Maggie Hodgson - Speaking My Truth
Maggie Hodgson - Speaking My Truth Maggie Hodgson - Speaking My Truth
supporting the victims behind the criminal charges being brought against the staff member who was convicted for sexual abuse. I had worked with the Survivors of the O’Connor action. I helped to facilitate the first national residential school conference in 1991. I had a stroke after having a blowout with a Justice lawyer about having a mediator in to resolve a group settlement that was going off the rails. I had virtually almost given up my life for my commitment to this work. I was very hurt by his words. Sometimes, time is what is needed to dissolve pain. There had been no change in behaviour from the person who hurt me. Reconciliation can happen if we just have time to let the pain pass. I invited him to my house recently, along with other friends, to feast after a meeting in our city. There were no words of “I forgive you.” The action of inviting him to my home was my act of reconciliation. Within that reconciliation, within my heart, there is no expectation from him that he is willing to change how he treats people or that he is even aware of his behaviour. I met him at a community function in our work, and he came up to me and gave me a hug with warmth. He was saying I am sorry for what happened. Words were not spoken and reconciliation happened. Reconciliation as it relates to residential schools does not only rest in the era of when the schools were open. Acts of lateral violence between people working in this field happen. It is a part of the legacy we can either hang onto to excuse our behaviour or we can take responsibility to make other decisions in how we deal with these acts of spiritual abuse. The current day acts of lateral violence that relate to work we do within the field are not separate and apart from our history, they are a manifestation of our history. As Elder Burnstick says, “It is up to you!” It is what you do with current choices of our treatment of each other. The National Day of Healing and Reconciliation (NDHR) is intended to assist us in focusing our attention on being reflective of when we are unkind to other people and in looking at ways to build understanding when we come from a place of not agreeing. There are ceremonies across Canada in which Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal community leaders promote NDHR on May 26 th of each year. The intent is not to create reconciliation activities for only that day, it is to show that every day is an opportunity to take inventory of what we did that day and to make moves to reconcile. Further, the intent is to strengthen education about our residential school history within Canada by engaging our schools, churches, and communities to build bridges. A good example of this is the berry ceremony referred to earlier where the local medical doctor attended in order to gain a better understanding of the meaning when we talk of ceremony. NDHR’s goal is 374 | Maggie Hodgson
to strengthen understanding and reconciliation. Reconciliation is not only an Aboriginal people’s issue, it is also a Canadian issue! Elder Burnstick placed the responsibility for change where it belongs. When we all take responsibility for choices in reconciliation, we show that we understand him when he says, “It is up to you!” Future Challenges in Reconciliation Our future challenge in reconciliation is the great opportunity to host our National Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Each community can decide if the process will be traditionally rooted and decide on the place where we want to host regional events. Will we choose to have them on the land Will we choose to have them in big city conference centres Will we bring pictures that hold our memories of residential schools Will we collaborate with the people in our region to ensure we are not fighting about which communities will host the hearings Will we invite local college and university classes to come to hear the testimony of our former students Will we invite our local churches to work with us on the planning of the commission hearings This is a huge opportunity to become “FREE” to choose the possibilities of how the Truth and Reconciliation Commission will happen. What will we do with the information given at the Truth Commission Will we take the information to our classrooms and our broader Canadian circles to open the opportunity for a broader dialogue of “Where do we go from here together” “IT IS UP TO YOU!” From Truth to Reconciliation | 375
- Page 1 and 2: Maggie Hodgson From From Truth Trut
- Page 3 and 4: Reconciliation: A Spiritual Process
- Page 5 and 6: speak, we have a responsibility to
- Page 7 and 8: view. The therapeutic view is that
- Page 9 and 10: to the Aboriginal Working Caucus’
- Page 11 and 12: usiness people and others resulted
- Page 13 and 14: up to come home for the ceremony. H
- Page 15: Things became heated and I said to
- Page 19: 12 Kishk Anaquot Health Research (2
to strengthen understanding and reconciliation. Reconciliation is not only<br />
an Aboriginal people’s issue, it is also a Canadian issue! Elder Burnstick<br />
placed the responsibility for change where it belongs. When we all take<br />
responsibility for choices in reconciliation, we show that we understand<br />
him when he says, “It is up to you!”<br />
Future Challenges in Reconciliation<br />
Our future challenge in reconciliation is the great opportunity to host our<br />
National <strong>Truth</strong> and Reconciliation Commission. Each community can<br />
decide if the process will be traditionally rooted and decide on the place<br />
where we want to host regional events. Will we choose to have them on<br />
the land Will we choose to have them in big city conference centres Will<br />
we bring pictures that hold our memories of residential schools Will we<br />
collaborate with the people in our region to ensure we are not fighting about<br />
which communities will host the hearings Will we invite local college and<br />
university classes to come to hear the testimony of our former students<br />
Will we invite our local churches to work with us on the planning of the<br />
commission hearings This is a huge opportunity to become “FREE” to<br />
choose the possibilities of how the <strong>Truth</strong> and Reconciliation Commission<br />
will happen. What will we do with the information given at the <strong>Truth</strong><br />
Commission Will we take the information to our classrooms and our<br />
broader Canadian circles to open the opportunity for a broader dialogue of<br />
“Where do we go from here together” “IT IS UP TO YOU!”<br />
From <strong>Truth</strong> to Reconciliation | 375
Change language