Chapel – Naomi Peters

Podcast Transcript

George Sweetman 

As I indicated at the beginning, we are really glad to have Naomi Peters here with us today. A brief introduction to Naomi, from my point of view. She is a recent graduate of the Undergraduate studies. Back in 2020, she graduated, and actually came on May 7 to have her graduation celebration, that we were able to offer a number of our students at that time. She will be entering the new, the BEd program this summer, in August, August 2, so she'll be part of that new 2022/2023 cohort. She is also an award-winning writer. She won an award back in I think it was 2017 from the word guild in Canada, about a article that she wrote about missing and murdered Indigenous women, right. And she's also a wonderful creative, she's she loves poetry and stories. And she's a remarkable visual artist and we'll actually see some of her artwork a little bit later on in today's chapel. So Naomi, have a seat. We've prepared a few questions and responses for today's Chapel. So Naomi, my first question is, why is National Indigenous Peoples Day and History Month in Canada, important to you as an Indigenous person? Before you actually answer that just welcome people also.

Naomi Peters

So hello, Boozhoo, Naomi nidishinikas. Just Hello, my name is Naomi. I am a member of Caldwell First Nation, and our traditional land is the southernmost point of Canada at Point Pelee,  Pelee Island. And I am Potawatomi on my paternal grandfather's side, and Chippewa on my paternal grandmother's side. So...

George Sweetman

Thank you. So talking about national Indigenous Peoples Day and History Month here in Canada, why is this something that's particularly important for you?

Naomi Peters

Well, the simple answer would be that it is important to me to celebrate my identity as an Indigenous person, and to get together with family and be able to honour them and our tradition in that way. But I strive to do that a bit more in everyday life as well. And it's become a big part of my life, even my work. I've been recently being getting commissioned to do a lot of Indigenous art more than anything else, really. But I think it's more important to Indigenous people as a whole, because it gives them exposure, and it allows people like Indigenous entrepreneurs, Indigenous artists, and people who are faced with issues who are specifically Indigenous peoples, to have that kind of media exposure that isn't typically there the rest of the year, and to be heard, and to be on a platform during this time, that would otherwise not exist.

George Sweetman

Wonderful. Is there anything that you do in your immediate family, or perhaps extended family, to celebrate or acknowledge this day? I know that this morning, down by the lake, there was a large sunrise service for a number of First Nations and Indigenous people as the sun came. National Indigenous peoples day is actually held on the summer solstice. So it shifts every day. It's kind of a Moveable Feast, if you will. Have you guys done anything along that line?

Naomi Peters

Well, recently, we did visit point Pelee Island, so our traditional land, and I actually walked to the most southern part of Canada, where you see the waves start to rise over one another. So that was meaningful to me. But I wouldn't say it's something like, it's not something we traditionally celebrate as if it's like, July 4, or something. It's not like barbecue kind of thing. I think it's more of the acknowledgement and trying to keep more awareness of the Indigenous issues that we already pay attention to, and just trying to show our support to other people that way. Yeah.

George Sweetman

Why is it important to you, that a place like Tyndale, a place that you have already given four years of your life, now you're preparing to give another year and a half of your life. Why is it important to you that Tyndale acknowledges both this day, as well as truth and reconciliation day that will come in September?

Naomi Peters

Well, for this day, and for this month, I think it shows support. And it's very important that not just individuals show support of Indigenous communities, but that institutions do this, because it further alongs the necessity and the awareness of Indigenous issues. I, if I have to show an example of this, I'm sure a lot of people have heard now, how many bodies were found at residential schools. And I have to say, I've never seen the same media attention given to these types of issues, even though Indigenous people have been aware that the bodies were there for now, at least 50 years. But having that show of support from fellow Canadians, and from institutions, has really pushed forth that agenda. Like, I never saw the same show of support for, say, Attawapiskat's water crisis or Pikangikum's rising youth suicide rates. There's a lot of issues that are still going on that, because they don't have the same backing from institutions, are often just covered up or you don't hear about them. Yeah,

George Sweetman

It's interesting, bringing up Attawapiskat. Tyndale, for a number of years back in the early 2000's, actually sent a number of teams up, up there. During the winter, when there was only the the lake, the ice bridge that was over the lake, and to play hockey among the youth there, and reports were always so positive and their engagement with, with the people there. Before I go to the next question, coming back to Tyndale and it's acknowledgement and recognition. Is there something more, when you think about us, when you think about this institution? Is there something more that you, if you had a wish list, you think I wish Tyndale would do that, even more so?

Naomi Peters

Well, I feel like the land acknowledgement that you gave, and the land acknowledgement that I heard at the graduation on May seventh, and things like that are already a great step in the right direction, and they are much more meaningful than they seem. On top of that, the fact that we now have an Indigenous course incorporated into the program here at Tyndale, to me was a very important step forward. However, if I had a wish list, I think it would be good to acknowledge the difference between where history has been traditionally, especially for university graduates of Indigenous backgrounds, and those who have, what's Indian status, I don't like to say Indian status, because I'm Indigenous, I'm not Indian. But I think it's important to acknowledge that, as per the Indian Act, until 1961, if you were a graduate of University, you would be forced to have your Indian, Indian status revoked. And you were not even, like meant to be seen as an Indigenous person, if you were educated. You were also not allowed to be a doctor, a lawyer, a Christian minister, or even as a woman be allowed to get married to anyone outside of an Indigenous background, because it would immediately revoke your status.

George Sweetman

So I did not realize that, but thank you, that's very helpful. How have you been able to connect your Christian faith with your identity as an Indigenous person? Within the Indigenous community in the First Nations community in Canada, there are a number of religious expressions, some of them which are Christian, but some that are not, but you as a Christian woman? How have you been able to make that connection?

Naomi Peters

Well, I'd like to talk first about, like Indigenous culture. I think there has been a lot of misconceptions that I have heard growing up. And I'm not accusing anyone of having these misconceptions firstly. It's just, there is a difference between usually culture and religion when they're talked about in conversation. And what I've noticed is there are a lot of people who assume that Indigenous spirituality is interwoven with everything we do in culture, and that either we have ideas of animism or pantheism. But we've always been, as Ojibwe people, a monotheistic society. So for that aspect of our culture, or spirituality, was not hard to, like, not mix, but rather accommodate to being a Christian, because I believe I'm a Christian first and foremost, and that God created me as an Indigenous person. And that was his decision. So I see it as Indigenous people have long thanked a singular creator, for their hunts, for the harvest, for celebrations in times of like new births, stuff like that. So that was very easy to just now know that the Creator who I should be thanking and who my Creator is God. And so that point of connect was very easy to make. While I was thinking about this question, actually, there's a lot of thing, like small things that I can relate to my Christian faith. I was relating how a precious stone to Indigenous people is turquoise, and how that's represented, I think, eight times in the Bible. And then I was relating how cedar is seen as a cleansing thing to our faith, or to Indigenous spirituality, whatever you would like to call it. But our tradition, even past the spiritual aspects, we like treasure cedar. And so cedar is also mentioned as a strong, beautiful, sturdy, tall tree, that's fragrant. Like there's a lot of depictions of it in Scripture as well, for the same reasons. And recently, I've been making the connect that a lot of Indigenous people will have smudging ceremonies, or will burn incense, like sage, sweet grass, those kinds of things, as part of our four medicines, and I see that as something similar to burning incense in prayer. But having the disconnect between praying, instead of just to spirits, that I'm praying to God, and I'm not giving my worship to anything but God when I pray. And then another point of disconnect, I would say, is things like dream catchers. Like although I can appreciate their aesthetic value, I don't think I would appreciate them for the myths behind them.

George Sweetman

I know that just speaking of the Christian faith in Canada, we've already talked a little bit about the residential school system, and its its genocidal tendencies toward First Nations and Indigenous people in this country. So many of them were connected, if not all of them with a branch of the Christian church, whether Catholicism Anglicanism, United Church, whatever it might be, and for that, for that reason, a number of Indigenous people have essentially lost any sort of semblance or vestige of their youthful faith because they can't separate the atrocities made against them, and their people, from God. Has that been something that you've wrestled with at all?

Naomi Peters

I wouldn't say wrestled. I think from a very young age, I already considered myself a Christian before learning too much about my Indigenous background. It came in sections because, well, there was so much of my history that's been lost. And so the search to find more about my heritage has actually been harder for me. But how I view that as is, I don't know if I can call the people who came in the name of God, Christians, personally. I see it more as, that they were false teachers. Because, if they were able to commit such atrocities against fellow human beings, and go directly against scripture like that, it just reminds me of like, First John, like, be wary of false teachers, right. And you cannot trust people who do not proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord.

George Sweetman

Talking about truth and reconciliation, and all that's happened from the report back in the in the early 2000s, to the fact that there is now a national day of recognition in September. Talk to us a little bit about your feelings about that commission, and the, and the findings of it and what's happened since then, and how Tyndale can do a better job of of recognizing that and acknowledging it.

Naomi Peters

I think there's simple ways of recognition that can be done. For example, a big thing with finding the bodies from residential schools was to leave orange handprints. So I think that would be something to do, even if it's just on paper so it could be removed afterwards, so that damage to the property. But just maybe even information packets or something on the bulletin is already like something that will help a lot of students who want to learn more, maybe get those information resources that are needed to learn more about these issues. As far as truth and reconciliation goes, I can't say that I like those words, the way that they're put together. Because that conference, originally in 2008, was seen as a very hopeful thing for us, that there would be a lot more transparency from the government, and that there would be a lot more accommodation towards Indigenous people, especially with not just residential school issues, but also new issues that have arisen since like the 60s Scoop scandal. But that has been far from the case. So I have to say, I don't exactly like, the whole truth and reconciliation phrase. Things that the Commission has done with discovering the bodies, I do support that, obviously. I believe it's important to be able to bring those children home. And that is one thing that I would like to see come out of that is that those children be returned to their Indigenous lands. So

George Sweetman

Thank you, Naomi. Rainer, if you could put the images on the screen. You're creative, as I indicated, you write stories of poetry, but you've created a number. You talked about being commissioned for a number of these pieces. We have six pieces that Naomi has done, they're all reflective of, of Indigenous art in Canada, some of them are, well all of them are breathtaking. My favourite two are the butterfly and the turtle. And I'd love for you to talk. Well, first of all, explain how your identity as a woman, as an Indigenous person, and a Jesus follower connects with your, your work as an artist?

Naomi Peters

Well, I have to say that I became an artist, actually more because of my maternal grandfather's side. So my Swiss grandfather was always painting for me when I was young. And then as I grew up, I saw that my dad, my Indigenous father, also drew a lot. So I had an appreciation from art that was already a bit hereditary. But if you would have seen how I drew as a child, it was horrendous. And so I know that my talent.

George Sweetman

There's hope for me now.

Naomi Peters

I know that my talent is not my talent, because I remember loving art so much, and practicing, and I never got better. And so I prayed to God, please, let me have this gift. And that's when I started to notice that I was actually developing skills finally, and I don't account it to be my own skill whatsoever. But the animal series that you see on screen, this would be the Ashagi, the blue heron. This actually started as a gift to my Swiss mother. She's always had a deep love for Indigenous people ever since she was a child. And she always said that she would marry an Indigenous man one day. So we call her Nigig kwe, which is otter woman. And the reason we call her that is because she's such a loving and caring person. And so resourceful. So

George Sweetman

Maybe, Rainer, if you could go to the next one.

Naomi Peters

I don't think I have the otter on here. But I do have the name for it. That was the first name but yeah, and that one was called “spelling unknown – in Ojibwe”. And that means my mother, she swallowed a stone. And the reason it's called that is because in Ojibwe tradition, there's a myth of swallowing stones being related to becoming pregnant. And so in that picture, the otter is pregnant, but it is also holding a stone to represent her being the mother to both me and my brother.

George Sweetman

Okay. That's, wonderful. Oh, this one this piece is this piece is remarkable. I mean, they're all remarkable, but talk a little bit about the, the imagery within the actual bear.

Naomi Peters 

So this one was called Makwa, which is Bear. This was done in honour of my late paternal grandmother, who was part of what would be called the Bear Clan, or however you want to say, but basically, her family doodem or totem, they're often called, where you'd see them on totem poles, her family crest, or family connection, she would be a bear, where I'm wearing the turtle today in honour of my paternal grandfather, okay. So who would be from the Turtle Clan?

George Sweetman

Just even talking about how you've honoured so many people in your family line is significant, isn't it? That that that drives you? That's part of

Naomi Peters

That was My original intention for the first pieces that I created were for different parts of my family. I've also done a turtle and honour pin, which has the Medicine Wheel depicted on the back. But this one was for her. And it has repeating imagery of teeth inside of the bear, as well as rounded imagery and a circle with four parts to represent the medicine wheel around the stomach. And this is to represent strength and ferocity. Because the bear is actually for the seven grandfather teachings, which are Ojibwe tradition, moral like teachings, okay, the bear represents bravery. So that was the reason for having this kind of image to it.

George Sweetman

The butterfly, this one is so intricate, the monarch.

Naomi Peters

Yeah, this one is Memengwa. Again, the name like butterfly. But the butterfly I had heard stories from one of my Ojibwe teachers when I've been learning a bit of Anishnaabe that the butterfly is often acquainted with the dancer, and cultures. So the way they're flapping of their wings is said to be like a young woman dancing.

George Sweetman

How long did it take to put that one together to paint that one?

Naomi Peters

I think this one was actually a bit quicker than most of my other pieces, I would say. Eight hours.

George Sweetman

Okay. Wow.

Naomi Peters

My longest piece was probably the shaggy which took me 40 hours.

George Sweetman

Okay. Next one Rainer. This one's probably my favourite. I love this one the, the representation of Turtle Island with the turtle. Alright, on top. Let's talk a little bit about why the heart is there and what the heart represents.

Naomi Peters

Okay, so this was actually a commissioned piece. So the heart is going over Ontario, okay, which is where we're located. And also, this one is currently in the Welcome Center at Pelee Island. Okay, so they have a map surrounding it. And then you can see the turtle piece blown up in person. But yeah, the imagery of the turtle, or that myth comes from is the creation myth for Ojibwe people. Where in the story, Sky woman fell from a hole in the sky, fell onto the turtle's back. And then, I believe it was a fisher, or it changes because we have oral tradition, right? And every tradition is a bit different. But I think it was the Fisher who dove under, brought her back a piece of Earth. And then she planted a tobacco and strawberry seed that she had with her. Because in our tradition, tobacco is seen as the first plant.

George Sweetman

Right, right. Yeah. Right.

George Sweetman

It's stunning, really stunning. I think there's two more, right Rainer?

Naomi Peters

Yeah. So this was actually a mural that was just recently done for my band, Caldwell First Nation. And there are plans to have it on the outside of their band office there. Okay. And there is going to be I think, an app also with a digital walkthrough for the different sections. But with these two wolves, they have the Medicine Wheel colours, red, yellow, black, white. It has our Caldwell First Nation crest in the middle, on the back of the turtle. And then there are different depictions throughout. Unfortunately, I can't zoom in. Yeah. But there's depictions of the railroads where people escaped residential school, the circle dance, which was a unifying dance for all tribes. There is depictions of, like how we would traditionally gather rice. Broken treaties are traditional constellations. Yeah, there's a lot of things in there. And the dresses actually are to represent missing and murdered Indigenous woman.

George Sweetman

Okay. Yeah.

George Sweetman

Remarkable. This last one,

Naomi Peters

Oh, this would be the Waawaashkesh, the deer. In this one, the small imagery would be the hunters that are seen throughout the faces of them. Because deer were an important food source to us. And the deer was prized as being very fast and are agile. And there was a big tradition surrounding hunting where, when we hunt, we're using all pieces of the animal to make sure that their life is not wasted. And we're thanking the Creator, where I thank God for my meals. Yeah. For giving that life up, so that we can stay alive.

George Sweetman

They're, they're. They're breathtaking. I remember shortly after you graduated you showed me some pieces in a three-ring binder that you were working on, and I remember those vaguely, but these are significantly.

Naomi Peters

A lot of these are. A lot of these are actually some of my older pieces. I have made pieces since then. I think that Waawaashkesh is actually from 2018.

George Sweetman

Okay, well, they're wonderful. My last question to this aft, this morning is, you'll be entering the BA program at Tyndale in August. Explain the process of wanting to become a teacher and why that is significant for you.

Naomi Peters

I think traditionally, it's very normal to want to be a teacher. Because the way we pass down information, again, has always been an oral tradition, which is very different from how the written tradition is, because a lot of times people will misunderstand what we're teaching. Because we tend to mix fiction with fantasy and all these kinds of entertainment into one story. And then it's also meant to have a moral teaching. Right, right. And often animals will depict the human condition rather than people. So it's very confusing. But that is just to say that we have such an intricate oral tradition and such a way of teaching that we're expected to teach our young ones. And it's everyone in a family that is expected to teach the younger generation, especially when they become elders. That's like the whole purpose of their time, is to teach and educate and inform the following generations about what should be done and how they should survive and live properly.

George Sweetman

With your degree when you finally get it. Are you hoping to teach in a public system? In a private system? Have you even thought that far ahead at this point?

Naomi Peters

I think I would like to teach in a public system. And that has to do a bit with my own experience of public schools. I wasn't exactly given the right accommodations, as someone who just struggled, just getting along with other students. And I think a lot of that was just not knowing who I was, and being very different from other people. I don't want to say that like, Oh, I'm so different. But any. Anyways, the point is just that I want to be a teacher in a public system, who is accepting of people from all backgrounds. And to be making all of my students feel comfortable and wanting to learn and wanting to come to school and be excited at the end of the day, as much as they are at the beginning of the day.

George Sweetman

That's a beautiful pursuit. Wonderful. Thank you so much, Naomi. Really appreciate you being here today. Can we give her a round of applause?

George Sweetman

Let me, let me conclude today's service with a benediction. Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice. Strive for full restoration. Encourage one another, be of one mind, and live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. Go in peace.

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