To recognize. Meet. Telling ourselves that we exist for each other. It is of course a matter of perspective. It is certainly a question of a pair of glasses, of the pair of eyes that one decides to put on the other. And yet, it is first and foremost a question… of an outstretched hand. Of the hand that we choose to reach out to come together, to team up, in pairs or more, in the face of life.
Posted yesterday at 10:00 a.m.
The languages and cultures of indigenous peoples shine. They are stars in the firmament of society, of science, of politics, of the economy, of life at home. They shine because they always bring us all a little closer to who we are. To recognize, to “reconcile”, to be in the truth, it must be said in all frankness, is not so much a question of words as a question of attitude. It means adopting a posture of openness and recognition above all else. It is first of all in the desire to make other people shine without extinguishing oneself that one can constitute a true ally.
It is in this spirit that the magnificent KWE! was born, where the 11 Indigenous Nations of Quebec and non-Indigenous people rub shoulders and celebrate together. This spirit of openness to the people, cultures and languages that represent our environment and our society is also what the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation requires of future committed leaders whom it consecrates as scholarship recipients. Without this commitment to try to learn the indigenous languages, in addition to the two official languages of the country, there can be no true leader who can emerge, because the language is the link of all our exchanges. Language binds us, just like dance, just like music, just like art and even love, in what we have most anchored, most human and most common in each of us.
We are together, indigenous and non-indigenous, to recognize and shine the light of living together, to build the society of tomorrow based on our learning from past and present societies. Without fear and without hesitation. With appreciation and gratitude.
On this National Indigenous Peoples Day, the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation is delighted to take part in the KWE! Festival, a valuable opportunity to celebrate our community ties and our recognition of the languages and cultures of the First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples. We acknowledge, in this regard, the invaluable contribution to the event of Marie Battiste (‘Lnu educator) and Lorna Wanosts’a7 Williams (Lil’watul educator), two experienced Indigenous educators and Fellows of the Foundation, who will organize a round table and a discussion circle on indigenous knowledge and languages. Their conversation will focus on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the law on this Declaration of 2021 and the possibilities offered by the beginning of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages 2022-2032. Together, we will be able to explore the desires, aspirations and responsibilities of all participants so that, over the next decade, there will be a real leadership committed to the recognition of Indigenous languages ”as guardians of the ‘identity and cultural history’ (UNESCO), as well as the rich cultural and linguistic diversity of our society.
We, the co-authors, would thus like, on this occasion, to celebrate this richness of incredible power, a richness that has nurtured our bond for several years of friendship and collaboration, a strong bond that constitutes in our eyes the promise of a tomorrow made of alliances and a real desire for success for each other.
We must each, each, be proud of what we are, of the history that we carry. Not only must we nurture this pride in ourselves, but it is also important to nurture this pride in our neighbors, because only those who seek to mutually elevate each other can access true progress: that which is woven into the mutual encounter. May the spark of all the allies of this world shine! May the fire of the indigenous peoples of yesterday, today and tomorrow shine. Tiawenhk! Thanks !