“The political process has failed us, and I believe that what is missing is the spiritual element.” That’s what then Manitoba MLA Elijah Harper said in 1995 when he called for a Sacred Assembly to deal with stalled talks about land claims and Indigenous reconciliation issues.
On Jan. 23-25, several hundred people from across Canada, including church and Indigenous leaders, gathered in Winnipeg to mark the 30th anniversary of that Assembly, and to discuss ways to keep its vision alive.
“I realize it is difficult for Indigenous communities to embrace walking together with the churches, yet we all claim to acknowledge God, our Creator, and we pray to the same God,” said Wallace McKay, Grand Chief emeritus of the Nishnawbe- Aski Nation in northern Ontario in his welcome.
He hoped the event
would cause participants to “learn, understand and respect the choices that all
people make as they pray, worship and seek a better tomorrow.”
Read my story about the Winnipeg
gathering in the Free Press.
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