The Spirit of All Nations.
A new article from the Law Times revealed that by far the largest spending on legal battles by the Canadian government is taking place in what most people still know as “Indian Affairs”.
News hasn’t been the only thing “leaking” this week for American pipeline giant Kinder Morgan. The energy company is reported to be in the process of quietly cleaning up some 5005 cubic meters of oil-contaminated soil from its Trans Mountain pipeline near Hope in lower mainland British Columbia, ancestral Sto:lo territory tracing back as far as 10,000 years.
A new study from the University of Michigan School of Public Health in collaboration with the Aamjiwnaang Environment Office confirms what many people of Aamjiwnaang (Chippewas of Sarnia First Nation) have long suspected: That exposure to the pollutants deriving from “Chemical Valley” is strongly associated with the neurodevelopment problems and skewed sex ratios that the local Ojibwe community has long observed.
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has had a pretty rough two weeks. First came the revelation that a long-rumoured video in which he smokes crack cocaine was in police possession, leading the Mayor of Canada’s largest city to admit that he had indeed smoked crack during a “drunken stupor.” Days later, the Toronto Star released another video, this one showing Ford intoxicated and yammering on about hurting or killing someone.
While one can’t underestimate his family’s staying power, it looks like Ford’s days may well be numbered.
TINY TOWNSHIP: A reclamation of Awenda Provincial Park is now entering its 19th month. Organizers have formed a grassroots connection with neighboring Springwater Provincial Park which has also been occupied by members of Beausoleil First Nation.
“We began as a result of the illegal surrenders of our Inherent Rights and Traditional Territories along with the policies and laws enforced upon our people where the Chippewa Tri Council and Canada are in breach of the 1764 Niagara Covenant Chain Belt” explains Kai Kai Kons, a spokesperson for the camp.
The Cayuga Nation of New York has been in the news for economic development for the past few years. In 2012 the tribal government launched a Cayuga brand tribally manufactured cigarette. In 2013, the Cayuga Nation re-opened a Class II electronic bingo parlor in Union Springs, New York.
The tribal government business plan has now received the support of a prominent group of elected councils. The United South and Eastern Tribes (USET) formed in 1968, is based in Nashville, Tennessee.
Penetanguishene – On November 9th, for the second weekend in a row, [tweetable]a delegation from the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 3903 joined the Oshkimaadziig Unity Camp[/tweetable] to help construct a hunting lodge, chop wood for the winter, and build new relationships with Anishinabek people.
The Oshkimaadziig Unity Camp is reclaiming ancestral Anishinabek land in Awenda Provincial Park, at the site of an historic counsel rock in Penetanguishene. It is guided by a vision referring to the “New People of the Seventh Fire Prophecy, who will pick up the many things left on the trail to ensure Humanity’s survival in the Eighth Fire.” The camp began in protest to the Coldwater Narrows Settlement agreement. By reclaiming Crown land, the camp also aims to educate others about treaties and agreements that came before modern day settlements with the Crown. It is organized by the Anishinabek Confederacy to Invoke Our Nationhood (ACTION).
Tyendinaga resident Emily Workman, 12 years old, is one of six winners of the prestigious James Bartleman Aboriginal Youth Creative Writing Awards for her poem, When Skunk Smelled like Flowers.
Danielle Brant, Emily’s mother, tells me that after Emily finished writing she told her mother, as a matter-of-fact, that she was going to win the award. But despite her confident prediction, Emily could not contain her tears while hearing the news.
If you have lived on Six Nations long enough, when attending community meetings, you will eventually hear someone voice this sentiment: “Our people don’t vote, it is not our way”. Take note.
Our ancient path involves consensus, and there seems to be consensus that we used to operate by consensus, thus explaining why voting can be a very emotional and controversial issue on Six Nations and on all other Haudenosaunee Territories within the corporation of Canada.
TORONTO, ON – Social media lit up with outrage this week as video of an Onkwehon:we War Veteran, Davyn Calfchild, being arrested at a public Toronto Remembrance Day Ceremony went viral. The video showed Davyn refusing to put away two traditional flags – the Hiawatha and the Unity Flag – and refusing to leave the public ceremony at the request of Toronto Police.
BRANTFORD – The Brantford Blast are off to a good start in the Sr. AAA Allan Cup Hockey League after weekend games.
They opened the new season last week with a 7-1 win over Welland, and this past Friday, Nov. 8th, they notched a 3-0 shutout win over their arch rivals, the Dundas Real McCoys. That was followed Sunday afternoon with a tight 6-5 win over the Stoney Creek Generals in Stoney Creek.
ROCHESTER, NY – Sevens have certainly been wild for the Rochester Knighthawks. Today, forward Craig Point became the third member of the back-to-back National Lacrosse League Champions to re-sign for seven years, joining Dan Dawson and Sid Smith.
All across the Indigenous world, people are getting out their traditional footwear for the third annual Rock Your Mocs Day on November 15, 2013.
Participating is simple; put on your moccasins and “rock” them all day long. Snap a picture and post it to your Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram with the hashtag #RYM2013.
SIX NATIONS – The eight teams registered in this year’s Dreamcatcher Lacrosse Festival played this past weekend at the ILA in Six Nations. The teams included the St. Catharines Saints, the Caughawaga Indians, the Wallaceburg Red Devils, Tuscarora, as well as the Six Nations Greasers, Six Nations Slash, Six Nations Sting, and the Six Nations Rez Dogs, all divided into two pools.
I am not sure what to think of Remembrance day. I mean, when you really think about it, back in the day during World War I and II many people joined the army to get the financial resources to help out their family.
What is the reason people do it now? Why did our people join the military during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars that were mainly, like all the others, to steal resources from other natives? The people we were fighting were native to the lands the Corporations of Canada and United States went to invade.
