“The sacred walk is a distinctly Canadian and Indigenously flavoured act of political, spiritual and social witness.” ~ Bishop Mark MacDonald, National Indigenous Bishop, Anglican Church of Canada
Since 2015, after the closing of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, thousands of Canadians have participated in this walk annually at the end of May, in recognition of the many Indigenous families who were wrongfully subjected to the systematic abuse and cultural genocide in the Residential Schools
Join us every year at the end of May to Walk in the Spirit of Reconciliation.
Visit the website we created at ReconciliationWalk.com
In the meantime, it is important for those of us who are non-Indigenous (also known as settlers) to educate ourselves on the journey of the First Peoples of this land we occupy and the injustices and discrimination the Indigenous peoples have endured and continue to have to endure.
Check out the information below as a starting point. Email us if you know of additional resources we can add to this page.
"It is clear that the schools have been, arguably, the most damaging of the many elements of Canada’s colonization of this land’s original peoples and, as their consequences still affect the lives of Aboriginal people today, they remain so." John S. Milloy, A National Crime
A Curious Account of Native People in North America
"The Inconvenient Indian is at once a 'history' and the complete subversion of a history—in short, a critical and personal meditation that the remarkable Thomas King has conducted over the past 50 years about what it means to be 'Indian' in North America." The book is available to borrow from our library.
Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants
"As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer has been trained to ask questions of nature with the tools of science. As a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, she embraces the notion that plants and animals are our oldest teachers". The book is available to borrow from our church library.
Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in a Northern City
"Using a sweeping narrative focusing on the lives of the students, award-winning investigative journalist Tanya Talaga delves into the history of this small northern city that has come to manifest Canada’s long struggle with human rights violations against Indigenous communities". The book is available to borrow from our library.
On a recent Forest Walk through Stanley Park, Vancouver blogger Miss604 was treated to a traditional Coast Salish Welcome Song performed by Chief Ian Campbell of the Squamish Nation.
"Native Land Digital strives to create and foster conversations about the history of colonialism, Indigenous ways of knowing, and settler-Indigenous relations, through educational resources such as our map and Territory Acknowledgement Guide."