Was I wrong about the Indigenous People?

People have offered shelter, meals, company, mechanical fixes, friendship, wisdom, advice, gifts, money, clothes, medicine, care and a lot of Love to a complete stranger just because they felt like it.

I have only biked about 20% of my journey across Canada so far. I have so many more people to meet.

At Ten Mile Point taking a short pit stop for the amazing view!

The journey started after seeing missing women posters on a reserve in Quebec (Kitigan Zibi) while going canoe camping with my family. This planted a seed in my heart I had to do something about those missing women. I did not know what yet.

A few days later, my heart was telling me to take my bike across Canada to share a message of Love, Harmony and Peace. I left 2 days later after spending time with my family.

My heart led me through the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory in Ontario so that I could make this journey about asking for forgiveness for what my people have done to the Indigenous people. I had no idea what was waiting for me. The Every Child Matters cause would be the one I would bike for during this journey.

I do not bike with a GPS much, I take a look at the map in the morning and head in a direction, often West, as this is where I am heading. Whenever I felt lost, or taken the wrong path, it brought me to amazing places or to meet amazing people.

One of the most amazing places my journey led me to is Manitoulin's Island in Northern Ontario. The people I have met there are so generous, loving, caring... they are the Indigenous people I have come to ask forgiveness to.

The more people I meet, the more I understand from the past, the more I understand what I am asking forgeiveness for. Not only our assimilation policies and our residential schools have caused great trauma on many of the Indigenous people, I have heard stories from those schools that made me cry and profoundly affected me.

I remember during history class I had learned about our fur trades with the Indigenous people, that they had thought us to boil pine for vitamin C in the Winter, and well... that's pretty much it. The rape, the torture and the murder of children had been burried... Only because they had a different color of skin, a different language, different beliefs. The stories I have heard are so horrific that they cannot be written here.

Did you know that not too long ago, the people on reserves needed a pass from the government to be able to travel out of their reserve? How inhumane is that?

I am so sorry for what my people have done to the Indigenous people. Thinking that only 4 years ago I almost killed myself because I thought I had no value after letting others bully me, the Indigenous people are extremely strong to have endured the bullying that my people have done to them for generations.

"Indians are alcoholics, lazy, violent, they don't even pay taxes..." Have you heard any of that before? Have you even thought that before? I know I did while listening to the news when I was young. Were you aware of all they have been through before passing this judgment?

Did you know that the "Indians" had prophecies of the "White Man" coming to their land before we ever set foot on the continent? Did you know that those prophecies told them that the "White Man" would use them, trick them, try to eliminate them. The Indigenous people still welcomed us on their continent knowing what was coming! That's how welcoming, loving, caring and generous the Indigenous people are!

I asked why they welcomed us knowing what we would do to them, I was told that if it's a prophecy, then it's meant to happen. Now that is faith and trust in The Creator!

Even though our culture and traditions are different, our beliefs are very similar. God, The Creator, Allah, Spirit, Universe, Prophets, Angels, Nirvana, Krishna... it's all the same!

We are all one on this Planet. The same way the beetles and larvae in a tree stump will believe that the darkness and rotting wood is their Universe all their life, there is so much we do not know about what happens around us. Now that we are aware of our past, we can ask for forgiveness and find peace and reconciliation.

The help heal the Indigenous people, we must learn about their culture. We must see that they are the most welcoming and caring humans I have ever met. We must understand how much they care about the Planet and why.

A wise Chief told me to think about something. We need only 3 things to survive. Air, water and food. We can only go minutes without air, days without water, weeks without food... so why are we not making the protection of our Planet's air, water and food our priority?

With Chief Franklin of Whitefish River First Nation (Birch Island)

The Indigenous people have so much to teach us about the land, the plants, their culture, legends, trading, caring, peace, trust, respect. I feel really blessed my bike's trailer tire gave up on me when I was getting off Manitoulin's Island. The Island sent a hawk to guide me to the people who would help me and to stay with it's people for a few more days. I would have missed out on so much wisdom if this flat tire hadn't happened.

With Chief Patsy of Aundeck Omni Kaning First Nation (Sucker Creek)

With Chief Duke of Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory

The Anishinaabeg have thought me The Gifts of the Seven Grandfathers that I would like to share with you today as they are so wise and those gifts are the way we are all meant to live.

The Seven Grandfather Teachings

If you feel compelled about this story, I am raising funds for the Downie & Wenjack Fund charity that focuses on reconciliation between the Indigenous people and other Canadians by teaching Indigenous customs to children and more! Visit my fundraising page at www.tiny.cc/karmabike !

Miigwech!

Thank you!