Official Poster for The 5th Annual Indigenous Writer's Gathering!

Stop the Injustice- Support BILL 110!

Photo By: Christine McFarlane

Toronto September 27, 2012- Today First Nations child advocates met at the steps of the legislature at Queen's Park to support Bill 110. 

Bill 110 is An Act to amend the Ombudsmen Act with respect to Children's Aid Societies, and was put forth by Liberal MPP Monique Taylor. The Bill 110 amends the Ombudsmen Act to allow the Ombudsmen to investigate any decision or recommendation made or any act done or omitted in the course of the administration of a Children's Aid Society.

The government of Ontario needs to allow our Ombudsmen to investigate our Children's Aid Societies so that they will have the oversight and accountability that is necessary. You may ask why Bill 110 is necessary, and here is why- Aboriginal children are dramatically over-represented in child welfare across Canada. The Auditor General, for instance, estimates that First Nations children are 6-8 times more likely to be placed in foster care than non-Aboriginal children.

It is also clear that First Nations registered children make up the largest proportion of Aboriginal children entering child welfare care and are also admitted in child welfare care at higher rates than Metis children. The number of registered First Nations children entering child welfare rose 71.5% nationally with the highest increases in Ontario between 1996 and 2001.

To support this Bill and help end the over representation of First Nations/Aboriginal children in Children's Aid Care, please contact your MPP. Call, email... do what you can. As a survivor of the CAS system, this injustice needs to stop and needs to stop now.

For more information about the rise of First Nations children in care, please visit the following websites

www.blakout.ca

www.fixcas.com

www.ontariocfa.com

www.canadacourtwatch.com

and the last two sites to take a look at are

www.afathersnightmare.com and www.casontario.blogspot.com

Thursday October 18, 2012- The 5th Annual Indigenous Writer's Gathering at First Nations House

The 5^th Annual Indigenous Writer’s Gathering at First Nations House (at the University of Toronto

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2012

The 5^th Annual Indigenous Writers Gathering at First Nations House (at the University of Toronto)

563 Spadina Cres, Toronto ON 3^rd floor (Spadina north of College, south of Bloor)

All events are FREE and Open to the Public

Breakfast with the Writers: 10-11am Stop by for food, coffee and tea with all the writers from the Gathering

Session 1: Rogarou Stories: Traditional Metis Folk Stories with Lee Maracle, Cherie Dimaline and Marilyn Dumont

11:30am -12:30pm

Session 2: Fiction Workshop with Richard Wagamese (arrive early to secure a spot)

1:00 – 2:30pm

Session 3: Declaring and Taking Back the Power of Words with Daniel Justice

3 – 4 pm

Session 4: PANEL- Indigenous Literature- Where we have been and where we need to go

with Richard Wagamese, Lee Maracle, Marilyn Dumont and Daniel Justice

 4- 5:30 pm

Join us for the Launch of Muskrat Magazine, Issue #3

And the Indigenous Writers’ Gathering Gala Event

At the Capitol Theatre (www.capitolevents.ca)

HOSTED By the CBC’s SID BOBB and WAB KINEW

Starring:

Renowned orator and writer Lee Maracle

Acclaimed science fiction writer Daniel Justice

Award winning poet Marilyn Dumont

And Bestselling author Richard Wagamese

Special reading by former Lieutenant Governor and author James Bartleman

SPECIAL GUESTS:

Cree cellist sensation CRIS DERKSEN and

World Champion Hoop dancer and Canada’s Got Talent Finalist LISA ODJIG

Buy books at the Good Minds booth and get them signed by your favourite authors

First 150 guests will join us for a FREE cocktail hour with refreshments served

Doors Open and Cocktail Hour at 7:30PM

Just north of the Eglinton Subway Stop

3 blocks north of Eglinton on Yonge

Parking available

Congratulations on the 3rd anniversary of the defeat of Site 41

UN News Centre Release

United Nations News Centre

18 September 2012 – Violence against women and girls and the indiscriminate extraction of natural resources are among the most pressing issues that indigenous peoples face today, a United Nations human rights expert said today.

“A recurring issue that has come to my attention in various contexts is that of violence against indigenous women and girls,” said the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, James Anaya, in his statement to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

In the past year, Mr. Anaya has collaborated with various countries, UN agencies and indigenous peoples in several studies and country assessments on the challenges indigenous peoples face on a daily basis. He has also made recommendations to States of good practices and responded to cases of alleged human rights violations.

Indigenous self-determination and cultural integrity must be enhanced, along with efforts that are designed to prevent and punish violence against indigenous women and girls.

Mr. Anaya said that in his talks with representatives on indigenous issues, they had stressed the need for a holistic approach to combat violence against indigenous women and girls. The implementation of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, he stressed, will be crucial to address this issue.

Adopted by the General Assembly in September 2007 after more than two decades of debate, the Declaration sets out the individual and collective rights of indigenous peoples, as well as their rights to culture, identity, language, employment, health, education and other issues.

“In particular, indigenous self-determination and cultural integrity must be enhanced, along with efforts that are designed to prevent and punish violence against indigenous women and girls,” he said.

Mr. Anaya also pointed to the extractive industries as a source of tension, as companies do not tend to consult with indigenous peoples before beginning work on their property.

“There is now a common, often narrow focus on principles of consultation and free, prior and informed consent,” he said. “A better approach starts with examination of the primary substantive rights of indigenous peoples that may be implicated in natural resource extraction.

“These include, in particular, rights to property over land and natural resources; rights to culture, religion, and health; and the right of indigenous peoples to set and pursue their own priorities for development, as part of their fundamental right to self-determination.”

One of the fundamental problems with the current model in the extractive industries, Mr. Anaya said, was that extractive projects are developed by corporations with some or little involvement from Governments, but without participation from indigenous communities which are greatly affected by these initiatives. Greater participation and control would bring benefits to the indigenous population, he added.

During his statement Mr. Anaya also presented his reports on the situation of indigenous peoples in Argentina and the United States, reiterating that while positive steps have been taken by both governments to advance indigenous rights, much more remains to be done.

Follow the link below for news article:

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=42924&Cr=indigenous&Cr1#.UFr5o0IrR8t

A Fun Writing Exercise

 By: Christine McFarlane

My most recent column in the Native Canadian newsletter was about getting motivated and keeping up your writing, even when you don't feel like writing. I find that sometimes, reading one of those books that advise you on different techniques to get yourself motivated can really help.

Finding new and innovative ways to get myself writing is fun. My most recent exercise involved trying to write with the words

"I've heard...." at the beginning of each sentence. I would write a sentence, and then as soon as I got stuck trying to think of what to write next, I started my next sentence with the same words "I've heard"

The exercise turned into a little list of superstitions. Here they are.

"I've heard...you're supposed to count sheep when you can't fall asleep, but for some reason I can never do that. I find that when I envision these sheep in my head, I end up laughing, and I'm more wide awake than ever."

 "I've heard... you're never supposed to walk under a ladder, or let a black cat cross your path"

"I've heard... you can't step on a crack on the sidewalk because you might break your mother's back."

"I've heard... if you spill salt, you immediately have to throw some salt over your shoulder or else you'll have bad luck."

I told a couple of friends about this exercise. They gave me their own superstitions they've come across. What a conversation starter, but can you imagine if we paid attention to all these little nuances in life?

We would all be in deep trouble! Damn those superstitions!


(Try this exercise yourself. You can start it with anything you want, and let me know where it takes you!)

Feedback is always welcome, so feel free to email me at chrissy.mcfarlane@gmail.com

Good night!

15th Annual Pow Wow-Unity of All Nations September 29, 2012

Press Release- New Award to Recognize Excellence in First Nations, Metis and Inuit Young Adult Literature

Press Release:

New Award to Recognize Excellence in First Nations, Métis and Inuit Young Adult Literature

Please take note of the following press release issued by CODE:

Ottawa- A unique Canadian literary award and readership initiative recognizing excellence in English-language literary works for Young Adults by First Nations, Métis and Inuit authors was launched September 5, 2012.

Established by CODE - a Canadian charitable organization that has been supporting literacy and learning for over 50 years - in collaboration with William (Bill) Burt and the Literary Prizes Foundation, the Burt Award for First Nations, Métis and Inuit Literature aims to provide engaging and culturally-relevant books for young people across Canada. The Award is now accepting submissions from Canadian publishers until May 1, 2013.

"First Nations, Métis and Inuit leaders have longed stressed the importance of literacy and learning for youth in their communities and recommended the development of reading materials that are grounded in their culture and heritage," said CODE Executive Director Scott Walter. "With the new Award, we hope to help address this issue by celebrating the literary achievements of Canada's First Nations, Métis and Inuit authors and improving young readers' access to books that are engaging and meaningful to them."

The Award is the result of an ongoing close collaboration with the Assembly of First Nations, the Métis National Council, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the National Association of Friendship Centres, the Association of Canadian Publishers, and the Canada Council for the Arts, which will be responsible for administering the jury process.

The Award will be given annually to three English-language literary works for Young Adults by First Nations, Métis or Inuit authors. A First Prize of $12,000, a Second Prize of $8,000 and a Third Prize of $5,000 will be awarded to the authors and translators (if applicable) of the winning titles. In addition, publishers of the winning titles will be awarded a guaranteed purchase of a minimum of 2,500 copies, which will ensure that First Nations, Métis and Inuit youth across Canada will have access to the books through their community's schools, libraries, or Friendship Centre’s.

For this new initiative, CODE will build on the experience it has gained with the Burt Award for African Literature, an annual literary prize that recognizes excellence in Young Adult fiction in English in Africa. Since its inception in 2008, 18 titles (and over 120,000 copies) have been published and distributed to youth in Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya and Tanzania. The partnerships that CODE has established with educators, writers and publishers in Canada over the last 25 years through its Canadian engagement programs will also be key to establishing this new initiative.

"We are very excited to expand the Burt Award program to Canada," says William (Bill) Burt, who financially supports the Award. "My hope is that Canadian First Nations, Métis and Inuit youth will love the titles that emerge from this project and that the books give them new opportunities to improve the reading and writing skills that will serve them the rest of their lives."

For further details on the Burt Award for First Nations, Métis and Inuit Literature, go to www.codecan.org/get-involved/burt-award-canada<http://www.codecan.org/get-involved/burt-award-canada>

For more information, please contact:
Dominique Naud
Communications Manager
CODE
613-232-3569 ext. 252
dnaud@codecan.org<mailto:dnaud@codecan.org

About CODE:

If you can read and write, you can learn to do, and be, anything. That's the idea behind CODE. A Canadian NGO with over 50 years of experience, CODE supports literacy and learning in Canada and around the world. CODE's international programs encourage development through education through support to libraries, professional development for teachers, as well as national and local book publishing in 20 languages.
www.codecan.org<http://www.codecan.org>

BACKGROUNDER

The Burt Award for First Nations, Métis and Inuit Literature:

A unique literary award and readership initiative established by CODE with the generous support of philanthropist William Burt and the Literary Prizes Foundation, and in partnership with the Assembly of First Nations, Métis National Council, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, National Association of Friendship Centres, Indspire (formerly NAAF), the Association of Canadian Publishers, and Canada Council for the Arts.

CODE is a Canadian charitable organization with over 50 years of experience in supporting development through education around the world. CODE works in partnership with local organizations to expand literacy in Africa and the Caribbean by providing children and youth with access to quality reading materials, supporting the professional development of teachers and librarians, and helping to strengthen the local book trade and national publishing capacities. In Canada, CODE has worked for over 25 years to engage Canadian teachers and students on literacy and global issues, and has established partnerships with Canadian educators, writers, and the publishing industry.

In 2008, CODE established the Burt Award for African Literature with the generous support of Canadian philanthropist William Burt and the Literary Prizes Foundation. The Burt Award is an annual literary prize that recognizes excellence in young adult fiction and provides young readers with engaging books that they want to read. Currently offered in four African countries, the Burt Award is expanding to Canada and the Caribbean.

Building on our experience, and in recognition of our responsibility as a Canadian organization, CODE along with William Burt and the Literary Prizes Foundation and our partners, the Assembly of First Nations, Métis National Council, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, National Association of Friendship Centres, Indspire (formerly the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation), Association of Canadian Publishers, and Canada Council for the Arts are pleased to inform you of the establishment of the Burt Award for First Nations, Métis and Inuit Literature.

The Burt Award for First Nations, Métis and Inuit Literature is a new Canadian literary award and readership initiative that will recognize excellence in Indigenous-authored literature for youth and provide engaging and culturally-relevant books for young people across Canada.

The Award will be given annually to three English-language literary works for young adults (aged 12 through 18) written by First Nations, Métis or Inuit authors. The Canada Council for the Arts will be responsible for establishing the selection criteria and administering the jury process. Winning authors will divide the annual cash prizes totaling $25,000. Winning publishers will participate in a guaranteed book purchase and distribution program in which CODE commits to purchasing up to 2500 copies of each title at a bulk discount for distribution to schools, libraries, and Friendship Centres that serve First Nations, Métis and Inuit youth across Canada.

Recent reports regarding the future of education in First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities in Canada emphasize the importance of literacy and reading, and recommend the development of reading materials that are grounded in the culture and heritage of Canada's First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities as a means of closing the educational achievement gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians and helping First Nations, Métis and Inuit youth realize their full potential. We hope you will join us in celebrating the literary achievements of Canada's First Nations, Métis and Inuit authors and help us improve young readers' access to engaging and culturally meaningful books by supporting this initiative.

How to Get Involved:

The inaugural Burt Award for First Nations, Métis and Inuit Literature will formally launch in September 2012. Publishers operating in Canada will be asked to submit English works of prose fiction or non-fiction written by First Nations, Métis or Inuit authors. Published books and unpublished manuscripts will be eligible. In the case of published entries, they must have been published between May 1, 2010 and April 30, 2013. (In subsequent years, books published in the previous 12 months only will be eligible for the Burt Award.)

The deadline for submissions for the inaugural Burt Award for First Nations, Métis and Inuit Literature will be May 1, 2013. Winning titles will be announced in September 2013 to coincide with festivities related to International Literacy Day. A peer assessment committee organized by the Canada Council for the Arts will examine eligible titles. Winning titles will be selected according to their literary and artistic excellence and their capacity to engage and entertain young First Nations, Métis and Inuit readers.

For Further Information:
Please contact Catherine Belshaw, Literary Awards Officer, at 613-232-3569 ext. 233 or CBelshaw@codecan.org.

Be sure to follow us on Facebook and check for updates on www.codecan.org.

A Poem-Standing By the Water's Edge

Georgina Island- Photo By: Christine McFarlane

 

Standing By the Water's Edge

By: Christine McFarlane

I stand

by the water's edge

My jacket pulled 

tightly around me

My hand 

outstretched

offering sema

to the waters

Whispering

a prayer

Hoping 

it will catch

in the wind

I stand

by the water's edge

My jacket pulled

tightly around me

My hand

outstretched

offering sema

to the waters

I look into

the distance

 and know

my prayers are answered

When the wind

whispers back

to me 

And says

You will

Be okay

Copyright. 2012

Book Sale- Come One, Come All-FNH-September 14, 2012

New 2 U Book Sale

Photo: Jackie Esquimaux-Hamlin- By: Christine McFarlane

Friday, September 14, 2012

 12-4pm

@

 First Nations House

University of Toronto

563 Spadina Avenue, 3rd Floor

Toronto, Ontario

M5S 2J7

Contact Info: 416 978 8227

Book Review: We Are All....Treaty People

Review: We Are All…Treaty People

By: Christine McFarlane

Text By: Maurice Switzer/Illustrations by Charley Hebert

Published By: Creative Impressions Inc.

Pages: 34

This book gives an overview of the life of Native people, specifically the Anishinaabeg/Anishinabek peoples who make up one of the oldest nations in North America, or what Native peoples understand as Turtle Island.

Told in a easy and accessible way for all readers, it shows Native peoples contribution to early settlement where “When Europeans first arrived in the northern part of Turtle Island, their primary concern was survival in an environment much different than they were used to in countries like France and Britain,” and if it “were not for the help of the various Native peoples they encountered, settlers would not have been able to find sources of food, or survive the bitter and harsh winters.”

It also speaks of the negative treatment that Native peoples have received through the years. Examples include when the colonial government “actually began assisting companies to displace Indians from land that was identified as having commercial value,”  the implementation of the Indian Act, the residential school system and three high profile standoffs in the 1990's such as Oka, Gustafen Lake and Ipperwash, where the latter resulted in the death of Anthony Dudley George. Dudley George was killed by a police sniper on September 6, 1995 when unnamed unarmed Native protesters camped in Ipperwash Provincial Park to protest Canada's failure to return nearby land expropriated in 1942 for use by the Canadian military.

Author Maurice Switzer, Director of Communications at the Union of Ontario Indians  does a great job in presenting an overview of Native history and making it accessible to Native and non-Native people alike. It is also a book that is ideal for use in the classroom, where it can rightfully start the discussion of Native people and how they are a vital part of Canadian history. The beautiful illustrations that go along with the text, will appeal to everyone, even those who struggle with reading.

We are all…Treaty People-Union of Ontario Indians is written by Maurice Switzer and illustrated by Charley Hebert and is printed by Creative Impressions Inc. Copies of the book can be purchased from the Union of Ontario Indians, (www.anishinabek.ca) or at GoodMinds.com, (www.goodminds.com)

For more information please call (705) 497-9127 ext 2288.

Music Review- Whisper in Your Ear

Photo by: Christine McFarlane

Music Review: Whisper In Your Ear

By: Christine McFarlane

Bio:

Sarah DeCarlo is an artist from the Peterborough area with roots in the Ojibwa Nation. She is a filmmaker, singer/songwriter and performer. Her film works have been screened at festivals across Canada and her music has been featured on APTN and Spirit Magazine. Sarah has worked advocating arts with youth in communities in Ontario, Quebec and across Canada.

After hearing Sarah DeCarlo perform at the Red Revue during PlanetIndigenUS, I wanted to do a quick review of her work. Sarah DeCarlo released her first album "Whisper In Your Ear" in June 2012.
It's a mix of tunes that are a celebration of life stories, experiences and travels from across Canada, and  it is music that is a mash up of rock, punk, folk, country and pop with a bit of something for everyone.

Songs such as “Whisper in your Ear” “Everybody Wants Something,” “Jesus Died,” show the diversity in her singing and songwriting abilities; with many a song being upbeat catchy tunes that move across a spectrum of emotions and intensity.

I am a picky music listener, but I can honestly say that I hope to hear more of Sarah DeCarlo and her music in the years to come!

Sarah DeCarlo can be found on myspace at www.myspace.com/sarahdecarlo and on Facebook.