Latest issue, First Nations Strategic Bulletin

Definitely worth a read particularly the articles discussing the Government’s push to institute the  “Tom Flanagan/Manny Jules fee-simple plan”. Because we all know that settler governments-together with it’s bought & payed for F.N collaborators-just wanna “do good” by Indigenous Peoples.

Also discussed is the  Assembly of First Nations, National Chief Shawn Atleo’s plan to eliminate the Indian Act within 2-5 years. Changing the current paternalistic & imperialistic relationship  to one of mutual respect & equality .

Although I am very critical and skeptical of the AFN – as it is government funded & is in no-way accountable to the very peoples it claims to represent- I have to give credit to Shawn Atleo for his work on this.

That said where his plan goes from here is the 64 thousand dollar question. Personally I do not believe that many of the Indian Act Chiefs that constitute   the AFN have the stomach or back-bone for a long drawn out fight with their paymasters-the government. As this would threaten their pay-cheques and standards of living, heck they might have to live like all those other “ordinary Indians”.

But who knows,only time will tell I suppose.

And lastly,the bulletin  explores some thoughts on the, U.N Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples .

Read F.N Strategic Bulletin

Iroquois Nationals;We are a People we are a Nation

Always have been always will be…

After much effort and tens of thousands of dollars spent , hopes were high that the fourth ranked Iroquois Nationals** , representing the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois)  Confederacy (the world’s oldest participatory democracy) .  Would finally be on their way to the  2010 World Lacrosse Championships being held in England.

This after winning a concession from the  U.S state department  which would see the Iroquois Nationals traveling to the event using  Haudenosaunee passport’s rather than U.S  or Canadian Passports…

thanks to a one-time waiver from Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton clearing the way for it to travel to the world championships in England using tribal documents instead of United States passports

But alas it was not to be…

Yet again it seems somethings will never change when it comes to relationships between settler government’s &  Indigenous Peoples , i.e one side always get’s the short end of the stick !

“We were given a set of demands, and then we met those demands — and then they were switched…

Heard that narrative before, like a few thousand times.

….the British government was said to have refused to grant visas to the team, even with Mrs. Clinton’s waiver…@

The Iroquois were offered expedited U.S passports,of course the offer had to be turned down.  To accept, would be to make a mockery of Iroquoian sovereignty,generations of activism and the  long held & practiced tradition of refusing to accept settler authority(imposed) over Iroquoian/Confederacy sovereignty (creator/god-given).

The Iroquois refused to accept them, saying that traveling to an international competition on what they consider to be a foreign nation’s passport would be an affront to their sovereignty.

Perhaps one day, hopefully in the not so distant future,  settler government’s  will finally do right by the Two Row Wampum.  A treaty that is not only valid under international law, but one which was negotiated in good faith & signed  in good faith nation to nation.

One side is in violation, one side has forsaken not only its honor but the very rule of law that  it holds to be sacred. Well supposedly,sometimes, just not when it comes to matters pertaining to Indigenous Peoples their lands, resources , nor even something as basic as ones creator-given identity as a People.

‘O’ arrogance… thy name is a European / settler.

Watch video interview with team members

And definitly watch Newsy for in-depth coverage of the issues surrounding this story.

And of course read the always informative  Newspaper Rock … good background info & context.

Want more…

Seriously, these guys are ranked 4^th in the WORLD, and they won’t be able to make it to a tournament to play a sport THEIR PEOPLE CREATED. It would be like stopping the Greeks from going to Brazil for the Olympics, or cutting off an American household’s cable right before the start of a football game so nobody can play armchair quarterback. It just makes no sense.Or maybe it does. It’s not as though the United States of America has a track record of screwing over Native Americans

Read more …@ Culture Shock

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**Iroquois Nationals are the only Native American/First Nations team sanctioned to compete in any sport internationally.

Canada Day,Bah Humbug…

My native bro- from another mother- “Canada Day is a white persons colonial holiday/celebration”.

Personally I agree,in fact I will “never” celebrate Canada Day.

That said…

The day Canada commits itself to  rebuilding its relationships with the Indigenous Peoples of this, the Northern-half of Turtle Island. I will be one of the   first waving the flag and shouting myself hoarse in support of Canada.

I like to think this is not wishful thinking on my part,after all there is a historical record of solidarity and mutual support.

Indeed if it were not for this solidarity and mutual support Canada might never have survived the expansionist efforts of America. Which arrogantly believed all of Turtle Island was by rights theirs for the taking.

Thankfully  the Indigenous Peoples-in this case the Mohawk/Iroquois Confederacy – and their settler allies prevailed during the War of 1812. Not only were the Americans sent packing,twice, the White House was burned to the ground for good measure.

‘Manifest destiny‘ was stopped dead in its northern-expansionist-tracks

And some say that Canada is somehow beholding to the U.S for our defense,indeed for our very survival as a country…like please,lol.

All said the most important factor is the longstanding activism of Indigenous Peoples themselves.  Big strides have been made in the ongoing struggle to force persuade settlers/whites  to acknowledge &  recognize Indigenous People’s rights as Peoples. Rather than them being perceived, as being,  just another hyphenated-Canadian / ethnic minority (a convenient self-serving   perception/assertion that is still ,unfortunately, widespread among settlers/whites ).

The cause is just, the struggle is righteous,this is an undeniable objective truth.

Indeed the struggle gains momentum with every generation,and seems  to be intensifying as the native population  increases.  Indigenous Peoples being the fastest growing segment* of the population,on this the Northern 1/2 of Turtle Island.

The writing is on the wall,it’s in the treaties,it’s in the very fabric & history of this land.  Justice and morality demands that we settlers reacquaint ourselves with our history and re-build/re-new our relationships with the First Peoples.

Only then will Canada be a country worthy of admiration,only then will I personally celebrate my home on native land.

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* The total Indigenous  growth rate, is 1.8% per year more than two times that of the overall Canadian growth rate. The Indigenous population is young,with a  median age of 27,compared with a median age of 40 for all of Canada.  49% of Indigenous Peoples are under  25 years of age.

The on-reserve ["registered Indian"]  is growing even faster, 2.5 % annually 40 %  being 20 years of age or younger,compared with 24%  for the overall Cnd population.

There are 615 communities[Bands],comprising more than 50 Nations.