BOOKS

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Together the Secwepemc activist intellectual and the Syilx (Okanagan) businessman bring a fresh perspective and new ideas to Canada’s most glaring piece of unfinished business: the place of Indigenous peoples within the country’s political and economic space. The story is told through Arthur’s voice but he traces both of their individual struggles against the colonialist and often racist structures that have been erected to keep Indigenous peoples in their place in Canada.

Over 40 authors - Indigenous & Settler, Christian and Traditional - wrestle with this call to repudiation, what it might mean to Christians across North American, and what it entails for relationships with host peoples and host lands.  With a firm hold on past and present colonialism, the authors tackle key questions that the TRC’s call raises such as;  What role did the Church play in the creation of the Doctrine of Discovery?

Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the US have a lot in common.  They’re all former British colonies.  They all voted against the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.  And they were all colonized under the Doctrine of Discovery. Though differences exist and practices have shifted over the years, it is clear that the “CANZUA states” still assert control over Indigenous lands and lives through the legal principle of Discovery.

n 2008 the Canadian government apologized to the victims of the notorious Indian residential school system, and established a Truth and Reconciliation Commission whose goal was to mend the deep rifts between Aboriginal peoples and the settler society that engineered the system.

The shocking true story covered by the Guardian and the New York Times of the seven young Indigenous students who were found dead in a northern Ontario city.  Using a sweeping narrative focusing on the lives of the students, award-winning investigative journalist Tanya Talaga delves into the history of this small northern city that has come to manifest Canada’s long struggle with human rights violations against Indigenous communities.

Since Columbus landed in the West Indies in 1492, Native American tribes have endured more than five centuries of abuse hypocrisy, indifference and bloodshed at the hands of the "Christian" white man. Despite this painful history, a number of Native Americans have found "The Jesus Way" and are proving to be a powerful voice for the Lord around the world. A full- blooded Lakota/Sioux, Richard Twiss shows that Native American Christians have much to offer the Church and can become a major force for reaching the lost. Full of wisdom, humor and passion, this book examines how the white Church can begin to break down the walls of anger, distrust and bitterness and move toward reconciliation and revival in our land.

The TRC issued a report in June of 2015 which included 94 Calls to Action aiming to "redress the legacy of residential schools and advance the process of Canadian reconciliation." If you are unfamiliar with the issues Indigenous Peoples are still facing today and want to know how you can help, reading these Calls to Action for yourself is a great place to start.