A move by any other name may be forced
To the Expositor:
I always read with interest and enjoyment Isobel Henry’s articles. ‘Visiting Manitoulin?’ in the Expositor’s August 23 edition did not disappoint, but moreover, caused me to think about Truth and Reconciliation.
In her article, Ms. Henry quotes a passage from Shelley Pearen’s book, ‘Exploring Manitoulin,’ as follows: “By 1870 most of the original residents (ie.,13 Native families) “moved 7 miles west to the new Sucker Creek reserve” (now Aundeck Omni Kaning First Nation).” To be clear, I am not taking issue with either Ms. Henry or Ms. Pearen, but I am raising this question for all of us. If we are to successfully travel the challenges that face us in moving from Truth to Reconciliation, how can we tell uncomfortable truths?
As Alan Corbiere suggested in his excellent lecture given in Kagawong this summer, we cannot conveniently bypass uncomfortable truths to land in reconciliation.
In this regard, “moved” to AOK is an interesting choice of verb that could perhaps be better replaced with “encouraged to move,” or “were moved,” or “pushed to move” or even “forced to move.”
How are we to achieve reconciliation? What is the truth we need to talk about to get us there? How do we talk about uncomfortable truths?
Lynda Olson
Evansville
