Week 24 – Recognize Indigenous Innovation
From 52 Ways to Reconcile: How to Walk with Indigenous Peoples on the Path to Healing by David A. Robertson

This week invites us to look at the incredible innovation Indigenous Peoples have demonstrated for thousands of years, and how settlers arriving on this land dismissed Indigenous knowledge, laws, cultures, values, beliefs, medicine, and social structures. In doing so, settlers stripped Indigenous Peoples of their rights, their land, and their ways of life while claiming they had no rightful place on the land they had inhabited for generations….

Week 23 – View The Sky Through An Indigenous Lens 

from Robertson, David A. 52 Ways to Reconcile: How to Walk with Indigenous Peoples on  the Path to Healing 

This week invites us to decolonize our view of the night sky. When you look up at the stars,  what constellation comes to mind first? For many people, it is the Big Dipper, also known as  Ursa Major….

Week 22 - Learn the History of the Potlatch Ceremony
from Robertson, David A. 52 Ways to Reconcile: How to Walk with Indigenous Peoples on the Path to Healing

This week invites us to learn about the Potlatch ceremony, and in doing so, to reflect on how differently cultures can understand things like wealth, status, and generosity. Robertson begins by naming something many of us recognize in ourselves and in the culture around us: a tendency toward accumulation. We gather stuff. We measure success by what we have. Sometimes we even find ways to display it, whether that’s through what we own, collect, or show to others. This isn’t just “out there” in the culture; it’s something many of us participate in, even in small ways….

Week 21 - Mentor Indigenous Youth
from Robertson, David A. 52 Ways to Reconcile: How to Walk with Indigenous Peoples on the Path to Healing

This week’s invitation can feel like a big one: mentoring Indigenous youth.

Robertson comes to this through his work in education and workforce development. He shares how programs he helped lead went far beyond job training. For many Indigenous youth moving from community to city, there were real transitions to navigate; practical, emotional, and cultural. What made the difference in those programs wasn’t just the training itself. It was mentorship. People showing up, building relationships, and walking alongside youth as they found their footing. The impact was significant, with strong retention and, more importantly, a sense of support and possibility….

Week 20 - Support Indigenous Tourism
from Robertson, David A. 52 Ways to Reconcile: How to Walk with Indigenous Peoples on the Path to Healing

This week’s invitation is a pretty engaging one: explore Indigenous tourism.

Robertson comes to this through a personal experience. While travelling in Germany, he encountered a long-standing fascination with Indigenous cultures that hasn’t always been rooted in accuracy or respect. He was invited to speak, expecting he might need to challenge stereotypes head-on. What he found instead, especially at an event hosted by the Canadian embassy, was something different: a thoughtful, vibrant celebration of Indigenous cultures….