect on our expectations for the week ahead.

Yet this time of reflection and awe came at a price—a price that I was not aware of until later that evening.

That night, our group listened as a Lakota Native American shared his people’s troubling story.

Children are the centre of our communities; it is of utmost importance that we create a better world for them to live. We must build and yes, sometimes fight, for their opportunity to thrive rather than be the statistics that show otherwise. We have to create opportunity in which equality is no longer questioned.

What Thanksgiving story do you know? As our American sisters and brothers celebrate Thanksgiving we listen to a sister's retelling of "the first Thanksgiving". 

What does hair have to do with anything? For Navajo people, it can mean a lot. “I have often heard that, for Navajo people, hair is our memory.” Many families still have to make the decision to keep their hair, and the memories and identity tied to it, or sacrifice it for more societal mobility.

I’m no art critic, much less a patron of the arts, but on the principle that even a blind squirrel finds an occasional nut, I managed to stumble across Jungen’s striking work.