Good morning. 

I want to thank Roshi Robert for inviting me to share my experience in working with Indigenous peoples in Canada.  And to thank all you for having an interest in hearing what I have to say. 

When I first thought about this presentation, I questioned myself as to its relevance to a sangha in Chicago.   

However, it didn’t take me long to answer this.  Your country shares with mine a sad and tragic story of colonial mistreatment of the tribes that lived in the Americas for many thousands of years before the European explorers made landfall.  Maybe there is a shared national responsibility for atonement.  Perhaps some of what I will say this morning will trigger your interest and engagement in the situation of the tribes of the United States of America.