I am working away on a series of posts I’d like to put together to help untangle the web of confusion surrounding oft-misunderstood issues such as First Nations health-care, education, housing, taxation, self-government, settlement claims and so on. It isn’t easy. I’ve studies these kinds of things my whole life, trying to disprove the claims…
Category: Culture
Images that make you go hmmmm.
Every once in a while I come across an image in my daily life that has an immediate impact on me. (You’ve already had my opinion on ‘native-themed’ costumes.) First comes the flood of feelings. Annoyance, frustration, confusion. Then I look at the image again and try to understand what the image is meant to…
kiyam, let it be, let it be…
During the ‘wearing us as costumes‘ discussion, one poster suggested to another that he ” kiyam-pi”. To me this word, kiyam, contains a glimpse into a world-view that is very much at the core of Cree-ness. I have had this word explained to me and modelled for me many times. Each time I feel like I…
On wearing us as costumes.
So, on the topic of ‘ethnic costumes for Halloween’. A certain poster campaign and the spin off posters mocking the message have once more got people discussing whether or not this practice is racist. That you don’t understand why I am offended and upset when you dress up as Pocahontas or some ‘Indian warrior’ doesn’t…
Cree kinship terms
In the Language and Culture Links section of this blog I used to link to a Cree Family Unit site that I stumbled across years ago. Unfortunately it is no longer available, and the site domain which is saskschools.ca has been taken over by some spam site. (I’m keeping the next paragraph just in case…