In light of the recent RCMP action against the Wet’suwet’en people of Northern BC I decided to share my poem from July 2017.
Aboriginal Blessing
Traditional and unceded territories
Being the long term stewards
First Nations people who lived here
Never claiming ownership
Traditional and unceded territories
Their own land but not owned
Their own land but not claimed
Welcoming migrants to share the land
Traditional and unceded territories
Assisting struggling migrants
Hospitality from the heart
Gradually betrayed
Traditional and unceded territories
Their land usurped by migrants
No reservation about stripping the resources
Making reservations for aboriginals
Traditional and unceded territories
Second class citizens, barely a voice
Object of a legislated apology
Subject to government decisions
An aboriginal blessing bestowed on us
As we prepared to cycle through varied landscapes
Valleys, Rivers, Meadows, Ravines, Peaks
A prayer for each person
Each day we honour the nation
Whose land we cycle through
Remembering the history of
Traditional and unceded territories.
When will we return the blessing
How should we return the blessing
An apology can be postured
While a blessing issues from the heart.
– Jasper Hoogendam (c) July 2017