antenna well nice tiny Nazca moon café
au s square acne barrack OG mouse kayak
can ask compton no Tynan’s Manito class
Compton Algonquin say in Schneider can
ask auntie Noel Easter my friends and
relatives very happy to be here I’m
speaking Crete and I acknowledge
everyone here as my relatives and
friends and nice na me to shake hands
and greet you all in a humble respectful
way and I acknowledge the men the women
the elders the youth and as well our
Creator for this beautiful day and the
Algonquin for for hosting if you will
this gathering here and so I’m going to
take you on a bit of a journey I always
go past present future and I always
think about it as indigenous peoples
First Nations people and I’ll say you’re
all my relatives I’m gonna say it that
way because I’m gonna talk a little bit
about our indigenous worldview and what
will this next hundred fifty years look
like and how do we fit in but before
getting to the future I want to get
little bit about the past okay and then
the present and then how we’re gonna do
things in the next 150 years so for me
I’m using English this beautiful English
language parry Belgorod is my English
name nice oaky molasses oh c’mon PA so a
watch this a Casio that’s one of my
indian native spirit names king
thunderbird child you see that on here
and in our way it’s kind of like our
guardian angel protect your guide
however you will and it’s something very
important for us so I also acknowledge
that so for me I grew up on a small
reserve in Saskatchewan southern
Saskatchewan treaty for territory it’s
called little black bear that’s my home
that’s where I grew up and I was there
right from kindergarten to grade 9 in a
small school called Eve Saskatchewan so
every now and then I say yeah shamash
da-da-da-da-da Braden Sudan Tendo Berlin
porchetta
a little Ukrainian because that’s what I
heard
every morning grade one to grade nine
Bob read and stood entity and now
responses oh don’t pretend Pony chapter
you could they teach her the importance
of language is very important I grew up
there on the reserve greets eleven
twelve and bell Karis then on to
University at the University China and
then I got into the First Nations
politics for last almost 30 years the
Tribal Council and I want to talk about
little black bear because little black
for my home reserve is one of six
hundred and thirty-four reserves in
Canada 634 First Nations okay we’re just
one so little black bear
where I grew up I am now this this thing
they call the Assembly of First Nations
National chief right so little black
bear is just one of 634 because across
Canada there’s 203 in British Columbia
203 First Nations in BC there’s 47 in
Alberta
there’s 74 in Saskatchewan little black
here’s one of those 74 in Saskatchewan
there’s 66 in Manitoba
there’s 134 in Ontario there’s 33 out on
the east coast between Nova Scotia and
New Brunswick PEI and Newfoundland
there’s 14 in the Yukon and there’s 20
28 in the Northwest Territories 634
First Nations and we belong to this
organization called the Assembly of
First Nations and little black bear is
one of those reserves Indian
reservations we’re on point zero two
percent of the line based in Canada
between those 634 communities point zero
or two percent of the land base it’s a
little black bear we have five hundred
people in our tribe but 50 percent of
off the reserve so that’s the trend as
well that when we start talking about
First Nations people we have a two-prong
strategy now out on the rez but as well
in urban centers because half of our
people reside in urban centers as well
so this is going to be the issue of
portability of services portability
programs portability rights all those
things it’s a little black bear now I
want to talk about treaty
and I want to talk about the India net I
want to talk about the residential
schools and how we learn from the past
now we’re going to move beyond those
things especially in light of Canada’s
150th birthday so treaty that’s a very
important thing we say we’re all treaty
people but little black bear was the
chief one of the Chiefs that met with
Alexander Morris the Crown’s Commission
of the treaty Commission came out west
in Johnny MacDonald’s the Prime Minister
and he said hmm I don’t believe we have
title out here we need an instrument to
gain title so they devised this thing
called treaties and he puts in place a
treaty commissioner on behalf of the
crown and remember Canada is a colony of
Great Britain right up until 1982 so
Alexander Morris was given the task go
out west me with all these chiefs and
make an agreement and so what you’re
seeing is this treaty medallion
Alexander Morris came out west met with
the Chiefs so in exchange for sharing
land and territory sharing certain
obligations were promised to our Chiefs
certain obligations were promised a
little black bear some of them were the
land itself our reserves was part of
that treaty making process then he said
what we’re offering you chief little
black bear we’re gonna put on top of
what you already have and that’s an
important phrase what we’re offering you
are putting on top of what you already
have because we already had our own
systems of government we had this right
to self-determination and so what we’re
placing is on top of what you have so in
exchange for land will promise you when
you’re ready to settle down on your
reserves we’ll put a little red brick
schoolhouse and teach your children the
cunning of the white man the spirit
intent of Education and at the house of
that Indian agent we’ll put a medicine
chest cloth so when your people are sick
in times of pest shows of famine we’ll
look after you
spirit attend to health care and then
yes you we’re gonna be able to continue
your advocates of hunting and fishing
and trapping and gathering throughout
the tract surrendered I was being able
to hunt I grew up hunting
they weren’t fishing that’s how we
survived so hunting rights gathering
rights and then annuities $25 for the
Chiefs $15 for the headman $5 for every
man woman and child annuity payments and
then the treaty medallions and this is
an important symbol because you see the
European can you tell which one’s a
European they’re coming together the
shaking of hands the hatchet is buried
and then you’ll see it this phrase I
grew up listening this phrase as long as
the Sun shines the rivers flow in the
grass grows that this treaty will remain
in effect for generations now and those
yet unborn all symbolized in that treaty
medallion Queen Victoria on the back
relationship with the crown very
important because this captures
everything about the sanctity of
contract and it was more than just the
coming of their shaking hands but the
hatchets buried that there would be
peace between our peoples and those
principles of mutual respect and
peaceful coexistence to live together in
peace to share the land and resource
wealth of this great country now called
Canada that treaty medallion is very
important and this last piece to this
treaty it’s it was a covenant we always
say the sacredness that sanctity of
agreement the sanctity of contract the
Creator is watching so this is an
important piece so we have inherent
rains aberrant rights but treaty rights
are important to our people and we’re
all treaty people because the rights to
use the land you as individuals
your grandfather’s your grandparents
your great-grandparents the right to use
the land through a treaty making process
but remember that peaceful coexistence
which we start that’s treaty and then we
didn’t get a treaty implementation act
we’re given an Indian act in 1876 was
put in place and it’s 2017 we still have
this Indian Act and now let’s go
did you know under this Indian act that
it took away our traditional Chiefs and
our clan mothers
and our way of governance and they
impose a two-year elective system for
Chiefs in fact in Korea we had we used
to call it oh gee mile high up leaders
but because of this Indian Act we made
up a word
Okemah GaN phony chief Indian that chief
so we have gosh yeah okay mechanic
everybody’s ninny enact Chiefs now very
few OB ma walk but Indian Act did that
to your elective system and as well did
you no wonder the Indian Act right up
until 1951 we didn’t have access to
legal counsel it was illegal for a
lawyer to give legal advice to a treaty
Indian right up until 1951 and did you
know under that Indian Act you couldn’t
leave the reserve without a permit or a
pass from the Indian agent you couldn’t
leave the rez did you know if you had a
cow and you wanted to kill that cow to
feed your people
you couldn’t unless you got a permit
from the Indian agent he had wood you
wanted to sell wood make a living
selling wood selling pickets you
couldn’t without a permit passed when
you needed did you know that this Indian
Act was so good at colonization so good
at controlling the indigenous peoples
that another country use it as a model
to control indigenous peoples you know
what that country is South Africa and
apartheid they came to Canada to see how
they control the indigenous peoples here
and they may use that same model in
South Africa with apartheid so that
Indian act controlled us from the womb
to the tomb and so moving beyond the
Indian act now that’s what we have to do
move beyond the Indian Act that’s a big
challenge for us that’s the Indian Act
now so let’s put that on the shelf
we also endured this thing called the
residential schools that was already in
effect as well and the residential
schools boy I say it wasn’t just culture
jinsa it was genocide everything good
about being a young Indian person was
taught to us that we’re no good you’re
beautiful long hair is no good you got
to cut it your languages are no good
you’re gonna get punished for speaking
Creole Algonquin or Mohawk or meek ma or
Piscotty our coast
or Blackfoot you’re gonna get punished
and your ceremonies are no good your
potlatches are no good your Sundance is
no good you’re no good in fact you’re no
good and then on top of that you’re
gonna put physical abuse sexual abuse
mental abuse starvation you’re not
healthy coming out of that institution
residential schools we still feel the
intergenerational effects of the
residential schools and they were in a
place in the 1870s right up until 1996
that’s the last time the residential
schools closed 1996 we didn’t ask for
residential schools we asked for
education so that we can learn the
cunning of the white man so we can adapt
and walk in both worlds
that’s the residential schools so
treaties Indian Act residential schools
now present what are we seeing present I
always talk about yes we need equal
education yes we need all these things
I always talk about a gap in Canada
according united nations human of
element index Canada is rated sixth
quality of life but when you apply the
same indices to indigenous peoples or
63rd 6vs 63rd this is what has to be
addressed this is what has to be closed
because this gap represents everything
we talked about all time it represents
the overcrowded housing the black mold
132 boil water advisories it represents
the high youth suicide rate we’re five
to seven times national average it
represents disproportionate number of
our people in jails we’re four point
five percent of Canada’s population the
jails are full of First Nations people
7080 percent in the jails it represents
the 1,200 missing murdering these women
and girls it represents the 40,000 First
Nations kids in foster care
all these are representing this gap and
it’s the colonization the control from
the Indian Act and the residential
schools
it’s the breakdown of identity break
down a family break breakdown of self
breakdown of your attachment your
community and so now we got to bring a
change to that especially now Canada 150
150 years of Canada and everywhere I go
people say well chief how are we gonna
celebrate that why are we gonna
celebrate 150 years of Canada after
everything we’ve been through you know
it’s almost like we say we put a little
plus there for us as First Nations
people it’s not only 150 it’s over 150
that we’ve had contact in this great
country called Canada and I turn it
around this way I’m gonna celebrate 150
I’m gonna celebrate that why because in
spite of the residential schools in
spite of the Indian Act in spite of
colonization we got so much successful
people and we’re breaking down those
stereotypes that Indians and the Jewish
people’s are dumb stupid lazy drunk on
welfare and a burn of my tax dollars
we’re breaking those things down look at
all these people we got scientists we
got lawyers we got businesspeople we got
doctors we got nurses we’ve got NHL
hockey players in spite of all those
things people are achieving great things
so we’re gonna celebrate that we’re
still here that’s what we’re gonna
celebrate and it’s not a just this 150
it’s the next 150 now because now we’re
gonna start focusing on clean energy and
we put this in here just to talk about
there’s one reserved out of those 634
reserves in BC 100% solar we’re gonna go
visit them this week they have zero
unemployment they have everybody working
creating wealth creating jobs in British
Columbia
you have geothermal in Manitoba a key
energy all these companies here are
First Nations getting involved in solar
wind and geothermal and globally we’re
going to get off this dependency on
fossil fuels and we have to find
balance between the economy and the
environment always seeking to find that
sweet spot no question but there’s a big
push now towards renewable energies and
that’s really important to see that’s
change coming
and so now reconciliation I want to talk
about reconciliation and the importance
of language and the TRC came out with 94
calls to action and this is a picture
here and this is an example the
strongest thing in reconciliation I can
give in North Bay Ontario in the
Catholic school system I went there
which you scott mccloud pred the the
board chair and the Catholic schools in
a great for class and the kids from from
Nipissing are bused into town and I
wanted to show me this great for class
and the Catholic school system because
we walk in and the drums are going
everybody was singing in this class of
13 students there were seven indigenous
and six non-indigenous 13 you can see
him and they were all singing everybody
was singing welcome song and then they
smudged everybody smudged with sweet
grass and sage and then they all started
speaking Ojibwe they said Oh Perry Belle
garland doesn’t accost you know a pair
Belden is my name they all introduced
themselves in Ojibwe North Bend on
Shabbat I live in North Bay not only the
indigenous kids little known in Jesus
kids and there are so much pride and
validation and acceptance we’re speaking
this beautiful English language maybe we
should perform sympathy Pooh means I
mean you have a new to the moment
tres important tommy’s you language and
identity and acceptance and so the myth
we say was Canada just founded on only
two nations English and French when we
have over fifty eight different
indigenous nations across Canada that
opened up our hearts and minds and lands
to really develop this great country we
have that was a strong example of our
reconciliation and the children led that
way the children accepted it and there
was so much pride there leading in a
good way that’s something that has to be
supported when you start talking about
reconciliation the importance of
language bringing it back it’s pride my
last point how we’re all connected and
this is my last point about our
worldview we’re all related and as
people they don’t see black people go to
see yellow people or red people or white
people were the two legate’s or the
two-legged tribe and when we go to
ceremony we acknowledge of course the
creator and the ones that sit in the
east south west and north will
acknowledge mother earth father sky
grandmother moon grandfather son our
relatives our star people the male
plants the female plants will
acknowledge all those things because
we’re all part of that family
and then we’ll acknowledge those four
grandmother spirits that look after the
waters the rain water the freshwater
saltwater and then the power of women
when life comes water breaks there’s a
grandmother that looks after all those
things there’s four of them and so we’re
connected that way and so when we say
kakyoin aku Majdanek all my relatives
that’s our worldview that’s how we’re
gonna bring about change in public
sector and private sector if we can
adopt and put that worldview into public
policy and legislation going forward
that we’re all connected and we’re all
related and that’s what I’m gonna leave
you with thanks for listening [Applause]