October 1stRiding as Treaty People
Sixty-one people from at least twelve Mennonite Church Manitoba congregations joined in a cycling ride on the Saturday of the We Are All Treaty People weekend, September 13-14, in Winnipeg. The weekend culminated in the official We Are All Treaty People event held at The Forks on Sunday afternoon.
The idea for the ride emerged out of a group called “Congregations Doing Repair,” a sub-group of the Mennonite Coalition for Indigenous Solidarity, one of MCM’s working groups in partnership with Mennonite Central Committee Manitoba. The organizers included members of River East Church, Charleswood Mennonite Church, Home Street Mennonite Church, and Sargent Avenue Mennonite Church.
The group toured places within the city that hold special interest for Indigenous peoples, including murals, memorials, and historical sites. “The ride is a way to learn more about Indigenous people and their stories on the land where Winnipeg is located, a way to take treaty responsibilities seriously,” said one of the organizers, Jonathan Neufeld (Charleswood).
Bryna Link, a CMU student from Peguis First Nation, was one of the riders. “The most meaningful moments weren’t loud or public,” Bryna says. “At each site, I placed tobacco on the land and offered a short prayer. A fellow rider asked what I was doing, and I was able to share why: gratitude for the land and water, care for those who carry Treaty responsibilities, and hope for safer paths for our communities. Those small pauses turned the day from an event into a living practice.”
The event was also a fundraiser for Clan Mothers Healing Village. Clan Mothers supports Indigenous women and 2Spirit people as they heal from the wounds ultimately brought about by European colonization. It offers a land-based healing space rooted in Indigenous teachings, practices, and values. This summer Clan Mothers Healing Village celebrated its grand opening on the shores of Lake Winnipeg. The ride raised nearly $3000 for Clan Mothers.
Reflecting on the ride, Bryna says: “I left feeling grounded and hopeful. If we can make space for ceremony on a bike ride, we can make space for it in our city, our classrooms, and our policies too.”
May we take opportunities like this, and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (Orange Shirt Day), to learn about Indigenous teachings, practices and values, in order to further reconciliation. To financially support the work of MCM in these reconciliation efforts, see www.mennochurch.mb.ca/giving.