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Aboriginal
people impatient for release of RCMP report
By Marj Roden
Sage Writer
PRINCE ALBERT
Métis Party activist John Melenchuk led a rally in
front of Prince Albert's City Hall on March 11, hoping to add
voices in that city to the province-wide call for justice concerning
allegations that Saskatoon police have been taking Native people
to the outskirts of town and forcing them to walk back to the
city in sub-zero temperatures.
Four deaths may be linked to this alleged practice. The RCMP
completed its investigation into these allegations in mid-March
and submitted a report to the provincial Justice minister. The
conclusions reached in that report had not been made public as
of April 4.
Melenchuk, like many Aboriginal people in the province who have
no doubt that police have mistreated their people, isn't ready
to wait for the release of the investigation's report to believe
the allegations are true.
"We just wanted to bring to light the issue that this discrimination
and racism, it's alive and kicking in P.A. too. So it's affecting
all the communities, not just Saskatoon," said Melenchuk
after the rally.
Many citizens from the community gathered to listen to what Melenchuk
had to say. There was also an open mike session, where people
from the crowd were encouraged to come up and tell of their own
experiences of living in Prince Albert as an Aboriginal person.
Four torches were lit to remember the four who died in acts of
apparent police violence, and then four torchbearers - along
with Melenchuk, who carried the Saskatchewan flag - led a march
down Central Ave. to the Prince Albert city police headquarters,
where an officer symbolically accepted the four torches.
Because nobody representing the city of Prince Albert attended
the rally, Melenchuk approached city council at their regular
Monday night meeting on March 13.
"Basically, a slap in the face of the Aboriginal community
was committed at Saturday night's vigil rally," an emotional
Melenchuk said to the council. "I am totally disgusted and
shamed and disheartened for a no-show of concern from this elected
power. The lack of respect, without even a note of an acknowledgement
or encouragement, or any kind of representation from the civic
officials, was not called for. Yet we had [Reform MP] Derek Konrad,
who is away in Ottawa, send us a note."
Melenchuk, as a part of his presentation to council, also read
a short note from an Elder in Prince Albert, Darryl Greyeyes.
The note read as follows:
"The young children in our community are fearing the grown-up
fear of the local authority. A few bad seeds within the justice
system need to be addressed so that an understanding will occur.
The youth will then see the police as peacekeepers, not enforcers,
as they're sadly seen now from the majority of the youth.
"So please, for the sake of the community, when city hall
is asked for support, do it without excuses."
In response to Melenchuk's presentation, Alderman Dennis Nowoselsky
stated his displeasure with the fact that Melenchuk had made
a "blanket statement" about everyone on the city council.
When Melenchuk made an effort to respond, he was immediately
told by Mayor Cody that "debate is not allowed here."
"I am not aware of your process, sir," was Melenchuk's
reply.
"We have a procedure bylaw, and the bylaw specifically says
what you are and are not allowed to do," Mayor Cody told
Sage after the council meeting was over.
Melenchuk has led a high-profile attack on Métis Nation
of Saskatchewan officials, claiming that a lack of accountability
has led to mis-management and corruption. Questions about his
motivation - uncertainty about whether he is acting out of genuine
concern for the public welfare or out of anger because decisions
were made with which he disagreed - have caused many in the region
to be wary of him.
When asked about his absence on Saturday, Cody said, "I
just wasn't available, otherwise I well may have been there."
He then went on to make a few observations about the rally.
"There were no elected people [at the rally] from the Métis
society. I didn't see [Métis Nation of Saskatchewan president]
Clem Chartrand, I didn't see Gary Merasty, the chief of the Grand
Council . . . so I'm just wondering, Would I or should I be there
if it's not an official function?"
Alderman Nowoselsky also questioned the validity of the rally
after the council meeting was over.
"Until the (Saskatoon) investigation is over, you can't
start pursuing it. You have to wait until it's over, find out
what comes from it, before you start demonstrations."
Asked to respond to allegations made at the rally that some members
of the Prince Albert police force have physically abused Aboriginal
people, Nowoselsky stated, "If that's being made, I think
there's avenues to formally raise that protest. People are always
going to say there's an element of fear."
He continued by stating, "Society needs more people to come
forward if there is a legitimate complaint and raise it. Now
that's what's being done (in Saskatoon) and let's let the process
go through. If the evidence concludes that there is action that
should be taken, then it will be left to the police commission
in Saskatoon to take some action, and to the provincial attorney
general's office."
Although none of the elected officials participated in the rally,
the bishop of the Anglican Church diocese of Saskatchewan, Anthony
Burton, was there. Burton expressed concern and said he understood
the motivations behind the event and some of the things that
have to be done to solve the problems.
"(Racism) is something that gets talked a lot about in our
church's ministerial meetings," said Burton. "This
is an ongoing topic of conversation, and a matter of concern,
and a lot of the clergy actually have been involved on the race
relations committee, and have been trying to do justice work
in the community. I think that's probably true right across the
spectrum of denominations."
Group
wants to ban teaching of Indigneous spirituality
By Stephen LaRose
Sage Writer
FORT QU'APPELLE
Where does First Nations' culture end and First Nations' spirituality
begin? Does teaching some aspects of First Nations' culture and
traditions to students in school violate the students' and parents'
freedom of religion? Would students understand First Nations'
culture without being taught about the spiritual beliefs from
which that culture grew?
Those are the questions teachers, parents and Elders in this
district are asking after a meeting March 14 at the Fort Qu'Appelle
library.
Those at the meeting say they're worried that complaints lodged
by an evangelical Christian First Nations organization may spawn
a backlash against Native studies and cultural classes in area
schools. They also said children in such courses are taught only
what those spiritual beliefs mean in terms of Aboriginal culture,
and students aren't forced to participate in religious events.
The issue cuts to the heart of projects such as the Community
of Hope's efforts to build cultural bridges between the Aboriginal
and non-Aboriginal community, said the organization's cultural
liaison worker, Germaine Coates.
"We want to create an environment where diversity is acceptable,"
she said, "not to make people feel that what someone else
believes is wrong."
Several Fort Qu'Appelle people who are also involved with the
Community of Hope program hosted the public forum. The Community
of Hope is a program sponsored by several community agencies
along with the provincial departments of Education and Social
Services, providing in-school and after-school cultural and recreational
activities to combat growing school drop-out rates in areas where
there are high rates of poverty. Fort Qu'Appelle is one of two
rural Saskatchewan schools with a Community of Hope program.
In a prepared statement, the First Peoples Ministers Council
say they are not opposed to teaching non-spiritual aspects of
First Nations culture during class time, but oppose practicing
Native spirituality by students during school hours.
The council says teaching religious culture during class time
violates the children's' and parents' freedom of religion and
freedom of culture, in much the same way as having students recite
the Lord's Prayer would infringe on the rights of non-Christians.
"The opposition is based on their right to freedom of religion
and conscience guaranteed by the Canadian Charter and the Saskatchewan
Bill of Rights," the council said in a prepared statement.
Allan Beckie, a Regina lawyer representing, through the council,
First Nations parents who oppose the teaching of Native spirituality
in schools, declined comment when contacted.
The First Peoples Ministers' Council didn't take part in last
Tuesday's forum because neither they nor the people the council
represents were consulted about planning the meeting, the council
says in its prepared statement.
During the Fort Qu'Appelle meeting some speakers, who are from
area First Nations, say the First Peoples Ministers' Council's
actions were puzzling.
"On the reserve, our children are not taught about spirituality
at an early age," said Velma Goodfeather, an Elder from
Standing Buffalo Dakota Nation. Children are not taught religious
teaching until parents and Elders feel the children are old enough
to grasp the concepts, she added.
"It is difficult enough to teach respect for our culture."
In school, students spend some of their class time learning about
the history and culture of Saskatchewan's First Nations and Métis
peoples. Proponents of the current program say that it would
be very difficult to teach about some aspects of such cultures
without showing the spiritual beliefs behind the culture. For
example it would be hard to teach students about the significance
of some social events such as powwows without talking about the
religious significance of some of the activities, they say.
Because Aboriginal spirituality encompasses almost every part
of Aboriginal culture, it would be very difficult for people
designing such courses to decide what to leave in and what to
take out if all references to spirituality were removed, said
Lorraine Cyr-Peigan, a member of the Pasqua First Nation band
council and who also represents Pasqua on the Indian Head School
Division board of trustees.
For example, teaching the Saulteaux language to students would
become extremely difficult, she said.
"Many of the words in our language refer to the Creator,"
she said. "If we were not to teach the words in our language
which refer to the Creator, how would our children be taught
our language?"
One teacher who spoke at the Fort Qu'Appelle meeting said people
might have made the complaints because they're unfamiliar with
what is being taught.
"We're not forcing students in those classes to practice
that spirituality," said Gwen Paul, who teaches Native Studies
courses at Bert Fox Comprehensive High School.
Meanwhile students in school are also learning about other religions
in other classes, Paul said. In Grade 8, one social studies class
teaches students about other faiths such as the Jewish and Moslem
religions.
Complaints about teaching aspects of Aboriginal spirituality
in schools started last month in Regina, organizers of Tuesday's
meeting claimed.
The complaints started at Kitchener School, soon after the Saskatoon
public school board abandoned its long-standing policy requiring
students to recite the Lord's Prayer before classes.
As of now, Regina's public schools have not made any changes
to their programs because of the complaints, said the chairman
of Regina's public school board.
"Our schools teach about religion. They do not teach religion,"
said John Conway. "We don't preach or advocate one religious
value system over another."
Michif language
gets a boost
By Stephen LaRose
Sage Writer
LEBRET
It was a simple question but few could provide the answer.
Ed St. Pierre asked if anyone could understand what he was saying.
Of the 50 people in the audience at the Lebret Métis Farm
on March 17, only six raised their hands, and many of them were
senior citizens.
That's because St. Pierre asked his question in a language which,
150 years ago, was the working language for those living on the
Canadian prairies. Today it is spoken, according to best estimates,
by fewer than 1,000 people in Saskatchewan.
The language is Michif, and as chairman of the Métis Language
Association, St. Pierre says it's his mission to keep the language
alive.
"When we are gone, it's up to the youth in order to preserve
our language," he said.
The Métis Nation of Saskatchewan is holding several workshops
on the Michif language throughout the province, said Bruce Lamont,
a Métis activist who spoke to the crowd at the seminar.
"We can get it back if we all work together," he added.
"If we lose it now it will never be regained."
Preserving the language is an integral part of keeping Métis
heritage and culture alive, said Lamont.
"A people can't possess a culture without an understanding
of their unique language."
St. Pierre said only about 50 people living in the Qu'Appelle
Valley can speak the language, a hybrid of Cree and French, with
a few words of English and Saulteaux thrown in the mix. Michif
mostly mixes Cree verbs with French nouns, and came about after
contact between the First Nations people on the prairies and
Quebec-based fur traders in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The rise and fall of the Michif language reflects the rise and
fall in the Métis people's fortune, Lamont said.
Over time, Michif became the common working language for those
on the prairies, from those buying and selling fur and other
goods to farmers and hunters.
After the Saskatchewan Rebellion ended with Métis leader
Louis Riel's execution in 1885, the Métis people and the
Michif language were driven underground. Fearing reprisals, many
refused to speak the language of their forefathers, Lamont added.
"Our Elders, when they were children, faced corporal punishment
if they spoke Michif when they were at school. Many of the teachers
said at the time the best way for those children to learn English
was to beat Michif out of them."
The MNS is concentrating its efforts to re-establish the Michif
language by recording the language and getting translations from
those speaking the language today, St. Pierre said.
"We're 'banking the language' - kind of creating a bank
of reference for the language," he explained.
The MNS will be holding several Michif workshops throughout Saskatchewan
in order to get more of the language from Elders.
The MNS and the Gabriel Dumont Institute, a Métis culture-based,
post-secondary educational institution, taped the event at the
Lebret Métis Farm and will use the tapes for classroom
instruction.
St. Pierre said the future of the Michif language rests with
young people, the target for the seminar. Of the 50 who attended,
about 30 were Native Studies students from Bert Fox Comprehensive
High School.
The MNS estimates that about 75,000 people of Métis ancestry
live in Saskatchewan.
For my missus
for Mother's Day
(which should be every day)
By Denis Okanee Angus
Sage Columnist
My wife is always leaving me. This might strike you readers
as a little odd. I am not about to download about my marriage.
That is not my point.
I just thought I would show you that I do have a sense of humor
too!
Seriously, she goes on all these trips (and trust me it was hard
to convince her to type this). She complains that she spends
more time in airport lounges than she does in her own living
room.
I remember the first time she left me. Our little girl Katie
was only just a little bit more than a year old. Trisha, that's
my wife, went to a racism conference at the UN. Trisha was one
of two Canadian delegates at this conference and the only Aboriginal
person there. She left me with this little girl. I was scared
because she was just little. I didn't know how Katie would react
because she had always been with her mom before, even when she
travelled. Well, to my surprise, Katie and I were both fine.
Most of the time, the kids don't think that what their mom does
is any kind of a deal. She is just their mom. Sometimes I have
felt like my wife is just out there having fun, but, what she
does with her education and her job is really always for the
people. As a matter of fact, the kids were trying to understand
this "other life" their mom has, just the other day.
It's not until they are about eight or nine years old that they
begin to understand that not everybody's mom is on television.
It took me a long time to realize that my missus makes lots of
sacrifices. She misses the kids really badly when she is away
(and I like to think she misses me too!). The kids count sleeps.
Jack, the baby who isn't much of a baby any more at age four,
will say when he talks to her on the phone: "just two more
sleeps, right mom? I can handle it." The missus has taught
the kids that missing someone isn't bad. It just means that you
love them. I think that's been an important lesson. We are always
so happy when mom comes back. The kids all scream from the door
and run for the car.
Usually they all pile on mom (there are five kids) before she
can even get out of the car.
I know I am month early for Mother's Day. But that's how important
mothers are. It's not a bad thing to be early about. I wasn't
raised for all of my life by my mother. Actually, she died a
long time ago. It has taken a long time, but I realize just how
much of an impact that has had on me.
It's funny how life works out. If I had not had to spend time
as the only parent at home with my kids, I might not have ever
figured this out. It's funny how life works out in a good way,
if you just let it.
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Published April 10, 2000