Idle No More? Then we need to think big.

It has been exciting to watch this past month as indigenous peoples from around the world have rallied around the commitment of Chief Spence and the cry to be "Idle No More." It has been wonderful to read about, watch, and even participate in events around Indian Country and to hear the desire of native people, especially our youth, to be more directly involved in the governance of our lands and the ruling of our people.  

But if lasting change is to finally take place, then this cannot just be a movement. The energy behind "Idle No More" cannot end with a meeting between Chief Spence and Prime Minister Harper. And here in the US that energy cannot end with the settling of a lawsuit, or the Presidency of Barack Obama. This conversation is about so much more than just this moment in time and these particular events.

A Conversation for Reconciliation

Reconciliation is never easy, which is why it doesn't happen very often. Reconciliation is not something that can be checked off of a list. It is not a single event encapsulated in a moment of time. Reconciliation begins with a conversation and ends with a relationship restored.

It was the morning of December 19, 2012 and I standing in front of the US Capitol building in Washington DC. I had reserved that space months in advance so I could host a public reading of H.R. 3326, the 2010 Department of Defense Appropriations Act.  I did this because page 45 of this 67 page document contained an "apology to native peoples of the united states." In three years this apology had not been announced, publicized, or read by either the White House or Congress.