Personally, I feel unsure about the future. Right now, with the apology...and I say that term loosely because to me an apology speaks to what happened and why, and no one told us why they did this. It wasn't spoken for, so I have a hard time with the apology, as do many aboriginal people I know.
However, with that apology comes reclamation, I guess you could say; there's supposed to be some kind of reconciliation happening. I wonder what that reconciliation is going to take; it took hundreds of years to get to the apology. So for me and in aboriginal circles everywhere I go, I think the question is, okay, we said we're sorry, here's 50 bucks, shut up now.... That's really the question. Is there going to be real sustainable programming that is going to heal the next seven generations of people who are coming...?
As we've spoken about, the abuses that are entrenched now in aboriginal families and that were placed there strategically are well ingrained. It's going to take a lot to undo...to decolonize the aboriginal people of this country. Decolonizing is a huge piece of work and we don't have nearly enough workers. We don't have enough funding. What we're dealing with now isn't even a drop in the bucket compared to what we're going to need to heal the young people and their families, to create healthy relationships, and young people who are fighting systemic violence that has been passed down generation after generation.... It's a huge piece of work.
So what do I see in the future? I guess that all depends on what all of you have to give and offer to the aboriginal people of this country and whether or not that commitment is true, is steadfast, and goes on for the long haul.