Last Sunday Sister Says performed as a full band with Lonny Eagleton, Max Ley, Rob and myself at an event called Reconciliation Matters. It was an event where Indigenous people, the city of Vancouver and various churches gathered in a community street fair in a cross-cultural dialogue to bring together Indigenous and non-Indigenous people to talk about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the impact Residential Schools had on Indigenous communities. Personally I am a spiritual person and don’t believe in organized religion. Being part of this event was important as a way, I think, for non-Indigenous people and people who believe in organized religion, such as Christianity, to understand the background of Residential School and the Canadian government’s and school’s role in damaging Indigenous people’s way of life. The event was emotionally heavy and I left feeling sad but also positive in knowing that events like this are a way forward for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. A lot of the stories told hit home particularly because of Rob and my families history as having more than several members who attended Residential School. Residential school had a ripple effect. It contributed to our Grandma’s strained relationship with our father who is always wanting to connect more with his Indigenous roots. Residential school and racism had a major impact on our Grandma’s feelings of self worth as she was ashamed to be an Indigenous woman and was shell shocked by bad experiences that had happened in her life.

Here’s a soundcloud link of a song Rob and I collaborated on with conscious Aboriginal hip hop artist InfoRed:

xo

Gillian