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You are here: Home / What We Do / Issue Action Teams / First/American Indian Nations (FAIN) / FAIN: Our Work / Truth and Reconciliation

Truth and Reconciliation

Truth and Reconciliation doesn’t mean much to the everyday person walking down Main Street, America. For those countries and communities who are contemplating it or engaged in it, its a journey that leads to the healing between a government (or dominant people) and a subjugated or conquered people.

Truth

A truth and reconciliation movement starts with the “Truth,” an in-depth look into the past, identifying, tracing, recognizing and acknowledging wrongdoing on the part of the dominant culture.  This requires the dominant group to research, in detail, all the abuses it engaged in, including genocide, enslavement, family separations, stealing resources (land, water etc.) and other human rights violations that have had a lasting impact on the conquered population.  It requires hearing the voices of the conquered population as they tell their stories of the harm experienced and the intergenerational trauma that was the result.

Reconciliation

“Reconciliation” is the attempt by the dominant group to make reparations for the abuses that occurred.  Sometimes this may mean punishment for perpetrators, repatriation, peace agreements, issuing apologies, recompense of things stolen and some form of healing for the emotional and and spiritual wounds that have affected individuals of a conquered population as well as the whole community.

Brief History on Truth and Reconciliation
Truth and Reconciliation Commission – South Africa Benny Gool, Oryx Media/Desmond Tutu Peace Centre

Truth and Reconciliation movements, as we now recognize them, began in the 1990s and have been conducted in several countries on all continents.  There are the movements throughout Africa, most notably South Africa during the post-apartheid period.  In Latin America several movements included addressing the disappearance of activists opposing military dictatorships.  In Asia, Nepal worked to address the human rights violations of the Panchayat System during the 1960s-1990s.

Truth and Reconciliation in Canada.
Prime Minister Trudeau attends the release of the final report from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada in Ottawa. December 15, 2015.
Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Commission

The Truth and Reconciliation movement most known to those of us in the U.S. is that of Canada.  It was established in 2007 under the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement which was a section within ruling by the courts in a lawsuit brought in the 1991 over the Oka Crisis (Quebec).  The Oka Crisis was a land dispute between the government of Canada and the Mohawk Nation with a history dating back to the 1700s and culminated in a standoff in 1990.  The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada was established predominantly to address the myriad of issues faced by aboriginal communities as a result of their children being taken away and placed in Residential Schools, not dissimilar to the U.S. boarding schools.

Truth an Reconciliation in the U.S.
Maine-Wabanaki State Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Commission

With the exception of one case, there has been no formal Truth and Reconciliation in the United States.  That exception being in the State of Maine with the Wabanaki people where a Maine-Wabanaki State Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Commission was established in 2012 after several years of attempting to respond to violations of the Indian Child Welfare Act.  The Commission issued it’s final report in 2015.  The Wabanaki, also called the “People of the Dawnland” and the T&R Commission are the subject of a documentary about the commission entitled “Dawland” by the Upstander Project.

An effort is underway on a federal level with the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition (NABS).  Deborah Parker, CEO and member of Tulalip Tribes, is from Washington State and is a familiar presence to WA UUs.  There are resources on the NABS website for individuals and organizations researching U.S.-based Indian boarding school information.  They are also working to pass federal Truth and Reconciliation legislation, S.1723/HR.7227, and need our support. S1723, the Senate version of the bill, is being prepared for a flood vote.  The S7227, the House version, appears to be in the Education and the Workforce Committee and the Natural Resources; Energy and Commerce Committee.  Recommended actions would to be to ask your federal Representative or Senators to sign-on (if still possible) and/or thank your representative for being a co-sponsor.  Encourage your Senators and Representatives to vote affirmatively for the legislation once they hit their respect floors which in the Senate, we hope would be soon.

Western House of Representatives co-sponsoring S.7227:

Rep. Napolitano, Grace F. [D-CA-31]
Rep. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA-30]
Rep. DeSaulnier, Mark [D-CA-10]
Rep. Khanna, Ro [D-CA-17]
Rep. Chu, Judy [D-CA-28]
Rep. Brownley, Julia [D-CA-26]
Rep. Harder, Josh [D-CA-9]
Rep. Kiley, Kevin [R-CA-3]
Rep. Lofgren, Zoe [D-CA-18]

Rep. Kilmer, Derek [D-WA-6]
Rep. Jayapal, Pramila [D-WA-7]
Rep. Larsen, Rick [D-WA-2]
Rep. Perez, Marie Gluesenkamp [D-WA-3]
Rep. DelBene, Suzan K. [D-WA-1]

Rep. Chavez-DeRemer, Lori [R-OR-5]
Rep. Bonamici, Suzanne [D-OR-1]

Rep. Peltola, Mary Sattler [D-AK-At Large]

Rep. Ciscomani, Juan [R-AZ-6]

Rep. Tokuda, Jill N. [D-HI-2]

Rep. Zinke, Ryan K. [R-MT-1]

Rep. Leger Fernandez, Teresa [D-NM-3]


Western Cosponsors for S1723 include:

Cosponsor
Sen. Hickenlooper, John W. [D-CO]*
Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA]*
Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR]*
Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI]*
Sen. Sinema, Kyrsten [I-AZ]*
Sen. Kelly, Mark [D-AZ]*
Sen. Cortez Masto, Catherine [D-NV]*
Sen. Lujan, Ben Ray [D-NM]*
Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR]*
Sen. Bennet, Michael F. [D-CO]*
Sen. Schatz, Brian [D-HI]*
Sen. Cantwell, Maria [D-WA]*
Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM]*
Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA]*
Sen. Tester, Jon [D-MT]*
Sen. Rosen, Jacky [D-NV]
Sen. Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA]
Sen. Butler, Laphonza R. [D-CA]

Indigenous and NGO organizers in Washington State (including the Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship) did an initiate a Truth and Reconciliation movement effort in 2018 that was, unfortunately, unable to sustain itself as it is a very complex and political issue.   However, the State did convene a “Washington State Truth and Reconciliation Tribal Advisory Committee” in October 2023.  Background info on the Committee is here and meeting info is here.

FAIN – Our Work

  • Rights of Nature, of Mother Earth
  • Challenges to the Salish Sea
  • Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW)
  • Truth and Reconciliation
    • T&R and Indigenous Programming at 2019 GA
    • Truth and Reconciliation in Washington State
      • Proposed Truth and Reconciliation Resolution – Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship
    • Truth & Reconciliation Resources
  • Tribal Canoe Journeys
    • 2019 Paddle to Lummi – Call for Support
  • Totem Pole Journeys
    • Spirit of the Waters Totem Pole Journey 2022
    • Red Road to DC Totem Pole Journey 2021
    • Tokitae Totem Pole Homecoming June 2019
    • Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut (Tokitae)
  • Solidarity Teams
    • Solidarity Team Vision
    • Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship, WA
    • East Shore Unitarian, WA
    • Olympia UU Congregation, WA
    • Quimper Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Port Townsend
  • Stommish Sacred Summit 2014
  • Standing Rock Sioux Nation
  • Lummi Nation

Truth and Reconciliation

  • Truth and Reconciliation
  • Truth and Reconciliation in Washington State
    • Proposed Truth and Reconciliation Resolution – Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship
  • T&R and Indigenous Programming at 2019 GA
  • Truth & Reconciliation Resources

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