A book that delves into a little-known piece of history was the subject of a book launch Saturday in Morden.
The Secret Treaty speaks to the handshake treaty that is part of Indigenous tradition but not something widely known by others, and in this case the Mennonite community specifically.
It revolves around Ojibwe stories from the land that Mennonites came to call the West Reserve and stories of those early encounters between European newcomers and Indigenous peoples, and the event included a tour to a couple significant locations on the escarpment and near the Dead Horse Creek which are connected to this history.
“I think it was a very good group. They were very responsive to it all,” said Swan Lake First Nation knowledge keeper David Scott, who teamed up with artist-illustrator Johnathan Dyck, who is originally from Winkler, in creating the graphic novel. “I hope that they will look at the land differently; it’s not just something to exploit … there is a history to the land that people don’t know.”
“It was kind of a missing piece for me. I’ve spent a lot of time researching Mennonite history, and this is something that gets left out,” said Dyck. “The project is kind of a merging of past and present … and Dave loves the comic book format because it’s really engaging.”
The project came about through discussions that happened some time ago when Scott and Dyck were brought together with Will Braun, a member of the Truth and Action Working Group.
“This is exactly the kind of work that I want to be doing, so I’m very excited about it,” said Dyck.
“I’ve been kind of working alongside different organizations for a number of years as a designer and illustrator, and I’ve been attracted to work that tries to put more focus on Indigenous rights and settler-Indigenous relations,” he noted. “But I’m also very interested in the history that we tell ourselves about our country, about how we got here, about what the land was like and how it’s changed over time.
“It was exhilarating. It was a lot of fun. Dave’s a really friendly and fun guy,” Dyck continued. “We enjoyed ourselves, but it was also very eye-opening. I have a particular relationship to this land, this place, very much based on my experiences growing up here and my family stories.
“Dave’s perspective as an Indigenous person from here with oral histories about this land, it revealed a lot to me that I wasn’t aware of … and I think deepened my understanding and appreciation of this place.
“Dave’s accounts, which are oral histories that he’s verified, they touch on the Mennonite history in this area, but the land’s history before Mennonites arrived and early relations … it’s just a re-orientation.”
The project fit in well with Scott’s ongoing work with groups like Truth and Action as well as many speaking engagements in schools and communities across southern Manitoba.
“I’ve always tried to look for ways to bring out these stories that are not being told, about the relationships that we once had and the relationships we’d hoped to have had back then,” said Scott, who also likes the comic book style this book takes. “It’s an easier, gentler way to tell these stories and the importance of these stories. It got to be an important part of it … it’s very engaging.”
He also sees this book as the first of more similar projects to come.
“This is the opening salvo of many, many more secret treaty stories. This one here, the Mennonite treaty we had with them, is not finished. There is still more that has to be told,” he suggested. “It doesn’t surprise me that there’s really no record of it in the Mennonite society.
“The way that we have learned this western history, it wasn’t really told. There’s still the Indigenous part, and that is what I am trying to do,” he continued.
“I want people to take action. Truth is one thing, let’s learn that together, but let’s take steps forward together,” Scott concluded.
“I think the message is that our story, the stories we tell about our histories here, they’re incomplete if they leave out Indigenous people, and they are incomplete if these stories aren’t being told together,” said Dyck.
“Hopefully, it invites people into an ongoing conversation and possibly future relationships that kind of cross these boundaries we’ve created … all of our stories need to be told … and we need to find better ways of living together.”
The book launch was the first of a trio of events organized by The Truth and Action Working Group as a lead-up to Truth and Reconciliation Day.
The next event is Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 7 p.m. at St. Paul’s United Church in Morden. It will feature Sandra Hayes Gardener presenting on her book Crossing the River.
The month then concludes with a Truth and Reconciliation Day ceremony and healing walk Monday, Sept. 30 that will start at 10 a.m. at the Access Event Centre.
