The Importance of Discussing Indigenous Issues in the Mennonite Community
When I started looking through the record of my genealogy, one of the first details I made note of was how my aunt is recorded. She is listed as my mother’s sister, the daughter of my grandparents – there is no indication of her adoption. My aunt identifies as indigenous and has been part of my family since she was around one or two years old. Although I noticed how my aunt was our only family member with dark hair and tan skin, I felt an unspoken rule that kept me from asking questions. In our Mennonite community, no one talked about race or cultural differences, except in the context of “Jesus loves … all the children in the world.” For most of my childhood, I assumed my aunt’s skin was darker because she enjoyed spending hours under the summer sun. Even once I learned she was adopted, this remained my assumption for too long. It wasn’t until adulthood and learning about indigenous issues in Canada that I began to understand the context of my aunt’s adoption. She and so many othe...