CPTnet
June 4, 2004
ASUBPEESCHOSEEWAGONG REFLECTION: Finding common ground
by Joe Carr
As we nine CPT delegates filtered into the Grassy Narrows First Nation last
Friday, community members joined us for a potluck. In awkward silence and
separation, we hugged the walls, clung to each other, and had sparse
interaction. We were faced with the ultimate challenge of adapting ourselves
to another culture.
As members of the dominant culture, we CPTers are used to others
adapting themselves to us. However, the Anishinaabe people invited us into
their space so we needed to do what we could to make them comfortable.
Later, Kaaren, a local teacher, taught us that the Anishinaabe seek to live
in harmony with the earth. The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) sees
trees in terms of "resource control," "timber extraction," and "wood fibre,"
whereas the Anishinaabe see the trees and animals as their family to be
respected. We asked her how we could apply that world view to the city, and
she said she didn't know, that was for us to figure out.
Despite differing world views and communication styles, our interactions
with community members have become delightful and genuine over the last few
days. They have shared incredibly personal stories with us about what it was
like before the reserve was moved, the horrors of residential schools, and
how clear cutting has devastated their way of life.
After spending a good part of the previous day discussing how to improve
our interactions with the community, we gathered in the roundhouse, a sacred
structure, for dinner with several local women. Afterwards, they sang and
played music for us on their drums. Matt and Joe also played some songs on
their guitars. The two groups alternated back and forth, between traditional
Anishinaabe drum-songs and popular folk tunes. On the last song, they all
played together, finding a common ground in the music. Our genuine
communication came more naturally than we'd thought, in the strum of a
guitar and the beat of a drum.
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