Though it hasn’t been much apparent in the past year, this blog started as a Cree language blog, and I’m going to take us back into that today to discuss Cree language revitalisation.

First, if you haven’t checked it out yet, I have compiled many resources to help people access Cree language materials.  There are what I call “Language and Culture Links” specific to Plains Cree. There are curricular resources for Plains Cree as well. I started a page listing links to other Cree dialect resources, and I didn’t forget Michif!  I put up links to resources in other indigenous languages, and listed some publishers who focus on indigenous literature. There is quite a bit out there, and I haven’t updated these resources in a while so there is likely even more now!

Part of a start-up project I worked on with UK based illustrator Brett Dorrans.

However, when it comes to teaching my own children Cree, there are still not enough resources for me to access.  I have had some ideas for a long time about what I’d like to see, and I’ve even at times tried (and failed) to get some sort of funding to get these projects going. This is no time to hang onto things, however. This is a time to share ideas and collaborate and get things happening NOW.  With this in mind, I wanted to share some of my ideas and dreams in the hopes that there will be people out there with the kinds of skills I’m lacking to help these projects become real, ASAP. My eldest daughter is already 10, and I wanted her to be fluent by now. Time is ticking away, and if I’m going to help my children become Cree speakers, I’ve got to do absolutely all I can right now.  I am sure that many of you out there feel the same pressure.

You have to hear the language to learn it

Many of us live far from our home territories, in cities, or even provinces away from where we can actually hear our languages spoken. It is not enough to have a few books written in Cree, unless you yourself are fluent in the language and can model the pronunciation. Having resources which include audio are absolutely vital, in my opinion.

I had a lot of different ideas about how to do this. Most of these ideas have become obsolete and so now I turn my thoughts to the app craze.  Although there are issues with access to the technology needed to run apps, whether you’re doing it on a computer, an iPad or an android device, it is nonetheless a heck of a lot cheaper to develop an app than it is to full on publish other kinds of materials. After the base technology cost, these materials are also much cheaper for the purchaser.

I want to create a series of leveled reader books with embedded audio that would be available in app format, and also easily translatable to other indigenous languages. I also want print materials available at low cost to teachers and parents, in case they don’t have access to the apps, or if they wish to foster literacy via high interest print books at low cost.  Personally, I have a strong fondness for print books and even if I had the awesomest apps in the world, I’d want the books too.

I came up with a visual way to represent Cree syllabics in a way more easily accessible to my children.

Thus the idea is to have resources available in print form, and in downloadable app form. To get a sense of how this would work, take a gander at the Reading A-Z site. This site offers high interest leveled readers for a moderate yearly fee. The books are short, have great graphics, and are appropriately leveled depending on the reader’s abilities. Multilevel books also allow you to use these materials with readers who are at different levels from one another. For classrooms, the books are made available in projector format. What I like best about these books, is that each of them comes with various activities linked to the reading, including comprehension quizzes. As a teacher, these comprehension quizzes are an awesome way of tracking progress in specific areas, and identifying skills that students are stronger or weaker in.

Essentially what you do, is print the books off and then staple them into a booklet. Many people use coloured duct tape to code the books according to level and keep the staples from catching on little hands. In this way, a tonne of great resources are made available at an affordable price, and easily reusable in your classroom or home later.

An associated site, Raz Kids, has most of these books online with audio, so that is possible as well. Of course, Raz Kids provides these as apps too.

These kinds of materials could be put together fairly quickly and easily, and I’d like to start doing exactly that. What I am lacking, however, are artists and photographers. I’m putting the call out now, with this post, because I think this is something we can’t keep dreaming about. It needs to start happening, well…yesterday.

Language needs to be used in all areas

When putting together materials for my own classroom, with zero budget for text books, I stumbled upon an absolutely fantastic mathematics program available free of cost.  It is called the Mathematics Enhancement Programme and was put together by the Centre for Innovation in Mathematics Teaching(CIMT) in the UK.

I mainly use the materials available for years 10 and 11, though sometimes I go higher and sometimes I go lower, depending on my student’s grade level.  So in year 10, there are 19 chapters or units, with an optional unit on statistics. Since both pupil text books, exercise books AND teacher resources (lesson plans, teaching notes, overheads and so on) are provided, it is easy enough to see whether a particular unit matches your local curriculum.

The program itself is excellent. It is clear, well laid out, and has been a smashing success in my classroom. I am able to teach at up to five different grade levels at the same time by grouping units thematically, and providing appropriate materials according to skill level. I can do both remediation and extension when needed.

Now, I bring all this up because I noticed they had translated some of the primary materials into Spanish for use in Chile, as well as translating them into two South African languages, Sesotho and Setswana. “Hey, why not have these materials in Cree?” I asked myself, and then contacted the CIMT and asked if this would be possible.

Short version is that yes, it would be absolutely possible to work on translating these materials, on the condition that they remain free of charge. Music to my ears!

I think that sometimes, when we develop materials in indigenous languages, we often give our linguists and speakers the herculean task of creating the language materials themselves, and also great resources in other subjects, in that language. So we have experts in language, being asked to create materials for math, social studies, and so on.

Now this math program may need some tweaking in places to ensure it reflects indigenous worldviews, but on the whole, it is a very well put together program, for free, that can be translated RIGHT NOW into our language and used with our kids in the classroom or at home.

This is a project I wish to begin ASAP as well, and I would love to collaborate with others on it so that the work goes more quickly. The nice thing here is that we would not have to worry about the technical aspects of inputting the translated text and so forth, so on the whole, this is the easier project than the one that requires us to create leveled readers.

Wow! Sounds cool! Can’t wait until you get it done!

My kids love it, but it’s amateurish.

I would love to devote all of my waking hours to these projects, but I just can’t do it alone. If I could, it would all be done by now. I tried writing a kid’s book years ago, but I am not a graphic artist and so the results are cute, but not great. Plus, I did this before I decided I was going to stick with the standardised RSO, and I’m unhappy with the capital letters and apostrophes and so on.

Point being, if this is ever going to happen, I’m going to need help from people who can add their talents and skills into the pot so we can bust out the best and tastiest Cree language revitalisation stew EVAH!

We need, at a minimum:

• graphic artists
• photographers
• linguists
• fluent speakers
• language learners
• app designers
• website developers

My hope is that by spreading some of the work around, we can avoid burning out once we get the traditional ‘count to 10′ and ‘name the body parts’ materials done.  I really want to take this further than is often the case when people try to create materials.  I also want to make these materials as accessible and low cost as possible. To me, this is not about making money, this is about resurgence.

So please, share your thoughts, assess your own talents, think about your needs and wants, and ask yourself and others if these kinds of things are something they want to get involved in.

Many thanks.

It has been over a month since I’ve published anything on my own blog, and for that I apologise. I’ve been plenty busy in other ways but I have such a long list of articles I want to write that I feel constantly guilty about not being able to squeeze out a few more precious moments to get them done! Well, eventually they will be.

On January 26th, I hosted my first Spreecast, which is a free web-based video conferencing platform much lauded by Ryan McMahon and others. My reason for wanting to hold a Women’s Townhall (men were welcome and present as well) are outlined here.  It was organised very last minute, but Christi Belcourt, Leanne Simpson, Tania Cameron and Koren Lightning-Earle were all generous enough to share their time and speak. We also had some amazing people share with us near the end of the 90 minutes.  If you missed it, fear not! The entire thing was recorded below and you can watch it all you’d like!

Essentially, the open-ended topic, “What we’re doing, where we’re going” was intended to draw out women’s perspectives on both short and long term planning for a sustainable indigenous resurgence.

Before you become engrossed, however, I’d like to tell you that underneath the embedded Spreecast, I’ve broken down some of the information that was shared with us and grouped it loosely by topic. I like video as much as the next person (okay maybe not quite as much), but I have an affinity with text that requires me to get this down in writing so I can digest it in the stomach juices of my soul. Obviously, what I pick out and highlight are things that spoke to me, personally. Maybe I miss things that speak to you personally, so feel free to comment and add your own thoughts on the dialogue last night!

These tidbits were offered as examples of what is already being done, as well as suggestions for future individual and collective action. No one expects anyone to do it all. I think it is very important to see if any of these suggestions resonate with you particularly, and if you choose to focus on one or two things, then you are more likely to be engaged in the long-term.  I would also suggest that these ideas/suggestions are as applicable to settlers as they are applicable to indigenous peoples.

Indigenous Language/Reclaiming Names

Learn an indigenous language, even if it is the language of the territory you are in and not the language of the territory you come from.

• Christi pointed out that though her family comes from the same community as mine, Lac Ste. Anne, Alberta, the Cree language was lost in two generations. She explains that she has begun learning Anishinaabemowin as this is her partner’s language and she lives in Anishinaabek territory.

The struggle over whether to try to learn one’s own language far from home (and other speakers) or the language of one’s new home, is a very common one. Sometimes we wait, holding out for resources and materials in our own language, but the fact is, our ancestors whether indigenous or settler, were often multilingual. It is normal for human beings to speak more than one language. Learning an indigenous language, your own or that of the people whose territory you reside in, is of intrinsic value and vital to sustainable resurgence.

• Leanne Simpson discussed a Language Nest she has set up to help adults and children learn the language in a positive and natural environment. She explained that you only need to know three more words than everyone else each week to keep it going.

While it does take effort to learn any new language, it is also true that it takes even more dedication to learn an indigenous language. This is because materials are scarce, and fluent speakers perhaps even scarcer. Using a language is the most vital component to truly learning it. This is in great part why Language Nests have become much more common.

Enweyang Ojibwe Language Nest, interacting with language learners naturally.

Based on Maori revitalisation of language, the Language Nest approach takes language learning out of the classroom and into our every day lives. Whether you meet in a community centre, in living rooms, out on the land or in urban green spaces, Language Nests are meant to help adult and children learners access language in more natural ways. Most of all, Language Nests are meant to nurture and inspire, so that the approach to learning indigenous languages remains always positive. It should also be fun!

Reclaim indigenous place names

• Christi also discussed reclaiming the original names of places, by asking Elders, or doing historical research.

Wikipedia has a list of many place names throughout Canada, with translations of their meaning into English. Many of these place names have been anglicised or francisised however.  Here is an annotated bibliography from 1997, of various resources that focus on indigenous place names in Canada, as well as in other countries. These resources may help people find place names in their area.  Tom Fortington has begun an Original Name reclamation project that you can contribute to directly online via Google Docs.  I’ll get on this when I can, because there are so many place names I know of from back home that should be on here!

Reclaiming names in Toronto.

• Related to reclamation of names, Leanne Simpson mentioned that there have been some ‘guerrilla signage’ put up in Toronto.  Christi explained that in rural areas, you can sometimes pay a fee of about $50 a year for a sign along the road, which could be used to display the original place name.  There are many ways in which we can actively reclaim these names and bring them to the attention of everyone living in those territories.

Resisting and raising awareness of unjust laws

• Christi discussed how in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, the following Indian Act section applies:

32. (1) A transaction of any kind whereby a band or a member thereof purports to sell, barter, exchange, give or otherwise dispose of cattle or other animals, grain or hay, whether wild or cultivated, or root crops or plants or their products from a reserve in Manitoba, Saskatchewan or Alberta, to a person other than a member of that band, is void unless the superintendent approves the transaction in writing.

On further research, it seems that this section has been essentially made void by a 2010 Order Exempting Bands from the Operation of Section 32. The section is still written into the Indian Act, but cannot be enforced any longer.

However, the section was brought up as an example of an unjust law that could be challenged through direct action, and there are certainly other laws which could be found and challenged in this way. For example, although a court case (Connolly v. Woolrich (1867), 17 R.J.R.Q. 75, 1 C.N.L.C. 70 (Que. S.C.)) determined that traditional indigenous marriages are valid, we are nonetheless forced to abide by provincial laws which impact the solemnization of marriage. Meaning native people can have any sort of marriage ceremony they want, the form is fine, but for it to be legally binding you must acquire a marriage license, and have the whole thing signed off on by people recognised by the Canadian state. The difference between form (ceremony) and solemnization (recognition of validity) is only really important in a legalistic sense. In practice it means despite claims to the contrary, our customary marriages aren’t respected. Similar legal restrictions are placed on customary burial practices.

Another thing Christi mentioned was  that her partner is trying to legally change his name to his various Anishinaabemowin names, which will probably be too long to be allowed. Doing these kinds of things raises the issue of why our names are being restricted. For what real purpose?

• Leanne reminded us that we haven’t won anything yet; we still do not have jurisdiction over our lands or our waters. She called for an intensification of action, acknowledging that pushing for this kind of change is going to ‘be messy’ and conflicts will happen. She anticipated an intensification of primary resource development in the near future, and that direct action to protect the lands and waters are probably going to be necessary. She also noted that the public education campaign is very important, but also that there needs to be more dialogue about tactics and strategy. “We need everyone contributing”. She reiterated that “land, culture and language” are the areas in which there seems to be unanimity in terms of recognising sovereignty over these areas as vital.

Refusing to accept arbitrary divisions and non-indigenous restrictions

• Christi also brought up the fact that the Indian Act imposes the concept of First Nations, Métis and Inuit, rather than the concept of nationhood. She asks why we have let our political structures be defined by provincial or even Treaty boundaries rather than traditional boundaries which existed before the Indian Act and Confederation.

Not all native political structures are formed along provincial or Treaty boundaries, but in the cases where this is true, what are we doing to rethink these divisions? What are we doing to rethink the way that indigenous peoples are segregated from one another based on Canadian notions of Status, and court-based decisions on identity?

• 

  Roberts Rules of Order? How about our own rules of order?

  Christi also brought up the fact that many indigenous governance structures use the Roberts Rules of Order, and questions why that is and whether these rules fit into indigenous consensus-based decision making. She points out that the Roberts Rules are not conducive to ensuring information flows to the rest of the community.

Staying healthy and engaging in reflection

•  Christi started a blog called Divided No More, where various people have been posting opinion pieces meant to share their vision and thoughts on Idle No More.  Submissions should be 1500 words max, and can be emailed to Christi Belcourt at christibelcourt25@gmail.com.

• Koren described the backlash against indigenous people as a “closet door” that has been opened. She discussed the need to remember that true revolution happens at home; making sure our families are healthy and supported wherever they go.

A major theme throughout the Townhall was in making our presence known outside of the ‘acceptable’ spaces like powwows and history texts. Sometimes this will open us up to attack and ridicule, and as such, it is sometimes an exhausting thing to do. However, not all spaces are inherently unsafe, and there are many opportunities we and our children have to bring our indigeneity back into public spaces. Reminding ourselves that, as Leanne puts it, “this is coming from a place of love, not anger” will go a long way to making sure that what we commit to sustains rather than drains us.

• Leanne again pointed out that whenever there is a resurgence among indigenous people, the backlash is often directed at our children and women. Ensuring we are keeping one another as safe as possible must be a focus in anything we do.
• Eva Jewell pointed out that Idle No More has fed into a deep need for renewal and resurgence and said that this has been very positive for her community, and that in particular, women have been showing much leadership.

Communication and flow of information

• Koren discussed the way in which Samson Cree First Nation has been sharing information on their website, on Facebook, twitter and through a newsletter.

All participants discussed the need to get information out to both community members and Canadians at large. Tania noted that Idle No More has been largely seen as an urban phenomenon, despite the fact that there have been many actions taken in rural communities as well. The lack of access to internet or social media is also something we need to be mindful of, and other forms of sharing information should be utilised, including community radio stations, pamphlets in community gathering places, and more community meetings.

A number of Idle No More pamphlets have been put together in order to more quickly provide information to whomever may need it. One put out by Taiaiake Alfred and Tobold Rollo, and based on the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples report, is available to print in English, French and Spanish. I know more have been produced and if people post links to others in the comments, I will put them up here as well.

Later on in the Townhall, a participant (@RedIndianGirl) brought up the issue of the need for clarity in the media. She points out that we need to be mindful of the fact that the media is looking for 30 second soundbites, and that however we may dislike that, we do need to be prepared to distill some information down so that it actually gets out and is understandable.

• Tania said that in her community, Shaw offered free access to the studio to produce a quality informational program  that could be broadcast locally and then be uploaded to YouTube to ‘cast a wider net’. She suggested looking into these kinds of local resources to help us develop resources that can be shared widely, and for minimal cost. She said this was particularly important in small communities.

Some amazing ideas from native youth

Gabrielle Fayant came on camera near the end of the Townhall and really blew us away with some incredible and very concrete ideas that came out of a youth conference she had just attended. I wanted to put this into a section of its own, just because it was all so awesome!  Here are some of the recommendations she shared with us:

Education

• The goal is to educate others in a coordinated effort, all of it to be inclusive and accessible.

A proposal was put forth to do 12 weeks of nation-wide Aboriginal education class for the public, with one Aboriginal theme/topic per week.  All Idle No More activities for that week would focus on this theme/topic. For example, week 7 would be Residential Schools.

Alaska Native Knowledge Network, looking at surface versus deep culture.

Activities could include: book club meetings; peaceful rallies; “send a link to a friend”; writing to MPs; blogging; Facebook status updates; round dances; articles written for magazines; radio station interviews; classroom presentations; teach-ins; art exhibitions; pamphlets; ‘education circles’ (perhaps more interactive than teach-ins have been); helping mobs (where people are slowed down but then provided with lots of information and sometimes coffee/tea and bannock); YouTube videos; and info tables set up like an embassy; street teams to poster walls and so on “to name a few”!

Activism

• What is activism: Taking care of our bodies; connection to family; human rights; personal; inter-generational; journey to justice; mentorship; “the little things”; art; different talents; culture (can be anything).
• Barriers that come along with activism: our focus on Canadian government; fear; resistance to change; mainstream media; low morale; silence; discomfort with certain issues (for example sex, violence); bureaucracy; gender; framing women’s issues; grief.

Suggestions were made for how to work around these barriers creatively, and understanding that these barriers do need to be addressed in order for activism to be effective.

I cannot wait to see what else came out of this amazing workshop! Gabrielle said there were also workshops on Treaties and environment. I think that the concrete suggestions around Education in particular are something very much worth planning, ASAP.

Stop asking permission and just do!

•  Tania helped organise a boycott of businesses in Kenora to draw attention to the way in which this local economy relies on surrounding First Nations, and to raise awareness of the Idle No More movement.
• Koren said that her Band Council has helped to provide transportation to events, bagged lunches and other forms of support to help people organise their own actions with support from the community. Samson Cree Nation also organised a roadblock but has backed away from that kind of action as backlashes become more heated.
• Leanne brought up the fact that we can go into the schools that our children attend to provide more balanced information about indigenous peoples than is likely provided through texts and via teachers. This is a particularly pressing need in school districts where there has been little curricular development to include indigenous histories and realities and where teacher training does not include this background either. This can be done in conjunction with pushing for curricular reform.
• Gabrielle talked about ‘doing it on your own’, organising first through Facebook, meeting and within a week doing a fundraiser lunch-in during the Attawapiskat crisis.
• We mentioned Listuguj Mi’gmaq First Nation which created and enforced its own Fishery Laws.  Fred Metallic, from Listuguj, defended his PhD thesis in his own language.
• The Haudenosaunee Development Institute was created in 2007 to provide a direct alternative to the oft-ignored Duty to Consult.

These are just some of the many examples of people and nations not asking permission, but instead, exercising self-determination and raising awareness.  Idle No More is still simmering, but we need to bring it back up to a boil. I am hoping that this Townhall will spark ideas, and inspire people to share their own successes (and failures!) so we can learn from one another.

“Canada is a test case for a grand notion – the notion that dissimilar peoples can share lands, resources, power and dreams while respecting and sustaining their differences.  The story of Canada is the story of many such peoples, trying and failing and trying again, to live together in peace and harmony.

But there cannot be peace or harmony unless there is justice.  It was to help restore justice to the relationship between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in Canada, and to propose practical solutions to stubborn problems, that the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples was established.” - page ix, A Word From Commissioners

Aaron Paquette has been providing lovely visuals and his thoughts on the movement.

The quote above comes from a publication that is 150 pages in length, and in my opinion should be read by every single Canadian.  This publication is called “People to People, Nation to Nation: Highlights from the Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples“.  If you never manage to wade through the five volumes of findings and recommendations published by the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (RCAP), please at least make your way through the Highlights.  (If you want something even less dense, there is a 51 page document [PDF] that does a bang up job of summarising the report and its main recommendations.  Included at the end is a nice breakdown of financial estimates for implementation of these recommendations.)

Backing up a little…the RCAP was established in 1991 and engaged in 178 days of public hearings, visiting 96 communities, commissioning research and consulting with experts. In 1996, the RCAP released a five volume report of findings and recommendations.

“We directed our consultations to one over-riding question: What are the foundations of a fair and honourable relationship between the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people of Canada?” - page x, A Word From Commissioners

This was the central purpose of the RCAP.  To figure out what went wrong, how it went wrong, and what can be done to correct the problems identified.

Chief Theresa Spence has been on a hunger strike for 16 days. She is asking for the relationship between indigenous peoples and Canada to be reset.

A lot of people seem to feel lost when it comes to the huge diversity of issues faced by indigenous peoples in Canada, and with the obviously dysfunctional system of relationships between natives and settlers.  You will see this reflected in comment sections, or falling from the mouths of politicians and reporters, or yelled out in frustration over and over again whenever there is conflict between us.  What you are witnessing is hopelessness.  Helplessness.  Confusion does this to people, and that is why I think the RCAP is so incredibly powerful and important.

You see…people really do sit down and identify the problems and try to come up with solutions…and if you feel like you have no idea where to begin to address these problems, then I want you to know that you have a good place to start.  You don’t need to reinvent the wheel here folks.  So much work has already been done to come up with practical solutions to identifiable problems, and it’s a damn shame that most Canadians have never read a single word published by this Royal Commission.  So let’s get to it, shall we?

What’s the big picture here?

“Our central conclusion can be summarized simply: The main policy direction, pursued for more than 150 years, first by colonial then by Canadian governments, has been wrong.” - page x, A Word From Commissioners.

I  know a lot of people reading that conclusion are going to roll their eyes and say “well duh!  We know that things weren’t done in a fair fashion, but holy! Let’s get over the past and live in the present already!”

Except that’s not what the Commission is saying.  They have not absolved current government policy, or indicated that things have been fixed and now we have only historical injustices to address.  Please understand this very clearly.  Current government policy continues to be wrong.  The RCAP was quite adamant about this when they released their final report in 1996, and not enough has changed since then to warrant a pat on the back for making things all better.

Indigenous peoples all over Canada and the US are trying to remind settlers of their own Treaty obligations.

I recognise that this is too vague for you right now, but I want you to understand that it is incredibly important to simply admit this one thing.  Admitting that historical AND current government policy towards indigenous peoples is wrong, is no light thing.  You will find strong resistance to this concept, particularly in the contemporary context.  The Canadian government certainly does not accept this as true.  The vast majority of Canadians probably do not accept that this is true.

So before you ask, “why belabour the obvious, âpihtawikosisân?” I want you to remember that getting people to accept this premise on a wide scale is something we have yet to accomplish, and that the rejection of this as truth is the number one reason we have yet to resolve our problems, people to people, nation to nation.

So what do I need to know?

I think the first thing all Canadians need to have firmly rooted in their consciousness is…we’re not going away.  Ever.  Never ever ever.

“Successive governments have tried – sometimes intentionally, sometimes in ignorance – to absorb Aboriginal people into Canadian society, thus eliminating them as distinct peoples.  Policies pursued over the decades have undermined – and almost erased – Aboriginal cultures and identities.

This is assimilation.  It is a denial of the principles of peace, harmony and justice for which this country stands – and it has failed.  Aboriginal peoples remain proudly different.

Assimilation policies failed because Aboriginal people have the secret of cultural survival.  They have an enduring sense of themselves as peoples with a unique heritage and the right to cultural continuity.” page x, A Word From Commissioners.

Many Canadians are still clamouring for assimilation.  You can see this again in all those comment sections, in all of the dialogues about ‘how to fix the Aboriginal problem’.  The solutions are invariably, “Make them more like us!  Private property!  Get them out of isolated communities and into the cities with the rest of us!  No special rights!  No differences!  Treat them the same!” and so on.

Settlers wanted us to assimilate and ‘just become Canadian’ before. Not only did this policy not work, it created so much damage in our communities that we are still struggling to recover.

It’s all been tried.  It really has.  You might not know all the history yet so perhaps you think your ideas are novel.  I suggest starting with Volume One of the RCAP Report, titled “Looking Forward, Looking Back“.  Go ahead and skip to the sections on the Indian Act, Residential Schools, and Relocation of Aboriginal Communities.  Pretty much every suggestion currently being given to assimilate native peoples has been actively tried before, with disastrous results and ultimately, a failure to actually assimilate us.

Stop it.  It didn’t work, and it isn’t going to work, no matter how much cooler you think  you are than the policy makers of the past.  Accept the fact that we are here, and we aren’t leaving, and that we recognise you aren’t leaving either.  It would do us all a world of good if we could be on the same page on this one.

Where do we go from here?

“After some 500 years of a relationship that has swung from partnership to domination, from mutual respect and co-operation to paternalism and attempted assimilation, Canada must now work out fair and lasting terms of coexistence with Aboriginal people.” - page 1, Looking Forward, Looking Back.

The truth is, the status quo isn’t working.  I have repeatedly talked about the need to form new relationships, but I’m not just pulling this out of thin air.  This is something many people have recognised over the years as they have examined the history and the current reality of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal relationships.

The Commission quite conveniently outlined four reasons to commit to building this new relationship:

• Canada’s claim to be a fair and enlightened society depends on it.
• The life chances of Aboriginal people, which are still shamefully low, must be improved.
• Negotiations, as conducted under the current rules, has proved unequal to the task of settling grievances.
• Continued failure may well lead to violence.

Don’t buy it?  Then perhaps you can explain how repeating the mistakes of the past (assimilation, relocation etc) is a more intelligent approach?  I don’t know about you, but I’m definitely ready to try something different.

What did the Commission have in mind?

“The first and perhaps most important element is the need to reject the principles on which the relationship has foundered over the last two centuries in particular — principles such as assimilation, control, intrusion and coercion — and do away with the remnants of the colonial era. As a beginning, we need to abandon outmoded doctrines such as terra nullius and discovery. We must reject the attitudes of racial and cultural superiority reflected in these concepts, which contributed to European nations’ presumptions of sovereignty over Indigenous peoples and lands. The renewed relationship needs to be built on principles that will return us to a path of justice, co-existence and equality.” - Chapter 14 of Part 3, Volume 1.

I know I keep coming back to this, but it’s important.  The way forward needs to be guided by accepting these two related points as true:

• The main policy direction, pursued for more than 150 years, first by colonial then by Canadian governments, has been [and continues to be] wrong.

• We need to reject the principles on which the relationship has foundered over the last two centuries in particular — principles such as assimilation, control, intrusion and coercion — and do away with the remnants of the colonial era.

Until we have that firmly set in our minds, we are all going to spin our wheels, because a great many of the people ‘coming to the table’ will continue to hold on to ideas that will actively sabotage any attempt to create new relationships.

But let’s pretend we all agree, and move on.

Restructure the relationship?  How?

Volume Two of the RCAP final report deals with precisely this issue.  The Commission makes concrete suggestions about restructuring and renewing treaties, for example, to return them to living agreements rather than historical artifacts.  This includes changing the approach to so called ‘modern’ treaties which are still very much based on a model of ‘we talk about this once, we sign, and we never ever discuss it again’.  No other kind of treaty works that way and the Commission provides some good recommendations about how to change the process both of addressing historical treaties, and approaching modern treaties.

Idle No More is also a rallying call to our allies. We are asking settlers to join us in restructuring this relationship.

In-depth discussions and recommendations related to governance, lands and resources, economic development, can also be found in Volume Two.  If you are curious about any of these things, please use this resource to learn more about the issues.  Again, the important thing about this report is that it does not just leave you with the problems identified (a step that is undoubtedly important), but also provides you with concrete solutions that you can roll around in your head for a while to see how you feel about it.

Volume Two is very much about building a vehicle for change.

Even if we change the relationship, how is that going to fix the problems Aboriginal communities face?

Volume Three of the RCAP is titled, “Gathering Strength”.  It deals with many of the issues that have been raised recently in the context of Attawapiskat, such as housing, education and health.  It also addresses family, arts and heritage, and social policy in general.

Volume Three is about how where we’re going to drive that vehicle for change.

Volume Four provides us with a diversity of indigenous perspectives on a range of issues, providing us with historical information, current issues and needs and recommendations for integrating these different perspectives in a way that ensures any sight-seeing we do along the journey doesn’t leave anyone out.

What if I just wanted to see a roadmap for how any of this would actually work?

Indigenous women have been instrumental in initiating and sustaining this movement.

Volume Five lays out a twenty year plan to implement all the recommendations of the Commission.  It provides the sort of cost/benefit analysis that seems to tickle some people to no end, so if that’s your thing, feel free to skip straight to the ‘nitty gritty’.  If you simply want to overload on practical suggestions for identified problems, then mosey on over to Appendix A, which contains all 444 recommendations for change proposed by the RCAP.

Wait, 20-year plan?  But this report was released over 15 years ago, surely we’re close to implementing all these recommendations?

Ahahahahahahhaaa…….ha.  No.  Even if we’re generous and start the clock ticking after the release of the final report in 1996 rather than with the creation of the Commission in 1991 (in which case 20 years would be up), we have seen precious little improvement in 15 years.

The Assembly of First Nations released a Report Card (PDF) 10 years after the RCAP, detailing the dismal implementation record to date.

I also attended a conference in 2006 that basically discussed Life After the RCAP, which was pretty disheartening.  That conference provided some very interesting information on what impact the RCAP has had, even absent full implementation, so if you want a quick discussion on the pros and cons of how the Commission went about fulfilling its mandate, and on how the report has been received non-officially in the courts and so on, please take a gander!  In particular, I suggest reading the summary of Alan C. Cairn’s breakdown of some of the inherent problems with the Commission’s approach to nationhood.  The RCAP was not without its flaws.

Why hasn’t there been more progress?

Aaaaand this is why I take you back to those points I kept hammering away at earlier.  You know, these ones:

• The main policy direction, pursued for more than 150 years, first by colonial then by Canadian governments, has been [and continues to be] wrong.

• We need to reject the principles on which the relationship has foundered over the last two centuries in particular — principles such as assimilation, control, intrusion and coercion — and do away with the remnants of the colonial era.

It is my firm belief that Canada has not yet accepted these two points as true, and because of this, there has been little in the way of progress.

If we haven’t disappeared by now, isn’t it time to try to actually work towards solutions so we can live together harmoniously?

If you actually believe that native culture is inferior, then you don’t value it and you sure as heck aren’t going to take it seriously.  If you don’t understand the history of relations between indigenous peoples and settlers, then you aren’t going to believe that current conditions faced by native peoples aren’t almost entirely self-imposed.  If you know nothing about indigenous governance and think Indian Act governance is ‘traditional’, then you probably aren’t going to have much faith in native self-government.  If you don’t know what has been attempted before (assimilation, relocation, etc) then you’re going to think that you’re coming up with something really radical when you suggest similar things in the current context.

This country is woefully ignorant, on a grand scale, and we will never succeed in rebuilding relationships until we address that ignorance.  I can’t stress this enough…without education, there can be no justice.  And until there is justice…there will be no peace.

My purpose here was to introduce people to the RCAP, both as a starting point for further investigation into the many issues faced by native peoples in Canada, and also as proof positive that practical solutions have been suggested.  That latter part is important, because people need to stop believing that there is no other way ‘out’ besides just assimilating us once and for all.  It might seem so much simpler to just legislate us out of existence, make us all ‘the same’ to satisfy liberal notions of equality, but it won’t actual solve anything.  The RCAP is a good place to start if you want to know why such attempts are doomed to fail, and what alternatives have been proposed.

I have never before republished one of my own articles here on my blog, but I’ve done this today. People have been asking, “what is it Idle No More wants to accomplish?” and as I sat writing about this, I realised that I’d actually gone through a fairly detailed breakdown of some of the main goals as expressed in the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. I offer this article then as a way to move us forward and as a way to remind us all that a lot of thinking and work and research has been done, and we don’t necessarily need to do it all over. So with my apologies for perhaps reaching you twice with this article, I try to in part answer the question of “where do we go from here?”

A much more concise version of this article was published by the National Post on December 31st, 2012.