International Exposure and Indigenous Exposure

It took me over a year to fulfill my promise to my kids, but I did it; I took them to Canada back in May.

The Canadian border is an hour’s drive away from us. It is another 4 hours to Calgary, which is easily the largest metropolitan area for us; Seattle is a 12-hour drive, and most cities in Montana do not qualify as large-scale urban areas. So staying up several floors of a hotel and using public transit were a considerable part of the novelty for the kids. The Calgary Zoo was a big hit, as was the giant tower with a glass floor where you could stand to look down. (That’s NO THANK YOU from me!)

Traveling to Canada is not a significant culture shift, like going to any country in Europe, Africa, or Asia would be. But there are enough differences from America that we all could notice. The use of the metric system was one big difference, as was the cash system. Using both of these things is so outside of our normal experience that you don’t even realize it. For instance, I could instinctively tell you how a mile feels, but not have a clue about kilometers. I can roughly estimate how many gallons it would take to fill my car's tank, but when it's in liters, I am lost. These are just a few small examples of how certain things are normalized for Americans vs Canadians.

Some of the other places that we stopped along our journey were old forts and mines, and random little museums that pop up along the highways. Much like the Western parts of America, the Western parts of Canada are home to settlers and indigenous peoples, often living in uneasy relationships. Canada has been doing a lot of public work of reconciliation with the colonization of the First Nations. From the boarding schools that took Indigenous children from their families to acknowledging the ecological wisdom that many tribes have to offer, Canada has taken some much-needed steps to live more harmoniously.

“I leave you now with my great peace.

It is my gift to you.

It is not the kind of peace the world gives.

Do not let the troubles of this world fill you with fear

And make your hearts fall to the ground,

And do not let fear hold you back.”

John 14: 27 First Nations Version of the NT, 2021

Americans are struggling with golden child syndrome. The ideals of freedom to practice faith and the opportunity to rise above Europe's feudal hierarchies were enticing. Whether folk came seeking freedom from oppression or hope for more than was available to them, the United States of America was founded as a dream, an ideal. Over the past 250 years, we have often fallen short of that ideal. Costly and dehumanizing mistakes were made. But because we threw off the yoke of monarchy and have led the “free world,” many assume that we are above reproach, which any truly good leader knows to be untrue. We are not the golden child of democracy. We are not the ideal republic.

Yet the dream of equality lives deeply in the American psyche. It is a dream that is shared by Indigenous folks, refugees of oppression, great-grandchildren of the enslaved, and many more. It is something I feel as intrinsically as I know what a gallon feels like. At this moment in time, there is a great destabilizing of American democracy, but this is not the first time that the ideal of free and equal has been put to the test. Power attracts the corrupt, and the corrupt attempt to consolidate their power. They fear equality. Some of the oppressed may indeed turn around and become the oppressors, but most folks will not. Most folks can learn that their neighbor is a person who has their back in times of need. It will take brave folks who are willing to live out the dream of freedom and equality.

The last song on this album, Agitators, is absolutely inspiring.

The First Nations translation of Psalms and Proverbs was released earlier this year, and it is a provocative way to shake up your Bible reading. You can also get the New Testament, maybe just in time to read the familiar Christmas story in a new way.

In addition to three kinds of pie, my cooking list includes

green bean casserole, deviled eggs, and cranberry sauce (because I am a snob who likes it homemade rather than from a can).

May this week bring patience to your senses and your soul.