Snuneymuxw Addresses Reconciliation
Snuneymuxw Statement Regarding Reconciliation
During this week, Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples are being
challenged to reflect upon the path of reconciliation that we must all
walk together. We are happy that this fundamental challenge is coming
to the forefront of Canadian society - for only when we collectively
confront the truth of past injustices, and that our future is one of
interdependence and interconnection, will the necessary new patterns of
relations amongst us fully emerge.
Like First Nations across
the country, many generations of Snuneymuxw were subjected to the horror
of Residential Schools. Grounded in a pernicious ignorance and racism,
Residential Schools were part of a focused attempt to destroy our
family systems, break the transmission of core values and knowledge, and
decimate our social structures. Thanks to the strength, resilience,
and earned wisdom of generations of Snuneymuxw Survivors, this evil
injustice failed to accomplish its goals. While the suffering and harm
caused by the Residential Schools is inestimable, the Snuneymuxw People
continue to rise, and carry forward the trust handed to us by past
generations of our People to preserve and advance our culture, values,
and way of life for future generations.
Reconciliation is not
merely an event, a process, or taking certain actions. At it's core,
reconciliation demands a new mindset and orientation to ourselves, each
other, and the relationships we forge between us. It is rooted in the
firm recognition that we must forge bonds of unity amongst us that
recognize, respect, and build upon our beautiful diversity.
Reconciliation demands that we move far beyond merely learning to
tolerate one another - but rather cultivate true altruistic love in our
hearts and minds for each other. Reconciliation is much more then a
political, legal, social, and cultural enterprise. It is also a
spiritual, moral, and ethical challenge which every Canadian, of
whatever background, is challenged to rise to and express in their daily
lives and actions.
In recent years, Snuneymuxw has endeavoured
to place this challenge of reconciliation in the forefront of the
imagination of all citizens of our Territory. We have been grateful as
countless Canadians from all walks of life have joined us in taking on
this important work together. Let us use the events of this week to
further spur on and accelerate our efforts - together - to translate our
vision of a reconciled future into reality.
Yes, we need to walk this path of reconciliation together. I can certainly empathise with my First Nations brothers and sisters; As a parent I have experienced what they have gone through! But we've only just begun working TOGETHER on the problem that the Canadian Charter of Rights is supposed to address for us ALL! I have personally lost marriages, family, wealth and now my health to the type of injustices perpetrated "In YOUR best interests" like the residential schools run by the government religious denominations. But his is no longer a patriarchial society that tells us what is best for us, love it or leave it; it is a matriarchal society that makes all perpetrators out to be men and sends us the bill! My children have been abducted from Canada and/or committed suicide at fourteen years of age in Comox in order to escape from the lies and ministrations (falsehoods) of the "women's shelters"; Somenos House in Duncan and Haven House in Nanaimo and Courtenay; all the while, they've had me FALSELY arrested and convicted of crimes I never committed. People; TOGETHER WE CAN PREVENT VIOLENCE AGAINST PEOPLE! This is HERE and NOW! http://bit.ly/1aUOf6i
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