ONE ARROW FIRST NATION — A reconciliation declaration committing the members of the Prairie Rivers Reconciliation Circle to travel the path of reconciliation together was signed on February 6, 2020, at One Arrow First Nation, but that was not the first step of the journey.
The Prairie Rivers Reconciliation Circle has been meeting regularly since 2018 and has made education and relationship building their priorities – for the circle members and the organizations and communities they represent. The group formed around individuals of a like mind desiring to build strong relationships and advance a long-term commitment toward reconciliation. An educational session is provided at each meeting and has delved into everything from the teachings of Elders and residential school survivors to sessions on anti-racist education, creating a land acknowledgement statement and an inclusion and diversity strategy.
PRRC hosts an annual educational gathering and this year’s event will be held in Hepburn at Heritage Common on April 11 from 9 am to 4:30 pm. This year’s theme, “Navigating the Journey Together,” embraces the significance of rivers. With the majority of the members of the Circle coming from the lands between the two branches of the Saskatchewan River, its presence naturally stands forefront in the awareness of this geological space, but water and rivers are principal elements in Indigenous culture. As shared by Shirley Williams, an Anishinaabe elder from Wikwemikong Unceded Territory on Manitoulin Island, to CBC Radio in April 2023, “Water is the first thing that the Creator made, and it's the water where we were born. We pray for that water because water is a living thing. It's not a commodity. We look at it as a spiritual element.”
Water is alive and holds a spirit. It is sacred. It is the lifeblood that flows through lakes, rivers, and oceans, fosters important ecosystems, and has been used for transportation since time immemorial. Therefore, the imagery of two canoes paddling the river of reconciliation side-by-side is significant. As a river has many bends in it, so too does the path of reconciliation. There are seasons of rapid flow and movement forward, and then there are seasons when the flow is slower, and movement forward takes much more effort. It can feel like being trapped in an eddy, where the muddied sluggish water impedes forward movement. The work of paddling through those ‘seasons’ cannot be done alone.
The Conference registration is live on Eventbrite and there are links on the Prairie Rivers Reconciliation Circle Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn pages. Sponsorships are still being sought for the conference as it is a free event for anyone to attend and sponsorship is key for that very reason. Sponsorship commitments need to be in by March 14th. If there are organizations or individuals interested in sponsorship opportunities, more information is available by reaching out through social media or by contacting a member. The following are just a few of the businesses and organizations that have representatives in the PRRC: Carlton Trail College, Great Plains College, Mennonite Central Committee, Town of Osler, Town of Hepburn, Town of Rosthern, Station Arts, Wheatland Regional Library, Federated Co-operatives, Dakota Dunes Community Development Corp., and the Wakaw Recorder. Details about breakout sessions for the conference and keynotes are still being finalized.
Discussion at the meeting involved the housekeeping issues regarding treasurer, tri-chair positions, and administrative assistance for the tri-chairs. A reminder was given that the PRRC will provide funding support for community activities around reconciliation via a simple application process before the event giving a brief description of what it is and how it supports reconciliation. At the next meeting, which will be an in-person one, as many members who can attend as possible will revisit the Vision and Mission Statements, the guidelines, and the Circle’s general definitions and defining statements. The next meeting will be held on March 27 in Warman.
Guest Neal Kewistep joined the meeting to discuss the vision he has for reconciliation moving forward. Kewistep has spent most of his career fostering relationships with government, community-based organizations, Indigenous organizations, and educators. As the former Interim Director of the Population Public Health (PPH) in the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA), his leadership led to increasing the infant and childhood immunization rates to close the gap between the most affluent neighbourhoods and the inner-city neighbourhoods and to address safe housing issues in a new way within the scope of the Public Health Act. He was also the strategic lead for cultural competency and Truth and Reconciliation Commission activities for PPH, which was a role he was proud to take on.
In addition to his time with the provincial health authority, Mr Kewistep has served as the Director of Operations for the Native Counselling Services of Alberta, as a Community Development Advisor with Yellow Quill First Nation and has provided consulting services to the Saskatoon Tribal Council and the Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools. He has also served as a board member on the Good Food Junction and the Speakerbox Aboriginal Advisory Group, and as an advisory committee member for the Saskatoon Community Foundation and the Saskatoon Urban Aboriginal Strategy.
Reconciliation, he said, has had big moments like the Calls to Action and the discovery of the unmarked graves, where people get invested in reconciliation. The movements this investment has birthed, like Orange Shirt Day and Red Dress Day, while being especially important, are over quickly, but the impacts of residential schools are ongoing for families and individuals. Reconciliation needs to be ongoing. Putting on an orange shirt should not be the end of one’s reconciliation story, it should be the beginning of the conversation…the start when we introduce others to the history, to the new conversations. The reconciliation movement needs to keep going and people need to keep “sticking their neck out” for others, and standing up for others, and that is tougher than just putting on an orange shirt. Reconciliation really means achieving the same, not more, just the same.
Saskatchewan, Kewistep said, has a big geography and a small community, and it is a challenge to overcome that big geography. The will to make change, to be welcoming to each other, to hear others, and the willingness to bring people alongside to navigate those twists and turns together needs to continue so the momentum of reconciliation keeps moving forward and does not get stuck in one of those eddies, swirling around and going nowhere. The canoes that are navigating the journey of reconciliation need to be side-by-side not one ahead of the other.
When asked for his thoughts on how to encourage and engage more First Nations in the PRRC, Neal said to first determine what value they would gain through their involvement. Then, he said, look to the young people. Show them how they could benefit from the engagement. Young people have a lot of ideas but lack the experience to navigate through systems. Show them opportunities. Show them what they can achieve.
