Brave new world... without the Indian Act

One of the most significant factors affecting Indigenous economic development in Canada has been the Indian Act. The Indian Act has often been described as the most racist, draconian piece of legislation in the modern world.

The Indian Act took away the economic rights and freedoms of entire peoples. It took away their identities and, to this day, retains the power of identification in the hands of the Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada. Under the Indian Act, Indigenous people were banned from conducting business, unless all revenues and profits ran through the Indian agent first. Indigenous people were banned from employment, from university and higher education, from stores unless they had specialized written permission from the Indian agents.

The effect to this day has been that the establishment of a business on reserve (land that should be held by First Nations, but is instead held 'in trust' by Canada) takes 6-10 years. The same type of business off reserve can be established in 1-3 years.

The Indian Act equated Indigenous people with persons of insanity and without mental capacities to decide for themselves. It declared Indigenous people as less than human. This same Act was used as the model and basis for South African Apartheid. The treatment of Indigenous peoples as prescribed by the Indian Act formed part of the inspiration of Hitler for his program of genocide against the Jewish people.

For many years, at hundreds of conferences, talks, forums, and gatherings; in hundreds of articles, research papers, studies, reports and reviews, the message has been clear: the racist Indian Act must be repealed.

This month, First Nation chiefs from across Canada met with Prime Minister Stephen Harper, after many years of requesting such a meeting, but being blown off. At this gathering, Harper stated "To be sure, our government has no grand scheme to repeal or to unilaterally re-write the Indian Act: After 136 years, that tree has deep roots."

First, let us consider the logic behind this.

Indian Act is racist.
Racist legislation is written by racist people.
Indian Act is also legislation.
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Therefore, the people who wrote the Indian Act were racist.

The Indian Act was written a long time ago.
Since the people who wrote it were racist, Canada has been historically racist.
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Harper states that since Canada has always been racist, we should continue that tradition because it "has deep roots."

Think of the inconsistency here. The Conservatives decry certain practices around the world like genital mutilation of girls, and rightfully so. However, if we apply the same logic Harper uses, we would conclude: "Since certain countries have always practiced genital mutilation, we should continue this historically wrong practice because it has deep traditional roots."

Putting Harper's promise to continue using racist legislation aside, for sake of argument I will assume he is fearful, politically, of how to go about repealing the Indian Act and what that will mean - fear of the unknown. Discussions about removing the Indian Act are not new and there have been some politicians who attempted to venture down this road in the past (Nault, Chretien). All prior efforts failed and met intense political fallout.

People, Canadians and Indigenous people alike, hold some fear of a world unknown - a world without the Indian Act prescribing the delicate relationship between First Nations and Canada.

I believe that this fear is unfounded and held in check by a misplaced focus. I will explain this with an analogy. Suppose a person purchases a sizable lot with a house and moves into it. At some point, he realises that this house is of such bad quality that it is a wonder it still stands. What is the sensible thing to do? He begins to make plans for a new home. He designs the new home to accommodate all of his needs and begins construction of the new. Once it is ready, he moves into it and tears down the old house.

What he does NOT do, is tear the old house down without any plans for a new house.

THIS is the problem we face today. In all of the discussions that I have ever heard regarding the Indian Act, it is about tearing the old house down without any thought or discussion on what the new house should look like.

I believe that the discussions today should focus on the development of what is needed if there is no Indian Act. Once this is done, the fear of the unknown is removed since we will have begun to map out the future, making it known. If it is designed first, in partnership between the Federal government and First Nations, there will be no gap when the Indian Act is actually abolished. It would mean that people can get to the point where repealing the Indian Act is not only possible, but rather simple.

Violence in the North End of Winnipeg

2011 marked the bloodiest year for Winnipeg with 39 homicides, most of which took place in the North End of Winnipeg. As the level of violence rose, so too did the many good people of the North End to counter it. Local champions, such as Michael Champagne, are leading efforts to rally the community and retake the North End for love and unity.

I, like many others, have reflected about what causes such levels of violence? The answers are many and not unrelated. Some of the key causes have been noted as:

·         Racism (http://www.agoracosmopolitan.com/news/our_canadian_cities/2011/11/21/1808.html) , which is alive and well in Winnipeg (in RCMP offices, in media)

·         Poverty

·         Social exclusion

·         Oppression

Perhaps some background into the demographics of the North End might help. Neighbourhoods in the North End have high concentrations of Aboriginal people and immigrant populations. The employment rate is as much as 4 times lower than more “affluent” neighbourhoods, the total household income is similarly less (average of just over 20,000 annually), government spending at all levels for recreation and amenities is lower in the North End than in wealthier neighbourhoods, housing is in greater state of disrepair, the neighbourhood is grossly underserviced by banks and stores.

Racism and its brother, oppression, results in less opportunities for those on the receiving end. Less opportunity results in poverty. Considering that nearly all of the amenities, sports opportunities, recreation programs and entertainment options cost money, poverty leads to social exclusion very quickly.

All of the discussion and rhetoric in the media and among politicians and academics are focused on how to fix this. They discuss the justice system, crime & punishment, preventative programming (which must be noted that PM Harper is vehemently opposed to), police presence, etc. What seems to be lost in the discussion is lateral violence, which I began to discuss in a previous post (here).

For starters, the justice system itself is inherently racist – specifically against Aboriginal people. A very well documented discussion on this very point was discussed in another blog (here). Not only is the justice system unfairly harsh and unjust against Aboriginal people in terms of unfair processes and stiffer sentences, generally, but the law enforcement side of the justice system is also racist. Despite International condemnation over the fact that there are over 600 missing and murdered Indigenous women in Canada and virtually no action from law enforcement, there is no change.

Yet, each and every time a white woman is missing, a nation-wide manhunt is launched almost immediately with endless media coverage and public outpourings of support. When it is an Indigenous woman, almost at once, the media and public begin to accuse the missing woman of being a prostitute or drug user. They then sweep the ordeal under the carpet falsely assuming the woman lives a “high risk lifestyle.” Worse still that the general public believes that if a person makes certain lifestyle choices, they are not as important as the good middle class working people.

The message is clear, when you combine these two facts. If you are Indigenous and oppressed into poverty, your best bet is to steal from other Indigenous people or oppressed groups. If you steal from a white person, you will be slammed full force with the heavy hand of justice. However, if you steal from Indigenous people or other oppressed groups, the justice system either turns a blind eye or offers half hearted efforts.

The justice system in Canada and the media (specifically Sun Media who have a deliberate agenda of racism) encourage lateral violence. It is precisely this phenomenon that Winnipeg’s North End is facing. The majority of crimes committed in the North End are either committed by one person of an oppressed group (i.e. Indigenous, immigrants, etc.) to another. There is even ongoing gang conflict between the Indian Posse (a gang formed by Indigenous youth) and the Mad Cowz (a gang formed by African immigrant youth) all of whom are primarily in the North End.

What is the solution?

I do not have an answer. Although, efforts like Michael Champagne’s is one part of it. Initiatives to address poverty and racism are other parts of it. Efforts to address lateral violence also need to be part of the discussion. In an indirect way, the organization Winnipeg Afro-Aboriginal Cross Cultural Association is trying to address the issue by bridging the two communities and showing how much they actually have in common.

One thing for certain, we must not fall into the trap that Divide and Conquer tactics bring. We are often pressed to compete with one another as to whose oppression is greater and therefore, who merits government funding. This is self-defeating. We cannot eliminate oppression, if we begin to oppress one another in our efforts to eliminate oppression. A great summary of this is contained here.

Miigwech,

Ken

Apples and Lateral Violence

I have recently been accused of being a "trading post Indian." I was called this because I work in the Provincial government and according to "Indian purists," any person working in a government job is a traitor, a thief and a corrupt individual.

Naturally, this person had no evidence and not even any knowledge of my past performance, my advocacy of Indigenous people, or any of the services I have personally rendered for communities to their great satisfaction.

This is not the first type of comment like this that I have heard. It is the first time I have had such a comment directed at me, however. Another similar curse that is used among Indigenous people is "apple." The meaning here is to be red on the outside and white on the inside.

This phenomenon is referred to as lateral violence, which is defined as "verbal, physical, or psychological violence directed from one oppressed person to others from the same oppressed group." By verbal and psychological violence I include the use of terms like "apple" and "trading post Indian," as well as behaviours like gossiping, bullying, labeling, backstabbing, etc. Lateral violence is the expression of hatred toward one another stemming from our anti-colonial anger. (See video here)

Typically, people use these intra-racist terms according to their own fundamentalism. Yes, there are fundamentalists among Indigenous people too. To these people, unless you live up to their specific definition of what an Indigenous person is supposed to be, 100%, you are an apple or a trading post Indian.

The first question you should be asking is "who are they to define what an Indigenous person ought to be?" Who are they indeed? These are the very people who decry the Federal Government of Canada for defining Indigenous identity, and yet, they do the very same thing.

Although each individual has their own specific fundamentalist image of the ideal Indigenous person, there are a few typical commonalities. Before we explore the common myths, let us first delve into the foundational philosophy behind this kind of thinking.

Moral Superiority

Indigenous people who engage in lateral violence, specifically with respect to the use of intra-racist terms like apple or trading post Indian, have a strongly held belief that white people are intrinsically bad. To them, there is no such thing as a white person who cares for the environment or thinks communally. Their belief is that white people are void of moral capacity and that their entire culture is one of greed and wanton destruction.

What follows from this varies in degree from fundamentalist to fundamentalist. For some, an Indigenous person working with white people or governments is not worthy to be a real Indigenous person, hence the term "apple". For others, it has more to do with whether an Indigenous person is following specific spiritual principles or whether they are willing to reject most forms of modern tools/conveniences.

The core of the issue is the belief that "true" Indigenous people are perfect in their behaviour and understandings and that they make no errors in judgment. White people on the whole, or even Indigenous people working for a corporation or government department (regardless of their role or capacity they were hired in) are false and opposed to culture and traditional wisdom.

In short, "true" Indigenous people are better than white people and apples who "follow the white way."

There is so much wrong with this philosophy I could write a book. I will start with a few brief points. First, it is this very same attitude of superiority that led to the genocide against Indigenous peoples in Canada in the first place. Europeans believed they were superior and enacted forced assimilation policies. In trying to ridicule others for adopting the "white way," these people are actually adopting the worst of what has been brought against Indigenous people during colonial times.

This philosophy also contradicts the many sacred and traditional teachings of Indigenous peoples in Canada. We were always taught to honour the FOUR directions, not just one. We were taught about humanity being comprised of FOUR nations, not just one. We were taught to love and respect creation and all life, not to respect most and exclude others. We were taught that each nation (Red, Yellow, Black and White) have gifts to share with one another - not this racist dogma that claims white people have no gifts to share or that they are bad.

This philosophy also idealizes the past, claiming that Indigenous people were perfect before contact. It ignores the fact that we warred with one another, we fought over territories, we committed crimes against one another, we made use of slavery. Essentially, we made mistakes as much as each of the four nations of humanity.

Fundamentalist Myths

There are many myths that I could cover, but I thought I would tackle just a few. My hope is that you will begin to ask questions the next time someone tells you who they think and Indigenous person really is.

1. True Indigenous people follow Indigenous religions/spiritualities
2. True Indigenous people only work in careers that directly serve Indigenous people
3. True Indigenous people view Provincial and Federal governments as enemies
4. True Indigenous people do not differentiate between public/civil servants and political leaders

1.  True Indigenous people follow Indigenous religions/spiritualities

This touches upon the issue of moral superiority again. It is the belief that Indigenous religions/ways are superior to the spirituality or religions of other peoples. Is Indigenous identity something you are? Or is it something you choose to be through a religious choice? If it is by choice, we open the door to non-Indigenous people claiming identity through a religious choice and thereby, morally entitled to Indigenous rights. Meanwhile, Indigenous people by birth who do not choose Indigenous religion would necessarily be denied identity and therefore, rights.

This is the natural consequence of believing this myth. It spits in the face of the reality of diversity among Indigenous people and among the message that most of our people have been sharing with non-Indigenous people around the concepts of diversity and inclusion.

2. True Indigenous people only work in careers that directly serve Indigenous people

A belief such as this denies the growth of business and entrepreneuship among Indigenous people. It limits Indigenous people to Band council jobs, nursing positions, and social workers. At the heart of the matter, does taking a position of employment that serves general public result in an Indigenous person losing their identity? The ridiculousness of this statement is clear as soon as it is read.

3. True Indigenous people view Provincial and Federal governments as enemies

This particular point is an extremist one. Certainly there are times when conflict does arise and enemies are made (Gitxsan, Oka, Caledonia, etc.), but there are also times where a true sense of partnership exists (i.e. Kelowna Accord). Unless one is willing to declare all out civil war, things are not so black and white as this myth would have one believe.

4. True Indigenous people do not differentiate between public/civil servants and political leaders

To the believers of this myth, a mail carrier or a nurse is directly responsible for residential schools, bad negotiations and the expropriation of natural resources from Indigenous territories. They see no difference between a literacy educator and the MPs responsible for decisions to the point that teaching people to read and write is a wicked thing because the educator did not properly negotiate fair deals for Indigenous peoples.

The trouble with this belief is that it tosses out programs, benefits and resources that can actually support and assist Indigenous people - and which are many times delivered by employees who are Indigenous themselves.

In short - their frustrations are misdirected in the wrong places and they end up alienting Indigenous people by destroying friends and allies.

Conclusion

Lateral violence is a destructive force that can rip communities apart, create toxic workplaces, destroy relationships, and drive Indigenous people away from their own communities. As Indigenous professionals, it is our duty to rise above this; to be professional and focused on solutions rather than on how we might sabatoge or judge other Indigenous people.

If we see others engaging in lateral violence, we need to speak out and let them know that it is not acceptable.

Am I an apple or trading post Indian? No. I am an Ojibwe professional seeking to better the lives and futures of my people and the broader Indigenous world. My path may be a different one than my accusers, but it is no less valuable.

Focus and Canada’s Lord of the Rings

I was re-watching one of my favourite movie series, the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the other day. One of the things I had noted in the story was the focus various characters kept and how that impacted them personally.

Merry and Pippin, the two younger Hobbits, only focused on the here and now. Their goals were simple; stay alive, eat, drink, and take joy in whatever comforts they can find wherever their journey would take them. Frodo was focused on the long term goal of bringing the ring to Mount Doom and could endure present hardships in light of his far off goal. Samwise was purely focused on protecting and helping Frodo complete his task and, more importantly, the journey home.

Most of the heroic characters (Legolas, Aragorn, Gimli) were focused very much on protecting the Hobbits at all costs. Those who failed Frodo, such as when Boromir tried to take the ring, failed because they were not focused on protection or the journey of the Hobbits, but on the power of the ring and how it might be a useful tool in their war against Sauron.

Gandalf had always kept his focus on protection and guidance of the Hobbits. In particular, he imparted much wisdom upon Frodo – wisdom that would later prove critical to Frodo’s success. With this focus, Gandalf remained true and dedicated to loyalty.

These characters, who had never faltered from their paths, kept a vision of the goal – the victory – in mind at all times. It enabled them to keep perspective no matter how dark things looked at various times in their journeys.

Interestingly though, was the results for those characters in the story who did not keep a vision of their desired goals fixed in mind. Saruman The White, described as the head of good wizards and greatest among them, had studied deep into “ways” of the enemy. He had even used a seeing stone, which allowed him to see the workings of the enemy. It was this focus on the details of all the dark tidings and challenges before him and his allies that his focus began to blur. Rather than seeing a vision of the victory he hoped to achieve, he became lost in the despair of all the day to day evils and the enormity of the full breadth of the challenge before him. As a result, he lost his hope and any vision of an alternative to failing against the challenges of Sauron.

The Steward of Gondor had also used a seeing stone. His city, bearing the full brunt of the Sauron’s armies and incursions in the lands of men and elves, had seen the evils and challenges of Sauron daily. Just as Saruman lost his hope, the Steward of Gondor lost his. He became mad with despair, unable to even properly lead the people to defend the city.

Even Frodo, at one point began to lose sight of the goal. He declared to Sam that he could no longer go on. Sam responded:

“I know. It's all wrong. By rights we shouldn't even be here. But we are. It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something... That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo... and it's worth fighting for.”

It was the focus of the characters that influenced their behaviours and their successes or failures. Focus and balance in what they focused on also played a role. Although it did not get displayed particularly prominently in the films, the books make it very clear how important celebrations and laughter were to giving the Hobbits the strength to continue their journey.

1.       Tom Bombadil and Goldberry encouraged the Hobbits early in their adventure – feasting and giving them a few evenings of merriment and laughter

2.       In the Inn of the Prancing Pony, the Hobbits (mostly the younger two) celebrated in the tavern

3.       In the valley of the elves, the Hobbits rested, feasted and had times to enjoy life

4.       Before entering the mines of Moria, the whole party of 9 (the fellowship of the ring) had some laughter and good times during their encampments

5.       On and on throughout the story, at various times, the characters took time to find some enjoyment in life regardless of the dangers and evil around them

For those of us working in the realm of Indigenous economic development, our challenges are no less daunting. Indigenous peoples are the most impoverished in Canada, kept at the bottom of the socio-economic ladder by the racist apartheid Indian Act. We face the highest suicide rates, drug and alcohol abuse, spirits broken from residential schools and Canadian cultural genocide policies, highest school drop out rates, lowest funding levels for child welfare, education, health, remote communities with food costing as much as 10 times what Canadians pay for, communities without running water, without heat, housing chronically underfunded resulting in overcrowding and mould, diabetes, the lowest unemployment, etc.

Our communities also face funding cuts, and threats from the Government of Canada (ie. Federal response to Attawapiskat state of emergency was to cut funding and place them under third party management in an arrangement that would force the community to pay $1,300 to a white consultant appointed by PM Harper). Our communities face energy and resource companies encroaching on lands to profit from natural resources – often without including our communities or only giving us a pittance for compensation then leaving our communities with environmental disasters and chronic health problems.

Our communities face unilateral decisions by the Conservative Government of Canada that erode rights and safeguards of community lands and resources. Programs, organizations, communities are all facing continual funding cuts under the current government, all while emergency states and third world conditions are ignored.

The challenges before us are great. However, we can learn something from the characters I described above.

1.       We must fix in our minds a vision of what success looks like. What are we trying to achieve in our communities?

2.       We must hang on to that vision and find people who will support and encourage us – surround ourselves with those people.

3.       While it is important to be aware of the challenges before us and the tactics of the “Saurons” we face, we must not lose ourselves, our hope, and our vision, by meditating too deeply on them.

a.       Thinking of the entirety of the challenge can be discouraging and cause us to lose focus. Be aware of the overall challenge, but begin to determine the immediate legs of the journey before you.

b.      What can you tangibly do today, to bring you one step closer to the vision you hold onto?

4.       We need to ensure we balance ourselves between focusing on the challenges and on finding enjoyment where we can in this life.

5.       We need to remember the words of Samwise: “there's some good in this world... and it's worth fighting for.”

So as we proceed to apply our skills and minds and hands to raising up Indigenous communities, we need to fix a vision of what the end goal is. The smile of a healthy child, a well-maintained home, a family playing and spending quality time together, a community cleaned up of debris and litter, community events filled with laughter and joy, a beaming graduate holding their diploma, a smiling tradesperson holding their Red Seal certificate, etc.

I leave you with a real life example of someone who has exemplified much of these thoughts: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/this-teacher-is-on-a-mission-to-educate-first-nations/article2289480/

Michelle Durant-Dudley, a teacher who kept a vision of success fixed in her mind. Even endured hardships, personal sacrifice, and physical assault could not deter her from her focus and her hope and vision.

Let us resolve this year to have the same dedication to a future vision full of hope.

Resolutions and measurements

It’s a new year. With a new year comes the inevitable focus on resolutions and goals and measurements. Most resolutions focus on fitness and the losing (or gaining) of a few pounds. Our resolutions don’t have to be only personal ones, however. We can apply the same principle to our economic or community development goals.

What do you wish to accomplish this year in your community? More importantly, how will you measure your community’s economic waist line? There are a number of tools available to assist you in this:

-          Community Information Database

-          MyPeg (Specific for Winnipeg, but may offer a great example for other cities and communities)

-          Community Economic Development Capacity Index. Sorry I do not have a link for it, you will have to email me to request a copy. You can either subscribe to my blog through email (see the text box on the right). Or you can leave a comment with your email address. Since I moderate comments, I will not be post any comment with your email since I do not wish to expose your email address to potential spammers.

Using tools like these, you can establish a baseline and measure your progress as you go through the year.

Happy resolution making!