St. Paul, Lindsay hosted “Mapping the Ground We Stand On,” facilitated by Cheryl Marek of the PWRDF, on June 24. The church welcomed about 20 participants from the parish and the wider community. This exercise, now often referred to as “The Mapping Exercise,” offers settler participants an opportunity to take another step on their journey towards reconciliation with their Indigenous siblings. During the exercise, participants experienced how the presumed “terra nullius” of northern Turtle Island was already occupied by hundreds of nations; they filled in the empty map with the names of some of the nations who cared for the land from coast to coast to coast before the arrival of settlers. Many of the participants said the exercise was an informative and illuminating experience for them. St. Paul’s made its annual observance of National Indigenous Day of Prayer the next day. Many of the participants of The Mapping Exercise are planning to continue their journey by visiting a local powwow in September.
Submitted by the Rev. Bonnie Skerritt
Ordinary people wield extraordinary power