Posts By: First Nations Drum

A Christmas Story: Sharon Greyeyes’ Original Bannock Shop

By Lloyd Dolha

SharonThis is a Christmas story. It’s also a story about guts, determination and an overwhelming drive to succeed in one of Canada’s worst neighbourhoods.

It’s a story about Sharon Greyeyes, an Ojibway woman from the Broken Head Ojibway First Nation in Manitoba. A confident and caring single mother of nine children, and a grandmother seven times over, Sharon’s dream is to open her own storefront restaurant to cater to the impoverished aboriginal and non-aboriginal people of Vancouver’s downtown eastside.

Sharon’s unique product has attracted a dedicated clientele – one that grows each day. She makes stuffed bannock, of every conceivable kind, selling largely to the patrons of east end bars as a way to generate extra income for her large and growing family.

“I started off about ten years ago as a way to make extra money for Christmas presents for my nine children because living off of welfare as a single mom, I didn’t have the money for presents come Christmas time,” says Sharon.

Last spring a chance to realize her dream came one huge step closer. She took a 12-week course called “Start Your Own Business” at the First Nations Employment and Enterprise Centre; the gist of which was to develop a personal business plan.

There she conceived of “Sharon’s Original Bannock”, a sole proprietorship storefront operation selling stuffed bannock to walk-in traffic, local aboriginal organizations and government agencies.

Armed with her business plan and more than 300 testimonials from satisfied customers, Sharon made the rounds to aboriginal capital corporations, Aboriginal Business Canada and credit unions to start up her business. But she lacked the necessary equity to qualify for loans from standard lending institutions.

“I just want to open a place for my elders to come and have a decent meal that they can afford without being bothered by anyone,” said Sharon.

Undeterred, she turned to her many friends who also believed in her dream, borrowing almost $10,000 to secure licensed baking facilities and a small storefront space on East Hastings.

She cut herself off from welfare and slept on the floor of the shop for three months while making fresh baked goods to sell daily.

“I make a variety of stuffed bannock, fresh daily, like vegetable beef, pepperoni and cheese, chicken stew and chili. You can also order your own custom-made bannock of whatever you want,” says Sharon.

Sharon also makes delicious tarts that literally fly off her trays. These include butter tarts, apple, cherry, blueberry, strawberry, pumpkin, lemon and mincemeat.

Sharon has also won the grudging respect of the crackheads and heroin junkies who hang out on the corner of Hastings and Carroll.

“Every morning when I go out to sweep the sidewalk clear of needles and junk, I would chase them with my broom. I told them not to dirty up my storefront and I would feed them,” said Sharon.

Now when Sharon comes out in the mornings, they scatter giving Sharon and her broom a wide berth.

New look and marketing strategy
“I see tremendous potential for Sharon,” said Ernest Gray, of Haida Kloo Consulting, Sharon’s business advisor.

“I compare it to newer foods like samosa or sushi. They came out of nowhere and now they’re everywhere. Sharon has that same kind of potential,” says Grey.

Grey is helping Sharon develop a marketing strategy for the lower mainland and additional start-up funds from PEACH or Partners for Economic And Community Help – a lending agency that was created as part of the Vancouver Agreement for the revitalization of the downtown eastside.

PEACH is a “lender of last resort”, dealing only with applicants who cannot access loans through regular financial institutions. PEACH supports economic development initiatives that will result in job creation through the federal Western Economic Diversification Fund.

Gray is assisting Sharon to secure additional start-up funds to refurbish her storefront operation and develop marketing materials.

“Their funding comes in a couple of stages with a view to the long-term. In the future, we hope to secure additional funds for the purchase of new baking equipment, a delivery truck and maybe a website,” said Gray.

Sharon has a goal of making 1,000 baked goods per day at a nominal price of one dollar per unit, when her facilities are complete. Every day people stop her on the street to ask when her store will be opening.

“When that happens, I’ll be able to buy Christmas presents for all my family and send them back home too,” says Sharon.

Chief’s House Torched in Kanesatake

By Joseph O’Connor

Violence erupted in Kanesatake on January 13 when protesters set fire to Grand Chief James Gabriel’s house. Fortunately the Chief, along with his wife and two children, had fled from the house before it was torched

Kanesatake is divided by the supporters of Chief Gabriel and his crackdown on pot growers and cigarette smugglers versus fellow councilor Steven Bonspille, who opposes the Chief’s tactics and extreme measures.

The council, which operates with a debt of three million dollars, has been deadlocked on most issues for the past year. Last week Chief Gabriel was able to pass the motion to replace interim police chief Tracy Cross.

The reason for the police chief’s dismissal was his so called lack of effort to prevent the drug trade on the reserve. There were no raids on pot growers; smugglers weren’t arrested.

A decorated soldier and veteran of two tours in Bosnia, Cross defended his record: “The accusation that was made by Mr. Gabriel that I was soft on crime is false and misleading. First of all, I was only in the position for seven months. I had to start right from scratch, to restructure the police department all over again. While I was doing that there was too much interference by the Mohawk council, by James Gabriel.”

Not only was Cross dismissed, his replacement, Terry Isaac, was not from Kanesatake; nor were the sixty constables who came with him. The new police force was enlisted from other bands and none were Mohawks. For the protesters, this was unacceptable. They surrounded the police station when Isaac and his constables arrived and would not let anyone leave.

“We have been barricaded in our own station,” Isaac said. “They tossed bricks to prevent us from leaving.”

As the siege prolonged, the mob got increasingly unruly. Trees were felled to block a highway near the reserve and Chief Gabriel’s car was destroyed and his house burned.

When the firefighters tried to enter Kanesatake to save the house, they were refused entry by the protesters. The fate of Isaac and his police force was headed for a showdown, until the Quebec government intervened and made a deal with the protesters to allow Isaac and his 55 constables to leave the police station unharmed.

“You have to deal with reality,” Quebec Public Security Minister Jacques Chagnon said. “We were in a dead end and if it wasn’t solved we would have spent a second night with armed people on both sides and the possibility of a bloodbath tomorrow.”

The deal had to be made. Grand Chief James Gabriel, who didn’t agree with Chagnon, saw the outcome as defeat for him and his followers.

“I won’t buy peace from a gang of criminals who make up their own rules and respect no authority.”

The Quebec government did what it had to do. Gabriel, who is now without a home may also be without a job. Steven Bonspille has been lobbying for an election that could see Gabriel ousted as Grand Chief

A fragile situation that doesn’t look like it will improve overnight may see crime on Kanesatake continue to prosper. James Gabriel may have wanted too much too soon, but considering the history of smuggling and crime that went unchecked for seven years after the Oka crisis, Gabriel’s policies were not without reason.

Unfortunately, it was too little, too late, the criminal element is already so entrenched at Kanesatake, that any attempt to stop it will meet the same violence that Terry Isaac and James Gabriel had to deal with last week.

When the CBC reported that things were back to normal, many residents of Kanesatake were infuriated.

“When a chief of a community has his house burned to the ground and escapes with the clothes on his back, it’s way beyond what I regard as normal,” said a resident who wished to remain anonymous.

AFN Leader Seeks to Reorganize National Body

By Lloyd Dolha

Recently re-elected National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, Phil Fontaine is beginning a complete review of the national lobby group’s decision-making process through a National Chief’s Commission on Organizational reform.

“It [the AFN] evolved into a chief’s organization and it may be time to re-invent the assembly,” said Fontaine in a recent interview.

A National Chief’s Commission will review the way the national chief is elected. Currently only elected chiefs can elect the national leader.

The AFN’s governance structure has been harshly criticized by Indian Affairs Minister Robert Nault as an elitist body representing only self-interested chiefs. Nault cut the AFN’s funding during the 2000-2003 term of the confrontational Matthew Coon Come from $19 million to approximately $6 million.

Coon Come attempted a similar review in 2001, but his efforts were quickly stifled by the governing chiefs. He tried to revive the issue earlier this year in a 46 page discussion paper on restructuring, but was defeated by Fontaine in the July AFN election.

Fontaine, back at the helm of the AFN after his defeat by Coon Come in 2000, said the chiefs now favour change in the organizational structure of the national body.

Fontaine said he’d like to see the AFN promote a more positive image of Canada’s First Nations so taxpayers will see more First Nations success stories.

“They have to know that the money that’s going towards First Nations’ services and programs is not going into a sinkhole, but that there is a significant return on investment,” said the national chief.

Fontaine added that social conditions for First Nations can be improved if a way can be found to train the growing number of aboriginal youth to match the emerging labour shortages in the Canadian economy as baby-boomers retire in the near future.

Native youth hold future
It’s a daunting challenge. The 2001 Aboriginal Peoples Survey released by Statistics Canada on Wednesday September 24th, found that 48 per cent of young aboriginals aged 20 to 24 were high school dropouts as compared to about one-third of non-aboriginals. One quarter of native girls aged 15 to 19 said they left school because of pregnancy or child-care issues, while 24 per cent of boys in the same age group cited boredom.

Survey questions were answered by117,000 Indian, Inuit and Metis people, including 86,000 living off reserve.

Witness the aboriginal youth gang phenomenon exploding across the prairie provinces. The aboriginal youth population is set to quadruple in the next decade and with that comes a greater need to educate and train native-teens – almost 70 per cent of whom drop out of school for private sector jobs.

If the problem is left un-addressed, the social and financial implications will punish Canadian taxpayers said John Kim Bell, president of the Aboriginal Achievement Foundation (AAF).

By 2016, nearly 400,000 aboriginal youth will be eligible to enter the work force said Bell.

“If we don’t change the drop out rate, the cost of health is going to go up, the cost of welfare is going to go up – because if these 350,000 kids are unemployable, what are they going to do?”

Many of the Canada’s 92,000 aboriginal youth aboriginal youth aged 15 to 19 can only find low paying part-time or seasonal work said Bell.

Bell, the founder of the Achievement Foundation, that tirelessly encourages aboriginal youth to pursue higher paying employment in manufacturing, transportation and information technology industries through career fairs held four times per year across the nation.

On Tuesday, September 23rd, some 300 corporate executives, academics aboriginal leaders and youth gathered in Toronto in an effort to introduce aboriginal students to new career paths.

Fontaine sets up office
In the meantime, AFN leader Phil Fontaine has recently come under fire for a proposed $900,000 budget to set up his national office.

That includes plans to spend an additional $300,000 to upgrade AFN headquarters that were upgraded four years ago during Fontaine’s first term as national chief for a total of $1.2 million in the proposed budget.

Fontaine was not available for comment, but Manny Jules, his new chief of staff defended the request currently under review by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada.

“There’s always a difference between what you request and what you get,” said Jules in an interview.

At least $250,000 of the proposed amount will be used to compensate four non-political staff who were fired after Fontaine’s
return to the national office.

Fontaine wants to double his staff to 18 from the number who served under Coon Come.

As for the renovations, Jules said that work was being done during Fontaine’s first term, that included oak wood flooring and cherrywood wall panels for the national chief’s office and more upgrades are expected.

“One of the things we want to make sure of is that people, when they come into the Assembly of First Nations, know they’re coming into a national institute that represents First Nations across the country,” said the new chief of staff.

Roberta Jamieson, leader of the Six Nations of Grand River in Southwestern Ontario was also a candidate for the AFN leadership in the July election.

Jamieson expressed surprise at the news of the proposed office budget.

“It’s a very big price tag. We all know what the needs are in the communities,” said Jamieson.”He’ll have to account to the chiefs.”

Bee in the Bonnet: Halls!

By Bernie Bates

HallwayThe blue light of early morning filled the intermediate boy’s dorm of the Saint Joseph mission, when Brother Robby came in to announce: “Time! Time, boys to get up. Time!”

But I was already awake – this was to be my first memory of the Catholic Residential school system.

As the lights went on they made a ‘ping’ sound. One by one they were turned on and one by one they sounded off; Ping, Ping, Ping. It’s kind of funny, the things a person remembers. They say that the senses can provoke powerful memories and stir emotions you’d thought to be long dead!

It’s been many, many moons since I attended the mission and in that time I’ve forgotten a lot of things, or, should I say, repressed. But recently I had the opportunity to walk the halls of an old mission. Even though the place had been refurbished and was now a fancy resort, the basic structure was still intact.

“Standing at the entrance, I was struck by the immense size of the building, I’d never seen anything so big. I was scared and I just wanted to leave this place and go home with my Mommy!” But, hey! I was now on holiday with my wife! I wasn’t a small kid anymore and this building was no longer a Catholic Mission either.

As I said, the human senses have a way of bringing the past back with an intense fervor.

Checking in at the front desk was as the same as any other hotel, until I was told that the room was once the ‘visiting room’ (a room where parents and children would meet). It was then that a feeling came over me like a flood of water, tears, to be more exact. I remembered it as the ‘crying room,’ because, anyone that came into that room would break down in mournful sobs or out-right wails of sadness- I was eleven- again!

Walking down the halls, I could hear the steps of a hundred shoes following behind me. We were all in a line marching to the recreation room to say our pre-meal prayers. The junior, intermediate and senior boys all standing against the walls, shoulder to shoulder, heads bowed, and, in unison, a roar of voices would begin; “Our Father….!” Then I snapped back to the present day and I was standing at my hotel room door with my wife saying, “Well? Are you coming in?”

My wife, being a person of non-native heritage, had no idea what was going on in my head or in my heart. To her, all she saw was me standing there with our suitcases and a blank stare on my face. Little did she know I was carrying a lot more ‘baggage’ than either of us realized!

If you have a little more salt than pepper in your hair, you’re probably old enough to have attended a mission and you’ll know what I’m writing about. But, if your hair is still as black as the feathers of a crow- I hope you’re be able to read and get the ‘feelings,’ I and many others felt, both good and bad.

As some would have you believe- it wasn’t all sex abuse and cultural devastation. Some of the Fathers, Brother and Sisters were very concerned with our feelings of abandonment, due to the fact we were left in the care of an institution, especially for the younger ones.

They did their best to help us adjust to the loneliness a person can feel, even as they stand in a crowd of hundreds. And for me that saviour was Brother Robby.

I truly believe Brother Robby saved me from my self-imposed depression. I was very upset at my parents for leaving me at the mission. And to punish them for their betrayal, I, at first, hated them as hard as I could. When that didn’t work, I decided to pout and became as sad as I possibly could.

The only thing wrong with that plan was- Brother Robby wasn’t going to let me do that to myself!

He was a ‘hell of a guy,’ for a Catholic Brother! I swear he could make the Devil himself smile. He just had a way of sensing when you were down and he’d do something to get your mind off of whatever was bothering you.

Everything from a joke out of his well worn bag to crossing his eyes, sticking out his tongue and making a funny face to an understanding nod of his head, accompanied by a sympathetic smile.

I don’t know where you’re at, Brother Robby, or even if you’re still alive …. I just hope, somehow, you receive this – “I thank you, for helping me! And I love you like a brother, for your heart-felt compassion!”

Bee in the Bonnet: Artsy Fartsy

By B.H. Bates

CartoonI’m not only a writer, I’m a cartoonist and, as such, I supplement my income by painting windows for different events and occasions. For example: annual
festivals and Christmas. And, on a regular basis I’m asked (by people who are watching me work), “Do you carve?”

I’m never asked questions like: “Do you (also) paint portraits?” or “Do you spin a mean potters wheel?”

No, it’s always a wood carver. Never a glass blower, a mural painter, a photographer, a jeweller or a water colorist, be it, scenic or nudes.

And the reason is simple: I have black hair, brown eyes and a year-round tan on my back side. Therefore, being native and an artist, I must carve totem poles!

The thing that kind of rubs me the wrong way is, let’s say, for instance, I was a person of Irish descent. Would I still be asked the same question? Not likely, but, more than likely I’d be asked, “Where’s a good place to hunt Leprechauns?”

And I am an artist! But, there’s more to me than that . . . I’m not only a cartoonist I’m also a writer, a poet and, among other things, I was also an advertising manager for a newspaper, a professional bull rider and I used to choreograph dance for a company called Knew York Productions! But, sadly, all they see are the feathers!

Seeing that I’m on the subject of, “things that rub me the wrong way!” Let’s take a look at the government’ support of “native art!”

I’ve tried for years and years and years to get funding so I could pursue my dreams of one day becoming a revered novelist, a witty humorist, an insightful playwright and a noted poet. And time and time again I was rejected (and as a writer I’m well aware that rejection is just part of the game).

But, the one thing that really put a stone in my moccasin is the fact that I was passed over (for funding), time and time again, in favor of other artists that were getting the wampum just so they could carve another #@%*ing eagle!

Now before I get a bunch of natives with sharp implements mad at me, I just want it to be known, that I’m very much in favor of the traditional crafts. I simply want the government to know that we natives have more to offer, creatively, than the same old bird!

Multi-talented we are!
We have mastered other venues in the World of art. We can spin a mean potters wheel, act, dance, write and sing as sweetly as anyone else on the Great Spirit’s planet! Some natives are even revered and considered every bit the professionals of our given fields and not just a bunch of ARTSY FARTSY goof offs! And we should be recognized and given credit for our efforts to further our people, in the eyes of the World!

In a way, the boys’ club of Ottawa, are once again trying to keep us down on the farm (Rez). And by that, I mean, the government is providing some natives with the resources to support the ever growing market for carved wood, yet they rarely support other natives with worthwhile endeavors.

As long as natives are willing to carve and sell at a loss to greedy shop owners, the Ottawa boys will just go on giving their support to the same old, same old!

I mean, come on, now! How many times can the same old Thunderbird be re-carved? It’s just regurgitation for the masses as far as I’m concerned!

Why not a playor a musical about the Thunderbird? Maybe even a Rap musical about the mighty Great Spirit! I’ll even give some native Rapper out-there the first few lines, just to get things started:
Brownish blues or war-hoops, you choose. Stop looking at your shoes and raise your eyes to the skies and sing, “I will not melt into your pot nor will I fade into your past. I am not the last. I am a child of the Great Spirit!”

Just ask yourself, how many great native actors do you read about in the STAR? How many writers of native heritage jump to mind when someone says the words “bestseller?” How many other professions can you think of, in which we’re not represented? We natives, as a people, are very talented when it comes to the arts. So why aren’t there more natives standing at podiums across this great land receiving trophies and kudos?

I do know this, if you want to grow a flower, you have to plant the seed in a fertile soil and nourish it as it grows. And the reward you get is not only in the beauty from that one flower, it’s also in the seeds you’ll receive from that flower to grow even more beautiful, fragrant and eye pleasing wonders of nature!

Blueberry River First Nations Launches $7.5 Million Lawsuit Against Gas Development

By Lloyd Dolha

Located in the heart of the booming oil and gas fields of northeastern British Columbia, the Blueberry River First Nation has filed a $7.5 million lawsuit against the province and the Calgary-based Canadian Natural Resources Ltd., seeking damages over gas-related illnesses suffered by local residents and a permanent injunction against all development and production activities within ten kilometres of their reserve.

“Our community lives in the shadow of gas wells and flares and now two-thirds of our land is unsafe to live on,” said Blueberry River Chief Malcolm Apsassin, at a press conference in Vancouver on October 20.

Apsassin said that his people suffer from a number of sicknesses and live in constant fear of the effects of the natural gas wells that encircle their community of 350 people located some 80 kilometres north of Fort St. John.

“We must be able to hunt and fish and live on our land again, so we want no oil and gas [activities] within ten kilometres,” added Apsassin.

The Blueberry First Nation’s traditional way of life, largely of trapping and ranching, has been hindered by resource development.

Surrounded by wells which produce and release quantities of hydrogen-sulphide “sour” gas, the lawsuit will demonstrate that British Columbia, which asserts legislative jurisdiction over all aspects of oil and gas development through the BC Oil and Gas Commission (OGC), and CNRL, who have significant operations in the vicinity of the reserve, have directly impacted the use and nature of the reserve.

New report on sour gas
In Alberta, a new study prepared with funding from the Ministry of the Environment suggests that there is a lot that even scientists don’t know about the toxic effects of sour gas.

The study, an examination of scientific literature, media reports personal accounts and reports from a number of institutions and research boards, says that closing the knowledge gap should be a priority.

“There are many examples that hydrogen sulphide should be regarded as a broad-spectrum toxicant and that repeated exposure may result in cumulative effects on many organs systems such as the brain, lung and heart,” states the report, prepared by University of Calgary researchers Sheldon Roth and Verona Goodwin.

Robert Coppock, a member of the American Board of Toxicology, agreed with the finding of the report that there is a need to know more.

He noted that there are more than 6,000 chemicals in sour gas, making it much different from pure hydrogen sulphide.

Coppock said that very little is known about the interactions of hydrogen sulphide with some of these other chemicals; however, he noted that carbon sulphide, which has been found in sour gas, is well known for its effects on the reproduction and endocrine systems.

Hydrogen sulphide is very foul smelling but can very quickly paralyze the sense of smell and can overcome the victim and eventually cause death. Therefore, smell cannot be relied upon to provide warnings of this treacherous gas.

It is also an irritant of mucous membranes including the eyes and respiratory tract.

The move comes after a long history of problems between the band and the province over oil and gas development around the reserve at the cost of the band.

In 1979, the reserve experienced a massive release of hydrogen sulphide, causing community members to flee for their lives. The major leak forced the evacuation and rebuilding of the reserve.

Chief Stewart Phillip, president of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs, said that there is a growing pattern of readiness on behalf of the Campbell government to grossly violate the rights of First Nations in the pursuit of an economic agenda that will create a “nightmare of litigation”.

“BC will not have the economic certainty of collecting billions of dollars in revenue unless they reach an accommodation with First Nations through honest and honourable good faith negotiations”.

Vancouver’s Museum of Anthropology Strives To Accurately Represent First Nations Culture

By Cam Martin

Since its beginning, the Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver has been committed providing an authentic representation of First Nations art and culture. Situated on the western tip of the sprawling University of British Colombia campus, the university’s Museum of Anthropology overlooks the mountains and sea, providing a beautiful backdrop for the native art inside, most of which is Northwest Coast in origin.

Museum The current building, designed by renowned Canadian architect Arthur Erickson, opened in 1976. Its design is based on the traditional northern Northwest Coast post and beam structure.

The broad cement beams, and rectangular arches of the museum reflect the efficiency of the Haida House design, and provide the perfect setting for the museum patrons to learn about First Nations culture.

In addition to the main design, the museum has many aesthetic features which are First Nations in origin. The main entrance has two contemporary Welcome figures, one carved by Nuu-chah-nulth artist Joe David, and the other by Musqueam artist Susan Point.

Beyond them are two massive doors, carved from solid wood blocks in 1976 by four master Gitxsan artists; Earl Muldoe, Art
Sherritt, Walter Harris, Vernon Stephens.

Western focus
Inside the museum, there is a beautiful selection of objects from First
Nations across Western Canada. As you enter the main exhibit area, there are totems and house posts from the Coast Salish region bands, including Musqueam pieces, on whose ancestral land the museum is built.

Among some of the more well-known sculptures that the museum exhibits are Bill Reid’s famous sculpture, ‘The Raven’ and the ‘First Men’.

The Great Hall, the museum’s main structure, has huge totem poles from Gitxsan, Oweekeno, Haida, and other First Nations. This space is used as an auditorium for museum events. The 15 meter glass walls which overlook the two Haida Houses and other totem poles behind the museum provide a beautiful backdrop for dances, concerts, drama, and many academic events.

The Museum of Anthropology strives to provide a cultural context for the artifacts contained within, as well as the long remaining First Nations artwork. Museum staff have consulted with First Nations representatives in an effort to create a realistic appearance and setting for the artwork. All of the pieces are accompanied by sketches or descriptions which explain how the object would have been involved in the lives of those who built them.

Recently, two members of the Musqueam band were offered internships at the museum. The grant of over $60,000 was made possible by the Department of Canadian Heritage Museum Assistance Program.

The goals of the program are to prepare researchers for working with Elders and to develop their skills in museum practice. The museum has worked collaboratively with the Musqueam on many projects, making sure the native culture of the site is preserved.

Many of the central displays which feature First Nation art are open, with no glass partitions and minimal barriers. In addition to providing an interactive learning environment, the lack of restrictions encourages the patrons to see the objects not as relics of the past, but as objects that still have cultural relevance to the First Nations people.

In conjunction with their desire to create a realistic experience for their patrons, the museum strives towards creating an environment suitable to the creators of the objects they exhibit. There has been extensive consultation with First Nations representatives on the placement of each object in the museum.

Even though the staff have researched their exhibits in order to
show them in their cultural context, there are still cautionary notes
reminding patrons to question how they are viewing the objects, and how the setting might affect their reactions to it.

Canada’s largest teaching museum
This focus on authenticity comes from the desire to educate about the local culture. The museum is the largest teaching museum in Canada. The museum wants to represent First Nations culture accurately so that they can educate in an unbiased way.

Because of its connection with the university, the museum’s focus is on education and much of the space of the museum is for academic use. More than a quarter of the usable space inside the museum are
research areas and lecture halls.

The museum also seeks to educate on secondary and grammar school levels. More than 11,000 lower mainland school children visited the museum last year, and they expect that number to double this year.

The university’s communication manager, Jennifer Webb said, “Our open environment really sparks the kids interest. It is inspiring to see them interact with the exhibits.”

In addition to the tours, there are tutorial kits that educators can get from the museum, which include a manual, teacher and student worksheets, and objects related the study program. Webb does not neglect to point out the museum’s educational value, “The programs we offer help to open children to new cultures, First Nations or otherwise. We’ve got alot of stereotypes to break down, and these programs are a good step.”

The museum is involved with the university’s First Nations program.
Students of the First Nations program often travel to the museum for
tangible examples of what they are studying.

Also, a large portion of the museum’s staff is taken from the First Nations program. The museum understands that it is better to learn about a culture directly from its people.

The Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver continues to be progressive in its relations with the cultures that it exhibits. They are committed to education and authentic representation of the First Nations people of Canada.

Buffy Honours Dudley George’s Life with Music Concert

By Dan Smoke – Asayenes (NNNC Staff)

Buffy Ste. Marie will headline a benefit concert in Massey Hall October 10th to honour the life of slain activist Dudley George, to help the George family with its trial costs, and to launch a permanent education fund for Aboriginal youth, in Dudley’s memory.

Contacted by the Elementary Teachers of Toronto (ETT), which raised over $60,000 for the Ipperwash Justice Fund last year, Buffy said they hope, “to raise both awareness and money at the concert.
I have utmost respect for teachers who refuse to take silence as an answer to the questions surrounding Dudley’s death.”

BuffyShe will be joined onstage by emcee Tantoo Cardinal, and guests: Charlie Hill, Pura Fe, and Derek Miller and others.

“As a teacher myself before I was ever a singer, I have a hard time playing stupid when I want to know something and somebody wants me to forget it. As founder of the Nihewan Educational Foundation that has, since the 1960s, given away millions of dollars to students trying to make the world better, healthier, and smarter, I have seen scholarship recipients go on to great lives, including some who became the presidents of tribal councils,” she said.

She questions why there have been no answers forthcoming from the Harris/Eves government. “Educators all over the globe teach children that the world can be a better place through education, good leadership, healthful lifestyles, and working together. How do we explain to them the events of September 1955 that killed a member of our human family? Every autumn, school children reflect on the big “What happened?” when Columbus got off that boat.”

Were the Europeans who destroyed the indigenous worlds they found really as violent and underhanded as they seem? Or were they too victims of bad leadership that recurs again and again in weak human societies.”

Now Canadians, especially educators, are considering the possibility that such bad leadership might actually be condoning violence and underhanded coverups today, as in the death of Dudley George. As for me, I can’t sleep nights wondering what really happened. Like the Elementary Teachers of Toronto, I just want to know.”

Buffy Ste Marie has made 17 music albums, three television specials, spent five years on Sesame Street, scored movies, helped to found Canada’s “Music of Aboriginal Canada” JUNO category, raised a son, earned a Ph.D. in Fine Arts, taught Digital Music as adjunct professor at several colleges, and won an Academy Award Oscar for the song “Up Where We Belong”.

Deadly protest
On September 6, 1995, Dudley George, unarmed, was protesting the destruction of a sacred burial ground at Ipperwash Provincial Park in southwestern Ontario when he was shot and killed by the OPP.

Ex-Officer Ken Deane was convicted of criminal negligence causing death to George and resigned from the OPP. The family launched a wrongful death lawsuit against the provincial government and for eight years they have been calling for a public inquiry, saying they would drop the lawsuit if an inquiry were held.

The government has consistently refused so the George family proceeds to court September 22nd, with the intention of exposing the truth about the events in Ipperwash that night.

Dudley’s brother, Maynard “Sam” George told NNNC having to go to court will be “a hard time for me and my family to get through, because that wound is still open.”

The wrongful death civil trial is expected to last at least four months before Mme. Justice Jean MacFarland, the judge who ruled in favour of Jane Doe’s civil lawsuit against the Metro Police. “I have to be there for that whole time,” George said, so he is moving to Toronto.

“It makes me feel good they’re going to create a scholarship in Dudley’s name to help other young people. A lot of good hearted people are supporting us. They believe in what we’re trying to do.”

George said he hopes the trial will allow “the truth to come out. We’re looking for who, why, when, where, and what happened that night. We are going into this with an optimistic feeling.”

The concert will be evidence of strong public support to see the truth exposed, to make the Ontario government accountable for its actions, and to ensure that Dudley’s name will live on through a permanent education fund for Native youth.

Chad Denny Makes Quebec Major Juniors

By George Paul

Boston Bruin icon, Ray Bourque, officially dropped the puck to a sold out Central Maine Civic Center for the inaugural home season opener of the Lewiston, Maineiacs on September 19, 2003.

Eskasoni’s future icon, Chad Denny, laced his skates for the Maineiacs to officially become the first Mi’kmaq from Nova Scotia to play in a Quebec Major Junior League Hockey game.

Chad DennyDenny, who his teammates jokingly refer to as”Team Baby,” is the youngest player in the team but not the smallest. Denny weighs 218 pounds at a height of 6’2 inches.

Denny’s first official game was with great anticipation and nervousness. Close to 30 family and friends took the 12-hour journey to attend Chad’s first game.

The month leading to the home opener was nerve racking for the family. Many players were cut from the team but Chad made it to the final roster. Maineiacs head coach, Mario Derouche said, “Chad is the future of our team, he’s only16 years old and is a big presence on the ice. This will be a big year for him.”

For Chad the Quebec Major Juniors is a major step from Sydney midget, ” It is a real challenge, a whole different game, more intensity, more speed,” said Chad.

Chad has great support from family and friends back home and the transition of being away from home is much easier for Chad. Chad is accustomed to traveling to Maine. For generation his family and many Mi’kmaqs from Atlantic Canada have always made the annual trek to Maine to harvest blueberries for 3 to 4 weeks in August.

This year, Chad’s trip was for a whole different reason.

So far Chad is coping very well and is not home sick. Chad likes Lewiston and the family he’s billeted to. Chad’s parents are only a phone call away and they have the phone bill to prove it.

The Drummondville Voltigeurs spoiled the Maineiacs’ home opener with a 6-3 win at the Central Maine Civic Center. But it was a great night for the Maineiacs franchise. The Civic Center was sold out in for the first time, it is said over 50 years.

Chad played extremely well in the season opener and the crowd saw the first fight when at 8:03 in the second period, Chad threw down the gloves with Vincent. Chad and Vincent wrestled each other to the ground and each got fighting penalties for their actions.

The fight energized the crowd.

Historically natives in professional hockey have always had the reputation as enforcers and fighters. But for Chad his mission is very different, “I won’t fight, until I have to. I didn’t come here to fight, I came here to play.”

The Maineiacs are scheduled to play against the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles on November 14, 2003. I guarantee, not a seat will be left at Center 200.

Aboriginal Gangs in Prairie Provinces in “Crisis Proportions”

By Lloyd Dolha

GangPrairie-based aboriginal gangs have reached crisis proportions in major urban centers, supporting larger and more sophisticated gangs – such as the Hells Angels and Asian gangs – and are spreading out into smaller cities and rural areas, moving on and off impoverished reserves recruiting new members.

In the annual report by the Criminal Intelligence Canada (CISC),
Aboriginal-Based Organized Crime or ABOC has become one of the national agency’s intelligence priorities.

Released on August 22nd, the report states that aboriginal gangs are present in several urban centers across Canada, particularly in Winnipeg, Regina and Edmonton.

These gangs are generally involved in street-level trafficking of marihuana, cocaine, crack cocaine and crystal meth.

They are also involved in prostitution, break and enters, robberies,
assaults, intimidation, tobacco fraud, home invasions, vehicle thefts,
weapons offences illegal gaming and debt collection and enforcement as trench troops for other organized crime groups like the Hells Angels.

KnifeNationally, the primary gangs are the Indian Posse, Redd Alert, Warriors and Native Syndicate, with a number of smaller gangs that frequently form and reform.

The street gang scene in Winnipeg, the birthplace of aboriginal gangs in Canada, is dominated to a large extent by two aboriginal gangs, the Manitoba Warriors and the Indian Posse. A smaller street gang called the Deuce, with connections to the Manitoba Warriors, is a rival gang to the Indian Posse

“In Alberta, aboriginal gangs that once existed primarily in prisons for protection purposes, have now recognized the financial benefit of
trafficking hard drugs, such as cocaine, on the reserves,” states the CISC report.

Many of these gangs have ready access to firearms that has resulted in a number of incidents of violence.

Gang activity on the rise
In April, an Edmonton-based task force identified 12 aboriginal gangs operating in the city, with more than 400 members and almost 2,000 known gang associates. The task force warned that gang activity will increase along with the growing aboriginal population if the social and economic problems faced by urban native youth are not addressed.

The local task force identified gangs operating in the city as Redd Alert, Indian Posse, Alberta Warriors, Saskatchewan Warriors, Manitoba Warriors, Native Syndicate, Crypts, West End Boys, Death Do Us Part, Wolf Pack, Mixed Blood and Deuce.

One day before the release of the CISC report on aboriginal gangs, on August 21st, the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN), released its own report on aboriginal youth gang violence entitled Alter-Natives to Non-Violence Report: Aboriginal Youth Gangs Exploration, the result of a two-year examination of the conditions underlying the growing gang phenomena within Saskatchewan’s major urban centers and the communities that are most impacted.

According the FSIN report, aboriginal youth in the prairie provinces join gangs for money, power and excitement. They are characterized by feelings of disenfranchisement from the community and family with no attachment to school.

Youth gangs can be identified by the use of colours, various hand signals, caps/hats worn a certain way, pant-leg rolled up, one glove, an untied shoelace or a bandana worn a certain way.

Aboriginal youth are initiated into gangs by the following methods:
committing certain crimes at the behest of the leader; ‘beating in’, in some cases an intense beating can last up to three minutes; prostitution; ‘sexing in’ or ‘banged in’, where young females have sex with several members of the gang; a family connection, children who are raised in families in gangs; and, muscling others or intimidation.

Natives prime recruits
According to the FSIN report, of the 98,000 youth in Saskatchewan between the ages of 12 ­ 17 years, approximately 15,000 are aboriginal youth. Based on known risk factors such as poverty, lack of opportunity for employment, institutional racism and discrimination and a sense of hopelessness and despair, many of these 15,000 aboriginal youth are at-risk of being recruited.

The development of gang culture can be understood through the history of aboriginal people in Canada. A widely known aspect of the destruction of aboriginal culture in the residential school system experience and its subsequent intergenerational effects.

As it is widely known, many of the aboriginal children of the 1950’s and 1960’s suffered extreme physical and sexual abuse. The racism and assimilation efforts of the residential school era has left residual effects on aboriginal youth that provided the underlying social unrest of aboriginal youth leading to gang involvement.

Aboriginal youth gang can be characterized as a ‘spontaneous youth social movement.’

“For an undereducated aboriginal youth disenfranchised from society, there are few options for survival. Sheer survival is a strong motivational factor that leads many youth to gangs,” states the report.

Jail more likely than diploma
In the executive summary, the report notes, “In1992, the Lynn Report stated that, Oit was said that an aboriginal youth had a better chance of going to jail than graduating from Grade 12 ­ this is still true today.”

The report goes on to quote a January 2003 submission to the Commission on First Nations and Metis Peoples Justice Reform that notes Saskatchewan has the highest crime rate in the country. Aboriginal people account for only ten per cent of the population of Regina and Prince Albert combined but accounted for 47 per cent of the victims of crime.

Between 1994 and 2000, aboriginal people accounted for 55 per cent of Saskatchewan’s homicide victims as well as 60 per cent of those accused of committing homicides.

Aboriginal youth accounted for about six in ten youth accused ages 12 to 17 years in the three cities of Regina, Saskatoon and Prince Albert in 1997.

According to the FSIN, aboriginal youth comprise at least 75 to 90 per cent of youth in open and closed custody facilities. Of the 3,000 youth that are in the criminal justice system on any given day, about 1,800 are aboriginal.

In one passage, the FSIN report graphically demonstrated the danger of gang affiliation for aboriginal youth from a passage of the Western Reporter magazine.

One of the young people on the corner was a 13-year old Joseph Spence, known to his friends as ‘Beeper’. When Johnson asked the group ‘You IP?’ Beeper stepped forward even though he had no gang affiliation.

‘Straight up,’ he bragged. ‘In full effect!’ Johnson jumped up out of his seat and pointed the shotgun at Beeper as a 16 year-old Deuce named Fabian Torres shouted from the back of the van. ‘Bust a cap in his ass!’ As Beeper turned to run, Johnson fired a blast straight into his back. Beeper, who had just completed Grade 7, died in the street where he lay.

The FSIN report hopes to make a compelling case to the federal and provincial government agencies to substantiate the need for enhanced and new resources that can be directed at First Nations to address the gang issue.

Prison mentality on the Rez
A former resident who did not wish to be identified described the gang phenomena as the result of aboriginal inmates who return from jail and bring a ‘prison mentality’ back onto reserves that makes them ‘open air prisons.’

To address the exploding gang phenomena, a number of initiatives have been launched.

In November 2001, Corrections Services Canada (CSC), launched an Aboriginal Gang Initiative (AGI), in Winnipeg. The initiative was the result of former AFN national chief Ovide Mercredi, who examined the issue of aboriginal gangs and recommended 23 strategy options to CSC.

The major thrust of the May 2000 Mecredi Report, was the involvement of the aboriginal community, especially elders, to find solutions for the rise of aboriginal gangs.

The AGI team consists of five aboriginal facilitators guided by aboriginal elders. The team works with those involved in or affected by gangs.

“We’ve come along way in a very short time,” said Darrel Phillips, Project Manager for the AGI. “We’ve established a foundation of trust with gang members themselves and the CSC staff. We’ve also constructed solid bridges of between CSC and the community and we’ve mobilized a wide array of resources.

“We realized early in our work that many aboriginal gang members truly want to change, but they don’t really have the tools or skills to stabilize themselves,” added Phillips. “They’re being pulled in so many directions and very often their belief systems are totally at odds with committing to a crime-free lifestyle.”

Clayton Sandy, Community Relation Manager of AGI, believes that is where the strength of the elders comes into play.

“Because it’s our elders that can help gang members see how their beliefs and values determine the choices they make, which leads them into conflict with law. We help them commit to a spiritual path in life (the ‘Red Road’), and support them in their spiritual journey,” said Sandy.

As of April 2002, within Manitoba, 163 gang members were either incarcerated at the Stoney Mountain Institution, the Rockwood Institution of on conditional release in the community under the Winnipeg Parole office.

Pat Larocque, a lifer, has a great deal of credibility as a member of the AGI team. Larocque works directly with aboriginal gang members in Stoney Mountain and Rockwood.

“I find it’s really making a difference to consistantly interact with the
guys inside. Most of them know my experience with the correctional system and this gives them a lot of hope that positive change is possible. We’re not only trying to get these guys on a spiritual path, we also need to cooperate with CSC staff to help aboriginal gang members prepare for a job when they get out,” said Larocque.

Female gangs of concern
A key area of concern for the future is aboriginal women involved in gangs. The issue will be given greater attention once the AGI is established as an on-going initative.

Recently renamed Bimosewin, Ojibway for ‘walk your path in life in a good way’, the AGI has to date: obtained a written commitment from over 125 gang and ex-gang members to work with Bimosewin ; over 12 aboriginal individuals have been ‘helped out or kept out’ of gangs; secured employment for more than 15 aboriginal gang members; a safe house has been supported and is now available to ex-gang members; and, a core group of ex-gang members is
emerging that Bimosewin can mentor and work with.

CSC is currently evaluating the efficacy of Bimosewin and, with the approval of the executive committee, may be extending Bimosewin’s mandate to other to other provinces in the Prairies over the next five years.

“Many aboriginal gang members respect their elders and their traditional culture,” says Phillips. “This is a window of opportunity for us to help them find a new indentity rooted in their own culture. We believe this leads to aboriginal gang members making more positive lifestyle choices.”

Support programs
In Saskatchewan, Bimosewin has extended an offer to the FSIN to participate in their gang initiative committee. The FSIN has established a Youth Gang Awareness Cultural Camp for aboriginal youth 11­18 years in collaboration with the White Buffalo Youth Centre located in Saskatoon.

The camp provides healthy alternatives for aboriginal youth and
opportunities to interact with role models and elders, working towards dispelling the glamourization often associated with gang membership.

The FSIN is developing a three to five year strategic plan to address the complex issues underlying the development of gang culture and a provincial policy that focuses on the root social problems experienced by aboriginal youth who join gangs.

In Edmonton, the Spirit Keeper Youth Society (SKYS), an aboriginal non-profit society was recently formed in June to address the escalation and growth of aboriginal gangs in the city. The board of directors consists of a ‘hands on daily’ group of aboriginal professionals each with their own area of expertise in business, program development and crime prevention.

Spirit Keeper is currently working to establish a crisis line for aboriginal youth and a transition house for 18-25 yr. olds involved in gangs. Spirit Keeper also wants to establish a Learning Centre for pre- and early teenage aboriginal youth as an intervention and prevention measure against future gang recruitment.

They will also be developing an extensive aftercare and
follow-up program of both formal and informal support.

Len Untereiner, president of Spirit Keeper, said the society is currently facing some funding difficulties but is trying to secure a safe house for aboriginal youth seeking to escape the city¹s gang culture.

“We’re dealing with about 60 kids on a regular basis on the street level that want to get out of gangs and we have a deal going to have a safe house in the next few weeks to accommodate some of them.”