Journey Home: Sanctuary
the pathway for keeping
Journey Home Logo
BLUE LONGHOUSE: Represents the home or sanctuary of our Creator God, which is His Law of Love, established for us in which to dwell.
RED CANOE: Represents the vessel through which we can dwell once again in our Creator’s home. It is red for the blood of our Creator’s sacrifice to restore us into unity with Him.
TWO PADDLES: Represents the two instruments of our Creator’s Truth (His Word) and Grace (His Love), which mobilize the canoe in which we make our journey home. They are white to symbolize the purity of Creators Truth & Grace. They are in the upright position symbolizing that we come in peace into our Creator’s House.
THREE S-FORMS: Represents a crucial message of warning from our Creator in His printed Word delivered through the canoe of His Grace for all His People. It is found in Revelation 14:6-12, and it is a 3-part message:
- Restore a harmonious relationship we once had with our Creator with new wisdom from His printed Word.
- The confusion of colonial “christianity” that’s been empowered by earthly governments to distort the true character of our Creator and which mobilized acts of destruction against Nations, Tongues & Peoples and their lands in “his name” is about to face judgement.
- Decolonize our full human experience of mind, body, spirit, and relationship to nature and others by living in harmony with the way of our Creator’s Love & Peace, as described in His Law and demonstrated in the life of Jesus.
ENVELOPING OVOID FORM: Represents our Creator’s Love embracing, healing and sheltering us on our journey home.
SANCTUARY Intro Song
This song is in the language called Runasimi (“people’s language”) in the Quechuan language, which is an indigenous language family spoken by the Quechua peoples, primarily living in the Peruvian Andes. This was one of the first Indigenous Languages used by colonial “christians” arriving on the shores of the Americas to exploit and overpower the people in order to take their homeland and all of its resources. We thought it fitting to use a beautiful song in this language on our return journey to decolonize. We hear it as a lament from Creator’s People longing for their connection with Him as they once enjoyed prior to His image being distorted by a people who claimed to be His followers.
The song lyrics are:
Urqukunamantam musqukurqaniK’anchariq uyaykitan rikurqaniAnchatam faltakuni kunkaykitaSonqoymi nanawan, nanawan imaLamar qochamantam musqukurqaniAchka waqasqaykitam rikurqaniAnchatam faltakuni kunkaykitaSonqoymi nanawan, nanawan ima
English Translation:
I dreamed of the mountains
I saw your bright face
I miss your voice so much
My heart aches and pains
I dreamed of the sea
I saw you cry a lot
I miss your voice so much
My heart aches and pains
SANCTUARY Credits Song
Gamaliel Reyes was commissioned to compose original music and recording for the SANCTUARY theme song played during the credits. It is based on Exodus 15:17, a call to decolonize our mind, body, spirit and relationship with nature and others. We hear it as an acknowledgement by Creator’s People that they see Him anew as they once did, now as a Deliverer taking them back to live in harmony with Him again with His traditional ways on their Journey Home.
The song lyrics are:
There’s a place You desire to dwell
In the midst of Your people, Lord
You’ve delivered them from the land of bondage
And brought them to Yourself
CHORUS:
You will plant them on Your mountain
The place You’ve made Your home
The sanctuary You have built
Where You reign forevermore
Journey Home Directors
Brad Dennis is Huu-ay-aht First Nation from the west coast of Vancouver Island. His Huu-ah-aht name is Qwa uun nahs aht “from the place of the Chiefs”. His father is the late Clarence Dennis and his mother is Myrna Marie Mack. He has a Master of Social Work Degree, and is a Registered Clinical Social Worker in British Columbia with over 20 years professional experience in direct practice and leadership in the field of Social Work. He works with his wife, DeeAnna, in their community wellness consulting business, Tašii Hašah Consulting, providing consultation, training and coaching for First Nation Governments seeking to reclaim and restore traditional ways of wellness for their communities. He also serves part time pastoring and serving churches in their process of healing through reconciliation with Indigenous Communities. He has served professionally in a collaborative capacity with the Confederated Tribes of Umatilla, Walla Walla and Cayuse, the Yakama Nation, the Ermineskin Cree and Samson Cree Nations, the Nuxalk Nation and Huu-ay-aht First Nation. On the personal side, Brad enjoys playing with his family, supporting his wife in the homeschooling adventures of their children, cycling, hiking in the wilderness, foraging wild foods and plants for wellness and medicine, woodworking, knitting, chess, learning new skills and growing in a deeper relationship with His Creator.
DeeAnna Garcia Dennis is Mexican American by birth and Huu-ay-aht First Nation by marriage. Her Huu-ay-aht name is Cha chum ah ook “she who makes things right”. Her father is Gabriel Garcia and her mother is Belinda Garcia. She has her Master of Social Work Degree with over 20 years professional experience in direct practice and leadership in the field of Social Work. She works with her husband, Brad Dennis, in their community wellness consulting business. Following in the tradition of her pre-colonial ancestors of strong Indigenous women, she is focusing her time over the past 10 years on raising her children and nurturing a thriving family life grounded in Creator’s t’ašii hašah through homeschooling and helping her children discover their life passion and purpose.
Together Brad and DeeAnna have led their family in learning to decolonize their way of life wherever possible, while learning to navigate and acquire skills needed in dominant culture in order to further the advancement of Indigenous Peoples in their sphere of influence. They are committed to learn, to play, to serve and to thrive together as a family.