Slow march to justice

Last night on #Twitter I was greeted with the news that one of the accounts I follow has been suspended. An Indigenous voice which helped - not so gently at times - educate me has gone silent. Whether its for a short period of time remains to be seen. This modern day example of silencing Indigenous voices, or attempting to frame the voice as somehow unworthy, fits unsettlingly well with today's Federal #apology and #exoneration of #Pîhtokahanapiwiyin (Chief #Poundmaker).

The apology reminds us that those who control the narrative have the power to change the world for everyone in it. By framing Pîhtokahanapiwiyin as a violent, treasonous villain, early settler's helped to enshrine fear and hatred of the Indigenous people of the area. These sentiments are then passed down year after year, and generation after generation. And, until history is finally challenged and the narrative corrected, the damage continues.

It has taken 133 years for Canada's government to admit to the wrongful imprisonment and silencing of Pîhtokahanapiwiyin. It is perhaps naive to hope that we will not take so long to take the steps required to address and resolve more recent injustices.