One Group's Response to the Prime Minister's Apology on June 11, 2008

From June 11-13, 2010, a group of Inuit, First Nations and Metis converged on Ottawa, Canada's Capital, in order to release forgiveness on the second anniversary of the Prime Minister's official apology on June 11, 2008, for the Canadian government's past policy on residential schools. Every one who came to this event, came by choice.

This was the dream Kenny Blacksmith that he encouraged those who were open to it to catch. This Gathering was about a dream of "releasing forgiveness, healing a nation, embracing freedom." Without forgiveness, there is no healing, and without healing, there is no freedom.

It is fully recognized that not everybody is at a stage in their journey where they can yet release forgiveness, and that is a position that should be respected. However, there are those at a point in their journey where they have fully addressed their pain. They have identified it, and told their story with transparency and honesty. They have allowed the light to penetrate deep into their soul.

They now, for their own healing, choose to release forgiveness. Forgiveness on one's part does not necessarily release the offender, but it does release the one who has been offended, and enables them to bring closure to their past, and to move on into a future that will rise above the past.

The very fact that the Inuit, First Nations and Metis are distinct people groups, and have their own history of painful memories between their various tribes is a tribute to the fact that these are a healed people who are secure in their own identity, and are now able to flow together with other tribes whose traditions, culture and dress is different from theirs. The unifying factor was in worship to the Creator who has revealed Himself in His Son.

This is a 21-year-old Inuk man who was the drummer who led the Inuit delegation on to the platform during the 2010 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony in Vancouver. His name is Steve Carleton, and he was one of the youth involved at the Forgiveness Event who is connecting up with a new generation of youth from other nations, each secure in their own distinct identity, having faced the ghosts from their past.

As one example of the unity within the diversity of the nations (ethnos), we see here the French, the Native, and the Maori and Fijians from the South Pacific Islands worshipping together. Each has a similar story of how the colonization has impacted their nation, but each has a story of how they were able to rise above their pain.

Many of us believe that this journey of healing and reconciliation actually started in Canada in December of 1995, when Elijah Harper, then a Native MP representing the Churchill riding. called for a Sacred Assembly in Ottawa. Seated at the head table during the opening morning of this assembly are (left to right); Pastor Allan B. Harper (Elijah's father), Ovid Mercredi, (then the Grand Chief of the Assembly of First Nations), Jean Chretien (then Prime Minister of Canada), Elijah Harper, and Ron Irwin (then Minister for Indian Affairs and Northern Development).

Significantly, this same Elijah Harper, some 15 years older now, brought the opening address on the opening night of the Forgiven Event in Ottawa on June 11, 2010. It was a powerful speech, right from the heart.

Elijah was followed by Chief Billy Diamond, who shared about a powerful history of hurt and abuse at the residential schools, but how he was able to rise above it through forgiveness into healing, and from there into freedom. Billy Diamond's wife sat by his side throughout.

These Native leaders listened intently while spiritual leaders from across Canada expressed an ongoing spirit of contriteness and repentance for the church's role in the residential schools. Some of these Native leaders include Kenny Blacksmith, Lynda Prince, Billy Diamond and Elijah Harper.

The next morning, on Saturday, June 12, a delegation of residential school survivors from Inuit, First Nations and Metis background came to the platform to officially sign a Charter of Forgiveness and Freedom.

After they had signed the Charter, the entire group expressed their personal freedom from the darkness of their past, aware that a new day is dawning in which the aboriginal people of Canada are designed to release a powerful spiritual authority to forgive, an authority that will increasingly impact other people groups, and the land itself.

That afternoon, leading the Processional Parade into the auditorium for the Inuit delegation was Steve Carleton, bearing the Inuit flag. He is followd by Bobby Deer of Quaqtaq, Nunavik, and Benjamin Arreak, the Anglican bishop for Nunavik (northern Quebec).

This delegation followed the First Nations dancers. Each tribe and people group had a sense of dignity, worth, and value in who the Creator had designed them to be, each tribe distinct and diverse, but yet connected and unified in the Holy Spirit.

Following the other people groups in the processional were the people from the southern ends of the earth, from the South Pacific Islands. These indigenous Polynesians were with a group called Island Breeze, and came from the islands of Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and New Zealand. These people brought an aggressive spirit of vibrant militancy into the processional march, not a militancy against flesh and blood, but against the enemies of our soul, the enemies of fear, of depression, of suicide, of bitterness, and of unforgiveness.

Even the children joined in with this processional, each in their own traditional dress, but thankful to have the freedom to express who they are at a Gathering such as this. These children are not only the leaders of tomorrow, but are already unleashing a considerable influence today.

After the Processional, Kenny Blacksmith presented an originally signed copy of the Charter of Forgiveness and Freedom to Chuck Strahl, the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. The Minister was lavished with Protocol gifts, not only for himself and his wife, but also for the Prime Minister of Canada.

Here Chuck Strahl is officially receiving the Charter of Forgiveness and Freedom, a copy of which he will also pass along to the Prime Minister.

This was followed by a moving moment in which Kenny Blacksmith and Chuck Strahl warmly hugged each other on the stage.

This was followed by a traditional ceremony in which Kenny Blacksmith and Chuck Strahl were jointly honored by some of the Native chiefs.

After the ceremony, the inter-cultural nature of the songs, the dances, and the praise and worship to the God of Heaven continued!

The next day, during the Sunday afternoon of June 13, the singing ministry of Johnny, Lizzie and Rhoda from Quaqtaq, Nunavik, was featured, and deeply enjoyed by all! This singing group is well known throughout all of Northern Canada, and they endeared themselves to the people from the South as well.

Then, after the Inuit had finished their part, late in the afternoon of Sunday, June 13, the ministry of Island Breeze was unleashed. These indigenous believers do not barge their way in, but came into this Gathering to serve, to support and to assist, and waited until they were invited and welcomed to release their giftings in song and in dance. The place came very alive when these Polynesians came on to the platform.

As Providence would have it, they came on right after the Inuit, and were introduced to the audience by James Arreak, an Inuit leader from Iqaluit who had met the Island Breezers at a Bible Conference in Iqaluit last April. So he could introduce them as personal friends.

Some cultures are very graceful and gentle, but the Polynesians are spiritually militant, and their ministry seems to shut down a spirit of fear, and open one's heart to the spirit of agape love.

The response on the part of the audience had a unifying effect, giving all of the people groups represented a sense of oneness, of unity, of connectedness, of bonding, of togetherness through Jesus Christ.

During the presentation by Island Breeze, a First Nations young man representing all of the Youth was protocolled and honored, and tribute was paid to a rising generation of indigenous Youth for whom the future will not be as the past! Any culture that does not release the next generation from the past will have no future, because the youth are the future, and these Youth are a generation that has been deeply wounded because many of their parents were dysfunctional, because they had never been adequately fathered and mothered themselves because of the residential schools.

However, a new day is dawning. This is a generation that is looking to God, the Creator of all, instead of to man, for healing. They are making wise decisions based on the promises of an inheritance rather than on the past problems that have held them back.

It was significant that this Forgiveness Event was brought to a climax by the ministry of Island Breeze. The Inuit were not only there to welcome them, but also to become aware that they are the next stop for the ministry of Island Breeze who will be visiting five Inuit communities (Puvirnituq, Salluit, Kangirsujuaq, Iqaluit and Cape Dorset) during the summer of 2010 from July 27-August 17.

This team will include some 16 people, including youth from the nations of Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and New Zealand, as well as representatives of Inuit and First Nations in Canada!

Truly, the North Wind and the South Wind are starting to blow together with greater intensity. "Awake, North Wind, and come, South Wind! Blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out" (Song of Solomon 4:16).