I have created a collage of some of the important topics and messages we have discussed in ECS 101. I love to scrapbook so this assignment was lots of fun for me. 

On the borders, I have listed some of the ways to seek truth and reconciliation between Indigneous and non-Indigneous peoples. We must listen, learn, trust, be open, understand, and talk in order to repair broken relationships.

I have designed two hands shaking; representing the relationship between Indigneous and non-Indigneous peoples. An important quote is listed and is the theme of my collage: “our futures are tied together.” I found this quote in the “Every Child Matters” video and I displayed this message through the use of the blue and pink ribbons. We are intertwined and we must create a community where we strive for reconciliation.

Excerpt from my “Journey to Reconciliation” paper:

Another way to seek reconciliation is to acknowledge the land we are living on is traditional homelands. Charlene Bearhead explains, “we all live on First Nations or Inuit traditional territory or on Métis homelands. If we are not indigenous to Canada, we are visitors, some long term and some newer arrivals, but we all owe a debt of gratitude and respect to the Indigenous people of this land.” The high school that I attended started the days, meetings and different presentations with a land acknowledgment. Something as simple as verbally acknowledging the land we are on is a small gesture towards “opening the doors to what may lie ahead.” As Charlene Bearhead said so beautifully, “whenever you wake up and put your feet down, you are stepping on someone’s traditional land.” We all have a relationship to the land and when we respect it, in turn we respect our Indigenous brothers and sisters and are therefore, on the path towards reconciling relations.

As a Canadian and future educator, I have a duty to teach the truthful knowledge of my country’s history and to embrace all brothers and sisters that share this land with me. Although the process of seeking truth and reconciliation among the Indigenous and non-Indigenous people will be difficult, and at often times painful, as Sigmund Freud said, “the years of struggle will strike you as the most beautiful.” A significant aspect of seeking reconciliation is acknowledging the hurt, trauma, and intergenerational effects the residential schools has had on Indigenous people. When we talk about the past and “the further we reach back into history, the stronger we will be tomorrow.”