OTTAWA REPORT

Page 2

Hey gang, it's quiz time again! Grab your writing tools and test your knowledge of the curious current events in the world of Native affairs.

Question #1: Iqaluit is a term in Inukitut that means: (a) white man; (b) dog sled (c) fish (d) caribou grounds, or (e) place where the river enters the sea.

Question #2: This question involves those people who are getting their Indian status back because of Bill C-31. For the sake of this quiz, let's say that 10 years ago an Indian woman from one of the oil-rich bands in Alberta married a white man. Let's also say that she received $5,000 as her share of the band funds when she was taken off the band list. Now because of Bill C-31, this woman can become a band member again. But as a part of the deal she will have to repay (a) $5,000 plus interest, (b) $5,000 and no interest (c) $4,000 plus interest (d) $1,000 plus interest, or (e) nothing at all.

Question #3: This question is about those people who want to put Native trappers out of business - the people in the animal rights movement. According to their own surveys, the people in the animal rights movement are very much alike. The typical member can best be compared to which of the following television characters: (a) Archie Bunker (b) Edith Bunker (c) Bill Cosby (d) Mary Tyler Moore, or (e) "J.R." Ewing from Dallas.

Question #4: Who said the following: "There's been a sense of guilt in urban Canada about the way we teated the Indians...I don't think the treatment has been that bad.: This same person also said it would be "madness" for Ottawa to pass self-government legislation for all the bands in the country because most of them are too small. The mystery man also suggested that Indians living in remote and uneconomic regions of the country are crazy for wanting to stay on the land. The mystery man is: (a) British Columbia Premier Bill Vander Zalm (b) former minister of Indian Affairs John Munro (c) newspaper columnist Doug Fisher (c) retired Senator Richard Donohoe (e) Minister of Indian Affairs Bill McKnight.

ANSWERS

The answer to #1 is (c) fish, Iqaluit is also now the official name for the Inuit town that used to be called Frobisher Bay. The Inuit have always called the area Iqaluit because it used to be a good place to catch Arctic char but the town became named after English explorer Martin Frobisher. He visited the area three times in 1500s. He took fur, ore and some of the Inuit back to England with him. The mayor of Iqaluit says he's glad the name was changed because he doesn't like living in a place named after a rip-off artist.

The answer to #2 is (c) $4,000 plus interest. People who received less than $1,000 won't have to pay back anything. People who receive more than $1,000 will have to repay the money to become band members again and they will have $1,000 deducted from the amount they have to repay. The interest will be set at the government rate - that's about 9% now - and the interest will be charged from the date the woman applied for reinstate-ment, not from the date of her marriage.

The answer to #3 is (d) Northern America's television sweetheart, Mary Tyler Moore. According to the surveys, the typical animals rights activist is a woman, has no children, is single, white, well-educated, upper-middle class and a vegetarian. That description means closer to the average librarian than to Rambo. So think and take a good look at the person behind the desk the next time you step into a big-city library.

The answer to #4 is (c) Doug Fisher. His column appears daily in the Toronto Sun. He's a former NDP Member of Parliament. He made the comments and others while interviewing Bill McKnight for a television program. He said he knew about Indians because he grew up with them in Northern Ontario. It was an interesting interview because Bill McKnight usually has to defend himself from complaints that he is not doing enough for Indians. Doug Fisher, however, was warning the minister not to do anything ore. Don't give them an more money, don't give them any more land and don't give them self'-government, he said, just take them off the land and move them to where the jobs are.

So that's it gang! Add up your score. If you answered all the questions correctly, you're qualified to become Professor of Native Studies. If you got them all wrong, you're qualified to become a columnist for the Toronto Sun.