Canada Day 2021 - A day to reflect, a time to act

With open heart and arms outstretched, I give thanks to the Coast Salish peoples on whose unceded territory I hike, camp, photograph, and live. 

For the past ten years, I have written a post every July 1st, Canada Day, in tribute to this country that I love.  Each year I have used a combination of prose and some of my photos from the past 12 months.  It has always been a celebration of my country, it has always been a post full of joy. 

That is hard to do this year.  With the recent determination of hundreds of unmarked graves and the recovery of what will be thousands of indigenous children's bodies on the grounds of residential schools, celebration is hardly a fitting word. How can we celebrate a Canada that officially became a nation through a process of destroying the indigenous nations that lived here, their peoples, their languages, their cultures, and their families?

I am a settler. I arrived in Canada when I was a child of five, at a time when indigenous children were being snatched from parents and flown hundreds of miles away to residential schools. At a time when those children were beaten for speaking their native language, forbidden to talk to their siblings, abused physically and sexually,  indoctrinated into a foreign culture, a foreign religion.

We settlers have known of this abuse for years.  It has been documented for decades and spoken of by many. We heard the stories from the survivors.  I have personally  heard the stories of the survivors - from students who were survivors, from students who were children of survivors,  from a friend who was a survivor. And yet, like many other settlers, I thought "How horrific - I'm thankful that is past history!"

It is not. 

Cultural genocide and racism of many decades has implications for every future generation.  It cannot be erased.  It is our past, it is our present, and we must act to find our collective future. In the words of a friend, we must "rid ourselves of complacency and complicity, and ally ourselves in ways that will enable settler society to co-exist peacefully, respectfully, and justly with indigenous peoples."  (Karen Evans, 2021)

I write this blog from the perspective of a white, senior, nature loving, west coast, island-dwelling female settler.  Yet long before I breathed in the magic of the ocean air, 

walked barefoot on the beach, 

hiked forest trails, 

long before I came to this country, the indigenous peoples of the many First Nations of this land  shaped their own cultures, their own belief systems, their own economies, raised their own families amid their own kin groups.   So while I call Canada "my country"  and pay tribute to her through my photos, I am cognizant of the many indigenous peoples who walked these trails before me and who had their cultures, their freedoms, their traditional lands, their names, their lives stolen from them. 

These are lands indigenous children walked before being stolen from their families:  

These are birds indigenous children saw before being abused by government, churches, and appointees of same: 

These are lakes and oceans in which indigenous children swam and played and learned to canoe and kayak before being taken to residential schools far from home:

And rivers where they fished, and rushing waterfalls they portaged:

These are plants indigenous children saw and learned their names and uses: 

These are mountains beneath whose peaks indigenous children learned skills from their elders, sat round the fire with their brothers and sisters, whispered goodnight to their parents. 

And so, as you walk these  beaches with me,

And see how the seas have shaped the land, 

Remember that our histories shape our cultures,  and our attitudes shape our relationships, our politics, our laws. 

We cannot undo the past, but going forward we have an opportunity to be our best selves.

May we stretch our wings,

May we stick together

Even when we stand alone.

May we overcome obstacles,

And travel our journey thru life beside one another, in peace:

May we come together,

And protect the children of the world.

We must persevere.  We cannot turn our backs and hide.

May all have plenty to eat,

A place to rest when we are tired.

friends with whom to share with joy,

music to sing, 

family to love.

We will get there, Canada,

When all have clean water, safe homes, enough food to eat and some to share,  a means of economic support,  good physical and mental wellbeing, friends of many nationalities working cooperatively, respecting each other, supporting each other,  

Then perhaps we will be able to say we have done our best.

So as we celebrate today  the rising and setting of the sun,

The flight of the birds,

The ebb and flood of tides,

The many coloured palette of nature,

The wildlife around us....

.....as we marvel at these natural wonders of our beautiful country, let us look to the future with hope, with compassion and understanding, ready for action.

Let us be prepared to work, individually and collectively, for a brighter tomorrow for all.

Let us define progress not by the size of our homes or the number of 'smart' devices, not by  wealth nor the power the wealthy may hold, not by the advances in space travel,

but let us define progress by the people who are loved,

the environment that is tended, 

the water that is clean, 

the air that is pure, 

and most of all, 

by the communities of people who are healthy, strong, and working together. 

That is my dream.  That is my challenge - to myself, and to you my readers. 

Weep for the children of the past whose little bodies are being recovered now,  and take action for those living through the trauma of the past and for the children of the future. Then, once again, we may be able to say "Happy Canada Day!"

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Here are some resources to help you on your journey:

• A concise fact-based primer on the history behind the graves located on residential school grounds. A short easy read well worth sharing: https://www.facebook.com/oneill.jes/posts/10157701850167827
• The First Peoples Cultural Council have created an interactive  map on which you can search for cultural sites, explore language regions, browse artist portfolios, listen to audio recordings, and more: www.maps.fpcc.ca
• Truth and Reconciliation Call to Action: http://trc.ca/assets/pdf/Calls_to_Action_English2.pdf
• Truth and Reconciliation Final Report:  https://nctr.ca/records/reports/
• If you are an Indian Residential School survivor, or have been affected by the residential school system and need help, you can contact the 24-hour Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line: 1-866-925-4419.