Standing in More Than One Place

Standing in More Than One Place — at the same time.

In 2009, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie presented a TED talk that made the rounds in social media. It was called The Danger of a Single Story and reflected on how seeing from only one point of view or from one cultural context creates a very distorted story of the whole. Certainly, the work of the Truth and Reconciliation experience or Black Lives Matter or the Feminist movements agree with Ngozi Adichie.

There is also its opposite which might be called the Challenge of Holding More than One Story at the Same Time.

Enter 45 year old Mandy Gull-Masty who is the current Minister of Indigenous Services in Canada.

She was elected Deputy Chief of the Cree Nation of Waswanipi during which time she held portfolios in finance, housing, mining and administration.

In 2017, she was elected Deputy Grand Chief of the Cree Nation government.

By 2021, she became the first woman elected as Grand Chief of Grand Council of Cree Nation government representing Cree People in Northern Quebec. During this time she expanded protected lands, advanced a moose conservation initiative, revitalised Cree language and culture as well as promoted transparent governance and economic planning.

Naming all these positions, lets us see clearly that she is well rooted in the story of indigenous history.

In what seems like a sharp turn in the road, she is now part of the liberal caucus that is negotiating an oil pipeline. Many, though not all, indigenous leaders are opposed to such a move.

Ms. Gull-Masty, from indications so far, is a grounded, astute and very articulate leader. Is she perhaps a newer generation of leader learning how to navigate the complexity of more than one story at a time? Is she perhaps a leader who will find a path toward integrity each step of the way?

The building of a new pipeline is not a given yet. The most interesting part now are the conversations, the various points of view, the engagement that is hopefully authentic. It is simply not clear where it will all land.

I for one will be cheering for Ms. Gull-Masty in all the twists and turns yet to come.

 -Sister Margo Ritchie, csj

Image: Javier Allegue Barros/Unsplash

Thinking Fast and Thinking Slow

Resurrection has many faces and many paces…both fast and slow.

In the Christian tradition we celebrate Jesus rising from the dead which on the face of it appears to be a one-time event causing us to rethink a conclusion that death is the final word.

Over and over, we experience resurrection’s faithful and irrepressible pattern…. if we open our eyes wide enough.

Think of how over half a million people marched peacefully in the United States on April 5 to cry out for justice and security for people, for the primal instinct of caring. Is this not also resurrection?

Think of the snowdrops that are coming through the frozen earth, again, against all odds. Is this not also resurrection?

Think of the long painful process of reconciliation which seems to move both at a snail’s pace with every now and again, a leap forward. Some resurrections take generations to complete their arc toward truth.

Think of the present world chaos and disruption of everything we thought was reliable and steady (at least for some of us on the planet). Now we wonder if there is something new trying to emerge in terms of relationship and interdependencies and fresh seeing.

Think of the gestures of connection that can occur everyday…an open door, a sincere gratitude, a recognition that all of us belong to and with each other, not turning away from pain, both our own and that of another, the simple fact of the sun shining.

-Sister Margo Ritchie, Congregational Leader, Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada

Image:Simon Berger/ Pisit Heng/Annie Spratt/Unsplash

Reflecting on Murray Sinclair

At the airport in Toronto I had just finished reading Murray Sinclair’s recently published book, Who We Are about his life and his work. Ten minutes after closing the book, I received an email saying that he had died.

My name is Mizanay Gheezhik, which literally means, “one who speaks of pictures in the sky.” It’s about philosophizing. It’s about reading, not paper, not words, but reading what’s going on around me and understanding that and then explaining it to the people.

That’s why I’ve done the work that I’ve done over the years, because that’s my name.

That was the role that I was given when I was created and when I was born.” (Pg. 229)

And there it is. In his own words. Whether it was as the first Indigenous judge in Manitoba, Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, or as Senator in the government, Murray was true to his calling. This role he was given when he was created allowed him to listen deeply to the many individual voices during the Truth and Reconciliation process. It enabled those who shared their stories to reclaim parts of who they really were before the systemic violence of residential schools extinguished a light of their identity.

His life was not easy. His “speaking of pictures in the sky” called all of us Canadians to uncover and face the tragic story of our own history. And yet, he did more than that. His “pictures in the sky” took form in the 94 calls to action in the Truth and Reconciliation Report which continues to point us in the direction of whole-making relationships in our country.

What stays with me most, however, is his love of family and the dialogues he shares in the book with his children and grandchildren. As he says, his real desire for his children and grandchildren - and all children, is that they make the world a better place.

We are grateful to you, Murray Sinclair, for making our world a better place.

-Sister Margo Ritchie, Congregational Leader, CSJ

Image: Unsplash/Troy Olson @city2forest