Aboriginal Arts Café

Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health
299 Montreal Rd.
Friday January 7, 2011
Starts at 6pm
For more information contact Christine Head: chead@wabano.com or 613 748 0657 x241

There will be no cost for this event but
donations will be accepted for Wabano’s new Mamawi Centre

Click to View Poster

A Four Arrows Summary: 'Important Coming Events'

UN Conference on Indigenous Peoples:
2014 - Will Canada Be There?
Safe Drinking Water Bill S-11 Moves Ahead
'Should Set Out Some Very Loud Alarms'

Click to View Article

2011 Powwow Calendar

The 2011 Powwow Calendar - Forever Dancing, Volume II is now available. This is the 2nd edition and was sold at powwows across Ontario last summer. If you already have yours, thanks for supporting this unique project. If not, now is the time to order, quantities are limited. (Please go to Facebook search: The Calendar Project to view front and back pages of this year's calendar for your convenience. The back page does not reflect images inside the calendar, each page is unique. Please note they are copyrighted).

This is an awesome 12 month calendar, beautiful action pictures of Traditional Powwow Dancers from around Ontario. They are wonderful as gifts and giveaways.

This calendar is unique, not available in stores, and are only $5.00 each, plus postage. The date pages are in Ojibwe and English, useful as a reference or teaching tool. We can discount quantities on orders of 20+ to groups and organizations.

Please note each year a percentage of the sales is donated to Native Healing and Wellness programs in Ontario. If you would like to qualify for this donation fund, please send a letter outlining your program. Donations are made usually around January or February. With the purchase of each calendar, your are also helping to support Native Self Employment.

Send an email to 2011powowcalendar@gmail.com for more info or to order.

Training Program

On behalf of the Ontario Native Literacy Coalition, we are asking you to help spread the word about The Canadian Aboriginal Arts & Communications (CAAC) Business Studio, which focuses on the arts, communication and leadership. This program assists participants in developing knowledge and skills for employment and self-employment. We have a short turn around time in terms of your consideration, and we would appreciate your help to spread the word to the people you work with and serve, and your community network.

We have spaces for a total of 20 Aboriginal Adults to attend The CAAC Business Studio. We have attached for your information a document entitled "Description of Program - Recruitment Doc 10.doc".

· 10 participants for six weeks, from January 10 to February 18, 2011

· 10 participants for six weeks, from February 21 to April 1, 2011

The project is funded by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC), and funding covers ALL of the training costs. Costs for travel, accommodations and meals are not covered by the INAC Funding and are the responsibility of the participant. We have also attached some projected costs for accommodation, meals and travel.

Thank you in advance for your assistance in spreading the word about this project. If you have any questions or would like further detail, please contact Susan Wilson at (705) 432-3106 or susan.wilsonandassociates@gmail.com.

CAAC Recruitment Flyer

Description of Program

Projected Costs

Public event: Indigenous Peoples threatened with extinction in Colombia

Last month, Colombia’s National Organization of Indigenous Peoples (ONIC) brought a devastating message to a special session of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights: at least 64 of Colombia’s 102 Indigenous Peoples are at risk of physical or cultural extinction in the face of the devastating effects of an ongoing internal armed conflict and the imposition of development projects in Indigenous lands without their free, prior and informed consent. When an Indigenous people disappears, so too does its culture, spirituality, language, ancestral knowledge and traditional practices - indeed a whole world is extinguished forever. The ONIC has launched an international campaign to respond to this emergency, and is calling “on humanity to recognise the situation of risk to Indigenous Peoples as everyone’s problem”.

Come hear two leaders of the ONIC speak about this courageous Campaign for Survival and Dignity and how you can support it.

• Dora Tavera Riaño of the Pijao People is ONIC's Councillor for Women, Family and Generation
• Flaminio Onogama Gutierrez of the Embera People is ONIC’s Councillor for the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Human Rights and Peace

When: Wednesday December 8th at 7 PM

Where: Amnesty House, 312 Laurier East in Ottawa (between Russell and Chapel).

For more information or to get involved, contact pjkelsall@hotmail.com

We have much to learn from our elders

By David Suzuki with Faisal Moola
(from canoe.ca, November 16th)

As I approach my 75th birthday, I find myself often thinking about mortality. I’m in the last part of my life, and that’s reality. This is the time when we must fulfill our most important duty: to reflect on a lifetime and then sift through the detritus of experience, observation, and thought in order to winnow out lessons to pass on to coming generations.

The most influential elders in my life were my parents. Although they were in their 30s and 40s when I was a child, they seemed much older and wiser. They taught me lessons that have guided me and that I have tried to pass on to my children:

“Respect your elders.” They weren’t referring to themselves but to older people, who by virtue of having lived a life, deserved respect.

“You are what you do, not what you say.” With today’s barrage of information, spin, and propaganda from politicians and corporations, it’s important to look at a record of action rather than be deceived or confused by words.

“If you want everyone to like you, you will not stand for anything.” When I was in high school, I was elected president of the student body. I told my dad that I wanted everyone to like me. He told me that no matter what one stands up for, there will always be those who disagree with you.

“Whatever you do, whether it’s washing dishes, scrubbing floors, or working at a job, throw yourself into it with all your energy.” I have learned that when I do a half-hearted job, I get a half-hearted experience.

My parents lived through the Great Depression, which shaped their values and outlook. They taught me those values:

“Save some for tomorrow.” This was a recurring theme and, of course, a value held by any true conservative.

“Live within your means.” This meant that if you didn’t have the money to buy something today, you saved until you could. This notion goes against today’s easy access to credit, which encourages going into debt.

“Share, and don’t be greedy.” Implicit in this lesson was the notion that helping someone today was in your interest – to build relationships for the inevitable day when you would need someone to help you.

Perhaps most importantly, they taught me that I had to work hard to earn money to buy necessities in life, but that I mustn’t run after money as if having more than others would make me better or more important.

I’m lucky to have arrived at a time in my life when I am freed from the encumbrances of making money, seeking fame and power, and showing off. We elders have no hidden agenda and can speak the truth. One of the most influential groups in the peace movement was the Retired Admirals and Generals Against Nuclear War, warriors who had played by the rules through the military ranks, but once retired, could speak openly and honestly.

During the ’80s and ’90s when battles raged over forestry practices, one of my most formidable opponents was the CEO of a large forestry company. Arguing that dioxin production in pulp mills was minuscule and that his clear-cut logging was allowed by government, he bellowed, “My job is to make money for my shareholders. If you don’t like the way my company operates, your complaint is with the government because everything we do is within the law.” On retiring and being freed from the corporate game, he became a generous supporter of my foundation. Maybe someone should start a Retired Corporate CEOs and Presidents for the Environment.

In First Nations communities, elders remain the bedrock of society. In conversations with First Nations people, I am struck by how often they tell me, “The elders say…” or “I have to ask the elders.”

In today’s youth-obsessed world of rapid technological developments, we too often marginalize elders when their experience is most important.

Elders remember a world that changed more slowly, when “disposable” was not a description of products, when sharing, reusing, and recycling were simply the way we lived. Elders remember a time when family and social activities were the central focus of life, not shopping and owning stuff. Elders remind us that life can be rich and fulfilling without all the toys.

Learn more at www.davidsuzuki.org.

International Human Rights Day: Event

The Netherlands Embassy is hosting an event on Friday, December 10, together with the Native Women's Association of Canada and the Canadian Museum of Civilization. The event marks International Human Rights Day and particularly focuses on the rights of Indigenous women.

L'ambassade Royaume des Pays-Bas est l'hôte d'un événement le vendredi, Décembre 10, avec l'Association des femmes autochtones du Canada et le Musée canadien des civilisations. L'événement marque Journée internationale des droits et se concentre particulièrement sur les droits des femmes autochtones.

Click Here to View Poster

Cliquez ici pour voir l'affiche

BIll C-311 (Climate Change Accountability Act) Defeated in Senate

This is a big step back for our Mother Earth. It is very sad for thoughtful and compromised people living on Turtle Island.

Please read below,

Jallalla!
Marcelo

Prof. Marcelo Saavedra-Vargas
Programme d'études autochtones/Program of Aboriginal Studies
Université d'Ottawa/University of Ottawa
(613) 562-5800, poste/ext. 1165
msaavedr@uOttawa.ca

Some very sad news. Tonight [Tuesday Nov. 16th] the country’s only federal climate change legislation in Parliament, the Climate Change Accountability Act, was defeated in the Senate 43 to 32.

What happened? In an unprecedented move, the Conservatives called for a surprise vote on Bill C-311 in the Senate while many Liberal Senators were missing. While that isn’t a first, the fact that the bill was called for a vote before any debate or consideration could be held is unprecedented. Conservative Senators were ordered not to speak to the bill during the 193 days it was in the Senate, and even the Conservative Speaker of the Senate was told to vote against the bill (when the Speaker’s role is to vote to continue debate in the case of a tie).

Needless to say, it’s incredibly undemocratic of an appointed Senate to kill a bill passed by a majority of elected MPs, representing two-thirds of Canadians, without even giving it due consideration or debate. It’s also colossally hypocritical of Harper to use the unelected Liberal Senate to kill bills passed by our democratically-elected House, when he has spent most of his political career railing against this very tactic.

Tomorrow at 11am, Bruce Hyer will join Jack Layton and others in front of the doors to the Senate to hold a press conference. Any of you in Ottawa are invited to attend.

What does this mean? Canada now heads to the UN climate change negotiations in Cancun without a single law on the books or bill in Parliament tackling greenhouse gas pollution. Worse, all the work thousands of Canadians across the country have done to advance this climate legislation and the climate cause federally is put on hold. Rest assured, however, that it will only be a delay of a couple of years: we passed this climate bill through the House twice already, and will pass climate legislation through the House again after the next election if necessary. The education campaigns people have held are a solid foundation to build on, and we will win eventually. We must.

What can we do? Tell everyone you know about what happened here, and why it’s important. Make some noise. Write in your blogs, in your newsletters, or contact the media. Politicians only change their behaviour if there is a cost to doing things the same. So far, they are hoping this assault on our future will go unnoticed. Let’s prove them wrong.

(Courtesy of Andy Blair Legislative Assistant │ Adjoint législatif)

follow the links here http://www.parl.gc.ca/ to contact your MP, your PM, the opposition..

before Cancun we've got to make some noise.

A Four Arrows Summary

UN Rapporteur Warns Against Treating Declaration of Rights As 'Non-Binding';
Water, Water...But Not a Drop to Drink;
And in the North, Aboriginal-Free Devolution?

Implement Declaration; Water, Water...

(Courtesy of Four Arrows)

Third World Canada Ottawa Movie Premiere

Ottawa Premiere of the documentary film: 3rd World Canada

Nov. 30th, 2010 at the National Arts Centre

Public Screening & Panel discussion: 7:30 P.M. Tickets: $18.00
Paypal online or reserve & pay at the door

RSVP strongly recommended

(Toronto event at the ROM was sold out)
andree@andreecazabon.ca (613) 755-5315

Engage with National Chief Shawn A-in-chut Atleo,
Participants in the film from remote Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (K.I.), and Gemini-nominee local filmmaker, Andrée Cazabon

An invitation to all Canadians to support the reconciliation movement and close the gap in standards of living

Parts of proceeds to go to:
First Nations Child and Family Caring Society and ONEXONE breakfast program

Through intimate testimonies, ‘Third World Canada’ reveals an impoverished First Nations community and its struggles to care for eight children left behind by their parents’ suicides. A catalyst for wholesale rethinking, this film has the power to sow the seeds of reconciliation and renewal and engage with Canadians.

Reserve Tickets Online at: www.thirdworldcanada.ca/ottawa-premiere

Click Here to View Poster

A Four Arrows Summary

Canada Signs The UN Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples (well, sort of...)

(only as an 'aspirational document', with conditions, may not override Canadian law)

Canada Signs UN Declaration; Living With The Doctrine Of Discovery

(Courtesy of Four Arrows)

A Four Arrows Summary of an Old and Modern Debate

The Government's Drive to Convert Reserves
to Private Property: An Old Dream Revived;
Remembering On Remembrance Day

Reserves to Private Property Summary

(Courtesy of Four Arrows)

Free film at National Gallery of Canada, 380 Sussex Drive
Aakideh: The Art and Legacy of Carl Beam (2010)

Sunday November 14 at 2 pm, 65 min

In this film avant-première, discover an intimate and revealing look at Carl Beam's rich art legacy. His wife Ann and daughter Anong, both artists, talk about his life and career. Followed by a discussion with directors Paul Eichhorn and Robert Waldeck, artist Ann Beam and curator Greg Hill. In the Auditorium. Free admission.

The film is presented in conjunction with the current exhibition on Carl Beam's work. Here are details on the exhibition. Note that admission is free on Thursdays from 5 pm to 8 pm:

Carl Beam

22 OCTOBER 2010 – 16 JANUARY 2011

GALLERIES B102, B103 AND B104Carl Beam (1943-2005) is renowned for his powerful combinations of highly charged images from his personal Anishinaabe aesthetic, which is more akin to the expressive layering of Rauschenberg than the traditional forms of Anishinabek “Woodland School” painters. The exhibition features a selection of 50 of Beam’s most remarkable works spanning his 30-year career, from his monumental-scale paintings and constructions, to his ceramics and video.

Exhibition website: http://www.gallery.ca/beam/en/index.htm

Tomson Highway at the University of Ottawa

Tomson Highway will be speaking at Tabaret Hall on Monday, November 8, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. Admission is free.

Also, there are still tickets available for the Cabaret performance at the NAC, 4^th Stage on Tuesday and Wednesday, November 9th. and 10th. Tickets are $25.00 each.

Tomson is amazing, so I hope you will be able to attend. Here’s a link to his website. www.tomsonhighway.com

Books and CD launches at the University of Ottawa

Great news for Tomson Highway: two of his plays will finally be published in Cree, his mother tongue. Fitzhenry & Whiteside will publish The Rez Sisters and Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing, two legendary plays now known worldwide. The book launches will be held in Tabaret Hall at University of Ottawa on November 8^th at 7 pm. This will also be the occasion to launch Highway’s new CD entitled, “Patricia Cano sings Tomson Highway Live at the N.A.C.” recorded live at that venue during their last appearance in Ottawa, which was in June of 2009. The launches will be followed at 8 pm by a lecture presented by Mr. Highway on Native Literature in Canada.

On November 9^th and 10^th, come and enjoy a magical evening of music in the company of Patricia Cano and Tomson Highway as they perform in Kisaageetin: A Cabaret at the National Art Centre Fourth Stage at 7: 30 pm.

The show features 12 new songs with music and lyrics both written by acclaimed Cree playwright, novelist, and cabaret artist (as pianist/songwriter) Tomson Highway. 'Kisaageetin', a Cree word meaning "l love you,” suitably describes the production comprised of love lullabies and theatrical pieces. The performance features sensational Peruvian-Canadian vocalist Patricia Cano with Mr. Highway himself on grand piano and Ottawa-based saxophonist Vince Rimbach.

(Courtesy of Patricia LaCroix Chef, Centre de ressources autochtones / Manager, Aboriginal Resource Centre (SASS) University of Ottawa)

A Four Arrows Summary of Current News:

Pot Pouri of News: "Devolution" in NWT;
Feds Refuse to Support Biodiversity Rights;
Oil Sands & native Environmentalism;
Star Attacks Indian Affairs Management

e-notes News Summary Oct. 30, 2010
........................................................

Norway House Fisherman Win In Tax Court;
Broken People, Broken Policies: Toronto Star;
'No Running Water,: Winnipeg Free Press;
Biodiversity Protocol Passes, Falls Short

e-notes Nov. 1, 2010

Courtesy of fourarrows@rogers.com

Kogi Spiritual Leaders

On Tuesday Oct. 26th at the University of Ottawa, there will be a lecture held by Indigenous people from Colombia.

The presentation will be at 7:30pm in the Alumni Auditorium, University Centre, 85 University Private.

The cost of the lecture is $20.

Indigenous Sovereignty Week
Oct 27 - Nov 4, 2010 – Ottawa / unceded Algonquin Territory

Please share this information!

Full details and updates, posters and flyers to print off, press release, and links to Facebook event pages, are at: http://www.bit.ly/iswottawa

This is the 2^nd annual Indigenous Sovereignty Week, a cross-Canada event intended to solidify relationships among and with Indigenous Peoples. We will hold a number of events in Ottawa on unsurrendered Algonquin territory. These events will localize our struggles, deepen our understanding, address issues and help us to strategize with unified strength and vision.

Please come join us and explore ways in working together to resolve our colonial history and work for a feasible world for our future generations.

Contact: ipsmo@riseup.net, 613-656-5498, www.bit.ly/iswottawa

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

Wednesday Oct 27, 7:00pm
Film - Schooling the World: The White Man's Last Burden
… at PSAC building JK Wylie boardoom, 233 Gilmour

Friday Oct 29, 7:00pm
Seeking Justice: A National Call for an Public Enquiry for the
Murdered and Missing Women
featuring speakers:
* Sharon McIvor, successful challenger of sex discrimination in the Indian Act
* Laurie Odjick, mother of Maisy Odjick (missing since Sept 2008)
* Yasmin Jiwani, Concordia University
… at Lamoureux Hall room 122, University of Ottawa

Saturday Oct 30, 9:00am-5:30pm
Indigenous Sovereignty Symposium
featuring: Clement Chartier, Clayton Thomas-Muller, Marcelo Saavedra-Vargas, Ben Powless, Russell Diabo, representatives from the Algonquins of Barriere Lake, Native Youth Sexual Health Network, National Association of Friendship Centres, and more...

* opening and closing ceremonies
* plenaries: Climate Justice, Defending the Land
* concurrent sessions: Indigenous Peoples Space, Working as an Ally, Indigenous Sovereignty in an Urban Context, Reclaiming Indigenous Youth Self-Determination, Land Conservation and Indigenous Sovereignty

… at Lamoureux Hall (1st floor), University of Ottawa

Tuesday Nov 2, 5:00pm

Undermining Indigenous Rights: Conflicts with Mining Companies in Canada and Guatemala

with Ramsey Hart of MiningWatch

… venue to be confirmed (on campus of Carleton University)

Wednesday Nov 3, 11:30am-2:00pm
The Oka Crisis – 20 Years Later: Is Reconciliation Possible?
featuring speakers: (note this is a bilingual event)
* Ellen Gabriel, Présidente, Femmes autochtones du Québec
* Francine Lemay, Traductrice agréée, “À l’orée des bois” | “At the Wood’s Edge”
* Pierre Trudel, Chercheur, Peuples autochtones et gouvernance, CRDP Université de Montréal\CEGEP Vieux-Montréal
* Jessica Yee, Chair, National Aboriginal Youth Council, Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network
… at Desmarais Building room 3120, University of Ottawa

Thursday Nov 4, 7:00pm
Film - A Windigo Tale
Ottawa premiere, with director Armand Garnet Ruffo in attendance
… at National Library and Archives auditorium, 395 Wellington St

A Four Arrows Summary of Recent News:

Passing of Chief Jake Swamp
McIvor Bill Up For 3rd Reading
Treaty 4 First Nations Want Compensation for Potash
Truth and Reconciliation Running Short of $$$
Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement in Controversy

Click on link: e-notes Oct. 21, 2010

Public Lecture in French and in English

présente

La Crise d'Oka – 20 ans plus tard :
La reconciliation est-elle possible ?

Ellen Gabriel

Présidente, Femmes autochtones du Québec

Francine Lemay

Traductrice agréée, “À l’orée des bois” | “At the Wood’s Edge”

Pierre Trudel

Chercheur, Peuples autochtones et gouvernance, Université de Montréal\CEGEP Vieux-Montréal

Jessica Yee

Chair, National Aboriginal Youth Council, Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network

Mercredi, 3 novembre
11 h 30 à 14 h 00
Pavillon Desmarais, pièce 3120

http://www.socialsciences.uottawa.ca/eng/fera_3nov2010.asp

http://www.sciencessociales.uottawa.ca/fra/fera_3nov2010.asp

MÉTIS NATION OF ONTARIO: Casual Employment Opportunity

The MNO is looking for young students who are looking for some casual work doing filing with their Registry people. $12/hour and probably two weeks of work, can work around an undergrads schedule.

If you are interested or for more information please contact Jane Brennan at: 613-798-1488 or janeb@metisnation.org.

Run For James Bay Cree Youth

(Courtesy of Angela O'Leary)

I am running the Hamilton Marathon with a wonderful group of people from True North Aid on November 7th. I really need everyone's help to raise funds for the James Bay Cree youth! Please visit the link below and pledge what you can even if it's a few dollars. I'm running 42 kilometres for this cause. It is a great cause. It is an opportunity to help people in your own country. I am literally putting my sweat into it.

http://truenorthaid.donorpages.com/Road2Hope/AngelaOLeary/

Thank you in advance,

Angela

Contact:

Dr. Nicole St-Onge
ASE Local Arrangements Committee Chair
nstonge@uottawa.ca
613-986-4267

Ottawa hosts the American Society for Ethnohistory’s (ASE) Annual Conference

The American Society for Ethnohistory (ASE) is proud to announce that its annual conference will be held October 13-17 at the Lord Elgin Hotel in Ottawa, Ontario. This year’s conference entitled “Creating Nations and Building States: Past and Present,”will feature some of the top historical researchers from around the world. This year’s topics include environmental protection on reserves, First Nations’ sovereignty, and the role of language in Native society. Panels will run Thursday October 14 through Saturday October 16 between 8:30 AM and 5:00 PM.

The ASE is particularly excited to welcome Pulitzer Prize winning author Dr. David Hackett Fischer to deliver the Keynote address on Saturday afternoon. Dr. Fischer’s address, entitled “Ethnohistory and Nation Building: Champlain’s New France as a Case Study” will explore Samuel de Champain’s early exploration of Canada. Dr. Fischer, one of the foremost historians in the world, is perhaps best known for his Pulitzer Prize winning Washington’s Crossing, part of the renowned ‘Pivotal Moments in American History’ series and examined George Washington’s famed crossing of the Delaware River during the American Revolution.

Since the meeting is being held in Canada's capital during the 125th anniversary of the second Métis provisional government and resistance movement at Batoche, discussions will include the role of indigenous populations in the creation of modern nation-states. Attracting historians from Europe, Australia, and North America, there are to be many diverse points of view, which will make for an informative, entertaining, and lively conference.

The ASE was founded in 1954 to promote the investigation of the history of the Native Peoples of the Americas. The ethnohistorical method involves developing histories informed by ethnography, linguistics, archaeology, and ecology. Today, the ASE is a thriving organization of over 1,200 scholars and related members. The ASE prides itself on representing the best of North American research and to that end its Conference has been held in various cities across the continent. The ASE is proud that next year’s Conference will be held in Los Angeles, California.

For further information, including a complete schedule of events please visit the conference website (http://www.ethnohistory.org/sections/meetings/2010/index.html) or contact Dr. Nicole St-Onge.

'PADDLE SONG'

Pauline Johnson - On Stage

"'Paddle Song’ is a one hour, one woman stage play with words and music about the life of Pauline Johnson, the beloved Canadian poet and touring performer. She was born to a Mohawk Chief and his English wife in 1861 and died in 1913."

Visit the Link for More Details: Pauline Johnson On Stage

Building Relationships” - St. Joseph healing and Reconciliation Circle - October 23rd, 2010

"Building Relationships" - St. Joseph healing and Reconciliation Circle - October 23rd, 2010

On October 23rd the St. Joseph Healing and Reconciliation Circle has planned a workshop entitled "Building Relationships".

We are aware that you and your community are very much interested in developing healthy relationships among aboriginal and non- aboriginal peoples within the community of Ottawa; and we invite your participation in this event.

Ed Bianchi from Kairos will start activities by directing the Blanket Exercise, designed to help participants to appreciate the experiences of First Nations peoples after the arrival of Europeans to Native lands.

In the afternoon, Elder Dan Ross, Algonquin of Pikwakanagan First Nation Golden Lake, Ontario, will lead an activity designed to build an understanding of aboriginal spirituality through the use of the Medicine Wheel.

There is no cost for participation.(A ‘free will’ offering to cover expenses and support our presenters, is optional) Attendees are asked to bring some food to share at lunch.

Pre registration is encouraged by calling the reception desk at St. Joseph 613-233-4095

For more information please call Dorothy Collins or John Weir at 613-749-8619.

Thank you

Dorothy Collins

Healing and Reconciliation Circle - St. Joseph Parish

Great Spirit - Morning Prayers

Oh Great Spirit
Let your voice whisper righteousness in our ears through the East Wind at the break of day.
Let us be blessed with love for all our brothers & sisters on Earth so we may truly live in peace.
Let us have good health mentally & physically to solve our problems and accomplish something for future generations.
Let us be sincere to ourselves and make the world a better place to live
Aho Mitakuye Oyasin / All My Relations

Oh, Great Spirit,
Whose voice I hear in the winds
and whose breath gives life to all the world, hear me.
I am small and weak.
I need your strength and wisdom.

Let me walk in beauty and make my eyes
ever behold the red and purple sunset.
Make my hands respect the things you have made
and my ears sharp to hear your voice.
Make me wise so that I may understand
the things you have taught my people.
Let me learn the lessons you have hidden
in every leaf and rock.

I seek strength, not to be superior to my brother,
but to fight my greatest enemy - myself.
Make me always ready to come to you
with clean hands and straight eyes,
so when life fades, as the fading sunset,
my spirit will come to you
without shame.

American Indian Lakota Chief Yellow Lark

Great Spirit, I am Mother.
I was made by You so that the image of Your love
Could be brought into existence.
May I always carry with me
The sacredness of this honor.
Creator, I am Daughter.
I am the learner of the Traditions.
May I carry them forward
So that the Elders and Ancestors
Will be remembered for all time.
Maker-Of-All-Things, I am Sister.
Through me, may my brothers be shown
The manner in which I am to be respected.
May I join with my sisters in strength and power as a Healing Shield
So that they will no longer bear the stain of abuse.

Niskam, I am Committed Partner:
One who shares her spirit,
But is wise to remember never to give it away,
Lest it become lost,
And the two become less than one.

I am Woman.
Hear me.
Welal'in.
Ta'ho!

(Courtesy of Ron 'Bigbear' Goddard)

The Eagle Feather

From Randy Macey, 3 January 2000

When the world was new, the Creator made all the birds. He coloured their feathers like a

bouquet of flowers. The Creator then gave each a distinct song to sing. The Creator

instructed the birds to greet each new day with a chorus of their songs. Of all the birds, our

Creator chose the Eagle to be the leader. The Eagle flies the highest and sees the furthest of

all creatures. During the Four Sacred Rituals we will wear an Eagle Feather in our hair. To

wear or to hold the Eagle Feather causes our Creator to take immediate notice. With the

Eagle Feather the Creator is honored in the highest.

When one receives an Eagle Feather that person is being acknowledged with gratitude, with

love, and with ultimate respect. That feather must have sacred tobacco burnt for it. In this

way the Eagle and the Creator are notified of the name of the new Eagle Feather Holder.

The holder of the Eagle Feather must ensure that anything that changes the natural state of

ones mind (Alcohol and Drugs) must never come in contact with the sacred Eagle Feather.

The keeper of the feather will make a little home where the feather will be kept. The Eagle

feather must be fed. You feed the Eagle Feather by holding or wearing the feather at sacred

ceremonies. By doing this the Eagle Feather is recharged with sacred energy.

Never abuse, never disrespect, and never contaminate your Eagle Feather. Only real human

men and women carry the Eagle Feather. The Mohawk man will have three Eagle Feathers

standing straight up on his Kahstowa (feather hat). this is what I know about the sacred

Eagle Feather, Tho..

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Courtesy of Ron 'Bigbear' Goddard and Randy Macey)

The Forum for Aboriginal Studies and Research brownbag lunch sessions

Meet the University’s new Chair in Métis Studies

Brenda Macdougall, Chair Metis Studies, University of Ottawa
Metis Across the Homeland: Land, Mobility, Family.
Wednesday October 6th, 11:45-1pm - DMS 3105

-------

Les conférences midi du Forum d’études et de recherches autochtones

Venez rencontrer la récipiendaire de la nouvelle chaire en Études métisses

Brenda Macdougall, Chaire d’études métisses de l’Université d’Ottawa
Metis Across the Homeland: Land, Mobility, Family
Mercredi 6 octobre, 11h45-1h – DMS 3105

Présentation en anglais, questions-réponses dans les deux langues
Pour plus d’informations/ for more information: fera@uottawa.ca

Information: fera@uottawa.ca / 613-562-5800 (2657)

Article: "Time and the American Indian"

"Time and the American Indian" in The American Indian and the Problem of History, Edited by Calvin Martin, New York: Oxford University Press, Inc. 1987. Epilogue 192-220.

"Time and the American Indian": Part 1

"Time and the American Indian": Part 2

"Time and the American Indian": Part 3

"Time and the American Indian": Part 4

Public Lecture: Cindy Blackstock

Please join us for

A Public Lecture by Cindy Blackstock, the Executive Director of First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada and Exhibition of the Caring Across Boundaries Photography Exhibit:

Is this Our Canada?
How racial discrimination in children’s services undermines the potential of this generation of First Nations children and what you can do to help

with an opening ceremony by Claudette Commanda and introduction by Georges Sioui and Comments by Grand Chief Randall Phillips

Lecture will begin at 7 pm on Wednesday, Sept 22, 2010
@ Alumni Theatre, Jock Turcot University Centre, University of Ottawa

Caring Across Boundaries Photography Exhibit Photography by Liam Sharp will be open all day, from 11 am to 9 pm on Wednesday, Sept 22, 2010 @ Agora, Ground Floor of Jock Turcot University Centre, University of Ottawa

** Admission is free, everyone is welcome. Donation is appreciated.

As of May of 2005, the Wen:de study found that 0.67% of non Aboriginal children were in child welfare care in three sample provinces in Canada as compared to 10.23% of status Indian children.

According to federal government figures the number of status Indian children entering child welfare care rose 71.5% nationally between 1995-2001.

Is this our Canada?

The Canadian Incidence Study on Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (CIS) has found that First Nations children come to the attention of child welfare authorities for different reasons than non Aboriginal children. First Nations are not more likely to experience abuse than non-Aboriginal children. First Nations children are more likely to be reported for neglect which is driven by poverty, poor housing and caregiver substance misuse.

Based on an audit conducted by the Auditor General of Canada, the percentages of children in care on reserves ranged from 0 to 28% in 2007.

Is this our Canada?

Provincial child welfare laws apply both on and off reserves. The provinces fund child welfare for children off reserve but expect the federal government to fund it on reserve. If the federal government does not fund the services or funds them inadequately, the provinces typically do not top up the funding levels. This results in a two tiered child welfare system where First Nations children on reserves get less funding for child welfare than other children.

Repeated reports, including by the Auditor General of Canada (2008) and Standing Committee on Public Accounts (2009) confirm that federal government funding for child welfare services on reserves is inadequate and must be changed in order to ensure First Nations children and families on reserves receive a comparable and culturally based child welfare services.

Although the federal government has been aware of the shortfalls in its child welfare funding for over nine years, it has implemented only modest improvements in three provinces.

Is this our Canada?

Overall there are more First Nations children in child welfare care in Canada than at the height of residential schools. Canada ranked 3rd on the United Nations Human Development index however; the First Nations communities in Canada ranked 72nd.

Please join us in this lecture to learn about the reality of child welfare services in Indigenous communities across Turtle Island (a.k.a. Canada) and ways you can make difference for the First Nations children.

For comprehensive background information, research and publications on First Nations Child Welfare, please visit http://www.fncaringsociety.com/.

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Caring Across Boundaries is an exhibition about the importance of reconciliation between First Nations and the rest of Canada for the wellbeing of children and youth. Reconciliation opens the doors for all Canadians to have a new relationship with First Nations based on mutual respect and friendship.

In this exhibition, three First Nations communities share their daily experiences with a view to inviting every Canadian to make a positive difference for First Nations children and their families.

It is a collaboration between renowned photographer Liam Sharp, Aboriginal child rights advocate Cindy Blackstock and the First Nations communities of Attawapiskat, Ontario; Carrier-Sekani Family Services: a branch society of the Carrier-Sekani Tribal Council, British Columbia; and, Tobique First Nation, New Brunswick.

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Bios

Liam Sharp is an internationally renowned photographer who specializes in storytelling conceptual photography. For over twenty years, Liam has worked in settings ranging from diamond vaults to impoverished neighbourhoods, museums, sky scrapers and theme parks. He was the recipient of the Silver Award of the Art Directors Club of Canada in 2009 and was nominated for a National Magazine Award. His work has been featured in Graphis, Applied Arts and PDN magazines, Report on Business, The London Times Magazine, among others publications. Go to liamsharp.com for a glance of his work.

Cindy Blackstock is one of Canada’s leading and most passionate spokespersons for the promotion and strengthening of First Nations cultures, knowledge and rights. A member of the Gitksan First Nation, and the Executive Director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada (FNCFCS), she has worked in the field of child and family services for over 20 years.

ATTAWAPISKAT FIRST NATION is home to the Mushkego or Omushkego James Bay Cree located along the Attawapiskat River near James Bay, Ontario. The community takes great pride in its Cree culture and language and most children are fluent in Cree despite the devastating impacts of colonization. Daily life for families in the community is difficult. The school sits on a site contaminated by over 30,000 gallons of diesel fuel, sanitation systems are grossly inadequate, food costs are high, and there are severe housing shortages. The community leadership has worked hard with federal and provincial governments to deal with the problems but progress is slow.

CARRIER SEKANI NATIONS people historically have resided in a vast territory, of over 76,000 kilometers, primarily located in North Central British Columbia. Today there are approximately 10,000 individuals represented by 22 Indian Bands or First Nations, as recognized by the Department of Indian Affairs that identify as being Carrier or Sekani societies. Families are challenged by the inter-generational impacts of colonization, poverty and unresolved land claims. Carrier Sekani peoples have developed institutions such as Carrier Sekani Family Services to help community members but they need more resources to meet all of the needs. Go to www.csfs.org for more information.

TOBIQUE FIRST NATION is a Maliseet community located in a rural area along the St. John River in New Brunswick. A hydro electric dam was built on their lands but the community receives very little benefit from the dam. They pay some of the highest electric power bills in the province, have seen their traditional foods and medicines eroded due to the dam and many community members are living in poverty. Federal and Provincial government funding for essential government services such as education and child welfare fall far below what other children in the province receive. This community is working hard to ensure the safety and wellbeing of their children but they need access to the resources other communities take for granted.

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This lecture and exhibition are presented by First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada, Forum on Aboriginal Research and Study – University of Ottawa and Indigenous Peoples Solidarity Movement Ottawa , and sponsored by Canadian Union of Postal Workers, Public Service Alliance of Canada and Ontario Public Interest Research Group – University of Ottawa

The lecture will be presented in English.