Shylo
Elmayan, a senior project manager for urban Indigenous strategies
for
the City of Hamilton listens as Jacke Labonte speaks at the
Indigenous
flag-raising at Hamilton City Hall.
Four
different Indigenous flags will fly at City Hall for the month of
June
to
mark National Indigenous History Month.
In the European tradition, rivers were seen as divisions between
people. But, in Aboriginal tradition, rivers are seen as the glue ~
the highway, the linkage between people (not the separation).
And that's the history of Canada: our rivers and lakes are our
highways.
(John Raiston Saul)
National
Indigenous Peoples Day ~ June 21 in Canada
~
represents diverse cultures and outstanding achievements
of First Nations, Inuit and Metis.
Started
in 2009 with the passing of a 'unanimous motion' in the House of
Commons, it marks the 150th
anniversary of the Royal Proclamation of 1763 which is the foundation
of the relationship of Canada's original inhabitants and the
newcomers. In recent years, Indigenous communities have been more
vocal ~ demanding that their traditional rights be respected by
governments.
In
the winter of 2012-13, the Idle
No More
Indigenous movement
was the focus of protests across the country.
Native
Tribes of Ontario
Ontario
is an Iroquian Indian word (from the Mohawk name) meaning 'beautiful
lake.' The
originial inhabitants of the area that is now Ontario include: The
Algonquin,
Cree,
Haudenosaunee
(Iroquois)
tribes...the Huron,
Mississauga,
Nipissing,
Ojibwe,
Oj-Cree,
Ottawa,
Saulteaux,
Neutral
and
Petun
tribes. The Onondaga
(People
of the Hills) are
one of the original 5 constituent nations of the Iroquois
Confederacy (Haudenosaunee). They
were centrally located among the natives with the Cayuga
and Seneca to
the west...and the Oneida
and Mohawk
to their east.
The
Munsee
Delaware people,
not originally native to Ontario, but migrated here after the
Americans forced them out of their own homelands. Their descendants
still live in Ontario today.
The
Tribes' longhouses
served as spiritual, cultural and social activities,
the seat of government and symbol of security.
Did
you know that Hamilton has a
Regional Indian Centre
located at 34 Ottawa Street North? (Telephone 905-548-9593)?
Its vision: Creating Change that Empowers Urban Aboriginal People.
Its mission: To provide Urban Aboriginal People with the tools
to achieve a balanced wholistic lifestyle.
Indigenous
Fashion Event Weaves Identity, Tradition and Progress
Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto (May 31-June 3 at Harbourfront Centre
featured runway shows, a curated exhibition, panels and lectures,
hands-on workshops and a market-place with Indigenous artists
including those from Canada, the United States and Greenland.
Metis fashion designer, Evan Ducharme from Vancouver
says he welcomes more opportunities to celebrate and promote
Indigenous artists and different points of view that often prioratize
sustainable materials, ethnic sourcing and reduced waste.
A 25-year old artist from the Metis community of St. Ambroise,
Manitoba said, “Some people looking at my work ask, “Where's the
fringe? Where's the deer hide? Where's all the bead-work? Because
Metis people are renowned for their bead-work. But where I was
raised, none of the women in my family ever did bead-work.
Sage Paul, founder of Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto, states,
“Despite the fact that many ethnic artists from Indigenous
communities boast master weavers, beaders, and applique artists ~
they have yet to receive broader recognition for their talents. You
can go to any Canadian tourist store, and buy a really cheap piece of
beaded work that's not even made here in Canada. Those on remote
reserves are at a further disadvantage because tools, materials and
shipping are more expensive.”
She points to the inspiring work of Janelle Wawia, a self-taught
artist
from
northwestern Ontario who traps her own furs and leather.
The food goes into the community to feed community members...bones
are used for tools...
and the fur is used for whatever is being made out of the clothing
.
Evan
Ducharme comments: My
work is always going to be an ode
to those ancestors who did everything that they could so that my
generation
and the generations to come after me, would have a better
tomorrow.
Grassy
Narrows Health Worse Than Other First Nations
Reported
by The Canadian Press in Toronto: A new health survey by Grassy
Narrows First Nation shows that decades after mercury was dumped
into a river system, the physical and mental health of people there
is significantly
worse than
that of other First Nations in Canada. With fewer elders in Grassy
Narrows, it suggests that people there are dying prematurely.
One-third of residents of the northern Ontario reserve have lost a
close friend or family member to suicide which is 5 times an average
rate documented by other Ontario First Nations...and 28% had
attempted suicide...and more than double the rate of other First
Nations. The study also indicated that adult residents over 50, who
reported eating more fish as children had experienced poorer success
in school and are 2 times more likely to have an annual income of
less than $20,000.
A mercury expert at Universite du Quebec, says it is the strongest
evidence
that links 'grave health problems to eating mercury-contaminated
fish.
A paper mill in Dryden, Ontario dumped 9,000 kilograms of the
substance into the English-Wabigoon River systems in the 1960's. The
Ontario government has pledged to spend $85 million to remediate the
contamination of the river.
Thanks to one of my readers for the following bit of humour:
Mom,
Why Did You Call Me My Name?
An
Indian boy goes to his mother one day with a puzzled look on his
face. “Say, Mom, why is my bigger brother named Mighty
Storm?” She
replied, “Because he was conceived during a mighty storm.”Then he
asked her, “Why is my sister named Cornflower?”
“Well,” she said, “Your father and I were in a cornfield when
we made her.” He then asked, “And why is my other sister called
Moonchild?”
The
mother replied, “We were watching the moon-landing when she was
conceived.”
Pausing, the mother said to her son,
“Tell
me, Torn
Rubber,
why are you so curious?”
Scripted by Merle Baird-Kerr...June 4, 2018
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