Truth and Reconciliation Action Group (TRAG) of Waterloo North Mennonite Church
Within the broad work of “loving our neighbours,” the two-fold purpose of Waterloo North’s Truth and Reconciliation Action Group is to:
- Initiate actions within the congregation and/or beyond that advocate for and support the implementation of the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Final Report of June 2015.
- Share information with the congregation related to historical injustice and calls for justice for Indigenous Peoples in Canada, including specifically the Haudenosaunee of the Six Nations of the Grand River
Understanding Our Six Nations Neighbours and Land
- A History of the Haldimond Tract (February 23, 2025 presentation by Dave Neufeld)
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Available in the church library: The Clay We Are Made Of: Haudenosaunee Land Tenure on the Grand River by Susan Hill
- A Spiritual Covenant with Churches and Six Nations, by Adrian Jacobs (pdf) https://mcc.org/resources/
spiritual-covenant-churches- and-first-nations - Undercurrents, an Mennonite Central Committee Ontario Podcast., Episode 27 – Spiritual Covenant with Adrian Jacobs https://mcc.org/our-stories/
undercurrents-ep-27-spiritual- covenant-adrian-jacobs - Land Rights: A Global Solution for the Six Nations of the Grand River – a historical review of treaties and examples of expenditure of Six Nations trust funds https://www.sixnations.ca/
LandsResources/SNLands- GlobalSolutions-FINALyr2020. pdf - The Vision of the Two Row Covenant: a video presentation to Christian Reformed Church in North America by Adrian Jacobs https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=91720Pg6_MY
Some Further Suggested Resources:
- Online Sources for General Information and Local Connections
- Doctrine of Discovery
- Pre-Contact History, Treaties, Indian Act, Assimilation
- Residential Schools, Racism, White Privilege
- Indigenous Knowledge, Spirituality and Creation Care
- Indigenous Authors, Fiction and Non-Fiction
Adult Sunday School Class Presentations
- Sunday, October 24, 2021 – Adult Education – Summary Presentation
- Sunday, October 24, 2021 – Adult Education – Summary Presentation, Speaker Notes
- Sunday, October 31, 2021 – Adult Education – Treaty History, Waterloo Region
- Sunday, October 31, 2021 – Adult Education – Treaty History, Waterloo Region, Speaker Notes
Options of Financial Support If you are feeling called to respond by making a financial donation, here are some suggested places to consider:
- Woodland Cultural Centre in Brantford, Ontario, serves to preserve, promote and strengthen Indigenous language, culture, art and history; bringing the story of the Hodinohsho:ni people of the Eastern Woodlands to life through innovative exhibitions and programs. Website.
- Crow Shield Lodge with locations in Baden and Kitchener, is built upon four pillars of Education, Healing, Reconciliation, and Land Stewardship. Website.
- Mennonite Central Committee Indigenous Neighbours program strives to build respectful relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. Website.
- Mennonite Church Canada Indigenous Relations helps Mennonite communities grow in our awareness of host peoples and the realities of settler colonialism, and nurture justice-based friendships. Website.