Who Speaks
July 25th, 2022, was a historic day. When Chief Wilton Littlechild placed a headdress onto the head of Pope Francis following the pontiff long awaited apology for the Residential School system, the response was immediate. A cacophony of cheers and applause radiated from the thousands in attendance at Ermineskin Cree Nation. Yet almost immediately, a single voice would rise to challenge the act. A Cree woman from Winnipeg by the name of Si Pi Kho, with tears in her eyes and a song on her lips, marched forward to confront the Pope. With a raised fist and in a language once banned by the very church she confronted that day, she rebuked not only the Pope’s apology, but the gift of the headdress. She would later tell me that she felt the pope did not deserve such an honour.
The act was a graphic demonstration of a rift in what has been described as the “Indigenous Community”, where one side feels that the headdress was a sign of respect and honour, and the other that the Pope did not deserve such a gesture. Yet it begs a very important question. Who “speaks” for a group of people that is as diverse and at times divided as the rest of Canada. If there was one man who could bestow such an honour to the pontiff, it would surely be Chief Wilton Littlechild. An accomplished lawyer, residential school survivor, member of parliament, and one of the commissioners for 2015 The Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Yet Si Pi Kho disagreed, a disagreement that she is absolutely entitled to voice, and I’m honoured that I had the opportunity to witness such a brave gesture unfold in front of me. Both Chief Littlechild and Si Pi Kho both spoke “for” the Indigenous community that day, and yet only spoke for two of no doubt many more opinions on the matter of the headdress.
The question of who can speak for a group of people is not one exclusive to Indigenous People of Canada, but any group at all. Marginalized or majority, Indigenous or settler, Caucasian or POC. It would be unfair to have one or a handful of people speak for nearly 2 million individuals, and it would be just as unfair as to characterize their opinions, desires, and motivations in a single statement either.
The question of who can speak for a group of people is not one exclusive to Indigenous People of Canada, but any group at all. Marginalized or majority, Indigenous or settler, Caucasian or POC. It would be unfair to have one or a handful of people speak for nearly 2 million individuals, and it would be just as unfair as to characterize their opinions, desires, and motivations in a single statement either.
Who speaks for those groups? Is it our leaders? Activists? The majority? Minority? We wouldn’t accept that a politician represents all a group of people, so why would we have a similar minority of people represent a group like Indigenous people in Canada. Accepting the complexity and at times conflict of opinions within a group like Indigenous People is essential for Reconciliation to be practiced. If it sounds silly to ask “What do White/Black people think about Reconciliation” then it’s just as silly to ask what Indigenous people think about Reconciliation.
Since the Pope’s visit, commentary and conversations have often, and lazily in my opinion, referred to the “Indigenous Community” rather than giving agency and voice to individuals that make up such a diverse community. Chief Littlechild is an individual, as is Si Pi Kho, as are 1.7 million other Indigenous people. I am a proud Cree Metis man, yet I neither speak on behalf of my Indigenous or non-Indigenous side. I speak on behalf of only myself, and I know there are those who somewhat agree and somewhat disagree on my perspectives of Reconciliation, and honestly that’s great. Conversations as important as the one surrounding the Pope’s visit should honour individuals and their perspectives.
September 30th will mark Canada’s second ever National Reconciliation Day. A day that we honour the First Nations, Inuit, and Metis survivors of the residential school system. Reconciliation is a process that I hope we never get to the finish line. It’s something that is deeply personal for every Canadian, Indigenous and non alike. Part of the journey of Reconciliation is to understand perspectives that are just as diverse and wonderful to understand as the individuals that hold them, like Chief Littlechild and Si Pi Kho.
All photos by Gavin John
