solo sojourns
@golaj
September 30, 2023
As I empty my suitcase on returning from BC, I noticed that the only keepsakes I’ve brought home, apart from a humble maple leaf, are related to First Nation Art.
Coincidentally, today in British Columbia it’s ‘Truth and Reconciliation Day’, a bank holiday intended to remind Canadians about the residential schools, a dark chapter in the country’s history, to honour the victims and celebrate the survivors. During this program, indigenous children were cruelly taken from their families and sent to government-run schools. The children were victimised in so many ways including having their culture and everything they knew ripped away from them.
Be it Canada, United States, Australia or New Zealand, colonialism’s impact on indigenous cultures was literally devastating. All were all home to a rich tapestry of diverse nations, each with their own distinct social structures, economic systems, spiritual beliefs, and artistic expressions.
We learn about ourselves through our history and society, by asking questions that expose the shadows in which we still live. But back then we colonials were too invested in the masculine projects of empire building, too busy chasing knowledge at the expense of wisdom, too preoccupied with ‘progress’ without asking any questions about how much damage were were doing. Much more I suspect than we ever knew.
Now Canada is attempting to redress some of the balance. A visit to a First Nation’s Cultural Centre of which there are a growing number, seems to have so much to offer. Whether it’s through their rich traditions, oral history and contemporary culture they can teach us a great deal about how to coexist with the natural world and with one another.
It’s only when you visit such places that you’re reminded of the importance of relationship with everything else. With one other, with Earth, with the Great Spirit. This is the kernel of First Nations wisdom, and the core value from which all expressions of culture evolved.
In the west where individuality is venerated, our children seem to be losing connection to each other, to their communities and any sense of shared cultural heritage. As more of our children disappear behind their smart phones, mental health is deteriorating and no one knows how to deal with the growing problem. It’s not surprising. We’ve failed our children spiritually. Our communities are fragmented. Earlier today my attention was caught by a quote from Professor Bell Hooks which rung bells in exactly that direction.
It is the practice of love within the context of community that was so prevalent in wisdom cultures, love for each other, the land, nature, the Great Spirit that has been lost and needs to be rekindled and certainly not only in Canada. We are, as the saying goes, standing on the shoulders of wisdom giants.
For anyone following the blog who would like to read a summary of how I found my first international solo experience, the last blog post of this trip is coming next. 🧳✈️🚢🛳️
Solo Sojourns 
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