Event Postings

Events For March 1-19, 2014

Saturday March 1, 2014-12pm-5pm- 12^th Annual Pow wow and Education Career Fair @ York University by CASS (Centre for Aboriginal Student Services) Vari Hall, 4700 Keele Street

Smoke Trail Singers- Host Drum

Charging Horse- Co-host Drum

Old Mush Singers-Water Drum

March 4-6 2014-10am-6pm- Urban Indigenous Teaching Symposium @ the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto

Join us for a 3 day symposium on Indigenous identity and culture in the city. Register now, limited space available.
Admission:
Students & Youth - Free
Adults - $20.00
Seniors - $10.00
Workshops
Drum Making - $70.00
Moccasin Making - $55.00
Bundle Making - $35.00

Please contact Reception at the Native Canadian Centre to Register - 416-964-9087 or reception@ncct.on.ca

Tuesday March 4
6:30/7:00 a.m. Sunrise Ceremony, Light Sacred Fire, Breakfast
10:00 – noon
Panel: Navigating and demystifying protocols for conducting research in Indigenous communities while simultaneously meeting university ethics board requirements
Noon – 1:00 Lunch
1:00 – 3:00 Workshops
Drum making
Presentation of Student Papers
3:00—3:30 Break
3:30 – 5:30
Traditional Teachings
And Keynote Presentations
Indigenous laws & governance:
Clan Teachings in the urban context
5:30 – 6:00 Closing

March 5 – Wednesday
Continental Breakfast
10:00 – noon
Panel: Language matters
Noon – 1:00 Lunch
1:00 – 3:00 Workshops
Moccasin making
Presentation of Student Papers
3:00—3:30 Break
3:30 – 5:30
Traditional Teachings
And Keynote Presentations
Indigenous Representation in the Mass Media
5:30 – 6:00 Closing

March 6 – Thursday
Continental Breakfast
10:00 – noon
Panel: The Relevance of Creation/Origin Stories in Contemporary times
Noon – 1:00 Lunch
1:00 – 3:00 Workshops
Bundle making
Presentation of Student Papers
3:00—3:30 Break
3:30 – 5:30
Traditional Teachings
And Keynote Presentations
How traditional roles of Men & Women translate to
contemporary realities
5:30 – 6:00 Closing
6:00 – 9:00
Social
Feast Sacred Items

March 6, 2014- Challenging Ableism: Creating A Culture of Accessibility- SBA, Equity Studies Students' Union and Disability Studies at UofT will be hosting various events for our annual Accessibility Awareness Month. Below are a list of events we will be doing. Mark off your calendars and register. More details will be coming soon.

Event Dates and Names

Organizing Disability Justice: The Importance of
Accountability, Care and Relation-building
Thursday March 6th
Location: OISE Room. 2295 (252 Bloor Street)
Time: 5:30pm-8:00pm
Panel Speakers: Eddie Ndopu Loree Erickson and Aj Withers

Navigating Ableist Spaces: Stories of Resistance
Thursday March 13th
Location: OISE Room. 2295 (252 Bloor Street)
Time: 5:30pm-8:00pm
Panel speakers: Kayla Carter, Lee Maracle, and Quinto Zazoue

Night of Art and Expression: Creating Disability Differently
Friday March 14th
Location: New College Lounge (45 Wilcocks)
Time: 5:00pm
To display your work please register below
http://goo.gl/tMofUz

Cooking Discussion Group on Mental Health
Wednesday March 19th
Location: CWTP (563 Spadina Ave, North Borden Building)
Time: 12pm-3pm

Learning Disabilities Workshop with Integra
Tuesday March 24th
Location: Hart House Room North Dining Hall (7 Hart House Circle)
Time: 11:30am-1pm

PLEASE REGISTER BELOW
http://goo.gl/Gv400V

All events will have ASL, Live Captioning, and Care Attendants

Please email sba@utoronto.ca or call 416-967-7322 for more information or accommodation need

Friday March 7, 2014-7pm- Masculindians: Conversations About Indigenous Manhood Book Launch Another Story Bookshop and University of Manitoba Press
Celebrate the launch of

Masculindians: Conversations about Indigenous Manhood

Featuring Sam McKegney
With Special Guests Lee Maracle and Daniel David Moses
Another Story Bookshop
315 Roncesvalles Avenue (at Grenadier)
416-462-1104
www.anotherstory.ca

Friday March 7, 2014-7:30pm-Shameless Magazine Website Launch and IWD Party Shameless Magazine is having a party! Join us on March 7th to celebrate our brand new website's launch, as well as International Women's Day! Come listen to some great music and support feminist media!


featuring performances by:
Tu Suis!
sidramatic!
& DJ SHEXES!

$5 admissions (comes with a FREE issue of the magazine!)
All-ages event
Venue is fully accessible

Location: Bike Pirates @ 1292 Bloor Street West

March 8, 2014-8:30pm- The Red Revue featuring Crystal Shawanda hosted by Cheri Maracle and Michelle Thrush

ANDPVA presents
The RED Revue
featuring CRYSTAL SHAWANDA
hosted by Cheri Maracle
at The Rivoli

9:15 p.m. Open Mic
10:15 p.m. Jace Martin
11 p.m. CRYSTAL SHAWANDA
12:15 p.m. The Bad Guys

The Rivoli
334 Queen Street West
Toronto, ON
$20 COVER

For Open Mic, email Rich Hunter, Development Manager
rich.andpva@gmail.com

To reserve your tickets and for all other inquiries, email Millie Knapp, Executive Director
millie.andpva@gmail.com
www.andpva.com

Art Design by Paul McLeod

Special Thanks to
Ontario Arts Council

Please Note: As I am away from Feb 28 until March 8, 2014, this is not a full list of events. I will get back to full listings upon my return! Miigwetch!

Nothing Prepares You for a Loss

 

Nothing Prepares You for a Loss: A Tribute to my Uncle Sam

By: Christine Smith (McFarlane)

It’s the phone message you always dread waking up to-a member of your family calling you and saying, “Please call, it’s rather urgent.” In my case it was a nightmare come true, but it wasn’t about the person I thought it would be about-it was about my favorite uncle.

Nothing can prepare you for a loss or a death, whether it’s a friend, a member of your family or even a pet. I have always had this awful dream that one day I would get a phone call from back home in Winnipeg saying, “Christine, your mom has passed.” In fact in the current manuscript I am working on, I have a story about that dream. I never thought that a semblance of it would become real.

I remember holding my phone, punching in my voicemail password and rather groggily listening to my voicemail. I hadn’t even crawled out from under my blankets yet. As soon as I heard my mom’s partner Jim say “it’s urgent,” I jumped out of my bed like there was a fire lit underneath me, and I started pacing back and forth, back and forth, listening to the RING…RING…. RING… of the phone on the other end.

Minutes passed before I finally heard my mom come on the other end of the phone. I said, “What’s wrong?” and the words I didn’t want to hear came out “Your Uncle Sam passed away.”

At first I didn’t want to believe the words, and I kept muttering “oh my god, oh my god,” and then my mom’s partner came on the phone and told me once more “Sam is gone, he died last night.”

At first when I was told that my Uncle Sam was gone, I didn’t cry. I was in shock. I got really quiet and then the words came out of my mouth like verbal diarrhea

“OMG!! OMG!! What happened? When did this happen?”

My Uncle Sam was special to me. Even though I only met him a few times over the years that I have gotten to know my biological mother again, he stayed a part of my life in his own way. It was this that made him special to me. When I first started to get to know my mom and her side of the family, I remember I moved around a lot. I never stayed at one address longer than a year, but this didn’t stop my uncle from trying to stay in touch with me. I would move to a new address, and I’d receive a letter from him.

It was complications from diabetes that killed my Uncle Sam. He was 58 years old, too young to die, and I’m going to miss him, especially when I go home every summer to see my mom. Dealing with a death is difficult. I’ve gone from every kind of emotion you can think of. I’ve been feeling incredibly sad, have fits of crying, have felt immense anger, and just generally feeling like the whole thing is a dream and I’ll wake up and find out its not real. Sadly, that’s not the case though, and in dealing with my uncle’s death, I’m also learning once more to cope with another great loss.

Grief, much like mental illness is a neglected and misunderstood process that touches us all at one point in our lives. I have learned that grief is the normal and natural reaction to loss of any kind, so the feelings I’m experiencing are also normal and natural for me, but it doesn’t make things any easier. The problem is that we have all been socialized to believe that these feelings are somehow wrong and unnatural. It’s especially difficult when someone tells you “it was the Creator’s plan,” even if you know it to be true on a subconscious level.

Grieving is difficult though, no matter what. According to the “Grief Recovery Handbook: The Action Program for Moving Beyond Death, Divorce, and Other Losses,” written by John W. James and Russell Friedman it is said that “since most of us have been socialized to attempt to resolve all issues with our intellect, grief remains a huge problem,”

I don’t know how long I will feel this incredible sadness over my Uncle Sam passing away because it was definitely a shock, but I also know that though I am going to miss him terribly when I go back home each summer to visit my mom and the rest of her family, I do know that he is no longer suffering like he was before he passed on.

In the last few days, my mom’s partner has been calling me to see how I’m doing. We chat about how my Uncle was when he was well. We talk about the sense of humor he had, what a jokester he could be, how he would go around showing my writing to people on our reserve, and we laugh and remember him for how he was.

The difficulty I have in my grief is my last memory of him and the words he said to me. It was during my last visit home that I noticed how unwell my Uncle was and how he could barely walk around and was using a walker for assistance. I remember sitting at the kitchen table with him and I said a few words in the language and he asked me who had taught me the language, and then after a few minutes of silence, he looked over at me and said “This may be one of the last times I see you.”

I recall getting quiet when he said those words, and feeling an immense sense of sadness wash over me, but I brushed them aside because I didn’t want to think of my Uncle not being around anymore. I didn’t think those words would come true, but they have.

 Another memory I have is how at one point when he was trying to go outside to sit with everyone in the backyard, he fell and my mom’s partner and I tried to help him up. In my haste

to help him, I accidently grabbed his bad arm (the one where he was receiving needles for his diabetes and dialysis) and he hollered “my arm, my arm.”

It was then that I realized how much pain he was in, because he had never yelled at me before. I felt really badly and started crying. I started crying because I realized then that even though he was in pain, and could barely get around, he didn’t let it stop him from getting my other Uncle to drive an hour from our reserve to come and see me while I was visiting.

There is one thing I must remember in my grief and that is that no one likes to see someone else hurting. The important thing I can do for him now is to carry on with my life doing what I love to do, and what he silently encouraged me to do- write.

So, if you have experienced a death or a loss, or are experiencing it now, the most important thing you can do for yourself is to allow yourself to feel the sadness, allow yourself to cry and allow yourself to remember the person you have lost. Don’t stay quiet about the person, remember them how they were, and if they were unwell before they passed on, try to remember that they are no longer in pain, or feeling anymore cold, they will be at peace, and they will want you to carry on in the best way that you can.

Research and Community Relationships: Panel Discussion with Linda Tuhiwai Smith, Filiberto Penados and Deb McGregor

This is a clip on Research and Community Relationships that took place today at First Nations House at the University of Toronto as a part of 2014 Indigenous Education Week! Enjoy!

Events for Week of February 24 until March 6, 2014

Events:

Monday February 24- February 28, 2014- Indigenous Education Week @ First Nations House This year, we are honoured to welcome Dr. Linda Tuhiwai Smith, Professor of Indigenous Education at the University of Waikato in Hamilton, New Zealand. Dr. Smith will discuss ground breaking work in Maori education as well as her seminal book, Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples.

Additional guests for the week include Mississauga Anishinaabe scholar Leanne Betasamosake Simpson who will be reading from her debut collection of short stories, Islands of Decolonial Love. First Nations House is also pleased to welcome internationally recognized Indigenous scholar Dr. Filiberto Penados. Renowned orator, writer, and Traditional Teacher Lee Maracle and FNH Elder-in-Residence Andrew Wesley will be offering open teachings throughout the week.

Tuesday February 25, 2014-12:45pm-2:30pm- Troubling Territories: Poetics, Politics and the Queerness of Place.

As part of its ongoing Equity Seminar Series, The Faculty of Environmental Studies at York University and Accessibility Community Equity at YorkU proudly presents: "Troubling Territories: Poetics, Politics, and the Queerness of Place," a lecture and dialogue on racialized geographies, visual and performance art, and activism with Professor Katherine McKittrick (Gender Studies, Queen's University). Health, Nursing, Environmental Studies Building (HNES)
Room 140
York University
4700 Keele Street
Toronto, Ontario

*** ASL interpretation will be provided ***
*** The venue is wheelchair accessible. ***

Thursday February 27, 2014-6pm- Palestine Solidarity on Campus YUGSA Council Meeting Speaker Series- 6pm-The York University Graduate Students' Association is inviting all graduate students to its February council meeting. This month's council meeting will feature a presentation titled "Palestine Solidarity on Campus."

Presentation description:
This month's speaker series includes presentations by Aidan MacDonald (Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid) and Dan O'Hara (PhD Student in Political Science and Students Against Israeli Apartheid at York University). The presentation will include an overview and importance of the global Boycott Divestment and Sanctions campaign against Israel and the ways in which graduate students can contribute to the divestment campaign launched at York University.

Timing: The YUGSA Council meeting starts at 5:30pm. The presentation will start at 6pm.

Please note: All graduate students are welcome to attend YUGSA council meetings. Please note however, only councilors may vote in the meeting itself. For more information on monthly YUGSA council meetings, please visit www.yugsa.ca.

Thursday Feb 27, 2014-8pm Rae Spoon, Cris Derksen and Light Fires in Toronto at the Rivoli

Rae Spoon returns to Toronto to play material off of their past four albums:

www.raespoon.com

Cris Derksen delivers a dance party with a cello and a drum machine:

http://crisderksen.virb.com/

Regina of Light Fires brings the high kicks and pop hits:

http://light-fires.com/

$12 at the door (No one turned away)

The show space is wheelchair accessible. Accessible washroom behind the sound person. The Rivoli is at 334 Queen Street West.

Thursday February 27, 2014-3-4pm 12^th Annual  All Nations Pow Wow& Gathering York University Student Centre

Official Opening and Prayer

Wiidaaseh - Beat Boxer
Migize - Beat Boxer
Jay Robi - Hip Hop Artist
Isaac Weber - Graffiti Artist

Saturday March 1, 2014-12pm-5pm- 12^th Annual Pow wow and Education Career Fair @ York University by CASS (Centre for Aboriginal Student Services) Vari Hall, 4700 Keele Street

Smoke Trail Singers- Host Drum

Charging Horse- Co-host Drum

Old Mush Singers-Water Drum

March 4-6 2014-10am-6pm- Urban Indigenous Teaching Symposium @ the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto

Join us for a 3 day symposium on Indigenous identity and culture in the city. Register now, limited space available.
Admission:
Students & Youth - Free
Adults - $20.00
Seniors - $10.00
Workshops
Drum Making - $70.00
Moccasin Making - $55.00
Bundle Making - $35.00

Please contact Reception at the Native Canadian Centre to Register - 416-964-9087 or reception@ncct.on.ca

Tuesday March 4
6:30/7:00 a.m. Sunrise Ceremony, Light Sacred Fire, Breakfast
10:00 – noon
Panel: Navigating and demystifying protocols for conducting research in Indigenous communities while simultaneously meeting university ethics board requirements
Noon – 1:00 Lunch
1:00 – 3:00 Workshops
Drum making
Presentation of Student Papers
3:00—3:30 Break
3:30 – 5:30
Traditional Teachings
And Keynote Presentations
Indigenous laws & governance:
Clan Teachings in the urban context
5:30 – 6:00 Closing

March 5 – Wednesday
Continental Breakfast
10:00 – noon
Panel: Language matters
Noon – 1:00 Lunch
1:00 – 3:00 Workshops
Moccasin making
Presentation of Student Papers
3:00—3:30 Break
3:30 – 5:30
Traditional Teachings
And Keynote Presentations
Indigenous Representation in the Mass Media
5:30 – 6:00 Closing

March 6 – Thursday
Continental Breakfast
10:00 – noon
Panel: The Relevance of Creation/Origin Stories in Contemporary times
Noon – 1:00 Lunch
1:00 – 3:00 Workshops
Bundle making
Presentation of Student Papers
3:00—3:30 Break
3:30 – 5:30
Traditional Teachings
And Keynote Presentations
How traditional roles of Men & Women translate to
contemporary realities
5:30 – 6:00 Closing
6:00 – 9:00
Social
Feast Sacred Items

Call for Submissions!

SHAMELESS MAGAZINE-CALL OUT FOR INDIGENOUS BLOGGERS!

CALL OUT FOR INDIGENOUS BLOGGERS

“Shameless is feminist magazine for teen girls and trans youth. Our print magazine is produced three times a year and is distributed throughout Canada, and we host an active feminist blog dealing with issues in ways that are accessible to youth.”

As editor of both the "Beyond the Books" column and a Blog Editor for Shameless Magazine, I'm looking for writers of all ages to contribute on a regular basis for the upcoming new blog on Shameless’ new website.

Ideally I am looking for bloggers who can contribute to the blog with either one or two posts a month. If this is feasible for you-please send your pitches my way.I'm looking at all things Indigenous- is there something you want to write about that is going on in the Indigenous community or that you feel passionate about and want to voice? I want to hear from YOU!

In your pitches, please write a short statement of what you would be interested in writing about and/or list three blog posts that you would like to see in the next three months. No experience is necessary as I am open to working with writers of all experience levels.

I can be reached via cmcfarlane@shamelessmag.com or chrissy.mcfarlane@gmail.com

** Note: Shameless is also run on 100% volunteer power, so at this time we are not in a position to pay our bloggers or contributors (and staff aren’t paid either)… but please don’t let this stop you. I want to hear from you and hear your ideas!

Event Posting-MONDAY, MARCH 3, 2014- Celebrating the Life of First Nations Women- An International Women's Day Event!!!

Events for Week of February 17, 2014

Events:

Monday February 17, 2014-8pm-10pm-The Shittiest Warrior: The Ryan McMahon Ontario Tour Comes to Toronto @ the Central, 603 Markham Street, Toronto, ON

TICKETS: http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/ryan-mcmahon-comedy-ontario-tour-toronto-tickets-10075553251

Ryan McMahon has hit the road to tour his newest album The Shittiest Warrior! Touted as the Native George Carlin, comedian Ryan McMahon returns to Toronto on Monday, February 17 at The Central for an unapologetic but brutally honest standup comedy show about the relationship between Indian Country and the mainstream.

Thursday, February 20, 2014-6:30pm- Mi’kmaq Warriors Speaking Tour Comes to Toronto Members of the Mi'kmaq Warriors Society who have been arrested and incarcerated will be on a speaking tour in January and February to raise awareness about their struggle against fracking, their ongoing assertion and exercise of nationhood, and the repression they face from police and courts.

@ Toronto Council Fire Native Cultural Centre, 439 Dundas Street East

 Space is wheelchair accessible through the main door on Dundas St.
*Hot soup and bread to be provided
*TTC Tokens available

Monday February 24- February 28, 2014- Indigenous Education Week @ First Nations House This year, we are honoured to welcome Dr. Linda Tuhiwai Smith, Professor of Indigenous Education at the University of Waikato in Hamilton, New Zealand. Dr. Smith will discuss ground breaking work in Maori education as well as her seminal book, Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples.

Additional guests for the week include Mississauga Anishinaabe scholar Leanne Betasamosake Simpson who will be reading from her debut collection of short stories, Islands of Decolonial Love. First Nations House is also pleased to welcome internationally recognized Indigenous scholar Dr. Filiberto Penados. Renowned orator, writer, and Traditional Teacher Lee Maracle and FNH Elder-in-Residence Andrew Wesley will be offering open teachings throughout the week.

Saturday March 1, 2014-12pm-5pm- 12^th Annual Pow wow and Education Career Fair @ York University by CASS (Centre for Aboriginal Student Services) Vari Hall, 4700 Keele Street

Smoke Trail Singers- Host Drum

Charging Horse- Co-host Drum

Old Mush Singers-Water Drum

 

March 19 and 20, 2014  from 9 AM to 4 PM- The Toronto Aboriginal Support Services Council (TASSC) is holding a two day Symposium at the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto, 16 Spadina Road.

The two-day symposium offers participants a thorough introduction to the essentials
of community-based research (CBR) with urban Aboriginal peoples. Topics will
focus on best practices for research development, design and dissemination,
plus highlight strategies for putting policies and principles into practice.

Who should attend: the symposium is designed to provide an Indigenous
perspective on conducting research with urban Aboriginal peoples and is
intended for students, academics, policy-makers, and government agencies.

Cost: Full rate - $350.00 / Student rate - $300.00

Fee includes lunch, refreshments and materials

Speakers include:  

 Dr. Amanda Sheppard - The Hospital for Sick Children

 Dr. Janet Smylie - St. Michael's Hospital

 Randy Jackson and Doe O'Brien - Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network
(CAAN)

 Dr. Margaret Robinson - Centre for Addictions and Mental Health
(CAMH)

 Bernice Downey - The Well Living House

 Rebeka Tabobondung - Indigenous Knowledge Network

Participants will gain a better understanding of the steps to initiating
research with Aboriginal peoples, communities and agencies as well as
develop tangible skills for working with Indigenous ethical research
frameworks, specifically the:

*Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving
Humans; Chapter 9 - Research Involving the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis
Peoples of Canada; the
* First Nations Information Governance Committee's Principles of OCAP:
Ownership, Control, Access, and Possession; and the
* Ontario Federation of Indian Friendship Centre's USAI Research
Framework: Utility, Self-Voicing, Access, and Inter-rationality. 

Who should attend: the symposium is designed to provide an Indigenous
perspective on conducting research with urban Aboriginal peoples and is
intended for students, academics, policy-makers, and government agencies.

A limited number of complimentary seats are available to Aboriginal students
or Elders. Contact us for details. 

For more information please email:  info@tassc.ca

Business Profile- GOODMINDS.com-Supporting Aboriginal Libraries Today- SALT

Sheila Staats and Jeff Burnham of GoodMinds.com

Good Minds.com owner Jeff Burnham showing some of their reading collections at the Ontario Library Association Super Conference

Sheila Staats and Jeff Burnham of GoodMinds.com showing librarians some of their reading collections at the 2014 Ontario Library Association Super Conference at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre during the Aboriginal Awareness Circle

(Photos taken by Christine Smith (McFarlane)

GoodMinds.com is an Aboriginal family owned book wholesaler located on Six Nations of the Grand River (Brantford) in Southwestern Ontario, and is a great resource for those looking for great Aboriginal content.

GoodMinds.com has a goal to support Aboriginal communities that do not currently have a public library and to help existing Aboriginal public libraries enhance and expand by implementing a program called SALT- SUPPORTING ABORIGINAL LIBRARIES TODAY.

This is an important endeavor because did you know that there are approximately  617* reserves in Canada and less than 60 First Nations, Metis and Inuit public libraries in Canada? Less than 1 in 10 Aboriginal communities have a public library, and many of the existing Aboriginal libraries are in inadequate facilities.

This means that most of the Aboriginal libraries lack adequate collections, and funding can be hard to come by because Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada does not allocate funds for libraries. *AANDC's website

The first project that GoodMinds.com has in mind is to support the expansion plan for the new Six Nations Public Library. To read more about this, please visit:

http://snpl.ca/major-capital-campaign/

Public Libraries are important, and they are much more than just books. It's a meeting room, it runs children's programs, gives you reading time, internet access, access to research, DVD's, allows for featured movie nights, allows for summer reading clubs and other special events. Many libraries subscribe to special databases for research and provide a much higher quality of information than you would be able to do in a basic web search.

How you can help:

When Canadian public libraries purchase books from GoodMinds.com their purchases will automatically generate a GoodMinds.com contribution of 10% of the net sale to the SALT Fund.

Encourage Service Clubs, Organizations and Individuals to support SALT by purchasing books from GoodMinds.com and request GoodMinds.com to contribute 10% of the net sale to the SALT Fund

or

Make a Tribute Gift either in Honour of or in Memory of someone special


SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT SALT!! WITH YOUR PURCHASES WE CAN SUPPORT ABORIGINAL PUBLIC LIBRARIES IN CANADA!

For more information please contact :

Jeff Burnham, GoodMinds.com
1 (877) 862 8483 ext. 110

Email: burnhamj@goodminds.com

Website: http://goodminds.com

Opinion Piece- Got Land? Thank An Indian!

Image Courtesy of Jeff Menard)

Got Land? Thank An Indian!!

By: Christine Smith (McFarlane)

This slogan has definitely been stirring up a lot of controversy, and the creator of this slogan Jeff Menard has been featured in the news several times because of the reactions it has received from mainstream society. First I’ll give you a little background of what happened.

On January 14, 2014, CBC News reported that 13-year-old Tenelle Starr, a First Nations Saskatchewan student was told not to wear the  “Got Land? Thank An Indian” hoodie to school, after some parents, students and officials took offense to it.

Starr, who is a member of the nearby Star Blanket First Nation goes to school in Balcarres, which is about 90 kilometres northeast of Regina. She told CBC News “ I wear it proudly around the school,” even though some students told her the message was “cheeky” and “rude”. (www.cbc.ca/.../first-nation-teen-told-not-to-wear-got-land-shirt-at-school.)

Though the controversy has been resolved, and additional meetings that were held between the school and leaders of the Star Blanket First Nations led to the understanding that Star’s sweatshirt, and its message, were acceptable after all, I still find the whole situation to be infuriating on so many levels.

The first issue is the right to have the fundamental freedom to express yourself. According to Section 2 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, there are the following fundamental freedoms, we as Canadian citizens are allowed:

Freedom of expression

Freedom of religion

Freedom of thought

Freedom of belief

Freedom of peaceful assembly and lastly

Freedom of association.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Charter_of_Rights_and_Freedoms)

I believe that all of us as Canadian citizens should have the freedom to express ourselves, in a manner that is conducive to invoking discussion and proactive action. I don’t condone freedom of expression that may be harmful, but that’s another story altogether. The question I have out of this whole situation is why was the wearing of this hoodie by a 13 year old girl seen as so troubling to some members of mainstream society. The slogan on her hoodie is not the only slogan we have seen on other merchandise out there.

And they can be seen as “cheeky” also.  Just conjure up in your mind the infamous image  of Geronimo and the words “ Homeland Security-Fighting Terrorism since 1492.”  People wear these t-shirts and from what I know there has been no one getting up in arms over that slogan.

Another issue that I find disturbing about the whole fiasco of the “Got Land, Thank An Indian” is the actions of Vancouver based Michelle Tittler, 59, who runs "End Race Based Laws."(or ERBL Inc) End Race Based Laws was created a year ago in reaction to the Idle No More Movement. This woman had the nerve to go on a 13 year old girls Facebook page and leave such harassing posts that this young girls parents felt the need to shut their daughter’s Facebook page down in order to protect her.

According to CBC, Tittler has been known for aggressive online trolling, and is also known for posting inflammatory comments about Aboriginal issues and people, which has led to at least two police probes-although this, most recent case has been halted by the RCMP.

CBC has been doing an ongoing examination of this woman and have found that Tittler has a history of harassing people. They say “In 2006, a criminal court judge in B.C. granted a peace bond against Tittler after a neighbor complained of harassment,” but this hasn’t deterred Tittler from what she is doing with her so called not-for-profit organization ERBL Inc., or End Race Based Law Inc.

With ERBL Inc, the facebook page has 3,330 likes and Tittler has stated in an interview with CBC that “she is unemployed and spends most of her time online denouncing Aboriginal treaties, posting rants on YouTube and engaging in caustic debates with vocal critics.”

She has registered several domain names containing the words “Idle No More” to intercept web traffic from the actual site of the group and has also filed formal complaints against people to Facebook and internet providers alleging that some sites are promoting racism.

Well, I took a brief look at her page, and I found it quite disturbing that her most recent post says

“Treaties ALL broken by the natives.....all.
Canada has more than fulfilled the Treaties, by billions and billions EACH AND EVERY YEAR, it's the natives who haven't, so IT'S A LIE when they say Canada has not fulfilled the treaties....a total 100% lie. Not even one bit of it is true.” (https://www.facebook.com/ENDRACEBASEDLAW?ref=br_tf)

And without making an effort to know or understand our histories and/or treaty rights as Indigenous peoples, this woman is promoting racism and hatred and it needs to be stopped now.

Lastly on my opinion regarding Michelle Tittler, I would love to know why she feels its alright to harass a young girl over the internet. If this person was doing something like this to any of my nieces, I would be extremely infuriated and would do what I could to stop her actions!

I say boycott this End Race Based Laws Inc. and do not give into this vitriolic hatred that is being spread by an obviously racist woman. Tennelle Starr deserves to be applauded because as a youth she is taking a stand about First Nations land and treaty rights. It is good to see a youth assert their stance on something as pivotal as First Nations land and treaty rights because when one youth takes a stance, other youth are hopefully encouraged to do the same.

In speaking with Jeff Menard, the creator of this hoodie, I asked him how he felt in regards to the controversy that has been stirred, and he said "I found it unbelievable that this is happening here in Canada because every Canadian should have the right to freedom of speech, and be able to express their opinion.”

On the success of the hoodies with “Got Land, Thank An Indian” and how it got started Menard said “I began the line in the summer of 2012. At first I sold it out of my girlfriend’s home, but then as the news of the hoodie started to spread like wildfire, I started selling it online, and out of the city and at the gas stop by Roseau River Band Line.”

Got land? Thank an Indian goes a lot deeper than just words on a hoodie. It speaks of the many injustices that the First Nations of Canada have faced since European contact.

I'm talking about racism, discrimination, land theft and First Nations peoples being uprooted and placed on lands that are prone to flooding and are unsustainable when it comes to living the way we have been taught.

It speaks of the assimilationist policies that have been put in practice by the Canadian government, and the outright denial by the Canadian government to respect our treaties and treat us as the original stewards of the land.

There has been several uncalled for reactions by a lot of the mainstream society when it comes to First Nations peoples and their desire to practice their culture, or to state the obvious unrest in relations between Canadian First Nations and the Canadian government.

In closing, Menard says “ By creating this hoodie, I wanted to create awareness and bring back pride to the Native community, and help bands with land treaty rights. I also want to see our Prime Minister Stephen Harper wear this hoodie, because if he wants to deal with Natives, he will in a good way adorn the hoodie. It would be a show of good faith.”

For more information on Jeff Menards “Got Land, Thank an Indian” line, please visit http://www.thankanindian.com

Self Care and the Medicine Wheel

Self-Care and the Medicine Wheel

By: Christine Smith (McFarlane)

First Nations peoples have a way of envisioning the world that involves incorporating the teachings from the Medicine Wheel in their everyday lives. This is especially important when it comes to knowing how to take care of you, physically, spiritually, mentally and emotionally.

The Medicine Wheel is an ancient symbol used by almost all the Native people of North and South America. The way it is understood varies nation to nation, because each nation views the concept of the Medicine Wheel according to their own teachings and what has been passed down to them through their Elders and medicine people.

According to the book “The Sacred Tree,” written by Phil Lane, Jr, Judie Bopp, Michael Bopp, Lee Brown and Elders “there are many different ways that this basic concept is expressed: the four grandfathers, the four winds, the four cardinal directions, and many other relationships that can be expressed in sets of four,” and the medicine wheel can be used to help us see or understand things we can’t quite see or understand because they are ideas and not physical objects.” (pg.9)

The Medicine Wheel teaches us that we have four aspects to ourselves: the physical, the mental, the emotional, and the spiritual. Each of these aspects must be in balance and equally developed in order for us to remain healthy, well balanced individuals. It is said that by living by the teachings of the Medicine Wheel, we as individuals will learn to develop vision of what is possible and that this vision will bring us closer to our vision of being a happy, healthy human being.

Each direction of the Medicine Wheel deals with certain aspects of us as individuals, and I find that the concept of self-care when it comes to the Medicine Wheel can be explained best when it is looked at it via the four directions- The North (Spiritual) deals with connection and the following feelings; faith, virtue, respect, love, selflessness and prayer. The Eastern (Physical) has to do with movement and the following behaviors non-smoker, non-drinker/drugs, balanced diet, rest, fitness level, lack of disease and safe sex. The Southern (Mental) aspect of the Medicine Wheel has to do with thinking and your ability to do the following-decision making, ability, judgment, reading, creativity, stress reduction, education and enhancement. Lastly, the Western (Emotional) has to do with feeling- how you express yourself, how your self-esteem is, the ability to cope, having a positive attitude, having healthy relationships and feeling adjusted.

Staying balanced is integral to good self-care. I remember in the early stages of my healing journey, a therapist brought forth the concept of self-care. She said

"Christine, when it comes to recovery and healing, don't be afraid to put yourself first. Take time for yourself, do what you need to do in order for you to feel good about yourself.

I remember looking at her and saying "but self care that's being selfish!"

My therapist smiled, shook her head and said

"No, that is what you have been raised to believe by some people who don't know themselves and what healthy boundaries are."

It took me awhile to digest that thought, and to really start adopting that into my daily life. I was afraid of upsetting people, and them being angry with me. I thought the worst of myself because instead of putting others ahead of myself, I was taking the time to pay attention to myself first, and the feedback I sometimes got was not always the greatest.

When I got negative feedback from people who did not like me putting myself first, I had to learn how to build myself up and keep myself strong. Turning to the Medicine Wheel was one thing but acting on what I learned from it takes a lot of work. When it comes to taking care of yourself spiritually, it is important for you to be gentle with yourself, and because it has to do with connection, think about yourself and what will help you to be or stay connected. Does it mean making time for friends? What about volunteering or going to ceremony and/or seeing an Elder?

In order to function in a balanced way, we all need proper rest, a balanced diet, exercise, a lack of disease, which is difficult when a large number of the First Nation population has to deal with the rising levels of diabetes in their families and communities. Another important aspect of the physical when it comes to self-care is not dabbling in drugs or alcohol. Smoking is another thing, but I cannot speak to that, because this is something that I still have to work on.

The mental aspect of the Medicine Wheel involves your thinking and your ability to do the following- good decision making, ability, judgment, reading, creativity, stress reduction, education and enhancement. For me, I love having time to myself to read a good book, watch my favorite television show, paint my nails or be creative in one way or another whether that is through writing, painting, beading or sewing.

People use various techniques to help themselves mentally I have listed a few that you might consider, but do what works for you. Lastly, when it comes to the emotional side of ourselves, we need to have a positive outlook, express ourselves in a healthy manner, be able to cope well and have healthy relationships. So, the next time that you are feeling particularly stressed out or feeling low about something, try to think of the top ten things that you can do for yourself, in order for you to feel at the top of your game again and do them

Listen to your self talk, if you hear yourself repeating things that hurtful people have told you in the past, stop what you are doing and tell yourself "this person is wrong," and "I'm going to turn my thoughts into positive thinking." 

Having healthy self-esteem is important, and being able to maintain it can be a regular workout, but it’s worth it. Next time you find your self esteem suffering, sit down, tell yourself "I am going to be okay," and say it over and over again. Eventually you will start to believe it and your self-esteem won't take such a blow with whatever experiences life throws your way.

Remember the number one thing is that being gentle with yourself is of utmost importance and self-care can be anything that makes you feel good, as long as it is safe.