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An open letter to all my relations: On Idle No More, Chief Spence and non-violence

By Aaron James Mills| January 10, 2013

All my relations,

My Anishinaabe name is White Wolf and the name my mother gave me is Aaron James Mills. I'm a Bear Clan Anishinaabe, a Canadian and the son of a single mother. I say "Anishinaabe" and not "aboriginal" intentionally, for this is who I am and how you should understand me. Regarding our relationship, I'm from Treaty #3 Territory. I'm also from Couchiching First Nation, North Bay, Ottawa, Vancouver, Toronto, and now Victoria. I'm a lawyer. I have a graduate degree from Yale Law School where last year I was a Fulbright scholar. I'm 31 years old and I have a partner I love very much.

I am writing to you, all my relations Indigenous and other, because in all I have seen and felt in 31 years, now is the most afraid I have been for you and for myself, the most ashamed I have been of my Prime Minister and of my Governor General, and the most proud I have been of my Indigenous relations and so importantly, our settler allies who have surprised and amazed me. I am humbled by their good words and actions.

I want to explain these statements and to share my feelings with you about the historical moment we are witnessing. In so doing, I speak only for myself. Although I support many of the actions organized as part of the Idle No More movement, I don't represent it. I've been as surprised and overwhelmed by it as have many of you.

I can think of many things of which Canadians might be fearful today: the impacts of global warming and climate change; loss of jobs, pensions or benefits; war; an ailing and inadequate health care system; increasingly authoritarian and antidemocratic domestic governance; federal indifference to the murder of Indigenous women. These are just a few of many serious issues we face together and I am gravely concerned about each. I am terrified, however, of what may happen if Chief Spence dies of hunger.

Because of her hunger strike, on Friday First Nations from across the country will meet with the Harper administration to discuss their relationship with Canada. If the discussions fail to yield the first steps towards re-establishing our relationship on a foundation of mutual respect and understanding, Chief Spence will surely continue her hunger strike. If she dies, in light of the work being accomplished through Idle No More I believe that Canadians who have never given it a thought will be forced to confront Canada's origin story. More important, they will be forced to confront that the violence of that origin story repeats each day even now. Given our lack of knowledge of our own history, many of us in Canada are not accepting of that story and I fear that as a people we are grossly ill-equipped to be so forcefully confronted with it. And I don't know what will happen if we are.

All my relations, I don't know what will happen if we are confronted with our national origin story because most of my fellow citizens haven't been taught to understand their history of institutionalized violence. Many of them may instead be hateful and act hatefully, for knowledge truly is power and if their elementary and secondary school education were anything like mine, then with respect to Indigenous peoples in Canada they have been systematically denied it. Many thus understand Indigenous Canadians as two-dimensional people: historical and angry. In the face of obvious Indigenous suffering, most Canadians are thus disempowered and I am fearful of what powerless people may do when forcefully confronted. Many know just enough that they feel guilt so overwhelming it must be permanently repressed, but nothing of their power or the willingness of many Indigenous Canadians to work for the interests of all people and to choose a different future, together.

I've visited many countries in my life and the more I've travelled internationally, the firmer my conviction has become that Canada really is the most amazing country on Earth. As a Canadian citizen I enjoy tremendous privileges many others do not, even amongst other western liberal democracies. But, all my relations, those privileges have not been free and their costs have not been distributed justly. If Chief Spence dies, both as a nation and as individuals gathering at kitchen tables we will have to ask ourselves how this happened. Yes, it will have been her choice, but how could she possibly have made it? The moment we choose to start having that conversation is the moment that the cost of the great privilege Canadians enjoy -- a privilege until now contingent on our lack of knowledge about our colonial history -- will start to be made visible.

Colonization is not a completed historical fact from which all must simply move on; it is a deliberate, daily violence continuing this moment and anyone promoting that Indigenous peoples are ignorant not to accept this violence as legitimate is at worst, racist; at best, living in a dream palace. As the Right Honourable Paul Martin recently acknowledged, "We have never admitted to ourselves that we were, and still are, a colonial power." Colonial power is violence against Indigenous bodies, minds, cultures and lands. I know that many of you don't see it. Many of my closest friends don't see it. I can't even be angry about this, for as I have said, you were not taught to see it. In a cynical moment I might suggest you were taught not to. But in Idle No More, Indigenous and allied voices have united and through the Drum, sound together. All my relations, you hear it now; you have only to listen. No longer can you claim ignorance. You should listen carefully, for no matter your identity or your politics, this is about you and education is being freely shared on websites, in pamphlets handed out at traffic slow-downs, and in community meetings. If you choose not to listen now, then now you choose also the responsibility for your continued lack of knowledge of your treaty rights, and for a large part of what may come of that ignorance.

All my relations, I said also that I feel ashamed. I am ashamed because my Prime Minister so profoundly misunderstands Indigenous Canada that he thinks meeting with Chief Spence will make him vulnerable. On this misunderstanding, he is willing to allow her to die less than a kilometre from his office. He fails to recognize the incredible opportunity given him to demonstrate great strength and leadership in respect of the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canada. If ever Stephen Harper had a vision for our nation, now is a moment where it should shine. As he spends millions of tax dollars commemorating the War of 1812, the relationship that made our nation possible-which in 1814 secured our nation as a nation and not an American state-is a shambles. But Prime Minister Harper has no vision for Canada, and because of Idle No More, the whole world is watching its absence.

I am also disappointed with the Right Honourable David Johnston, my Governor General, for having side-stepped his role in Canadian history by characterizing Chief Spence's demand for dialogue as mere politics, and therefore for the exclusive consideration of elected governing officials. He understood very well that Chief Spence's demands cut much deeper than mere politics; that they go right to the fundamental injustice of the Crown-Indigenous relationship, historic and contemporary. The Governor General hasn't merely shown a lack of leadership; he has opted out of leadership altogether. I am a Canadian citizen and I am ashamed.

Finally, I am ashamed because no federal administration in my lifetime has done as much as this one to alienate Indigenous Canada. Before the Harper government adopted its position on Chief Spence it had already slashed health funding for Indigenous peoples; withheld documents from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to the point that the Commission, as a result unsure whether it will be able to meet its mandate by its deadline and within its budget, has sought help from the Courts; emptied environmental review processes of meaningful content; unilaterally decided to terminate land claims negotiations in which its existing approach has failed; spent millions defending Canada's systematic underfunding of First Nations schools and child welfare agencies, including spying on child welfare and education advocate Cindy Blackstock and other non-violent indigenous activists; announced its intention to introduce legislation that would allow for the privatization of reserve land, despite an AFN resolution in 2010 categorically rejecting such a development; ignored demands for a national inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women and accused First Nations leadership generally of corruption and mismanagement. Bill C-45, the catalyst for the Idle No More movement, follows all of these developments.

All my relations, this is why I am ashamed of my government and why it has alienated me. I want so badly to see the honour in the Crown, but this list of dishonourable behaviour is how it has treated my people, and that's just the last few years. All my relations, As an Anishinaabe Canadian participating actively in Canadian life, engaging critically but positively with Canadian institutions, caring as passionately about your welfare as I do my own and wanting a response for Canada's harmful relationship with the indigenous peoples who pre-existed it that will work for all peoples, if I am alienated from the state, we have a very big problem.

Finally and most importantly, all my relations, I wish to voice my pride. Two very important aspects of the Idle No More movement demand special recognition. First, the movement has its inception in the thoughts and actions of Indigenous women. These women have stood up for their nations and for all of us. It's unclear whether they continue to exclude Indian Act chiefs from their advocacy, but except for this possible exclusion they have consistently been very clear that all of us, not just Indigenous persons, are included in Idle No More. They have managed to inspire thousands of people to come together. Without their example, I would not have found the words for this letter.

I also beam with pride at how Indigenous Canada and its allies who have come together have done so with a strict commitment to non-violence. This commitment is directly connected to the women at the originating point of the movement and of the elders standing behind them. For me the way forward must be non-violent. This is why I was delighted to participate in the North Bay flash mob Round Dance at the Northgate Square mall on December 20th and again today at the intersection of highways 11 and 17.

In 2008, Anishinaabe activist and professor Robert Lovelace was incarcerated for resisting uranium mining on his community's traditional territory despite a court order instructing him not to. From jail, he wrote, "direct action should take its shape and purposes from the intrinsic goodness embedded in Indigenous epistemologies." This is precisely what we are seeing in the flash mob Round Dances happening across Canada and the United States and it is a tremendous source of pride for me. I hope all of you are watching, listening and remembering. Many Indigenous individuals and communities are suffering and to get your attention, we are holding Round Dances and other non-violent demonstrations. I am so very proud; in many other parts of the world this frustration would be organized and expressed very differently.

All my relations, I have one more thing to say to you and it is only my voice but I hope that it will resonate with others heeding the call of the Drum. For my non-Indigenous relations,

I do not want you to "go home"; this is your home and I will defend your right to be here. As partners in Treaty with Indigenous peoples, you have a treaty right to be here and I honour that. Feel no guilt about it. I have learned much from you and your ancestors and I am grateful. More practically, through my mother, who is not of Indigenous ancestry, I am you and there are many like me. I honour your presence here.

You, too, must honour mine. That means that you do not get to tell me to live like you, if this is not how I choose to live. Indigenous peoples are not minorities who moved here on your terms. We are not stakeholders. We are not an interest group. We are treaty partners and but for our partnership there would be no Canada today. My relations are buried throughout this land you rightly call home. They lived and died here long before you knew your present home existed. It is not for you or your leaders to decide how a life should be lived for both of us. This is what we agreed to. When your leaders presume to decide how my life should be lived or what values I should have, they have given up representing my interests and they are no longer my leaders too. This is my belief and I will defend it. To the best of my understanding, this is what Idle No More is about. Indigenous Canada wants a just and respectful relationship with the state and with non-Indigenous Canadians, not one premised on unacknowledged and tacitly accepted continuing colonial violence. All my non-Indigenous relations, if you accept less than an end to colonial violence, have you not quietly accepted that Indigenous Canadians are worth less than you?

All my relations, demanding an end to colonial violence is not too much to ask. The imperative for non-violence, whether manifest in resistance to ongoing colonial oppression or in the daily conduct of our relationships with one another, is a bedrock foundation necessary for making citizenship in Canada worth having. And despite the efforts of those who seek to keep your ambitions for change low through fear, it certainly does not mean the end of Canada as you know it. It does however mean there must be profound changes in our relationship. It means that you must want those changes for your own identity as a Canadian and thus for how you want to understand yourself. I truly believe there is room for all of us to live a good life as we know it, and that together we can accomplish this reality without violence. All my relations, I mean no disrespect, but you would be foolish not to demand the same of your leaders, especially of our federal government. I am concerned that it is afraid of Chief Spence, that it is afraid of Indigenous unity, and that it is especially afraid of non-Indigenous Canadians realizing that "Indigenous issues" are their issues too. I am concerned that without your voice, its way may not be one of non-violence.

All my relations, I have no tolerance for violence and I am committed to defeating it. This commitment finds its genesis in the teachings of particular elders and mentors who took time with me from their lives and from much talk throughout mine of smudging and tobacco offerings. These practises have created in me a profound love for our land and for the treaties which connect and unite us.

Let us reject the violence that keeps us mired in the past, let the drum sound colonial power no more, and let us celebrate our differences so that we can come together.

Waabishki Ma'iingan
North Bay

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An open letter to Leaders of First Nations and Canada

January 7, 2013

Re: AFN-Crown Relations - meeting on January 11, 2013

It is an understatement to say that the Aboriginal - non-Aboriginal relations in this country have moved to a new level given the Idle No More movement and hunger strike by Chief Theresa Spence of the Attawapiskat First Nation. While this era of renewed relations emits positive optimistic outlooks for some, there is the downside of broken relations which will require meaningful dialogue at every level of this country starting with: every family dinner table to the classrooms of all elementary, secondary schools and universities; all citizens who worship from the pews of every church to all the places of sacred sanctuary; the corporate board rooms large and small; and, the decision-making chambers of all municipal, provincial and aboriginal government offices of the nation - we all need to talk.

The recent flurry of activity, whether you agree with it or not, has sparked conversations right across the country. While many of the conversations have offered sound and thought-provoking suggestions, the country has also felt the brunt of outright racist, fear-mongering hatred for aboriginal issues. In the aftermath of such movements to create change, there is a need to engage everyone - the supporters and skeptics alike - into the circles of renewed relations. It is called: creating awareness; speaking the truth; promoting understanding; fostering good relations; engaging in meaningful dialogue; building trust and respect; thus, in the end, building a better future for all.

It is after all about broken relations and the need to fix the issues that affect all our relations, albeit not an overnight solution is at hand. But there has to be the willingness from all sides to engage the necessary tools to fix the longstanding, often complex, issues affecting how we relate to one another.

The Prime Minister has agreed to meet with First Nations leaders on January 11/13. Once again, there will be fanfare with throngs of reporters milling around all to capture a moment of that photo opportunity. But this time, the approach has to be different. The time has come for all leaders, government and aboriginal, to momentarily put aside their titles, and deeply reflect upon the messages of the people from every corner of this country. What are the people saying and why? This time, if the meeting is to result in something tangible, all leaders must earnestly listen to the heartbeat of the nation.

Process - Framework

And so if the January 11/13 meeting results in an agreement of a framework - a process - on how to begin the willingness to address issues that affect our relations, then it will be worth the effort.

Secondly, the more immediate and attainable remedies should be decided upon, for example, the reinstatement of support for the aboriginal representative organizations. These organizations need to be engaged in the rebuilding of relations - a critical role that is needed to fix what is broken.

One of the shortcomings of the 2012 Crown-First Nations summit was that it did not have a process to critically measure the results and outcomes for the short, medium and, especially longer term. This time, we cannot overlook the fact we need a process that measures the fruits of labour of dialogue and action.

A Crown-First Nations Panel

To ensure that discussions are ongoing, the leadership must engage in the establishment of a process, perhaps in the form of a panel.

This panel would consist of representatives from both the federal government and aboriginal representative organizations.

Such a panel would be inclusive of Elders, women and youth.

The panel should be co-chaired by highly respected individuals from the aboriginal community and Canada. Perhaps a former national chief like Georges Erasmus, Ovide Mercredi or Phil Fontaine could take on the helm for the aboriginal side of the co-chairpersonship.

As an immediate task following the January 11/13 meeting between the Prime Minister and the First Nations leadership, Terms of Reference, the Scope of Work and Identification/Prioritization of Issues need to be drawn out to set in motion a framework.

So as not to "reinvent the wheel" on the identification of issues, perhaps the time has come to seriously delve into the numerous thoughtful recommendations of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples to trigger dialogue leading to strengthened relations.

Reconciliation at Heart

And so this time, it is about elevating the spirit of the reconciliation - the spirit of renewed relations - to a higher level of far-reaching change.

As a Survivor of the Indian Residential Schools system who has acknowledged and accepted the words of the federal government's 2008 Statement of Apology, I am constantly reminded by the words:

"The burden of this experience has been on your shoulders for far too long. The burden is properly ours as a Government, and as a country. There is no place in Canada for the attitudes that inspired the Indian Residential Schools system to ever prevail again. You have been working on recovering from this experience for a long time and in a very real sense, we are now joining you on this journey."

These words, although sparked by this country's horrendous legacy of the Indian Residential Schools system, is truly about renewed relations - reconciliation from the heart. It is about talking to each other in a good way; based on trust and respect.

To thrust the spirit of true reconciliation forward, the leaders need to speak from the heart in a traditional sharing circle environment - it is good medicine. As aboriginal people, we have adopted the ways of our new partners, and so the time has come to try traditional means to promote healthy dialogue.

To that end, I am vividly reminded of the 2010 first national event of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Winnipeg, when the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs sat in a sharing circle and truly spoke from the heart. I am sure that was very healing for all. That was powerful and meaningful. Like the ancestors of our people, maintaining dialogue was a key ingredient to survival.

In the spirit of renewed relations, I remain.

Sincerely

Garnet Angeconeb
Anishinaabe
Caribou Clan

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From The StarPheonix

Idle No More underlines need to change attitude

By Doug Cuthand,  January 11, 2013

"First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they attack you, then you win," Mahatma Gandhi noted.

The spin cycle has been in overdrive with news about Chief Theresa Spence. This unassuming woman from a small northern Ontario community has the Harper government and the rightwing media in a lather, and it is getting ridiculous.

On Monday, an audit report done on Spence's Attawapiskat reserve by the government-appointed firm Deloitte and Touche was mysteriously leaked to selected media. A series of negative stories followed. The leak came at a crucial time - a fact that became increasingly obvious as the week wore on.

It's also obvious after closer scrutiny of the audit report that media either dropped the ball or let racism cloud their critical thinking. Some media outlets, especially Sun News and the National Post, went over the top with partisanship and racism, denigrating Chief Spence and her cause. They clearly were trying to turn public opinion against the Idle No More movement, and Spence in particular.

The audit covered the period from March 2005 to Nov. 31, 2011. Spence was elected chief on Aug. 27, 2010, and was thus chief for only a little more than a year of the six years covered by the report. During that time there is an obvious upturn in the band's financial accountability.

Instead of being the cause of the woes of Attawapiskat, it appears that Spence was responsible for turning things around. This was missed by reporting that was too anxious to assign blame.

The audit for 2011-12 has yet to be posted, but I'm sure it will show a marked improvement. The Deloitte report shows that accounting has greatly improved since Spence took office.

The audit report covers five years prior to her term, and somehow the sins of her predecessors are visited on her.

Then the media got after the fact that her partner, Clayton Kennedy, also works for the band and draws $140,000 per year. What they didn't report is that he is the co-manager appointed jointly by the Aboriginal Affairs department and the band council.

His salary is in the midrange for what a co-manager receives. The band council previously had retained an accounting firm that wanted to charge $400,000 a year. It was dropped in favour of Kennedy, so there is an obvious saving.

The media were also quick to point out that - horror of horrors - Chief Spence and Kennedy are not married. They made it sound as if it were the 1950s all over again. As far as I'm concerned, the media dropped the ball on this one. They were too quick to pile on.

It will be abundantly clear a decade or so from now that these journalists were on the wrong side of history. Divide-and-conquer tactics, along with demonizing the leaders, are as old as the hills. In the United States, civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali were all deprecated by the media of their day, but today are seen as national heroes.

Time and again we hear that the status quo isn't good enough, but it's always in reference to us and our relationship with Canada and the Indian Act. Nowhere do people say that the status quo for Canadians isn't good enough.

It's time for a change. That means Canada's view of First Nations people has to change. We need to have some understanding about our treaties and the constitutional position that we occupy. We have a valuable body of constitutional legal decisions to back up our claims.

There simply is too much racism in this country. All one has to do is to review the online comments that follow news stories to gain insight to the sorry state of Canadians' racist views of First Nations and aboriginal people. I fear that the Idle No More movement will be taken as a polarizing factor by some, when what's needed instead is some thoughtful reflection.

The big rap against First Nations leaders is accountability, if you believe the government's line and comments by right-wing media that our leaders are a band of thieves and cheats. The opposite is more likely the case, as our leaders try to be accountable to the people while also having to answer to the colonial masters in Ottawa.

It's a dichotomy that is a recipe for failure. No matter what some leaders do, they will be in conflict with one party or another.

This raises the issue of how accountability is defined. According to the Harper government, everything revolves around money. But what about the education deficit, the lifestyle deficit, the health and social deficit among First Nations? All these deficits are having a serious impact on Indian Country, but government financial reporting and neo-colonialism trumps everything.

The media like to complain that the Idle No More movement lacks clarity and leadership. They have to stop overthinking this people's movement and look at the reasons why it exists.