By Sister Celeste Reinhart, SSND
Canadian Thanksgiving (on October 11 this year) gives thanks for the autumn harvest which will feed our hunger during the cold winter soon to set in.
As I gave thanks this year, I also took time to read the meaning of the Dish With One Spoon treaty, which is a treaty constructed with an authentic wampum belt between the Anishinaabe, Mississaugas and Haudenosaunee who lived in what is now Southern Ontario and the northeast USA.
The Spoon represented the wealth of the land, and the Dish the land itself.
The treaty ensured that the Dish would never be empty. That is, all participants would never take more than their share; would make sure that all had enough; would see that all walked lightly.
Treaty rights are constantly minimized by our governments. But they are how we are meant to live, in relationship. In treaty. Together. As family.
Thanksgiving in Canada and the US is a time to rethink our relationships. No one should go hungry, or have to beg for leftovers.
The treaties that gave us and our families the right to occupy the territory and celebrate Thanksgiving are also an opportunity for us to learn how to live, in treaty, together.
