By Kelly McCaffrey

The Squamish Nation responded to BC Hydro’s Long Term Acquisition Plan (LTAP) in a letter to the BC Utilities Commission (BCUC) dated July 30th, 2009 and signed by Chief Bill Williams and Chief Gibby Jacob. The letter expresses the “shock, frustration, and disappointment” felt within the community.

“Through this decision and determination, you have attempted to turn the clock back a generation through regulation—completely ignoring both provincial government direction and the current reality of global warming and the need to move towards clean, green, and renewable sources of energy. Further, you have essentially pulled the rug out from under First Nations throughout British Columbia who were seeking accommodation and opportunity through private green power energy partnerships,” wrote the chiefs.

BC Utilities approved $631 million in expenditures, which the chiefs say does not “provide direct, specific, and targeted benefits to BC’s First Nations” and will continue the status quo of acquiring “brown energy” (non-renewable or polluting energy) at the expense of viable green energy opportunities. “Burrard Thermal and similar greenhouse gas emitting facilities represent the past, and yet that is the direction you have sanctioned. Wind, solar, and micro-hydro represent the future, and you have fundamentally disadvantaged them,” wrote the chiefs.

The chiefs point out BC Utilities has included imported electricity in their calculations—including energy sourced from coal and gas-fired power plants—in spite of “specific government policy direction to achieve energy self-sufficiency.” The chiefs also call the venture “risk-laden” and say the BCUC has undermined potentially beneficial opportunities with other energy companies who are undertaking responsible developments in First Nation territories. “This appears to us to be nothing less than a complete disregard for the time, energy, and investments that formed the basis of these quality partnerships,” stated the chiefs.

The chiefs are in favor of a green energy future and say, “We will strongly and publicly support any policy that provides those opportunities for our people and for all of British Columbia.” It has taken many years of hard work to bring real economic benefit and business opportunities to their communities through independent power projects like those at Brandywine and Ashlu. The Squamish Nation community supports Premier Gordon Campbell’s efforts to create a new future for First Nations through incentives such as BC Hydro’s Clean Power Call. “It is through initiatives such as these that we as a community can chart our own course to a brighter future that supports our housing, cultural, and educational needs through meaningful partnerships and accommodations.”

By Clint Buehler

LETHBRIDGE, AB – The Alberta government is returning sacred ceremonial objects to the province’s three Blackfoot Nations so these significant items can once again be actively used in traditional ceremonies.

A special event was held here July 30 to celebrate the occasion, attended by government officials and Blackfoot leaders, Elders and members, including Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach, former Alberta Premier Ralph Klein, Alberta Aboriginal Relations Minister Gene Zwozdesky—all three honourary Blackfoot chiefs—Alberta Culture and Community Spirit Minister Lindsay Blackett, Grand Chief Charles Weaselhead, Chief Reg Crowshoe and Chief Leroy Goodeagle.

“Alberta is taking a leading role in Canada by supporting the repatriation of sacred items,” said Premier Stelmach. “It is a privilege to be part of this historic, cooperative effort to reinvigorate the cultural values that are the foundation of Aboriginal communities in the province.”

Sacred bundles are said to contain items given to the Blackfoot by the spirit beings of their world. They are used in ceremonies to renew connections with the spirits and to ask for help from the Creator. By placing sacred bundles back in their communities of origin, repatriation is invigorating many cultural and spiritual dimensions of Blackfoot life.

Enacted in 2000, the First Nations Sacred Ceremonial Object Repatriation Act (FNSCORA) is the first enactment of its kind in Canada. FNSCORA is provincial repatriation legislation that applies to First Nations sacred objects in the Government of Alberta’s collections at the Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton and the Glenbow Museum in Calgary. The purpose of the act is to place sacred ceremonial objects that are vital to the practice of traditional ceremonies back into active use.

The act came into force in 2004 with the proclamation of the first regulation, the Blackfoot First Nations Sacred Ceremonial Objects Repatriation Regulation. This regulation was developed in close consultation between ceremonialists from the three Alberta Blackfoot First Nations and staff from Alberta Culture and Community Spirit (CCS).

“We applaud the Government of Alberta for acknowledging and recognizing our Blackfoot cultural values ans spiritual beliefs by repatriation of sacred ceremonial objects,” said Charles Weaselhead, the Grand Chief of Treaty No. 7 and the Chief of the Kainawa (Blood) Nation. “Our communities will continue to benefit from the repatriation of these cultural objects which will go back into ceremonial use. This partnership between two levels of government shows a true commitment to preserving Alberta’s cultural history and identity.”

Chief Reg Crowshoe of the Piikani Nation said the return of these sacred objects “is important to our community and to performing sacred Blackfoot rituals. We now have more opportunities to carry out the ceremonies that have been part of the Blackfoot way of life for many generations.”

“With our sacred ceremonial bundles coming home this will help us reconnect the present with our rich past and I extends Siksika Nation’s gratitude to the Alberta government and all those involved in this historic undertaking,” said Chief Leroy Goodeagle of the Siksika Nation.

It was also announced at the event that Alberta Aboriginal Relations is providing $20,000 one-time conditional grants to each of the three Blackfoot Nations for enhancing the preservation of Blackfoot language and culture in schools on each of the Blackfoot reserves. Alberta Aboriginal Relations is also providing one-time funding toward the printing of a book chronicling events leading up to Alberta’s repatriation legislation.

By Lloyd Dolha

On August 4th, the Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) called for closing of a sports fishery on the Fraser River in light of this year’s dismal return of spawning salmon. “In order to provide a fighting chance for returning sockeye, it is imperative that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans shut down the Chinook sports fishery on the Fraser River,” said UBCIC president Chief Stewart Phillip.

The Pacific Salmon Commission, a joint Canada/U.S. body, has revised and lowered their projections for the sockeye salmon returns on the Fraser River. The commission had originally forecasted a return of 10.6 million sockeye, but according to the commission’s latest report, the migration of sockeye through both the northern and southern routes to the Fraser River has fallen far below expectations. Summer-run sockeye is usually expected to comprise more than 80% of the total adult return of Fraser River sockeye, but are also reduced.

Low sockeye counts estimated from in-season assessments suggest “most Fraser sockeye stocks have experienced much poorer than average survival during their freshwater and/or marine life cycles.” Low discharge levels of river water and the recent sustained period of hot, dry weather have adversely affected migration conditions for sockeye returning to the Fraser River. The commission has already closed the Fraser River sockeye runs to all commercial fishing. However, “flossing” sockeye salmon (also called “lining” or “bottom bouncing”) is a common sports fishing practice, a practice that Chief Stewart has denounced.

Hooks that have no bait are illegal, and many argue that flossing is just another way of snagging, which is also illegal. In flossing, a hook is attached to a microfilament line, and a piece of yarn is attached. The yarn manages the drift of the hook and keeps the fisher in compliance with federal regulations requiring that a lure be used in sports fishing. The rigging allows the river current catches the line, which drifts into the salmon’s gaping mouth. When the line slides through, the hook pierces the salmon’s mouth. The yarn “lure” is not bait by any stretch, and the technique virtually guarantees a catch. All the “sports fisher” does is determine the correct drift and depth of the salmon and run the line through their mouths.

Presently, the sports fishery allows anglers to catch and keep four chinook salmon per day for the period from July 16 to August 31 in 2009. “With hundreds of anglers plying the lower Fraser, seven days a week, DFO is hard-pressed to closely monitor and verify their catch,” Chief Phillip pointed out. “Every sockeye salmon that survives the myriad of challenges represents our ability to sustain our precious cultural legacy for our children,” he said.

“Every effort—including the complete shutdown of the sports fishery—should be made to limit the possibility of incidental by-catch of the practice of snagging or ‘flossing’ of sockeye,” said the UBCIC leader. “It’s still a grim, grim picture for the Fraser sockeye.”

By Bernie Bates

As I sat in my car, I saw this guy stager across the parking lot and fall flat on his face – POW! A passing car stopped and a man jumped out to help this poor fella to his feet. Then a tow truck driver stopped his truck, flicked on his flashing yellow lights and began to radio for assistance. Then I noticed four women looking on with concern. Human kindness was blossoming before my very eyes as the mini-drama unfolded in that hot Penticton parking lot.

The man who fell down was drunk and was a Native man. But, this is not the point of this story. The issue I’d like to convey is this: the two men who assisted were white, young and impartial. They didn’t see a drunken man fall down, nor did they see an Indian man fall down. Apparently they simply witnessed another human being slip, trip and bite the asphalt.

There was no stereotyping, no bigotry just a bunch of people who cared what was happening to this unfortunate brother, from a different mother. It was only a few short decades ago that this scenario might have had a different ending. Twenty or thirty years ago some folks would’ve just curled their lip at this inebriated Native man and scoffed, “you got what you deserved.”

It begs the ‘Q’ what has happened in the last twenty years to change our way of thinking? One word can sum it all up: education. “You must first walk a mile in another’s moccasins before you can pass judgment.” Wiser words, were never spoken. We’re slowly learning these lessons and fortunately we’re passing them along to the next generation. And one of the by-products of human-to-human understanding is kindness.

If we look upon another person and say to ourselves, “Oh my, is that woman ever fat.” We’re being ignorant and snobbish and is proof of how packaging matters to us. That bodacious babe has everything we have – eyes, toes and a nose. She has a brain, emotions and in all likeliness has a mirror at home. But, if she were to fall and scrap her knee, would you feel her pain? Would you stop to help her to her feet and comfort her? Would it matter to you if that person was Asian, Hispanic or a drunken Native man?

It’s not only the next generation that has become educated and informed, even an old dog, like myself has noticed self improvement over the years. I’ve changed my ways, I see things differently and you know what? It feels pretty damn good. There was a time in my life when I had hate in my heart. As I look back on those dark days it makes me cringe inside. I hated my cousin for his gay lifestyle, I hated East Indians and if you were to have asked me why – I couldn’t have given you a sensible answer. And therein is the answer it was senseless, reasonless, mindless hatred. Even writing about it makes me cringe with shame.

Today I have a new outlook on life and I’ve never been more at peace with myself. I care not of a person’s station in life, were they’re from or what they look like. I now look in their eyes for answers. A kind smile, an act of goodwill like opening a door. The gesture costs us nothing but have a tremendous social value. And all this peace of mind and inner wisdom has inspired me into doing a daily ritual. Each day I do these three simple things. First, I don’t harm either man nor beast. Secondly, I try to learn something new and finally I do or say at least one nice thing for someone. I highly recommend this simple ritual. It’s not only beneficial to those you mind, it’s advantages to your mind and most importantly it gives you peace of mind. If everyone on the planet lived by this simple creed things like 911 may never have happened, but we’ll never know. This I do know, if we remain thoughtless of others or aggressive in our behavior we’ll one day fall down and no one will be there to pick us up, dust us off and kiss our boo-boos.

THE END

By Reuel S. Amdur

Just about the time that the swine flu epidemic made its major assault on First Nations communities, the Senate’s Subcommittee on Population Health released its report, “A Healthy, Productive Canada: A Determinant of Health Approach.” Much of that report focuses on Aboriginal populations.

Why has the epidemic caused such havoc in places like the Indian community of St. Theresa Point, Manitoba? Severe overcrowding, lack of indoor plumbing in many homes, poverty. The report reminds us that health is not just medical. Far more, it is determined by other factors, such as housing, education, employment, income, and the gap in income between those at the top and those at the bottom. In order to address health, including Aboriginal health, the subcommittee argues that Canada must address these matters.

One table outlines the differences in some of the pertinent factors for Aboriginals and other Canadians. Life expectancy for non-Aboriginal women in 2004 was 82 years, for Indians 77 years, and for Inuit 70. Sixteen per cent of non-Aboriginals in 2000 were of low income, compared to 38% of Indians, 37 % of Métis, and 61% of Inuit. Twenty-two per cent of non-Aboriginals smoked daily in 2004, compared to 38% of Indians, 37% of Métis, and 61% of Inuit. Incidentally, the Tories killed a program to decrease tobacco use among Aboriginals.

A useful appendix to the report by Jeff Reading provides great detail about health problems of Aboriginals. He makes one point that is frequently overlooked: Aboriginal communities differ, both in terms of health conditions and in terms of culture. Thus, while there are over-all solutions that apply, there are also differences that need to be considered. And of course there are differences between those living on reserves or in other remote communities and those living in cities, where most now reside.

The report makes five recommendations that relate specifically to Aboriginals:

–Aboriginal peoples need to be involved in the design, development, and delivery of federal programs that address health determinants in their communities.

–The Prime Minister should work with the Premiers and Aboriginal leaders to close the gaps in health conditions through comprehensive, holistic, and coordinated programs and services.

–Priority needs to be given to clean water, food security, parenting and early childhood learning, education, housing, economic development, health care, and violence against women, children, and the elderly.

–Where there is disagreement on who pays, health determinant issues are to be settled by payment by the first government contacted. The final determination of who is left with the bill is to be resolved later.

–The Canadian government in consultation with the various stakeholders should support and finance the strategies and mechanisms to address the disparities in determinants of health affecting Aboriginal communities.

There are some confusions in these goals. For example, it is unclear what, other than narrowly defined health care, can be understood in the principle of payment by first government contacted for health determinant issues. More seriously, there is a lack of specifics. How much decline in smoking over what period of time? How much of an increase in post-secondary education by what date? And how much money needs to be spent? How is it to be allocated? The Tories found the $5 billion over five years in the Kelowna Accord to be too rich, as the money could apparently be better spent on attack helicopters, drones, and expansion of the prison system.

On-reserve improvements in health indicators will be dependent among other things on governance. The report does not address these. Two main governance issues arise: responsible and responsive councils and consensus on who is legitimately in control. The Assembly of First Nations (AFN), under Grand Chief Phil Fontaine’s leadership, recommended establishment of an ombudsman and auditor-general for reserves. The Tories have not accepted this proposal.

The issue of legitimacy is, on some reserves, more difficult, involving elected band councils versus hereditary leadership, as well as other players in some instances. Sometimes elected chiefs have reached out to hereditary leaders to try to make things work. For progress to occur in such communities there is need for skilled negotiations and dispute resolution.

The report speaks favourably of such programs as Quebec’s local health and social service centres, Ontario’s less extensive community health centres, and Cuba’s polyclinics. These offer a range of services such as nutritional and social work counselling, addictions and mental health support, immigrant integration, etc. Unfortunately, the Quebec centres have become more and more medical in their orientation, tending to move away from the broader concept of social determinants.

One problem is the report’s failure to address the special problems of small communities in remote areas, communities with just a few hundred residents. These locations are not able to sustain a health and social service centre. Instead, it may have to rely on a single facility housing an elementary school, nursing station, and band council, with perhaps some minimal staffing. In some cases, the appropriate focus will be on joint services of some nature with non-Aboriginal neighbors.

Another issue is that of poverty in cities. While some specifically Aboriginal services, such as friendship centres and health centres, are appropriate, the low level of social assistance payments affect non-Aboriginal people as well. The problem exists because poor people tend to be a low priority for government. The Canada Assistance Plan (CAP) matched provincial welfare programs with federal dollars, but governments, both Liberal and Conservative, chose to cut funding for health and social programs. The Liberal Party gave birth to CAP under Lester Pearson and buried it under Jean Chrétien.

While the Senate subcommittee report has many valuable features, especially the long and detailed appendix on Aboriginal health, the recommendations are weak. Perhaps that is the best that can be expected from a report requiring the kind of political support needed to get it approved.

By Myles Zacharias

In early fall 1995, thirty-five masked Ontario Provincial Police officers dressed in black riot gear pounded steel batons against their shields at Ipperwash Provincial Park. They call it “shield chatter,” and it is not intended to represent the heartbeat of the Earth like native drums. Police snipers were spread out around the riot squad, surveying also from the hills beyond the parking lot where this confrontation took place. In all, more than one hundred officers were present at the scene. Across from the police line stood about twenty unarmed First Nations men, women, and children.

During the summer of 1615, Samuel de Champlain paddled a canoe up to the land that would become Ipperwash Provincial Park. Champlain had known the area well for some years, but wanted to learn more about the rich cultures and complex peoples he found there. He mapped a vast amount of territory and wrote about the native way of life, describing a culture that grew and existed over ten-thousand years before anyone knew this land even existed. Although Champlain had earlier become famous for organizing First Nation tribes in battle against the Iroquois, he noted in particular the neutrality of the native people of Kettle Point, where he had arrived that summer.

Without warning or instruction to the protestors, the riot squad’s first charge sent a dozen Natives scrambling over fences and into the bush. A lone mixed breed dog with the group of remaining Natives bravely approached the intimidating line of police. A steel-toed boot kicked the mutt hard and sent limping and yelping. A second spontaneous police charge incited a vicious fight. The Natives did not have guns but instead defended themselves with rocks, poles of different sorts, and sticks. Police officers surrounded one of the men and pummeled him with their steel batons; his heart would later stop beating in an ambulance as he fell into unconsciousness.

Years after Champlain’s initial contact with First Nations in the area, Jesuit visitor Father Paul Le Jeune wrote that this warm and peaceful group of natives communally farmed squash, corn, vegetables, and tobacco and noted that “as regards to intelligence, they were in no way inferior to Europeans.” The Jesuits connected with the Kettle Point Natives’ spiritual belief that a Creator gave the Earth to all people equally. The priests marked the peaceful tendencies of these Native people by calling them “Neutrals.”

In an attempt to save the man being beaten to the brink of death, a bus and a car moved towards the circle of Ontario Police officers. Several officers fired their guns at the bus, wounding the driver but killing a dog inside. The skirmish had become a gunfight, but the only shots fired came from police. One officer took aim at a man standing opposite him named Anthony “Dudley” George and fired a semi-automatic weapon three times. The third bullet entered Dudley’s chest as he fell and killed him. Months later, before a judge in court, an officer who had been standing directly beside the shooter said Dudley was holding a stick and nothing more.

This battle between civilians and police contrasts sharply with the glimpse of Western-European/First Nation interactions that took place nearly 400 years ago and is known today as the blossom of the Ipperwash Crisis. The Crisis’ final days encompass the occupation of Ipperwash Provincial Park by a group of individuals who understand the land to be their own and the subsequent attempt by authorities to remove the occupants.

If the killing of Dudley George is the full bloom of the Ipperwash Crisis, and the seed was planted at the very first contact between First Nations and Europeans, then the rising stem broke through the soil around 1830 when the driving force of racism was exposed to light. In the Huron Tract Treaty #29, signed in 1827 by Chippewa Indian Chiefs and representatives of the British Crown, four reserves were created and well over two-million acres of traditional Chippewa lands were surrendered on the acceptance of European promises. Over the years, these reserves would be lopped and skimmed by public and private interests. A portion became Ipperwash Provincial Park, while some of the original land became the Kettle and Stoney Point reserves.

Documents signed by the Crown at the time of Huron Tract promised the ancient inhabitants of the land “the sum of one thousand and one hundred pounds of lawful money of Upper Canada in goods at the prices in goods usually paid for the time being for such goods in the city of Montreal, in the Province of Lower Canada; provided always.” After a Chippewa chief signed the document, he delivered words of respect to the Great Spirit, whom he thought offered gifts to his people for his own every year for as long as his land was offered.

The lifestyle of the Chippewa of Southwestern Ontario was one of seasonal cyclical movement between summer fishing waters and winter hunting grounds, with designated stops in between. This conflicted with a Western world philosophy of private property. For three years, the crown honored their agreements while the Chippewa spent most of the year off their newly designated lands. In 1830, the Lieutenant Governor paved the way for dealing with the “problem of making civil the Indian:”

[The Superintendent of Indian Affairs] will explain to the Chiefs that a village will be formed, as soon as possible for their residence, on any convenient spot, which may be thought more advantageous for their habitation than the divided tract now occupied by them, and he will impress upon them the necessity of the change proposed in their present habits and customs, and how greatly they must tend to their comfort and benefit, and that they ought to lose no time in clearing and cultivating their own lands, and making themselves as independent as the settlers are, who gradually close around them, and will soon occupy their hunting grounds.

The population of settlers grew quickly, and the Western-European customs bulldozed forward in their own development in lands that would remain under scrutiny for years to come. The settlers’ printed publications recorded their feelings regarding Natives and the situation in what is now Southwestern Ontario. Members of the business and working classed in the 19th and early 20th century expressed familiar opinions that the Natives were “uncivilized” and counter to progress. Reverend Thomas Hulburt audaciously voiced the implications of his beliefs an1864 issue of the Lambton County Gazetteer and General Business Directory , stating that the Indians of North America must be “disposed of in one of three ways: killed in war or by drink or Christianized by missionaries and thus made useful members of society.” The painful legacy of residential schools and high rate of alcoholism among First Nations would perhaps please Rev. Hulburt, but probably he would no longer say it.

Treaty# 242 further decreased reserve lands in 1885. Signed by John A Macdonald, it promised cash and annual interest paid to the people of Stoney and Kettle Point. The treaty was drafted in response to the theft of trees from Native land by a local mill. Instead of justice, the people were given another promise in exchange for more land.

Current land-claims testimony argues that speculators bribed some band members in 1927 and purchased the land far below its resale value so they could turn a larger profit for themselves. Ten years later, Ontario Province bought the land from a private group to create Ipperwash Provincial Park. Discovery of remains in 1937 supported the well-argued fact the land contained Native burial sites. It was agreed that the site would be fenced off, but the Attorney General’s final report from the Ipperwash Inquiry indicates that it never was.

The flower of the Ipperwash Crisis formed its bud in 1942 when Canada, having declared war on Germany in 1939, suggested building a temporary military base near Stoney Point. Local merchants in a nearby town were in favor of expanded business and banded together to draw the base to them. The Canadian military later formally decided the location was not viable due to concerns over running water, but the town’s business leaders were insistent. The Stoney Point reserve was determined to be prime real estate going to waste on “unproductive” lands. A new site was chosen on reserve lands, but under the Indian Act the government was required to set the proposed military base to a vote within the reserve. Voting rights had not yet been given to First Nations, and Native communities had little if any political influence.

The Canadian government offered the people of Stoney Point $50,000 for 2,211 acres of reserve land—a little over twenty dollars an acre. The people of Stoney Point voted clearly in a 59-13 defeat of the base proposal and their subsequent relocation. Two weeks later, the base was appropriated under the War Measures Act. The band members fighting with the Allied forces, like Dudley George’s cousin, were not able to vote on the proposal but were assured the base was temporary. Dudley George’s father, Reginald Rumsford “Nug” George, was one of those Stoney Pointers uprooted from his home. Reginald’s brother was fighting overseas and heard from his brother by letters what was happening. Bulldozers demolished the houses and buildings were, and the people were relocated to a nearby reserve at Kettle Point reserve. The Stoney Point community was very different from the band inhabiting Kettle Point. Along with the clash of identities, the Stoney Pointers lost their rights to graze cattle, hunt, or gather wood without permission of the Kettle Point community. Before the end of WWII, the base was transitioned from temporary to permanent. Around the same time, more bones were found by the superintendent’s wife and were confirmed as ancient human remains.

By Richard Wagamese

You walk this old timber road as if you were dreaming. Ahead of you the dog splatters footprints in the fresh snow and the curves and undulations of the land are skewed by the hard slant of its fall. Everything is muffled now and only the soft crunch of footfalls links you to reality.

Everywhere is shadow. This bush is sparse on the side of the mountain and the spaces between trees serve only to accentuate the charcoal line where the light is blocked and you wonder how green so easily turns inward on itself to gray.

Standing here, a mile off the road, alone, you’re suddenly aware of the size of it all, this country you pull around you like a shawl. You can feel the roll of it at your feet, this cordillera humped up and moving hard to prairie a thousand miles off or angling off behind you, dropping through valley, gulch and draw to ocean, flat and undulating and eternal.

Sometimes you breathe this country in and it fills you, the air of it all wild, free and open like a ragged song.

I’ve heard that song in a thousand places.

Once in the winter of 1996, I plowed through prairie snow along the cliffs above the North Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon. I was teaching there and I walked to clear my head. The wind was raw and cutting and through tears I saw the bend of that river through the ice, felt its muscle from three hundred feet away and heard its sibilant call to Hudson Bay, the echoed shouts of Indians and voyageurs riding on the crystal fog of ice.

My friends, Anne Doucette and Michael Finley, lived there and I stayed with them that winter. She owned a bookstore and he taught at the university and with their son and daughter and Ann’s mother, they welcomed me into their home. It was a sad time for me then and walking eased the hurt. But I’d plow through that winter chill, knee deep in fresh prairie snow and return to feel the warmth of welcome at their door.

I can’t think of Saskatoon now without recalling the ghostly remnants of that song along the river and the light and warmth of friendship that was a song itself.

Another time, in 1987, I was struggling to be a freelance journalist. I tracked down a famous artist who was ensconced in the Jasper Lodge and made arrangements to interview him for a native paper. Driving north from Calgary through Banff and then the glistening glory that is the Columbia Ice Fields I felt the power of the landscape through the windows.

Then, twenty miles or so south of Jasper I stopped to rest. I walked through the woods towards the sound of waterfalls. What I found was magnificent. I stepped out onto a small table of stone that stood above a chasm where the water tumbled. The face of the waterfall was in front of me and in the shaded light of mid-morning I watched it fall mere yards away. It was like being levitated, floating right in the face of all that fluid power.

What I heard in the roar and sigh of that emerald and white and turquoise flume was spirit songs, the voices of my people in celebration of that pure, primal power. Later, in the living room of his suite, I spent an entire afternoon and early evening with Norval Morrisseau talking about art and music and the spiritual and traditional ways of the Ojibway.

I can’t enter Jasper now without a feeling of tremendous awe for the stark contrast of roar and whisper and mystery in the song that is Canada.

Then, in 1998, I spent five days in a canoe with an Inuk man named Enoch. We paddled a course of portages that the Algonquin people used to navigate their way through the territory north of Maniwaki, Quebec. There were a dozen of us in six canoes under the guidance of a pair of Algonquin guides and elders.

We paddled across a wide lake in a raging windstorm, the two of us battling mightily with waves higher than the gunwales of the canoe, rain splattering us, soaking us, driving us. In the shelter of a horseshoe bay we drank black tea and felt the wind calm. That afternoon we shot a rapids, both of us energized by the challenge and then emerged into a long, flat cove and fished and rested.

We camped that night on a rock bluff covered with moss and surrounded by huge firs and pines. In the light of the fire that night I heard the soughing of the wind through the trees, the soft slap of water at the foot of the bluff and the call of loons. We talked and I heard stories of an Inuk life, a life I’d never encountered before, never understood, never imagined.

In all of it, there was the sheer loneliness that is the north and the comfort of a voice in the glow of firelight like grace notes all around us.

Yes, there is a song that is Canada. You can feel the notes of it in the bush and tree and rock, sense the tempo and pitch and rhythm of it in the crash of a Pacific surf and glean its meter in the relentless push of breeze across a prairie sky. There are ancient notes in the chorus of it, voices sprung from Métis roots, Ojibway, Cree, Micmac and then the French, German, Scot and English. It’s a grand and magnificent clamor.

I have learned that to love this country means to love its people. All of them. For when we say, all my relations, it’s meant in a teaching way, to rekindle community in us, the knowledge that we are all part of the great, grand circle of humanity that shapes this country and that we need each other.

It wouldn’t be Canada with one voice less.

By Lloyd Dolha

Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN) Chief Lawrence Joseph announced his intention to seek re-election this fall. At a news conference in Saskatoon, Joseph said housing for First Nations people will be his main campaign issue. “Housing needs to be developed collectively and quickly,” he told the Star Phoenix. “Housing is way, way behind. It is deplorable.” Joseph says all options must be explored to ensure First Nations’ treaty right to shelter is honoured. That may include more private home ownership on reserves, and communities such as the Lac La Ronge Indian Band are experimenting with this model.

Joseph is proud to have helped rein in the federation’s $1.6-million deficit during his three-year term. The FSIN posted a $388,000 surplus this year. If re-elected, other priorities for Joseph would address treaty implementation, gang violence and youth suicide. As for the ongoing controversy at First Nations University of Canada, Joseph said governance reform must proceed. Studies have recommended a smaller and less political university board, which is currently dominated by First Nations chiefs. The provincial and federal governments are currently withholding funds until changes are made. “We need to depoliticize the board,” Joseph said. “It’s taken so long because the chiefs are leery of handing over control until they are certain it will be managed properly.”

Chief Reg Bellerose of the Muskowekwan First Nation has also joined the race. Bellerose is currently serving his fifth year as chief of Muskowekwan and believes this experience gives him a unique insight into how to move the FSIN forward. In an interview, he stated that the “political agenda for the chiefs and councils of Saskatchewan First Nations governments is to elevate their office” which will enable them to better serve their people. Bellerose explained, “They, as the representatives of their people, they need ministerial access. They need to access their counterparts at the provincial and federal level.” Bellerose believes a common voice speaking on behalf of all Saskatchewan First Nations is important.

For Bellerose, the two critical areas in First Nations communities are housing and training. Bellerose said the province is booming but First Nations people are being left out on many fronts. “We have the largest potential workforce in the province, but we’re getting minimal investment, but yet the provincial government will go off shore to bring in nurses, will go off shore to bring in skilled labour,” he said. “We have it right here in our First Nation communities, but we need the investment in terms of skill development and training.”

If he is successful, Bellerose has a clear vision of his focus as a leader. He believes it is important to push forward the duty to consult. Industry needs to talk with First Nations before the province grants a permit to a company. Bellerose said First Nations are not receiving a share of resources even though many of the natural resources are being extracted from traditional land. He also feels that all tribal councils should become more involved in gaming because it provides own-source revenue for communities. Bellerose also wants to see peacekeepers become more involved with reserve communities and work to improve the relationship between the RCMP and First Nations living.

Former FSIN vice-chief Guy Lonechild has also announced his intention to run for the top post and plans to focus on education and health services, as well as cultural preservation. After announcing his candidacy last year, Lonechild said that incumbent Chief Joseph Lawrence’s style of “pounding the table, making accusations, and using hurtful language” cannot continue.

The election takes place on October 19th during the FSIN assembly in Saskatoon.

By Lloyd Dolha

On August 5th, newly elected Assembly of First Nations (AFN) national chief Shawn Atleo forged an important consensus among First Ministers at a meeting of the of the nation’s premiers in Regina. Atleo, 42, has a Masters in Education and is a hereditary chief from Ahousat on the west coast of Vancouver Island. He is a founding member of the BC First Nations Leadership Council and the first Aboriginal chancellor of a BC university. Atleo attended the Council of the Federation meeting along with representatives from other national Aboriginal organizations. The meeting represented the sixth consecutive time that the AFN has participated in the premier’s Council.

National Chief Atleo encouraged the premiers to commit to developing common interests, as well as sustaining and tracking progress between meetings. He called on the provinces and territories to work cooperatively with First Nations to address the long list of outstanding inter-jurisdictional issues including the H1N1 flu virus, funding for social programs, and lands and resources issues.

The newly elected national chief said he’s looking for a “plan for action” on the H1N1 flu (swine flu), which is a particular concern in isolated First Nations communities. “We need to make sure that between jurisdictions that we have everybody working together and on the same page to make sure that communities have the resources needed to take care of their citizens,” Atleo said. He feels a partnership between Aboriginal groups, the provinces, and the federal government could ensure proper planning for a surge in flu cases. “In effect, we’re asking for help,” he said. “We want to make sure that the most vulnerable of our population, the indigenous people of this country, are well-served.”

In late July, First Nations leaders in remote northern Manitoba communities where H1N1 is hitting particularly hard said they worry the pandemic will worsen before they’re armed with the same arsenal of tools that helped a nearby Ontario reserve “stop flu in its tracks.” Two months after the first sick patients were airlifted from isolated Manitoba reserves such as St. Theresa Point and Garden Hill, the chiefs said they are still in the dark about whether drugs such as Tamiflu will be available should H1N1 resurface in the coming weeks.

There were 24 confirmed cases of H1N1 in St. Theresa Point, which is about 500 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg, and another seven confirmed cases in nearby Garden Hill. The chiefs are asking why their communities received next to no antiviral drugs, when the northwestern Ontario First Nation of Sandy Lake was given 1,800 doses to control an H1N1 outbreak there. According to National Chief Atleo, “In order to look forward, we must ensure that we all shoulder the collective responsibility, bring forward the required leadership, investment, and accountability to all of the people of Canada. We are all treaty people and we all share in this land,” he said.

At the conclusion of meeting, Premier Wall announced the formation of an Aboriginal Affairs Ministers Working Group to develop issues and interests towards a proposed First Ministers Meeting in November 2010. This commitment represents a significant agreement. National Chief Atleo feels an efficient and effective process can maximize outcomes for every First Nation across Canada, and appreciates the support of his colleagues. “We will begin a concerted effort to fully engage all of our people and all of our communities in this important opportunity,” he said. “We must and we will lead this effort ensuring that our treaties and agreements are fully implemented and our governments respected and supported.”

Chief Atleo encouraged all premiers to take steps to demonstrate leadership and work toward solid outcomes. “I believe this is our time,” he said, “a time for Indigenous peoples to come together in recognition and respect to lead the change needed for all people to live sustainably and in harmony. Today’s meeting gives me added hope and optimism that we are on the right track.”

A senior Manitoba Health official said its stockpile of H1N1 antiviral drugs has been made available to Health Canada for distribution among the province’s First Nation communities. Concerns about the H1N1 virus have prompted a handful of First Nations to stay away from the upcoming Aboriginal Summer Games. Some 3,200 athletes (most of them teenagers) along with coaches, parents, and supporters are set to participate in the games, which opened on August 9th at the Onion Lake Cree Nation about 50 kilometres north of Lloydminster. Organizers said that out of 80 reserve communities, they have heard from just four who have decided not to participate. “It is very unfortunate,” Kelly Villeneuve, co-coordinator for the games, said of the absence of an estimated 280 youngsters. “However we do have to respect the wishes of those parents.”

Villeneuve said extensive planning took place to ensure the sporting event would not affected by the flu. For starters, athletes were being screened at clinics in their home communities before heading out to the games. Additional health screening will also be available at the games site, where nurses will watch flu symptoms and will refer the person to a doctor if needed. Villeneuve added that $20,000 has been budgeted for on-site hand sanitizers and washing stations to help reduce the spread of germs.

Story by Dr. John Bacher Photos by Danny Beaton

My friends and I started camping in Georgian Bay on a regular basis about 10 years ago. It is probably one of the most beautiful places that I have been to in my entire life. The waters are everywhere. The forests are everywhere. We pick the berries. We eat the fish and we gather cedar on a regular basis. I call it the Healing Place. In the past few years, we started seeing signs saying “Stop Dump Site 41 Protect Our Water.” I said to my best friend one day, “See that sign? I am going to get involved in that. It’s very serious, I can tell.”

Around that time, I started phoning the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Tiny Township and Penetanguishene and the surrounding area of Simcoe County. One of the questions I was asking them is what is going on with this Stop Dump Site 41sign? I was telling them that I am a Mohawk environmentalist and I want to get involved. I learned from an employee of the local recycling store that it was Steve Odgen who made the sign. They gave me his phone number and said that he was a good guy.

When I phoned Steve Ogden around October last year, I mentioned that I just returned from Atlanta Georgia with my best friend. We had just been involved with the Walk For Water for ten days, and I felt it was a very effective way to bring attention to a water issue. We had walked from the headwaters of the Chattahoochee River to the legislative buildings in Atlanta, Georgia.

I suggested to Steve that we walk from Georgian Bay to Toronto and call it Walk For the Water. It would bring attention to the Sacred Waters of the Alliston Aquifer and the tributaries that run into the Georgian Bay. Steve had explained to me that Simcoe County’s plan along with Miller Waste was to build Dump Site 41. After we did the walk, which lasted eight days from the end of November to the first week of December 2008, we were very pleased with what we had accomplished by stopping in local towns along the way and generating media attention to the struggle that Steve Odgen has been involved with for 23 years.

Steve had been a local farmer for many years until Dump Site 41 came along. In January 2009, I organized a press conference with Maude Barlow of the United Nations, The Council of Canadians, Elizabeth May of the Green Party, Andrea Horvath of the NDP, Dan McDermitt of the Sierra Club, and the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation. This press conference was for the launching of an online petition directed at Honourable Dalton McGuinty and Honourable John Gerretsen to Stop Dump Site 41. At present, the petition can be reached on my web site (www.dannybeaton.ca) and has over 7,000 signatures and comments denouncing Dump Site 41 and the rape of the Alliston Aquifer. On March 8, 2009, we organized the press conference at Queen’s Park with native spiritual leaders (Arnold Thomas, Shoshone from Utah and from Robertjohn Knapp, Seneca-Tobattaloma from California) to ask Dalton McGuinty and John Gerretsen to Stop Dump Site 41 and the rape of the Alliston Aquifer and for Natives to unite in this struggle.

At the same time on May 8, five Anishinabe Kweag (Ojibway women) organized a protest camp to hold a peaceful vigil across the road from Dump Site 41. Since the peaceful protest camp began, arrests and charges began to be laid by the Ontario OPP and authorities starting August 5, 2009. Retired 82 year-old farmer Keith Wood and his wife Ina, 76, were forced to turn themselves in to OPP on mischief charges at the Midland detachment. Mr Wood said, “Since my family has farmed in the area for six generations, protesting is a simple matter of doing the right thing! I would rather march in the front lines than have my children or grandchildren die of poisoned water.” Keith added, “I owe it to them.” Since the OPP began making arrests, nine people have been charged, including Vicki Monague, the spokesperson for the five Ojibway women.