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RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS: INVESTIGATION - Globe and Mail story ...

Natives died in droves as Ottawa ignored warnings - Tuberculosis took the lives of students for at least 40 years
BILL CURRY AND KAREN HOWLETT - Posted on 24/04/07

OTTAWA -- As many as half of the aboriginal children who attended the early years of residential schools died of tuberculosis, despite repeated warnings to the federal government that overcrowding, poor sanitation and a lack of medical care were creating a toxic breeding ground for the rapid spread of the disease, documents show.

A Globe and Mail examination of documents in the National Archives reveals that children continued to die from tuberculosis at alarming rates for at least four decades after a senior official at the Department of Indian Affairs initially warned in 1907 that schools were making no effort to separate healthy children from those sick with the highly contagious disease.

Peter Bryce, the department's chief medical officer, visited 15 Western Canadian residential schools and found at least 24 per cent of students had died from tuberculosis over a 14-year period. The report suggested the numbers could be higher, noting that in one school alone, the death toll reached 69 per cent.

With less than four months to go before Ottawa officially settles out of court with most former students, a group calling itself the Friends and Relatives of the Disappeared Residential School Children is urging the government to acknowledge this period in the tragic residential-schools saga - and not just the better-known cases of physical and sexual abuse.

Last week, Liberal MP Gary Merasty wrote to Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice asking the government to look into the concerns. Mr. Prentice's spokesman, Bill Rogers, told The Globe that departmental officials have been asked to meet with native groups.

Some of their stories, including tales of children buried in unmarked graves beside the schools, are told in a new documentary by Kevin Annett, a former United Church minister, titled Unrepentant: Kevin Annett and Canada's Genocide.

Mr. Annett, as well as some academics, argue that the government's handling, combined with Canada's official policy of removing children from their homes for 10 months each year to attend distant schools, does indeed fit the United Nations definition of genocide.

The UN definition, adopted after the Second World War, lists five possible acts that qualify as genocide, of which killing is only one. The fifth act is described as "forcibly transferring children of the group to another group."

But transcripts of debates in 1952 of the House of Commons external affairs committee, reviewed by The Globe, show public servants advised politicians not to enshrine a definition of genocide into law, despite Canada's promise internationally to do so.

In 2000, four years after the last residential school closed, the government finally adopted a limited definition of genocide, excluding the line about forcible transfer of children. But courts have rejected native claims of genocide against Ottawa and the churches because Canada had no law banning genocide while the schools were operating.

"It's another crime," said Roland Chrisjohn, a professor of native studies at St. Thomas University who has written extensively on the subject. "Canada can't define genocide to suit its own purposes."

Few argue that the policy was genocidal in the Nazi sense of deliberately killing people. Rather, the focus was on killing native culture in the name of assimilation, said John Milloy, a Trent University professor.

"The purpose of the [federal government's] policy is to eradicate Indians as a cultural group," said Prof. Milloy, who has had more access to government files on the subject than any other researcher. "If genocide has to do with destroying a people's culture, this is genocidal, no doubt about it. But to call it genocidal is to misunderstand how the system works."

Whatever the definition, there is no disputing the deadly swath tuberculosis cut through native schools.

Dr. Bryce followed up his 1907 report with a second one two years later, this time on the toll TB was taking in Alberta residential schools. He recommended that Ottawa take over responsibility of the schools from church control.

The Globe has uncovered letters in the archives showing that many others issued similar warnings. Just a few months after Dr. Bryce's 1909 report, the department's Indian agent for Duck Lake, Sask., wrote to his Ottawa colleagues: "The department should realize that under present circumstances about one-half of the children who are sent to the Duck Lake boarding school die before the age of 18, or very shortly afterward."

Another document published in 1914 shows Dr. Bryce's findings were accepted by Duncan Campbell Scott, the most influential senior Indian Affairs official of the period. "It is quite within the mark to say that fifty per cent of the children who passed through these schools did not live to benefit from the education which they had received therein," Mr. Scott wrote in an essay.

But one of the documents obtained by The Globe reveals Mr. Scott's department rejected the doctor's recommendations because the government did not want to upset the churches that ran the schools.

The residential schools were an extension of religious missionary work. They started receiving federal support in 1874 as part of Canada's campaign to assimilate aboriginals into Christian society by obliterating their language, religion and culture. Well over 100,000 native children passed through the schools, most of which were closed in the mid-1970s.

The tuberculosis problem was symptomatic of the deplorable living conditions for the thousands of children uprooted from their communities and placed in the care of strangers.

Tuberculosis is one of the deadliest infectious diseases, entering the body through breathing and infecting the lungs. It can then spread to the central nervous system, bones and joints, according to the Canadian Lung Association.

In May, 1930, at the Shubenacadie Residential School in Nova Scotia, officials were coping with an outbreak of tuberculosis seven months after the facility opened. But it was the arrival several years later of James Paul, a new student with an advanced case of tuberculosis, that raised the ire of the school's visiting physician.

"Evidently somebody has mistaken our residential school for a TB sanatorium," D. F. MacInnis says in a letter to Indian Affairs.

Later, Dr. MacInnis wrote to the school principal: "We are apparently getting all the advanced TB cases and syphilities in the three provinces shipped into our school and apparently there is no way left for us to keep them out. It is very unfair to the children who are clean and well."

Although most students from this period are no longer alive, some who attended later recall sharing sleeping quarters with dying children.

"I've known some students that died there and I don't know how they died. All we know is we had their funeral service," said Harry Lucas, 66, who attended Christie Indian Residential on Vancouver Island from 1948 to 1958.

"There were quite a few grave sites there that I always questioned. We were able to sleep next to a person that was dying. They didn't put them away in separate rooms. That was always kind of spooky for me."

Ted Quewezance, the executive director of the National Residential School Survivors Society, attended Gordon Residential School and St. Philip Residential School in Saskatchewan from 1960 to 1969. He said he has spoken to thousands of former students across Canada.

"We'd see [funerals] monthly," he said. "We were never able to ask what they were. It's no different right across the country. There's even some graves unmarked. Kids were buried at the school, but now we're talking about how do we bring our survivors home? "

The Friends and Relatives of the Disappeared Residential School Children claims thousands of children are buried in unmarked graves near the schools. Many of their stories are contained in the documentary by Mr. Annett, who says he was ousted from the United Church in 1995 after raising concerns about the church's residential-school history.

(The United Church rejects Mr. Annett's version of events, pointing to a three-week termination hearing in which several witnesses said he was a confrontational figure who was a poor manager of his Port Alberni church.)

James Scott of the United Church said there is relatively little solid information on deaths at the schools because archivists have been so focused on researching claims of living former students.

"My sense is that the more we find out about [the schools], the deeper our understanding of the catastrophic impact of the residential schools on aboriginal people, on their families and their culture," he said.

Bede Hubbard of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops said the Roman Catholic Church, which ran most of the schools, noted that previous research has shown the churches made many pleas to Ottawa for more money to improve standards.

"I didn't realize that the rates of tuberculosis were that high. In the 1930s, tuberculosis was rampant in Canada itself, so it shouldn't be surprising then that it was also a problem in the residential schools."

Prof. Milloy of Trent University is the only outsider to have accessed the locked vault of Indian Affairs records through his role as a senior researcher for the 1996 Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples.

In 1999, he published his research in a book titled A National Crime: The Canadian Government and the Residential School System. Prof. Milloy expressed discomfort with the campaign of Mr. Annett and others to introduce language such as genocide and "aboriginal holocaust."

What government and church records do show, he said, is that the deaths were primarily due to the policy of paying churches on a per-capita basis to run the schools. Numerous letters indicate that because of the funding policy, churches would admit sick children and refuse to send ailing ones home. Pleas to the department for more funding fell on deaf ears.

"That's why there's so many kids sleeping in so few beds in so many dormitories across the country," Prof. Milloy said. "It has absolutely nothing to do with the idea of 'Let's get them sick with tuberculosis and wipe them out as a species on the earth.' It's the fact that the feds won't spend any money on this, and that's what it leads to."

As for Dr. Bryce, the man who first sounded the alarm, he was shuffled to another department. The position of chief medical officer was terminated and the government appears to have made no further effort to gather statistics on deaths at the schools. Ottawa did not take over control of all schools until 1969.

In 1922, after he retired, Dr. Bryce penned a diatribe against Ottawa's lack of response to his reports.

The title: The Story of a National Crime. A history of shame - EARLY YEARS

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Watch the video online

Unrepentant - Canada’s Genocide
at http://smashingtelly.com/2007/03/20/unrepentent-canadas-genocide

Winner, Best Director of an International Film at the New York International & Independent Film Festival. A documentary that reveals what it claims is Canada’s darkest secret - the deliberate extermination of Native Americans under the guise of religion.

Running Time: 1 hour 49 mins.

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United Church press release ....

United Church Encouraged by Government Commitment to Search Residential School Records

TORONTO, April 25 - In a statement released today, The United Church of Canada has applauded the comments recently made by Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice indicating that he has asked department officials to initiate a search of archival records for information related to deaths of students attending residential schools.

The Rev. James Scott is the United Church's General Council Officer for Residential Schools. He says the minister's proactive approach is an encouraging sign that the government recognizes the need to commit both human and financial resources to this research.

"The United Church welcomes the opportunity to co-operate fully with this research because we feel a deep moral obligation to assist family members of former students who are searching for historical information related to their loved ones," says Scott. He adds that The United Church of Canada's archives are open, and that information is made available subject only to privacy policy legislation.

Scott says the United Church is also fully supportive of the need to search archival records in order to identify the extent to which conditions in residential schools may have contributed to what The Globe and Mail has called "a toxic breeding ground" for diseases like tuberculosis.

"The United Church recognizes the tragic reality that, over the course of the history of residential schools, many Native children died as a result of illness, disease, or accident, a fact undoubtedly exacerbated by the institutional setting and inadequate funding," says Scott.

For over a decade, The United Church of Canada has acknowledged and apologized for its involvement in the federal system of Indian Residential Schools and has actively sought paths of justice, healing, and reconciliation. Scott says the church acknowledges its part in the colonial enterprise which resulted in a society that has been unjust, abusive, and racist.

Scott explains that the response of the United Church to the legacy of the residential school system is shaped and co-ordinated by the Residential Schools Steering Committee which includes Aboriginal members from across the country, some of whom are residential school survivors. The United Church has also been guided by ongoing consultation with Aboriginal political, healing, and survivor organizations.

"We consider that the treatment of Aboriginal peoples, including the imposition of the residential school system, constitutes a most shameful chapter in Canada's national history," says Scott. "The United Church is committed to facing the ugly realities of the residential school system and to actively living out its apologies."

For further information: Mary-Frances Denis, Communications Officer, The United Church of Canada, (416) 231-7680 ext. 2016 (office), (416) 885-7478 (cell), (416) 766-0057 (home)

Constance Lake First Nation developed the Eagle's Earth Cree and Ojibway Historical Centre (http://eaglesearth.com) to share the rich heritage of the people of this land and region with tourists and other First Nations people. The site is now preparing to open to the public for the first time this coming June. Tours of the site are made available by contacting Elizabeth Moore through the band office or at 705-463-2288.

To understand the beauty and experience the vision of the people, everyone needs to plan to stop and spend as much time as possible at this site. The Feather Building is a museum containing stories, exhibitions, crafts, store, restaurant, etc. Various types of accommodations make this unique site accessible to one and all.

Everyone needs to visit this special gift that is being hosted by the people of Constance Lake First Nation for all the people. Check out the brochure and visit their web site to learn more about this beautiful site located along the shore of the Shekak River. It is an experience that our children and future generations will find pride in the rich heritage of the Nishnawbe Aski!

Canada.com story ....

Manitoba woman wins international award for protecting boreal forest
Steve Lambert, Canadian Press - April 22, 2007

WINNIPEG -- Sophia Rabliauskas has seen what mining, hydroelectric dams, logging and other projects have done to aboriginal lands. And she doesn't like it.

"We know the land that's being destroyed, the devastation that it leaves behind with communities and people,"  the quiet 47-year-old said in an interview. "People that depend on the land... have been displaced from their communities and are still suffering today."

"(My goal) is for our people to use the land the way they have always used it."

Rabliauskas has spent years trying to get permanent protection against development for residents of the Poplar River First Nation, an isolated community on the east side of Lake Winnipeg.

She was recognized for her efforts Sunday, as the North American recipient of the Goldman Environmental Prize -- an award that has been handed out every year since 1990 to one person from each continent in recognition of grassroots environmental work.

Only three other Canadians have won the award, including Matthew Coon Come, who led the Quebec Cree battle against hydro dam development in northern Quebec.

Rabliauskas's work paid off partially in 2004, when the Manitoba government offered interim protection of the 8,100-square-kilometre area -- larger than Prince Edward Island.

The province has announced its intention to offer permanent protection to Poplar River, and has also launched land-use planning consultations with aboriginal leaders on a vast 83,000-square-kilometre area that covers much of the east side of Lake Winnipeg, including Poplar River.

Rabliauskas, whose duties have included working as a band councillor, said the award belongs to all Poplar River residents.

"We know exactly what we want and we've been working on this for years. To actually see the result of work that's been done... I'm very proud of our community," she said.
The east side of Lake Winnipeg includes a huge section of pristine boreal forest, which environmentalists say plays an important role in the ecosystem.

"I like to talk about (the boreal forest) as a green halo that runs across the top of the Earth," said Kim Fry, a Toronto-based forest advocate with Greenpeace who calls the boreal an important habitat for fish, fowl and caribou.

"The majority of the world's freshwater is stored in the lakes and rivers and waters of the boreal forest."

"What a lot of Canadians don't realize is that . . . the majority of the waterfowl -- the ducks, the songbirds -- that travel through southern Canada are actually on their way up to the boreal. And that's where they make their nesting grounds."

Some areas of the Canadian boreal forest have been clear cut for lumber or have had been dug up for mining. Some forestry operations run just south of the Poplar River area.
Rabliauskas's husband, Ray, a land-use co-ordinator with the Poplar River band, said the jobs that come with such development are a high price to pay.

"We get a lot of support from communities up north whose lands have been flooded (by hydro dams) and communities in the south whose lands have been logged out. They warn us and tell us, 'What you're doing is really important, and don't let what happened to us happen to you.'

Press Release ...

Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte Demand The Province Of Ontario Revoke Quarry License

Gather at: Ministry of Natural Resources
Whitney Block (at the corner of Queen’s Park Circle and Wellesley, in front of two large canons)

DATE: Monday, April 23

TIME: 11 am

Join us as we tell the Ontario government to uphold its duties to the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte (MBQ) and to the environment. Join us as we deliver direct evidence of illegal dumping and a message sent by the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte to the steps of the Ministry of Natural Resources. It is time the MNR and the Province of Ontario stepped up and took responsibility for their part in the destruction and theft of indigenous land.

One month ago, the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte reclaimed a portion of the Culbertson Tract – 925 acres of land taken from their community, Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, in 1832.

The land reclaimed by the Mohawk community pointedly includes a gravel quarry. Beyond the obvious direct thieving of stolen land which quarry operations so blatantly embody – more than 100,000 tonnes of land are trucked out every year, to benefit settler Canadian business interests - it has since been discovered that the crimes against the Mohawk Territory are greater than first imagined.

Thurlow Aggregates, the quarry operators, were also carrying out illegal dumping of waste on this site. Building materials, batteries and highway asphalt have been uncovered. The operators went so far as to try and bury the evidence of this scandalous activity, when they became aware of the Mohawk’s intended reclamation of the land.

While this information was made public several weeks ago, the Government of Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) – responsible both for the licensing and environmental standards of quarry operations in this province - has refused to inspect it.

Since day one of the quarry takeover, the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte have demanded that the quarry license be revoked. Not only has the MNR refused to comply, but the MNR District Manager came to the Territory, only to refuse to see the evidence of the dumping and environmental destruction at the quarry.

The MNR refuses to act despite Federal government recognition of the validity of the Mohawk’s claim to the land. The Province of Ontario has failed in every way – no proper monitoring of the quarry, no revocation of the license to ensure its rightful owners can clean up the mess that has been made and put the land to healthy use, complete risk of the local environment and local water supply. Before the quarry was reclaimed, the MNR sat back and collected fees from the operation of removing stolen land from the Culbertson Tract.

Join us on Monday, as we demand the Province of Ontario own up to its inaction and answer for its role in the devastation and pilfering of indigenous land.

This demonstration is organized by a coalition including No One Is Illegal-Toronto, Ontario Coalition Against Poverty, Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid, and members of the Coalition In Support of Indigenous Sovereignty.

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From CFRA Radio, Ottawa ...

Aboriginal Protest Ends Near Deseronto
Sean Connolly
Saturday, April 21, 2007

Aboriginal protesters removed their blockade of one of the country's busiest rail lines Saturday morning, but they are warning the demonstration is just one in a series of "escalating" actions they plan to take.

They say there are plans to stage other protests targeting the railway, provincial highways, and the town of Deseronto, Ontario.

The CN, Via Rail corridor between Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto was blocked for almost 24 hours after protestors disrupted the route with an old school bus near Deseronto.

The Mohawks are protesting a plan to build condominiums using materials from a quarry on land the natives claim belongs to them.

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From First Perspective - The Drum ...

Aboriginal protest forces railway to close Montreal-Toronto route

April 20, 2007

An Aboriginal protest has forced a major railroad company to stop traffic on a major corridor.

CN announced today a shutdown of rail operations in its Toronto-Montreal corridor, including an embargo on all freight and passenger traffic, to ensure the safety of its employees and the travelling public. The shutdown follows what is being called an illegal blockade of CN's double-track main line west of Napanee, Ont., by some members of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte First Nation.

The blockade has seriously disrupted freight and passenger service in the busiest rail corridor on CN's system - the Montreal-Toronto line accommodates on a daily basis an average of 25 CN freight trains and 22 VIA Rail Canada Inc. passenger trains.

CN earlier today obtained an interim injunction from the Ontario Superior Court of Justice ordering protestors to remove the blockade immediately.

The injunction has been served on the protestors. CN in a press release said that they are concerned that the Ontario government has not ensured enforcement of the court order to allow train traffic to resume in this very important corridor. CN hopes to be able to restore service as soon as possible for its customers.

The Aboriginal groups involved in the protest activities have not commented on the shutdown.

From Winnipeg Sun ...

Guaranteed mortgages a good start

By JOSEPH QUESNEL, April 21, 2007

The federal government's decision to guarantee mortgages for aboriginals living on reserves is quite significant, but it is only one step towards full empowerment.

Real change will come through changes to the Indian Act and attitudes surrounding First Nations private property rights.

The initiative will see $300 million earmarked for aboriginal housing go towards an independent fund. Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice said this money will be used to leverage up to seven times that amount from banks. This will free up $2 billion for natives wanting mortgages. If a native borrower defaults, the banks will be paid from the fund and the government can then go after the defaulter, so this is not a money-losing scheme.

Banks, under the Indian Act, cannot enforce defaulted loans on First Nations. Bands own land, not individuals. As a result, band members cannot get mortgages.

This decision will ensure that individual home ownership increases on reserves, a move Prentice correctly points out will improve aboriginal communities. "This will allow people on reserves to build up their own equity and be able to draw on a mortgage to start a business," he said.

"I'm under no illusions that this is an answer to all the social housing needs of all First Nation communities, but clearly we are trying to empower First Nation citizens to have the same access to education and job opportunities as other Canadians."

I would gladly take this bold move over the Kelowna Accord any day. That agreement was about dumping more money into a problem that required systemic change. More reserve housing is not the solution because it is owned by band council. Individual home ownership provides much more of an incentive for responsible stewardship (i.e., if a home belongs to you, you take better care of it).

While I am very pleased, I hope it is the start of a gradual opening of aboriginal communities to private property rights. For that, legislative changes to the Indian Act are needed. Of course, this is easier said than done with any issue. Under the Chretien government, there were positive steps with the First Nations Governance Act, but these stopped when Martin listened to aboriginal vested interests more than band members.

Aboriginals must be convinced that private ownership is central to self-government, as private ownership will bring taxes to communities dependent on government transfers. This will allow natives to create their own wealth.

The most important dragon to be slain is the "romantic" mythology that aboriginal societies have always been collectively-minded and have no history of private property. Even natives have been misled. In Self-Determination: The Other Path for Native Americans, a group of scholars dispels this myth by demonstrating that aboriginal individuals used land enclosures and accepted personal rights over many things before colonization. It was the colonial Indian Act which imposed collective tenure. Metis communities have always enjoyed fee simple property rights.

While natives lacked central land registries and the degree of individual rights varied across tribes, this myth needs to be re-examined as it misdirects public policy.

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National Post story ...

Ottawa to guarantee native mortgages - $300-million plan
John Ivison, National Post, April 20, 2007

OTTAWA - The Conservative government will today reveal details of a plan that will enable Aboriginal Canadians living on reserves to buy their own homes for the first time in what Jim Prentice, the Indian Affairs Minister, asserts is "one of the most important structural changes in a generation."

At the moment, banks are reluctant to lend to First Nations individuals because the Indian Act prevents them from launching enforcement proceedings in event of default. Individual bands own the land on reserves and Section 86 of the Act was inserted to prevent banks from taking over Indian land piecemeal. However, it has meant that home ownership is all but nonexistent on reserves.

The new initiative will take $300-million earmarked for Aboriginal housing in last month's budget and create a "default fund" administered by a board of independent trustees.

Mr. Prentice said the money will be used to leverage up to seven times that amount from banks that have signed up for the initiative. This will free up as much as $2-billion for First Nations borrowers who want to take out mortgages. If a borrower defaults on the loan, the banks will be repaid from the default fund and the government will in turn seek payment from First Nations that sign up for the program.

The scheme is being tested in a pilot project at the Kamloops Indian Band in British Columbia and Mr. Prentice said he is confident there will be demand in Aboriginal communities.

Kamloops band members could not be reached to discuss the trial.

The new plan is evidence of Mr. Prentice's alternative to the $5-billion Kelowna Accord signed by former prime minister Paul Martin, the provinces and a number of Aboriginal groups shortly before the 2006 election.

It envisaged spending hundreds of millions of dollars on new housing to address the growing shortage of between 20,000 to 35,000 units.

Mr. Prentice said this would simply "pour more money in the top of the funnel" in the form of fiscal transfers from the federal government.

The Indian Affairs Minister has made a number of structural reforms, such as moves to grant matrimonial property rights to women on reserves, that he believes are necessary as pre-conditions for true First Nations self-government.

"This will allow people on reserves to build up their own equity and be able to draw on a mortgage to start a business. I'm under no illusions that this is an answer to all the social housing needs of all First Nations communities.

"But clearly we are trying to empower First Nations citizens to have the same access to education and job opportunities as other Canadians," he said in an interview yesterday.

"The ultimate goal is to have strong, self-governing First Nation communities."

Mr. Prentice said Aboriginal communities have to build their own tax base to pay for services. "The capacity to raise your own money is part of self-government. Part of the challenge we face today is that there are many First Nation communities that receive a disproportionate amount of their finances as direct transfers from the government of Canada.

Over time, these communities will have to emerge as communities with property ownership, where people pay taxes or collect rents to contribute to the cost of running their communities," he said.

"My observation from what I've seen over the years is that those communities who are poorest are those communities that depend on government for transfers.

"We cannot eradicate poverty amongst Aboriginal people simply by transferring dollars from the federal treasury. We have to empower individuals to create wealth in their communities. This, for all of us as Canadians, is a core thing."

Eagle & Condor Symposium
Northern College
South Porcupine, Ontario
May 28-29/07

Please visit this website for registration and download information about this symposium!

http://www.wahgoshig.firstnationschools.ca/

Hosted by Martin Millen with our grandmother elder Liz Babin in partnership with Northern College....

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The Eagle & Condor

Our Indigenous Elders Have a Very Timely Message For Each of Us.

Join Us In a Symposium For All Ages With International Elders Who Carry Ancient and Historical Teachings.

Hear Their Words, Feel Their Hearts
and See Their Visions!

May 28-29, 2007

About The Eagle & Condor Symposium

This symposium is a great opportunity for all ages and races to learn about Aboriginal Tribal Peoples profound Indigenous knowledge, and methods of practice that promote balanced and cohesive extended family relationships that are rooted in an ethic of respect and stewardship with the land. Come and share the passing on of traditional knowledge and how it continues to exist today.

More Information on the Symposuim

Download the Info Package (includes registration form, 9 pgs) from the web site at http://www.wahgoshig.firstnationschools.ca/

Information for Symposium Exhibitors & Craft Vendors

We invite enquirers for booths set up at our 1st annual symposium. Symposium offers opportunity to market products and services. For more information, please contact the On-site Coordinators

Mary Boyden (705) 235-3211 ext 2247
Coordinator Access and Community Based Programs
E-Mail boydenm@northern.on.ca

OR Roberta Oshkawbewisens Martin
(705) 672-3376 ext 8819
E-mail martinr@northern.on.ca

Fee for Symposium

Everyone Welcome! $ 80.00 per seat, includes both days.

PAYMENT INFORMATION

Please Make Check/MO payable to:
Wahgoshig First Nation Elders Gathering
Wahgoshig First Nation
RR#3
Matheson Ontario POK1NO

We accept:
Certified checks, sorry no personal checks
Money Orders
Bank Draft ( Call finance dept for instructions, Terry (705) 273 2055. )
Cash at the door, Registration May 28 only, 8:00-9:00 a.m.

SPACE IS LIMITED. This symposium will sell out, so register early!

No registrations will be taken by phone; we must receive a completed registration form by mail, fax or by email by May 23, 2007 prior to the symposium. Confirmations will be sent out, via e-mail or fax, one week before the May 28, 2007 date. Cancellations may be made up to 7 working days prior to the date of the symposium. No refunds will be given for cancellations made after this point.

Deadline to register is May 23, 2007.

http://www.wahgoshig.firstnationschools.ca/?q=node/73

Online Registration for Single Participant
Online Registration for Groups from Schools / Organizations / First Nations

Schedule of Events

Day One | Monday May 28, 2007 | 8:00 to 5:00 p.m.

8:00 to 9:00 a.m. Registration / main Lobby

9:00 to 9:30 a.m.
Opening Prayer. Traditional Welcome
First Nation Drum Group

9:30 to 9:45 a.m.
Opening Remarks & Introductions

9:45 to 10:00 a.m.
Overhead presentation: Titled `The Shift of the Ages'
Don Alejandro documentary produced by filmmaker Stave Copeland.
Film to be released Fall 2007

10:00 to 10:45 a.m.
15 Minutes Audience Question Period: Guest Speaker:
Mayan Elder, Don Alejandro

11:00 to 11:45 a.m.
15 Minutes Audience Question Period: Guest Speaker:
Mayan Elder, Elizabeth Araujo

12:00 to 1:00 p.m.
Lunch Break: (LUNCH NOT PROVIDED) Food available at College Cafeteria

1:00 to 1:45 p.m.
15 Minutes Audience Question Period: Guest Speaker:
Sioux Elder, Chief Arvol Looking Horse

2:00 to 2:15 p.m.
Nutrition Break:

2:15 to 3:00 p.m.
15 Minutes Audience Question Period: Guest Speaker:
Dene Elder, Be'Sha Blondin

3:15 to 4:00 p.m.
15 Minutes Audience Question Period: Guest Speaker:
Alaskan, Aleut Elder, Larry Merculieff

4:15 to 4:45 p.m.
Guest Speaker:
Cree Youth, Jocelyn Cheechoo
Algonquin youth, Bear Babin

4:45 to 5:00 p.m.
Closing Remarks

5:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Opportunity to Network

Day Two | Tuesday May 29, 2007 | 9:00 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.

9:00 to 9:30 a.m.
Traditional Welcome and Opening Prayer

9:30 to 9:45 a.m.
Opening Remarks & Introductions (youth)

9:45 to 10:00 a.m.
Nutrition Break

10:00 am to 12:00 p.m.

Break out sessions. There are four rooms set up to host individual guest speakers. It's your choice to choose the guest speaker you would like to hear more from, this would give you an opportunity to interact with the speaker and learn more about the following subjects.

Room (A)
Subject: Spiritual and Cultural Boundaries:
Mayan Elders: Don Alejandro & Elizabeth Araujo

Room (B)
Subject: World Peace, and the Wolakota Foundation:
Sioux Elder: Chief Arvol Looking Horse & youth Bear Babin:

Room (C)
Subject: Earth Healing & what you can do?
Dene Elder: Be'Sha Blondin and Cree youth Jocelyn Cheechoo

Room (D)
Subject: Global Warming, Elders Concerns, and Environmental
Solutions; Alaskan, Aleut Elder: Larry Merculieff

12:00pm to 12:45p.m.
Closing Remarks; Recognition of presenters; Closing prayer and First Nations Drum Group Traveling Song.

Symposium Outcome
As a result of attending this symposium, you will:

• Know how you or your organization can support the education of cultural heritage;
• Have an appreciation for the complexity of the ethical issues regarding indigenous cultural traditional knowledge, and how Western and Traditional education play a key role while providing transparency of practice towards future initiatives;
• Ethical issues facing our youth and Indigenous wisdom and knowledge and the future responsibilities for earth, water, air, and fire;
• Learned practical approaches to processing multi-format ethnographic collections or multi-media and documentation of cultural events;
• Learn about international initiatives designed through cross-cultural awareness to safeguard intangible and tangible culture and heritage.

Presenters Biographies

Mayan Elder, Don Alejandro

Don Alejandro Perez Oxlaj, whose Mayan name is Wakatel Utiw, Wandering Wolf, is the 13th generation in a lineage of Mayan Medicine People. He received his sacred bundle at the age of 13. He is president of the National Mayan Council of Elders of Guatemala, a body of 440 men and women elders of wisdom who represent 23 Mayan ethnic groups of Guatemala. He was instrumental in creating the reunion of Indigenous Elders and Priests of Americas and is known as the Grand Elder of the Americas. Don Alejandro holds the wisdom of the Mayan Cosmology and travels the world sharing the Mayan prophecies on the major earth changes coming in this millennium. He is a medicine man and works as a catalyst for Indigenous knowledge and healing on global levels. To the indigenous world he is known as "Wandering Wolf". Don Alejandro, in behalf of the Mayan Council of Indigenous Elders in Guatemala, has commissioned a film to be made to reveal visions, concepts, and subject matter previously concealed from the masses. According to Mayan prophecy, we have entered into a period when it is safe to release this information to the public. This film will be released in the fall of 2007. For more information go www.shiftingages.com

Mayan Elder, Elizabeth Araujo

Mayan Elder, Elizabeth Araujo was raised in El Salvador. She is a warm, compassionate person manifesting a discernment that crosses cultural boundaries. As the wife, soul mate and translator of Don Alejandro Cirilo Perez Oxlaj, she travels extensively  throughout the world to wherever they are called to do ceremony and hold council with Elders in the process of bringing unification, balance and harmony to Mother Earth. Her gentle spirit and clean intent creates an atmosphere of acceptance, love and allowance for all who come into her presence to enjoy. Elizabeth works through the Mayan traditional healing ceremonies with the Sacred Fire and is a guide for spiritual journeys to sacred sites. Elizabeth is co-producer of "The Shift of the Ages" , a documentary/ movie.

Dene Elder, Be'Sha Blondin

Dene Elder, Be'Sha will speak about the current state of the environment, how Traditional Ceremony can assist in the Earth's healing, as well as her experience as an Indigenous Elder at the level of the United Nations. Be'Sha had a dream that one day our people will walk hand in hand, many people will become great teachers and help other nations all over the world.

Sioux Elder, Arvol Looking Horse

Sioux Elder Arvol Looking Horse, is the 19th generation keeper of the White Buffalo Calf Pipe Bundle and holds the responsibility of spiritual leader among the Lakota, Dakota and Nakota People. He holds an honorary Doctorate from the University of South Dakota, and travels and speaks extensively on peace, environmental and native rights issues. He has been the recipient of several awards, including the Wolf Award of Canada for his dedicated work for peace. A skilled horseman, he shares his knowledge with the youth on the long distance rides that take place in South Dakota throughout the year. Arvol has been asked to speak about the message from the bundle of the original pipe that he carries from White Buffalo Calf Woman.

Arvol sits on the board of directors for the Wolakota Foundation which is a grassroots non-profit organization emerging from the needs of traditional Lakota (Dakota/Nakota) people to maintain their cultural and spiritual lifeways for the sake of future generations. Since its inception, the organization has sought to promote and protect as well as educate others about the traditional values and wisdom of Indigenous People. For more information go to www.wolakota.org

Alaskan Elder, Larry Merculieff

Alaskan Elder, Larry Merculieff (known as Kuuyux in Aleut, pronounced Koo-yux) has over 35 years experience serving his people, the Aleuts of the Pribilof Islands and other indigenous peoples throughout Alaska, nationally, and internationally in a number of leadership capacities.

Larry is the co-founder and former chairperson of the Indigenous Peoples' Council for Marine Mammals; co-founder of the Alaska Oceans Network and the Alaska Forum on the Environment, co-founder of the International Bering Sea Forum and co-chair of the Indigenous Working Group, founder of the Indian Education Program at the University of Washington, and former co-director of the Alaska Region of the Native American Fish and Wildlife Society.

Larry has had many of his writings published in such magazines as Red Ink, YES, Winds of Change, Cultural Survival, and First Alaskans. Larry received the Alaska Native Writers on Environment Award from the Alaska Conservation Foundation, Buffett Finalist Award for Indigenous Leadership, Rasmuson Foundation Award for Creative Non-Fiction, and the Environmental Excellence Award for lifetime achievement by the Alaska Forum on the Environment.

Larry is careful to note, in the traditional Aleut way, that all his works are Taanaa Aawaa…The Work of the Land. All that he knows, all that he shares, all that he is, is the Work of the Land and his ancestors who guided his people over ten thousand years in the Bering Sea where he was born and raised. For more information about Larry go to:
http://www.ecotrust.org/buffettaward/2006/larry_merculieff.html

Contact Persons
For all other Inquirers regarding symposium or registration, please contact

WFN Education Services
(705) 273-1065 or (705) 262-2851
Or after business hours:
Coordinator: Martin Millen (705) 262-2851
Email: firestarter4812@yahoo.ca

Co-coordinators for symposium:

Mary Boyden (705) 235-3211 ex 2247
E-Mail boydenm@northern.on.ca

Or

Roberta Oshkawbewisens
(705) 672-3376 ext 8819
E-mail martinr@northern.on.ca

National Residential School Survivors' Society: Greetings, Your Majesty

SAULT STE MARIE, ONTARIO--(April 18, 2007) -

On behalf of the National Residential School Survivors Society, we implore your awareness as our Head of State. There has been enormous development with regards to the relationship of Indigenous peoples in relation to mainstream Canada. However, we wish to convey our deep disappointment and regret for the refusal of the current Federal government to issue an apology to those Indigenous children of Canada who were subjected to the Indian Residential Schools (IRS) system in Canada.

Historically, Indian Residential Schools were created to educate the Indigenous Peoples of Canada, presumably the English language, law and commerce. However, in promoting the interests of the British Empire, Indian Residential Schools became a government funded and church operated establishment which advanced a severely exploitative and maltreating assimilation policy. The echo of this depraved policy lingers still throughout the halls of our parliament from the time when Indian Affairs Deputy Superintendent Duncan Campbell Scott declared:

"I want to get rid of the Indian problem. ...Our objective is to continue until there is not a single Indian in Canada that has not been absorbed into the body politic, and there is no Indian question."

Canada's efforts to succeed the IRS system cultivated a policy which fostered insensitive, callous and ruthless means in the name of progression and civilization. Children were forcibly removed and displaced from their homes, disconnected from their family structure and made to attend Christian institutions, whereby they were forbidden to speak or practice their own noble languages, spirituality and culture.

The intergenerational-impacts of the IRS legacy have stanchioned the intentions of D.C. Scott and were the primordial buttresses for the crown of colonialism in Canada. These impacts also created a loss of dignity, respect, and identity amongst the children and their offspring of this ghastly legacy. These losses in turn created many of the underlying dysfunctions within the people who live with this everlasting burden, their families and communities.

Recently, legal action was engaged against the Government of Canada and the appropriate Church entities which operated the schools. Former students sought out compensation and redress for these ill-fated injustices committed in the Indian Residential Schools. After a number of supporting court decisions and the onslaught of a pending National Class Action Case, a negotiated out of court settlement was achieved by all parties involved. The Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement (IRSSA) will provide former students with individual financial compensation. More so, the IRSSA is set to impart Truth and Reconciliation and Commemoration as the world has seen with other colonial nations in the past.

Although, the most important and noticeable element absent from the Settlement Agreement is a sincere and unequivocal apology at the community, regional and national levels by Canada. In recent news, Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs has stated publicly that his government sees no reason why it should issue an apology to the former IRS students for the manner in which they were treated while attending these schools and that the governments motive was to provide these Indian children with an education. It would appear that the current Federal government of Canada refuses to accept the responsibility of the historic damage inflicted upon the children who had attended the Indian Residential Schools.

In order, to assert true reconciliation and redress within our communities, families and individuals the parties involved must predispose the foundations of these injustices. The impropriety of colonialisms imposition must be countered with a compassionate reparation and execute a genuine attempt to re-build trust and respect amongst the grassroots Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples of Canada. The beginning of this restoration must inhabit Canada and the Church entities' unadulterated responsibility of educating mainstream Canada of this horrendous history.

To advance the veritable spirit and intent of Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement is to ensure a sincere sense of closure and reconciliation for all who had participated in these schools. This will require an elevated form of etiquette, ethical behaviours and spiritual intervention needed to provide the direction towards redemption and closure.

One of the central components of the Settlement Agreement is the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. It is within this forum where truth and honesty were to be the prevailing forces that would serve as the catalyst for an environment conducive to beginning the processes of well-being and bona fide reconciliation of the Indigenous people and mainstream Canada.

Further, we value the knowledge that the times which have created our present day societies were without the identification and knowledge of equality as is today. The single minded move towards progression of a century ago did not act with the same laws and behaviours as does today. As we wish to progress the well-being of our families and communities we have relinquished the need for an apology. Intrinsically our spirituality has always encumbered and correlates with the genuine teachings of Jesus Christ which transcends cultures and predates the arrival of the Europeans. In saying this and in the spirit of our people and the integrity of our collective compassion it would be prudent to offer forgiveness from the Survivors of Indian Residential Schools to Canada, the Church entities and their descendants.

The act of forgiveness is based upon and anchored in a spiritual realm no matter the denomination of religion or culture. While an apology can serve as an opening for reconciliation, we believe that true forgiveness is the spiritual connection that will provide a lasting bond for former students, their families and communities within the context of Canada. To quote Alexander Pope, "to err is human but to forgive is divine"

We truly believe the demonstration of this sentiment would bequeath the Indigenous peoples of Canada with renewal of spirit and vigour and offer a substantial pillar in re-claiming dignity and the rectifying of this ugly chapter in Canada's history. The spiritual, social, political and economical benefit to forwarding this noble endeavour is immeasurable and will commence and perpetuate a positive future for our children, grandchildren and the generations to follow.

Whole-heartedly,

Michael Cachagee, Chairperson NRSSS

CONTACT INFORMATION

National Residential School Survivors' Society
Michael Cachagee
Chairperson
(866) 575-0006

From Kenora Miner and News ...

Grassy Narrows gets visit from Amnesty International

By Mike Aiken - Miner and News - Wednesday April 18, 2007

Investigators from Amnesty International visited Grassy Narrows earlier this week, where they hoped to examine the effects of industrial development on the community.

According to Canadian Press, the team also wanted to look into the ongoing opposition to logging in the Whiskey Jack Forest, because band members say half of their traditional lands have been deforested.

“The government of Ontario has made decisions impacting the community’s use of the land with little or no meaningful consultation with Grassy Narrows,” the group said in a prepared statement released over the weekend.

Community members and their supporters have protested clear cutting in the area for many years, including a permanent blockade at Slant Lake created four years ago and temporary roadblocks of local highways last summer.

For its part, the province has said there have been ongoing discussions with Treaty 3 and the First Nation on a wide range of issues, including natural resources.

During his most recent visit to Kenora, Natural Resources Minister David Ramsay said staff “were in constant communications” with First Nations, as the ministry hoped to provide “certainty of supply” for the wood rights in the area.

The discussions are also related to $30-million expansion plans for Kenora Forest Products, which could provide up to 250 jobs.

Treaty 3 staff confirmed the talks were taking place, noting the minister was trying to ensure progress on the negotiations.

MNR’s area spokesman, Shawn Stevenson, was able to confirm the ongoing talks, but noted he wasn’t able to elaborate since he wasn’t at the table.

The traditional way of life at Grassy Narrows and Wabaseemoong First Nations -- including fishing and wild rice harvesting -- was devastated by mercury contamination between 1962 and 1970.

Clearcutting in the Whiskey Jack Forest has also affected trapping and hunting in the area.
The California-based environmental group, Rainforest Action Network, supported the work of the human rights activists.

“The presence of Amnesty International in Grassy Narrows is a wake-up call to North Americans, who think that human rights abuses on the homefront are a thing of the past,” said spokesman Brant Olson.

The environmentalists have partnered with band members on the temporary blockades, as well as protests near Weyerhaeuser headquarters in Washington state.

Tb News Source article ...

New group wants say in hydro line
Posted: 4/18/2007

A new alliance between 19 First Nation communities is primed to pitch their preference to the government for a proposed route for the Ontario-Manitoba hydro transmission line.

Since a provincial announcement in 2004 that it wants to move power generated in Northern Manitoba to southern Ontario, the Chief's steering committee has wanted to be involved in the process. Members of the alliance announced Wednesday that 19 communities have come together and have chosen two potential routes they would like the province to consider.

The First Nations Energy Alliance was formed after three years of research and consultation and their mandate is to pursue a new route for the transmission line between Manitoba and southern Ontario.

The province has put forward four possible routes for the transmission line but the Alliance wants one of their routes used that would tie in remote communities enabling them to benefit by the economic spin-off. Wabun Tribal Council executive director Shawn Batise says the alliance wants to take ownership, finance the project, build the transmission line and provide for their future generations.

"Ontario needs the power. I mean, that's a fact. It's not going to go away, and we think by taking the proactive role, and participating in that process, and owning the line, rather than having it come through our territory, through some other means of, or whatever, that'll be a greater economic benefit" Batise said.

Eabamentoong First Nation Chief Charlie Okeese says this would have many economic benefits for their communities, especially the remote communities.

"You know, these fly-in communities, isolated communities, everything's flown in, and you're at the mercy of the airlines, and the cost of living, and the fuel, they can charge whatever they want. When the fuel prices are up they just tack on the fuel surcharge, and that's what you pay."

Okeese says currently, some communities are paying about $15 for fresh milk and if the transmission line were built on their preferred route, these remote communities would have access to a road. Along with helping with expensive costs, he says this would help with potential developments including tourism, forestry and mining.

Mattawa First Nation advisor Brian Davey says the alliance wants to send a strong signal to the governments, and the industry and financial community that they're serious about building this corridor. The next step is to propose their idea to the government.

"The Ministry of Energy is very much involved in this. So, we have to meet with them, and indicate our intentions, and what the purpose of the alliance is, and where we stand on certain matters, and hopefully enter into a dialogue, and also acquire the support of the NAN executive, and we don't believe we're going to have any problem getting their political support and moving forward on this particular route."

NAN press release

NAN leadership sign political agreement for bilateral with Ontario

            THUNDER BAY, ON, April 18 /CNW/ - Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) Grand Chief Stan Beardy together with members of the Northern Table NAN Chiefs steering committee signed a letter of political agreement with Minister of Natural Resources and Minister Responsible for Aboriginal Affairs David Ramsay to continue exploratory discussions with the Government of Ontario this morning at Queen's Park.

            "NAN leadership has high expectations that the Northern Table will assist in developing a meaningful relationship with the Government of Ontario reflective of our understanding of treaties 9 and 5 signed 100 years ago," said NAN Grand Chief Stan Beardy. "Our intent is through changes in policy and legislation to allow active participation by First Nation people in the economy, revenue-sharing, and proper implementation of Aboriginal and Treaty rights as outlined in the Canadian Constitution and recent Supreme Court rulings, this forum will provide a good basis for a better future for the people of Nishnawbe Aski."

            The letter commits NAN Chiefs and the Government of Ontario to a 90 day interim period to finalize exploratory discussions related to revenue-sharing, Ontario Parks Act, Ontario Mining Act, impact benefits agreements, and land use planning.

            The Northern Table was originally announced March 2006 with the intent to provide a forum to address the unique challenges specific to NAN First Nation communities, while addressing the gap in socioeconomic status between the residents of NAN territory (an area covering two-thirds of Ontario) and non-Aboriginal Ontarians.

            Nishnawbe Aski Nation is a political organization representing 49 First Nation communities in the territory of James Bay Treaty 9 and Ontario portion of Treaty 5 - an area covering two-thirds of the province.

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/For further information: Jenna Young, Director of Communications, Nishnawbe Aski Nation, (807) 625-4952 OR (807) 628-3953 (mobile)/