What is the social colonial history of Turtle Island, and what are the impacts of a social colonial history on our current behaviours as a society? How have harmful behaviours been imprinted on our communities and what happens when we investigate these behaviours?
Colonization disrupted our Indigenous systems of governance through acts of genocide, and Gerry wants to unpack how the traumatic events that our Indigenous communities have survived have determined some of the more destructive of our behaviors today. What have been some of the impacts that have affected us negatively? Why is this important to think about, and how will we move to heal these kinds of things?
Our peoples thought of time in generations that we'd never see, in lifetimes. Knowing this, it's important for us to think about solutions along a longer timeline, as change can happen fast but sometimes it can take a while. What kinds of societies are we hoping to leave for our future generations to inherit? What kinds of Ancestors will we be remembered as? Gerry's hope is that you, our listeners, might latch onto some of this thinking and resist the temptation to fall into oppressive behaviours such as generalizing or stereotyping or other forms of lateral violence, intolerance, and discrimination. There are many reasons for people in our communities to feel angry, upset, and depressed; after all, colonization has not been a positive experience for our peoples. This being said, Gerry uses a story about his father as an example of resilience in the face of racism in a situation where Gerry's father refused to stoop to hatred for the oppressor. Refusing to buckle under social colonial history, Gerry's dad took the high road in a racially charged situation and refused to be absorbed by hate and anger. There are many examples that Gerry has where Elders have shown him that there is a better way to conduct ourselves in the face of social colonial history. We hope that you take some value from these teachings shared by Gerry.
Gerry wants you to know that you're alive for a reason, and you're all precious: there is a road to change, and the first step to getting on that road is to heal yourself. Don't be afraid to ask for help if you're ready to heal and don't give up.