To say that the Christian church has a checkered past with the indigenous people of North America would be putting it lightly. Inter-generational trauma caused by the church lingers in many indigenous communities today.
As a non-indigenous Christian living on treaty land, I want to take this opportunity to say a few things.
First, the actions of many members of the church towards indigenous people - both historically and today - have been nothing short of abusive, spiritually, emotionally, and physically. To deny that is to perpetuate a cycle of abuse. The church has largely failed to serve as a representative of Christ to indigenous people.
Second, I believe that the Christian church has much to learn from the spiritual practices of our indigenous neighbours. While I personally hold to the belief that Jesus Christ is the only image of the invisible God, I also believe that there is a multitude of ways of pursuing God. In particular, I believe that many indigenous communities depict a far more Christlike vision of communal, self-sacrificial life. In addition, I believe that the relationship indigenous peoples have with nature is much closer to the idyllic picture of Adam and Eve’s stewardship of creation than most western cultures.
So today, I acknowledge that I live on treaty land, the traditional and ancestral home of the Cree, Dene, Blackfoot, Saulteaux, and Nakota Sioux. I choose to honour the lives and stories of the indigenous peoples who came before me. And I claim my responsibility to foster healthier relationships with my indigenous neighbours today.