Delegation to Grassy Narrows with Christian Peacemaker Teams September, 2011 by Stan Harder, Lincoln, Nebraska
In late September, I arrived in Kenora Ontario to join a Christian Peacemaker Teams delegation for two weeks of discovery about the Anishinaabe Indigenous people who live on the Grassy Narrows reservation. We were to learn about how CPT allies itself with oppressed groups, and to help give the Anishinaabe a voice about the use of the land they hold sacred.
See, I grew up on a Mennonite farm in central Kansas. My family lore includes the story of purchasing the land from the railroad in 1874. But, it wasn’t till preparing for this trip that I learned about the illegally implemented treaty that stole that land away from the Kiowa tribe in Kansas. This crime happened just 6 years before my ancestors purchased that land.
The first full day together we were invited to a traditional powwow in Grassy Narrows. This was a memorial powwow for an honored leader in the tribe. It was a privilege to be invited. We were asked to cook breakfast for them; by the end of the day, our delegation had prepared and served 3 meals to about 150 people.
The opportunity to work together and serve the people of Grassy Narrows united us for the remainder of our time together. This little band of 11 Christian peacemaker wannabes spent several evenings around a campfire at the sight of the historic blockade, hearing indigenous folk tales and telling our own life stories, under a cold clear dark sky, lit only by the faint green glow of the northern lights and billions of stars. In the course of two weeks, we had just partially been liberated from our ignorance and racism regarding this little corner of the world.
I will close with a quote from Lila Watson, Indigenous Australian activist: "If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us walk together."
View more pictures from the CPT delegation at: http://cpt.org/index.php?q=gallery&g2_itemId=24538
Stan Harder lives in Omaha and is a member of First Mennonite Church, Lincoln Nebraska. Hannah Breckbill, a CPT reservist who lives in Decorah Iowa, was a co-leader on this delegation.
