Saturday, October 30, 2010

The Warrior Movement

I was reading another enlightening article by Taiaiake Alfred and stumbled on this gem concerning the chronology warrior movement. The article highlights the resistance from different groups but also shows Canada's continued onslaught into indigenous lands through the colonization process as well more importantly the indigenous methods of resistance.

CHRONOLOGY OF THE WARRIOR SOCIETY MOVEMENT SINCE 1968

1960s African-American civil rights movement in the United States.

1960s Colonized peoples’ struggles in Africa and Asia.

1968 American Indian Movement (AIM) founded in Minnesota.

1968 Mohawks blockade Seaway International Bridge at Akwesasne.

1968 Kahnawake Singing Society begins to use the term “warrior society.”

1969 Red Power activists occupy Alcatraz, gaining widespread publicity.

1970 Inspired by the occupation of Alcatraz, Kanien’kehaka people, including members of the Warrior Society, reclaim Stanley and Loon Island in the St. Lawrence River.

1971 Onondagas call in Mohawk Warrior Society to reinforce blockade of highway construction site through their territory.

1973 Mohawk Warrior Society sanctioned by Kahnawake Longhouse.

1973 Siege at Wounded Knee, South Dakota. AIM gains widespread notoriety.

1973 Mohawk Warrior Society, backed by Longhouse and joined by AIM, evicts white trespassers on Kahnawake reserve. Mainstream media takes note of Warrior Society for the first time.

1973 AIM releases Red Man's International Warrior Society, a poster composed of imagery and words by Louis Hall (Karoniaktajeh) of Kahnawake.

1974 Mohawk Warrior Society, joined by members of AIM, repossess Moss Lake Camp from New York State, with widespread and active support from indigenous communities.

1974 Ojibway Warrior Society, led by Louis Cameron, occupies Anicinabe Park in Kenora, Ontario.

1974 Ken Basil, Chief of Bonaparte Indian Band, leads a series of armed blockades of roads through his reserve to demand better housing. The Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) publicly condemns blockade; Basil turns to AIM and the Ojibway Warrior Society for support.

1974 Native Peoples’ Caravan to Ottawa, led by Louis Cameron, is met by riot police and subject to FBI infiltration.

1975 Ken Basil, now an AIM Regional Director, is ordered to leave Neskonlith blockade by the band council.

1975 AIM occupies DIA office in Vancouver, B.C.

1975 “Indian Summer” in British Columbia. Roadblocks and occupations throughout the province. Media links actions to AIM.

1977 Negotiations between Mohawks and N.Y. State result in abandonment of the Moss Lake camp and the formation of a new settlement, Ganienkeh.

1978 President of UBCIC warns of army of trained Indians ready to defend rights in response to new federal fishing regulations and the arrest of Indian fishers. No further reports of this “army.”

1979-1980 Armed internal conflict at Akwesasne to prevent construction of fence ordered by band council. U.S. State Troopers invade reserve.

1980s Growth of Mohawk Warrior Society, financially supported by burgeoning cigarette trade at Akwesasne and Kahnawake.

1987 Code of Conduct for Kahnawake Warrior Society drafted according to the Great Law of Peace.

1988 200 RCMP raid Kahnawake cigarette stores using helicopter and riot squad, 17 people are arrested. Warriors seize Mercier Bridge for 29 hours.

1988 AFN National Chief warns that warrior societies are forming all over Canada due to youth experiencing widespread poverty.

1988 Mi’kmaq Warrior Society forms in Cape Breton.

1989 N.Y. State Troopers raid Akwesasne gaming businesses and cigarette trade. Warriors establish paid, armed, territorial patrol (Mohawk Sovereign Security Force—MSSF) to guard against further raids.

1990 Internal conflict over gaming and cigarette trade leads to shooting death of two Mohawks at Akwesasne. U.S. and Canadian police invade reserve. MSSF disbands.

1990 U.S. National Guard helicopter hit by ground fire over Ganienkeh. Mohawks resist police invasion and maintain an 11-day blockade.

1990 In the wake of armed confrontation between Mohawk Warrior Society and Quebec police, Mohawk communities of Kahnawake and Kanesatake face 78-day siege and resist attempted invasion by Quebec police, RCMP, and Canadian Forces.

1992 The Mi’kmaq Warrior Society protects ceremony in Big Cove, N.B.

1994 Mi’kmaq Warrior Society occupies old residential school and demands land be returned to the Mi’kmaq people.

1994 Chief Stewart Phillip leads Penticton Indian Band road blockade to stop Apex ski resort expansion.

1995 Mi’kmaq Warrior Society conducts Miramichi salmon fishery in defiance of DFO regulations.

1996 Native Youth Movement (NYM) forms in Vancouver, B.C.

1997 NYM occupies B.C. Treaty Commission Office to protest the surrender of land through the B.C. Treaty Process.

1997 Terrance Nelson, head of the Okiijida Warrior Society, advocates traditional warrior society as an alternative to youth gangs.

1998 Mi’kmaq Warriors attend barricades erected by Mi’kmaq loggers and the Listiguj reserve band council.

1999 RCMP report released to media declaring that indigenous activists are stockpiling weapons.

1999 Summoned by Chief June Quipp, NYM allies with local groups to protect Sto:lo fishers assertion of Aboriginal right to fish.

1999 R. v. Marshall Supreme Court of Canada decision sparks first battle of the “lobster wars” in Esgenoopetitj. Mi’kmaq Warrior Society keeps the peace during three days of violence and vandalism by white fishers.

2000 Formation of the West Coast Warrior Society (WCWS) out of the Native Youth Movement. WCWS supports Cheam three-month roadblock to stop plan to develop parklands on Cheam fishing camps.

2000 Burnt Church band council deputizes 12 peacekeepers to protect fishers during the fall fishery at Esgenoopetitj. Warriors blockade roads into reserve and patrol the wharf. West Coast, Okiijida, and Mohawk Warrior Societies join with the Esgenoopetitj Rangers, Listiguj Rangers, and Mi’kmaq Warriors to defend fishers and traps.

2001 Commander of the East Coast Warrior Society (ECWS) leaves Burnt Church for British Columbia, allies with the WCWS.

2002 WCWS asked by Nuu-Chah-Nulth War Council to assist in negotiations on expanding on-reserve housing.

2002 Okiijida Warrior Society assists Grassy Narrows in blockade to prevent logging trucks from entering their territory.

2003 Saanich Nation band councils request WCWS assistance in training local forces to oppose a DFO commercial fishery opening. Warriors remain in community for five weeks. Planned commercial opening cancelled.




Migwetch and Thank you.

Adam.

Warrior Societies in Contemporary Indigenous Communities
Taiaiake Alfred, Ph.D. and Lana Lowe, M.A.∗

Retrived from http://www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca/inquiries/ipperwash/policy_part/research/pdf/Alfred_and_Lowe.pdf

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Institutional Racism

As well if you had read into the some La Prairie articles you'll notice a pattern where the higher rates of disproportionate Aboriginal over representation in the criminal justice system. Also, in areas where poverty is highest there is also a correlation for Aboriginal over representation in the criminal justice system. In the east coast rates are on par (or close) with non-Aboriginal crime rates but as you move westward into Thunder Bay towards the prairies the number escalate drastically. Though, Aboriginals are still over-represented as well as other minorities throughout the country. In part, where I argue the proximity of indigenous groups with non-Aboriginals, especially in parliament (Ottawa or larger civic service centers), have more connection to the govern mentality of Canada and how to operate in a co-existing manner in so far as having certain aspects of the culture recognized.

Being disassociated from the creation and formation of Canada has led to the increase in the distinct separation from the Canadian consciousness for the Aboriginals who live westward. Also, reserves play a large part in separating the identities. Canada had a large role in this inability to understand the west, look at the current government with Harper to see how it has finally become established that the west does have a voice with a distinct culture which is currently being recognized and understood. The current conservative minority government is testament about the distinct and different cultural beliefs within Canada. However, marginalization does occur as the representative government is a vestibule of continued conflict between non-Aboriginals and Aboriginals in Prairie Provinces if and when there is not lateral recognition of the other culture.

Poverty stricken communities in the prairies are the highest risk for crime within the Aboriginal communities. Aboriginal reserves close to/apart of cities also experience the highest disproportionate rates of crime. What is most alarming is this at the same time where economic booms have been occurring social programs have been pushed to the limits and are unable to cope with the need of the people or more specifically the Aboriginal people. The separation of cultures comes under the guise of legal systems in which Canada continues to assert its dominance over First Nations.The problem is further escalated as the federal government passes its responsibilities to provincial or municipal governments which do not have or do not want to puts Aboriginal issues at the forefront. The misunderstanding and coercive nature of government officials still bring about historical memory which continues to surface as Treaty 7 is a constant reminder of the dishonesty of the government.

As to the comment of lax Aboriginal law making I do not agree with harsher penalties as youth embarked on longer sentences leaving them detached from communities and more distant than every before. Policies are needed for reintegration, but not reintegration into the same situational circumstances. It is unrealistic for the conservatives to drive a policy of tougher sentencing while cutting social programs. The government of Saskatchewan was in the process of building a $90 million dollar penitentiary and all I could think of was i hope they were spending 10 times that in social programs so that there is need to build such testaments of societal dysfunction. If you fund social programs you will get a return on your investment, that being the children who later turn out to be productive members of society (look at the AFN report on making poverty history).

But because it's Aboriginal children and adults the concept of institution racism is continued and the Canadian government will continue to enact this policy of institutional racism because it creates jobs for the non-Aboriginal. If tougher sentencing occurs and Aboriginals account (over represent) for the majority of offenders isnt the policy directly discriminating against the Aboriginal.

Or more oddly low paying jobs to facilitate the penitentiary facilities as Aboriginals guard Aboriginals in jail whilst the controllers of the institution are always non-Aboriginals are in control of the system. For Aboriginals would need the education and social institutions to reach such a position which were never granted to them as more money is diverted from social programs into jail cells.

Migwetch and Thank you.

Adam

Sunday, October 24, 2010

My repugnance towards INAC - part 1


I want to get rid of the Indian problem. I do not think as a matter of fact, that the country ought to continuously protect a class of people who are able to stand alone… 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, and no Indian Department, that is the whole object of this Bill.
Duncan Campbell Scott

My concern has always been with the power in which Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) controls every aspect of the Indian. In Canada a non-Indian has several levels of government representation used in a democratic forum to differentiate responsibilities as well creating a system of checks and balances. An Indian has one totalitarian authority, INAC, which is controlled by the Canadian government.

If Indians did have a democratic representation within the Indian community there would be more funds allocated to address socioeconomic problems. I'm just throwing this out there but if all bands suffered from lack of funding and then all requested more funding shouldn't that show what the people demand from the Indian government? Wouldn't intense economic stimulation by the government occur to address primary areas of concern like education, health care, housing, infrastructure etc. (remember how the Canadian government recently injected funds into the financial system to stimulate economy -  A personal note, Calgary got some really nice new highways and bridges while some Indians do not have proper drinking water...). In a public forum this is constant struggle as Indians voice in high numbers what is needed socially, politically and economically but never receive a democratic response.

In Canada when people want action from the government they voice their demands and eventually with enough pressure changes occurs. Greatest good for the greatest number within the structure of a nation. That's democracy however utilitarian it may seem.

In the Indian Nation this does not occur. Their voice is silenced by the will of another nation, Canada. The Canadian voice is louder, harsher and does not like to take responsibility for the words they utter. Canadian voice is tool which shouts racial stereotypes defining a  group, chastising them and removing the human element from their identity.

Indians are not as special as the Canadian government sets out in the constitution. The government of Indian identity has never been established or resurrected to the strength it once had. The main antagonist towards the Indian Nation is Canadian government. Remember the Canadian government systematically extinguished any Indian form of power and if it had its way the Indian identity. Thus, the Indian Nation does not have the power to properly answer the call to it's people.

The Canadian government states it can take on this paternal role for Aboriginals. Also, the government allows for the future of Aboriginals to have the right to self determination and self government but does not cede its authority or power which is needed for this to occur. In essence the Canadian government tells the Indian government "you are free to do what we tell you" (Bill Hicks, Revelations).

The lands are to held in trust by the Canadian government and not for the Canadian government to use as they please. Department of Mines and Resources, Department of the Interior, and Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development are but a few titles the totalitarian branch of the Canadian government has labeled itself. The history of the branch is to control lands and resources advance the Canadian Nation whilst holding back the Indian Nation.

Follow the UN Charter of Indigenous Rights and there can be working ground between nations.

Otherwise, Indians in Canada are just the "other" to be controlled by the state and demonized.



Migwetch and thank you.

-Adam

National Archives of Canada, Record Group 10, vol 6810, file 470-2-3, vol 7, pp. 55 (L-3) and 63 (N-3). For a more accessible source see: John Leslie, The Historical Development of the Indian Act, second edition (Ottawa: Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, Treaties and Historical Research Branch, 1978). 114.

 Bill Hicks - Revelations (1993)

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Manifesto or Wasás-Eh?

The manifesto I present is no where near the impact or extent of The United States Declaration of Independence (1776), Declaration of Rights of Man and Ciztizen (1789), or one of my favorites The Communist Manifesto (1848). It does however have common ground as manifestos recognized social, economical and political problems which needs to be addressed to the general public in order for change. Change took a variety of forms either with words or weapons or in most instances both.

The Communist Manifesto examines the present and future of a society as tearing into two, and inevitably coming into conflict with each other as it states “our epoch, the epoch of the bourgeoisie, possesses, however, this distinct feature: it has simplified class antagonisms. Society as a whole is more and more splitting up into two great hostile camps, into two great classes directly facing each other — Bourgeoisie and Proletariat” (Ch. 1). A manifesto would be the western conceptualization of injecting revolt against the status quo. Fitting the word manifesto first emerges in the 1600s during the introduction of the enlightenment. The ability to think freely within society with it’s many structures also entails the ability to reject those structures and implement new ones. (I will disseminate some enlightenment thinkers at a later date.)

Coming from an Indigenous perspective Taiaiake Alfred explains the importance of the Wasáse for the Onkwehonwe people in the current turmoil Indigenous cultures face against the status quo here in Canada. For Taiaiake Alfred the Wasáse “is symbolic of the social and cultural force alive among Onkwehonwe dedicated to altering the balance of political and economic power to recreate some social and physical space for freedom to re-emerge. Wasáse is an ethical and political vision, the real demonstration of our resolve to survive as Onkwehonwe and to do what we must to force the Settlers to acknowledge our existence and the integrity of our connection to the land” (Para. 2). The Wasáse for Alfred gives empowerment to the people in relation to their spiritual and culture needs rather than adopting western beliefs. The purpose of revolt stays the same but the Wasáse conceptualization of revolt gives perspective to the Onkwehonwe in which they have a cultural connection.

At the heart of the Communist Manifesto is the equality of man with superseded need obtain resources to sustain life. In the manifestos ten points the acquisition and distribution of wealth through governmental agencies denies the connection between man and land (Ch. 2). Land and resources under the manifesto become owned and control by the state. The assertion of power over nature is not an Indigenous way of interpreting the world.  Indigenous culture has a connection to the land rooted deep into their beliefs.  As well, the land plays an integral role regarding all aspects life for Indigenous people which is very much real. Keith Smith suggests the coercive power man implements under a western worldview such as Marxism “is not to engage in the debate concerning the extent to which Marxism offers, or at least implies, a universal program for liberation, but to suggest that Marxism’s complicity with modernist thought and its acceptance of the inevitability and value of industrial progress serves to depreciate Indigenous life ways and visions for the future”(P. 3).

The concept of conflicting worldview is not new and will continually occur. However, understanding the circumstances to why worldviews dominate a particular society and conflict with others is tantamount in seeking resolutions. If avoided only conflict will surface, a revolt, with both sides utilizing words and weapons. A Canadian does not have to venture far to see the consequences - just google Oka. For a nation which highly regards liberal epistemology how quickly rights seem to disappear when the separation of the classes is distant and the two classes stand up to face each other.

Migewtch
and
Thank you.

-Adam.


The Manifesto of the Communist Party (1848). Marx/Engels Selected Works, Vol. One, Progress Publishers, Moscow, 1969, pp. 98-137;
Taiaiake Alfred, Wasáse: indigenous pathways of action and freedom, Peterborough: Broadview Press, (2005).
Keith D. Smith, Liberalism, Surveillance, and Resistance: Indigenous Communities in Western Canada, 1877-1927. Athabasca University, AU Press. (2009).

A new story.

Thomas King, a native, states "the truth about stories is, that's all we are"(1). A sentiment that kindled a flame as I entered into a new phase on my educational journey a few years ago.

During my life I collected stories, myths and formed images of what natives ought to be. The constructs were ambiguous to the truth. Those stereotypes which consume an indigenous culture in Canada also encroached on my ability to think holistically about what it meant to be native and how I perceive natives as well as myself.

The manifesto of this blog will be my account of debunking those myths, changing harmful stereotypes and informing others as well as myself in a holistic manner of what it means to be native.

The first binary I will encounter will be with Indigenous ideology and Western ideology as Thomas King recognizes "this pairing as a dichotomy, the elemental structure of Western society"(25). Western ideology plays an integral role in maintaining the status quo.  The controlling nature of Western ideology, or I should say the unnatural control of Western ideology limits the ability to think "freely" as natives, Canadians, and human beings. For example, the premise of First Nations as freeloading off Canadian society is viewed with negativity while corporations are looked upon as pillars for a better Canadian society. Thomas King puts this into a binary perspective and deconstructs the principles behind the capitalist system;

"First Nations as a Corporation

So if it's not racism per se, maybe you don't like us because we control large tracts of land and valuable resources, or maybe it's because we get government subsidies and "special" privileges. But none of these should present a serious problem. Corporations own land. They own resources. They get government grants and subsidies. It's one of the benefits of a free-market economy, where the facade of capitalism is supported by public largesse.

Matter of fact, if it weren't for the infusion of free public money into the private sector, capitalism would have a very difficult time maintaining itself. Just ask Air Canada or Bombardier or any of the major players in the Alberta oil industry
"(145).

I have issues with the fundamental principles of corporations as they are entities with the power to control society, have more rights than the individuals within any particular society, and negate the emotional ties to the society the are entrenched in. A corporation is an illusion that allows the for dehumanization to occur as it allows for humans to run amok without any remorse. Our relationship with corporations has more to do with power, control and coercion than for the betterment of society. The blog will also delve deeper into other areas concerning our love affair with capitalism.

This is my first entry thank you for taking a moment to read this and it will progressively analyze issues with more depth and clarity in the future.

And of the few words I do know of my native language

Migwetch


-Adam

 Thomas King. The Truth About Stories: A Native Narrative. Minneapolis. University of Minnesota Press. 2005.