A history lesson for Nault

Page 5

Dear Editor:

It looks as though our esteemed minister longs for a return to the halcyon days when the Indian Act prohibited Indians from meeting, raising funds or hiring legal help to pursue our rights and land questions. The only other reasonable explanation I can come up with for his recent comment that First Nations leadership has become too "politicized" is that Mr. Nault is profoundly ignorant of historical fact, and thus dooming himself to endlessly repeating the mistakes of his predecessors.

I can cite many examples that contradict this bizarre assertion, but will stick to one I am most familiar with: from the turn of the 20th century until 1927, B.C.'s First Nations sent their leaders on numerous trips to Ottawa and London [England] to petition for recognition of Aboriginal title and rights under the Royal Proclamation of 1763. This was achieved entirely without any public support (i.e. taxpayers' dollars), and the Indian Act revisions noted above were specifically aimed at putting a stop to it.

These prohibitions were in effect from 1927 until 1951, when international disgust with Hitler's excesses, and the growing awareness of human rights finally made it too embarrassing for Canada to keep them on the books.

Mr. Nault also conveniently forgets that federal funding for Aboriginal organizations was initiated in the 1960s by the Right Honorable Pierre Trudeau, considered by many to be the most brilliant and misunderstood Liberal Prime Minister of the 20th century. He correctly saw the significance of the underlying constitutional questions raised by the history of First Nations/Canadian relations, and was courageous enough to allow them to be pursued.

To deny that First Nations societies have always been politicized is to deny our basic humanity.

Sincerely,

Lynne Jorgesen

Merritt, B.C.

P.S. As "sexy" as Jeff Bear is, and as "funny" as Drew Hayden Taylor is, I still miss the breath of fresh air I used to get from Taiaiake Alfred's tos:ke. A note of appreciation to Windspeaker editorial staff for raising the standards of Aboriginal journalism in this country.