News from Honouring Indigenous People

Here is the latest Honouring Indigenous People Rotary News and Events, projects, blogs, photos, films, and resources. There are many major initiatives and resources available to you and your Rotary club. Your Club can help.  Our District 7070 Action Committee's Areas of Focus Coordinator is Bill Empey from the Rotary Club of Toronto   If you have a good news story, or want to help starting a project, please contact Bill. Here are some news highlights .........

Click here to view the HIP website. For more news, check the Areas of Focus Action Committees Menu Bar in the District Newsletter under HIP.  This rapidly growing nation-wide movement, HIP,  is a partnership between Indigenous Peoples & Rotarians. The new website contains stories about supporters, just like you and your Club, who are making an impact across Canada by taking action to create lasting change! Here is a link to their latest Newsletters. 

News :

HIP continues to be engaged with Rotary Clubs and First Nation communities and organizations in Rotary District 7070.  Highlights of activities during 2023-24 include:

Truth and Reconciliation Integrated into RYLS

HIP is working on Introducing indigenous leadership styles and other historical and cultural themes into RYLS next year. This would involve extending the format for the HIP Youth 2 Youth program to an older age group and adding focus to the leadership theme.  RYLS has long been recognized as a transformative program that equips young leaders with the skills, knowledge, and network necessary to make a difference in their communities. By integrating indigenous practice into the sessions, Rotary has elevated the program’s impact to a new level. These sessions provide a safe space for young individuals to learn about historical injustices and confront uncomfortable truths, empowering them to be active participants in creating a more inclusive society.

HIP (Honouring Indigenous People) National Youth 2 Youth Engagement Event in 2024

HIP has just concluded a very successful second national Youth 2 Youth (Y2Y) Engagement event for 2024.  The program was patterned after the 2023 event in Winnipeg.  

In particular we will continue;

• Bringing together indigenous and non-indigenous students from across Canada,

• The collaboration among ten or more Rotary Districts in the funding, recruiting and organizing a shared event, and

• Bringing together youth from First Nations, Metis and Inuit groups to share experiences and cultures.

We are asking your Rotary Club, right here in District 7070 to support and encourage the program.  Our growing network of Rotary Clubs, teachers, school boards and First Nations communities will seek outstanding high school students, from District 7070 to participate.

Plans are underway for a Y2Y event in District 7070 and for including Indigenous youth in other programs.

Misko Aki Confluence of Cultures, Digital Exhibit

HIP has introduced a fund-raising campaign for the Misko-Aki; Convergence of Cultures project in Gravenhurst, Muskoka.   The exhibit is an innovative plan for both a virtual and in-place exhibition of native history and culture.  The Huron-Wendat, Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, and Métis people have inhabited and traversed the Muskoka region (and most of District 7070) for millennia. Leaders from these communities have joined international, award winning artistic director Tim Johnson to form the Creative Indigenous Group that leads project. The exhibit opened in July 2023 at the Muskoka Discovery Center in Gravenhurst. The Centre has positioned itself at the leading edge of Indigenous museology to provide the Muskoka Region with a profound expression of reconciliation in action. We encourage you to visit. HIP has introduced many Clubs in District 7070 to the Misko-Aki; Convergence of Cultures project in Gravenhurst, Muskoka.  The exhibit is an innovative virtual and in-place exhibition of native history and culture.  The Huron-Wendat, Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, and Métis people have inhabited and traversed the Muskoka region (and most of District 7070) for millennia.  A special Rotary tour of the exhibit was arranged last September and many Clubs are planning outings and visits this year.  Thanks to the Clubs who have supported the exhibit.

The Covenant of Nations

HIP continues its support of the The Covenant of Nations: Sacred Wampum gathering.  This is a process to renew and extend traditional peace (or Wampum Belt) agreements among Indigenous Nations. Such a historic meeting has not taken place since pre-colonial times. The old alliances and covenants of peace and friendship encoded within wampum belts will be renewed by the spiritual leaders of these two Nations.

The goal of the Sacred Wampum gathering is to revitalize the original strong, respectful relationship between the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and the Anishinaabeg Nation to be better able to respond to challenges to nationhood, the environment, and the future of both nations.  The objectives are;

• Invocation of the Spirit and Ancestors

• Sharing of Sacred Traditional Knowledge

• Demonstrate and promote Indigenous values

• Contributing to the Healing of Mother Earth

• Transmission of historical, spiritual and cultural knowledge

• Ceremonial Healing of Nations

• Creation of Unity Among Nations

• Creating a movement on Turtle Island

• Impacting the values and actions of Settler nations

• Addressing climate change by returning to the land and village life

• Contributing to the Legacy of Peace

The next step in the Covenant of Nations process is a Traditional Peoples Gathering at Crawford Lake Conservation Area in Milton Ontario that was held on September 15 – 17 2023.  The focus of this meeting was on youth and included a wampum teaching day.  This was an excellent opportunity for our spiritual leaders to meet, talk, share and do their own planning for the Covenant of Nations to follow as a Grand Council in the Longhouse at Onondaga, New York in 2024.

General Networking

HIP continues working with Rotary District 7070 Clubs, including arranging for District 7070 students, who attended the 2024 National Y2Y program, to present at your Rotary club. 

We are also assisting clubs with developing land acknowledgements and ideas for Club speakers, and support for youth and indigenous communities including activities in Toronto West and Bowmanville. 

HIP will be organizing a new Indigenous Action Group across District 7070.  I am inviting Clubs to have members already engaged with Indigenous groups to share their experience and keep current on all the indigenous related actions that are underway. Please contact me for a visit to your club.

Bill Empey

Honouring Indigenous People, District Coordinator, Rotary District 7070

https://honouringindigenouspeoples.com/

Indigenous Partnership Working Group, Rotary Club of Toronto

https://www.rotarytoronto.com/

(416) 482-4880

bill.empey@rotarytoronto.com

What is your club doing to Honour Indigenous People?

Please email Julie Dunaiskis (julie@eccgroup.ca) with a brief summary so we can post on the HIP website and provide an update in upcoming newsletters. This will help other clubs and provide a sense of how we are involved. We do not know the precise number of clubs across Canada who are involved in educational and awareness activities, however, our guess is we are close to 175 and growing. Some clubs were involved well before HIP, many on their own and some because of our encouragement and leadership.

Regards,