New Canadian finds similarities in Sikh, Indigenous cultures
- Jessie Donaldson | May 22, 2018
New Canadian Jaspalsingh Virdi hopes to strengthen cross-cultural bonds by seeking understanding of his Sikh culture and learning about others.
“It starts with compassion,” said the University of Regina graduate student and avid volunteer, who arrived in Canada a year and a half ago.
In April, he volunteered for the 2018 Indigenous Youth Symposium on Reconciliation and Indigenous Education. “It was a good opportunity,” said Virdi, “I got to listen to them.”
Here he drew parallels between the spiritualties of Indigenous and Sikh cultures, citing the belief in one Creator or God, spiritual connection with the head, and reverence for hair.
Cody Hutchinson, an Indigenous SaskPower employee, had similar findings in May at the 3rd Annual Sikh Day Parade, known as Nagar Kirtan.
Hutchinson first met Virdi at Tim Horton’s, where he works part-time. They share conversations over the counter, and those have spilled into the online world as well.
“I’ll post things about 60s scoop. I’m one of those kids,” Hutchinson said in a phone interview, “He asked what it was about. I went into the whole history. He was really shocked because Canada has such a stellar reputation in the world. They have little secrets they don’t brag about.”
“I learned that they don’t cut their hair for similar reasons that we don’t. I was always told, it eats, it breathes, it dies -- to just grow it. It is a gift from the Creator.”
On parade day, Virdi volunteered tying turbans for attendees, where pamphlets on Sikhism were also available. The goal? “Having a conversation.”
Sikhs, like Indigenous peoples, have faced injustices such as misrepresentation in media, racial attacks, and genocide, he said, and education, whether through his newly formed Sikh Student Association on campus or in daily life, is pertinent.
“We need to do something here,” said Virdi.
Dialogue proves fruitful for understanding both ways, he said.
This year’s Nagar Kirtan in Surrey, BC was inaugurated by Chief Marilyn Gabriel of Kwantlen First Nation. It was an effort participate in reconciliation as suggested by Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. Virdi hopes for similar outreach in Regina. “We have our families and we are earning our daily bread on the land of the First Nations people.”
In regards to his place in Canada, future plans for engagement, and his own religion he remains focused on growth. “I’m still learning.”