As much of the commercial and professional community has come to a grinding halt, there is a lot of work that still must continue - a big piece of that is Reconciliation. 

Capital ‘R’ Reconciliation is the conscious effort to become educated about Indigenous histories, the role of non-Indigenous people in that history, and acknowledging the cultural and systemic effects of that history. 

Urban Aboriginal Voices Society (UAVS) is one of the local Indigenous governance pieces that helps the community - Indigenous and non-Indigenous - move forward through dedicated dialogue followed by action. 

Through community events, either educational or cultural, UAVS provides an avenue for people to explore their intertwined histories and path forward. 

Tanya Schur, a UAVS community facilitator, said there are a lot of moving pieces for the group right now, and part of their efforts can be seen in community events such as one hosted on March 12th at Festival Hall in Red Deer.

“We are structured to do an annual community gathering like we’re doing today, to really identify what are the issues that are most important, or are the biggest challenges faces the Indigenous community,” Schur explained. 

“Today, one of the biggest issues that came up is really around the challenges around racism and discrimination. We’ve been hearing that for a couple of years, and we do have a culture domain that is raised on raising Indigenous or Aboriginal peoples’ awareness, or rather raising awareness to our culture and our history.”

She said that education around history has never been more important, for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. 

“In order to make right in relations, we’re going to have to get dirty and we have to be okay with that, and follow good principles of kindness and patience,” she said, explaining that reconciliation is hard work due to the very raw dialogue and recognition that has to take place. 

However, she said above all, people need to remember their similarities over their differences. 

“Everyone wants the same thing. We all want healthy families, we all want safe communities, we want to go to work and do good and provide, and that is true, whether you’re indigenous or non-indigenous.”

Tanya Schur of UAVS in Red Deer with Dr. Shalene Jobin during a recent community gathering hosted by UAVS.

In the afternoon of the March 12th gathering, guests were able to take in the words of Dr. Shalene Jobin,  Associate Professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta. Dr. Jobin is also the Director of the Indigenous Governance and Partnership Program, as well as the Co-Lead of the Wahkohtowin Law and Governance Lodge.  During the UAVS event, Dr. Jobin was joined by Renée Beausoleil, PhD Candidate, and a Research Fellow with the Wahkohtowin Law & Governance Lodge. 

According to Dr. Jobin, recognizing Indigenous governance means recognizing the hundreds of years of community evaluation, support and development that First Nations, Metis and Inuit people have carried long before Canada’s federation. 

It is acknowledgment and appreciation for Indigenous community organizations, their systems of law and their generational knowledge of the land and resources. 

“I feel so honoured to be welcomed into this Territory and also to be able to see the amazing work that’s being done here,” Dr. Jobin said, adding that there are many ways people can come together to help give Indigenous governance life. 

“We each have our own spheres of influence. Sometimes non-indigenous friends and allies can be around the dinner table with family members, sometimes in our workplaces, we can talk about different things that are important and things that need to happen,” she said. 

“Indigenous peoples are also in this era of, really, revival. People are doing things like learning the language or teaching the language or beading or singing and drumming, powwow dancing.”

According to Schur, earlier discussions in the day focused on the need in the community for Indigenous and non-Indigenous learning opportunities. 

“That’s not having more workshops - it’s having circles, and open dialogue on differences and what we share, and how those differences are affecting everyone in our community. We’re all living on the same, small planet at a very difficult time in history. A lot of the earth and the environment, that knowledge was given to the Indigenous people and we need to be able to say, ‘We are not against progress,’” Schur said after Dr. Jobin’s presentation to the group. 

“We believe that if we think into the seventh generation, we can create energy and create progress in a way that will sustain the planet. And that, ultimately, has to be what we are all thinking about right now in this point of history.”