Canadian Natives Fight Grave Odds

[Menydh]

Canadian Natives Fight Grave Odds

World Press
May 4, 2006

It may read like a corny western movie spewed out by Hollywood. Unfortunately, the continuing abuse of aboriginal people in Canada is fact, not fiction.

One in every 24 Canadians is of aboriginal origin. They are North American Indians, Metis, Inuit, and those of more than one aboriginal origin. Of these 1.3 million Canadians, about 280,000 live on reserves which are spread across the country and into the north.

The abuse that these Canadian citizens have been subject to has been going on for hundreds of years. Most recently an example of theft of native land in Caledonia has been a headline grabber in all the media.

It may read like a corny western movie spewed out by Hollywood. Unfortunately, the continuing abuse of aboriginal people in Canada is fact, not fiction.

One in every 24 Canadians is of aboriginal origin. They are North American Indians, Metis, Inuit, and those of more than one aboriginal origin. Of these 1.3 million Canadians, about 280,000 live on reserves which are spread across the country and into the north.

The abuse that these Canadian citizens have been subject to has been going on for hundreds of years. Most recently an example of theft of native land in Caledonia has been a headline grabber in all the media.

Caledonia is a small town a few hours drive south of Toronto, Canada's largest city. There, a construction company called Douglas Creek Estates has over the past few months been building a subdivision of new homes beside the Grand River. The project was well under way. Ten homes were already partially built.

In February, the nearby native Six Nations of the Grand River Territory reserve began to block access to this construction site. They set rows of tires on fire. Their cars blocked the highways leading to the area.
The natives claim that this 939,000 acres of land was actually granted to the Six Nations in 1784. Further, they claim it was never officially transferred to non-natives. To assert their right, they filed a land claims suit in 1999 over this area. Apparently, all levels of government have ignored this claim and given the home builder the go ahead.

Within days of the protesters blocking access to the site, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police moved into the area and tensions escalated. Local non-aboriginal folks reacted. The builder won an injunction ordering the natives off the site. The natives ignored the injunction. Confrontations heated up week by week. Police staged a pre-dawn raid but then retreated. Finally, a few days ago a former Premier of Ontario, Dave Peterson, was brought in as mediator to try and settle the dispute. Nobody is optimistic about how it will turn out.

Everyone is nervous about this confrontation. They recall relatively recent incidents which turned ugly. It angered natives, alarmed all Canadians and embarrassed governments.

Back in 1990 there were tensions between native Mohawks and the town of Oka, in the province of Quebec. A local company wanted to expand their golf course. The Mohawks claimed the land was sacred. They barricaded the land. Armed Quebec police stormed the barricades amid tear gas and the firing of bullets. A 31-year old police officer named Marcel Lemay was killed.

Each side claimed the other side shot first. This confrontation went on for 78 days. In the end, no charges were because of his death. And, after all that chaos, the golf course was never expanded.

A commission was formed to investigate and resolve the problem. That's always a good way to sidetrack a problem: study it to death.

Two years, $60 million, 4,000 pages and 400 recommendations later, there was little resolved. In a report titled "Looking Forward, Looking Back," the commission stated, "After some 500 years of a relationship that has swung from partnership to domination, from mutual respect and cooperation to paternalism and attempted assimilation, Canada must now work out fair and lasting terms for coexistence with aboriginal people."

In another incident, in 1995 the Ontario Provincial Police made a raid on a native protest occupation of the Ipperwash Provincial Park which they claimed was Indian land. An unarmed protester was killed by a police sniper. Yet another inquiry followed.

Meanwhile, unrest continues. Over the past decade or more, roads and rail lines have been blocked, notably in Ontario and British Columbia. Northern natives, the Innu, have protested about military installations in Labrador, too.

The aboriginal natives of Canada are not passive. They have learned how to protest and use the media. They have smart lawyers. They are giving as good as they get. They have learned the ways of "white" men.

Canadian Indians used to have a tradition of oral contracts. You were as good as your word. They learned that newcomer's promises "as long as the river flows," even on paper, were worthless.

Under the Canadian constitution and Bill of Rights, aboriginals have the same rights as non-aboriginals. You wouldn't think so when looking at the facts. Here's an example.

In Oct. 2005, the population of 1,000 Cree natives of Kashechewan near James Bay in Ontario had to be evacuated because of a tainted water supply. Many of them required medical treatment. The reason: the residents who operate the water filtration plants have been poorly trained; and, shockingly, the water treatment plant is a short distance downstream from the village's sewage lagoon. Federal and provincial governments have passed the buck back and forth on who is responsible.

This water quality incident also served to bring out the long-ignored fact that across Canada, many native reserves have boil water advisories. A study by Indian Affairs, the federal agency, found that there were risks in the drinking water of three quarters of the 633 native communities that were studied. In one reserve in British Columbia, an advisory to boil water has been in place for the past nine years. Band-Aid solutions hide the problem — but only temporarily.

Some wish the problem would go away. Back in 1928, a government official suggested that Canada would end its "Indian problem" within two generations. They had church-operated, government-funded residential schools set up for the native children. The intent was to "prepare them for life in white society." This act of assimilation was a disaster. Children were subjected to physical, sexual and emotional abuse. Only recently, the federal government has acknowledged and compensated those aboriginal people, well, the ones who are still living.

Are the land claims made by aboriginals valid? Not surprisingly perhaps, in a poll conducted a few years ago by the Centre for Research and Information on Canada, 49 percent of Canadians indicated they believed that "few or none" of the hundreds of land claims are valid.

Putting land claims aside, aboriginals in Canada still have plenty to complain about. A First Nations Longitudinal Health Survey for the period 2002-2003 titled "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" provides some alarming statistics. Here is a selection from that survey:

• People aged 60 years or more in First Nations communities don't live as long as other Canadians (6 percent vs. 18 percent).
• More than half of First Nations people over 18 years old have not completed high school compared with one third of Canadians, 15 and over.
• More than half of all adults (51 percent) are not employed.
• First Nations homes are about four times more likely to require major repairs compared to Canadians overall.
• First Nations people live in homes that are nearly twice as crowded, on average, as Canadians homes overall (4.8 persons per room vs. 2.6).
• About one in six homes are considered overcrowded. In homes with children, the rate was one in four.
• Nearly one in 30 live in homes without hot running water, without cold running water, and without flushing toilets.
• Almost one in five First Nation homes is without telephone service.
• About one in three First Nations residents surveyed consider their main drinking water supply unsafe to drink.
• Nearly two-thirds of First Nations residents drink bottled water.
• About one in five attended residential school — the schools where so much abuse of their children took place. Nearly half of those who attended residential school reported that it had negatively affected their overall health and well-being.
• Nearly three-quarters are considered either overweight, obese, or morbidly obese. Most adults with diabetes are classified as obese.
• Three in 10 reported having had suicidal thoughts.
• One in six has attempted suicide at some point in their lives.

A few days ago, Phil Fontaine, the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, said, "We die earlier than other Canadians, (and) almost one-quarter of our people live in overcrowded, unhealthy homes which breed disease. The social consequence of these living conditions is despair."


[source]

[Menydh]

As I was reading this news article I was wondering why would Americans come to these forums and demand a place in Nationalism, when in fact our will for national preservation is closer to those Indians than to the greed and abuse of the Canadians in this case, who are in fact closer to our immigrants?

[Savage]

The indians were there first, and should be treated with respect.

It is the same argument we use here to secure the right to our land, we were here first. That cannot be turned on/off without losing validity. This principe is quite accepted on the Norwegian rightwing, and I shall fortify it.



I have great respect for the native americans, and their brave resistance against their invaders. Also generally their enviromental friendly philosophy and spiritualism.

I have the same respect for US americans as they have to the native americans.

Geronimo and Sitting Bull are real american heroes to me. But I am just an european, so how could I know?

Geronimo
Chiricahua Apache. (1829-1909)

To the Apaches, Geronimo embodied the very essence of the Apache values, agressiveness, courage in the face of difficulty.

Geronimo finally surrendered on the urging of his followers in September after the Army promised that after a period of time he would be able to return to Arizona. Geronimo and his followers were shipped to St. Augustine, Florida where many died from malaria or tuberculosis. Geronimo never again saw his beloved Arizona and died a prisioner many years later on a reservation in Oklahoma.http://www.powersource.com/gallery/people/geronimo.html


Quotes from Geronimo

"I was warmed by the sun, rocked by the winds and sheltered by the trees as other Indian babes. I was living peaceably when people began to speak bad of me. Now I can eat well, sleep well and be glad. I can go everywhere with a good feeling."

"I was living peaceably when people began to speak bad of me."

"The soldiers never explained to the government when an Indian was wronged, but reported the misdeeds of the Indians. We took an oath not to do any wrong to each other or to scheme against each other."

"When a child, my mother taught me to kneel and pray to Usen for strength, health, wisdom and protection. Sometimes we prayed in silence, sometimes each one prayed aloud; sometimes an aged person prayed for all of us... and to Usen."



Another thing, was it the cheyennes that was allied with CSA?

[Gottslav]

Originally Posted by Thore Hund

Another thing, was it the cheyennes that was allied with CSA?

I've read it some years ago, that after the WW II one of the Grand Dragons of the Invisible Empire (of the Ku Klux Klan) was an half Indian. I'm not surprised really.

[Menydh]

Originally Posted by Gottslav

I've read it some years ago, that after the WW II one of the Grand Dragons of the Invisible Empire (of the Ku Klux Klan) was an half Indian. I'm not surprised really.

No, not surpising. I too heared from a reliable source that one American staff member of a forum board which was Nordicist at the time (today it is Pan-Germanicist), after having a DNA test performed he found out that he was part Amerindian (ah! but surely that would still be from a Northern Amerindian type ).

And then, there is the case of the leader of one American Nazi party who was a Jew.

[Savage]

The CSA Cherokee alliance

Originally Posted by Thore Hund

Another thing, was it the cheyennes that was allied with CSA?

History of the Cherokee



Cumnacatogue (also known as Cunne Shote, Stalking Turkey or Standing Turkey) was one of three Cherokee chiefs who travelled to London in 1762 to see King George III. He was the nephew of the Chief "Old Hop" who was also know as Standing Turkey.



John Drew was appointed by Chief John Ross as colonel of the 1st Cherokee Mounted Rifles -- a regiment of Cherokees raised for the Confederacy in the American Civil War. Over the early years of the war, the majority of his regiment deserted to the Union side. Drew was a veteran of the Creek War 1813-1814 and had led a party of Cherokees over the Trail of Tears in 1839.

Thanks to Georgia in Skadi

[Menydh]

I read an article on a history magazine to which I am subscribed, entitled The War of King George. It was about the slaughter of some Indian tribe. The same tribe that had survived the coloners. I'll see if I can find it and I will translate it.

[Savage]

Official Cherokee homesite...

http://www.cherokee.org/

In 1829, Cherokee women were given the right to dispose of an sell their property. This was 120 years before American women were given the same right - American women could not sell or transfer their property without their husband's permission before 1954.

[url]www.lordnelsons.com/.]

[Señor Malo]

Originally Posted by Thore Hund

Official Cherokee homesite...

http://www.cherokee.org/




[url]www.lordnelsons.com/.]

Is it true???

[Menydh]

Originally Posted by Mynydd

I read an article on a history magazine to which I am subscribed, entitled The War of King George. It was about the slaughter of some Indian tribe. The same tribe that had survived the coloners. I'll see if I can find it and I will translate it.

My mistake. It should read "The same tribe that helped the coloners survive".

[Señor Malo]

Originally Posted by Mynydd

No, not surpising. I too heared from a reliable source that one American staff member of a forum board which was Nordicist at the time (today it is Pan-Germanicist), after having a DNA test performed he found out that he was part Amerindian (ah! but surely that would still be from a Northern Amerindian type ).

And then, there is the case of the leader of one American Nazi party who was a Jew.

Quite interesting fact.
BTW in a racialist american forum (I don`t know if is PC give it`s name ) there was a thread about the alleged negro admixture in mothern greeks.The main moderator -a very decent and most clever chap, really- sarcastically gave reason to those who defended the theory of the negro admixture by boasting a genetic study on modern greeks which has found out that the precense of nigriscence in modern greeks atained the astounding figures of .... 0,3 % !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just let us cast a similar study on any white american population and you`ll see hoe much more important would those figures be!!!!

[Errigal]

Source

Source (version française)

The native people of Canada's far north pay tribute to the last great colonial project. It seems all nations must lay gifts at their feet and hear Israel's tale of sorrow.

Inuit Solidarity Visit to Israel

On Monday, January 26, 2004, a group of 23 Inuit arrived in Israel to show support and solidarity with the people of Israel. The visit was a huge success and a true learning experience, exposing a new and fascinating culture to a large number of Israelis.


The visiting group was composed of members and leaders of the Inuit communities of Northern Canada, who demonstrated a strong love of and commitment to the State of Israel based on their Christian beliefs. This was their fifth annual visit to Israel, a trip which they call "From the Land of the North Star to the Land of the Star of David". In addition to expressing their support of the State of Israel, they introduced their own culture to Israelis with performances of their traditional dances and songs.


The first day of the visit to the Hebrew University included a wreath-laying ceremony at the site of the July 2002 terrorist attack. While on a tour of the campus which included the Hecht Synagogue, the group met by chance with a student who had himself been injured in the attack and who had lost two friends. His impromptu speech was greeted with great emotion by the Inuit and the accompanying Israelis alike, with members of the group embracing the student, speaking words of support and extending gifts from the heart. The group then continued to the site of the attack and laid a wreath beside the monument situated there.


After the ceremony, the group participated in an "Introduction to Folklore" class led by the head of the Folklore Department, Dr. Hagar Salomon, where the group animatedly explained details of their culture and traditions, including a wonderful demonstration of throat singing, examples of children's games, traditional clothing and a lesson on how to build an igloo. The room was packed with both students and other guests - in rapt attention throughout - and the subsequent question-and-answer period was lively and informative. The program ended with a lunch together with Canadianists, including several who had received Canadian Government study grants to research the Inuit in Canada.


The Israelis continuously repeated their appreciation of the support extended by the Inuit in these difficult days. The group received radio, television and newspaper coverage. This visit was made possible by the Halbert Centre for Canadian Studies, the Israel Association for Canadian Studies and the Canadian Embassy in Israel.