Trust. Integrity. Reputation. Top News - August - 2004 Volume 22 - Number 5 Edmonton a dangerous city for Native women Father reaches out for help to find daughter Defining what is Métis creates tensions Put an end to the superiority complex - Editorial Sizing up a new minority government- Guest Column Check out Ontario Birchbark The entire contents of Windspeaker's August issue is available online in the AMMSA Archives. Access is restricted to subscribers only. CLICK HERE FOR ONLINE SUBSCRIPTION INFO. Edmonton a dangerous city for Native women Carl Carter, Windspeaker Staff Writer, Edmonton The president of the Native Women's Association of Canada (NWAC) warned Aboriginal women living in Edmonton they are in danger. Police inaction on a series of murdered women's cases puts Aboriginal women here at risk, said Kukdookaa Terri Brown. Brown's statement came July 7, less than a month after the body of another murdered Aboriginal woman, 19-year-old Rachel Liz Quinney, was found outside the city limits June 11. Since her statement, another body was found east of Wetaskiwin (south of Edmonton) on June 21. The body has been identified as Lynn Minia Jackson, a member of the Saddle Lake Band. Since 1983, the bodies of 23 women have been found murdered in and around Edmonton. Fourteen of them are Aboriginal, and all are described by police as prostitutes or involved in high-risk lifestyles. Jackson was not reported missing and investigators are unsure of where she was living or how. Police are not classifying Jackson's death as a murder yet, but investigators from Calgary are helping with the investigation. While some of the Edmonton murders have been solved, the majority remain under investigation, and for the first time police are saying there may be a serial killer at work in the city. Brown, along with members of the Alberta Aboriginal Women's Society, held a press conference to talk about the Sisters in Spirit campaign (a project that brings attention to the estimated 500 missing or murdered Aboriginal women nation-wide) and, in particular, the missing and murdered Aboriginal women of Edmonton. "There has been very little action undertaken by police, the medical profession or the judiciary when an Aboriginal woman has been assaulted, is missing or murdered," said Brown, adding police have to take some blame for the recent murders because they do not provide a safe environment for all. "People are dying as a result of their inaction. We're focusing here because we believe that women's lives are at risk here in this city," she said. There are 30 investigators assigned to the Quinney murder as part of the task force set up to investigate all the murdered women's cases. Police have received more than 500 tips and are asking for more. "We're hoping that additional calls will continue to come in," said RCMP Corporal Wayne Oakes. "It's very important. Without that information we could be left at this point in time with simply having an identity," he said of the Quinney murder. "Without the input from various police agencies, including the neighboring RCMP detachments and the Edmonton Police Service, as well as the information that's come from the public, we could be left sitting there going nowhere. Rather, instead of that, because of the information that has been received, the investigation is continuing to progress." That progress to date has resulted in 350 witnesses or persons of interest, 64 locations of interest and a consultation with a criminal profiler. Brown wants federal help. "We are in an urgent state of affairs in regards to the safety of Aboriginal women in this country," she said. "We have requested that the federal government provide funds of $10 million to implement the Sisters in Spirit campaign," she said. "This plan will include research, the creation of a hotline, a national registry, education and community-based programs to assist marginalized Aboriginal women vulnerable to this extreme form of violence," which she described as racial violence. "As we await funding for the Sisters in Spirit campaign, Aboriginal women are dying every day." Assembly of First Nations National Chief Phil Fontaine spoke about the murders and supports the Sisters in Spirit campaign. "It's a very serious issue. We must pull out all stops to find out the perpetrator or perpetrators of these horrible crimes and bring them to justice. We need to do something about all of the reasons why people end up on the street," he said. "The common element in all these people, I believe, is poverty. So we're going to have to do something about poverty. We're going to have to eradicate poverty." Kate Quinn, executive director for the Prostitute Awareness and Action Foundation of Edmonton, said that prostitution is a big problem for Aboriginal women. She estimates that more than half of the women who have sought help from the organization have been Aboriginal. In fact, Quinney sought help to change her lifestyle before she was murdered. "Many people have asked for help, but some of their big barriers in working on a plan is addictions and not having a place to stay and waiting times to get into addictions treatment," said Quinn. She said the women have been hurt in the past in some way and this psychological trauma makes them an easier target for predators. "Because they're very vulnerable and have been seen by society to be throw-away people, it's easier for a predator to pick off a woman who's standing on a street corner at two in the morning. I'm home in my bed, but she's out there and she's vulnerable," said Quinn. "Also some perpetrators really hate women, so who's the most vulnerable? It's a woman standing on the street corner." Joanne Ahenakew, vice-president of the Edmonton chapter of the Aboriginal Women's Society, has lost two aunts to racial violence. Her aunt Bernadette Ahenakew's case remains unsolved. Bernadette was a 22-year-old mother of three when she was found dead in a ditch along a rural road outside of Edmonton in 1989. "This is an issue that is very close to my heart and my family. One thing I want to stress is that not all these women on this list are prostitutes and the media needs to stop labeling them as such. These women were beautiful and kind women. This Sisters in Spirit campaign is a form of recognition. And recognition will eventually lead to justice. This is a crisis situation," she said. Brown said racial violence everywhere must stop if Aboriginal women can hope to be completely safe. She said until Aboriginal women stop dying and they can walk safely in the streets, the ongoing police investigation is not enough. "I'm not saying that the police are racist. General racism against Aboriginal people exists in this country in every institution that I've ever come into contact with, including policing. For us it's a crisis, but for the non-Native community they're saying it's just another Indian. In our community it's just another person; it's a person that we loved." Top Father reaches out for help to find daughter Debora Steel, Windspeaker Staff Writer, Saskatoon When people talk about Daleen Kay Bosse (Muskego) they use words like surprised, confused, perplexed and shocked to describe their reaction to her disappearance. When Herb Muskego speaks about Daleen, you know he's experienced all those things, but now he's just very sad and very tired. He reported his daughter missing more than two months ago, and in all that time there has been no word from her or from anyone who can tell him where she is. He's left no stone unturned in his effort to find her, working with the Saskatoon Police Service, hiring a private investigator, organizing a missing person's poster campaign, talking to media, all in an attempt to bring Daleen home to her family, and in particular to her three-year-old daughter who misses her desperately. Todd Hrabok is the owner of Saskatoon Private Investigations. He was hired by Daleen's family about a week after the 25-year-old university student went missing. "They want to do as much, and anything, as possible to find her," Hrabok said. "If there was another angle, aside from a private investigator, I'm sure they would have taken that as well." Hrabok told Windspeaker that Daleen left home between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Tuesday, May 18. She was seen by friends or family acquaintances at two city nightclubs-JAX on Pacific Ave. and Champs on 22nd St. in Saskatoon's west end. There have been other sightings, but none confirmed. The last of the last was on May 21 when she was seen at the Scotiabank in the Centre on Circle and 8th St. Mall. Police are fairly confident about that sighting as it was an employee of the bank who knew Daleen personally who made the report. Herb has put money in Daleen's account in case she needs it. Daleen was driving a newer white Chevy Cavalier, which was located on June 4 at 117th St. off Central Ave. Police say it had been there for awhile. Hrabok said a witness puts the car there since May 19. A number of items from the car are missing, including the steering wheel cover, the front floor mats and a baby car seat. "Which in my eyes has trying to clean up a crime scene all over it," said Hrabok. There are also several hundred kilometers on the car that can't be accounted for, he explained, with the little running around Daleen did from the time she had the car's oil changed on May 17 to the time the vehicle is said to have been abandoned. Inspector Al Stickney, public affairs executive officer with the Saskatoon Police Service, said police aren't yet assuming foul play. "You know, the fact that she hasn't contacted anyone certainly gives us concerns, but we have nothing like a crime scene or any indication of foul play to lead us in that direction. "There are occurrences, and I'm not categorizing this as one of them, when people leave for unknown reasons. And when they are adults, they are capable of doing something like that," he said. Donna Heimbecker is the general manager of the Saskatchewan Native Theatre Company. She has known Daleen since she took a 10-week program with Heimbecker's group in 1999. "Healing journeys through the arts, it's one of the components of that project for Aboriginal youth, utilizing the arts as a means to motivate and inspire young people, to support them on their journey through life. It's an empowerment type of program, working with what society calls youth at risk, but we call them youth with potential. Daleen fit into that at that time." Heimbecker said Daleen was in search of some cultural understanding and, like many young people, in search of identity and some community belonging. Since she completed that program, Daleen had stayed connected to the group, volunteering when they needed her, attending their productions. It was at a matinee less than a week before Daleen went missing that Heimbecker last saw her. "So I was pretty surprised to hear she was missing," said Donna Heimbecker. "I walked out of a coffee shop one day right into a poster board thing that had this missing person's poster on it, and it was Daleen's face, and I was shocked by that. Of course, it was just days since I had seen her at the theatre and I thought 'This must be a mistake,' and I phoned her mother right away and asked her mom 'Is this true?' and her mom said 'Yes, it is.'" Heimbecker's group jumped into action, sending out posters and sending word across what the Native community calls the moccasin telegraph, a network of contacts across Indian country. Then came the rumors that people had seen Daleen around town and recently. Heimbecker wondered though if the reports could be true. "We'd all like to think that Daleen is OK and she's coming back, and maybe she's just going through some personal issues with family or marriage or whatever. I mean, we all go through those things in our life. So we'd like to think that that's what it is and that she will come back safely to her daughter, her family..." But Heimbecker thinks that Daleen wandering away without word to anyone would be out of character for the young woman she has come to know as a committed student, a caring and loving mother, a woman who was socially connected and interested in the issues of First Nations people. Hrabok said the night before she went missing, Daleen had discussed her plans to attend the Assembly of First Nations confederacy being held in the city the next day. Daleen's father wonders if anyone in town that week might remember seeing her. He's taken space in Windspeaker (page 15) to provide her picture and description. The chief of the Onion Lake band in Saskatchewan has approved a $5,000 reward for information leading to Daleen's location. A Crime Stoppers segment about Daleen's disappearance has run on local television. Her name and description are on a national police database in case she comes in contact with the law in any other part of the country. Todd Hrabok and his right-hand man in investigations have racked up about 150 hours working on the case. And the community is looking to a higher power for a little help. "I think, just from our cultural perspective, that we are saying prayers for her and her family," said Heimbecker. "And we hope that she has a safe return to her daughter, her husband and her family and that she's OK." If readers have any information about Daleen Kay Bosse (Muskego) that they think might help the investigation, the Saskatoon Police Service encourages people to call Crime Stoppers no matter where they are in the country. Hrabok will also take calls at (306) 975-0999 and there are other numbers listed on the reward poster you will see in this publication. Daleen is a member of the Onion Lake First Nation. She has black shoulder-length hair, is 5 ft. 5 in. in height and weighs about 170 lb. She wears glasses. Top Defining what is Métis creates tensions Paul Barnsley, Windspeaker Staff Writer, Ottawa The Supreme Court of Canada ruled that Métis people have Aboriginal rights that are protected by Section 35 of Canada's Constitution in its Sept. 19, 2003 Powley decision. The big question now is: "Who is Métis?" That question is causing a lot of friction across the country. Paul Chartrand, a University of Saskatchewan law professor with a strong connection to the Métis National Council (MNC) establishment, concedes there's been "an increased level of political activity since Powley." That "political activity" has taken many forms. There are groups of people who identify themselves as Métis in just about every region of the Métis homeland that stretches from Northern Ontario across the Prairies and into British Columbia and the Northwest Territories. But those groups are not recognized by the MNC, the Ottawa-based national political organization that claims to be the legitimate voice of the true Métis people. And the fight about who belongs and who doesn't is often a bitter one. Chartrand believes the recognition of Métis rights in Powley has attracted people who just don't belong. "I suspect that a lot of the people who are concerned about Métis identity are a little bit at sea," he said. "When people have been marginalized for a long time and then they begin to see opportunities, they don't necessarily know what those opportunities are." Nations of people are allowed to define themselves, the United Nations says, but that wasn't the case during the colonial era and that's the root of the problems that exist today, the law professor said. "The question of identity is complicated by many facts flowing from the government of Canada's Aboriginal policy," Chartrand said. "The Indian Act was unilaterally enacted without any regard to the Indigenous peoples' sense of self-identity. Similarly, the government of Canada took it upon itself to define Métis. That can be seen as a problem or a challenge." The MNC has developed its definition of who is Métis and the definition was expanded upon in Powley. The MNC's critics say its definition is exclusionary. Chartrand said that's the way it has to be. "The Indian Act brings in folks and hives off folks as any membership code must do. Any definition of a human group is exclusionary. There's no way in God's green earth you can include everybody and still have a category," he said. Many of the non-MNC groups have one simple criteria for determining membership. If you're of mixed blood, you're in. Chartrand attacked that approach. "Only the racist would say that identity is biologically determined, like salmon or greyhounds," he said. He called the idea that all mixed blood people are Métis "a senseless and irrational proposition." Living a distinct Métis culture and having the acceptance of an historic Métis community are the main things that define Métis identity, he added. In several regions, grassroots groups have become more bold in attempting to unseat or displace the MNC recognized authorities since Powley, saying the leaders and their appointees are consuming the vast majority of the financial resources and leaving the regular Métis people with next to nothing. A development in Ontario seemed to be a good news story for Métis people. Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) President Tony Belcourt announced that his organization had worked out a deal with the provincial government to protect Métis hunting and fishing rights. But in a press release, Michael McGuire, president of the non-MNC Ontario Métis Aboriginal Association, (OMAA) claimed he represents 97 per cent of Ontario's Métis. He accused the MNO of becoming "an arm of the (provincial) Ministry of Natural Resources." During a phone interview, he was asked to back up his claims. "We've got about 25,000 members that are signed up today. What they're saying with the other ones is they figure there's only about 1,200 with the MNC organization in Ontario," he said. OMAA's definition is unique even among Métis groups. "You have to admit that you're Métis, you have to have Aboriginal blood and you have to be accepted by the community. Plus, the Métis are a tribe of people in Ontario where the MNC does not recognize their members as tribal. We're the Woodland Métis tribe. That's what we are. We have asked our medicine men and other people to verify this and they all came back and said this is true," he said. "The Métis people and Inuit come under the red race of people. So therefore we never sold anything like other people in different parts of the country." McGuire said his people live an Aboriginal lifestyle that is very close to a traditional First Nation lifestyle. He said the concept of biology does not enter into OMAA's definition. "I know [MNC President] Clem Chartier and Paul Chartrand and all them. They can't seem to grasp the idea that we're Métis Indians. In Ontario we're Métis Indians. If they want to be Métis from Manitoba west, that's entirely up to them. We're a Métis First Nation. We are a tribe of people and we're just the same as the Crees, the Blackfoot, the Cheyenne, the Iroquois and everybody else because we come under that red race of people." But aren't Métis the products of intermarriage between Indigenous people and European colonizers, he was asked. "No. We're 100 per cent Métis and if you choose to walk on that other path then that's the path you choose," McGuire replied. He criticized Belcourt for making a deal on behalf of Ontario's Métis without including his group. "I don't think they're recognizing him. They're trying to water down the Métis rights. They're trying to give Tony Belcourt a cheap suit of clothes and saying 'We have solved the Métis problem in Ontario.' That smaller organization cannot speak on behalf of all the Aboriginal Métis people in Ontario. No way," he said. Belcourt told Windspeaker the deal is a huge step forward in Métis relations with Canadian governments. "The Ministry of Natural Resources has agreed to recognize and respect Métis Nation of Ontario harvester's certificates as identifying a valid Métis rights holder. The people who hold these harvester's certificates will no longer be subject to seizures of their equipment or meat, subject to investigations or charges under normal circumstance, provided they are following the MNO harvesting policy and abiding by our policy concerning respecting posted private property, safety and conservation," he said. He said he expected that OMAA would complain."Now others are going to say, 'But the MNO doesn't represent all the Métis people and there's far more than that.' Well, we only represent the people who have come forward and self-identified as Métis and can satisfy the Métis Nation registrar that they have all the documentation to prove their genealogy and their ancestry from an historic Métis community from anywhere in the homeland, whether it's Ontario right on through to B.C.," he said. Belcourt was asked to comment on OMAA's claim that it represents 97 per cent of the province's Métis. He lashed out at the rival organization, saying OMAA's numbers are high because its membership criteria is easy to satisfy. "You don't have to prove a thing or you can be somebody just visiting Canada walking through a shopping mall and you can buy one of these cards," he said. "It's as simple as that." He said the OMAA subscribes to the idea that everyone's a Métis if they want to be. "I think it comes down to whether people believe what you're saying is valid or not. And all I can say is, as far as the Métis Nation of Ontario is concerned, the government of Ontario believes that our registry system is valid. It's legitimate. They've agreed and the fact of the matter is our registry system makes good sense and it's consistent with the kind of criteria that's used for the identification of peoples around the world: Number 1, self-identification, and Number 2, community acceptance," he said. "Our community has said you have to be descendant of an historic Métis community and you have to provide the documentation to prove it," said Tony Belcourt. So anyone who fits that criteria and comes forward and applies to the registrar and supplies the documentation to the registrar is fully entitled to be registered in the MNO. People who don't or can't are not." Belcourt bluntly stated that some people are looking for a way to cash in on Métis rights. "Lots of people, no matter where you are in the world, they're going to want to take advantage of the system and get away with something if they can. Now that Métis rights have been recognized, there's going to be all kinds of wannabe Métis," he said. Top