Indigenous Oppression Continues - 1885-1993 (Missing Pieces #5)

No, I did not forget. I did four other videos on missing pieces legislation that has happened in Canada. They continued the oppression or started the oppression of Indigenous peoples. And I shared with you how this is a full day seminar. I do and it touches on. Well, let's put it this way. I have yet to have someone attend this seminar and not leave with a greater understanding the frustrations of Indigenous people. So in the last video, that was way back in September. Sorry about that. We. I brought you up to close to the 1900s. The Indian act was now enacted and the residential schools existed. So let's continue on this journey. We're going to start in 1885 with the Northwest Rebellion. Let's talk about it. Hi everyone. My name is Sandy Boucher. I'm Red Thunderbolt, woman of the Loon clan, a proud member of Seine River First Nation in Treaty 3 Territory in Northern Ontario. And as Senator Murray Sinclair, who so recently passed often said, education got us into this message. Education will get us out. The reality is so many non Indigenous Canadians and for the reality, many Indigenous people living within Canadian borders don't understand how we got into the mess that is present day. I've done this series of missing pieces videos to help you understand that, touching on key pieces of legislation that really set the stage that we're now dancing on. So as promised, I said I was going to start with the 1885 rebellion, the Northwest Rebellion, also known as the Northwest Resilience Resistance, I should say. Because of the 1885 Metis Rebellion, the federal government developed what they called the PASS system, a process by which Indigenous people had to present a travel document authorized by the Indian agent in order to leave or return to their reserves. This means you may needed a pass to go hunting, to go fishing, and in some case to travel if a family member passed away, in some cases to travel to the residential school to see your own kids, totally at the whim of the Indian agent. And that travel pass was for specific days. I'll insert the picture so you can see what I mean. Bottom line, the pass system was a way of controlling Indigenous people. It wanted to prevent large gatherings because the settlers saw that as a threat. Colonial officials believed the past system would prevent another conflict like the Northwest Rebellion. Next. Now we're going to jump ahead to World War I, 1914-1918. Did you know that between 4,000 and 6,000 indigenous people served in the military during the First World War? But upon their return they were denied veterans benefits. Thank you for your service. 1919, the League of Indians forms to advocate for improved living conditions and the protections of Indigenous rights and practices. Though its effectiveness is weakened by government harassment, police surveillance and disunity among Indigenous groups. It forms the basis for Indigenous political organizing into the future. Then we have this most lovely, very famous letter that was issued on December 15, 1921. It was written by the Deputy Superintendent of the Department of Indian affairs, which is now known as Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada. I'm going to let the words speak for themselves, sir. It is observed with alarm that the holding of dances by the Indians on their reserves is on the increase and that these practices tend to disorganize the efforts which the Department is putting forth to make them self supporting. I have therefore to direct you to use your utmost endeavors to dissuade the Indians from excessive indulgence in the practice of dancing. You should suppress any dances, any dances which cause waste of time, interfere with the occupations of the Indians, unsettle them from serious work and injure their health, or encourage them in sloth and idleness. You should also dissuade and if possible, prevent them from leaving their reserves for the purpose of attending fairs, exhibitions, etc. When their absence would result in their farming and other interests being neglected. It is realized that reasonable amusement and recreation should be enjoyed by Indians and but they should not be allowed to dissipate their energies and abandon themselves to demoralizing amusements. By the use of tact and firmness you can obtain control and keep it and this obstacle to continued progress will then disappear. The rooms, halls or other places in which Indians congregate should be under constant inspection. They should be scrubbed, fumigated, cleansed or disinfected to prevent the dissemination of disease. The Indians should be instructed in regard to the matter of proper ventilation and the avoidance of overcrowding. Rooms where public assemblies are being held and proper arrangements should be made of the shelter of their horses and ponies. The agent will avail himself of the services of the medical attendant of his agency. In this connection, except where further information is desired, there will be no necessity to acknowledge receipt of this circular. I cannot voice in a video what I think of this letter and the blatant racism. Welcome to Canada 1921. And this is where, because so many people want to believe that the settlers had no idea or that the governments in charge had no idea how bad the residential school system is. Well, let's just blow that out of the water right now. 1922 the Story of a National Crime, published by Dr. P.H. bryce, the chief medical officer for Canada's Department of the Interior and Indian affairs argues that Indigenous people's health is being ignored in residential schools and Indian hospitals in violation of treaty pledges. They knew. They knew. 1923. Levi General was a Haudenosaunee hereditary chief and appointed speaker. Noted for his persistent efforts to get recognition for his people. He is most famous for bringing Iroquois concerns before the League of nations in the 1920s. The League of Nations eventually became the United nations. Canada. Canada. Canada. 1929. My mom is now alive. In this time period, complaints about Inui not bearing traditional Christian names arise, beginning decades of government labeling strategies to ease the recording of census information and entrench federal authority in the North. Among the failed initiatives are mental dis with ID numbers and Project Surname. So the metal discs had to be sewn on all of your clothing. The Star David come to mind. Just saying you could not be caught outside if you had. If that tag was not on your clothing. And another attempt was they assigned surnames to Indigenous people. So by the way, and this can still happen in modern day, if you meet some Indigenous people and it happens in school all the time, you think their last name is funny because of the spelling or what it implies, that was intentional. The Indian agents had a wicked sense of humor. And they could make up the worst last names and assign them to an innocent child or family. Welcome to Canada. 1929. Now we're going to talk. World War II. Between 5,000 and 8,000 indigenous peoples fight for Canada in the Second World War, serving in all major battles and campaigns. Once again, most do not receive the same support or compensation as other veterans upon returning home. 1951. A round of amendments to the Indian Act. The amendments gave elected band councils more powers. We finally got the right to vote as Indigenous women. And the ban on potlatch and Sundance was finally lifted. It also major changes to the Indian act remove several discriminatory laws, including a ban on Native consumption of alcohol, although it is only allowed on reserves. Think about that. A totally oppressed, impoverished, controlled people, no doubt losing hope. Here's some alcohol. This. This is heart wrenching. This next one, if you didn't know about this, this is 1953. So this is a whole nine years before I was born in the high Arctic. Relocation. The federal Government forcibly moves 87 Inui in northern Quebec to Elsmere and Cornwallis islands. The relocation is part of the government's effort to secure northern territorial sovereignty during the Cold War. Adequate support for the communities does not follow. Larry Adlaluk best attempt at his surname was two years old when he and his family were uprooted from their home and dropped off 2000km away on Ellesmere Island. They are high Arctic exiles, part of the group of 87 Inui who in 1953 and 55 were persuaded by the Canadian government to leave their homes with promises of better hunting and the option to return to their home in two years. Both promises were broken. The Inuwe were forced to stay and form the community of Gris Fiord and Resolute Bay. This is a quote from him. It was awful for them. They had to learn to get ready for the dark season. They had to learn to get ready for very short, warm, sunny days with very little vegetation in the land. His family couldn't find the food they were used to in northern Quebec. No cloudberries, no Canadian geese and few ducks. My family, the older generation generation were used to having lots of different kinds of birds and then shore creatures like clams and oysters. There were none here. Nor could the families find any arctic char until 1961. Four years later. When my mother saw arctic char for the first time in nine years, she cried. Moving on. 1954. Elsie Marie Knott becomes the first female chief of a First Nation in Canada when she is elected to lead the Anishinaabe Ojibwe Curved Lake First Nation near Peterborough, Ontario. And she holds the position for 16 years. Not that long ago that we just finally got the vote. 1960s status Indians received the right to vote in federal elections, no longer losing their status or treaty rights in the process. So we had no say in federal elections until 1964, years before I was born. Not that long ago. And then. This is a hard seminar to do. It is need to know information. It is not easy to share. The 1950s to the 1960s sled dogs are killed as part of the sled dog slaughter, a government assimilationist initiative to force the Inuit of northern Quebec to deny their nomadic lifestyle and move them away from their traditional lands. We will destroy what you need to feed yourself so that you do it our way. In the 1960s to 1980s, thousands of indigenous children are taken from their families and communities by provincial and federal social workers and placed in foster or adoption homes, often with non indigenous families. Say hello to Blue. Blue is going to go away. That's the sixties scoop we're referring to in that case, in case you didn't know, the number taken from their birth families in the 60 scoop varies by province. The process is emotionally traumatic for parents and leaves many children with a lost sense of Cultural identity. Quit taking our kids. I don't care the reason. Quit taking our kids. It's got to be another way. Quit splitting up our families. Now. 1969, 1970. Now I am on the planet. A federal white paper on Indian affairs proposes abolishing the Indian Act, Indian Status and Reserves and transferring responsibility for Indian affairs to the provinces. Many Indigenous think that sounds like a good idea, but we have treaties with the federal government that we can take them to court and try to defend. We have no such agreements with the provinces and. Which means a country that has a history of not keeping its promises would have no tie to actually have to do that. Which is why this was problematic. In spite of all government attempts to convince Indians to accept the White Paper, their efforts will fail because Indians understand that the path outlined by the Department of Indian affairs through its mouthpiece, the honorable Mr. Kritian, leads directly to cultural genocide. We will not walk this path. That's a quote by Harold Cardinal. Cardinal from the unjust society. 1970s Eastern Arctic Inuit of the Northwest Territories begin discussions about forming an Inuit territory. The Inuit to Parasat. I don't know how to pronounce this. Of Canada is formed as a national organization advocating for self government, social, economic, environmental health and political welfare of Inuit in Canada. Preservation of language and history. That's in 2001. 1973, the Supreme Court of Canada, which. 10 We've had some good decisions at the Supreme Court level. When the federal government goes sideways. The Supreme Court of Canada agrees that Indigenous people held title to land before European colonization, that this title exists in law and that it continues unless specifically extinguished. Named for Niska's chief, Frank Calder, the Calder case forces the government to adopt new policies and to negotiate land claims with Indigenous peoples not covered by treaties. When we talk about inherent rights, that's what this means. That it predates colonization that was in existence before the settlers arrived. Need water. Sorry. In 1974, the Native Women's association of Canada NWAC is established to advocate for the social, political and economic welfare of Indigenous women and girls and promotes education, challenges discriminatory policies and works to reduce inequality. And on law. Ontario Native Women's association, the provincial version. Does many, many, many great things. Great work happening there. 1976. You may remember this if you're old enough. I do. An anti sealing campaign led by Greenpeace attacks Inui hunting practices economically devastating the Inuit communities for years. In 2014, they apologized. The INUI were not the problem. 1980-1981. Activists travel by train from Vancouver to Ottawa aboard the Constitution Express to raise awareness about the lack of recognition of Indigenous rights in the promos proposed Canadian Constitution. I would love to learn more about this. If anyone in my comments knows anyone who took part in that, I would love to Hear your stories. 1982 the Canadian Constitution is patriotic thanks to the advocacy of indigenous peoples. Section 35 recognizes and affirms Aboriginal title and treaty rights. Later section 37 is amended obligating the federal and provincial governments to consult with Indigenous Peoples on outstanding issues. We're still fighting with that one. 1982 the assembly of First nations informed out of the National Indian Brotherhood to promote the interests of first nations in the realm of self government, respect for treaty rights, education, health, land and resources. And of course the AFN is still alive and well. 1985 the federal government signs the Innovation Final Agreement, the massive Western arctic land claim. 1985 the Indian act is amended again to address discrimination faced by Indigenous women. Changes to the Indian act extend formal Indian status to the Metis, all enfranchised Aboriginals living off reserve land and Aboriginal women who had previously lost their status by marrying a non Aboriginal man. This is Bill C31 and 1985 to 1990 There were several politically charged standoffs happening across Canada. You may remember these the first one we're going to refer to is the War in the woods where 12,000 people showed up on the remote coast of Vancouver island in the summer of 93 for the Clut Sound blockades. History was in the making. It was one of the largest acts of mass civil disobedience in Canadian history, with almost 1,000 people getting arrested in what would become known as the War in the Woods. The arrests of youth and elders were seen on television screens and in newspapers around the world. The first nations in the area who had stewarded the natural abundance of that area since the the last ice Age, were opposed to the industrial scale forestry being practiced and the complete lack of consultation around land use planning. Valerie Langeais, who was a young literacy teacher at the time, who had traveled to Vancouver island on a tree planting contract, would become one of the core organizers of the blockades. We wanted to gain power with the company, she said. Rather than standing literally in the wilderness shouting about how wrong they were, we were going to go where their customers were. Within the next two years, McMillan Bloedel had lost at least $200 million in pulp, paper and wood contracts. This forced the company and the government to come to the table. McMillan Bloedel gradually extricated itself from the Sound and turned over Control of the tree form license to the First Nations. Yay. That one turned out okay. Remember the Oka Crisis? The Oka crisis sees Mohawk activists clash with Quebec provincial police for 78 days. The dispute began after officials in the town of Oka voted to build condominiums and expand a golf course into a pine forest and burial land that Mohawks living on the reserve of Konasataki, west of Montreal, had always claimed as their own. Reserve members, who called themselves Mohawk warriors, blocked a little used road leading to the golf course, ignoring a court injunction to stand down. It was four months before the Quebec police stormed the barricade on July 11, the botch raid escalated to violence and Corporal Marcel Lemay died in the shootout. The military moved in a month later and encircled the encampment on the reserve with a ring of barbed wire. What followed was a standoff with the Mohawks taking refuge in a residential treatment center for drugs and alcohol. It was a tense and volatile environment, says one niece. Horn Miller, who has a 14 year old, was there for three weeks during the standoff. Every movement we made, we had hundreds of guns pointing at us. It was traumatizing. Horn Miller's job was to cook the midnight meal as well as breakfast and take it to the warriors who were holed up in the bunkers. On September 26, today and 10, the standoff was negotiated. The teenager was leaving the treatment center in Kanasataki carrying her four year old sister. I know what happens. She was carrying her four year old sister when she was stabbed close to the heart by a soldier carrying a bayonet. Bayonet? That's what it's called, yes. Construction of the golf course and condominiums was cancelled after the federal government bought part of the land. But ownership was never transferred to the Kataki Mohawk. Welcome to Canada. The last one we're going to talk about is the Upper Wash crisis. It was a dispute over indigenous land that took place in Ipperwash provincial Park, Ontario, 1995. Several members of the Stony Point Ojibwe band occupied the park to assert their claim to nearby land, which had been expropriated for them from them during World War II. During a violent confrontation, the OPP killed protester Dudley George. George was unarmed when an OPP officer fired and killing him, killed him, believing the stick in his hand was a weapon. And when I went to work in London, the elder for the event I was at is actually Dark Dudley George's brother. The shooting of Dudley George came a day after newly elected Ontario Premier Mike Harris told the opp. I want the effing Indians out of the park. According to our formal attorney General, and he did not say F in there would be a Conservative premier. 1990. The Meech Lake Accord collapses when Elijah Harper, the lone first nations member in the Manitoba legislature, blocks its passage, citing the accord's failure to consult with first nations or recognize their constitutional rights. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. And guess what? This is a long video, and we're only up to 1993, so I guess I'm gonna have to do another one. Did you know about all of that? Which parts did you know about? Which parts didn't you know about? And which ones made you stop in your tracks? I'd love to hear. Please leave your comments below. I'll talk to you tomorrow. I love you. Take care. Bye. Bye.