Bringing the People

Journey to nowhere!?

Friday, October 30, 2009

Does anyone know the Great Law? Does anyone with a title, with a specific leadership role in ANY of our 16 Haudenosaunee communities even believe in it's power anymore?

On Wednesday October 28, 2009 SQ and Chateauguay police were in Mohawk Territory. Kanienkehaka were forced to the ground at gunpoint. They were simply at work, their place of employment.

The cigarette industry in our Haudenosaunee communities, is it legal? I'd say, of course! Products made and sold by us in our own and sister communities. Cigarettes are legal in Canada, it's not like we're making cocaine. If they wanted their people to stop smoking they'd make smoking tobacco illegal.

I'm tired of the complacency in this world. It's all opinions and no action. It's all bullies scared of the Canadian government but with just the evil balls enough to disrespect their own people.

A lot of people in this town can't see anything because their too busy avoiding looking at the one thing that matters, the Great Law. Foreign cops have no reason to stop our people, what are the PK's for and they have no right harassing us for pursuing a living in the tobacco trade.

This is karma for the Canadian, they benefited from our weakness by trading us alcohol for our furs. The difference is we don't do it out of meanness or out of a desire to exploit. We sell cigarettes to survive in a capitalist world - and that's all we're doing. Not illegal in their law or ours.

Comments for or against are welcome.

"sprouting" a white pine tree?

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Just letting everyone know I'm taking an online course with Taking It Global, called Sprout. I'm taking it so one day (soon) this magazine will finally emerge in print.

Monday, October 12, 2009

what does it all mean?

http://www.flixxy.com/technology-and-education-2008.htm

Fontaine hired as RBC adviser

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Phil Fontaine hired as Royal Bank adviser

Last Updated: Wednesday, September 2, 2009, CBC News

Phil Fontaine, former national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, has a new job with the Royal Bank of Canada.
Fontaine, 64, from Manitoba's Sagkeeng First Nation, has been appointed special adviser to RBC. He said he will help the company deepen its relationships with aboriginal governments, communities and businesses in Canada.
Fontaine said he will also work closely with the First Nations to increase opportunities for economic development. First Nations can't rely on governments alone for growth and prosperity, he said in an interview with CBC News.
He also intends to champion environmental causes in First Nations communities but his first job will be to promote the torch run for the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver.
"This is an opportunity to convince the aboriginal community as well as [other] Canadians, of course, that the 2010 Olympics is not only a sporting event, it is also an opportunity to celebrate First Nations cultures," he said.
Fontaine, who lives in Ottawa, once served as Grand Chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs and was instrumental in protecting aboriginal rights and treaty rights in Canada's Constitution.
He moved on to the AFN post in 1997 and served for one term before returning for the 2003 election and winning back the seat. He stepped down this past July.
In June 2008, Fontaine oversaw the historic apology from the federal government for decades of racist policy and abuse in government-funded aboriginal residential schools.
And last April, he and a group of aboriginal delegates travelled to Vatican City and met with the Pope, who expressed sorrow for the Roman Catholic Church's role in the residential schools system.
"We are proud to welcome Phil Fontaine and look forward to benefiting from his wisdom and expertise, gained from a tremendous career as a leader within Canada's First Nations communities," Gordon Nixon, RBC president and CEO, stated in a release.
"Phil Fontaine's guidance will be particularly valuable as we continue our effort to build relationships with aboriginal peo
ples and communities across the country."

This is just shows what it was really all about for Fontaine. He doesn't work with an indigenous organization but a bank of all things. Banks, who happen to be responsible for the economic "downturn."

This is pretty much what is about for all the Band Council chiefs I'd say, at least the ones who make a career out of it. We (native people in general) don't need to be consulted or advised, we don't need to give advice either. We can make our own decisions.
We need to help one another and HEAL. We need to heal our nations and make them strong and independent once again. We don't need to follow anyone's example. If someone wants to put their energy into a foreign system that doesn't represent or respect us, then they are wasting our time and we all lose.

My sincere hope is that we will educate ourselves and not let others do it for us so that we can make up own minds. (For instance through our own publications; such as this imaginary magazine.) Don't buy into the fakes and always assume they have hidden agendas and don't apologize for being too cynical; because we're not cynical when it comes to the potential of our people.

What I see when I read this article is that Fontaine's agenda is a big paycheck. RBC's agenda is to exploit native people and their resources while looking good doing it.

Rocking the boat?

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

I'm wondering.. [I was about to say 'we're wondering' but who is we? There is definitely no one else writing this blog but me. Maybe it's the generations in my blood (not to mention my sweat and tears.)]

Anyway, I'm wondering when does the rocking turn the boat over, making us all fall out. Fall out screaming -AAAAAAAHHHHH, someone save me! - or fall out laughing, swallowing water as we go - not enough to drown us but enough to make us cough and thank the Creator for air. I'm wondering when enough will be enough. Cause I AM tired of arguing to no avail, to putting ideas out there with no one grabbing the other end. Tired but not frustrated because I know the failure is in me.

Our "magazine" hasn't really been happening lately. It's like a dream that you forget when you wake up. Except the forgetting happens when you feel nervous and inept and when no one says, I'll help. It's a fear of starting alone with no one at your back.

Rocking the boat makes change. We learn, we grow courgeous or we grow scared. Scared of the water, scared of tipping.

In Shock Doctrine by Noami Klein (I've only read some of so far because I have a new baby!) she talks of Milton Friedman who says that change comes from crisis. It's advice to capitalists such as himself; lookout for that crisis, it's an opportunity to push what you want through - through the government, over the people.

When we're all spinning from a tidal wave the capitalist has his wits about him and builds a hotel where our house once was. He makes the beach private and our fishing illegal.

Or in the ndn example when we're all zombies from the wounds in our childhood 'he' walks all over our rights, passing laws against us because we're too busy suffering.

So! when does the rocking stop and when do we fall in? and when is it float or die? when is it enough? when do take our drink from that ocean and jump off, back into our own boat, that one called a canoe. Because I have to tell you, there isn't a future in that ship for us, we're sweethearts of mother earth. There's no being 'native' without be courageous...we cannot exist in this world defined by other nations.

And what's an ndn anyway? Is it in our hearts or our blood?

Will this magazine be just a dream? (One dream of many dreamt, by sleeping nations.) Can it be a living thing? (Giving us back our courage.)

I dream, while what I really want is to live.