Standing Up For Canada’s First Nation People

By Karl Dockstader –

A collective in Hamilton to support the Idle no more movement! Meet at City Hall to voice our discontent with Steven Harper’s agenda and Bill C-45. First Nations people are here to protect Mother Earth. We need to stand in solidarity to exercise that right.

This message has been circulating for only a few short days.

 Niagara’s First Nations are buzzing that this is our chance to stand up to the Canadian government’s arbitrary rule changes in an effort to erode our rights and merchandise Mother Earth’s gifts on Turtle Island.

The Government of Canada has a long and contentious relationship with First Nations people. From breaking the Queen’s treaties, kidnapping our children and adopting them out in the 60’s scoop, the raping and murder of young innocent Native children at the hands of the administrators of residential schools, to systemic racism and tendencies akin to over a hundred years of attempts at cultural genocide, there is a laundry list of atrocious and egregious government sanctioned attacks against the once proud and free Native persons of Canada.

It took until 1996 to close the last residential school and it will take a lot longer to rebuild the relationship between the government of Canada and the First Nations, Metis and Inuit people of Canada.

 I cannot speak on behalf of the many nations of Turtle Island, nor will I speak on behalf of my Oneida Nation which is part of the Great Haudenosaunee Nation for reasons which I will explain later.  What I can say is that as long as I have been alive, I have felt that the people of Canada are a greatly unique community of people who would never sanction the actions of the governments of the past.  I think that had this nation, that prides itself on enduring the elements, skating on ice ponds and being a leader on the world stage realized what was happening under their noses, their blood would have curdled.  When I lived in London, Ontario, I went briefly to Sir Frederick Banting, a school named after one of the main discoverers of insulin.  This is a cherished figure of Canadian history and ideals, not the dark and secretive attempted assassins of the Native way of life.

When developers laid claim to Oka lands in the summer of 1990 and the Mohawk Warriors, under the direction of our Ancient governmental structure, were directed by the leaders of the Haudenosaunee people, our Clan Mothers, to defend our lands a lot of people eyes were opened. 

 The developers and the government were pursuing land rights for profits, and the Warriors were defending ancient graves, tradition and a non-monetary value of the land.  The Mayor, Premier Bourassa, Prime Minister Mulroney, all male leaders, claimed in later years that they were tied to principles of the systems they represented, the Mohawks were guided by female leaders who used ancient wisdom to provide leadership based on the situation at hand. The Patriarchal society was pushing for development and progress in the name of expanding the economy, and the Matriarchal society was protecting the stones jutting from the earth serving as memorials to the fallen people who’s bodies were entombed beneath the earth.

As I mentioned earlier, I cannot and will not speak on behalf of my people. That is an honour for the Clan Mothers who channel timeless tradition to provide the leadership for the Haudenosaunee Nations.  What I can say is that with the passing of Bill C-45 the old pattern of a government that only wants to protect money is playing out again.  5.8 Million People voted for the Conservative Government out of a country with 24 Million eligible voters.

The man who has decided that the Minister of Indian Affairs can call a referendum amongst the people of a reservation and make them vote on whether they can forfeit their land for money or not can make these changes to law with a “majority” that was formed from 24% of the eligible voters voting for the party that had “done a good job with the economy.”

I am not sure that this is what Canadians had in mind for their government, but what I am sure of is that when I go to Hamilton as proud Onayota:aka who resides in Niagara, what I can say is that this is not the way to govern.  This is not what I think Canada is about.

 If you are First Nations, Metis, Inuit, Canadian, American, German or an Indian born in South Asia – If you think that a man who only garnered 24 per cent  of the vote shouldn’t be allowed to slam the iron fist of the Canadian government down – then give some thought to heading out to Hamilton on Saturday, December 22^nd, 3pm at City Hall to tell the government what kind of Canada you want for the future.

 Karl Dockstader – also known as  tkaké·tohseˀ, okwal(i), onayota:aka – is a member of the Oneida community living in Niagara Falls, Ontario.

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