Reconciliation – that’s what June 10th at Pleasant Park Elementary School was truly all about.
Mamawi Together murals unveiled, 10 June 2015
The First Peoples have had a rough ride of it in this country for quite a while. We only began reclaiming our spirituality in the last 30 years or so, it being outlawed for many generations before that. The drum, songs and dances returned shortly after the ‘right to vote’ was granted to us in 1960. So many good things have come to pass since Creator touched us again with the messages of the land! Look at the power of our spiritual ways! Our prayers are being answered and a new dawn is now on the horizon! The oppression heaped on my parents and theirs by cruel colonizers will never occur again. My heart soars like a hawk when I see that both the indigenous and non-indigenous Peoples of this land have set a course for the future. We are reaching out and taking each other by the hand.
Today, we walk into the future together, our hearts filled with honour and respect for each other and also for the land in which we live. I know it is so! I saw it in the faces of the students at Pleasant Park Elementary School when together, we created artwork for healing’s sake. Because of a long process of dedication, commitment and the creativity of many, you can see now on the wall of the school four murals, each depicting one of the four seasons. The students have been given teachings and because of them will forevermore celebrate the season in which they were born. And with that, their love of their relatives on the land, the birds, animals, fish, trees, and rivers will grow ever stronger. They will surely be motivated to protect and defend the land, as we do, because of it.
South Wind and his sisters at the Mamawi unveiling
It is a time to sing and be proud at the fact we are human beings. People are recognizing that Canada’s national anthem and her flag are not symbols of tyranny and oppression. The anthem and flag stand against Peoples who promote hatred of the minorities in their midst. If you love Canada’s national anthem and her flag, then reject all which divides us.
Keep the Circle Strong,
South Wind.
Photo credits: Mamawi Together.
