Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Treatment Options for Type 2 Diabetes: Traditional Indian Medicine or Western Medicine?
As new is approaching it's time to set new goals and reorganize ones life. But lets give food for thought some thought with regards to indigenous nutrition. This is some research i pulled together around diabetes but the overriding principle remains the same; eat excessively and suffer the consequences.
However, a major debate has been over what is healthy, mainly, low-carb high fat vs. low-fat high carb diets. Looking at a community research based approached i found the evidence to tipping towards the low-carb diet as being a more natural approach and in the larger picture more recognisant of a traditional indigenous diet. Taiaiake Alfred (2005) outlines an approach to traditional hunting and diet approach to decolonize from Canadian Imperial society.
Looking at Diabetes Type-2
Diabetes poses a serious threat to the health and well being of Canadians as well as the family members of diagnosed individuals. There needs to be proper implementation of strategic plans to address growing pandemic as failure to do will result in greater casualties as well as an exponential increase in associated costs. According the Canadian Diabetes Association (2010) approximately 2 million Canadians live with diabetes and one in three individuals is unaware that he or she has the disease. Diabetes affects all ages, from children who develop primarily type 1 diabetes to adults who develop type 2 diabetes (Canadian Diabetes Association, 2010). The proportion of the Canadian population who reported having diabetes increased by 27% between 1994 and 2000 (Canadian Diabetes Association, 2010). As the Canadian population ages and rates of obesity rise, this trend is expected to increase. However, averages for non-Aboriginals being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes dropped in recent years but the increase of minority and First Nations increased significantly.
Diabetes became a severe pandemic in Aboriginal communities in Canada, where its prevalence was estimated to be three to five times the national average (National Aboriginal Diabetes Association (NADA), 2010). Also, Aboriginal people living with diabetes had increased rates of heart disease, kidney disease, blindness, infectious disease and amputations (NADA, 2010). NADA (2010) also stated “most disturbing is that Aboriginal teens and children are now being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes – a situation virtually unheard of in the general Canadian population” (p. 1). Diabetes had a devastating impact on Aboriginal Peoples living with the disease, their families and communities. “Pandemic means that a disease is throughout the entire country” said Alex McComber, one of the conference chairs, who sits on the board of the National Aboriginal Diabetes Association who further stated, “if we talk about the phrase using Indian country, it's there, it's everywhere” (CBC News, 2006 February 13).
What new treatments are Western scientists exploring? In August 2007, U.S. researchers’ results from a mice study suggested bone cells released a hormone called osteocalcin that may help regulate the metabolism of blood sugar and fat deposits (CBC News, 2009). Dr. Gerard Karsenty of New York's Columbia University said, “Current research is focusing on using osteocalcin injections as a method to prevent or eliminate type 2 diabetes” (CBC News, 2009 December 7, p.1). Also, experts note that more research was needed before a connection can be made between osteocalcin and diabetes can be made which will take another 10 to 15 years before it would known if the treatment would be safe for and helpful to humans (CBC News, 2009 December 7, p. 1). Maloch’s (1989) view of Western medicine being analytical with emphasis on disease treatment was right on the money as well, speaking of money to treat and research an development comes a price to the scientific approach but was used as a method to avoid the harder and cheaper alternative of eliminating harmful foods. As well, the search for a cure was a long anticipated and does not address the immediate needs. Also, the injections continue to be an easy fix to the smaller issues which stem from a larger problem, a problem where diabetes occurs primarily in impoverished areas because of limited access of healthy nutritional foods either form isolation or from high costs of healthy foods. To further impound the logic behind a cure based approach are costs associated to giving the future cure to impoverished clients and a possible denial of service may occur as it currently happening to other Aboriginal services once provided by the Canadian Government.
What was most disconcerting was the formation of the term healthy foods? If food was not considered healthy for an individual should it then no longer be considered food, but more appropriately, poison? When reading labels on toxic products which are harmful to a person there are a set of legal restrictions of guidelines for controlling the product however, for food it seems the lack of control of food had been non-existent. With government seeking resolutions by science rational inducing humans to more chemicals, such as insulin treatments, would it not make sense to cut out the poisons? A First Nations scientist in Alert Bay, Alberta came to the same conclusion upon being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
Dr. Jay Wortman found out he was diabetic and instantly he knew he had to cut out all carbohydrates in his diet because it increased insulin levels (Wortman, 2008). Dr. Wortman was a Métis physician from northern Alberta who was leading practitioner for HIV/AIDs treatment (Wortman, 2008). In a statement Dr. Jay (2008) spoke of his reaction towards his diabetes “I knew about the diabetic diet, how life-style change was supposed to be the cornerstone of diabetes management and which drugs were to be prescribed to achieve normal blood sugar control and why. I also knew that, for the most part, newly diagnosed type 2 diabetics went on drug therapy immediately because of the ineffectiveness of life-style interventions and that, even then, most tended to struggle and fail in their attempts to maintain normal blood glucose values, the holy grail of diabetes management. Further complicating my situation was the fact that I abhorred the use of medication, often joking that drugs were just poisons with some desirable side-effects” (p. 1). Dr. Wortman solution was to immediately cut out all carbohydrates and little unknown to him was information on low-carbohydrate diets. Upon further research discover of the Atkins diet Dr. Wortman was convinced the current state of diabetes in Aboriginal health had correlation to high carbohydrate intake within the contemporary Aboriginals diet (Wortman, 2008).
In the documentary My Big, Fat Diet, Dr. Wortman created a trial in his First Nations community in Alert, Bay which chronicled how the Namgis First Nation removed sugar and junk food as well eating a traditional diet which included oolichan grease a very healthy fat and was a big part of the traditional diet in the past. The study was done for a year sponsored by Health Canada and the University of British Columbia (Wortman, 2008). In A Demonstration Project to Evaluate a Traditional-style Diet for Obesity the study's subjects lost 10.1% of body weight, shed 9.7% of their waist circumferences and improved their waist-to-hip ratios significantly (Wortman et al., 2008). More importantly, in the initial analysis, those with diabetes were found to have significant improvements in their “HbA1c levels - seeing a decline from a mean 7.1% to a mean 6.1% which means the diet alone improves HbA1c significantly while also reducing or eliminating medication” (Wortman et al., 2008).
My Big Fat, Diet documentary was a culmination of understanding the historical context of First Nations which Waldram (2004) highlighted as well the emphasis of a First Nations self-determined approach to solving the problem of type 2 diabetes. Understanding the traditional diet was paramount for a process of healing but, even more encouraging was the initiative of the individuals like Dr. Wortman and the residents in Alert Bay to change their current lifestyle to encompass a more holistic approach. Furthermore, the use of Maloch’s (1989) system of practitioner attitudes of both Traditional Indian Medicine and Western Medicine are highlighted in different tactics used to solve type 2 diabetes. However, Dr. Wortman was intrigued by the findings of the Atkins diet which utilized the scientific understanding of carbohydrate absorption and use of healthy fats to stabilize metabolism. So Dr. Wortman added oolichan grease, a traditional healthy fat, into a hybrid cure which was the low-carb diet/traditional diet. First Nations took on self-determining roles in finding solutions to the current dilemma and with the help of funding aids by the Canadian government for further research the situation can only continue to move forward in a holistic strategy to treat type 2 diabetes.
References
Alfred, T. (2005). Wasáse: indigenous pathways of action and freedom. Peterborough: Broadview Press.
Candian Diabetes Association. (2010). Diabetes Facts. Retrieved from http://www.diabetes.ca/
CBC News. (2006, Febuary 13). Conference aims to prevent native diabetes pandemic.
http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2006/02/13/diabetes060213.html
CBC News. (2009 December 7). Diabetes: International epidemic, A growing global health problem. CBC News. Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2009/10/16/f-diabetes-epidemic-global.html#ixzz0lbTrUl12
Maloch, L. (1989). Health, Indian Medicine, Indian Health: Study Between Red & White Medecine. Canadian Women Studies 10 (2 & 3): 105-112.
National Aboriginal Diabetes Asscociation. (2010). Press releases. Retrieved from http://www.nada.ca/whatshappening/press/
Public Health Agency of Canada. (2005). Building a national diabetes strategy:
a strategic framework. (Catalogue No. HP-5/2-2005). Ottawa, ON: Government of Canada. Retrieved from http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/publicat/bnds-bsnd/pdf/bnds-bsnd-vol_2-eng.pdf
Waldram, J. (2004). The Traumatized Aboriginal in James Waldrum, The Revenge of the Windigo: The Construction of Mental Health of North American Aboriginal Peoples. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
Wortman, J. (2008). Dr. Jay’s Blog A forum to discuss the documentary film, My Big Fat Diet , and the science of low carbohydrate diets. Retrieved from http://www.drjaywortman.com/blog/wordpress/about/
Wortman, J., Ham, C., Vermunt, D., Mathias, R., Phinney, S., Vernon, M., Westman, E. (2008). A Demonstration Project to Evaluate a Traditional-style Diet for Obesity. University of British Columbia, Vancouver BC; Namgis Health Centre, Alert Bay BC; University of California/Davis, Davis CA; Duke University Medical Center, Durham NC. Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/thelens/bigfatdiet/Poster.pdf
However, a major debate has been over what is healthy, mainly, low-carb high fat vs. low-fat high carb diets. Looking at a community research based approached i found the evidence to tipping towards the low-carb diet as being a more natural approach and in the larger picture more recognisant of a traditional indigenous diet. Taiaiake Alfred (2005) outlines an approach to traditional hunting and diet approach to decolonize from Canadian Imperial society.
Looking at Diabetes Type-2
Diabetes poses a serious threat to the health and well being of Canadians as well as the family members of diagnosed individuals. There needs to be proper implementation of strategic plans to address growing pandemic as failure to do will result in greater casualties as well as an exponential increase in associated costs. According the Canadian Diabetes Association (2010) approximately 2 million Canadians live with diabetes and one in three individuals is unaware that he or she has the disease. Diabetes affects all ages, from children who develop primarily type 1 diabetes to adults who develop type 2 diabetes (Canadian Diabetes Association, 2010). The proportion of the Canadian population who reported having diabetes increased by 27% between 1994 and 2000 (Canadian Diabetes Association, 2010). As the Canadian population ages and rates of obesity rise, this trend is expected to increase. However, averages for non-Aboriginals being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes dropped in recent years but the increase of minority and First Nations increased significantly.
Diabetes became a severe pandemic in Aboriginal communities in Canada, where its prevalence was estimated to be three to five times the national average (National Aboriginal Diabetes Association (NADA), 2010). Also, Aboriginal people living with diabetes had increased rates of heart disease, kidney disease, blindness, infectious disease and amputations (NADA, 2010). NADA (2010) also stated “most disturbing is that Aboriginal teens and children are now being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes – a situation virtually unheard of in the general Canadian population” (p. 1). Diabetes had a devastating impact on Aboriginal Peoples living with the disease, their families and communities. “Pandemic means that a disease is throughout the entire country” said Alex McComber, one of the conference chairs, who sits on the board of the National Aboriginal Diabetes Association who further stated, “if we talk about the phrase using Indian country, it's there, it's everywhere” (CBC News, 2006 February 13).
What new treatments are Western scientists exploring? In August 2007, U.S. researchers’ results from a mice study suggested bone cells released a hormone called osteocalcin that may help regulate the metabolism of blood sugar and fat deposits (CBC News, 2009). Dr. Gerard Karsenty of New York's Columbia University said, “Current research is focusing on using osteocalcin injections as a method to prevent or eliminate type 2 diabetes” (CBC News, 2009 December 7, p.1). Also, experts note that more research was needed before a connection can be made between osteocalcin and diabetes can be made which will take another 10 to 15 years before it would known if the treatment would be safe for and helpful to humans (CBC News, 2009 December 7, p. 1). Maloch’s (1989) view of Western medicine being analytical with emphasis on disease treatment was right on the money as well, speaking of money to treat and research an development comes a price to the scientific approach but was used as a method to avoid the harder and cheaper alternative of eliminating harmful foods. As well, the search for a cure was a long anticipated and does not address the immediate needs. Also, the injections continue to be an easy fix to the smaller issues which stem from a larger problem, a problem where diabetes occurs primarily in impoverished areas because of limited access of healthy nutritional foods either form isolation or from high costs of healthy foods. To further impound the logic behind a cure based approach are costs associated to giving the future cure to impoverished clients and a possible denial of service may occur as it currently happening to other Aboriginal services once provided by the Canadian Government.
What was most disconcerting was the formation of the term healthy foods? If food was not considered healthy for an individual should it then no longer be considered food, but more appropriately, poison? When reading labels on toxic products which are harmful to a person there are a set of legal restrictions of guidelines for controlling the product however, for food it seems the lack of control of food had been non-existent. With government seeking resolutions by science rational inducing humans to more chemicals, such as insulin treatments, would it not make sense to cut out the poisons? A First Nations scientist in Alert Bay, Alberta came to the same conclusion upon being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
Dr. Jay Wortman found out he was diabetic and instantly he knew he had to cut out all carbohydrates in his diet because it increased insulin levels (Wortman, 2008). Dr. Wortman was a Métis physician from northern Alberta who was leading practitioner for HIV/AIDs treatment (Wortman, 2008). In a statement Dr. Jay (2008) spoke of his reaction towards his diabetes “I knew about the diabetic diet, how life-style change was supposed to be the cornerstone of diabetes management and which drugs were to be prescribed to achieve normal blood sugar control and why. I also knew that, for the most part, newly diagnosed type 2 diabetics went on drug therapy immediately because of the ineffectiveness of life-style interventions and that, even then, most tended to struggle and fail in their attempts to maintain normal blood glucose values, the holy grail of diabetes management. Further complicating my situation was the fact that I abhorred the use of medication, often joking that drugs were just poisons with some desirable side-effects” (p. 1). Dr. Wortman solution was to immediately cut out all carbohydrates and little unknown to him was information on low-carbohydrate diets. Upon further research discover of the Atkins diet Dr. Wortman was convinced the current state of diabetes in Aboriginal health had correlation to high carbohydrate intake within the contemporary Aboriginals diet (Wortman, 2008).
In the documentary My Big, Fat Diet, Dr. Wortman created a trial in his First Nations community in Alert, Bay which chronicled how the Namgis First Nation removed sugar and junk food as well eating a traditional diet which included oolichan grease a very healthy fat and was a big part of the traditional diet in the past. The study was done for a year sponsored by Health Canada and the University of British Columbia (Wortman, 2008). In A Demonstration Project to Evaluate a Traditional-style Diet for Obesity the study's subjects lost 10.1% of body weight, shed 9.7% of their waist circumferences and improved their waist-to-hip ratios significantly (Wortman et al., 2008). More importantly, in the initial analysis, those with diabetes were found to have significant improvements in their “HbA1c levels - seeing a decline from a mean 7.1% to a mean 6.1% which means the diet alone improves HbA1c significantly while also reducing or eliminating medication” (Wortman et al., 2008).
My Big Fat, Diet documentary was a culmination of understanding the historical context of First Nations which Waldram (2004) highlighted as well the emphasis of a First Nations self-determined approach to solving the problem of type 2 diabetes. Understanding the traditional diet was paramount for a process of healing but, even more encouraging was the initiative of the individuals like Dr. Wortman and the residents in Alert Bay to change their current lifestyle to encompass a more holistic approach. Furthermore, the use of Maloch’s (1989) system of practitioner attitudes of both Traditional Indian Medicine and Western Medicine are highlighted in different tactics used to solve type 2 diabetes. However, Dr. Wortman was intrigued by the findings of the Atkins diet which utilized the scientific understanding of carbohydrate absorption and use of healthy fats to stabilize metabolism. So Dr. Wortman added oolichan grease, a traditional healthy fat, into a hybrid cure which was the low-carb diet/traditional diet. First Nations took on self-determining roles in finding solutions to the current dilemma and with the help of funding aids by the Canadian government for further research the situation can only continue to move forward in a holistic strategy to treat type 2 diabetes.
References
Alfred, T. (2005). Wasáse: indigenous pathways of action and freedom. Peterborough: Broadview Press.
Candian Diabetes Association. (2010). Diabetes Facts. Retrieved from http://www.diabetes.ca/
CBC News. (2006, Febuary 13). Conference aims to prevent native diabetes pandemic.
http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2006/02/13/diabetes060213.html
CBC News. (2009 December 7). Diabetes: International epidemic, A growing global health problem. CBC News. Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2009/10/16/f-diabetes-epidemic-global.html#ixzz0lbTrUl12
Maloch, L. (1989). Health, Indian Medicine, Indian Health: Study Between Red & White Medecine. Canadian Women Studies 10 (2 & 3): 105-112.
National Aboriginal Diabetes Asscociation. (2010). Press releases. Retrieved from http://www.nada.ca/whatshappening/press/
Public Health Agency of Canada. (2005). Building a national diabetes strategy:
a strategic framework. (Catalogue No. HP-5/2-2005). Ottawa, ON: Government of Canada. Retrieved from http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/publicat/bnds-bsnd/pdf/bnds-bsnd-vol_2-eng.pdf
Waldram, J. (2004). The Traumatized Aboriginal in James Waldrum, The Revenge of the Windigo: The Construction of Mental Health of North American Aboriginal Peoples. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
Wortman, J. (2008). Dr. Jay’s Blog A forum to discuss the documentary film, My Big Fat Diet , and the science of low carbohydrate diets. Retrieved from http://www.drjaywortman.com/blog/wordpress/about/
Wortman, J., Ham, C., Vermunt, D., Mathias, R., Phinney, S., Vernon, M., Westman, E. (2008). A Demonstration Project to Evaluate a Traditional-style Diet for Obesity. University of British Columbia, Vancouver BC; Namgis Health Centre, Alert Bay BC; University of California/Davis, Davis CA; Duke University Medical Center, Durham NC. Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/thelens/bigfatdiet/Poster.pdf
Friday, December 3, 2010
Indigenous Stigma
Stigma is a powerfully negative label that greatly changes a person’s self-concept and social identity. Stigma operates as a master status, overpowers other aspects of a social identity, so that a person is discredited in other people’s minds and becomes socially isolated.
Retrospective labeling is interpreting someone’s past in light of present deviance. For example, if a person is presently abusing their child/children retrospective labeling implies that at some point the abuser has been abused during their childhood. Retrospective labeling has been relevant in the Section 718.2(e) of the Criminal Code, as well as the Supreme Court of Canada in R. v. Gladue, [1999] 1 S.C.R. 688, where Gladue (1999) asks judges to apply a method of analysis that recognizes the adverse background cultural impact factors that many Aboriginals face.
Projective labeling is a deviant identity used to predict future actions. For example, there are current stigmas with minority groups and more specifically Aboriginal groups with respect to use of alcohol. An amendment in The Indian Act (1927) states the prohibition of anyone (Aboriginal or otherwise) from soliciting funds for Aboriginal legal claims without special license from the Superintendent General. The amendment is put in place to stop the sale of alcohol by Aboriginals peoples to control deviant behavior. The amendment labels all Aboriginals will have deviant behavior with the continuance of alcohol consumption and thus a preventative measure inhibits any use of alcohol for the projective deviant group.
References
Department of Justice Canada. (2010). The Indian Act. Retrieved from
http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/I-5/20101104/page-0.html?rp2=SEARCH&rp3=SI&rp1=indian%20act&rp4=all&rp9=cs&rp10=L&rp13=50#idhit1
Judgements of the Supreme Court of Canada. (2010). R. v. Gladue, [1999] 1 S.C.R. 688.
Retrieved from http://csc.lexum.umontreal.ca/en/1999/1999scr1-688/1999scr1-688.html
Retrospective labeling is interpreting someone’s past in light of present deviance. For example, if a person is presently abusing their child/children retrospective labeling implies that at some point the abuser has been abused during their childhood. Retrospective labeling has been relevant in the Section 718.2(e) of the Criminal Code, as well as the Supreme Court of Canada in R. v. Gladue, [1999] 1 S.C.R. 688, where Gladue (1999) asks judges to apply a method of analysis that recognizes the adverse background cultural impact factors that many Aboriginals face.
Projective labeling is a deviant identity used to predict future actions. For example, there are current stigmas with minority groups and more specifically Aboriginal groups with respect to use of alcohol. An amendment in The Indian Act (1927) states the prohibition of anyone (Aboriginal or otherwise) from soliciting funds for Aboriginal legal claims without special license from the Superintendent General. The amendment is put in place to stop the sale of alcohol by Aboriginals peoples to control deviant behavior. The amendment labels all Aboriginals will have deviant behavior with the continuance of alcohol consumption and thus a preventative measure inhibits any use of alcohol for the projective deviant group.
References
Department of Justice Canada. (2010). The Indian Act. Retrieved from
http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/I-5/20101104/page-0.html?rp2=SEARCH&rp3=SI&rp1=indian%20act&rp4=all&rp9=cs&rp10=L&rp13=50#idhit1
Judgements of the Supreme Court of Canada. (2010). R. v. Gladue, [1999] 1 S.C.R. 688.
Retrieved from http://csc.lexum.umontreal.ca/en/1999/1999scr1-688/1999scr1-688.html
Monday, November 29, 2010
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
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 Ottawa or larger civic service centers), have more connection to the govern mentality of Canada
Being disassociated from the creation and formation ofCanada Canada Canada 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.
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
Being disassociated from the creation and formation of
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.
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)
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