Story shared by Jordan Llewellyn
This National Indigenous Peoples Day offered our team at Rise the opportunity to celebrate, reflect, and reconnect – individually and collectively. Our days were spent with family, in community, listening and reading, and we are excited to share our reflections. Six themes emerged for our team – Reverence, Respect, Responsibility, Relevance, Relationship, and Commitments – guiding how we understand Reconciliation not as an endpoint, but as an ongoing, lived practice.
Reverence
Reverence invites us to look deeper and listen more closely. Claire’s early experience with a Nehiyaw Elder seeing “generations” within a small tin of white shells reveals how teachings can hold profound meaning across time. What may appear simple can carry entire worlds of knowledge linking past, present, and future.
Annie’s time on the land with Yaq̓it ʔa·knuqⱡi (Tobacco Plains), listening to Nasuʔkin Heidi Gravelle, reflects a similar reverence grounded in place, story and language. These moments remind us that reverence is active—it requires presence, humility and openness to learning.
Respect
Respect begins with Truth and extends to all living beings. Najah reflects on the connection between World Refugee Day and National Indigenous Peoples Day, grounding her thinking in the teaching of oneness—that all humans are equal. Watching pelicans along the Bow River, she questioned why all do not share freedom and belonging.
Teachings Najah received from Knowledge Keeper Daniel Mistaken Chief emphasize that respect requires acknowledging history and learning from both the land and animals. It is through Truth that we build a foundation for Reconciliation and shared well-being.
Responsibility
Responsibility asks us to consider the roles we each hold. Naomi reflects on her journey as a non-Indigenous settler, drawing from Rose LeMay’s book Allyship is a Verb to highlight that Reconciliation requires action, beginning with education and self-awareness. “Allies start with enough literacy to do no harm,” she notes, grounding responsibility in learning and accountability.
Patti’s experience while in Cyprus for the 7th Annual International Association for Reconciliation Studies Conference extends this idea of responsibility globally. By sharing Indigenous-led frameworks—such as Matriarchal governance and Indigenous research methodologies—she engaged in reciprocal learning while carrying forward a responsibility to apply these insights back home.
Relevance
Our team’s reflections affirm that Indigenous knowledge is not confined to history. Annie captured this powerfully: Indigenous identity is not in the past—it is living, resilient and present. Through a Métis kitchen party and Yaq̓it ʔa·knuqⱡi boardwalk, she experienced culture as something vibrant and ongoing.
Jordan echoes this relevance when she listened to Tudjaat’s Inuit throat singing at Studio Bell in Mohkinstsis (Calgary). The performance embodied the Blackfoot phrase OHSOTO’KINO—to recognize a voice of—as the duo wove together sound, nature, and story. This experience highlighted how Indigenous Voice continues to shape contemporary cultural expression and understanding.
Relationship
Relationship is central to every reflection. Annie spent time gathering, walking and learning together with others, demonstrating how relationships are built through shared time and intention. Claire shared how relationships are carried across generations, while Naomi appreciated time connecting with the land and her children.
Jordan’s time at the Indigenous Gathering Place—engaging with art, games, and frybread—affirms these moments are not incidental; they are where relationships are formed, nurtured, and sustained. Najah’s vision of shared skies extends this idea further, imagining a world rooted in coexistence and mutual care. For Patti – opening new relationships on the other side of Mother Earth, while in Cypress, has been a beautiful opportunity.
Commitments
From these reflections emerged clear commitments. Naomi commits to continued learning and advocacy. Patti commits to applying global insights in her local work. Annie carries forward teachings of ʔuk̓iniɬwitiyaɬa—thinking with one heart—
represents a collective, unified approach to decision-making, research, and problem-solving, ensuring that a group comes together as one unified voice and mind.
Jordan closed the day committed to continuing her learning journey grounded in recognizing and honouring Indigenous Voice. Claire continues to carry generational teachings forward in her family, while Najah affirms Truth and Reconciliation as pathways to shared futures.
Moving Forward
Together, these reflections remind us that Reconciliation is relational, active, and ongoing. It lives in how we learn, how we listen, and how we show up for one another. Guided by reverence, respect, responsibility, relevance, relationship, and commitments, we are called to walk forward together—with intention, humility and one heart.
Resources
IARS Cyprus 2026 | IARS
Indigenous Gathering Place Calgary | Facebook
Tudjaat – ST | Museum of Canadian Music
Yaq̓it ʔa·knuqⱡi ‘it – Tobacco Plains Indian Band | Facebook
