Miyo-wîcêhtowin: I am a Treaty Partner

I am a white, english speaking, settler descendant. I am able bodied and privileged. I am a cis-gender woman, who is Czech, Russian and English. I am in the process of unlearning and taking part in finding one’s self: Miskâsowin (Cardinal & Hildebrandt, 2002). I am a treaty partner as I am wîtaskêwin; I am living on the land that once belonged to the Indigenous peoples. As a teacher, it is my role to inform my students about tâpwêin, the precise truth of Canada. It was discussed in the video, Truth and Reconciliation in Canada: If It Feels Good, It’s Not Reconciliation (2018), that even after all the hate and discrimination, an Indigenous person will still always extend their hand and help a person in a time of need, despite all that has happened to them. I believe I can do the same, as respect to their community. As begin a “Treaty Partner” it means I respect all who I come into contact with and listen to their stories. As Cardinal & Hildebrandt (2002) discussed, miyo-wîcêhtowin, it is my duty to get along well with others and create good relations. Through my teachings and my day to day life, it is my responsibility to work along side with Indigenous peoples, as I have shown within my diagram. I am still discovering all about myself and Indigenous peoples, which is why parts of the crossword puzzle are blank. As time goes and relations build, I will continue filling in my crossword puzzle. I felt it was a way to show how we are all connected and how being a “Treaty Partner” involves so many different aspects; a process about unlearning, learning to become uncomfortable and discovering the harsh reality of Canada.

The Blanket Exercise experience offered to me has helped me in my miskâsowin process, as every time I have completed the exercise, I find new answers and I hear the story through a different perspective. Since I still do not have all the answers and I am on a journey, this has caused me to learn more about Canada and the unsettling truth. It causes me to feel uncomfortable, as I discover the harsh reality. It helps me towards tâpwêin as I am learning the precise and accurate truth of Canada, which is hard to accept. This journey I am embarking on is about discovering what once was and how that shapes me and the rest of the country, today. I cannot miskâsowin, if I am not willing to unlearn and listen to the stories/testimonies from Indigenous Peoples. It is my job not to question these stories, but to simply accept all they have said. “The importance of truth telling in its own right should not be underestimated; it restores the human dignity of victims of violence and calls governments and citizens to account. Without truth, justice is not served, healing cannot happen, and there can be no genuine reconciliation between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples in Canada” (The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, p. 117). There is no room for debate nor comfort. Canada has a story and it is time to own up to it.