As a faith community, RHUC has committed to Right Relations with First Nations, Inuit and Metis people of Canada amd to supporting the Reconciliation procecess.
The Living in Right Relations Committee is the group which support this work both within RHUC and throughout the wider community of Richmond Hill by participating in the "Pathways Towards Reconciliation" group.
RHUC also supports the Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School, a First Nations high school in Thundar Bay, Ontario: by providing winter coats and other necessities.
The video above was shared at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts , prior to the keynote speaker Brenda Wastasecoot's presentation September 30th. It is entitled "Stolen Children, Residential School survivors speak out".
Upcoming events for September :
Monday September 23rd, 2024 :
Tanya Talaga - 'The Knowing'
@ Koerner Hall, Toronto
https://www.rcmusic.com/events-and-performances/tanya-talaga
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKJ0Phhwpzc
"Award-winning and bestselling Anishinaabe author Tanya Talaga launches her new book, The Knowing, in a special Koerner Hall event co-presented with RamsayTalks. The evening also includes a musical performance by two-time Juno award-winning singer-songwriter Aysanabee.
Deeply personal and meticulously researched, The Knowing is a seminal unravelling of the centuries-long oppression of Indigenous People that continues to reverberate in these communities today. Talaga retells the history of Canada as only she can - through an Indigenous lens, beginning with the life of her great-great grandmother Annie Carpenter and her family as they experienced decades of government - and Church - sanctioned enfranchisement and genocide."
Saturday September 28 & Sunday September 29, 2024:
Chippewas of Georgina Island Pow Wow - Sutton District High School
https://georginaisland.com/2023-georgina-island-powwow/
https://www.georgina.ca/events/chippewas-georgina-island-pow-wow-1
"Experience a traditional Pow wow and a day at the shores of Lake Simcoe. Discover drumming, dancing, hoop dance demonstrations and First Nations-owned and operated food and craft vendors."
Friday September 27 - Monday September 30, 2024 :
Indigenous Legacy Gathering at Nathan Phillips Square & commemorative Spirit Garden is unveiled
https://tyrmc.org/events/indigenous-legacy-gathering-2024/
"The Indigenous Legacy Gathering is an annual event that honours and appreciates the rich diversity of our Indigenous cultures.
Open to the public, this gathering is not only a celebration but also an enlightening educational experience!
Stories, teachings, and the vibrant traditions of our people are shared and appreciated through workshops, presentations, dance, film, and music. We hope to see you there."
Monday September 30th, 2024 :
Orange Shirt Day - National Day of Truth and Reconciliation
https://education.chiefs-of-ontario.org/events/orange-shirt-day/
(Please check with RHUC's office for t-shirt availability)
Monday September 30th, 2024 :
Wilfred Buck: Film Screening (Virtual)
https://aurora.bibliocommons.com/events/66ad0ceb90b60b33004d64c9
"Lisa Jackson’s portrait of Cree Elder Wilfred Buck moves between earth and sky, past and present, bringing to life ancient teachings of Indigenous astronomy and cosmology to tell a story that spans generations. Adapted from Buck’s rollicking memoir I Have Lived Four Lives, the film weaves together stories from his life, including his harrowing young years of displacement and addiction."
Until Monday September 30, 2024:
Richmond Hill Heritage Centre Exhibit - Outcome of the War of 1812: First Nations Betrayed
https://www.richmondhill.ca/en/find-or-learn-about/Richmond-Hill-Heritage-Centre.aspx
"The Outcome of the War of 1812 exhibit explores the long-term consequences of the war through the experience of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation (MCFN). The story describes people who have a historic and meaningful connection to the Southern Ontario area. Through stories of betrayal, respect, survival and renewal, the exhibit highlights the impact of key treaties, including the Toronto Purchase Treaty No. 13, which includes the land where Richmond Hill is located on."
Contact Tracy Wixon tewixon3@gmail.com
From Apology towards Reconciliation
Based on the memories of the Very Rev. Stanley McKay and others who took part in the earliest national Aboriginal ministries consultations in the 1980s.
Long before my people journeyed to this land your peoples were here, and you received from your Elders an understanding of creation and of the Mystery that surrounds us all that was deep, and rich, and to be treasured. We did not hear you when you shared your vision. In our zeal to tell you of the good news of Jesus Christ we were closed to the value of your spirituality. We confused Western ways and culture with the depth and breadth and length and height of the gospel of Christ. We imposed our civilization as a condition of accepting the gospel. We tried to make you be like us and in so doing we helped to destroy the vision that made you what you were. As a result, you, and we, are poorer and the image of the Creator in us is twisted, blurred, and we are not what we are meant by God to be.
We ask you to forgive us and to walk together with us in the Spirit so that our peoples may be blessed, and God’s creation healed.
