A Guelph event Friday will feature some good food and a chance to learn about and discuss the struggles of local Indigenous communities and the process of reconciliation.
The Decolonizing Thanksgiving Dinner takes place Friday, Oct. 12, at the Guelph Youth Music Centre from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.
This is the 13th year the event has taken place, organized by an informal collective of engaged locals.
“The 151 years since Canada began have been devastating for Indigenous people and for the land,” said Matt Soltys, one of the organizing members.
“If we want to prevent the future from repeating the past, we need long-term cultural change as well as a shift in power from the colonial system of government to Indigenous-led decision-making, rooted in community and a balance with the natural world.”
Soltys said the event is organized by a loose group of engaged individuals with no one particular organization behind it.
"It usually ends up with a very charged environments with a lot of really interesting discussion," Soltys said, adding that the concept of a large communal meal is a great setting to promote discussion and dialogue.
The event gets underway at 5:30 p.m. with the women’s drum circle Wiiji Numgumook Kwe, then attendees will share in a giant potluck dinner before speakers Jaydene Lavallie, community organizer, and Carolyn King, former elected Chief of the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation, take the stage to discuss decolonization.
“We would like to use this dinner as a space to foster first steps, meaningful reflection and work toward a process of decolonization,” said Soltys.
He added that it is also a great opportunity to learn some of the history of the local land in regard to past treaties and treatment of the local Indigenous peoples.
Local farms have contributed harvest foods for the evening’s feast and prizes will be raffled off.
Childcare and children's space will be available without reservation. The GYMC is wheelchair accessible, with an elevator to the second floor.
People can bring food to be shared if they like but are not required to do so.
Doors open at 5 p.m., the welcoming is at 5:30 p.m., the potluck dinner starts at 6 p.m. and the speakers and discussion begin at 7:30 p.m.
The speakers
Carolyn King is the former elected Chief of the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation and completed one two-year term in political office from December 1997 to December 1999. She was the first woman ever elected as Chief of the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation. She is engaged by government, colleges and universities, businesses and community organizations to do cross-cultural training sessions/presentations to help people develop a better understanding of Aboriginal/First Nations Peoples in Canada.
Jaydene Lavallie is a Two Spirit Michif-Cree woman with French, Swedish, and Scottish ancestry. She is currently living in Dish with One Spoon Territory (Hamilton) where she is involved in a variety of community organizing projects that include combating extractive industry, gentrification, and white supremacy. She is firmly rooted in her respect for a diversity of tactics, including direct action, in her work to make change.
