Doc & Talk

Doc

Since reconciliation not only means to be sorry for what happened in the past, it also means to learn what has not been told in the history books and what Canada was negotiating during the last 150 years. The Mawio'mi gathering on 4th of October was a place to fill that very lack of history in our  education. 

It started with the documentary “Two Worlds Colliding“, 2004, about a series of freezing death in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. In several nights police officers arrested Indigenous men, drove them out of the city and left them there alone even though it was deep winter, and so they froze to death. An Indigenous man named Darrel who was arrested and abandoned in the cold by police officers in January 2000 aswell, tells his story how he survived after the officers misused their power. 

A very shattering fact was the recognition that police officers who are there to protect the people and create a safe society, abused their authority and killed innocent men. Moreover, the feeling of many (Indigenous) peoples inceased that nobody tells the truth, because neither media nor the government stood up and tried to find out what actually happened. This also created a huge distrust in the whole society. 

As mentioned in the tab "Circle of Hope Mawio'mi" there is permanent violence, physical and structural, against Indigenous peoples in Canada. There are over 1000 cases across Canada where Indigenous girls and women were killed or disappeared. The number of murdered Indigenous men increases constantly. In 2014, 23% of murder victims in Canada were Indigenous peoples. The need for scrutiny and clarification concerning these cases is hardly taken serious as it should be, because those acts of violence are still a part of everyday life for Indigenous peoples as we can see in the news.

Talk

After we watched the documentary we discussed what we learned and tried to find answers how we can reconcile. We collected a few ideas. One powerful input included two important steps to achieve real reconciliation. Firstly, people have to learn: learn about what happened when European settlers came, learn how Indigenous nations lost their territories and homes, and learn how this was the start of a permanent state of oppression, discrimination and betrayal. Second step is to act, for example by using the power to vote and to speak up in public. This idea faces the common critique that there is too much talking and to less action when it comes to social change.

However, during the discussion I developed an own thought. I realized that curiosity is one of the most crucial emotions humans can have. In my understanding it is rooted in the need to see and hear the truth, to answer the big W-questions even if it might be uncomfortable. This very curiosity, combined with a sense of awareness, sensitivity and respect can widen someone's perspectives and knowledge by insatiable asking, wondering, challenging.