Robin Reid’s letter of Dec. 6 (“A sweat lodge at the RCMP — what next?“), attacking the RCMP and the sweat lodge, should not go unchallenged, not only because he has missed the point completely nor because he is totally unaware of the minimal costs involved and the total irrelevance of questions like land and taxpayers’ money.
But what is more disturbing is the fact that his letter reeks with cynicism, ignorance, cultural disrespect and condescension, which sickens me. After all, we are talking about fellow Canadians with a cultural history thousands of years older than the European one. Let us deal with the separate issues.
The construction is composed of a handful of birch boughs some grass sods and a cone-shaped, tent-like structure, about five to six feet high, containing two or three six-lb. rocks in a hole in the ground in the centre. The rocks are pre-heated for a couple of hours earlier — so much for the taxpayers’ expenses so far: zero. What is still very disturbing is Reid’s calculated disrespect for all aspects of indigenous culture, introducing pseudo-religious elements to make a mockery of native procedures. He should note that there are many members of our society with the widest contact with indigenous people, not to mention Labrador. They have taken time to speak up for indigenous prisoners visiting them in prison and helping them with Legal Aid.
Some of us have experience not only of sweat lodges but also native prisoners in jail. Some 30 years ago New Brunswick Quakers invited a group of native elders to join them for a weekend at a summer campsite — a weekend in which this writer participated. Talks were given by several elders on a variety of cultural issues and historic events. During this weekend, younger Mi’kmaqs were constructing a sweat lodge not far from the main building. Six or seven of us took part in the 45-minute session. The heat was high coming off the rocks and quiet incantations in Mi’kmaq were occasionally offered. It is a pleasure to record that all participants were very glad that they had participated, and in several cases had made friends for life.
Following that weekend, the Quaker group was invited to meet native prisoners at Dorchester Penitentiary, where they were warmly entertained and memorably fed with food made by the prisoners themselves.
In conclusion, it seems clear that mutual respect, even mutual admiration is more than possible. This was lacking from Reid’s letter.
The point that he missed was that the RCMP had shown great wisdom in sponsoring the sweat lodge, having discovered through the pipeline that its benefits in the rehabilitation of Indigenous prisoners were outstanding.
David Artiss,
St. John’s
