Paddling toward reconciliation: Six Nations summer camp connects Haudenosaunee, non-Indigenous youth

Reconciliation can start over a plate of macaroni and cheese.

It may continue on the water, with kids from different backgrounds laughing and working together to steer a canoe.

And it can be solidified by songs and stories shared by the riverbank, as non-Indigenous campers come to see their Haudenosaunee neighbours with new eyes.

That is the mission of the Two Row on the Grand Youth Engagement Camp, which brought 24 teens and tweens to Chiefswood Park in Ohsweken this week.

The group was split 60-40 between campers from Six Nations and non-Indigenous kids from surrounding communities, assisted by a similarly diverse group of volunteer counsellors.

It's to bridge the gap," said co-organizer Ellie Joseph of Six Nations, explaining that the camp is a chance for non-native allies with limited exposure and knowledge of Indigenous culture to come and make friendships and learn who we are."

Sharing the river, sharing food, sharing the campground and cultural teachings - altogether it is a unifying experience," added co-organizer Jay Bailey, who recently moved from Simcoe to Kitchener.

The activity that gets the biggest smiles is kayaking and canoeing on the Grand River.

It's my first time being on the water," said Chase Longboat, 14, from Six Nations. It's real fun. Get a little workout doing it too."

The chance to paddle was also a draw for 12-year-old Ava Kalle of Delhi.

Just being on the water, really, because I've never been able to kayak or canoe," Kalle said, adding she quickly realized paddling was hard work.

Just trying to keep up, because I'm not the strongest in my arms, so it was hard to paddle. But I'm getting better now."

Canoeing is a perfect opportunity to break down barriers between cultures, Joseph said.

The dynamic on the water changes. Somebody might be struggling and somebody might be able to offer a hand," she said.

We see this happening and it builds such a positive energy. They're all helping each other, no matter who they are."

In between paddles, campers sit under the pavilion and make traditional Haudenosaunee craftwork and games.

On the riverbank, holistic counsellor Jane Burning leads youth on a journey of discovery about Haudenosaunee culture, creating a safe space where non-Indigenous kids can ask questions of their new friends from Six Nations.

The conversations range from residential schools and the Indigenous relationship to nature to the differences between the various Haudenosaunee languages and clans.

Not every native is the same native," Longboat said. We have different cultures and nations."

Cultural sharing also happens in quiet moments as campers get to know one another over lunch and snacks.

It was a little awkward at first," said Layton MacDonald, 14, from Six Nations.

He noticed a change after we started to engage with each other and talk about whatever, and then (non-Indigenous kids) were comfortable to talk to us. After a while, they'd come up to us and ask about our history and everything."

Sydney Auld of Simcoe, 12, appreciated the chance to learn about Indigenous communities straight from the source.

Because sometimes when stories are passed down, it's misled, kind of. You don't really know exactly what happened," she said.

There are not many opportunities in Norfolk to meet kids from Six Nations, Kalle noted.

Some people, I'll say, have stereotypes about (Indigenous people)," she said. So I think this (camp) would help prove how they actually are."

Six Nations youth also broadened their knowledge of their own culture, according to 12-year-old Hahs Bomberry, an experienced paddler who had already done many of the crafts at school.

But I've been learning a lot more about Indigenous culture because of the cultural teachings," he said. Extras about the creation story, extras about the Peacemaker story. Things I hadn't known about."

The centrepiece of the camp was a canoe trip down the Grand River on Thursday, with the campers joining a flotilla of boats making the trip from Cambridge to Port Maitland on a nine-day journey of healing and reconciliation.

The group paddles in two lines - Haudenosaunee on one side, non-Indigenous on the other - in a living embodiment of the Two Row Wampum, the treaty that set out how the Haudenosaunee and European settlers were to relate to one another.

We're close enough to help each other if needed, but not so close that you interfere with the way the other steers their boat," Bailey explained.

Besides a much-needed chance for campers to get outside and see friends after a long and lonely pandemic, Joseph hopes the experience will be a springboard for reconciliation by changing hearts and minds.

It's more than just people paddling down a river," she said.

We hear each other's stories. We grow in understanding each other."

J.P. Antonacci's reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. The funding allows him to report on stories about the regions of Haldimand and Norfolk.