First Nations Voice

PAGE 14 • DECEMBER 2012 Christmas is a Time to Give INDIANOLOGY BY DREW TAYLOR Gift giving during the holiday season is a hard- ship for poor people, especially families, since most of them struggle on a daily basis to deal with the basics of existence-- food and shelter. But, there are organizations and programs in Winnipeg that are dedicated to helping the less fortunate in society throughout the year. The Salvation Army, whose message is moti- vated by love for God and the needs of human- ity (according to its website), runs a program at Christmas called Toy Mountain. "Our goal is to raise as many toys as possible to help those children who come from families that can't afford toys," says Jeff Hamel, community ministries supervisor at the Salvation Army Weet- amah Corps at 324 Logan Avenue. Toy Mountain begins in early November when the SA sends out information to the media about their goal of collecting 15,000 toys. "Then, throughout the month of November, we register clients in the church and surround- ing community," continues Hamel, noting that the majority of Weetamah's clients are First Nations people. "We determine how many children they have and the gender. So, that way when they come back here in December, we'll know all the specif- ics of who to give toys to with this program." He adds that the Winnipeg Fire Department and the Scotia Bank are major sponsors of this program. "A lot of the retired firefighters will also volun- teer with us," says Hamel. "We make sure each client has a sense of dig- nity. So, we decorate our gymnasium to make it look like Santa's workshop. These toys are for kids up to the age of 12 years." Winnipeg Harvest Inc, a non-profit, community based organization that is a food distribution and training centre, will be sponsoring their annual fund-raising Huron Carol concert featuring singer/ actor Tom Jackson on December 3 at the Centen- nial Concert Hall. "We make sure that our food hampers go out to the people in need," says David Northcott, ex- ecutive director of the organization. "We estimate that 40 percent of those who we see are First Nations people in Winnipeg. Our goals are to collect and share surplus food with people who are hungry and to offer training oppor- tunities to help people step up and out of poverty. Our ultimate goal is to eliminate the need for food banks in our community." The Salvation Army, which is now "the largest non-governmental direct provider of social ser- vices" in the country, also has a free Christmas dinner with two sittings--at five p.m. and six p.m. on December 22. For further information, call Winnipeg Harvest at (204) 982-FOOD (3663); the Salvation Army at 204-946-9455 .- Martin Zellig so full of complex social and political issues for the modern-day First Nations person than Thanksgiving. Mine included. For one thing, its makes me very con- fused. Like, what exactly is a pilgrim? Is it a group of people who follow a specific branch of Christianity like the Mennonites or Amish or the Elk's club? Or are they a cultural or ethnic offshoot of a larger people, like the Doukhobors or Easter Island people? I am a pretty well traveled guy and yet to this day I have never met an actual pilgrim outside of another familiar and popular holiday known as Halloween. Are they an extinct people like the Homo Erectus or our own Beothuk, done in by all that rich turkey gravy, carbo- hydrate heavy mashed potatoes, sweet cranberry jelly and apple pie? Or are they so integrated into our own society that they could be living right next to you and you wouldn't even know it, like the Roma (formally known as the gypsys)? Like I said, it's a complicated question. Me, I try and take the holiday with a grain of salt. There is probably no contemporary holiday Just last Thanksgiving, I was invited to three thanks- giving dinners. One of the few benefits of being a 50 year old orphan from a large extended family. But as I drowned myself in turkey and stuffing, I found myself ruminating over something that had happened earlier in the week. I had been visiting a local farmer's market, eager to scoop up some harvest bounty when I noticed some familiar bunches of muliti-coloured corn that was hung decoratively all over the room. mented the owners on the beauty of their Indian corn. The woman looked a little sheepish and said, with an embarrassed hush, "uh, actually we call it decorative corn now." In this age of political correctness, many things are being renamed to less offensive terms. The term 'Squaw" used to populate many maps and at- lases, like Squaw valley, Squaw River etc, but under- standably one by one, they are being hunted down and renamed. It just never occurred to me that Indian corn would be considered offensive. The odd thing is, it's something so beautiful. I don't mind it being called Indian corn. After all, we did invent it. I could understand changing terms like the infa- mous Indian Burn. A nasty brutish act done primarily I compli- by bullies. For those uninitiated, you grab somebody's wrist in both hands, and twist in different directions,, stretching the skin in between, leaving it red and sore. I have visited over a hundred and thirty native com- munities across North America and have yet to find a Nation or tribe that practices that as a cultural activity. Why it got named after us, I do not know. I've even asked a few Indians from India and they are unfamiliar with the activity too. It's a mystery. Indian giver is a no brainer. Yes occasionally we ask for our land back but nobody seems to take us seriously. But there are so many other terms that have been dumped in our laps but have nothing customarily to do with us. I ask you…. Indian poker?!!? In practice, it's a form of poker where you see everybody else's cards except your own , placed in front of your fore- head (supposedly like a feather worn by 'Indians' I suppose), and try to guess by assessing all the cards available who has the highest card. Not surprisingly, it's also known as Squaw poker or Indian Head (which is a whole different argument). Crayola Crayons used to have a colour called In- dian Red. Not anymore. It's been replaced with Eu- ropean pink. Many are familiar with the term Indian Wrestling. That's where two combatants lie on the floor facing opposite sides, and then link their legs together at the knees and try to flip the other guy over. Again, 130 communities. No evidence of this as a cultural activ- ity. Possibly it is in reference to those other Indians on the other side of the world but that didn't prevent kids asking me when I was growing up if I Indian wrestled. When I refused to answer, they gave me an Indian burn. It was a horrible and vicious cycle. Indian Summer is defined by the U.S. Weather service as an unseasonably warm ,dry weather, sunny and clear with the temperature above 21 C, after there has been a sharp killing frost. Maybe they could call it NAFNIP Summer – Native, Aboriginal, First Nations Indigenous People Summer And of course there's the great American city of Indianapolis, Indiana. Two names for the price of one. I am not sure if they have tried to rename thiem or not but let's face it, it's only a matter of time.

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