Meeting the issues face to face
At the heart of Idle No More is how people view morality, how to live well and achieve a good life. Idle No More is bringing to light how many Aboriginal people understand that good life, and how they remember it. Here participants join in a round dance in front of the University of Winnipeg in downtown Winnipeg.
I am a member of the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation (Algonquin), a husband, a graduate student, and most important, a brother in Christ. And I am a supporter of Idle No More.
I want to see Canadian Christians have a better conversation on one of the most pressing issues of our time. We need to keep the conversation going. This is a moral and relational issue; Jesus Christ is in this issue if you look hard enough—beyond what you hear in the mainstream media.
At the heart of Idle No More is how people view morality, how to live well and achieve a good life. Idle No More is bringing to light how many Aboriginal people understand that good life, and how they remember it.
Christians—many in the comfortable mainstream—are again forced to address justice, poverty, environmental stewardship, and broken relationships with Aboriginal people in Canada. It challenges Canadians and our modern economic philosophies of a good economy, comfort and security, and increasing urban lifestyles.
Relationships are key. If mainstream Canadian Christians continue to brush this story aside, or focus exclusively on how money is misspent by chiefs and roll their eyes, Christ will be lost to thousands upon thousands of Native youth—people who are already skeptical of what Christians have to offer due to a dismal history with the Christian faith.
It might be difficult talking to Aboriginal people about the love of God when one does not know what they’re feeling and thinking regarding injustice. Christians need to know the reason why people have enough motivation to brave the cold weather to demonstrate how some rights and laws are being violated.
The federal government consulted some First Nations governments regarding the omnibus budget bill C-45, but not all. This is seen as a violation of Aboriginal rights—which is Canadian law—and a justice issue.
Treaty relationships and nation-to-nation dialogue is almost equivalent to international law. For example, the Mohawk Nation or Ojibway Nation have their own legal relationships with the federal government—it’s not racist or unequal, but a political and cultural distinction made between many specific Aboriginal nations and a young Canada that was predominantly English and French at the time.
This is why many Aboriginal people from many different nations (there is no such thing as one Aboriginal nation) do not see themselves as Canadians sometimes. This is why Idle No More is so important to Canada because it questions why Canada can benefit from past deals with First Nations (primarily concerning land). It questions the morality of the foundations of Canada because in the pursuit of living well, others are inevitably affected negatively.
On the political side, this is a “talk to your MP” issue. For Christians, this is a “serve and love Aboriginal people” issue. Change will have to come from courts and elected representatives. But through this Christians have an opportunity to shine Christ’s astonishing light to a hurting world. Understand the issues. Faith has a role to play.
Be a part of the ongoing conversation in the spirit of Christ. y
Editor’s Note: There have been some changes in the movement since this article originally appeared in ChristianWeek, January 24, 2013. However, the article is still important and relevant and that’s why we are reprinting it here.
Jeff Decontie is from Ottawa and is currently a master’s student in Indigenous Governance at the University of Winnipeg.
