First Nations Voice

MAY 2016 • PAGE 7 Niagara Traditional history any longer. Despair in Indigenous communities today is a direct result of the ongoing attempts by government to degrade and assimilate Indigenous peoples. Some view the reserve system as forced concentration camps, where Indigenous peoples, systematically stripped of basic human rights were herded onto reserves and kept captive in an attempt by colonial governments to gain access to resource-rich land. Grand Chief Derek Nepinak explains, "The Indian Act denies our true identity as human beings living on our ancestral lands, capable of self-determination and self-government outside of the colonial framework." Residential schools were one of the most damaging assimilation policies used by the government. When the school is on the reserve the child lives with its parents, who are savages; he is surrounded by savages. Indian children should be withdrawn as much as possible from the parental influence. - Sir John A. Macdonald, 1883 The resulting trauma from family and community breakdown, loss of culture and abuse experienced in residential schools passed down through the generations. Even so, amidst assimilation efforts, Indigenous peoples strived to maintain nationhood, spirituality and original ways. Nepinak agrees, saying, "First Nations' inherent jurisdiction and original law are found in the ceremonies of o our people. These ceremonies are thousands of years old and they still exist. Clan mothers and ceremony keepers know these original instructions, and it is these laws that must be used to replace the Indian Act." Stripping Indigenous peoples of their rights and culture through stepwise and deliberate legislation damaged this land—this country Canada. Our nations, original inhabitants of this land, have a deep spiritual connection and regard for the land, water, birds and animals. On the contrary, colonizers have historically sought to exploit these same resources. Road to Niagara is not only a return to inherent self-government and self-determination for First Nations peoples; it is a return to caring for the land—stewardship of the resources sustaining our people. Grand Chief Nepinak said, "There is no doubt the controlling features of the Indian Act devastated our cultural cohesiveness as distinct nations of Indigenous peoples. We have always resisted and fought against full- scale surrender to the assimilating features of the Act. Our resistance is as true and real today, as it was when the great leaders of the past agreed to terms of treaty instead of war. Today's leaders are waking up to the responsibility we hold as the original stewards of these great lands that we have always known." Given the federal g o v e r n m e n t ' s willingness to work on a nation-to-nation basis, it is time to return to the original spirit and intent of the treaties. Return to a time when sovereign nations, , recognizing each other as such, worked together in peace and friendship for the bett t erment of each other. Nepinak concluded, "I wholeheart r edly agree that our peace and friendship treaties must be implemented. I do not see any connection between our treaties and the colonial government's creation of the Indian Act." AMC invites First Nations across Canada to join us as we travel by caravan on the Road to Niagara.The journey begins in Winnipeg on July 8, 2016, and takes us to Niagara Falls, where AMC presents their Road to Niagara vision at the Assembly of First Nations 37th Annual General Assembly, July 12-14, 2016. The presentation will underscore the import r ance of disengaging from the Indian Act, something Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould describes as "the unfinished business of confederation", while also agreeing it is time for First Nations people to shed the "Indian Act shackles." Leading up to Road to Niagara, the AMC will host a 2nd Tea and Bannock Dialogue on May 31, 2016, to explore decolonization and traditional First Nations governance. We will discuss how to reclaim our traditional governance by assert r ing our jurisdiction on our ancestral lands and by promoting our culture. Join us at the Thunderbird House, 715 Main Street, Winnipeg, MB, to hear our traditional knowledge keepers share how to decolonize our minds and spirits. You can also check out our Road to Niagara Facebook page for related events and trip details. Learn how you can be involved in this historic undert r aking.

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