The Gatherings: Reimagining Indigenous-Settler Relations

by Shirley Hager, Mawopiyane

In a world that requires knowledge and wisdom to address developing crises around us, The Gatherings shows how Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples can come together to create meaningful and lasting relationships. Thirty years ago, in Wabanaki territory – a region encompassing the state of Maine and the Canadian Maritimes – a group of Indigenous and non-Indigenous individuals came together to explore some of the most pressing questions at the heart of Truth and Healing efforts in the United States and Canada. Meeting over several years in long-weekend gatherings, in a Wabanaki-led traditional Council format, assumptions were challenged, perspectives upended, and stereotypes shattered. Alliances and friendships were formed that endure to this day. The Gatherings tells the moving story of these meetings in the words of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous participants. Reuniting to reflect on how their lives were changed by their experiences and how they continue to be impacted by them, the participants share the valuable lessons they learned. The many voices represented in The Gatherings offer insights and strategies that can inform change at the individual, group, and systems levels. These voices affirm that authentic relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples – with their attendant anxieties, guilt, anger, embarrassments, and, with time, even laughter and mutual affection – are key to our shared futures here in North America. Now, more than ever, it is critical that we come together to reimagine Indigenous-settler relations. Gwen Bear
Shirley Bowen
Alma H. Brooks
gkisedtanamoogk
JoAnn Hughes
Debbie Leighton
Barb Martin
Miigam’agan
T. Dana Mitchell
Wayne A. Newell
Betty Peterson
Marilyn Keyes Roper
Wesley Rothermel Afterword by Dr. Frances Hancock To reflect the collaborative nature of this project, the word Mawopiyane is used to describe the full group of co-authors. Mawopiyane, in Passamaquoddy, literally means "let us sit together," but the deeper meaning is of a group coming together, as in the longhouse, to struggle with a sensitive or divisive issue – but one with a very desirable outcome. It is a healing word and one that is recognizable in all Wabanaki languages.

Genres: Nonfiction, Indigenous, History

304 pages, Hardcover

Published April 6, 2021

Reviews

[L.G. Cullens · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is basically a telling of what fourteen repeat attendees of The Gatherings experienced and learned some thirty years ago, and how their awareness, perspectives, and actions were changed. Sadly, The Gatherings ended on a misunderstanding by nonparticipants. After the tellings, there are extended discussions/clarifications.

The process of the talking circle approach in the gatherings was basically natives and non-natives sharing issues and experiences (trying to understand each other without judgement, not debating differences) — but the process has universal appeal. How different the world would be if we considered all others as equals and could all share and work out our differences. To me, that includes thinking seven generations ahead [as natives express it] and leaving a little blue canoe those generations could exist in.

Not being keen on our cultural religions, I was also pleased to see points about Earth-based beliefs (inner truths) versus our institutionalized, hierarchical, predominate cultural religions.

What I thought were some of the important points of the book:

About the process: "Mawopiyane in Passamaquoddy, literally means 'let us sit together,' but the deeper meaning is of a group coming together, as in the longhouse, to struggle with a sensitive or divisive issue. The word indicates an urgency to meet because the outcome is something very desirable, such as resolving a conflict or bringing about peace. It’s a healing word."

From Miigam’agan's telling: "I don’t romanticize the White culture anymore. What I learned in the Gatherings is that we are all people. That’s not to say there’s not injustice because there is, but not every non-Native is privileged … not everyone is … we’re all part of the same system. ... And with the shattering of my stereotypes about who White people are, other pathways opened for me." [ and vice versa ]

From Wayne's telling: "We spend a lot of time protecting our vulnerability, but as I grow older I understand that it’s in vulnerability that we learn the most. By letting our shields down, we leave ourselves open to new thinking, new teachings, new relationships. ... When we gather we become vulnerable, and to me the lessons that we have yet to learn are hidden in that process."

From Alma's telling: "What surprised me right away was how much information non-Natives lacked. They didn’t know what was going on in their own society in terms of what the government was doing to Aboriginal people. Their focus seemed very narrow, ... A lot of them talked about their children or their house or cooking a meal, ... Our people were involved; they knew what was going on in the world. I think those initial Gatherings were life-changing for the non-Natives who 'got it,' but others had blinders on; there were things they just didn’t want to see."

From Barb's telling: "At these Gatherings, I was more of an observer than an active participant. I remember I didn’t hear as much laughter as in the Talking Circles that I was used to. I said to myself, 'It’s going to take a while before they get it,' or maybe 'It may take us a while before we get them.' It has to be a two-way street."

From Shirley H's telling: "Our social and economic policies have made Native communities most vulnerable, but they are simply the 'canary in the coal mine,' perhaps especially when it comes to environmental concerns. What is impacting their communities will soon impact all of us."

In an environmental vein: "One of the fundamental differences in philosophies between White and Indigenous cultures is that one culture says the land belongs to them and the other culture talks about belonging to the land." ~ gkisedtanamoogk [does not capitalize his name]

About racism: "I think it must be that some people put others down to make themselves feel big." ~ Shirley H's father

And numerous other points.

Content note: Within the discussions, in a section entitled "How We Got Here," there is a twenty-four page chronology of colonists actions beginning with the impact of the Discovery doctrine (promulgated by European monarchies in order to legitimize the colonization of lands outside of Europe) in the US and Canada from the fifteenth century on. I only skimmed this section because I was already aware of most of what was noted.

"It’s not about building the great ark and shipping everyone back to Europe or wherever they came from. It’s about how we live together in this shared space. For me, the ideal is for people to have the same love for the land, and for being part of the land, as we have. It’s on that basis that one can be here legitimately." ~ gkisedtanamoogk

I found the afterward by Frances Hancock in good part exemplified an aspect of human nature that we commonly paint ourselves in the best light, which defeats true sharing (the underlying theme of the book).

[Dasha Slepenkina · Rating 5 out of 5]

A big thank-you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for giving me a copy of this book for an unbiased review.

5/5 - This book should be required reading in schools and universities within any country that has a history of colonization of indigenous land.

This was hands down one of the most important books I've read all year. I am a Russian-American living abroad and I have always had a deep-seated curiosity in regards to Native Americans. This curiosity was amplified by the opportunity to spend a week with the La Jolla Band of Luiseño Indians during a cultural exchange program at my university. We were seated around a table speaking about our unique identities as people inhabiting the United States. At the time, I did not have my citizenship and I lived in a constant fear that if I were to publicly say something negative about the U.S., my opportunity to stay would somehow be invalidated or revoked. So I mentioned how lucky I felt to be welcomed by the U.S., how inviting the country was for me, and how proud I was of being Russian-American. Usually when I said things like this, I got an overwhelmingly positive response. But now, the room went quiet and one of the Native American leaders said something to the effect of: "This country that welcomed you stole the land from us."

He admitted later that he was hurt and angered by my statements, but at the time he was calm and patient. Still, his statement triggered a strong emotional response from me. I felt hurt, quite frankly because I have a way with words and I'm used to saying things that people agree with. Even when people disagree with me, they generally like me. I felt that he did not like me, like I stepped on something raw and painful. I was humiliated. I felt confused, because in school we learned how happy the Southern Californian Native tribes were to work on missions and how lucky they were to be given autonomous legal claims over their reservations. I knew that this was a tainted view of life on reservations, but I never questioned it. And I felt anger, because I too was in a position of being stigmatized due to being an immigrant - I mean, I felt terrified to speak to my actual experience! - and I felt we should have been allies, but here he was, calling me out! Honestly, I wanted to leave. But it was the first day of a week long program and I physically couldn't. I had to stay and I had to be humble, because there was nothing left to do.

The amazing thing was - many (though not all) of the other non-Native students rejected me for my blunder, but my Native hosts took me under their wing to educate me because I was so stunned by that experience and I think they could sense that I needed and wanted to learn. I actually ended up spending more one-on-one time with them. And through that discomfort, I built relationships that revealed a completely different history than the one I had grown up with. I had my own experience of a gathering. It didn't make me an expert on Native histories or struggles, but it made me desperate to learn.

Reading this book was akin to having this experience. The book is written in the form of a gathering, in which Native and Non-Native voices are reflected in a sort of circle. The reader has the opportunity to sit down and listen. The book has a lot of academic content - conversations on history, observations of the way the legal system has been harmful to indigenous peoples - but also personal content, observations on what it takes to have a meaningful and honest exchange. Through this book, I learned for example that some Native tribes don't have words like "priority" because of a commitment to what is happening in the present. I learned that they distinguish between a "work" world and their world, one which has a concept of time that is fully dedicated to what is happening now.

And yet, these groups also think of seven generations into the future. They think about their connections to the land and what they owe to the land. They acknowledge that there are different world views on our planet and that all of them are necessary to living in a way that is resilient and healthy.

If you read one book this year seeking to learn to see the world a different way, let it be this one. Come to the circle with your mind open. I for one can see myself returning to this book over and over again.

[Marija · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful and informative read! 4.5/5 stars for the book's setup, the transparency of how it came to be, and the personal aspects scattered throughout. As a non-Indigenous person, I found this to be an excellent piece for reflection, and knowledge, and starting point for further education and activism. Worth a read for sure and a look to be taken from the lessons within.

[Naomi]

Thirty year's ago a group of people met in the Gulf of Maine bio region encompassing Maine and Canada. Indigenous and non-indigenous participants gathered to simply gain more understanding of one another. Spanning a period of 6 years with meetings at least twice a year, the gatherings developed friendships and engendered trust. The First Nations peoples involve were the 4 recognized Wabanaki tribes: Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, Micmac and Maliseet. The non-Natives were descendants of European settlers, mostly white.

This book, compiled thirty years later, tells how they did it and describes friendships and alliances that endure to this day. I appreciated all the heartfelt perspectives from this group of people who were venturing where there was no map. In the reflections of many participants, it seems that the non-Natives mostly seemed to need to learn how to relax, give up their agendas and just listen. For the indigenous folks, they had to surrender their fears and prejudices from all the harm that had been done, and learn to trust and to translate their unique perspective in a world that was so dominated by the colonizing culture.

[Jes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I live in Vermont, land that traditionally belonged to the Abenaki and Abenaki, so I was excited to read this book. There is a lot of talk in my work community about how we can create better connections with the local Abenaki to build community, improve relationships, and create a stronger, improved community. But it can feel like an extremely daunting thing to do.

This book is such a wonderful example of how this work can be done and how it can be done in a way that is respectful of all parties and honors the ways of Indigenous people. The first person narratives of the gathering experiences were powerful and informative. It's easy to get the thoughts and reflections of white people but much harder to know what this kind of experience would be like for an indigenous person (and with good reason).

This book is a good roadmap in how to build community and work together while acknowledging all of the deep harm that has happened and been caused by colonization.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so helpful in showing a process that created friendships across a major cultural divide. It also laid out that divide in clear language. The chapter on how the book was written gave some big clues about how to approach this issue as a non-Indigenous person with humility and care. Very very helpful and encouraging.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Even though you might hear the same story from someone, you’re hearing it from a different place, and that’s the magic of it all. When you look at the world as a “cycle” it looks different than when you look at it in blocks – blocks one on top of the other. The world isn’t like that. Just look at the natural movement of the Earth, of our moon, our sun, the life cycle of the plants, our life cycle. Everything moves in cycles, and the more we start looking at things that way the easier it becomes to understand what it is we’re reaching for. Look at what happens after we pass, for example. We no longer have use for our body but the Spirit is still there. An Elder once said, “When somebody goes, a part of their Spirit is shared with us. They leave a part of themselves with us.”

This felt like the most human thing to do, to sit with each other and learn from each other. I was just so disappointed this happened 30 years ago and is only now being revealed and even more, how much further we still have to go. If all groups of people who do not understand each other could do this, what a beautiful world we would make.

What Native people are focusing on in the communities today is healing for tomorrow. The mind of the Native person is getting stronger; it’s growing healthier. The mind of the White people who came here to this land and possessed this land was very sick. Their way of life was not healthy and they were carrying a lot of their own historical trauma with them. If you look at their actions and what they did to us historically, those were the actions of a sick mind. The prophecies say that they, the White people, will someday come to the Native people for help and to understand what’s going on. The fact that we are still here, that we’re still carrying our stories and still know the history of who we are, is testimony to our strength.

So we feel it’s that urgent, that maybe we need to open the door and try to help people reconnect spiritually with the land. And, once non-Natives make that connection, they’ll be like little beavers! They’ll work and work and work themselves to the bone because that’s their nature. They’ll work to put things back right. There are many now who are close to making this connection. I meet many non-Native people, more than I ever have, who are “Earth people.” They’re connected to their trees; it might be on their own little bit of land, but still. Still. They’re not looking “up” so much, they’re starting to look “around” and see that everything is here. It’s right here. It’s all right here.

It’s not about building the great ark and shipping everyone back to Europe or wherever they came from. It’s about how we live together in this shared space. For me, the ideal is for people to have the same love for the land, and for being part of the land, as we have. It’s on that basis that one can be here legitimately. gkisedtanamoogk

[Shana · Rating 3 out of 5]

***Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review***

Several decades ago, a group of Native and non-Native folks began meeting at what they called Gatherings. Despite some of the discomfort from both populations, those who stuck with it learned from one another and developed meaningful relationships that informed and continue to inform their lives to this day. While the format of the book was a bit confusing, the content was interesting. The participants don't sugarcoat their stories, so there is plenty about the fear, discomfort, and hurt that existed, but also the learning and deep understanding that developed over time. It is clear in both the Gatherings and in the putting together of this book that the authors were very mindful of it being a collective process. For the non-Natives, much of this meant putting aside Western settler notions of how to go about things and instead shifting their thinking to a different way. The most useful part of the book was about how to better relations between Natives and settlers.

[Jacqueline Nyathi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Am interested in ways of thinking+seeing -- worldviews -- and it was thought-provoking to see the approaches between the people in this book, and to hear from them about the challenges they faced during the process of gathering together, as well as their successes.

Also much to think about and apply to ideas of how to go forward re. colonialism in my part of the world, and even possible solutions for conflict in general.

Very careful not to take this as a prescriptive path (so conscious of --fetishistic?-- attitudes towards Native/Indigenous wisdom), but it's always wonderful to begin to see the world from a different perspective.

Thank you to @NetGalley and to University of Toronto Press @utpress for this eARC.

[Carl Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some ‘thirty years ago “in Wabanaki territory—a region encompassing the state of Manne and Canadian Maritimes—a group of Indigenous and non-Indigenous individuals came together to explore….” This is the story, written collaboratively, of the participants and their experience. It is also a discussion of how the Gatherings came to an end, and an exploration of how we came to be this way and how we might move forward in an inclusive world where land was stolen, peoples were subjugated, minimized and excluded.

The book doesn’t hold any answers but points in provocative and useful directions. Well worth the read—and a great book group kind of book for the discussions it will engender.

[Toni Edson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a hard time getting into this book and would probably never finished it except it was a book we were reading for our book club. I found it rather jumbled but the individual stories were very interesting and made the journey through the book worth the trip,

[Jeanie Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

How do we create communities that can heal and transform? This is a question and a book I will return to over and over again. I so appreciated the various voices and experiences shared and the example that real change happens at the rate of relational trust.

[Karla Kitalong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Engaging; my favorite part is the first (or so) half of the book, which consists of stories told in the voices of participants. They made mistakes in communication, but kept at it. Many (most?) people give up when communication gets hard, or never try at all. Good lesson.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well crafted book about the experience had by individuals participating (doesn't feel like a strong enough word) in gatherings between native and non-natives in the Gulf of Maine ecosystem in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Now, to sit with this information and think....

[Ed Kerman]

A great book. Jointly written by fourteen participants in joint indigenous/ non-indigenous gatherings over a six year period about the gatherings and their lasting impact.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book.

A truly great Indigenous read.

Would recommend! Shirley is a great writer.

4.3/5

[Therí Alyce · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting premise. Disappointingly predicated on an erasure of non-Indigenous POC who are part of the landscape.

[Todd McKinley]

Not simply a record of these powerful gatherings between native and non-native participants, but also a poignant history of the Wabanaki people and their desire for full sovereignty as nations.

[Kate_52 · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a blessing it is to have these lessons and stories shared with us 🙏

[Elaine]

Read for ENG1101: Cultural Memory / Cultural Organizing.

[kaylasbookishlife · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Mawopiyane, in Passamaquoddy, literally means ‘let us sit together,’ but the deeper meaning is of a group coming together, as in a longhouse, to struggle with a sensitive or divisive issue.”

This was such a lovely book to read! The Gatherings is co-written by Indigenous and non-Indigenous authors. It is a reflection about their time participating in Wabanaki healing circles thirty years ago.

Reading about each member and how they all came together was so powerful. They weren’t all too keen on meeting up with ‘the other’ in the beginning. This book doesn’t shy away from the real stuff and shows that there were deep, painful issues that were brought up.

People (especially white people) need to be comfortable having uncomfortable conversations. That’s really the only way to learn and create positive changes.

[J. R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good account of participants stories showing the many different paths that brought this particular group of allies and collaborators together. It is a very good picture of gentler gatherings where relationship is in focus.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a beautiful representation of what it can look like for people groups of two different nationalities to come together and have meaningful dialogue. Through the careful consideration of all involved, conversations can go to meaningful places that can bring about true change.

I found myself appreciative of those involved in these Gatherings, and their willingness to share their stories so that others can begin to consider to do a new way to do things too.


I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the Publisher. This review is my own, honest opinion.