3/7/2024 0 Comments Logging Algonquin DocumentaryRegister for this free documentary screening (Wed, Mar 20, 7-9 pm EDT) and support the call to protect old growth forest in Algonquin Park. The panel discussion is inclusive of past Chief of Pikwakanagan First Nation/author Kirby Whiteduck and Lynn Gehl PhD (Algonquin). Limited Space; Sign up ASAP. Eventbrite link: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/logging-algonquin-online-screening-and-discussion-tickets-857302493837
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On December 1st, 2023 Pikwàkanagàn First Nation Chief and Council has declared a State of Emergency, and as such the leadership is seeking support. Canadians, new settlers, and descendants of settler people can help. First though, Pikwàkanagàn First Nation is the closest First Nation to Canada’s capital region. As a matter of fact, through Canada’s processes of genocide which include legislative and policy manifestations, denying Algonquin their very own land and resources while at the same time offering free land grants to settler people, Canada parliament buildings, supreme court, governor general’s residence, and the majority of its national museums all illegally squat on Algonquin territory. Here are three actions that you can take today: 1. Donate to the Enaji Madinamage - MIDJM/The Sharing Place Food Bank. This food bank serves the Pikwàkanagàn First Nation community as well as the surrounding area of Golden Lake. https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/enaji-madinamage-midjmthe-sharing-place-food-bank/ 2. Donate to Omamiwinini Pimadjwowin: The Algonquin Way of Life Cultural Centre. One goal this initiative has is building a new Cultural Centre and Museum - a place to share Algonquin culture, traditions, language, and art forms are honoured and celebrated. This capital project is said to require $5 million dollars. https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/omamiwinini-pimadjwowin-algonquin-way-of-life/ 3. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission forgot to mention the need for people to decolonize their Last Will and Testaments and their final obituary. Do you live, work, or recreate on Algonquin land? If so, consider gifting an element of your final estate back to the Algonquin. You can donate to the charities above, or you can contact the First Nation directly. You can also ask family and friends to ‘in lieu of flowers’ donate to the Algonquin Anishinaabe. https://www.algonquinsofpikwakanagan.com/ Lynn is an author, advocate, artist, and public speaker. Her work encompasses both anti-colonial work and the celebration of Indigenous knowledge. She challenges Canada’s practices, policies, and laws of colonial genocide such as the land claims and self-government process, sex-discrimination in the Indian Act, the continued destruction of Akikpautik / Chaudière Falls–an Anishinaabeg sacred place, and Canada’s lack of policy addressing Indigenous women and girls with disabilities who are bigger targets of sexual violence. © All Rights Reserved On December 1st, 2023 Pikwàkanagàn First Nation Chief and Council declared a State of Emergency, and as such the leadership is seeking support. Some community members are stepping up offering meals, and fundraising activities. That said, I want to put this out there . . . As many people know my grandmother and her parents were escorted out of their reserve community in the early 1930s. And most people know that I have been on a long journey seeking understanding, and ascribing meaning to the history of my family misery. In my thirties I learned how to read and write eventually gaining a doctorate. I also travelled through Canada's court system to restore Indian status registration to my great grandmother's and great grandfather's descendants, and many other Indigenous people across Canada. I won Gehl v Canada and I am now a proud "reinstated" Algonquin member of Pikwàkanagàn First Nation. Along this learning process I encountered many discussions of the role of heart knowledge and the role of mind knowledge when coming to Debwewin (a personal truth). Too many Indigenous people embody heart knowledge without a mindful understanding what Canada did to their ancestors. And this thwarts their forward motion in life. I personally found deep meaning, and thus constructive agency in moving forward, in learning Algonquin culture, history, and wisdom. In essence Indigenous knowledge saved my life. Along this process of coming to know, navigating the oppressive power of racism, sexism, ableism, white saviourism, and pretendianism, I eventually came to a place of valuing the incredible profoundness of "Debwewin Miikan-Zhidchigewin", an ancient and traditional Anishinaabe teaching that asks individuals to firmly situate themselves at the core of their knowing process, their truth, and also their own journey of coming to wellness; essentially to harness their spirit-agency within in moving through the seven stages of life. I pulled the profoundness of Debwewin Miikan-Zhidchigewin from several threads such as Anishinaabe language speakers, elders, listening deeply, a Midewiwin practitioner, the literature, difficult emotions and feeling, and from ancient scroll knowledge - and so rest assured it is distinctly Anishinaabe knowledge and wisdom. As Pikwàkanagàn First Nation Chief and Council members, leaders, thinkers, elders, and traditional people ponder what can be done to help our community members - I want to offer a group teaching of this most profound teaching: Debwewin Miikan-Zhidchigewin. I have to do something versus nothing. But I cannot do it by myself. There would have to be community and leadership support and their attendance and participation (inclusive of heathy and wise people), a wellness team to stand behind it, and additional resources as needed. Further, participants would have to have their minds clean of all substances, and their hearts would have to be open to deep learning and deep feeling. I can be reached at lynngehl@gmail.com or through www.lynngehl.com Lynn is an author, advocate, artist, and public speaker. Her work encompasses both anti-colonial work and the celebration of Indigenous knowledge. She challenges Canada’s practices, policies, and laws of colonial genocide such as the land claims and self-government process, sex-discrimination in the Indian Act, the continued destruction of Akikpautik / Chaudière Falls–an Anishinaabeg sacred place, and Canada’s lack of policy addressing Indigenous women and girls with disabilities who are bigger targets of sexual violence. © All Rights Reserved I never met my great grandfather, Joseph Gagnon, I only heard oral stories about him. One story I heard from my grandmother’s and father’s generations is that he is buried in St. Columba’s Cemetery in Pembroke Ontario. I was told, though, that the exact location of his final resting place is unknown because no grave marker stone was installed. Many winters and many more moons ago I took the trek from Toronto to see for myself and sure enough there was no grave marker stone to be found and as a result I was unsure where to place my semma (Tobacco). While I have been on a long journey of coming to know who I am as an Algonquin Anishinaabe person, receiving oral stories, learning how to read and write, conducting archival research, and a ridiculously long court process, I vowed that one day I would dive deeper into this situation of addressing Joseph Gagnon’s final resting place and see if I could have a grave marker installed so the next seven generations would better be able remember him and his role as a proud WW1 Veteran. This is an iteration of my story in written form. Of course, it is more complex and nuanced than these words on a page. Before I begin, and as a re-cap, Joseph was born on April 7, 1888 in Calabogie Ontario to parents Joseph Gagnon and Angeline Gagnon (nee Jocko); he lived in the reserve community of Golden Lake First Nation, now Pikwakanagan First Nation; he was a Private in the 207th Battalion; he departed for England on May 28th, 1917; he was wounded in the field with gun shots to his left leg and right arm; he returned to Canada on December 30th, 1918; and he died on October 30th, 1939. It is important for me to note here that Joseph’s attestation papers list his birth year as 1890; yet his certificates of birth and baptism record his birth year as 1888, and further his marriage record implies his birth year is 1888 as well. I am opting to go with the year 1888. It is also important that I state here that in the records, sometimes his last name is spelled Gagne. Family members and people who want to read more about Joseph can visit: https://www.canadashistory.ca/explore/first-nations-inuit-metis/fighting-for-recognition They can also find his attestation papers at: https://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.item/?op=pdf&app=CEF&id=B3358-S084&fbclid=IwAR1fJmZqbZ_C2dfNb5ugGQgYErMaB96CMR9TMW0LV7fF8GT9VWniH5m5V3s In moving along, in the last several months, possibly motivated by several family deaths and my older age, I decided I had to finally take on this matter and have a grave marker stone created for my great grandfather. Bryce Gagnon, who is my father’s generation, a cousin, encouraged me to take it on. My preference was that he take it on, but for whatever reason he opted to pass that responsibility on to me, motivating me along. With that explained I will break down my process in numbered steps as a measure to provide clarity for other people to best follow - after all, they may be in the same situation as I am in. I work hard serving. First, as a new learner of the World Wars and what it means to be a veteran of Canada I opted to reach out to Veterans Affairs Canada via email asking if they could help me. Three weeks later I received an email from the Grave Marker Maintenance Program telling me they had no information on where Joseph was interred. They directed me to the Last Post Fund (LPF) that has an Unmarked Grave Program, providing grave markers for Indigenous veterans that have been unmarked for over 5 years. And so I contacted them. The LPF told me I would have to determine the grave location, adding that if this was not possible there was another option. Essentially, a grave marker could be made that qualified “Buried elsewhere in the cemetery …” and it could be installed in a designated place where the cemetery administrators felt was appropriate. They also mentioned that as part of the Unmarked Grave Program, when the veteran was Indigenous, their Indigenous name and a traditional symbol could be added to the marker. Second, like a good soldier following orders, I filled out the application LPF sent me. It was tedious. In order to have a grave marker installed, they required: Joseph’s date of death; a confirmation from the cemetery of his burial (even though his exact location is unknown); approval from the cemetery administrator to install the grave marker and also provide the location where the grave marker would be installed. Those wishing to learn more about the Last Post Fund can visit: https://www.lastpostfund.ca/ Third, I contacted St. Columba’s Cemetery asking if they held a record of his burial, and if so the exact location of his final resting place. I told the cemetery administrator about my plan to have a grave marker installed for Joseph through LPF. Like the administrator at LPF, the cemetery administrator was wonderful in helping me move through my frustrations. I am tired; all the time I am tired. There seems to be no end to what has happened to the Algonquin Anishinaabeg. Unfortunately, the cemetery administrator told me that the burial records were burned in a fire and thus they could not provide his exact resting place. Your heart sinks at moments like these. Regardless of not knowing the exact location, the administrator did assure me they were committed to helping me in my effort where within a few weeks they managed to find a record that confirmed Joseph was indeed buried in St. Columba’s Cemetery. The administrator sent me a clip of the record. Although there are a few discrepancies, such as his age and his wife’s full name, Annie Meness versus Annie Monett. Further, they confirmed he was possibly in area A2 where lots 654 are located, or possibly in area B1 where lots 216 are located (see above and below). It was explained that these lots have 8 and 4 grave plots respectively. Learning, or rather re-learning this, was unfortunate but this is the nature of fire. As a sacred element along with water, wind, and rock it rules over human made laws and policies. Most Anishinaabeg know this. The cemetery administrator gained permission to have a grave marker installed and they confirmed an installation location. The location is in A1, just off of TV Tower Road (again see above). With all of this knowledge gathered I then filled out the LPF application. It was here at this moment of my process that I was able to draw on my creative skills and the depth of Indigenous knowledge I had worked hard to acquire, adding an important Anishinaabe symbol and a meaningful epitaph to my rendering of the grave marker stone. LPF accepted my rendering, ensuring it fit within their requirements, and they forwarded it on to the carver who will create a final version of the grave marker before it is carved into granite. I am told this will be sent to me for a final “ok”. Fourth, and lastly, it is my hope to have Joseph Gagnon’s grave marker stone installed on November 11, 2024 (this date is subject to change) with many of his grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great great grandchildren in attendance. They are the descendants of Kenneth Gagnon, Viola Gagnon (my grandmother), Gordon Gagnon, Celia Gagnon, and Steve Gagnon (See photo, 1965, left to right). My goal and hope of this exercise of mine, and the eventual installation of a grave marker, is that all of his Algonquin Anishinaabe descendants will remember their ancestor Joseph Gagnon. Lynn is an author, advocate, artist, and public speaker. Her work encompasses both anti-colonial work and the celebration of Indigenous knowledge. She challenges Canada’s practices, policies, and laws of colonial genocide such as the land claims and self-government process, sex-discrimination in the Indian Act, the continued destruction of Akikpautik / Chaudière Falls–an Anishinaabeg sacred place, and Canada’s lack of policy addressing Indigenous women and girls with disabilities who are bigger targets of sexual violence. © All Rights Reserved 6/24/2023 0 Comments The Pretendian Dilemma"Well-known Aboriginal families in the Sharbot Lake area such as the Badour, Cota, and Hollywood families are no longer included in the Algonquin Land Claim." "Why are there so many pretendians?" Red River Metis attorney Jean Teillet, suggests that as many as 25% of academics who claim to be Indigenous are guilty of "identity fraud"; and there are as many as a quarter of a million throughout Canada. Some of the guilty people are now famous icons. The University of Saskatchewan commissioned Teillet to research the topic: click here Betty Nippi-Albright explains, identity frauds are employed in universities and with the various governments of Canada. She continues they are causing great harm to Indigenous people when they take up spaces intended for them. Further, pretendian frauds should be criminally charged, after all, "fraud is fraud". The Algonquins of Ontario, the structure through which Canada's ongoing Algonquin genocide continues, has a huge pretendian infestation; some people have said as many as 4,000. In 2013, 700 people from the Sharbot Lake / Ardoch area were removed. In 2019 it was said that as many as 2,500 pretendian Algonquin have been removed from enrollment. A 2022 award winning CBC documentary aptly called, The Pretendians, outed the so-called Ardoch First Nation and Allies for harbouring pretendians within a fictitious Cybernet community. It is hoped that the 2023 Algonquin tribunal hearing process removes as many as 2,000 additional pretendians. A lot of people ask me, "why are there so many pretendians?" My usual response is, "I don't know, ask White women as they are the most guilty." Regardless, there is a lot of discussion about the phenomena and below are some of the reasons I have heard . . . 1 The are psychologically ill 2 To gain access to hunting and fishing rights 3 To gain access to scholarships, jobs, and research funding 4 To gain access to programs and services 5 To leverage race in patriarchal society 6 To gain access to ceremonial spaces 7 To infiltrate Indigenous movements and surveille Indigenous resistance 8 To raise their profile in the arts such as theater, music, and as a writer 9 They suffer from the White Saviourism complex 10 To protect their fee simple land from prospecting, drilling, and mining 11 To sabotage Indigenous people and their rights out of jealousy, resent, and hatred 12 To gain access the political spaces of chiefs and councilors 13 Their parents lied and now they believe they are Indigenous 14 They have conflated respect and allyship with theft and cultural appropriation 15 Nation statehood has erased who they are and they lack a meaningful culture/identity 16 They have Indigenous family members and do not understand the difference between lateral and direct relations 17 Universities need accommodating, obliging, needful administrative staff and professors and pretendians serve well as they have no basis of who they claim they are 18 In the Algonquin land claims process membership has become partisan where enrollment was manipulated to entrench particular Algonquin Negotiation Representatives at the Algonquins of Ontario negotiation table It is about time that White women hold White women accountable for what they are doing to Indigenous people. Lynn is an author, advocate, artist, and public speaker. Her work encompasses both anti-colonial work and the celebration of Indigenous knowledge. She challenges Canada’s practices, policies, and laws of colonial genocide such as the land claims and self-government process, sex-discrimination in the Indian Act, the continued destruction of Akikpautik / Chaudière Falls–an Anishinaabeg sacred place, and Canada’s lack of policy addressing Indigenous women and girls with disabilities who are bigger targets of sexual violence. © All Rights Reserved
Genuine settler allies are well versed in knowing about their need to serve the most oppressed in the community versus take on a lead role in community action. Genuine allies know that they must literally stand behind the critical thinkers and intellectuals in Indigenous communities versus tokenize someone for their own selfish validation in their project that they themselves have chosen. Many settlers do not really think about the amount of money and resources that Canada invests in their ‘strategies of nationalism’ in shaping its citizenry. Millions and Millions and Millions annually! Through this bottomless pit of money, Canada has created a national flag with many re-inventions for their special events, and has created a national song and continually pumps it through primary and secondary schools. As a matter-of-fact Canada spent $500 million on Canada Day 150 for the sole purpose of state nationalism. These national strategies powerfully shape Canadians into thinking they are Canadians. Sadly, as a result in their hearts and dreams, they are Canadians; They don’t know anything better. What is more, many people do not think about how it is that Canada continually and continually and continually harnesses Indigenous people and their regalia in their national celebrations and ‘reconciliation moments’ for the sole purpose of optics of doing the right thing. Good Canadians continually gobble this up over and over and over again – with little to no critical thinking. But it gets worse. Some settlers continue to think it is their role to pave the road of Indigenous salvation. Yet, most settlers have no clue about the foundations of Indigenous knowledge, no clue that they need to decolonize or how to decolonize, that they need to think through critical theory or for that matter that critical theory exists, and as such most settlers continue to lack the knowledge of how best to serve Indigenous people. Clearly, it stands to reason that settler people should not interfere with Indigenous politics and politicians. This is because they lack the knowledge of who is doing the right thing in the Indigenous community and who is harming the people in the Indigenous community. This is precisely why settlers are better off standing behind and serving the most oppressed such as the homeless, the poor, the people with disabilities, and people struggling with addiction. When settlers serve the most oppressed in concrete and practical ways there is little to no chance of them causing further harm to other members in the community. Settlers interested in peace and systems of power and how it corrupts governance structures, such as how capitalism, racism, sexism, and ableism are horrible oppressors causing great harm, must look critically at the horrid power inherent in Canada’s ‘strategies of nationalism’ and how all too often settlers become and are complicit in this very power. Genuine settler allies do not interfere with Indigenous politics and politicians. Genuine allies have decolonized, know a legitimate Indigenous paradigm exists, respects the Two Row Wampum Belt, and they work to serve the most oppressed. When they are not serving the most oppressed, they end up serving the very power structure that is harming Indigenous people. Many Indigenous people are hungry, and they rely on food banks. Why not serve a food bank instead of getting involved with Indigenous politics and politicians? For Pete’s sake, it is not Rock science. Activate the most precious gift the Creator bestowed you with: your mind. Indigenous events must emerge in situ and organically from Indigenous people, where everyone should always deeply think critically about if the event is a genuine Indigenous event or is it just another political event driven by Canadian politics and thus propaganda and more of the same old same old. When a settler man chooses an Indigenous topic or event such as Chief Penesi Day and steers it forward, they are taking a lead when they should not. It is not their role, and it is not their role to get tied up with Indigenous politicians. Everyone should boycott Chief Penesi Day! Otherwise, it is destined to become the very platform that Canada relies on in its “celebration” of the Ontario Algonquin land claims, a so-called modern treaty that will embody the continuation of the Algonquin genocide. This is the power of ‘strategies of nationalism’. It perpetuates nation state propaganda. https://www.lynngehl.com/gehl-blogging/a-colonized-ally-meets-a-decolonized-ally-this-is-what-they-learn https://www.lynngehl.com/ally-bill-of-responsibilities.html https://www.thefeministwire.com/2013/04/clearing-the-path-for-the-turtle/ Lynn is an author, advocate, artist, and public speaker. Her work encompasses both anti-colonial work and the celebration of Indigenous knowledge. She challenges Canada’s practices, policies, and laws of colonial genocide such as the land claims and self-government process, sex-discrimination in the Indian Act, the continued destruction of Akikpautik / Chaudière Falls–an Anishinaabeg sacred place, and Canada’s lack of policy addressing Indigenous women and girls with disabilities who are bigger targets of sexual violence. She weaves wampum belts, builds petro-forms, and paints. She also has several professionally published peer reviewed books: “Gehl v Canada: Challenging Sex Discrimination in the Indian Act” (2021), “Claiming Anishinaabe: Decolonizing the Human Spirit” (2017), “The Truth that Wampum Tells: My Debwewin on the Algonquin Land Claims Process” (2014), and “Anishinaabeg Stories: Featuring Petroglyphs, Petrographs, and Wampum Belts” (2012). She has several academic contributions in journals and chapters in books; more than one-hundred community contributions in magazines, websites, news papers, and op-eds; as well as two-hundred personal blogs. Lynn is frequently called upon as an expert by various media outlets to offer commentary on Indigenous issues. I am struck by the very practise of Pikwakanagan First Nation surveys asking questions about the place of Algonquin Indigenous knowledge (AIK), how to prioritize AIK, and when and how to apply AIK? This is so great! What strikes me about this process is that Pikwakanagan First Nation has yet to establish a clear understanding and model or models of where AIK is located and how we create more of it as we move into the future. It is crucial that various models of AIK be established as it will set the foundation of the discussion. Pikwakanagan can ask its intellectuals to develop various definitions and models of AIK using our beliefs and assumptions to shape them. With these models in hand community people will more easily think about AIK, have collective discussions about AIK, and move forward with AIK in a good way. The strength of models, shaped by our Algonquin beliefs, is that they serve to guide our thinking and movement forward. This is the strength of beliefs and models. To be clear, models are not Truth, rather they are models that shape truth, and they are crucial in terms of keeping us on track. What is more, there can be more than one model for this same topic because they are frameworks of thought versus being intended to be an absolute Truth. Some people reading this may gripe, arguing that models are colonial. This is not so. Women always held a cognitive model and/or patterns when they were making moccasins, and men also rely on cognitive models of their trapline and hunting territories using natural land features to help them. Further, the Sun and Moon rising in the East and setting in the West is a belief and model of reality that establishes a solid foundation of who we are. Algonquin also relied on maps that they could draw in the sand or the mind’s eyes of other people. That said, of course Algonquin had models, to deny this is to say we were so primitive and not intelligent enough to have had governance and thinking structures in our worlds. We did, and we still do. Our Algonquin ancestors were intelligent and we are intelligent. Another model of the Algonquin Anishinaabe worldview is the belief and ideology of the Four Sacred Elements and the Four Layers of Creation. As most know, there are Four Sacred Elements: Rock, Water, Wind, and Fire. And there are Four Orders of Creation: the Four Sacred Elements, the Tree Nations, the Animal Nations, and the Human Nations. As an Algonquin Indigenous scholar with my doctorate in Indigenous Studies, versus for example a doctorate in history or cultural studies, I am trained in Indigenous knowledge philosophy whereas such the understandings, models and theories relied on are always Algonquin. Given this, I am always thinking through AIK and doing my best to let it frame what I know, how I think, and what I do. While I of course value that AIK is shaped by ancient knowledge, language, and the land, and I do rely on them to guide me, one crucial model I rely on is the combination of the Four Sacred Elements and the Four Orders of Creation. For example, several years ago when I was learning and thinking about the dangers of nuclear energy I of course relied on my training in the sciences and my experiences measuring toxic organic pollution to guide my learning about the dangerous effects of radioactive particles. Through this I learned that radioactive particles are carcinogenic, teratogenic, and mutagenic. In these ways, radiation is dangerous to humans and our babies. But my thinking was also relied on the cognitive model of the Four Sacred Elements and the Four Orders of Creation. Thinking through the need to respect the Four Sacred Elements I was able to understand that in cracking atoms, the nuclear industry destroys Rock; I was able to understand that the process of cooling nuclear reactors depends on the cold Water found in the deep rivers, such as the Ottawa River, thus warming them; I was able to understand that the Wind and air we all breathe is contaminated through the process of vented emissions; and I also realized that Fire is generated unnecessarily for destructive and dangerous means. What is more, my thinking also relied on the cognitive model of the need to respect the Four Orders of Creation. Through this I was able to understand that not only is nuclear energy destroying the Four Sacred Elements and Human Nations, it is also harming the Tree Nations and the Animal Nations. When human beings rely on the economic model to guide us, versus walking the knowing process back to, and through, the Four Sacred Element and the Four Orders of Creation, we fail to be the human beings Creator wants us to be. And we fail to operate within the Algonquin Indigenous Knowledge worldview. Read my biographical note: www.lynngehl.com/biographical-note.html
Contact me, subscribe to my blog, and/or my newsletter: www.lynngehl.com/contact.html 5/26/2022 0 Comments Quilted ImperfectionsI know knowledge producers, that we call “artists” knowledge producers, who intentionally incorporate imperfections into their work as a reminder of the teaching that Creator does not always make things that are perfect, and that we need to value difference and diversity. As a late learner of reading and writing many people critique my spelling, grammar, sentence structure, and punctuation issues – yet they claim to love the teaching inherent in what I call “quilted imperfections”. Like many Indigenous people my life has been pretty miserable moving through the poverty, the neglect, the trauma ... . As a scavenging child my focus was on survival in terms of the physical and in terms of my safety. Thus, you can be sure many critical periods of learning passed by me. Today I have a PhD yet it seems that some people want me to now go back to grammar school because they have issues with my grammar and punctuation. The truth is I have no desire to learn to perfect the colonizer’s language anymore than I have. My next big project after Gehl v Canada is completing a manuscript on Canada’s Algonquin genocide. People really need to learn how to link teachings with lived reality, or as academics say link theory and practice. I love Indigenous knowledge; it teaches me so much.
A 16th Century Algonquin Ancestor People who have 1 Algonquin ancestor from the 1600s are 4 centuries or 400 years away from this ancestor. Considering that in each 100 years there are 4 generations of lineage, a person of today is approximately a 16th generation descendant of the said Algonquin ancestor. Furthermore there were 400 years of intermarriage with other socio-cultural-ethnic-linguist peoples. This points to the reality that although you claim to be Algonquin, you are not. This is reasonable. The Deep Love of the Brown Brothers Thomas Brown and Robert Brown were brothers and best friends. They did everything together such as play, sing, dance, feast, and hunt. They were so close as brothers that they were married on the same day on July 1, 1779. Thomas Brown married a lovely Irish woman named Beth who became Beth Brown, and Robert Brown married a lovely Algonquin woman named Akik who became Akik Brown. Both marriages resulted in many children both boys and girls. These two families lived in the same town where every subsequent generation also had their own families who carried the Brown surname and many of them continued to live in the same town. The larger family network of cousins remained close and intact where through family folklore and stories the descendants of Thomas and Beth and the descendants of Robert and Akik all claimed that they had an Algonquin ancestor. This conflation is un-reasonable in that only the descendants of Akik Brown were genuine descendants of an Algonquin woman named Brown. The Creation of Identity Gaps and Traps All cultures contain a dense tapestry of rituals, dance, language, and foods that sustain them physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Sadly, with the emergence of state nationalism, where nation states destroy the cultural features and inherent deep meaning people need as they move through the world, a gap is created. In its place, state nationalism offers a thin veneer of culture such as a song and a flag. It is precisely because of this gap in deep cultural meaning and identity that too many settler peoples fall into the trap of usurping Algonquin identity. Performance as an Indigenous Way of Knowing Performance is a traditional Anishinaabeg way of coming to know and embodying knowledge. Performance is not solely defined as an explicit and consciously constructed story for a stage play. Not at all. Everything we do daily is a performance where the inherent activities and practices of the performance shape who we are and how we think. It is through the repetitive process of performing activities and practices that moves knowledge into our bodies which thus becomes embodied. This embodied knowledge then seeps into our subconscious, seeps into our hearts, and seeps into our dreams where through this embodiment we further become who we think we are. Today there are many settler people who, due to an identity gap created through state nationalism, have mistakenly stepped into administrative and leadership activities and practices of being Algonquin, where consequently they now think and feel and dream that they are genuinely Algonquin when they are not. The power of performance and embodied knowledge in these situations has become the trap many settler people are entangled in so much so that reason fails them. Author© Lynn Gehl, Ph.D. is an Algonquin Anishinaabe-Ikwe from the Ottawa River Valley. She is a member of Pikwàkanàgan First Nation She is a published author of Claiming Anishinaabe: Decolonizing the Human Spirit and The Truth that Wampum Tells: My Debwewin on the Algonquin Land Claims Process. Her most recent book is titled Gehl v Canada: Challenging Sex Discrimination in the Indian Act. You can reach her and see more of her work at www.lynngehl.com. Regarding Illegitimate Algonquin Identity Claims In the context of ongoing colonial genocide through the Algonquin land claims process in Ontario, and Canada’s broader municipalization of First Nation communities that continues to deny land and resources, it is especially important for people claiming to be Indigenous or who are portraying themselves to be Algonquin Anishinaabe to clearly substantiate their identity beyond that of the oral tradition and beyond that of an ancestor who was, or might have been, Algonquin in the 1600s, 1700s, or 1800s. The traditional protocol is that we clearly state who we are and how we are related to one another. In the current context of Algonquin genocide there are administrators, professors, teachers, language speakers, artists, ceremonialists, funders, chiefs, elders, heads of families, and cultural gate keepers who in their positions have access to power, yet they are not the Algonquin they claim to be or who they portray themselves to be. For that matter some are not even Indigenous. Portraying as Algonquin is the Worst Remember, and offering an example, being a language speaker in itself does not mean a person is Indigenous or Algonquin. Not at all. Language is foremost a social process. We need to keep in mind that many of the fur traders picked up the Anishinaabemowin language as it was the language of the fur trade. The same applies with picking up a jingle dress, a pipe, or an Eagle feather. It is about a misuse of power The biggest problem with people claiming to be Algonquin when they are not is that they are usurping and appropriating important positions, space, and resources in the process of making decisions on important topics, yet they lack a genuine legitimate Algonquin voice, where as such they are unable to shape, guide, or direct knowledge production, change, resurgence, and resistance in ways that are legitimately and genuinely Algonquin. Because they have less conviction, internal fortitude, and commitment in who they are claiming to be as Algonquin, these individuals become the tokens of powerful institutions because they are, and will be, more accommodating and obliging employees of the institution’s agenda. They will be easier to manage and manipulate because, ultimately, they are more needful in their identity claim. It is precisely in this way that they are interfering and harming legitimate Algonquin agency and direction forward. These people who do not have the conviction of who they claim to be, or who they portray themselves to be, are interfering with Algonquin recovery and sovereignty efforts. This is contrary to the Two Row non-interfering philosophy. It is about protecting our sovereignty In offering this important critical thinking it must be kept in mind that just because some Algonquin are standing up and asking you to be clear about the identity you are claiming, or portraying to be, this does not mean we are identity policing, being unkind, suffering from internalized oppression, or flourishing lateral violence. Not at all. We are asking the question because our very framework understands how institutional power is used to manipulate people who have less conviction in who they are claiming to be. It does not matter if they are your friend As the Algonquin struggle to move forward within the context of genocide it may be a good idea to think to yourself that just because someone is a friend, did a good thing for you, or is doing work that you like, this in itself does not mean they are Algonquin. Please do not allow your subjectivity to interfere with who and who is not a legitimate Algonquin, and do not default to the notion that we are “identity policing” and engaging in lateral violence. We are not! While I understand universal truths do not exist, and I understand that blood and community essentialism have huge limitations, and I understand the non-sense of the Status versus non-Status, and I understand that Indigenous nations adopted and assimilated new members into their nations, and I also understand that a “race shifting framework” is different than a “social identity framework”, within the context of ongoing Algonquin genocide illegitimately usurping Algonquin identity is really harmful. If you cannot stand with conviction in who you claim to be as an Algonquin, or who you are portraying yourself to be, it is asked that you stop appropriating an Algonquin identity because you are harming the Algonquin.
Although Canada the nation State’s parliamentary base illegally squats on Algonquin Anishinaabeg traditional territory, inclusive of its House of Commons, its Senate Chamber, the Governor General and the Prime Minister’s residence, and the Supreme Court of Canada, very few Canadians know who the Algonquin Anishinaabeg are. We are still here! Many Canadians do not know that the Algonquin Anishinaabeg were one of the first Indigenous nations recorded by Samuel de Champlain, nor do they know that through the creation of Canada, the British pitted the Algonquin and the French against one another when they gave the French colony Algonquin land. Yes, this is what the British did! This was an act of reprimand on the part of the British because the Algonquin were allies with the French. This action on the part of the British continues to undermine Algonquin sovereignty efforts today. The Algonquin have been divided by the provincial federal order, language, law, and religion. In addition, the Algonquin have been divided through the imposition of the reserve system and the Indian Act where as a result some communities today are federally recognized First Nation communities and others are not, and where some are registered Status Indians and others are not. What is more, some of our traditional communities and subsistence lands were flooded, or converted into provincial parks for the social, physical, and entertainment activity of the Canadian citizenry. Through these means of power, a Canadian cultural hegemony (read oppressive power) was established. Despite this historic genocide, what many Canadians also do not know is that this genocide continues in an evergreen way. Yes, this is correct. What Canada calls the “modern treaty process” is in fact a land claims process that forces economically impoverished First Nation communities and their Status membership, inclusive of the more disenfranchised non-Status Algonquin, to relinquish their land and resource rights. There are several reasons why Canadians are not knowledgeable about the historic and ongoing evergreen Algonquin genocide. One reason is because the governments of Canada control the school curriculum, a curriculum that creates a foundation of ignorance versus truth. A second reason is because Canada manipulates the mindsets and hearts of the Canadian citizenry through song, art, museums, monuments, provincial park recreational activity, and the news media inclusive of social media. A third reason is that incoming prime ministers place their party’s political power and money behind electoral candidates who are accommodating and obliging because they will be the token cabinet ministers and members of parliament needed to control (through party whipping) and perpetuate the evergreen genocide against Indigenous people. While Canada has been manipulating the mindsets of its citizenry in these ways, Canadians need to come to the place of valuing that when it comes to understanding the truth of Canada’s history, the locus of control is best understood as internal, meaning individuals hold and manage the jurisdiction of their own agency and thus read, think, and learn what they want to or need to. Cancel Your Canada Day Celebrations! Witness Canada’s Algonquin Genocide Instead. Take the time needed to learn about how it is that the Algonquin Anishinaabe today are facing genocide through the land claims and self government processes. Compiled below is a series of news articles that I have written (one is collaborative). Once you have completed these readings, let me know and I will send you a certificate of completion: “I completed the Algonquin challenge: Witnessing Canada’s Algonquin Genocide”. See below.
My Algonquin Anishinaabe identity flows through my father, his mother, and her parents (my great-grandparents). Through learning who I am I can also link myself to the people who lived at the Lake of Two Mountains and thus to pre-contact relatives. Me saying that I can link to the historic community of the Lake of Two Mountains and pre-contact relatives does not mean my Algonquin identity, that I claim, merely comes from an ancestor that lived in the 1700s. Not at all. I am clear about my identity coming from my father. Please do not misunderstand what I am saying or cherry pick back to pre-contact times. What is more, while through Gehl v Canada today I am a registered status Indian I really do not have a community where I feel I am embraced. For one thing, I cannot go and live at Pikwakanagan First Nation as there is not enough space and, even if there was, I am not sure I would be welcomed by the people. What I have become, through Gehl v Canada, is a name on a membership list versus existing within a community. It is clear to me that my father’s, grandmother’s, and great-grandparents’ community has been greatly harmed by colonization and genocide. This is why I do the work that I do. My allegiance is with my kin relations. I, though, am “fortunate” in the sense that the land where some of my extended kin relations now exist was not relocated or flooded, and that my great-grandmother with her mother (my great-great-grandmother) opted to move to a reserve. But the reality is that not all Algonquins in Ontario and Quebec wanted to go to reserve communities, and mixed bloods were not welcomed, or for that matter were pushed out of the community when they “married-out”. This was part of the genocide process. My point here is that just as DNA and a blood line have limitations, community essentialism also has many limitations. Identity is more than about being welcomed to a community or having a community. This is especially so when we appreciate that through colonization many communities and community relationships have been destroyed. What I have are kin relations with a particular community. I always had these kin relations as my father made sure he passed on to me these kinship stories, best known in the language as “gi-nwendaagininaanig dbaajimowinan”. Now that I have status registration as per the Indian Act things are not that much different. While the kin relations are there I would not say I belong to a community. Genocide happened; and genocide continues to happen such as through the land claims process. Certainly the struggle Indigenous people are having regarding identity is difficult and heart breaking. Well, it is heart breaking for me. What is making it worse is all the settler academics and people jumping on board with who, and what is, in vogue. In doing this, settlers interfere with the Indigenous process of figuring it out; well, hopefully working it out. All this is not to say that I am not appreciative of the needed critical analysis of settlers claiming to be metis for the sole purpose of gaining Indigenous rights, and also appreciative of the needed critical analysis of settlers claiming to be Algonquin for the purpose of gaining rights through the land claims process – a land claims process that will only serve to extinguish Algonquin land and resource rights. It is important for us to remember that historically, prior to contact, Indigenous nations adopted, assimilated, kidnapped, and nurtured new members into our communities. Through rituals such as initiations, dancing, ceremony, feasting, and loving kindness we socialized people into being new citizens of our Indigenous nations. While belonging was a blood process, we also valued the medicine of genetic diversity, and we also understood that belonging was very much a social process that was more about loyalty to the nation. Through genocidal laws, policies, and practices the nation state of Canada took all these inclusive processes of establishing our citizenries away from us; yet at the same time Canada appropriated the cultural process of socializing new citizens into their nation. What I mean by this is that by usurping Indigenous land and resources Canada is able to embrace refugees and immigrants as new citizens of its nation. In this process Canada relies on Indigenous land and resources to socialize its new citizens into being good, obliging, loving, and loyal Canadians. Minister Maryam Monsef is one such celebrated Canadian citizen that the current prime minister likes to hold up as a success story. The socio-cultural processes and rituals that Canada relies on consist of such things as manipulating their minds by controlling the school curriculum and filling their hearts through the daily ritual of singing O Canada. Other mechanisms used to socialize new citizens of the Canadian nation consist of skewing media stories, offering national awards to accommodating people, creating provincial and national parks, filling national museums with state propaganda, and, to ensure the completion of hegemony, the ongoing creation and manipulation of national symbols and icons such as the Canadian flag and creating national monuments of acceptable heroes. As Canada does this, creating new citizens of the state, Indigenous people fight about DNA and blood essentialism, fight about community belonging essentialism, and for that matter fight about cultural continuity essentialism, all the while forgetting about their own practices of inclusion. I know that DNA and blood, community belonging, and for that matter that even cultural continuity all have limitations. What is more important is kinship connections, loyalty, and allegiance. Lastly, sadly Canada has pushed Indigenous people to the point where we have forgotten that in its anthropomorphic form, and after the human spirit has moved through the heart, morality, inclusive of loving kindness, takes that same heart pathway. © Lynn Gehl, Ph.D. is an Algonquin Anishinaabe-kwe from the Ottawa River Valley. Her most recent book Gehl v Canada is now available for pre-orders: https://uofrpress.ca/Books/G/Gehl-v-Canada 11/24/2020 0 Comments Land backAllow Indigenous people to lead the way; follow them Understand that being an ally / activism is not about doing what you like to do Do not mistake social activity as doing something for Indigenous people Understand that Indigenous needs are more than about your need entertainment Move beyond your need for an education; you becoming educated is not a legitimate ally / activist role Do something as we define our needs to be; not yours Don’t hold up our books like trophies; do something Understand the most important knowledge is practiced; do something Like Jean says, “shut up and listen”; yes, she said this Learn the difference between anti-colonial knowledge and Indigenous knowledge; value both Learn the difference between Elders’ knowledge and Indigenous intellectual knowledge; value both Serve the most oppressed; not who you want to serve or get off serving Do not project your shame and mistakes on Indigenous people; they are your issues Understand lateral violence and stop causing it; think deeply here Stop interfering with Indigenous people's relationships; such as the one between them and their Elders Indigenous Elders are not for you; get over it Stand behind Indigenous people; not in front Understand that saving the land and water is more than about an aesthetic for humans to enjoy Stop gossiping about Indigenous people; it is pitiful Value Indigenous people who have done the hard work to get an education and who stand up Stop Romanticizing Indigenous knowledge; resolve your issues with this Stop thinking smudging absolves you or stands in place of you doing something Dig into your pocket and give generously weekly, monthly, yearly Seek out and purchase from Indigenous artists and crafters Fundraise for someone who is working hard already; you can do this Serve Indigenous food banks in real ways – weekly, monthly, yearly Stop pretending to be naïve, we can see right through it and it is patronizing Stop talking about hope; it is not a plan; and it is patronizing End your false generosity, we can see right through it to and again it is patronizing Understand the depth of knowledge an intersectionally oppressed person carries; and respect it Stop assuming lawyers and historians understand an Indigenous framework; most do not Stop thinking Indigenous knowledge is only about how you feel; it is more than this Understand the greatest gift we have is our minds; this is fundamental to Indigenous knowledge End racism, sexism, and ableism Learn about genocide and the doctrine of discovery Give your Land Back through your last will and testament © Lynn Gehl, Ph.D. is an Algonquin Anishinaabe-kwe from the Ottawa River Valley. She is a published author of Claiming Anishinaabe: Decolonizing the Human Spirit and The Truth that Wampum Tells: My Debwewin on the Algonquin Land Claims Process. You can reach her and see more of her work at www.lynngehl.com. This map offers important knowledge about an ancient sacred land and waterscape. The yellow area is Akikpautik, the location where Creator placed the First Sacred Pipe. The red area is an ancient burial ground and the green illustrates ancient portage trails. Map source: Pilon, J. & Boswell, R. (2015) I have been hearing people offer the rationale that ‘all land is sacred’ as the excuse to desecrate land and waterscapes that are particularly sacred to the Algonquin Anishinaabeg. Intuitively most people are able to quickly realize that burial sites are particularly sacred and that the argument is poor. In his book “God is Red: A Native View of Religion” the well-known and highly respected author, theologian, historian, and Indigenous activist Vine Deloria Jr. (1933-2005) offers important thoughts that can guide us in thinking through the desecration and destruction of so called development. Deloria offers us four categories of sacred places. The first category involves land and waterscapes to which we attribute sanctity because it is a location where, within our known history, something of great importance took place there. One such example is the Gettysburg National Cemetery and the ground where the Twin Towers in New York City were once located. Another example is Wounded Knee, South Dakota. These places are considered sacred sites because of recent human activity. Second, other lands are sacred not due to human events, but rather due to a higher power. These are land and waterscapes where people have a special experience and this experience is attributed to the sacred. Said another way, within a secular context there is an experience that is attributed to the holy. One example is the town of Buffalo Gap at the south eastern edge of the Black Hills of South Dakota which is the location where the buffalo first emerged in the spring and which marks the beginning of the Plains Indians’ ceremonial year. Third, Deloria explains there are indeed locations of overwhelming holiness. At these places a higher power, on its own initiative, is revealed to human beings. Afterward this location and revelation is then preserved in story and shared for future generations to remember, revere, and direct them forward in a good way. Interestingly Deloria offers, “Indians who have never visited certain sacred sites nevertheless know of these places from the community knowledge, and they intuit this knowing to an essential part of their being” (271). One such place is Akikpautik, the location where Creator placed the First Sacred Pipe, also known as the Great Sacred Pipe. The sacredness of this particular land and waterscape has been preserved and taught to Algonquin Anishinaabeg and settler allies by the late Grandfather William Commanda (Gehl 2018). Lastly, Deloria offers there is a fourth category of sacred lands in that higher spiritual powers will always communicate with human beings of future. His point is we must always be open and ready to experience new revelations at new locations that will then become particularly sacred places. In this way Deloria values that Indigenous knowledge is alive, it growths, it is fluid, it is a verb, and it continues on into the future. References and Additional Sources Cicero, M. (2018). Condos on an Algonquin sacred site? Panels examines ongoing colonialism. Leveller. Retrieved from https://leveller.ca/2018/11/condos-on-an-algonquin-sacred-site/ Deloria, V. Jr. (1992). God is Red: A Native View of Religion. Golden, CO: Fulcrum Publishing. Dumont, A. (2014). Free the Falls. Retrieved from http://albertdumont.com/free-the-falls/ Gehl, L. (2018). Akikodjiwan: The Destruction of Canada’s Heart of Reconciliation. Watershed Sentinel. Retrieved from https://watershedsentinel.ca/articles/akikodjiwan/ Gehl, L., & Lambert, L. (2018). Reconciliation Really?: A Timeline of the Desecration of Akikodjiwan and Akikpautik, An Anishinaabeg. Leveller. Retrieved from https://leveller.ca/2018/03/reconciliation-really/ Lambert, L. (2016). Chaudière Falls is an Indigenous Cathedral. Anishinabek News. Retrieved from http://anishinabeknews.ca/2016/10/01/chaudiere-falls-is-an-indigenous-cathedral/ Neigh, S. (2017). Canada 150 and the violation of an Algonquin Anishinaabe sacred site. Rabble. Retrieved from http://rabble.ca/podcasts/shows/talking-radical-radio/2017/01/canada-150-and-violation-algonquin-anishinaabe-sacred-s Pilon, J., & Boswell, R. (2015). Below the Falls; An Ancient Cultural Landscape in the Centre of (Canada’s National Capital Region) Gatineau. Canadian Journal of Archaeology, 39, 257-293. © Lynn Gehl, Ph.D. is an Algonquin Anishinaabe-kwe from the Ottawa River Valley. In 2017 she won an Ontario Court of Appeal case on sex discrimination in The Indian Act, and is an outspoken critic of the Algonquin land claims process. Recently she published Claiming Anishinaabe: Decolonizing the Human Spirit. You can reach her through, and see more of her work, at www.lynngehl.com. I decided to take the time and write this Algonquin Anishinaabe land acknowledgement. Go ahead and print it out and use it when you are opening an event in Algonquin territory. Currently we are on Algonquin Anishinaabeg traditional territory. The Algonquin were one of the first Indigenous Nations that Champlain recorded as he travelled up the Kichesippi, now called the Ottawa River. Algonquin territory consists of 48 million acres inclusive of rivers, lakes, boreal forests, rock, trees, four legged, winged, and finned. Through the creation of Upper and Lower Canada, now Ontario and Quebec, and through the French surrendering and ceding land that they did not own, the Algonquin Anishinaabeg have been divided along the very river that once united us. Through the overlay of Canada the nation state and the imposition of a provincial federal order, the Algonquin are divided by language, law, and religion. While 39 million acres is in Quebec, 9 million is in Ontario. Through processes of genocide inherent in processes of colonization, which continues today, the Algonquin have been relegated to small plots of land. There are ten federally recognized communities made up of registered status members: one in Ontario and nine in Quebec. As suggested these communities reside on only small fractions of the larger Algonquin Anishinaabeg traditional territory. Pikwàkanagàn First Nation’s land base consists of a mere 1,561 acres; Barriere Lake only 59; while Wolf Lake has been denied a land base altogether. There are also many communities in Ontario, made up of mostly non-status members, that have been more formally organized to accommodate the federal government’s need to define Indigenous rights in narrow terms and they all lack their own collective land bases known as reserve lands. The Kichesippi has been subject to the logging, hydroelectric, nuclear power, and the fishing and sport hunting industries. These industries have clogged the Great River, flooded important landscapes, and are currently dumping radio-active particles in the river. What is more, the nuclear industry is also warming the river using the water to cool down nuclear reactors. Although the Algonquin Anishinaabeg were emissaries during the 1764 Treaty at Niagara, and many of the men fought on the side of the British during the 1776 American revolution, and during WW1 and WW2, Algonquin were and are continually denied the jurisdiction to their land and resources. Indigenous knowledge philosophy is a life way that situates humans within a broader context of the natural world versus a religion selectively practiced. Within this philosophy, the Four Sacred Elements ‒ Water, Rock, Wind, and Fire ‒ are valued as more intelligent. As such, places where they intersect are sacred. In addition, while many people think Indigenous people of Turtle Island lack a tradition of symbolic literacy, in actuality the Anishinaabeg inscribed stories, knowledge, and important messages within the land and waterscapes of their territory. Akikpautik is where Creator placed the First Sacred Pipe, the ultimate expression of Reconciliation between Nations, Humans, and the Natural World. Today there are more non-status than status Algonquin and many of us reside outside of our traditional territory. Lynn Gehl, Ph.D. is an Algonquin Anishinaabe-kwe from the Ottawa River Valley. In 2017 she won an Ontario Court of Appeal case on sex discrimination in The Indian Act, and is an outspoken critic of the Algonquin land claims process. Recently she published Claiming Anishinaabe: Decolonizing the Human Spirit. You can reach her through, and see more of her work, at www.lynngehl.com Who is historian Lindsay Lambert? Who is film maker Andrée Cazabon? Who is lawyer Michael Swinwood? Who is the group Free the Falls? Who is the group Stop Windmill? The Algonquin Anishinaabeg are in pretty dire conditions. We have never had a treaty and our nation has been divided by imposed British and French laws, imposed English and French language, and imposed religions, as well as imposed provincial borders. The situation of the Algonquin was largely accomplished through do-gooders also known as people with so-called good intentions. One example is the residential school system imposed by Canada and the churches. Another example is and continues to be “helping” Indigenous people become more civilized through the land tenure system. In addition there are all the earlier anthropologists who were actually agents of the state. Through decolonization and Indigenous awareness of these do-gooder agents of the state, and the birth of theoretical frameworks such as feminism, critical theory, anti-colonialism, allyship, and more recently Indigenism many people are now asking tough questions about people who come in to our communities claiming to be a helper. Being a shkaabewis or in English "a helper" is a place of honour and a place of humbleness where it is now expected that they must tell us: Who are they? Who are they related to? What do they want? Why do they want it? How did they determine and define the help they seek to offer? Who is funding their efforts? How do they plan to meet our needs? What are their unstated political affiliations? What is their strategy? Who are they accountable to? How will they allocate funds the process may generate? How are they assuring that friends have not biased them? Asking these questions are now the accepted way to protect community members and assuring the community’s needs are paramount, but also as a way of assuring that the effort being taken is indeed genuine and legitimate. In terms of the latter, if the effort is not viewed as legitimate community support for the effort and the mobilization of the effort will be hindered. This would be counter-productive to the goal. Contrary to what many may think I ask these questions not to be harmful. Rather, I ask for valid reasons. I ask because I want the larger Algonquin Anishinaabeg to be able to trust these people if they are indeed worthy, and I also ask these questions as a measure to assure what they are doing is a good thing. As I have said legitimacy is important. If Algonquin do not see the person or the effort as legitimate this is not a good thing. If these helpers are genuine they will appreciate the need to assure that their role and effort is genuine and legitimate. In short, they will value the questions. We have all heard of, and many of us personally know, individuals who come into our families and into our communities offering us help, such as giving us their services, time, shelter, food, clothes, and money. Unfortunately, what some of these “helping people” count on is for members to be too busy where as such they are unquestionably grateful for the help being offered. This is the ultimate of vulnerability. As a result of the great need, and the imposition of the survival mode imposed on them by Canada, many of us cannot stop, think, and ask these hard questions. But some can and this is a good thing not a bad thing. Poor families and Indigenous communities are particularly vulnerable. We all know this and so do others. Even today our families and communities continue to be infiltrated by outsiders who are selfishly seeking research needs, the need for a spiritual experience; the need to be perceived as a good person; and there are people who want to sexually exploit the exotic and young girls and boys, persons with disabilities, the elderly, sometimes even babies. As suggested helpers are not limited to what is obviously evil. Some are sociologists and anthropologists; where others are reporters, journalists, and media and film makers. They are all looking for their stories to fulfill their own needs. Still further, others are activists, both charitable and social. But of course the worst are the pedophiles. There are also the land claims and legal industries where people are seeking and gaining huge financial rewards and/or media fame in the realm of legal precedent from the Aboriginal law industry. They all want something, some more sinister, some less sinister. Our Needs Matter More! The point is, Indigenous families and communities have been the fodder of much questionable practice. Fortunately academics are now more ethical in their research where many, if not all, now allow us to shape the research process, its goal, and the direction of the knowledge produced. But there is more work to do in our journey forward to liberation, freedom, and self-determination. Indigenous families and communities need to put in place within our minds and practices the confidence that we do indeed have the right ask hard questions. Helping people who claim they wish to serve our families and our communities, yet who fail to tell us: Who are they? Who are they related to? What do they want? Why do they want it? How did they determine and define the help they seek to offer? Who is funding their efforts? How do they plan to meet our needs? What are their unstated political affiliations? What is their strategy? Who are they accountable to? How will they allocate funds the process may generate? How are they assuring that friends have not biased them? – are potentially dangerous people. If they are genuine people with integrity they will be respectful of our need to know the answers to these questions, and they will appreciate that they need to be transparent on these issues and respect our need to know. We have a right to protect our communities and assure all political and legal actions are legitimate and will be perceived as legitimate. When helping people respond to our questions in a way that implies they are insulted and possibly say things such as: “I am volunteering my time, be grateful”, or similarly with “No one is paying me, be grateful”, these are individuals who are not deserving of the privilege of being “helping people”. Another more disturbing response is they may move into a character attack or assassination of the person who has taken on the hard job of asking the questions. The helping person who takes this reactionary response should be avoided. To be a Shkaabewis is a place of honour and humbleness. Please like and share this blog. Chi-Miigwetch! Lynn Gehl, Ph.D. 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, and is an outspoken critic of the land claims process. Her book The Truth that Wampum Tells: My Debwewin of the Algonquin Land Claims Process offers an insider-Indigenous analysis of the Algonquin land claims process in Ontario. You can reach her through, and see more of her work at www.lynngehl.com. My teacher Grandfather William CommandaI was fortunate to have spent some time with the late Algonquin Anishinaabe Grandfather William Commanda (1913 - 2011), who lived in Maniwaki Quebec and who was the last keeper of three traditional wampum belts. Grandfather Commanda taught me via the oral tradition about the significance of the Chaudière Falls, best known as Akikpautik, located in the Kiji Sìbì, now known as the Ottawa River, and adjacent to Canada’s parliament buildings. He told me why Akikpautik – which translates to “Pipe Bowl Falls” – and the islands located just downstream are sacred. Interestingly the significance of Akikpautik was observed and recorded in 1613 in Champlain’s Journals where he witnessed the Anishinaabeg ceremonially offering tobacco to the pipe bowl. [see note 1]. This was before the time when settler people imprisoned Akikpautik within the cement walls of a huge hydroelectric dam. When reading Grandfather’s face, as he told me the story, I could feel that he was sad. While many Canadians understand the Ottawa River as the border between what colonial officials created and call the provinces of Ontario and Quebec, it must be appreciated that prior to contact the river was the uniting feature of the larger Algonquin Anishinaabe Nation who reside on both sides of the river. In addition, it must be appreciated that the river, Akikpautik, and the islands are indeed the jurisdiction of the larger Algonquin Anishinaabe Nation as we have never ceded or extinguished our land and water rights. I must stress here that this includes the much larger population of the non-status and the status Algonquin. Wìsakedjàk (Nanaboozo) and His GiftsA central Anishinaabe figure and philosopher, Wìsakedjàk (also Nanaboozo), the son of the Spirit of the West Wind and Mother Earth’s first woman Winona, had many responsibilities, one of which was the naming all the beings on Mother Earth. Wìsakedjàk is also credited for bringing forth a special gift from his father, the First Sacred Pipe. As an Algonquin Anishinaabe-kwe community member rooted in my ancestral oral teachings I have heard that Wìsakedjàk’s footprints remain inscribed along the Ottawa River and so we know he was at Akikpautik. Many people know that Grandfather Commanda held a special vision and plan, “Asinabka the Sacred Chaudière Site”, that included re-naturalizing Pipe Bowl Falls and the three islands downstream. His plan included the removal of the large ring dam imposed, and the creation of a park, historic interpretive centre, peace building meeting site, and an Indigenous centre [see note 2 and 3]. But since capital trumps reconciliation between the Canadian state and Indigenous Nations, a well-supported development corporation known as The Windmill Development Group has momentum in moving ahead with building a “waterfront community” on this very sacred land and water space, despite sustained protests by community members, both Indigenous and settler people, as well as the opposition of most of the Algonquin Anishinaabe Chiefs in Quebec. These people want Grandfather’s plans to be implemented over more corporate destruction. Canada’s parliament buildings, the Prime Minister’s residence, the Governor General’s residence, and the entire National Capital Region reside on traditional Algonquin territory. As a result of this reality a major component of Canada’s nation-building strategy is dedicated to inventing and promoting a collective Canadian consciousness that rests on the erasure of Indigenous peoples and seizure of their territories [see note 4 and 5]. Sadly, many critical theorists realize that Canada has control and access to the resources to do this all too well. Canada's control of the resources is the very problem in that through this control they are able to manufacture a particular mindset that denies the need for valuing what is sacred. Indigenous Knowledge is in the LandFor Indigenous people our water and landscapes are very much storied as this is one way that we preserve important sacred beliefs, teachings, and knowledge for future generations to come. The short story is we want our descendants to embody and feel love for the land and the gifts it provides. For example, places such as Oiseau Rock, in Quebec, tell our story of Creation when the four sacred elements of rock, water, wind, and fire first came together. Through these stories we learn to honour the Earth for future generations. This is the very value of sacred beliefs; They are not trivial, silly, and primitive relics of the past that need to go away. In addition the location where waterways meet are valued as special meeting places in that it was through the gift of water that we were able to travel great distances to meet our relatives. One such location, situated between Quebec and Ontario, is in the Kiji Sìbì, where the Gatineau and Rideau Rivers join and where the three islands − Chaudière, Albert, and Victoria − are located downstream of the Chaudière Falls [see note 6 and 7]. Grandfather Commanda told me about the special features of Akikpautik / Chaudière Falls’ that have spiritual meaning for the Anishinaabeg, as well as for all the nearby and visiting Indigenous Nations such as the Cree and Blackfoot Nations. These features consist of a horseshoe falls, shaped as a near-circle (representing a pipe bowl); and an area where great amounts of water travel through an underwater cavern, re-emerging downstream (a pipe stem). The constriction of the river represents the narrowness of the pipe stem when it meets the bowl. Collectively, these features represent Creator’s First Sacred Pipe given to us by Wìsakedjàk [see note 8]. As I listened to Grandfather’s story my heart and mind swelled with pride and joy. This is what sacred stories and beliefs should do: fill you with the love of knowing how special you are, how special your ancestors are, and how special the land and water are. What I know for sureMeaning is not something you casually find on the ground. Rather, we are all born into meaning systems and socialized to love them. Unfortunately, power mediates the process where consequently oppressive cultures collapse sacred and moral meaning. In doing this they destroy the world. images of the sacred FallsNotes/links of interest: 1. Champlain, Samuel de. 2000. Algonquians, Hurons and Iroquois: Champlain Explores America 1603–1616. Edward Gaylord Bourne (ed.), Annie Nettleton Bourne (trans.). Dartmouth, NS: Book House Press 2. http://www.asinabka.com/geninfo.htm 3. http://ottawa.ca/calendar/ottawa/citycouncil/occ/2010/11-19/cpsc/02-%20report%20on%20the%20vision%20for%20the%20Askiabka.htm 4. http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/documents/DRIPS_en.pdf 5. Gehl, L. (2014). The Truth That Wampum Tells: My Debwewin on the Algonquin Land Claims Process. Halifax and Winnipeg: Fernwood Publishing. 6. http://albertdumont.com/the-kettle-of-boiling-waters-chaudiere-falls-algonquin-territory/ 7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeFqbRBU5mk 8. Google Map Please share and like this blog. If you value my work and want to support it the donation button is below. Miigwetch. Lynn Gehl, Ph.D. 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, and is an outspoken critic of the land claims process. Her book The Truth that Wampum Tells: My Debwewin of the Algonquin Land Claims Process offers an insider-Indigenous analysis of the Algonquin land claims process in Ontario. You can reach her through, and see more of her work at www.lynngehl.com. The TRC Identifies Three Forms of Genocide … . For over a century, the central goals of Canada’s Aboriginal policy were to eliminate Aboriginal governments; ignore Aboriginal rights; terminate the Treaties; and, through a process of assimilation, cause Aboriginal peoples to cease to exist as distinct legal, social, cultural, religious, and racial entities in Canada. The establishment and operation of residential schools were a central element of this policy, which can best be described as “cultural genocide.” Physical genocide is the mass killing of the members of a targeted group, and biological genocide is the destruction of the group’s reproductive capacity. Cultural genocide is the destruction of those structures and practices that allow the group to continue as a group. States that engage in cultural genocide set out to destroy the political and social institutions of the targeted group. Land is seized, and populations are forcibly transferred and their movement is restricted. Languages are banned. Spiritual leaders are persecuted, spiritual practices are forbidden, and objects of spiritual value are confiscated and destroyed. And, most significantly to the issue at hand, families are disrupted to prevent the transmission of cultural values and identity from one generation to the next. In its dealing with Aboriginal people, Canada did all these things. To read more: click here The Heartbreak of Algonquin Genocide ... . Eventually, after generations of petitions and only after we were in a particularly pitiful state of poverty and division, Canada entered into a land claims and self-government negotiation process with the Algonquin of Golden Lake, now Algonquin of Pikwàkanàgan First Nation. In this process only the Algonquin living in Ontario are involved, where through this process all Indian status members, approximately 1,800 members, are accepted as beneficiaries. So too are the approximately 6,000 non-status Algonquin accepted as beneficiaries. Through two federal government policies - the Comprehensive Land Claims Policy and the Inherent Rights Policy - our jurisdiction, land, and land related rights are not protected but rather continue to be denied and placed within the confines of a small b□x. Through these policies Canada has imposed on us what it thinks we are entitled to: a very small percentage of our traditional territory and a one-time buy-out. This deal was tabled in November 2012. Clearly 117,000 acres which amounts to only 1.3 per cent of our traditional territory and $300 million is a bad deal. To read more: http://rabble.ca/news/2013/03/heart-break-algonquin-genocide http://www.lynngehl.com/open-letter-to-prime-minister-justin-trudeau.html http://www.lynngehl.com/open-letter-to-dr-bennett.html Like and share this blog. Lynn Gehl, Ph.D. 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, and is an outspoken critic of the Ontario Algonquin land claims and self-government process. She has three books: Anishinaabeg Stories: Featuring Petroglyphs, Petrographs, and Wampum Belts, The Truth that Wampum Tells: My Debwewin of the Algonquin Land Claims Process, and Mkadengwe: Sharing Canada's Colonial Process through Black Face Methodology. You can reach her at lynngehl@gmail.com and see more of her work at www.lynngehl.com. In this short video and recent article - http://linkis.com/nationalpost.com/36W4R- dated January 15, 2016, professor Akhavan offers a narrow understanding of what is genocide and then he proceeds to argue Indigenous people of Turtle Island don’t really understand the United Nations Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. I have a few issues with his reasoning as it is presented. First, a professor of law as he is, Akhavan roots genocide in intent with this statement: “provided the specific genocidal intent was in place”. Intent is too narrow a place to locate the practice of genocide. Placing knowledge, and consequently genocide, in the mind or in one’s intent is a myopic understanding of what knowledge is and where knowledge is located. It is well understood that proponents of western positivism of law and science must awaken to the limitations of their own knowledge paradigm. Clearly it is not working, especially so for the water and the trees and the other beings, never mind what it is doing to humans. This should come as no surprize in that western positivism is manmade law. Second, a professor of law as he is, Akhavan is unable to perceive the cultural aspects of genocide as it is written in the United Nations Convention for the Prevention and Punishment for the Crime of Genocide. While subsection (a) discusses direct killing, the UN definition moves on to talk about cultural aspects of genocide, thus expanding the definition beyond that of direct killing: (b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; (c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; (d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; and (e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group. While the word “culture” may not be in the text, cultural elements of genocide are inherent. Culture is all that humans are. Culture is much more than icons and books as the news article suggests. Culture includes the laws, policies, and institutions that humans create. Without cultural teachings, knowledge, and structures we are not human at all. Cultural genocide is genocide in that it is culture that makes us human. Cultural genocide, as it is placed within Canadian laws and policies, such as the land claims policy which forces Indigenous Nations to extinguish our jurisdiction and rights, and Aboriginal Affairs’ unstated paternity policy which assumes unstated fathers are non-Indians, are much more insidious and devious forms of genocide. They are more insidious and devious in that many people are unable to perceive them for the genocide they are where, as such, the genocide is able to go on and on and on. Third, in making the argument that the recent use of the concept “cultural genocide” was more about a need for recognition and mourning is offensive and incorrect. Akhavan is incredibly assumptive in his analysis. Akhavan assumes Indigenous thinkers, ceremonialists, traditionalists, scholars, and philosophers are unable to really understand what they mean when they use the concept “cultural genocide”. This assumption in itself is an act of colonialism. Law is not a science that seeks to understand the nature of the human condition and as such law, as it is defined by western positivism, needs to move over and allow other knowledge systems the space required in the discussion of what is genocide. For more of my thoughts on genocide and cultural genocide: http://www.lynngehl.com/black-face-blogging/the-insidious-nature-of-cultural-genocide Please like and share this blog. Miigwetch Lynn Gehl, Ph.D. 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, and is an outspoken critic of the Ontario Algonquin land claims and self-government process. She has three books: Anishinaabeg Stories: Featuring Petroglyphs, Petrographs, and Wampum Belts, The Truth that Wampum Tells: My Debwewin of the Algonquin Land Claims Process, and Mkadengwe: Sharing Canada's Colonial Process through Black Face Methodology. You can reach her at lynngehl@gmail.com and see more of her work at www.lynngehl.com. The Tradition of the Savage: Its Origins and Implications on Contemporary Indigenous Peoples’ Rights This lecture by legal scholar Robert A. Williams on his book titled “Savage Anxieties: The Invention of Western Civilization” is excellent. In fact, it is so excellent I have decided to annotate it and post it as a blog. Williams traces the invention of the discourse of the savage with its inherent practices back 3,000 years to Greek and Roman times where the definition consisted of a people who did not plough and plant food. It was through the invention of the savage that the Greeks and Romans structured their societies denying many their human rights to land and resources in the process. This discourse of the savage and subsequent practices is also the foundation of the Doctrine of Discovery which denies people who they are as human beings. Williams argues the 1763 Royal Proclamation, one of Canada’s founding constitutional documents, embodies this tradition of the savage, and as such the savage tradition remains a part of Canada’s constitutional jurisprudence; it is a part of Canada’s cultural DNA. Relying on the research he did for his book, Williams then argues that this tradition of the savage extends in very real ways into Canada’s Comprehensive Land Claims process. As I have in my book “The Truth That Wampum Tells: My Debwewin on The Algonquin Land Claims Process” Williams discusses in detail the Comprehensive Land Claims (CLC) process that First Nations involved in the British Columbia Treaty Commission and the Algonquin in Ontario of which Pikwakanagan First Nation is a part, are participating in. CLC processes result in nothing more than a contract, not a treaty, between a sovereign and their subjects. Under the CLC process First Nations are reduced to a municipal form of government and as such there is no real self-determination. Through the CLC process compensation and private lands are not on the table, and also First Nations are forced to pay back the provincial and federal loans required to negotiate for their own land and resource rights. It is through this federal land claims policy that the tradition of the savage continues to harm contemporary Indigenous people. Despite CLC policy evolution, the blanket extinguishment policy has been changed to a modified rights policy that essentially means the same thing: nothing for Indigenous people. Clearly Canada is playing semantics with their policy adjustments where as a result domestic remedies have proven pathetic. This is precisely the reason why many First Nations will not participate in the CLC process and why others will not move past the Agreement in Principle stage because Canada refuses to abandon their savage policy. Williams further explains that when settlements under the CLC policy do result there is the issue of non-implementation on the part of the provinces and Canada. The Nisga’a Nation, for example, are in the process of suing Canada for failing to implement. In short, Canada does not even have the integrity to honour contemporary settlements once they are established. Williams also offers his analysis regarding Canada opting not to sign the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples explaining that under the constitution of the United Nations general assembly, once a vote is cast, it is there forever. As such, even if Canada (read the Harper government) claims to have changed their mind on their vote, the bottom line is Canada continually refuses to comport their domestic law within international law which states the Doctrine of Discovery with its tradition of the savage is a racist doctrine from the colonial era that has no place in the 21st century. Interestingly, Williams ends the lecture arguing he has no confidence in the court process, both domestic or international. He argues it is best to publicize, through advocacy efforts, Indigenous human rights violations as the mechanism to pressure the governments to change their policies. Needed are aggressive human rights campaigns. You can subscribe to my blog here. Check your spam folder to verify it. Please like and share this blog. Miigwetch. Lynn Gehl, Ph.D. 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, and is an outspoken critic of the Ontario Algonquin land claims and self-government process. She has three books: Anishinaabeg Stories: Featuring Petroglyphs, Petrographs, and Wampum Belts, The Truth that Wampum Tells: My Debwewin of the Algonquin Land Claims Process, and Mkadengwe: Sharing Canada's Colonial Process through Black Face Methodology. You can reach her at lynngehl@gmail.com and see more of her work at www.lynngehl.com. Canada creates “chiefs” to facilitate the termination of Indigenous Nations.
2013 and 2014 mark the 250th anniversary of the 1763 Royal Proclamation and the 1764 Treaty at Niagara respectively. The Treaty at Niagara ratified the terms of the Proclamation, establishing a Nation-to-Nation constitutional agreement whereby all lands and resources would be shared. William Johnson commissioned runners of the Nipissing and Algonquin Nations, asking them to carry a printed copy of the Proclamation to all the Indigenous Nations located in the larger Great Lakes region. Along with the Proclamation the runners also offered strings of white wampum as a gesture of inviting them to the peace treaty at Niagara. As an Algonquin Anishinaabe-kwe I am proud of the Algonquin Nation’s role in this foundational Treaty. Regardless of this peace treaty agreement, two centuries of oppressive colonial rule has taken its toll on the Algonquin as Canada has refused to recognize its Constitutional beginnings as Nation-to-Nation with Indigenous Nations and has monopolised all our land and resources. Within this context of colonial rule, the process where some non-status Algonquin began to call themselves “chiefs” and refer to the people they keep informed about the Algonquin land claims and self-government process as “First Nations” requires clarity. After they were selected, and then so-called elected, to sit at the negotiating table with the provincial and federal governments of Ontario and Canada these non-status Algonquin began to call themselves “chiefs” and the group of Algonquin that they keep informed as “First Nations”. In this way they are not really chiefs and not really leaders of a First Nation. After all a colonial process is not the process by which someone becomes a chief, and for that matter it is not the process by which a group of people become a legitimate community let alone a First Nation. Further to this, the really peculiar thing is that these so-called chiefs sitting at the land claims and self-government table do not change. This is due to faulty election processes and a lack of participating Algonquin in that many Algonquin are apathetic to the real issues or they are too busy to be actively involved, women more so as they are busy raising children and dealing with other issues the western model of society has imposed. In addition many Algonquin have walked away entirely because they know it is a colonial process. As a result, these so-called chiefs are there for life of the so-called negotiation process. The Algonquin land claims and self-government process, as all land claims process are, is nothing more than a job creation project where a handful of people – Indigenous and non-Indigenous – collect a salary to facilitate the self-termination of the nation and nothing more. The recent Algonquin offer tabled by the provincial and federal governments of 1.3% of our traditional territory and a $300 million one-time buy-out, if ratified, is a sure indication of this, and will surely bring shame to the nation. This is how the Canadian government works, by manufacturing Indigenous complicity in their termination. This is hardly reconciliation or anything to be proud of. The Algonquin are far better off as a Nation without a land claims settlement. Also see this link: Algonquin Genocide Dr. 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 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 Please like, share, and comment on this Black Face Blog. Canada Manufactures Canadians Living in Canada as I do, I encounter proud Canadians all the time, more so around the time of Canada Day celebrations. The commonly held view put forward by these proud Canadians is that Canada is the country where they were born, and that Canada is the country that welcomed their parents and grandparents with open arms and gave them their new beginning they so very much needed. Given this, they tell me. “A proud Canadian is who I am”. As an Algonquin Anishinaabe-kwe I experience these “proud Canadian statements” as both racist and ungrounded. Unfortunately for both of us proud Canadians are usually offended when I tell them so. I experience “proud Canadian statements” as racist because Canada the nation state was built on racist and genocidal policies that were and are harmful and disenfranchising to Indigenous peoples. As an Indigenous person I know that these racist and genocidal policies continue to exist today in the form of the Indian Act, and the Comprehensive Land Claims and the Self-Government policies. While the Indian Act imposes colonial law and poverty on Indigenous nations, the Land Claims and Self-Government policies take advantage of this same poverty and impose a negotiation process that offers very little in terms of genuine self-government and long term viability. In this way Canada pushes Indigenous people into unsustainable living conditions, and then imposes policies on them that assure their termination as distinct social political entities. When I reflect on this I realize this Canadian made genocidal process takes place in large part because most Canadians do not have the time and mind space to determine for themselves that genocide is what it is. Upon reflection, I have learned that this is the way that genocide sometimes operates – right in front of people’s eyes, yet these same people can’t see it because Canada has blinded its citizens ability to see it. Genocide in plain sight is the worst form of genocide to raise awareness about. I have found that in my process of making the invisible visible, most people get angry at me. They get angry because I am challenging their treasured ideology of Canada, the great and benevolent country. What Canadians need to realize, though, is that this emotional reaction is oftentimes the nature of new knowledge. People become emotional with new knowledge because they have become destabilised in terms of what is dear to them. While you may be emotional about my statement that I find “proud Canadian statements” racist – this does not mean I am incorrect. Indeed Canada, and all it has become, is racist and genocidal. While this may explain why I experience “proud Canadians statements” as racist, this does not explain why I also experience them as ungrounded. I perceive them as ungrounded because the story of Canada has no real cultural depth beyond that of a song, a flag, and a fictional story of two founding nations: the British and the French. Through effective strategies of nationalism, strategies that deny and supress genuine cultural meaning, when people find themselves in moments of despair they have no cultural knowledge of who they are and how to find their way home. Instead they find themselves in a dark cave where all they are able to do is drink, eat, and shop for example. In this way, while Canada may claim to respect who people are, most people void of their ancestral Indigenous knowledge which include prayer, song, dance, and ritual are particularly lonely and thus vulnerable in moments of despair. Let’s face it, nationalism is unable to provide the necessary medicine when people need it most. We are all Indigenous to the earth and we are all born into rich ancestral traditions of Indigenous cultural knowledge. Indigenous knowledge is the cultural knowledge that has shaped your ancestors since time immemorial; it is the cultural knowledge that has stood the test of time. Yet, in the process of shaping proud Canadians, Canada breaks down and dismisses this precious ancestral knowledge. In this way, “Canada the Great” actually lets proud Canadians down when they are in most need of a cultural backbone to guide them to a safe place. The Need for a Paradigm Shift Humans are in need of a huge paradigm shift, much like the one that took hold regarding the earth and the sun − that being that it is the earth that orbits the sun rather than the sun orbiting the earth. The current economic and materialistic paradigm is harming all life on earth. Indigenous people − again, we are all Indigenous to the earth − who remain rooted in their own life sustaining Indigenous knowledge are at once both the canaries suffering the most from the current paradigm, as well as the holders of the ancient Indigenous knowledge systems required for the much needed paradigm shift. The problem is that nation states such as Canada have been very successful at monopolizing people’s mindsets in a way that they are convinced that they are “people of a country” rather than “Indigenous people of the earth”. Nationalism has also been successful at convincing Canadians that Indigenous knowledge philosophy and culture is primitive, non-progressive, and thus unworthy of being respected as a valid source of knowledge. What is worse is that nationalism has been successful at convincing proud Canadians that their hard earned tax dollars are being squandered by the Indigenous people of Turtle Island. In doing this, Canada creates a blinding system where proud Canadians are unable to see the source of the environmental destruction, and the very real value of earth centred Indigenous knowledge systems. Unfortunately, because nation states are stuck in the current paradigm, and because they hold the financial power and all that it provides such as institutional power to control people, individuals who are already overworked and over tired do not have the time to do the work needed to learn the truth. Despite this we need to keep in mind that Canada will only teach you what will serve their paradigm – even if that paradigm is harming all life on earth, your children’s lives and their children’s lives included. Do not underestimate the role that state nationalism has had on your mind set and practices. Some Interesting Historical Facts about Canada
I want to share with readers some of the history that the foundation of Canada rests on. Most Canadians are unaware of this knowledge as the state’s education system opts not to teach this truth: · The 1869 Gradual Enfranchisement Act was implemented to destroy Indigenous self-government. The election of Chiefs and Councillors became the exclusive process for male band members only. · In 1869, Indigenous governance practices, such as gender balance, consensus decision making, wampum diplomacy, and restorative justice, were outlawed. · In 1869, all rules, regulations, and elected Indigenous officials were subject to confirmation by the government of Canada, whereby they could depose the leaders that they did not approve of. · Through the 1876 Indian Act, when an Indigenous woman married a White man she became a White woman and was no longer considered an Indian. As a result, she and her children had to leave their home community. · Beginning in the 1880s, Indigenous traditional culture was deemed a criminal offense. Cultural traditions criminalized consisted of prayer, song, dance, drumming, the sacred pipe, giveaways, the vision quest, the sun dance, the sweat lodge, smudging, traditional dress, and the potlatch. · Beginning in 1886, Indians could not leave their reserve community unless they obtained a pass from the Indian agent. · To reduce the effectiveness of Indigenous leaders and organizations, in 1927 it became illegal for Indians to hire lawyers or advisors to help them with their grievances against the government of Canada. · In 1936, Indian agents were granted the power to preside at, and direct, band council meetings, as well as cast the deciding vote in elections in the event of a tie. · It was not until the 1960s when Indian people could vote in Canada. If they wanted to vote before this date they had to give up being an Indian. Dr. 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 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 Please like, share, and comment on this Black Face Blog. 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. Please comment on, like, and share this Black Face blog. When Prime Minister Stephen Harper offered the residential school apology in the Canadian parliament on June 11, 2008 he stated the reason for doing so was that the lack of one was a barrier to the healing and wellness of survivors. I, though, thought his rhetoric was nothing but a pile of nonsense in that it was void of any real practical value. As an Algonquin Anishinaabe-kwe who has spent a lot time looking at the history of the Algonquin land claims and self-government process at the doctoral level, I know full well that the contemporary process offers, for the most part nothing. The amount of land and resources Indigenous Nations gain in the contemporary land claims and self-government process is so miniscule that viable self-government is not possible. Let’s face it, 1.3% of our land base and three hundred million dollars will not cut it. Clearly the process is not a negotiation between equal nations leading to genuine self-government for Indigenous Nations. Rather, it is a perpetuation of a colonial and patriarchal relationship. In the Anishinaabe tradition knowledge is located in both oratory and the associated practices and rituals that accompany and follow. Oratory and practices/rituals inform and re-enforce one another. As such, Stephen Harper’s words were meaningless to me because at the level of practice the contemporary land claims and self-government process continues to set huge limitations on Indigenous self-government. Thinking through my Anishinaabeg worldview as I do I found Indigenous leader and cultural icon Elijah Harper’s more recent discussion of Stephen Harper’s oral apology of the residential school history and the accompanying practices and rituals interesting and affirming. Elijah, himself a survivor of the residential school system, was a keynote speaker at the “From Indian Residential Schools to Truth and Reconciliation Conference” in Peterborough, Ontario that took place on May 5th and 6th, 2012. This community driven conference was organized by the Kawartha Truth and Reconciliation Support Group which consisted of Indigenous peoples and descendants of settler allies and it was chaired by Alice Olsen Williams. The Truth and Reconciliation (TRC) as most know emerged from the apology that Stephen Harper offered. During his quietly spoken keynote address Elijah Harper relied on his knowledge of parliamentary procedures explaining that the practices/rituals accompanying Stephen Harper’s apology did not match the oratory. Elijah explained that during the reading of the apology parliament was in session in that the Speaker of the House of Commons was in his rightful location – in the Speaker’s chair, and the House of Commons' Mace was in its rightful location – on the Clerk’s table. Elijah explained that these two practices/rituals symbolize that parliament is in official proceedings. These practices/rituals are always in place when foreign dignitaries or heads of state speak in the House of Commons. While these two practices/rituals were adhered to during Harper’s oral reading of the apology, Elijah further explained that when the Indigenous leaders spoke the Speaker of the House left his chair, returning to the floor, and the House of Commons Mace was moved to a non-official location, indicating that parliament was no longer in formal session. It is clear to me that in explaining this lack of harmonization between oratory and practices/rituals Elijah was asking listeners to appreciate that Indigenous peoples were not respected and recognized as the Nations that they are. Elijah, myself, and many others agree on the importance of land and resources in Indigenous self-determination. While talking with him after his keynote he pointed out that during 2010 the Canadian national domestic product was a whopping $600 billion. It was clear to me that Elijah was arguing Indigenous Nations are entitled to our rightful share of the wealth of our resources of our land. Interestingly, during Alice Olsen Williams’ workshop session, where she was show-casing a community quilting project, she began with offering the same position stating, “Give us our land and resources”. It was clear to me that Alice was arguing that this is where genuine reconciliation will be played out. Jan Longboat agreed with the importance of land and resources. This became apparent when Jan stood up and thanked Alice for her wise words. After Elijah finished his keynote address I also had a conversation with the attending Truth and Reconciliation Commissioner, Marie Wilson, a non-Indigenous person. I blatantly informed the commissioner that as an Algonquin Anishinaabe-kwe I find the entire TRC process, meaning the apology and the events that are presently unfolding in Canada, to be patronizing. Of course she defended her position. Regardless, I did not budge; after all, I carry first-hand knowledge about the current land claims and self-government process where Indigenous Nations continue to be denied our land and resources – again the two resources where viable self-government is manifested. Appreciating that I was not going to budge on my position about feeling patronized, the commissioner added that she is doing what the people want and feel is needed. My response to her, though, was “Yes, I understand that people need to feel that their grief has been heard before they can move on, that is if they can move on.” Regardless, I explained “After these people are heard, many may turn their attention to the practices [again where knowledge is] inherent in the contemporary land claims and self-government process, as I and others have, and they may come to realize they were duped by the oral apology”. What I meant by this is that they may come to realize, as I have in my thinking and knowing process, that the practices on the ground fail to meet the oratory of the apology. “Once they find themselves in this place, many may return to a place of feeling manipulated, denied, and lied to. And this new place may be a place of greater disenfranchised grief” I added. In sum, oratory and practices/rituals did not harmonize and inform one another as they should have during Stephen Harper’s apology and in this way fork tongue discourse is alive and well in the Harper government, rather than being a colonial strategy of the past. All this said, some people may wonder, “If I know that the contemporary land claims and self-government process is rooted in colonial practice and the oral apology lacks real substance, why did I bother to attend the TRC conference?” My response is layered. First, I attended the conference because I wanted the opportunity to listen to Elijah Harper’s thoughts on the apology and the TRC process. I wanted to learn if he felt the same way that I do. Second, I attended the conference because I realize that some residential school survivors do need a venue to voice what Elijah himself suggested during his keynote. That being “We need to forgive them”. When I listened to Elijah’s words I interpreted them to mean, not that we forgive them, move past our grief and move on, but rather that there is the need to forgive what the settlers and colonizers have done, and for that matter continue to do, in that they are indeed pitiful human beings versus beings that bear the intelligence, voice, and practices that members of the Tree or Deer Nations hold. Dr. 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, she 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. In her spare time she carves nickel-sized turtles. You can reach her at lynngehl@gmail.com and see more of her work at www.lynngehl.com. Constructs, models, theories, and policies while never offering universal truths, serve humans in that they guide our emotions, thoughts, and practices as we move forward. All human groups need them. To be without them, is to exist in chaos and thus go nowhere. After years of participating in the Algonquin land claims and self-government process in Ontario where experts were guiding the process, eventually it became apparent to me that I was situated in an awful context. Assisting state nationalism as they were, these so-called experts offered no real discussion, commentary, or teachings on the difference between the treaty process and the land claims process. Rather, they cleverly employed terms such as “government to government” versus “nation to nation”. Some even promoted the land claims and self-government process and the pitiful settlements through comparing the process to class action law suits against an employer such as the grocery store FRESHCO for example. Eventually, I realized these lawyers, anthropologists, and so called friends of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg were really serving Canada’s colonial agenda. I realized that the land claims and self-government process is about the government of Canada gaining access to and exploiting Indigenous lands and resources while at the same time giving Indigenous Nations mere crumbs and dirty water to subsist on. Canada does this, I learned, through unilaterally constructed and genocidal polices such as the Comprehensive Land Claims Policy and the Inherent Rights Policy. I was floored, as I had so hoped that the Algonquin land claims and self-government process would result in viable and meaningful self-government for the Algonquin. Not so. Recently the offer was tabled: 1.3% of our land and a $300 million one time payment. Eventually I found I had to do something constructive with the knowledge that I gained from this awful experience and so I once again pulled myself off the floor, gathered some of my thoughts, and compiled them into my Ally Bill of Responsibilities. I felt the people assisting the Canadian state’s agenda needed to know that I knew full well that they are not really allies, but rather they are agents of a genocidal colonial agenda. I compiled my Bill quite some time ago, publishing the first version in Canadian Dimension magazine. Many allies have emailed me since this time to let me know that they found the Bill useful, and to tell me that they rely on it to guide them in their emotions, thoughts, and practices of allyship. Many Indigenous people have also informed me that they find the Bill affirming and useful in their work. Still further, students have emailed me to let me know that my Bill was a reading in one of their university courses. While I know the issues put forward through the passing of Bill C-45 into law are not just an Indian matter, in my need to offer something constructive to the IdleNoMore movement I have taken the time to post a more recent and accessible version my Ally Bill of Responsibilities on many Facebook event walls as well as in groups. In my decision to do this I really have to credit Barbara Low for instilling in me the value of my Bill and for encouraging me to give it more currency. For this I am grateful. Posting my Bill on Facebook is a reasonable and constructive practice in that, after all, we have experienced a social media revolution. In fact, it is the social media revolution that is credited for the Canada wide, America wide, and now global wide IdleNoMore movement. Through this effort, once again I have been receiving positive feedback from both allies and Indigenous people who are finding the Bill useful in guiding their emotions, thoughts, and practices. Some people have even requested permission to translate the Bill into other languages. This makes me very happy and through this heart knowledge a flicker of hope is birthed. My Bill is available here at this link: http://www.lynngehl.com/my-ally-bill-of-responsibilities.html Other people, though, have pointed out that they do not like the words “behind” and “secondary” that are in my Ally Bill of Responsibilities. I address these concerns through explaining that in any social stratified society, people on the lower rungs of society – such as young Indigenous mothers and persons with disabilities − require allies to stand behind them in the process of collectively challenging oppressive regimes. Let’s face it, in a socially stratified society people are not equals, and real and effective change will only happen when people understand that those who are worse off require allies to stand behind them in their movement forward. It is my view that those people most denied need to lead the way forward, that is if emancipation for all is the desired outcome. I then point out that to stand behind and secondary to others is indeed a place of honour, and that they should reconsider their process of ascribing negative meaning to these words. Further, although I do not use the terms “settler ally” and “descendant of settlers ally” in this Bill, I do hear these terms and I rely on them too. I have found that some people do not like these terms. I find this interesting and wonder why they once again ascribe negative meaning to these terms. Many people offer that they were born in Canada and that they are proud to be Canadians. They also say that their family has been in Canada for many generations. I do hear what these people are saying, and I do value what they are saying. In response, though, I also offer that when I hear people use these terms to describe their location in the Canadian mosaic, I attribute to them as having a critical perspective. That is a critical perspective of state nationalism, its limitations, and the propaganda that the Canadian state and its education system has so carefully planted in the hearts and minds of everyday Canadians as a measure to control their emotions, thoughts, and practices. I further interpret the use of these terms to also mean the door is still open for these people to return to the rituals and ceremonies of their ethnicity and their Indigenous knowledge. After all we are all Indigenous to the earth and we all have our own Indigenous knowledge that we can draw from to guide us forward. This interpretation of mine makes me feel very happy and helps me move forward to a dreamed future. These people who think of themselves as “settler allies” or “descendants of settler allies” offer me hope, and they lift me off the floor that Canada’s genocidal policies and practices have thrown me to. When I think critically about how the Canadian state continues to undermine Indigenous people and our treaty rights, I realize that in passing Bill C-45 Prime Minister Stephen Harper has taken on the action of an agent provocateur where his goal is to disrupt the ally relationship between Indigenous people and the average Canadian. What I mean by this is that while certainly Harper has passed legislation that will harm all Canadians, he has strategically placed Indigenous people and their ally relationship with settler allies at risk. In doing this Harper has shifted the real focus of Bill C-45 to being an Indian thing where consequently Indigenous people become targets of anger and racism. Through this process, Harper gains angry and reactionary support in fulfilling his economic political agenda. I have learned there is the need for Indigenous people to nurture our relationship with allies. In my needfulness and hope that more and more Canadians are waking up to the methods of propaganda that the Canadian government uses to control their emotions, thoughts, and practices, I asked “allies”, “settler allies”, and “descendants of settler allies” to send me their photographs as IdleNoMore supporters. I offer this collection here for others to experience. Please take the time to like, tweet, and share this blog.
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