After contributing a short video and some pictures from the
Idle No More rally I attended in Saskatoon on January 5th to the #IdleNoMore
website, I received a very kind comment back which included the question, what
did I bring back from the experience of attending the rally. This blog is devoted to answering that
question from the perspective of one who is not Aboriginal. I am, in fact, a white, male, senior citizen
(barely…senior, that is). I should also
acknowledge that Aboriginal issues are not new for me as I have worked off and
on for almost 30 years with various First Nations and Metis organizations.
The January 5th rally in Saskatoon was the fourth #IdleNoMore event I attended. In the first three events, I brought my bear
drum to support the singers and at the rally I obviously brought my iPad and
contributed photos (both drum and iPad were gifts from my Cree spouse). Being somewhat limited in my capacity, I am
unable to drum and take pictures at the same time. The experience I came away with at all four
events was a deep sense of joy and hope and exhilaration. Why? The
hook that first got me involved in Aboriginal issues was the over-representation
of First Nations and Metis people in prison.
Since then I have dealt with other concerns such as traditional justice
(peace-keeping and peace-making), Aboriginal control of services,
self-governance, Constitutional issues, Treaty Land Entitlement, urban native
issues, natural resources, residential schools, and indigenous organic market
gardens.
Having also done research and teaching in these areas, I
have often wondered when First Nations and Metis people would take matters into
their own hands and show resistance to forces equally destructive as apartheid
in South Africa, the holocaust for Jewish people, or as the Vietnam War and slavery
of black people in the U.S. I came away
from the rally with a deep sense that it is beginning to happen, and how happy
I am to be included in this resistance. It
is an honour to stand with this movement and be idle no more about injustices that are as abominable as those I
have listed above among others.
I come from a people who were invited by the colonialist
government of the time to come to Canada a few years after the first
several numbered Treaties were signed – the Mennonites. We came in several groupings over a period of
50-60 years. Most of us came with
nothing but our experience in farming and we were given cheap if not free
land. Although I was raised in poverty,
I owe a lot to the indigenous peoples of Turtle Island
At the first flash mob round dance in Saskatoon, I thought
that it might be seen as inappropriate for me as a non-Aboriginal to join in,
especially bringing my own drum and supporting the singers. It’s not that I
would feel awkward; in fact, I feel much more at home with most Aboriginal
people than I do with most white people.
But I did not want to usurp or exploit what is essentially an Aboriginal
movement; there has been too much of that.
But as I listened to Tantoo Cardinal, Chief Wally Fox and particularly
the four women who founded #IdleNoMore (one of whom is non-Aboriginal), I found
my spirit singing with their spirit. The
#IdleNoMore issues are my issues as well, and I would be so bold as to say that
they are the issues of every single Canadian, whether they realize it now or
not.
So it is encouraging to see more and more non-Aboriginal
people at #IdleNoMore events. Those of
us who attend and participate have far more in common with Aboriginal people
than either side realizes. Many
non-Aboriginal people have seen the light as well, many are looking for a way
to deal with the brokenness of our society and our world, many, in fact the
majority, do not have a voice and feel powerless. Let us not forget that Steven Harper and his
cabal were elected by only 23-24% of eligible voters in Canada . That means the majority of non-Aboriginal people
should really support #IdleNoMore.
Who among us all on Turtle Island
