First Nation’s People of Canada are not Victims, but Realists.

It’s easy to come to the conclusion that the First Nation’s people who are currently protesting across Canada, and in Ottawa, are playing the “victim” card.  But this is a shortsighted statement.  For the many non-native, white, or other ethnic Canadians, it is hard to understand the historical traumas and disruptions suffered by First Nation’s communities, families and individuals.  I don’t think the First Nation’s people’s are saying, “do this for us”, or “we want you to give us this.”  Instead, I believe they are looking for a dialogue with the powers that be, and most importantly they are searching for a new path forward for their communities. 

They understand acutely that in order to contend with a government of a prosperous nation, heavily influenced and controlled by multinational corporations that badly want access to their lands and resources (and want access to those lands to be sold to them by First Nation’s people who are poor and hungry for cash), they need to start an organizing process with a big splash that includes protests, hunger strikes, and blockades.  Native peoples around the world understand that without the money that serves to influence government and people in conventionally accepted ways like lobbying, advertising campaigns, and online webpages so slick and “green” you would think they were from the people trying to save the environment (not destroy it), they will be no match to the powers that be.  Big organizing against big power has to start this way.  

It is now up to us non-native, white and other ethnic peoples of North America to be supportive and helpful to them. They do not need anger or dismissive attitudes.

Sometimes the complexity of the issue can force negative reactions from those who do not wish to look further at the details. As sited it the manifesto at the Idle No More website, they are standing up for,  "outstanding land claims, lack of resources and unequal funding for services such as education and housing.”  Each of these statements are complex and can be backed up by thousands of pages of reports.  What stands at the end of all these reports is the striking truth that First Nation’s communities are not doing well.  As Chelsea Vowel states clearly in her article, the First Nation’s people are dying because of these inequities, and then expressly does not apologize for being sensational, because it’s true.

Having come back from a First Nation’s conference on preventing suicide in Montreal just last month, I certainly do not need any more reinforcement in understanding this.  First Nation youth are dying of suicide at rates 10-20x higher than other comparable youth groups.  If your sons, daughters, nieces and nephews were dying of a completely preventable mental health disorder, and you realized that lack of access to healthcare in your community was contributing to this, would you be angry?  Would you do something about this?  I hope so.

So, it is up to us, the non-First Nations people of Canada, North America and the world, to be supportive and helpful to the First Nation’s people now, not negative.  They have embarked on a sacred journey that will be difficult but is necessary.  I offer them many blessings and much strength and an intelligent spirit of determination.  And I hope that my gifts as well as the gifts of many others may serve to assist them on their journey. 

photo credit: Caelie_Frampton via photopin cc