We Are All Treaty Celebration welcomes non-Indigenous and Indigenous alike

We are all treaty people but rarely do non-Indigenous people celebrate it, say organizers of a unique event that happened east atThe Forks Sunday.

The We Are All Treaty Celebration aimedto change that. Put together by non-Indigenous groups, organizers hoped the inclusive event will help non-Indigenous peoples celebrate the partnership in local treaties.

"The Quaker group in Winnipeg started thinking about how we wanted to respond to the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation commission," said organizer Elaine Bishop.

"One of the things we did was to hold a talking circle with an Indigenous leader, and out of that came a real suggestion that we, as settler newcomer people, don't celebrateTreaty and perhaps we should, because we are Treaty partners. So we started exploring this idea with some of the faith communities that we connect with. Everybody seemed very positive about it and here we are today planning it this afternoon at the Forks."

Bishop said she moved to Canada as a young child and grew up in Winnipeg, making the celebrationan important event for her.

"As I've learned the history of the relationships between settler and Indigenous peoples, I've learned that we haven't kept up our end of the bargain. For me it's about learning more about Treaty and accepting my role as a Treaty person and saying'Let's change relationships so everybody can benefit from living here together."

Her role in understanding Indigenous culture goes deeper, thanks to a four-year stint working for the LubiconCree Nation in northern Alberta. She said she saw firsthand the devastation wreaked on the small community as oil and gas companies moved in and didn't pay royalties to the Cree landowners.

"When I was there in the mid-'90s, they had not received a cent of royalties and over $4 billion of resources had been taken out of their land," she said, describing run-down houses full of mould, game being driven away from traditional hunting lands and the breakdown of societal bonds.

"I saw the destruction, but I also saw the resilience. And it seems tome, it's the resilience we want to use as the basis of our relationship and looking how we all go forward together to improve experiences like that."

The response from the Indigenous community has been overwhelmingly positive, said Bishop.

"Everybodythat I'vetalked to who is Indigenous ... [their reaction] has been of delight, of wanting to be part of it, congratulating us for taking up our role as Treaty peoples, and so it's really been very heartwarming to hear people's response to this."

Sunday's event wasfree andheld at The Forks near the ProvencherBridge from 1-4 p.m. It included storytelling, food, entertainment, puppet-making and information. All people of all backgrounds are welcome to attend, said Bishop.

"I hope that people will just come out and celebrate being part of Treaty."