Reconcile. Everyday Conversations Mennonite Central Committee Saskatchewan

“Action is the part I really focus on in my understanding (of reconciliation) because we can say a lot of things and people can come to a lot of discussion tables, but if you're not actually doing the stuff it is going to be forgotten.”

Angela Daigneault: is a proud urban Métis woman born and raised in Saskatoon with roots to Ile-a-la-Crosse and Outlook, Saskatchewan. She has a passion for community development, advocacy and peacemaking.  Her 13-year social work career has focused on community and relationship building mainly in the not-for-profit sector. But in the last three years, she has followed in her father’s footsteps to work for the Saskatoon Police Service helping strengthen relations between the community and the service, as their Indigenous Relations Consultant. She is an active member of the Anti-Racism Network, Reconciliation Saskatoon and other community-led committees. In downtime, she enjoys being a stellar auntie, dabbling in art & writing and spending time in nature with her dog.

In Angela’s conversation she reflects on her experiences of intergenerational trauma, her relationship with the church, and taking care of each other. With a compassionate heart, Angela asks listeners to kindly disrupt the systems and to move from the discussion tables to places of action.

Ben Borne and I invited Angela to have a conversation around these five questions:

1. What is your personal understanding of reconciliation?

2. What experiences have led you to this understanding?

3. Why do you feel reconciliation is important?

4. Does forgiveness have a role in reconciliation? Why or why not?

5. How would you invite people into the reconciliation journey?

Then we recorded her reflections.

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Additional resources to explore:

Saskatoon Police Indigenous Relations

The Ethical Space of Engagement – Willie Ermine

The Power of Indigenous Kinship – Walrus Magazine

ConnectR

Mennonite Central Committee Saskatchewan

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Reconcile: Everyday Conversations is a project of Mennonite Central Committee Saskatchewan aimed at facilitating conversations among settler/non-Indigenous Canadians around our role in reconciliation. We thank Mennonite Church Saskatchewan for additional funding support.

Project Coordinator: Heather Peters

Co-host: Ben Borne
Recording and Editing: Matthew Hildebrandt
Music by Queen Queen Josephine

“I think now though, it's using my voice to create safe spaces, to have tough conversations, but have this conversations in a respectful and safe way. So we can … hear that before you get to reconciliation, you need to hear this ugly truth, right?”

Warren Isbister-Bear, is the Truth & Reconciliation Coordinator, Strategy & Transformation Department, City of Saskatoon. Originally from the Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation, Warren has been living and working in Saskatoon since 2001. As the Truth & Reconciliation Coordinator, Warren is responsible to lead the development of an internal Reconciliation strategy and policy framework aimed at enabling all City Departments to strengthen relationships and consultation activities with Indigenous Peoples and communities while providing strategic leadership and advice, based on extensive knowledge of the richness of diversity of Indigenous Peoples, to the City departments to support them in applying an inclusion lens to policies and programs.

In our conversation with Warren we talked about the personal and professional aspects of reconciliation. Warren talked about the impact of residential schools on his own life and challenged the listener to be strategic in making the workplace and work positions more accessible to Indigenous people.

Ben Borne and I invited Warren to have a conversation around these five questions:

1. What is your personal understanding of reconciliation?

2. What experiences have led you to this understanding?

3. Why do you feel reconciliation is important?

4. Does forgiveness have a role in reconciliation? Why or why not?

5. How would you invite people into the reconciliation journey?

Then we recorded his reflections.

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Additional resources to explore:

City of Saskatoon Indigenous Initiatives

Reconciliation Saskatoon

What makes us healthy? Exploring the determinants of health in Saskatchewan

Gordon Tootoosis Nīkānīwin Theatre

ConnectR

Mennonite Central Committee Saskatchewan

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Reconcile: Everyday Conversations is a project of Mennonite Central Committee Saskatchewan aimed at facilitating conversations among settler/non-Indigenous Canadians around our role in reconciliation. We thank Mennonite Church Saskatchewan for additional funding support.

Project Coordinator: Heather Peters

Co-host: Ben Borne
Recording and Editing: Matthew Hildebrandt
Music by Queen Queen Josephine

“The chef coat that you see is actually modeled after the Turkish army. And I think there's a lot of a lot of rules and etiquette, and kitchen ways of being that are actually at odds with indigenous culture. So I'm trying to, I guess you could say decolonize that kitchen experience for people.”

Jenni currently works as the Indigenous Cultural Consultant for the Culinary Team at Wanuskewin Heritage Park. She has been a restaurant owner, caterer, executive chef and sees herself as a food bridge for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Saskatchewan. Listen until the end of the episode to hear an update from Jenni and Wanuskewin.

In our conversation with Jenni we talk about how food can be a tool for reconciliation. Jenni passionately spoke about how the act of reconciliation includes acknowledgment and recognizing that cultural understandings of the land and food have been taken from people. She challenges the listeners to economically support Indigenous businesses and to eat Indigenous food.

Ben Borne and I invited Jenni to have a conversation around these five questions:

1. What is your personal understanding of reconciliation?

2. What experiences have led you to this understanding?

3. Why do you feel reconciliation is important?

4. Does forgiveness have a role in reconciliation? Why or why not?

5. How would you invite people into the reconciliation journey?



Then we recorded her reflections.

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Additional resources to explore:

Wanuskewin

Boreal Heartland

Indigenous culinary association of nations

Mennonite Central Committee Saskatchewan

*****************************************************

Reconcile: Everyday Conversations is a project of Mennonite Central Committee Saskatchewan aimed at facilitating conversations among settler/non-Indigenous Canadians around our role in reconciliation. We thank Mennonite Church Saskatchewan for additional funding support.

Project Coordinator: Heather Peters

Co-host: Ben Borne
Recording and Editing: Matthew Hildebrandt
Music by Queen Queen Josephine

In all my conversations with people about reconciliation I have heard that it isn’t an individual journey people are on. The reconciliation path is filled with relationships, teachers, learners and explorers – it is filled with other people. So we have created a reconciliation study guide that accompanies this podcast for you to be able to take to your friends, churches, communities, or neighbourhood book clubs to engage with these conversations together.

Go to our podcast landing page to download your copy. Season One Study Guide is available now and Season Two study guide will be available as soon as we have released the rest of our conversations.

“You have to be open to it. You might not want to listen or hear what someone has to say that has a different belief system…. God calls us to love everyone, to listen to their stories. This is what have gotten me started and motivated.”

Jolene Peters lives intentionally in her Saskatoon neighbourhood as a part-time hair stylist, part-time nanny, full-time mom and wife. Jolene is from the Mistawsis band and grew up in a Mennonite family as a foster child. Jolene and her family are very involved at their church, House for All Nations.

In our conversation with Jolene she spoke about how the birth of her daughter propelled her to explore her Indigenous heritage and navigate how to reconcile Indigenous spirituality with her Christian faith. She spoke passionately about her desire that her daughter grow up to be a proud Indigenous person.

Ben Borne and I invited Jolene to have a conversation around these five questions:

1. What is your personal understanding of reconciliation?

2. What experiences have led you to this understanding?

3. Why do you feel reconciliation is important?

4. Does forgiveness have a role in reconciliation? Why or why not?

5. How would you invite people into the reconciliation journey?

Then we recorded her reflections.

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Additional resources to explore:

Office of the Treaty Commissioner events

Mennonite Central Committee Saskatchewan

*****************************************************

Reconcile: Everyday Conversations is a project of Mennonite Central Committee Saskatchewan aimed at facilitating conversations among settler/non-Indigenous Canadians around our role in reconciliation. We thank Mennonite Church Saskatchewan for additional funding support.

Project Coordinator: Heather Peters

Co-host: Ben Borne
Recording and Editing: Matthew Hildebrandt
Music by Queen Queen Josephine

CONTENT WARNING: This episode talks about incidences of sexual abuse. It is difficult to hear these stories and if it would be harmful or triggering for you to listen, we suggest skipping this episode. Maryann felt the stories were important to share because she had been shameful of them for many years and has since realized that these are not secrets she needs to hold.

If you need help please call 211 or go to 211.ca to find local resources including crisis hotlines, addictions, abuse, and many others.

The Indian Residential School Survivors Society also has a 24-hour crisis line: 1-866-925-4419



“I want people to know where this is all coming from. In terms of reconciliation people say, Why don’t these Indian’s just get over it, move along with your life. Just by what I shared with you, how does me and my family move forward or move in any way because of what has happened to us, as a family?”

Maryann Napope is a Cree mother, grandmother and great grandmother. She is a 5th generation survivor of Indian Residential Schools and was heavily involved in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission community gatherings held throughout Saskatchewan where she worked as a mental health support person. Maryann has brought the Kairos Blanket Exercise to communities throughout the province. She has a degree in social work.

Maryann is grateful for the people that the Creator has put in her path throughout her life.

As we spoke with Maryann she shared intimately about her life and experiences overcoming abuse and a high-risk lifestyle in order to break the cycles of violence that had impacted her family. She spoke candidly about injustice and reconciliation and invoked settlers to do more.



Ben Borne and I invited Maryann to have a conversation around these five questions:

1. What is your personal understanding of reconciliation?

2. What experiences have led you to this understanding?

3. Why do you feel reconciliation is important?

4. Does forgiveness have a role in reconciliation? Why or why not?

5. How would you invite people into the reconciliation journey?

Then we recorded her reflections.

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Additional resources to explore:

STORIES FROM THE FRONT: REALITIES OF THE OVER-INCARCERATION OF ABORIGINAL WOMEN IN CANADA

Indigenous Saskatchewan Encyclopedia – Residential Schools

Where are the Children? Healing the Legacy of the Residential Schools

Mennonite Central Committee Saskatchewan

*****************************************************

Reconcile: Everyday Conversations is a project of Mennonite Central Committee Saskatchewan aimed at facilitating conversations among settler/non-Indigenous Canadians around our role in reconciliation. We thank Mennonite Church Saskatchewan for additional funding support.

Project Coordinator: Heather Peters

Co-host: Ben Borne
Recording and Editing: Matthew Hildebrandt
Music by Queen Queen Josephine