As I contemplate our family trip to Christian Island today for a picnic at the Christian Island Lighthouse, I think back over the last eight years and my connection to the Lighthouse and the Beausoleil First Nations people of Christian Island.
I am a member of the Huronia Lightstation Preservation Society and have traveled several times to Christian Island to meet with the BFN council and others. Several BFN people sit on our society’s executive and we have become friends over the years.
This Christian Island Lighthouse was built in 1867 and signalled the coming of western civilization and culture to the natural biosphere of Georgian Bay. It lighted the way for marine navigation which brought settlers, and the lumber barons.
The aboriginal peoples had already been forced off their lands to make way for farming, clear – cut lumbering and industry. The Ojibwa, Odawa and Potawatomi tribes were herded onto the Coldwater Narrows reservation in 1834. As need for more farming land grew they were displaced in 1842 to Beausoleil Island, then in 1856 were again displaced to Christian Island where they now reside as the Beausoleil First Nations community of Christian Island.
One of the lumber barons in the south – eastern Georgian Bay area hired the natives on Christian Island to strip their land of prime, first – growth timber. This lumber was then sold for huge profits for the lumber baron. Several years later, when there was no forest remaining on Christian Island, their staple food, dear and moose, died for lack of food and winter cover and the native population on Christian Island came near to starvation. They survived only by the so – called generosity of the white man.
The native people on Christian Island were then told they would have to give up their religion and convert to Christianity and assimilate into our culture. Many of their children were taken and sent to residential schools thereby breaking up family units, and, well, we now know how this resulted in serious long – term damage to these people.
That was the bad news.
The good news is that we are finally waking up to the fact that we caused many of these problems. We can say we did it out of good intentions but, nevertheless, we did it and many of us are trying to do something about it.
What is so amazing to me in all of this is that the First Nations people with whom I have been in close personal contact seem to be open – minded to going forward in a renewed atmosphere of better understanding and mutual respect. I don’t know if we could be as tolerant.
I have one personal story which I hope will illustrate my feelings about all of this.
Several years ago I sent one of my Beausoleil First Nations friends a Christmas greeting. I was so into the Christmas spirit and had just listened to Twas in the Moon of Wintertime and was picturing the Baby Jesus as an aboriginal baby.
This is how my friend and colleague responded:
Bill,
Thanks for your lovely Christmas greeting. This song, Twas in the Moon of Wintertime brings me back to those days at a residential school during Christmas when I was sad, alone and away from my family. I appreciate your kind greeting and I wish you a Happy Christmas. I look forward to working with you and the Lighthouse Preservation Society as we work as partners to save the Lighthouse at Hope Island.
Your friend,
I was so humbled and somewhat embarrassed. Even with consideration to all that I have explained in this commentary, even with the sad memory of the residential schools in her mind, even with our cultural differences, she still had the grace and kindness to consider me a friend and colleague.
Our society is at present, in partnership with Beausoleil First Nation, working on a restoration project to save the Hope Island Lighthouse in Georgian Bay. What an appropriate name. There is always hope for reconciliation and opportunities for our cultures to come together as friends and neighbours.
