Do you seek what they seek?
By John Valk

Stepping into their homes, I am embraced by warm hospitality. At their Sun Dance sites, I witness a deep spirituality. And with their band chiefs, elders and community members, my students and I taste their food, smoke peace pipes, and sit in talking circles.

And we hear their stories.

We hear of partnerships turned into treaties. We hear of coexistence that became conflict. We hear of land revoked and land returned. We hear of loss of culture in Residential Schools. And we hear of despair and suicide, abuse and substance abuse, hopelessness.

Yet what we see is a proud and friendly people, working to recover their heritage and restore their communities.

Do you seek what they seek? I tell you their stories, so that you may not be complacent. The Committee for Contact with the Government (CCG), in partnership with other ministries inside and outside the Christian Reformed Church (CRC), seeks healing and justice for First Nations peoples.

You have a role to play in seeking justice, and speaking hope.

Journey to the Truth

For more than a decade, I have been on a journey with two First Nations Peoples in the province of New Brunswick—the Mi'kmaq and the Maliseet. The Mi'kmaq are a coastal people. The Maliseet live along the beautiful Wolastoq, now known as the St. John River.

I have taken my Worldview students along with me on parts of that journey. Together we have visited Native sacred places, heritage gardens, burial grounds, contested lands, and at least half a dozen First Nations Communities (reserves). We have spoken to band chiefs, council members, teachers, and community members. We have sat in their homes, assembled in their community centres, built a sweat lodge, and participated in numerous talking circles.

The journey has been rich and inspiring. We've faced a steep learning curve, and have come to know and understand an authentic story of First Nations Peoples. We've encountered a warm, wise and intelligent people. We've discovered a rich spirituality with tremendous concern for the earth and its inhabitants. And we've also heard a painful and devastating history of their encounter with Europeans that changed their way of life forever.

A Troubled Road

When Europeans first ventured across the Atlantic they did not find the newly discovered land vacant. It was inhabited by people who had been living there for thousands of years. They spoke many different languages, were self-sustaining and self-governing, and had their distinct ways of life.

The first Europeans were initially quite dependent on First Nations People for survival in the new land. Partnerships were quickly formed for mutual benefit, for the land and its resources were vast enough to accommodate new arrivals.

Many Europeans admired the native peoples they met, and learned extensively from them as they adapted to a new way of life. But there were also those who regarded themselves as superior and First Native People as inferior. They came to view native ways as savage, their customs as strange, and their spirituality as evil.

As European numbers increased steadily, so did conflicts for control of the land. The English, the French, but also the Dutch, carved out vast tracts for themselves. Aboriginal Peoples soon found themselves in the midst of some bitter struggles. As Europeans became more powerful, the original inhabitants recognized that their future depended on treaty negotiations with the new inhabitants.

Treaties were fashioned with the British. The first was the Royal Proclamation of 1763, which declared that native peoples had a right to their traditional lands, that formal treaties could be negotiated with them for surrender of their rights to the land, and that only the Crown could enter into these formal treaties with Native people. The 1867 British North American Act, which among other things established federal and provincial jurisdictions, declared "Indians and lands reserved for Indians" a federal responsibility. The Indian Act of 1876 designated Aboriginal peoples "wards of the state", largely to give them legal protection.

Protected or not, the First Nations Peoples soon saw the implementation of these treaties and other measures became grave hardships. Many of their ceremonies were forbidden. They were prevented from exercising their rights. They became dependent on "Indian agents" who swindled them at almost every turn. And their numbers were decimated by diseases brought by Europeans.

Further, governmental assimilationist policies tried to eradicate traditional Aboriginal ways of life. Through Residential Schools, which inflicted physical, emotional and sexual abuse, First Nations peoples suffered loss of culture, language, spirituality and identity. Devastation set in. Today all too many Aboriginal peoples face suicide and alcoholism, appalling living conditions, unemployment and crime, low rates of education, and despair and hopelessness as a result.

In spite of these huge challenges, however, First Nations people survive, if only precariously. They are a proud as well as a friendly people who desire to turn their lives around. But they demand justice and deserve reconciliation, as they map out a road to healing and to a more promising future.

A Journey of Healing, Justice and Reconciliation

Entering into this difficult terrain requires a long-term strategy. The issues are complex and defy simple resolution. But CCG is committed to working with others of goodwill seeking solutions to longstanding problems, so First Nations Peoples can again benefit from the vast and rich resources that are given by God for everyone to share.

CCG is studying issues relating to land rights, self-government, and economic development for First Nations Peoples. We are seeking ways to engage with First Nations Peoples, to develop friendships and to better understand their struggles. We are walking with them on the path of healing, justice and reconciliation. And we are advocating for justice where injustices reign.

We call upon members of the CRC to walk beside us and support our endeavours. Read CCG Mobile Justice each month, so that you can be informed and, in turn, inform your family and friends. Come to know the story of your First Nations neighbours, and the issues that create misunderstandings and tensions. And, if you live near or co-inhabit First Nations communities, begin developing relations with the people that live in them.

Today, the First Nations story is one of survival. Tomorrow, it is one of promise. You can help.

Dr. John Valk is Associate Professor of Worldview Studies at Renaissance College, in the University of New Brunswick. He is a member of the CCG.

© 2008 Committee for Contact with the Government. All rights reserved.

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