b'RECONCILIATIONWHAT DO I KNOW ABOUT RECONCILIATION? By Mike HagerI know we need to transform reconciliation into a deeper, more meaningful conversationand it isnt easyA s an Indigenous person, I dont think I considerperspectives to explore. We wondered if reconciliation any aspects of the Truth and Reconciliationwas still in the ether and if it would remain there, since Commission (TRC) all that much or all thatit often feels too abstract and so far removed from the often. Especially for someone working where I do!everyday concerns of the regular person or your typical How about you, your staff and students? How muchgood teacher. of your day, week, month, year, school curriculum orWe agreed that it is quite different when you see the units deal with the TRC? (Actually, as someone in theoppressed being victimized daily, compared to when education sector, you would not even need to includeyou only see them in movies and museums or the occa-all the Calls to Action since there are only a few thatsional news piece. We also touched on the vocabulary deal specifically with education.) How much time andused, such as victim, trauma and oppression. We noted energy you devote to thisor lack thereof, for thathow some of these terms, like humour and art, seem to matteris not a judgment about you or me. I lovebe more subjective than ever before. All of this makes it a good chit-chat about things like this, and it mighthard, but not impossible, to empathize with the people come in handy to speak with a First Nations person, sowho can basically seem alien to youeven though First consider this an open invitation for a conversation. Nations, Mtis and Inuit (FNMI) folks make up nearly I had that potentially awkward talk with my goodfive per cent of Canadas population, according to the friend Daniel Whitewalker, where we chatted about2016 census. We wondered if the targets of genocide the Indigeneity of many things. (An added feature istypically do not get reconciliation, like the Nama, how I enjoy making awkward situations more awkwardHerero and San peoples of Namibia, the Armenians in just by being myself.) There were some interestingTurkey, and Jews worldwide. But I digress.62indspiration2022'