Onkwehonwe Week in Review: Week of February 24

Moosehide Campaign is determined to end violence against women

Five years ago, the British Columbia Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres organized the Moosehide Campaign in response to violence against Indigenous women and children.  On the traditional territories of the Lkwungen people in Victoria, B.C., Indigenous men gathered to declare their determination to reclaim their paths as “spiritual warriors”. The steps of the B.C. Legislature seen Indigenous (and non-Indigenous men), women and children supporters, gather together to identify this violence as rooted in the traumatic histories of residential schools and the dispossession of territory and ancestral responsibilities in our communities. Because Indigenous women face disproportionate violence in Canada, the Moosehide Campaign is determined to present a chance for men to commit to doing their part to heal our communities by speaking up when they witness violence and by “showing children how partners can love and respect each other and how men can show affection and kindness.”

On February 11, 2016, the Moosehide Campaign held their 5th Annual Gathering of Men. This year, the Campaign is focusing on creating learning opportunities and strategizing ways to address violence in a good way. The Moosehide Campaign has identified the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 2015 Report as “a road map for reconciliation across Canada.”  This year, the Moosehide Campaign is encouraging men to participate in a national one day fast to “honour women and children currently living in violence and to accelerate the healing process. By fasting for this one day, it brings men together in solidarity, respect, honour and love for the women in our lives.”

 

Akwesasne under surveillance by military counter-intelligence unit: documents

According to “confidential” reports released to APTN National News, the Canadian Military’s counter-intelligence unit has been conducting surveillance on Akwesasne, a Mohawk community that straddles the US/Canada border. The reports, which date from 2013 to 2015, regularly mention Akwesasne as part of its “threat information collection.” Although the reports were heavily redacted, the uncensored portions give no explanation as to why the surveillance has been ongoing. Akwesasne is already under heavy surveillance from groups like the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA), the RCMP, the OPP and the Surete du Quebec on the Canadian side of the community. The American side of the community faces surveillance from US Homeland Security, US Border Patrol and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).

A 2014 report lists Akwesasne next to the heading “Sabotage by Criminals/Terrorists” because the community has supposedly “engaged in smuggling contraband items, (counterfeit cigarettes and weapons).” The Canadian Forces also consider Akwesasne as a possible “terror threat” when it conducted a threat assessment connected to a planned visit by three Canadian warships to a port in Cornwall, Ontario. The Canadian military has kept a “wary eye” on Mohawks since 1990 following the Oka Crisis in Kanesatake. The military has drawn up plans like Operation Campus and Operation Saxon-Scorpion targeting Mohawk communities like Kanesatake, Kahnawake and Akwesasne, in the 90s. According to APTN: “The plans were shelved over concerns that such a move would trigger a nation-wide indigenous uprising.”

 

State of emergency declared after radioactive particles found in local water source on First Nation

Northwest Angle #33 is a small reserve near Kenora, Ont. that is only accessible by boat in the summer and by ice road in winter. On February 12, Health Canada Officials declared a “do not consume water” advisory, which is one level above the “boil water advisory”, after trace amounts of radionuclide and higher than normal lead levels were found in the local water sources. Chief Darlene Comegan said in a statement that her community is tired of being ignored by both provincial and federal governments. “In light of the Federal government’s plan to ensure clean drinking water for First Nations … We are living in third world conditions and that is just not acceptable,” the statement read.

The community faces high cancer rates. Fewer than 50 people live on reserve because of safety concerns with water and road access. Nancy Girard, land manager for Northwest Angle #33 said they are concerned for the elders, young children and a new born baby living in the community. The First Nation has been supplying themselves bottled water since 2011.  For the past 15 years, they have also been making use of two portable water treatment plants, which were meant to be temporary solutions to a problem that has only grown in size and impact. Northwest Angle #33 also has trouble with accessing electricity, which actively presents barriers to powering a proper water treatment plant, no school and limited infrastructure. These circumstances lead to families leaving the community to seek schooling for their young children, with the most vulnerable often left behind. Girard asks “how can we have a community without children?  What is home without the sounds of their voices playing nearby?”

 

PM excludes Congress of Aboriginal Peoples from March meeting

Since being elected prime minister, Justin Trudeau has faced criticism regarding his election promises and his non-action on implementing the right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent, otherwise known as “veto power.” Pre-election Trudeau pledged to “absolutely” uphold Indigenous nation’s ability to say no to projects that threaten the safety of the land and water. However, his tone quickly changed after being elected. Considering that Canadian economy relies so heavily upon Alberta’s tar sands and the transportation of this product through Indigenous territory, he has changed his stance to one of “partnership” and a “renewed nation-to-nation relationship with First Nations that respects inherent and treaty rights.”

Because Alberta’s economy is dwindling, Ottawa is facing increased pressure to back pipelines that transport tar sands bitumen from its source to tidewaters.  Aboriginal organizations that back the Canadian economic agenda, like the Assembly of First Nations, have been invited to an upcoming meeting with the Prime Minister to discuss “climate change.” The Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and the Metis National Council have also been invited, as they are they only organizations recognized by the Canadian government as “title holders” within Indigenous nationhood. The Congress of Aboriginal Peoples represent off reserve and non-status Indigenous peoples, coincidentally also Indigenous peoples without land. Trudeau will be meeting with premiers the following day.

 

Fort Frances farmer wins award for preserving rare Ojibway horse population

Rhonda Snow, a farmer in Fort Frances, Ont., has received recognition from a non-profit organization called Rare Breeds Canada, for her work in preserving a nearly extinct breed of wild horse. Known as Lac La Croix ponies, or Ojibway ponies, they are a breed that has run wild since time immemorial. Since contact, the breed has grown increasingly rarer with the expansion of logging and mining industries. Now, the horses’ numbers have dwindled to nearly zero, with Anishnaabe elders saying that only two bloodlines remain. Snow says that the horses are exactly like “regular horses” except they are not easy to capture. Recounting stories of trying to corral the horses, Snow shares in an interview with CBC Radio how winded she was the entire day. Often the horses would knock her over, her flashlight and other tools would fall in the mud. The horses are smart and “totally wild,” she said. Recognizing the historical value of the breed, Snow has dedicated her work to making sure the rare breed stays alive and hopes to release the horses back into the wild one day.

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