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Indigenous Relations Working Group
Mennonite Church Alberta has an Indigenous Relations Working Group, born October 5, 2024!
Mennonite Church Canada called together Climate Action/Creation Care and Indigenous Relations Working Groups from across the country to meet in Pinawa, Manitoba, October 4-6, 2024. Twenty five people, including 7 from Alberta, answered the call. One of the first assignments, Saturday morning, was to answer the questions "How did your group start? How long has it been around? Who initiated it?" Mennonite Church Alberta can thank Bill Christieson for answering the "how long" question by writing down October 5, 2024 as the MCA IR Working Group start date.
At this point, this working group consists of Bill plus Ruth Bergen Braun, MCA Communications, and Suzanne Gross, MCA Bridge Building Facilitator, and Coreen Froese. The group has yet to complete the Working Group Mandate -- Resourcing Congregations worksheet but there already is excitement around working together with our Creation Care Working Group to plan an event.
Get to know us
Bill:
Coreen:
Ruth: My passion for Indigenous relations began before we were even using that phrase. I spent my first summer as an adult doing Native Ministries for the Conference of Mennonites in Canada (what is now Mennonite Church Canada) and saw first-hand the inequalities in our country. That summer changed me and since then, when opportunities arose for me to develop reparative relationships with Indigenous people, I have committed to being a good friend. Over my life I have attempted to educate myself, to learn about Indigenous culture particularly that of the Blackfoot people on whose land I have primarily lived, residential schools and genocide, and about the injustices still inherent in our Canadian systems.
Suzanne: My passion for and connection with Indigenous relations came into focus in the context of the Truth and Reconciliation 94 Calls to Action and our Canada 150 anniversary year in 2015. In that year, I was blessed to have Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society as my teacher as we developed together activities under the name of Miyo-wîcihtowin, (Cree for “Good Relations”), to bridge Indigenous culture and sacred ceremony, and the newcomer settlement experience. I use these experiences to guide my Bridge Building work in the context of Indigenous Relations in local and broader Mennonite contexts.
Watch for this graphic in the MCA Communiqué
This graphic was inspired by the ribbons on the talking stick used during the Climate Action & Indigenous Relations Collaboration Weekend. The blue represents the wide open sky of Alberta. The black/red/yellow/and white echo the colours of the Indigenous Medicine Wheel. Take some time to learn more about the Indigenous Medicine Wheel.
We are not alone!
We now have friends and resources from across Mennonite Church Canada.
From the MC Canada website: Mennonite Church Canada's Indigenous Relations program works to support interested congregations and regional working groups through prayerful dialogue, sharing of educational and financial resources, and collective action. We help connect constituent communities to Indigenous and settler persons, teachers, theological and social justice organizations that can be of help, and who are interested in pursuing peace and justice together.
Yet to come:
Mandate Statement
Resources for individuals and congregations
Congregational contacts? eg Buffalo Shout
