Thursday, October 9, 2008

And we wonder why?!!!




Just wondering if anyone knows about the Battle of Chateauguay, The Lachine Massacre, Wounded Knee 1 & 2, Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, the story of Geronimo, and the Trail of Tears. These should help draw the out-line of what the First Nations have had to deal with not so long ago. Also, the residential schools from the 1800-1980's. This is where Native children between 5 and 16 were puposely infected with tuberculosis, sterilized under x-ray exposure according to Canada's Charter 59 of 1933 (Sterilization Act), and were psychologically tortured.Mothers had to sign away their children to the state or be arrested and have their children taken anyway. My maternal great-grandmother fell victim to this in the 1930's. She spoke no English or French, only Mohawk. She was a 'bear clanmother'. Her children raised according to orthodox customs and spoke no english or french either. She didn't understand why her children were taken from her. My maternal grandfather escaped and made it back home from the 'Spanish Residential School' in Ontario. My paternal grandfather was severely abused by the Catholic priests in the local school, as well as my older aunts and uncles. Their hair was cut, they were forbidden to speak their language (kanienke:ha, aka Mohawk), and were randomely beaten for fun. These cycles of abuse are in the healing process now.We wonder why Natives have issues? The 'Scalping Proclamation' of 1789 or 98 adds more fuel to the fire. There is still a scalping proclamation in the U.S.(Me), that congress never took out of the books yet. Now is this how you treat people and expect them to like you?! Now we see the Innu on the streets of Montreal, wandering around aimlessly trying to make sense of where they are and what they want out of the surreal life they see on TV, movies and music videos. Beer is like 200$ for a case of 24, 60$ per gram of marijuana, and we wonder why they lose their minds when they come to Montreal when the beer is like 5$ a pitcher and 10$ per gram of marijuana! Of course they're going to take advantage! Then strange people in blue uniforms (MUC) come to take them away when they try to walk to where they are staying and become criminals for "public intoxication", leading to "resisting arrest", when they don't even know why they are being arrested. This is where all the suicide numbers come into play...So again I ask, is this fair? Is it just? Is the 'Indian Act' necessary making Natives "wards of the state"? Is there a 'Black Act' or a 'Jewish Act'? Of course not! Did they think they were smart by creating this piece of legislature to try to appease the First Nations? Its done nothing but cause problems, and the only reason why people are affraid to get out of it is because of the money it promises them. Hence, the 'Band Council' will not bite the hand that feeds them. This illusion of "sovereignty" we're all living under is a lie in itself.

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