From One Raven's Eye

Page 6

Hi and ahneen, hello and tansi. Canada is 119 years old now. On July lst somebody somewhere is blowing out a bunch of candles, one for each year. If we did that for each year we'd been here, imagine the kind of wind we'd get going. It would probably be enough to shake the walls of the department of Immigration in Ottawa. All those pass-ports and visas would go straight out the window, catch in the wind again and blow clear back across the ocean. Then we could go around saying, "oh, no papers, we're sorry, see you later."

Do you think we'd do that? Nah, based on how nice and generous we have been

in the past. We've stuck to our sharing ways pretty much so far.

When the talk turns to sharing around and how that applies to land, it isn't very long before the words "Aboriginal claim" pop up.

Who was here first and what rights do people deserve, in other words?

On the economic and political level this is what is at the bottom of the high priced arguing around. It also seems there is something else under that even. It's got to do with the idea of first.

Being number one in all matters is a definite part of the American dream of self image at least. Since Canadians are mainly Americans with manners, yet the same attitude exists up here. Now partly out of response to that and partly out of scientific curiosity, they are always trying to come up with a theory to explain how we managed to show up here before they did. Funny thing, most of those have to do with arriving mostly by accident.

The one most believed is the Bering Strait theory. That "B.S." theory concerns the watery place that presently exists between Alaska and the U.S.S.R. They say there once was a dry strip of land there. One day a bunch of us got lost and wandered across it. Right after that the land bridge flooded over and we then spent the next 10,000 years wandering around trying to find out way back to China and in our spare time populating two continents,

Now how could that be? Most of my relatives are expert guides and trappers. They never get lost, even in strange territory. I was lost once for two whole days. But even with female company, we probably wouldn't have been able to start up a whole new tribe with its own culture and language in that amount of time. That's not to say we wouldn't have tried, but even being Ojibway has its limitations, you know.

Then there's one that says we're from Atlantis. Not Atlanta, Atlantis. Anyway, Atlantis was this great civilization that some believe to have existed on an island. this island was either in the Pacific, Atlantic, or the Mediterranean. Anyway, one day this island up and sank. One grand civilization down the drain. Maybe there could be some truth in that. Most Indian people I know have enough sense to leave any address that is starting to sink out of sight into an ocean.

Another theory is that we are one of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel. These people got lost in the desert and disappeared forever. That one is definitely not true. I for one find sand and other foreign matter between my toes to be very buggy. Why would a person like that go anywhere near enough sand to make a desert let alone wander out far enough onto one to get lost? If we are one of the ten lost tribes, what happened to the other nine? Maybe they are the ones starting up these rumors so they can get in on whatever Aboriginal claims goodies might someday come along.

Another theory to explain our presence here is the one that says we come from Wales. Turns out the Mandan Indians can understand and talk something resembling part of the Welsh language. Hmmmm...have you heard of Tom Tones, the most famous Welsh person to appear on stage in Las Vegas? Now do the Mandans look anything like him? Does he look anything like them?

The only theory I believe about us getting here is the one told of in legends. They say we were created here. We were given this island to live on by the Creator.

Some people are already mumbling somethingabout proof. To them I say, "hah!" Show me yours that proves we weren't."

So maybe we don't have a broken pottery collection to back up our arguments with. So what. One theory without a reliable eyewitness is as good as any other, right?

The ones who'd argue against us the most is the anthropologists. They're out there digging up tons of dust trying to prove their point. Maybe to find something really useful they're scratching around in the wrong place entirely. I hear they haven't found out for sure how their own people came to be and where they came from and when.

Anyway, while things are yet to be proved for sure either way, let's try to make some sorta deal for the time being. If they promise not to bug us about our passports,

we promise not to bug them about theirs. Now let's get on with this other first come, first served matter, and what that means in North American sharing around terms.

Well that's it for this week. We are off to a powwow this evening. We're gonna

be doing some celebrating of our own about the joys of living in this large and lovely land. Maybe we'll see you over there, but if not, hopefully back here next time.