Algonquin: You Don't Have to Read the AIP to Know it is a Bad Deal

Apparently the Algonquins of Ontario offer is now scheduled to be ratified in the fall.

Go ahead and vote "no" based on knowing that 1.3% of our land and a $300 million one-time payment is a terrible offer.

The Agreement in Principle (AIP) is now circulating and posted publicly   Some Algonquin are prone to argue that you do not have a right to an opinion about the final settlement offer if you have not read this document.  My advice to you is do not listen to this argument.  For centuries and generations our ancestors are argued for a rightful share of our land and resources   They argued this because they knew full well that all that we are as human beings and all that we have comes from the earth.  It is only through direct access and jurisdiction to our own land and resources that Indigenous people will be able to live a self-governing and good life. 

The argument for the right to land and resources as the only road to self-government has been argued by many people such Elijah Harper and Pam Palmater.

Read this short blog and watch the video where Elijah speaks of the importance of land and resources:

http://www.lynngehl.com/2/post/2011/10/the-wealth-of-algonquin-land.html

Government policy, legislation, and AIPs are known to be meaningless entities for Indigenous people.  They contain complex jargon, silence on important matters, and confounding elements.  Do not feel like you are not entitled to an opinion and a "no" vote simply because you have not read the AIP.  Go ahead and vote "no" based on knowing that 1.3% of our land and a $300 million one time payment is a terrible offer.

Read this short blog where I summarize what legal experts have had to say about AIPs.

http://www.lynngehl.com/2/post/2013/03/trap-slap-and-crap-of-colonial-policy.html

The most important knowledge in any AIP is the amount of land and resources that Indigenous people gain. Do not believe otherwise.  Do not allow anyone to make you feel inadequate because you have not read the AIP.  This is a pitiful argument.  It is lawyers and judges that write, read, and interpret these documents.  For the most part AIPs are meaningless to the average person.  The only thing that really matters is the amount of land and resources that we gain jurisdiction of.

Read this short article:

http://rabble.ca/news/2013/03/heart-break-algonquin-genocide

Go ahead and vote "no" based on knowing that 1.3% of our land and a $300 million one-time payment is a terrible offer.


Lynn Gehl is an Algonquin Anishinaabe-kwe from the Ottawa River Valley.  She has a section 15 Charter challenge regarding the continued sex discrimination in The Indian Act, is an outspoken critic of the Ontario Algonquin land claims and self-government process, and she recently published a book titled Anishinaabeg Stories: Featuring Petroglyphs, Petrographs, and Wampum Belts.  You can reach her at lynngehl@gmail.com and see more of her work at www.lynngehl.com.

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