The Identity Project: Indigenous knowledge sharer Ray John Jr.

Ray John Jr. started 'Approachable Conversations with an Indigenous Man' to provide cultural awareness and sensitivity training to individuals and organizations.

He was headed for a big launch and then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, but that did not deter him from sharing.

For Ray, it is always about having a conversation.

“We had to change tactics, so everything switched to online; it was still impactful because there was still hesitation of asking,” he said.

As the world opened back up, Ray started by hosting smaller more intimate groups in his home.

Ray’s approach is different, with no question off limits, and his goal is to help people understand and learn more about Indigenous culture. He does this by creating a safe space for people to ask the tough questions without fear of saying something that is culturally insensitive.

“Give me a question, what do you want to know, how deep do you want to know, I can give you depth and perception and that is where it is steam rolled from,” he explained.

Ray has lived on Oneida Nation of the Thames most of his life. He is a husband, a father and a knowledge sharer.

He identifies as part of the Iroquois confederacy, the Onkwehonwe people. In Haudenosaunee that translates as 'person of this earth,' and he identifies as Oneida.

Ray faced numerous challenges growing up on the settlement of Onieda Nation of the Thames. He heard the stories of residential schools, which had an impact on him.

“Hearing the stories from my father, a line of trust, what is going to happen to me, but I had to make my own way in life,” he said.

Ray is a beacon for change and believes by sharing his story, his experiences, that we can all move forward together as a community.

“Understanding what my ancestors went through was a hard thing. My generation grew up as the angry one; that you are not going to do this to us no matter who you are. So it was opposition to authority. Those impacts, we realized were a spill over from the next generation. I did teach my kids about that, they understand that we go forward and there are so many good things that happened in the last little while,” he explained.

Ray has been in the education field for close 20 years, working as a child and youth worker with high-risk students. He began working with the London District Catholic School Board (LDCSB) in 2011, speaking about Indigenous issues.

“We are making leeway, we are making dents,” he said.

He shares his knowledge, spirituality and engages with children and youth with his open and honest approach. He has spoken in hundreds of school across southwestern Ontario.

“I often say to classes: ‘What if I went to your country where you came from and started imposing a law that you can’t speak your language, you can’t do your culture, you can’t dress this way. What would you do?’ And a lot of them got mad and got angry, and said ‘I would oppose that.’ I said, ‘What do you think we are trying to do?’ They start to see the similarities, they start to understand that,” he explained.

Ray was one of seven people to receive an Atlohsa Peace Award in 2018, an awards ceremony honouring local leaders inspiring social change in the spirit of truth and reconciliation.

Following the Peace Awards, Ray found there were many people in the community who had questions and wanted to learn more about Indigenous culture. He decided to create a safe space for adults to ask questions and share in a guided conversation.

When Ray isn’t working at the school board, he is speaking to groups of adults in a comfortable setting, and has hosted many evenings in his living room. He loves the exchange of ideas, and hopes to speak more to businesses and companies about Indigenous people in the future.

In terms of truth and reconciliation, Ray said that every time he speaks, whether it is one child, a teacher, or a group of 500 people, that is where the change begins.

“It has to start with the community. We can’t look at the governments. We can’t look at the money. We have to look at the conversations,” he said — because for Ray John Jr., it is always about having a conversation.  

Anyone wishing to contact Ray directly can do so through the following website.