THE UNIVERSITY OF WINNIPEG INDIGENOUS ANGLICANS IN CANADA: A NEW AGAPE AND THE PATH TO SELF-DETERMINATION A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE UNITED CENTRE FOR THEOLOGICAL STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS (THEOLOGY) BY REV. DEACON TANIS KOLISNYK BA, CMS WINNIPEG, MANITOBA MARCH 2015 Copyright 2015 by Tanis Kolisnyk All rights reserved 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS 2 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 4 INTRODUCTION Thesis Statement 5 Background 6 Research Methods and Sources 9 CHAPTER ONE – THE JOURNEY TOWARD SELF-DETERMINATION The Anglican Apology 1993 17 The Covenant – calling for Self-Determination 1994 24 A New Agape 2001 29 National Indigenous Bishop Mark MacDonald 34 Anglican Council of Indigenous People 36 CHAPTER TWO - STRIVING TO LIVE OUT THE VISION Defining Self-Determination 44 Sacred Circles 50 Mississauga Declaration 2009 57 Toward canonical changes 7th Sacred Circle Pinawa MB 2013 59 Canon XXII and Amendment to Resolution A051 61 CHAPTER THREE – EXTERNAL BARRIERS Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (RCAP) 63 New Relationships- 2014 Anaya report 65 Self-determination through Self-governance 68 Economic Self-Sufficiency 71 Healing for Indigenous People and Communities 78 CHAPTER FOUR – INTERNAL BARRIERS New Relationship Building 83 Self-determination through Self-governance- Future Generations 92 Economic Self-sufficiency – Sustainability 99 Healing for Indigenous Anglicans in their Communities 101 CHAPTER FIVE –THE FUTURE OF INDIGENOUS ANGLICANISM Jurisdictional changes – New Dioceses 104 CONCLUSION 110 APPENDICES 116 APPENDIX 1. Full list of questions for participants 117 2 APPENDIX 2. Amendment to Thesis Proposal Oct 2013 118 APPENDIX 3. Affirmation of Acceptance of Thesis Amendment 120 APPENDIX 4. Thesis Research Proposal 121 APPENDIX 5. Amendment to Ethics Proposal 139 APPENDIX 6. Affirmation of Acceptance of Ethics Proposal Amendment 141 APPENDIX 7. Original Letter of Consent Form 142 APPENDIX 8. Consent of Bishop Mark MacDonald 145 APPENDIX 9. Consent of Larry Beardy 147 APPENDIX 10. Consent of Sylvia James 149 APPENDIX 11. The Anglican Apology 1993 151 APPENDIX 12. The Covenant and our Journey of Spiritual Renewal 1994 153 APPENDIX 13. A New Agape – Goal One Self-determination 2001 154 APPENDIX 14. Canon XXII and Amendment to Resolution A051 156 BIBLIOGRAPHY 160 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am extremely grateful to my academic supervisor, Rev. Dr. Jane Barter Moulaison, who chairs the University of Winnipeg’s Religion and Culture Department, professors at the United Centre for Theological Studies, and teaching assistants, Mr. Doug Koop and Ms. Janelle Stotelny. Your guidance and encouragement made it possible to take on this thesis work. I am grateful for your willingness to share knowledge, wisdom and your time to answer my many questions and help me during times that I needed your expertise. I need to especially say “miigwetch” or “thank you” to the participants from the Anglican Council of Indigenous People (ACIP) and to the National Indigenous Anglican Bishop of Canada, Bishop Mark MacDonald, who took the time to answer questions and provided valuable feedback for this thesis. Your wisdom and openness to share your story is a gift to all people. My thanks also go to my family members who provided me with love and care, especially my husband, Lorne Kolisnyk, who has always been by my side. You knew the right words of encouragement and watched out for me with gestures of caring during this research project. Finally I would like to thank the University of Winnipeg for awarding me with a Manitoba Métis Federation Louis Riel Bursary during the final year of my studies towards a MA Theology degree. This award was a financial help and it also served as a gesture of support from my Métis Nation. 4 INTRODUCTION The encounter between Indigenous peoples and settlers in North America is rife with challenges and missed opportunities, and marred by colonial domination, resulting in great harm to Indigenous people. The Anglican Church of Canada had a part to play, and now acknowledges that Indigenous spirituality and culture were overlooked and negated in missionary efforts, residential schools, and dominant church practices. The way forward involves looking backward to acknowledge the pain that the colonial Anglican Church imposed on the Indigenous peoples of Canada. In the past twenty years, there has been an effort to find ways forward in healing and reconciliation for Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Anglicans. In this thesis, I will look at both internal and external factors and answer the question: “What are the barriers that are impeding self-determination of Indigenous Anglicans in the Anglican Church of Canada?” I am an Anglican woman who loves the Church. I am Métis from Manitoba and part of the network of Indigenous people of this land. I was recently ordained in the Anglican Church of Canada into diaconal ministry. I believe that new opportunities for Indigenous and Non- Indigenous Anglicans are possible as together we journey with a renewed sense of hope and faith. There is a cultural and spiritual renaissance happening within Indigenous communities and this impacts Indigenous Anglicans in their quest for self-determination within the Anglican Church. Throughout the world, there is a rapid process of decolonization taking place. As the world continues to shrink, and awareness of cultural is heightened, there is no longer any room for racism within Canadian society or within the Church. Christian roots evolved from a Judaic tribal culture and history. Christianity did not displace, but rather built on key theological 5 concepts.1 Likewise, I believe that Indigenous Anglicans here in Canada have the same opportunity to evolve and discover their own place in the story of the Church. Resilience and a rich spirituality provided a strong foundation to live life in a good way. Indigenous Anglicans no longer have to compromise or apologize for honouring their traditional Indigenous values and sacred rituals while still embracing the Gospel. In this time in our history, all Anglicans have the opportunity to walk with Indigenous people. We have been invited to listen, learn, honour them and celebrate the recovery and restoration of right relationships. The work toward wholeness will continue to demolish barriers of gender, race, social class, and sins against each other. My hope is that self-determination will allow God’s peace to flow freely.2 I believe that God’s grace is leading the Church to a turning point in its history. Background The Anglican Church of Canada began to examine their relationship with Indigenous people. An important church commissioned report was released in a 1969 publication called Beyond Traplines. Sociologist Charles Hendry recommended that the Anglican Church in Canada develop a new partnership with Indigenous people based on solidarity, equality and mutual respect.3 A formal journey toward reconciliation with Indigenous people continued with the “Apology to Native People” in 1993. “A Covenant and our Journey of Spiritual Renewal” was passed at General Synod in 1994 calling for self-determination. In 2001, a document called A New Agape provided five clear goals for Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Anglicans to journey 1 John W. Friesen, Aboriginal Spirituality & Biblical Theology: Closer than You Think (Calgary: Detselig Enterprises Ltd, 2000), 18. 2 Marva J. Dawn , Reaching Out without Dumbing Down- A Theology of Worship for the Turn-of-the-Century Culture, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1995), 248. 3 Anglican Church of Canada Continuing Education Plan, Marites N. Sison, Our Apology Hasn’t Been Empty, accessed February 28, 2015, http://cep.anglican.ca/tag/beyond-traplines/ 6 together in healing and reconciliation, moving towards wholeness within the Anglican Communion in Canada. Although the 2001 Anglican Church document, A New Agape, is a commitment to the concept of self-determination of Indigenous people in all aspects of their lives, self-determination has not yet been fully achieved. The official Apology, presented on August 6th, 1993 by Primate Michael Peers, set in motion a new time in history for Indigenous people in the Anglican Church of Canada. The concept of self-determination was also confirmed nearly twenty years ago as an important piece beginning a new partnership. This was formally stated by the Anglican Council of Indigenous People (ACIP) in the 1994 Covenant Statement: Under the guidance of God’s spirit, we agree to do all we can to call our people into unity in a new, self-determining community within the Anglican Church of Canada. To this end we extend the hand of partnership to all those who will help us build a truly Anglican Indigenous Church in Canada. May God bless this new vision and give us grace to accomplish it.4 It was through this new relationship that responses to challenges would be relevant and meaningful.5 The 2001 document, A New Agape, emphasized the cultural, spiritual, social and economic independence of Indigenous communities. There were five clear goals stipulated in A New Agape, one of which is self-determination. In general terms, self-determination can be defined as being able to determine one’s own fate or course of action without compulsion. In the Anglican context, it means determining one’s own fate without compulsion, but also within the 4 Anglican Council of Indigenous Peoples, “A Covenant,” Anglican Church of Canada, accessed January 18, 2013, http://www.anglican.ca/about/ccc/acip/covenant/.