Kateri - Saint for the faithful or the Church?

On October 21, 2012 the Vatican announced that the Pope had canonized Kateri Tekakwitha, thus making her the first Indigenous North American saint in the Catholic Church.

Now I admit that I am not Catholic and I don't fully understand the saint-making process. However I do have some awareness of the reality of the Catholic Church's interaction with Indigenous communities, and the loss of faith of many Indigenous people in light of the residential school system, as well as other incidents of abuse perpetrated by Catholic church officials such as occurred in Mount Cashel Orphanage.

I know that there are many people, Indigenous and non-Indigenous both, who have strong faith in Kateri and her healing powers. The Vatican's recognition of her sainthood is likely strong acclamation of something they already knew through their faith.

There are also many people for whom this action seems to be 'a reconciliation gesture'. In a recent Globe and Mail article, one woman said:

“I believe the Vatican chooses very timely canonizations,” she said in St. Peter’s Square. “There has been abuse. This will help end some of the pain that happened between the Catholic church and the native Americans and Canadians since the time of the settlements. Now is the moment to give hope to the American and Canadian natives.”

It is very, very possible that I am missing a very big point of this canonization, but I see a fundamental problem with this view.

On one hand, if you are of the Catholic faith, saints are recognized and not created. In other words, they have some special holiness that imbues their actions and indeed their bodies with special powers. Relics and miracles are manifestations of their holiness. If this is the case, and if the Catholic religion only recognizes saints and does not create them, it seems to taint the Church if canonization is undertaken for the selfish and political reason of drawing alienated people back to the Church. Why is canonization required to recognize saints at all? What purpose is achieved by the process? For the truly faithful, canonization might be besides the point. And if you have been alienated through the actions of Church members and the Church itself, how is this going to help?

In terms of political gestures of reconciliation, the formal recognition of an Indigenous saint could well appear to be a token effort unconnected with the crimes perpetrated by individual church members, and the institution that hid their crimes only to allow them to perpetrate again.

To me, it appears that the Church is perhaps trying to draw those who are already within its fold. For those who have experienced abuse at the hands of a priest or nun, or who have heard violent denials and resistance to the truth by Church officials, the canonization is not going to change a thing.

It is an act in and of itself and can be valued as such by the faithful, but it is nothing in terms of reconciliation with victims of crimes.

Family reconciliation - Children of perpetrators of gross human rights violations

In Hitler's Children, director Chanoch Ze'evi creates a dialogue with and between the children or grandchildren of the most powerful and terror-inducing Nazis from the Second World War and Jewish Holocaust survivors.  The perspectives of those who carry the names of war criminals and who must somehow cope with that legacy is fascinating. One brother and sister whose great-uncle had been a noted war criminal decided to have themselves sterilized. Obviously the taint of the name was not the only issue for them. They had a fear of the blood that ran through their veins. In fact, this was an issue that almost all progeny in the film had considered:

Do I carry the monster within me?
Am I evil?
Am I guilty??

A further question plagued them:

How do I reconcile the love I received from my parents and grandparents with the horrors they perpetrated on others?

One of the grandchildren made the interesting comment that it is not possible to live in a grey area where one reconciles the love with the horror. She felt strongly that either you deny the horror and love your parents, or you acknowledge the horror and reject your family. She had observed that there was really no middle ground experience for her generation. Children who could not reject their families, also denied the Holocaust.

Another child of a war criminal spent his entire life consumed with the task of ferreting out his father's crimes and holding them up to scrutiny. At one point in a lecture he gave, a woman got up and asked him how he had coped with grappling with the evil he was exposing, and the effect on his own family life. His answer was really a non-answer in that he did not really understand that her question had to do with the tragic fact that his father's crimes had in fact destroyed his life. He had not coped. He was consumed by an awful truth and an awful hatred of his parents and their generation.

The last and most poignant and perhaps thought-provoking vignette in the movie involved the journey of the grandson of the Auschwitz commandant and the grandson of an Auschwitz survivor back to the camp. While there, the commandant's grandson met with a group of Israeli young people, many of whose families had been directly affected by his grandfather's crimes.

I was struck by many things. First, there is no small amount of courage involved in facing one's family's legacy and stepping forward with bared soul to those who have been harmed. Though it is apparent that this young man had not perpetrated, he was potentially a modern-day personification of the terror survivors had suffered. For those people whose entire family identity was tied to the crimes perpetrated by his grandfather, he was a focal point for them.

The interesting thing is, that human grace and empathy being what it is, his vulnerability and courage stimulated a moment of absolution in an Auschwitz survivor who had actually been in the camp. In answer to a question, the grandson said he felt guilty about the actions of his grandfather. At this point the survivor came to him and said that he understood that he himself was not the perpetrator. The release and relief for the grandson was palpable. I think that in his heart, he wondered if he bore the burden of the crime of his father.  Here, his existence was absolved by probably the only person who could do it.

This is not to dismiss questions of collective guilt and accountability for genocide. However, it is important to recognize that this particular individual does not solely bear the weight of the thousands of murders perpetrated by his grandfather. For this is the question that I think he had in his soul.

The commentary by the observing grandson of the Auschwitz survivor who traveled with the commandant's grandson was insightful and illuminating. He did not doubt the sincerity of the moment of reconciliation, but he said it was 'too quick'. He felt that it lead to a sense that there was a happy ending. In his view, there is no ending. And it is not happy.

I think that his opinion was actually quite complex and interesting though I disagree with his comment about 'quickness'.

This documentary was an attempt to set up a bridge or process of reconciliation to deal with the past. As can be seen in the movie, reconciliation can mean reconciliation between victims and perpetrators, reconciliation within family, and reconciling (or not) truth with emotion. Reconciliation is the attempt to create some level of coherence from complexity, for the purpose of stepping forward from the same point.

The moments of intense emotional reconciliation that occurred when the grandson of the commandant met face to face with the group of Israelis and survivors were not quick moments that occurred out of the blue. The reconciliation moment was a transformative moment that resulted from years of preparation and emotional and intellectual journeying on both sides of the equation. Those survivors and Israeli students came after having learned and reflected upon the horrors their families had suffered. They came with the emotional ability to face the progeny of a perpetrator in a very charged location. They came with the ability to assert the truth of their families' experience with the knowledge that they might hear denial from the other side. On his side, the commandant's grandson came to the stage after a long emotional journey through the landscape of his own family. He dealt with his extreme fear, his ignorance and his shame.

And yet, I understand what the commentator was saying. The reconciliation moment was a cathartic moment for the grandson of the perpetrator when perhaps catharsis for him is not the critical issue. Survivors have to live with the legacy of the Holocaust. Humanity has to live with the legacy of the Holocaust, and the knowledge that it is not a singular occurrence. For the grandson of the survivor, this is more significant than the personal moment between the commandant's grandson and the Auschwitz survivor. For him, the collective impact and responsibility for the Holocaust is more significant.

I agree with the commentator, but I also think that these individual moments of understanding, honesty and connection between human beings are significant. It is moments like these when there is a level of connection created. There is a powerful coming-together of both sides to better understand an enormous breach of humanity. The descendants gather to view this breach, this violent terror that occurred. They try to learn from it and to take a step forward.

The reason why the documentary was so riveting is precisely because we do not often see true encounters between people grappling with their own personal accountability for the events of the past. Though it was not the Nazi war criminals themselves, we see that there is a horrific legacy that their progeny carry. To witness their struggles, their encounters with the past and their encounters with the present is relevant. Where the parents could not be present, the children are coming forward to deal with their heritage.

I agree with the commentator: reconciliation is not quick. It is merely an effort to come together on the same path of understanding before trying to step forward on a journey of peace.

Hiatus!

I have been on hiatus from the blog for a few months, primarily because I have been working on the online community resource project. There are only so many hours to go around! The more interviews I do, the more I learn.  We are developing a website for the project, so new interviews are being set up for the website instead of the blog. I hope that once it is set up, you check it out!

And I will be restarting regular blog activity sooner rather than later....

Is jail the best way to address childhood abuse?

Last night I watched 'A Hard Name" - a documentary by Alan Zweig.  In this film Alan Zweig interviews a number of ex-convicts about their experiences in jail, and their lives before and after jail. It was an absolutely riveting documentary that kept me up way past my regular bedtime.

In the introduction to the film, the commentator expressed surprise that all of the interviewees had been subjected to sexual abuse as children. I was surprised that he was surprised! But this is because I have spent over a decade immersed in the stories of adults who had suffered from some form of sexual or physical abuse as children.

In my opinion, Zweig's film is a must-see before anyone can really develop policy regarding crime. Is the 'tough on crime' approach with its accompanying building of jails, tougher sentences and cutting of re-integration programs really the right approach? Is this the best way to help people avoid a life of dysfunction after childhoods filled with deprivation and abuse?

Before judging, see the child in pain within the convict.  Then figure out what to do. Otherwise risk cyclical dysfunction and social pain that is linked to the historic abuses suffered by the most vulnerable in our society - the children.

Inter-Indigenous Online Resource - Interview with Alvin Dixon

This post is part of a larger online project that shares the positive and non-violent actions of Indigenous  people in different regions who have focused on overcoming the negative effects of colonization. The interviewees speak about the issues they were focused on, the approaches they took, tools/strategies they used, and they provide some insights about what they learned throughout the process. 
  

Specific situations may differ, but community members in one region or country may find that there is something to be gained from reading the first-hand experiences of people in other Indigenous communities. People who have initiated some positive change in their own life, their family or their communities may have something to share with people in other Indigenous communities who are coming up against a similar challenge.

The interviews are not heavily edited, and this resource is intended to reflect the experiences and opinions of the interviewees as faithfully as possible. The experiences and opinions of interviewees belong to them. 

If you have an experience that fits within this project, please email me at info@thelawofpeace.org to set up an interview.

INTERVIEW WITH ALVIN DIXON

Name of Interviewee:  Alvin Dixon

Community:   Heiltsuk from Bella Bella, Central Coast people of the Kwawkewlth Nation

Geographic Region/Location of Kwawkewlth people:  Campbell River/Cape Mudge north to Kitimat, on Central British Columbia Coast, Canada

Roles in Community:  school teacher; school counselor; fisherman; fisherman’s representative in fish pricing and wage negotiation with fish processors; managed two fishing operations; represented Canada as an advisor in international treaty talks with Russia, Japan, and the USA; was one of Canada’s three representatives on an international Pacific fisheries commission which managed the Fraser River salmon stocks; Spent 35 years on DFO’s Pacific Region Licence Appeal Board, the last 10 as Chair; Team leader with Indian Residential Schools Survivor Society’s Health Support Workers.

Age: 75 

Consent provided.

Q: What is the issue that you were facing? What was the challenge that you wanted to do something about?

A: Well first of all, I guess one  of the things I wanted to say is that…not just First nations people but people in minority… people who face authority regularly… “Be assertive!” Today was a good experience…the Royal Bank was giving me the run around about a missing deposit I had made to my daughter’s account in Ottawa, a significant amount, but I kept pushing them until the matter was resolved to my satisfaction, and I didn’t back off.  I find too many First Nations, as soon as they hit the first stumbling block they quit. I have friends, you give them a job to do, they go do it and then they hit a roadblock and they quit! And then when you ask them what happened, they say, oh so and so said this that and the other and I couldn’t do it.  Well find a way to go around that!! Well that’s sort of, I guess the way I’ve lived my whole life. I don’t let things stand in the way of getting what I want, or getting done what I want to do.

In high school, when I was moving from the Indian Residential school classrooms from grade 8 to grade 9 in the Alberni School District Public School system, I went to register for courses in the grade 9 classes.  I was given three program options: commercial, general or university.  I chose to register in the university program.  So I did all that and started attending classes, and about 2 weeks into the school term the boys’ counselor called me down to his office and told me I was in the wrong program.  I said, “I’m in the right program because I’m going to university”. He said, “No, people from your school” - meaning the Indian Residential School in Alberni – “all end up in the commercial program and that’s where you should start because you will end up there anyway.” And I said, “No, I’m going to university”. And then we talked a bit about things and how my marks were, like, straight As, and all of that didn’t seem to mean anything.  He felt that those teachers were not up to standards…They may not have been, but I knew I was!  And then he said, “Well let’s compromise. Why don’t we move you to the general program and if you do well, we’ll move you back into the university program.” I said, “No no no no! My idea of a compromise is if I don’t do well where I am, you can move me anywhere you want after that!”  He said, “Okay. We’ll leave you where are, but I can guarantee you that come Christmas exams, we’ll be talking again”.  Sure enough, we were talking again after Christmas exams, only this time he was very red-faced and embarrassed but he had the balls to apologize.  I was 14 years old. 

Q: That’s an incredible amount of confidence for a young teenager!

A: He said, “Alvin, I have to apologize for the way I treated you in September”.  And the beauty of it was that he went on to say that he would “never treat another student from your school, like I tried to treat you”.  “I’ll never do that again”, he said. That teacher/counselor went on to a principalship in a new high school in Alberni where a lot of First Nations students were registered.

Q: What year was that?

A: 1950.

Q: Wow. 

A: I will be 75 in a few weeks.

Q: So you were a real pioneer then!

A: Yes, and even in saying that and hearing him say that, I went straight from a residential school to a university and I was one of only six First nations students at UBC in 1956. One of the teachings that got me there, was my father always said, and these were his exact words, “Don’t ever use being Indian as an excuse to fail”.  Use your stumbling blocks as stepping stones.

Q: What kind of support did you have, or teachings or tools to have the confidence to stand up to authority figures?

A: Well my father for sure.  Verbally, he always told me I could do things if I chose to do them. I could do them well.  I just had to work harder at it.  Mind you, in high school I didn’t have to work hard at it. It was easy! Something I assumed …I assumed that everyone was like me. All I had to do was write something down and I would remember it.  When exams came, I would flip my notes in my head for the answers.

Q: So you have a photographic memory?

A: I did then…I don’t have it now!! 

Anyway, that was one of the things…but even before I was fourteen, I guess I was probably 12.  In residential school they made you line up for everything.  And we had these ex-military guys as supervisors, and they used to like to line us up.  Five different rows, from youngest to oldest, shortest to tallest, kind of thing.  I happened to be in the middle row, right in the front.  The supervisor would jump up on the bench in the boys’ playroom; there’d be five rows of us - about 15-20 per row.  He was a sergeant, like a staff sergeant.  He would bellow out, “At ease!” and “Attention” and stuff like that.  And then he would have us march into the dining room, or to the auditorium if we were going to assembly or worship or whatever, you know?  Anyway, one day I decided, I don’t like this.  I’m not going to move when he says “Attention”.  And I was right in the front of the middle row, right in front of him. And he jumped up there and bellowed “Attention!” and I just stood there.  He jumped down and told me, “When I say ‘attention’, I want you to snap to attention.” I didn’t do anything or say anything so he jumped up there and bellowed and I didn’t move.  He jumped down and gave me a nice big wallop across the face, an open-handed slap. I didn’t let it…I was … I was hurt – I mean he was a big guy with a big fist - but I didn’t let it deter me. I didn’t move, I didn’t cry. And he jumped up again and bellowed again and I didn’t move again. And he jumped down and whacked me on the other cheek.  And that embarrassed him.  So after that, he quit trying to treat us like military kids, and just had us line up informally and march into wherever we were going – dining room, assembly room or wherever.

Q: So you didn’t let it break your spirit and you showed him…

Yeah, and it broke him. And this is at twelve. You just kind of make up your mind and I guess that mental toughness… I would say comes from the 5 years I spent with my little grandmother.

Q: Okay!  So your grandmother was inspiring you?

Yes, she and I lived together in a little house on the beach.  She would haul me out of school in the middle of March when things started appearing like harvest time for seafood and seaweed. And then right though the summer and into the late fall …she would keep me out of school until mid-November until our last salmon was smoked and canned and then she might let me go to school for two or three months.  But in all those years, the five years I was with her from age 5 to 10 we would travel our territory by rowboat, just her and I.  And it wasn’t just local traffic.  We would overnight and sleep on the beach or the boat and row again until the next night and sleep on the beach until we got to where we were going which was maybe 100 miles away at the longest, 60 miles on average.  And just by rowboat! Can you imagine a little 5 year old rowing a boat??

Q: I can’t imagine!

Yeah, and never mind doing it all day! That’s the thing.  And when we got to where we were going, from early morning to dark we would be peeling bark, digging roots, or catching salmon, cleaning salmon, canning salmon, smoking salmon, digging clams.  All of that physical activity as well as gathering wood for fire.  And that was a normal day! I used to envy kids who were swimming and playing at our beach when I was a child, I wished I could do child things. But in the long term, I look at that as what sort of toughened me up for what I experienced not just in residential school but everywhere in life.

Q: So she taught you a lot then?

She taught me by example.  She didn’t preach or say much…she just said, “We’re going to do this, and we’re going to do that”. And I would say to myself, “Boy, I don’t know how we are going to do that!” And another thing: Just imagine, for example only, say, if we were in Vancouver and wanted to row to Nanaimo, then we would do that! And a motor boat would come along and offer a tow, and she would refuse it! And I’m the guy on the oars cussing her out in my mind! “Stupid little bitch!”  heh heh…

So that is the kind of experience that surely, surely stood me well when dealing with crap not just in Alberni but in life generally. 

Q: So she was teaching you determination, right?

A: Oh yeah, toughness and determination. Stability and stamina, you know?

Q: Did you ever find that …I guess you used that not only when you were young, in high school and in Alberni, and with that school counselor, but this is also a tool and strategy that you have used throughout your life…Have you ever found that you have come up with a roadblock or obstacle where it didn’t work so well? Like in negotiations or something or has it always stood you in good stead?

A: It always…even in heavy duty negotiations with fish processors, I stood my ground and my constituents would always say, “Boy you represented us well”,  because I stood my ground and didn’t let these White people, fish processors, scare me or lead us astray.  I did my homework and I knew what should be on the table and went for it.

Q: I guess that’s the key…its knowing who you are and what it is you stand for…

A: Yeah, and do your homework, I think.  Today I see too many people expecting something for nothing because that’s what Indian Affairs has made them.  I have brothers and family that only depend on government. I have never ever done that, even when I was at university. There were six of us on campus.  Five of them were paid by Indian affairs. I wouldn’t accept Indian Affairs money. I was already making lots of money in the fish cannery as a teenager, could afford to pay my own way, and I didn’t want to be accountable to anybody but me, so I paid my own way.

Q: Very independent minded!

A: Yeah.

Q: So when you look back at all your life’s experiences, using this particular strategy of staying true to yourself, what would you say you are most proud of? Is it the incident in the schools with the counselor or something else?

A: I think getting accepted and recognized in industry as an equal, you know like when I was appointed as an international commissioner and when I was acknowledged by the corporate representatives as an equal.  They didn’t see me as…they might initially have seen me as an Indian but after that they saw me as an equal. I think that is what I’ m proudest of.

Q: Was that a good outcome you didn’t expect?

I didn’t expect it to come naturally. I knew I had to work like hell to gain that respect, so I did what I had to do to gain it.  Too many people accept not to be accepted so they just don’t try.  That’s the problem with most people, y’know. They see the roadblocks and they don’t want to challenge them. 

Q: Is there anything, as you look back…I think I know what you’ll say…is there anything you would have done differently, if you look back?

A: You know that is an impossible…it’s impossible to look back and say “I would have done this”. It’s past. It’s been done, y’know?  I’ve often thought about….say I went to work for Indian affairs and I would have had a good pension today, but that’s not important! It’s what I’ve done for myself and my family and my community that’s important.

Q: If someone were to…I think you’ve answered this too…if somebody were in a similar situation…like maybe a young person who is 14 and going to school and someone is streaming them out, or facing an obstacle with an authority figure, what would be your advice?

A: Well, I would tell them to stick with it. I’ve already had that with kids, y’know, who want to quit school or go to a program with less options and less future and opportunities.  High school kids, y’know? That don’t think they can get into university.  I use my own experience as an example. Another thing is that…I tell people not to quit, because once you quit, each time you run into something it’s easier the next time to quit, and you keep quitting and quitting and quitting and you get nowhere.  It becomes a cycle. And that’s what lots of people are in…a cycle of quitting.  I have lots of friends who have had dozens of jobs, but they keep quitting because they don’t want to stand up for themselves.

Q: That’s a very wise piece of advice.

A: Yeah, when you quit once, then it gets easier and easier and easier each time, when you see an opportunity to quit.

Q: Well Alvin, that was a fascinating interview! Do you have anything else to add? 

A: Not really.  I don’t think I’ve made perfect choices but I’ve certainly gone after what I wanted.

What is reconciliation if there is no promise of deep change?

Often things that trigger my thinking come in pairs.  This week's pair is the recent announcement of the International Centre for Transitional Justice of the June 29 establishment of the Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).  I have not yet seen any formal mandate documents, but according to the announcement, the TRC is tasked with "examin(ing) the child welfare practices that acted to forcibly assimilate Indian children and seek to address the lasting impact of the practice on Maine’s communities."

The other thing was an announcement by the the Canadian Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development of a Memorandum of Understanding on reconciliation with the Whitecap Dakota First Nation.

This MOU explicitly states:

1. The objective of the discussion table will be to identify a mutually-acceptable path to reconciliation.
2. If the Parties identify a mutually-acceptable path to reconciliation, Canada will then take measures aimed at obtaining a formal negotiation mandate.

My question:  Does reconciliation mean anything if it is entirely procedural, and the parties do not immediately commit to systemic change?

Part of me knows that the process of effective change must in itself model the change it is aimed at achieving.  This MOU is clearly aimed at laying important groundwork for addressing issues of concern.  As such, it is an important step forward to recognize nation to nation reconciliation as a framework.  And I suppose that that is what this MOU is.

My worry, after having been immersed in the language of reconciliation for almost a decade myself, is that reconciliation can become a broadly used (yet ill-defined!) concept that is politically expedient and a good communications sound byte, while simultaneously masking a lack of systemic change.  Time will tell, but in the meantime, an assumption of goodwill is probably a good starting point, as well as respect for the step forward taken by the First Nation and the Government. 

With respect to the new TRC in the United States, this is a body that will investigate for the purpose of addressing the impact of what is already known to be a damaging policy and practice.  In this, there is a commitment and an expectation of progress with respect to systemic harms within the communities affected.  It is a stronger mandate of reconciliation.

Two different uses of the word "reconciliation", for two different types of processes.

What are your expectations when the word 'reconciliation" is used?

Framework for possible negotiations?

Assumption that something will be done to address challenging social issues?

Residential Schools for Dalit girls in India - Why isn't it the same as the Indian residential schools for Indigenous people in Canada?

The next interview will be posted in a while, but in the meantime I wanted to comment on recent articles in the Globe and Mail about a school set up for Dalit girls in India by a nun, Sudha Varghese. This school is set up as a residential school to help Dalit - or so-called 'Untouchable' - girls break from a cycle of hard labour, poverty, extreme isolation, lack of education and early marriage. The school is meant to empower, educate and give health and opportunities to girls. Sudha Varghese and Stephanie Nolen, the journalist who covered the story, of the school hosted a live chat to answer questions from viewers. Except for one offensive and offended reader from India who felt that 'Untouchables' had 'ruined' India (?), all other readers were suitably impressed by Ms Varghese's initiatives and wanted to contribute in some way. I was struck by several things both in the project itself and the content of the dialogue.

The first thing that occurred to me was the concurrence of media stories about the residential school system set up in Canada for Indigenous people (known as Indian residential schools) and this story. June 11 is the anniversary of the 2008 Indian Residential School Apology delivered by the Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper, and so there was once again media coverage of the individual and systemic impacts of residential schools on Canada's Indigenous peoples. Many of the abuses perpetrated on children by staff in Indian residential schools were in line with the types of abuses that occur within any total institution, where there are vulnerable residents who are isolated from a broader social matrix, and there is complete control over their daily existence. In this respect, the residential schools set up by Sister Varghese have a similar structure as the Canadian residential schools, as well as many other total institutions where abuses have occurred. Granted, the residential school system in Canada was a tool of forced assimilation which the schools in India don't seem to be. However, I wonder if there are any protections preventing the schools in India from becoming abusive environments when the structure of the school is very similar to Indian residential schools in Canada. What prevents these 'total institutions' in India from becoming places where vulnerable children are taken advantage of, abused and exploited like the children were in residential schools in Canada?

I do not doubt that Sister Varghese herself is an upright individual. But individuals die, they move on, and they cannot be everywhere at once. Over and over again, we have seen that total institutions for children and other vulnerable sectors of our society are structurally designed for control, and control and isolation too often leads to sexual and physical abuse. What happens when the good people running the institution are not there?

I was also struck by the complete lack of analysis and comparison to the Indian residential schools system among readers in Canada. Is it because India is so far away? Is it because the children are perceived to be in some way qualitatively different from the children here? It often seems to me that substandard conditions in other countries are often perceived by Canadians to be on some hugely different scale than substandard conditions here. Thus a remedy that is not suited for us, may be suitable for those who are perceived to be much worse off. I am not sure why we have this myth or delusion. Perhaps it is the self-story about the 'first world' and our views that collectively we are all healthy, wealthy and wise while those in the 'third world' are not. To me, this is a disturbing self-perception and world-view, especially given the level of poverty in many Canadian Indigenous communities.

The third major thing that hit me was that the charitable impulse tends to reinforce this myth. It is somewhat easier to send money to another country and read a story that provides a sense of accomplishment. It may be that readers are tired of, or don't believe that the situation in Canada is the same. People may think that somehow the claims of Indigenous people here are inflated and they would rather put their efforts someplace else. Or, it is too difficult to address the complexity of land claims, treaty claims, clean water, underemployment, lack of housing and other human rights and poverty issues that we face here.

The donor-recipient relationship is not always a good one. As I have mentioned before in this blog, I believe that charity is a very contested practice, or at least it should be. It has obvious positive impacts both on the donor and recipient, but I have mentioned that it can also achieve opposite political results if it removes pressure from the state to provide basic human needs and common goods such as clean water, access to food, personal security and other things. Another negative impact is the tendency to put resources where the story is new and exciting and well-told, as opposed to where there has been an assessment of needs, a good analysis of policy and delivery options, and a decision made by someone who must answer for that decision.  In other words, sympathetic stories of small initiatives result in funds for recipients, whereas 'unsexy' policy and program initiatives that have broader application can be cut with little public attention drawn to them. Less attractive, but perhaps more needy recipients may end up suffering. Needy people in regions where we are not politically sympathetic may also not get much needed assistance. Is this ethical practice? I am not sure....

Inter-Indigenous Online Resource - Interview with Pauline Sackaney

This post is part of a larger online project that shares the positive and non-violent actions of Indigenous  people in different regions who have focused on overcoming the negative effects of colonization. The interviewees speak about the issues they were focused on, the approaches they took, tools/strategies they used, and they provide some insights about what they learned throughout the process. 
  

Specific situations may differ, but community members in one region or country may find that there is something to be gained from reading the first-hand experiences of people in other Indigenous communities. People who have initiated some positive change in their own life, their family or their communities may have something to share with people in other Indigenous communities who are coming up against a similar challenge.

The interviews are not heavily edited, and this resource is intended to reflect the experiences and opinions of the interviewees as faithfully as possible. The experiences and opinions of interviewees belong to them. 

If you have an experience that fits within this project, please email me at info@thelawofpeace.org to set up an interview.

INTERVIEW WITH PAULINE SACKANEY

Name of Interviewee:  Pauline Sackaney

Community :   Moosonee, Population 2500-3000 , 90% Indigenous

Geographic  Region/Location:  James Bay Coastal Region, Northern Ontario, Canada

Role in Community:  Courtworker,  Moosonee Native Friendship Centre, works with Indigenous youth, families in Court

Age: 49

Consent provided.

Q:  This project is a way for people to see how other people have overcome challenges to improve things in their lives or communities.  Can you describe for me something you have done that improved your life, or your community’s life, or a project you did that might be interesting for people to hear about?

A:  Okay well I think it started when I was twelve.  My sister and I decided to get in trouble because we were trying to get away from an abusive home, an alcoholic home. So we had heard friends say that if they got into trouble they would be sent away. My sister was only one year older.  We figured that if we got so many charges then we would be sent away. So we did.  We ended up going to a place called Cecile Facer - a secure custody facility. We were both in there and then when were done we didn’t want to leave, but they said our time was done and we would have to leave! They said that we were the only ones there that didn’t want to leave because everyone else was crying to get home. So we asked to be transferred to a group home then because they told us there was a Native girls’ group home in Sudbury, so we transferred there.  Then my sister went on to move to Sault Ste. Marie. We were split up.

Q:  How old were you then?

A:  Twelve turning thirteen.  I stayed in Sudbury for three years.  I stayed in a group home and then a few foster homes.  In one of the foster homes I met Loretta Okimaw who was my mentor and who was the courtworker at the Sudbury court.  I got to pick up a lot of stuff from her.  I was also in Residential School so that is part of my whole story too.  I went to foster homes, high school in Sudbury and then I moved back when I was sixteen - actually my sister came to get me, the one who left.  After that I met my husband.

Q:  Back in Moosonee?

Yes, at this point I was 16.  I was able to leave when I was 16 so …So I went back home and I stayed with my husband and we too had children at a young age.  I had my son when I was 17 going on 18 and we were drinking and stuff like that.  However, we didn’t drink when he (our child) was in the home.  My mom looked after him at her house.  We were starting to get into the same problems our parents used to have, you know…start to ….it was abusive at first, and then he changed pretty quick because I was going to leave.  Everything turned around after that, when I was going to leave. Well I did leave a few times.  But then I went back and nothing ever happened again, but we continued to drink! So then we had our second son 9 years later and we were still, still drinking….A few years after that there was a job posting in a newspaper, in Wawatay (newspaper), looking for Victim Witness Advocacy Worker for Thunder Bay for NAN Legal.  My husband brought the newspaper home because he was working at the airport at the time.   And he says, “Why don’t you apply for this?” and I said, “Would you really move to Thunder Bay??” And he said, “Yeah Of course I would!!”  So I said, “Okay I’ll try it just for a joke”…y’know, like I would just try it out, and sure enough I got it.  So we had to move in 2 weeks.  I was working at probation and parole at the time in Moosonee for the adult program. So I got the job and we moved, and we stayed in Thunder Bay for 2 years and I got to travel with the court.  That was the time I met Rupert Ross who is a Crown attorney who wrote a few books with regards to our native people.  So I got to work with him.  And I got to work on some special files which I won’t mention, but they were high profile.  That was the first time I ever did so it was really interesting and gave me a lot of insight. 

Oh, and before we moved to Thunder Bay, we both decided….I  said I am going to be doing a lot of flying and we can’t be consuming like, we can’t be drinking y’know…so  we decided to quit drinking and quit smoking.  And we did, the both of us! I said I can’t do it alone. It will only work if we do it together.  So we did!! And we have been sober since. So I am proud to say that was in 2000-2001 so we have been smoke-free and alcohol-free and we have three grandchildren.  But what I got from this experience and my past, being in residential school and going through everything that I did go through in my life, it has brought a lot of learning.  I always say I grew up when I was eight years old - really early. Really at a young age, because I was already watching children, watching siblings, and the neighbourhood kids who we used to babysit.

Q: You were a caregiver…

Yeah! Right from early.  I always said I was going to be a teacher of some sort. Not meaning I was ever going to get an education to be a teacher, however I do have my social work…

Q: But you have a teaching role!

Yeah.  The part I love the most is the advocacy work.  That’s what I do and I am good at it. I had to battle for a lot of stuff in my life. I figure that maybe someone isn’t as strong as I am, and I could help them in some way, shape or form.  I always say, if I can help one person, I am happy.  So that’s where I am.  I was on the Native Legal Services Board for over 12 years for sure.  I am presently a town councilor for our area.  So this is my first term…it’s a four year term. I am really enjoying it.  I think I have accomplished a lot in my time from my experience.

Q: That’s an amazing story! Coming from such a young age and moving forward to be such a productive member of society!

And I didn’t go back!  I left home at 12. And here I am at almost 50.

Q: And you are putting so much into the community and helping kids who may face similar things..

A:  I give my story to the young people, especially the youth if they want to hear it.  I know that young people today have a hard time being heard…like nobody wants to listen.  I try to tell them my story because I know what it is like, because nobody would listen to me either. I want them to know that I had to get into a lot of trouble to get to where I am.  It was a learning experience. I don’t consider it a negative experience because I learned from it.  And that’s the valuable lesson.

Q:  What do you think was your basic strategy? You told me your strategy was to figure out a way to get out by being bad to get care from someone else.  That’s an interesting strategy.

A: It’s for survival.

Q: After that, when you came back to Moosonee and you went through this long period with your husband of working through alcohol….at what time did it turn around for you?  Was it luck or some development?

I think it was when my husband was starting to get abusive…like because we both lived through abusive homes.  His parents were abusive, my parents were abusive, especially to their spouses.  We both lived through that.  His parents were a product of residential schools too.  They both attended, whereas my mom attended but not my dad.  And so when we were together, he seen all the violence so he was bringing it out on me in our first years together.   But it got to a point where I just said… one day I woke up and just said,” What am I doing? I am doing everything I said I wasn’t going to do because my parents did it. And here I am.  What am I doing??”  So that was it.  I said, “You know what? If you are going to continue to do that I don’t want no part of it. I’m leaving. I’m taking my son.”

Q: So it was just this realization and getting away from it?

Yeah! I just woke up like that and one day said that’s it, I’m tired of this. I said, I didn’t like the way I was living…like when I was growing up as a child. I knew how it felt. I didn’t want my children to see that. I didn’t want my son to see the kind of lifestyle that I grew up in.  Like when I was a kid, I was literally trying to help my mom when my dad was being abusive, like I would grab a broom and try to hit him and I was only five.  I didn’t want my kids to see that. I didn’t want that cycle to continue.  So I said well I am going to break that cycle by stopping drinking and smoking and stuff.  The abuse stopped 29 years ago when I first put my foot down.  The abuse was done. 

Q: So that was a real starting point for starting a strong relationship.

Yeah.

Q: When you were on this road of moving forward, did you ever find there was a major challenge or obstacle?

There were always obstacles.   My life was never, as an Aboriginal person…there have always been roadblocks for our Native people, I have found.

Q: Describe one, a major one…

School was a big one. When I was going to high school in Sudbury, I hung around a non-native girl. One day, I was telling her, I am going home to visit.  And uh, she made fun of that and in class said, “Where are you going, to a powwow?”  And everyone started laughing.  I went to her and stopped her.

Q: Did you really?

Yes I did.

Q: She was your friend.

Yeah! And I thought she was making fun of me. And I said, don’t you ever make fun of me again and I didn’t have her as a friend after that.  I got really offended when she said that. I thought she was a true friend, and then she made fun of my culture and I lost it.

Q: Do you often find people’s attitudes are obstacles?

Yeah, there’s always obstacles. Like even in our justice system I always say “Just Us” because the system doesn’t help our native people.    You can see it in the statistics.

Q: Did you find a time when you were not moving forward or you were sliding moving backward?

No, because when I was growing up I always knew that I was going to do something to change what I had been through. I wasn’t going to stand for it. I wasn’t going to keep quiet. I was tired of people telling me what to do. Being an Aboriginal person is hard on its own. And then living in a non-Native society was harder…I lived in the city for a few years. I lived in Thunder Bay, I lived in North Bay, I lived in Sudbury. I wouldn’t say it was a culture shock for me because I didn’t think of it like that.  But for a lot of our Aboriginal people it is for them. For myself, I didn’t find it like that.  However I always said that I would stand up for myself and then as I grew older I said I would assist people along the way. I said I wasn’t going to be a victim from Residential School. You know there’s a lot of people who are still victims.  But you know I got a lot of help along the way too. Like I am still on my healing journey and I have been since 2001.  I am a social worker, but I also have a counselor who I talk to too. Because we do need help too.  Our higher power – we keep the faith.  Plus I try to smudge as much as I can. I wish I could do it every day but that’s not possible because I don’t carry my bundle.

Q: So those are your strategies that help you…

Yes.  We keep our seven year old grandson and we got him into traditional dancing so he’s a grass dancer and he’s gonna be seven and he’s been dancing since he’s been one. He already seems to understand what the drumming is all about and the dancing. He’s really loving it.  And more so because we are sober now and able to enjoy our grandkids. We didn’t really get to enjoy our children because we were consuming at the time, we didn’t really pay much attention to the kids. 

Q: Now that you have looked back is there anything that you are particularly proud of and were there some side benefits that you didn’t expect?

I think I am proud of the fact that I survived residential school and all the stuff I went through.  I survived all that and it has shaped who I am as an adult. I look back at my life and all the trouble I went through helped me grow and made me a lot stronger.  I think by people listening to my story…I know they have similar stories but you can grab someone’s attention by that. 

It turned into a positive.  You can turn a negative into a positive.  I also think another thing was overcoming alcohol because that is really strong in our community. It has overtaken a lot of people and a lot of lives. I am really happen that my husband and I are sober. I am proud of that for sure.

Q: If someone wanted to do something similar….well you DO meet people in similar situations! Do you have a piece of advice or suggestions?

Not really.  I more or less like to tell my story and they can take whatever they want from it.  You know, like I try not to give advice.  I don’t judge people.   I’m not very judgmental and I like to show empathy. I’m very compassionate. I just like to listen to people. Tell my story and listen to what they have to say and they can take what they need.

I forgot to mention this story…there was a young girl testifying against her grandfather who had sexually abused her.  And she wasn’t a very loud speaker, like she didn’t like to talk. She was very quiet. I was trying to prep her to tell her story on the stand.  And I was prepping her and I was telling her, I said, “When you go up there, you are going to have the strength to speak. I’m gonna give you this rock and this is going to give you the strength to tell your story.  She truly believed that. She took the rock I gave her and she just spoke.  You know what? When I came out, I was literally drained. I literally gave her all my energy and everything. I have never experienced that again since. That was one time.  People look at me….That’s not even in this world.

Q: This is your gift.

Yeah, it was awesome.  If you have intense counseling it’s like that.  All of your energy is taken. It was very powerful. I didn’t even know how powerful it was until I came out.  That’s when the realization hit me and I said, Oh my goodness, I gave her all that.  When she was done she came to thank me she said thank you for giving me that rock. I said, that’s my gift to you. You can keep that and whenever you need it, you remember that rock. And that’s what she did.

So that was one of my stories.

Not everybody can experience that.  It doesn’t just happen. And I lot of people don’t believe it. 

Q: Thank you for the interview.

Inter-Indigenous Online Resource - Interview with Sam Hunter, Peawanuck First Nation, Hudson Bay region, Canada

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This post is part of a larger online project that shares the positive and non-violent actions of Indigenous  people in different regions who have focused on overcoming the negative effects of colonization. The interviewees speak about the issues they were focused on, the approaches they took, tools/strategies they used, and they provide some insights about what they learned throughout the process.  

Specific situations may differ, but community members in one region or country may find that there is something to be gained from reading the first-hand experiences of people in other Indigenous communities. People who have initiated some positive change in their own life, their family or their communities may have something to share with people in other Indigenous communities who are coming up against a similar challenge.

The interviews are not heavily edited, and this resource is intended to reflect the experiences and opinions of the interviewees as faithfully as possible. The experiences and opinions of interviewees belong to them. 

If you have an experience that fits within this project, please email me at info@thelawofpeace.org to set up an interview.

INTERVIEW WITH SAM HUNTER

Name of Interviewee: Sam Hunter

Community:  Peawanuck  First Nation

Geographic region/location:  South Shore Hudson Bay, Northern Ontario, Canada

Role in community: Film-maker/tour guide

Consent provided.

Q: What is the issue you were facing?

I went to the residential school and I didn’t get anything out of it. I had to go seek for my own education which was a hard thing to do. Residential school, they tried to put something in your life that you didn’t want.  One of my siblings died in residential school. For many years his body was laid to rest in foreign soil. Thirty-seven years later his body was brought home. Radio segment and article on Charlie Hunter's re-burial At that time everything came back. I felt strongly that I didn’t want anything to do with the Catholic religion – I turned my back on that.One thing that came to me was ‘why did this happen?’.  I don’t think it is race any more or to assimilate people..…I think the first thing on the agenda was the resources. These are the things that I thought after my brother’s burial. I thought we need to control our own resources and land. One of the reasons why people are the way they are is that they don’t have control of their resources.  If you don’t have control of your resources you don’t have anything. You are like cattle inside a little parcel of land, the reservation. You are on welfare, you need resources to create jobs and everyone is stuck in this residential school mentality. People can’t get over that fence. 

Q: What did you do to deal with this?

I think that a lot of the people are going back to their own spirituality, going back to the land more, even the younger of generation…I find that the kids today,  a lot of the parents are taking their kids out on the land, teaching them how to hunt. Not only that, they are getting an education too. They are going back to the land and they are happy. Almost 90% of the kids back home are happy. Those that don’t go out onto the land – those kids are still stuck in a certain time in history. They can’t move forward or go backward in time – they are just stuck. A lot of reserves are like that – stuck in a certain time.

Q: Have you been involved in a project that helps people move over that hurdle?

I am starting to make films now. It’s good because it gives me freedom of expression, how to communicate. My instructors were helpful in that sense. They gave me some skills. It is a form of communication. It helped me realize and understand things.

For me, educating myself was effective. I am pretty sure I have a lot of knowledge, and seeing people come out from the woodwork and just be happy, looking to the future, looking to their kids’ future. A lot of reserves today – they cannot even see the future. Their kids are running around and they don’t even know where to go. They are just living with no future. Now, a lot of people are planning for their kids – the generation ahead. It really changes everything.

Q: Do you have children?

I have two girls. I am looking forward for them. I remember at one point in my life we wanted something, but didn’t know what it was. I was stuck in a point in time. Your life is like that inside a reserve. Everyone wants to be a doctor or lawyer or whatever you see on TV but you don’t know how to reach it. People learn how to be an administrator or social worker. That is fine and dandy but there are only so many positions in the community. They don’t get jobs. Now people are starting to find out what they have to do to make it in the real world. So one of my daughters, she wants to be a fashion designer. She is only 16 but I can tell she has the opportunity now. Lots of people younger than me in their 30s in social work, their chance of getting a job is nil. The kids coming out today, they know because their parents who are around my age they are looking out for their children. But parents who are older and who were deep in residential school, never really think about the future. I may be wrong, some may do that, but their kids who are in their 20s are struggling to get away from that mentality.

Q: You started talking about your brother who died and who was reburied…was that a point of change for you?

It made me think, why are people are always talking about residential school? That was in the past, let’s look to the future. When I heard about the Aboriginal Reconciliation Commission (Truth and Reconciliation Commission), I read about it, and I kind of figured that the idea 'reconciliation' came from someone in the House of Commons and I didn’t like it. It’s like someone saying, “I’m sorry for what happened". To me it’s good when someone says they’re sorry. When Harper said he was sorry, I accept that. But I don’t want someone to take the resources anymore. Aboriginal communities are doing okay, blocking roads. It’s peaceful. But the government still doesn’t listen. They need to listen.

Q: One thing in this project, I am looking at when people improve their lives, what are the obstacles?

Yeah, the challenges don’t come from outside the reserve. Its more I find the challenges come from within the community. Because the way the missionaries and Department of Indian Affairs created people, they want everyone to be the same. So if someone sticks out to make something out of themselves, they want to bring him down. I had to go look for my own funding outside from the community and it was very, very hard. I got accepted even though there were many applicants from all over the world and found my tuition easy, but getting the allowance from my community was very, very difficult. It took almost a year and even after it was accepted verbally, it took a couple of months to get it. Even though my tuition was paid for by another organization, I found that the reality of living in a reserve, the mentality is that everyone has to be on the same plane. But that’s not the way. If you work hard, you get more. But then, all the reserves are like that. I have been to a lot of reserves where people don’t work because there is no incentive. 

Q: You have told me about this challenge from your community….

The obstacles are not policies and guidelines. It’s people who make decisions, who don’t have an education. It’s funny because the chief and council system all across Canada, they are the highest form of Government - higher than the Assembly of First Nations. The native hierarchy is backwards. I believe it was designed that way. The chief in council system didn’t come from native people, it came from Government. It factionalizes. What happens is that they make all the decisions for the people. So people vote for their own dictator and it’s not their system. It’s the obstacle.

I got around it by being a pain, a thorn in their side. I knew what I wanted. I wanted a good life. A better life than what I had even though I was doing so-so. I wanted more than that. I just kept bugging the people even if I thought they didn’t like me. I didn’t phone anymore. I went to the office all the time, all the time and if someone didn’t talk to me, I just talked to different people at the band office constantly and I got the money. The only way to get over the obstacle is to keep on trying.

The strategy was just to persist.

Q: Did you get a good result? Did you achieve your goal?

Yeah, I’ve very sure. Before I went to school it was hard to understand how things work. Now, I can understand a lot of things. The first thing they teach in film is leadership. I remember I always wanted to make $40-50,000 a year. After I finished school I can probably make that in a short time.

Getting an education was a success.

Q: If you could say you were particularly proud of one thing, what would it be? And what were some unanticipated good results?

The proudest thing for me is that to be able to tell my kids, here’s what you have to do, because I did it. My dad, the only thing he said, but he didn’t know, but he had an idea, was “Go to school”. And that doesn’t mean anything. The way I tell my kids now, I say go to school and study something that you love, that you like. There’s a difference than just saying "go to school". I say, “You can have money, you can go back to the land”. Now they have something to look forward to. I was talking to my daughter yesterday and the amount of knowledge she has was so inspiring! Like wow, it’s crazy! She’s only turning 16 and she knows what she wants to do. She knows where to buy a house, which location. I didn’t have that when I was 16 – an idea of where I would be when I was older. She wants to be in New York City, Los Angeles and maybe have a house near Toronto. This is the difference between my parents saying, “go to school”.  She can see the connection between school and her dream. We talked about going back to the land for holidays and excursions – just enjoying life! And they are talking about the future! When I was growing up, we were stuck in a reserve and people were poor. Parents had one boat, and one motor and limited money, and the motor had to work. We had to make sure the resources and assets were operational. Now, with the opportunities we have, we don’t have to be poor anymore. Kids can have stuff, freedom. It’s fun. It’s not limited anymore. I don’t know what happened to a certain generation. Some people never left the borders of the reserve.It’s like they never went out. They ate canned food and didn’t even go hunting, starting getting sick with diabetes and overweight. It’s only recently that people even go out. So something happened mentally. I remember when I was a kid we went to church every day – 7 days a week. To me, it’s a waste of time. There’s a connection with Creator when you go out on the land. It’s a connection that you can feel. It cleanses your mind and your body.  Go out for a week, two weeks. When you come back to the community you get all cluttered.  It all comes back.

Q: When you look back at the journey to get educated, and you passed it on to your girls, when you first started, you wanted to do it for a reason, what were the unexpected results?

Yeah, one of them is opportunities. I just wanted to make movies to get a better life, but now people are offering me jobs. Money is a resource. It’s not a bad thing. Some people say it’s the root of all evil, but the lack of it is also the root of all evil. It works both sides. It’s better to have more. What I got from it is beyond what I could comprehend before. People are putting offers on the table I didn’t expect. I think, “wow! How did I get here??” I was poor, not really dirt poor considering life on a reservation, but I didn’t have a lot. Now I am not just getting by, I am doing better! I can do more than what I thought possible. I can do things now.  It’s been good.  I guess one of the things, the hurdle is to forget about the past and just go forward. History is there. I would rather see it in books rather than it be in my head. That’s the struggle for a lot of people. They keep dwelling and dwelling and dwelling – its like eating your own vomit. It’s bad for you.  I don’t know how many years people are thinking about the residential school system. I was there.  They took our family.  Buried his body.  Indian Affairs didn’t even want to help. They cut us off. It was pretty hurtful that they didn’t help. They kind of woke up. I decided to move forward. 

Q: If someone wanted to do something similar, what would you recommend?

They have to understand that the obstacles on a reserve are people, you can’t go over those people at this point in time.  In the foreseeable future, maybe a decade, that obstacle will be gone. But in the meantime, go forward with your dreams, forget about the past, and keep on chugging. 

Q: Any weblinks?

 www.samhunter.myknet.org

Chief Kapashesit's funeral proceedings

On Tuesday night, Randy arrived with his son and sister by charter plane. Earlier that evening, his cousins had started the sacred fire with a pipe ceremony.  The fire burns for four days. We experienced a small earthquake. There were eagles sighted, and a small bear gamboled on the ice across the channel. It was a true start to the funeral proceedings. When Randy arrived, he was brought by Cree canoe across the river by his relatives, and received by his community and family at the landing. 

Yesterday, the family service was held at the Ecolodge website for the Ecolodge. People spoke of Randy's personal impact on their lives. People spoke about his integrity and tireless efforts to implement a vision that is revolutionary for his community. People spoke of how he made his plans reality. People cried, and people sang. Family members visited and reminisced.

The Ecolodge is a very real testament to Randy's efforts.This building is absolutely beautiful, in a place where there is no real other accommodation beyond a 1 star (or perhaps no star) small inn.  To me, this is beyond the stars. All the details in our room are handcrafted. The toilet roll holder is cast iron and hand-made.  The trimming around the TV case is made with tamarack branches.  The furniture is the same.  The lampshades are all thematic and handmade.  The blankets on the bed were specially made by a particular provider.  The food is well-made. The fireplace in the lobby is made from local rocks and old fossils.  There are composting toilets in a few rooms - if only to prove it can be done well.  The floors are polished and clean, and as we have to remove shoes once in the lodge, we feel at home and cozy.  We are welcomed in to the common area as family.  Our view is of the beautiful Moose River, and the small shifting islands between Moose Factory and Moosonee on the other side of the river.  The air carries a northern smell I cannot describe. It is a smell carried by winds from the north. It is a sweet smell. This Ecolodge, down to the smallest details of what soap to use, is the manifestation of the vision of the Mocreebec people and their late leader, Chief Randy Kapashesit.

A canvas teepee was raised for the sacred fire.  It is a beautiful and meditative place.  Randy's women relatives had laid down balsam boughs in a thick carpet around the fire.  Cedar and tobacco are in bags for offerings.  There is a smudge bowl.

I find myself returning to the fire again and again to contemplate Randy, his role and influence in my life and how to carry on his work now that he has passed.  Everyone is welcome to join the firekeeper for a visit, to share about Randy, to sing and drum if the spirit takes you, or to just sit or relax by the fire.

Today, the community funeral was at noon.  Dignitaries and former colleagues gave their farewells and the family said their last words.  After, we shared in a community feast in honour of Randy.

Tomorrow, the sacred fire will be closed.

Randy's death was a shock.  However, his funeral rites were rich in love from his large and loving family, and his many friends and colleagues.   

Randy will be missed, but his work carries on in each one of us who makes that commitment.

Farewell Randy.  May your dreams come true.

Update - Randy Kapashesit's Return to his Community and Funeral

Please continue to check updates on www.mocreebec.com if you want to know details of Randy Kapashesit's funeral.

As many of you know, Randy passed away in Minneapolis while traveling with his partner Donna. Randy is being escorted back by his children and sister tomorrow by charter plane. The community funeral services will be on Thursday at the Ecolodge in Moose Factory Island.

Donna asks for friends, family and well-wishers to put down tobacco, and to bring prayers and medicine when you are remembering Randy as we bring him home, and say farewell.


Peace.

  Update - April 26, 2012 5:50 pm : For information about Randy's funeral, please check out the Mocreebec Council website at: http://www.mocreebec.com/.

The funeral will be in Moose Factory.  Details are still being finalized.

 

In Memory of My Friend Randy Kapashesit 

 Father, Spouse, Brother, Son, Uncle, Cousin, Leader, Chief, Visionary, Doer, Creator, Pan-Indigenous Community Activist/Advocate

Donna Ashamock and Randy Kapashesit - June 21, 2009 (photo by Paul Lantz)

Randy passed away last night at around 2 a.m. in the morning.  I miss him.

Randy was an incredible person and a rare individual.  He was true.  He spoke truth in a gentle and humourous way.  He cared alot about many things and people. And he acted in line with what he cared about.  He loved his partner Donna deeply.  He loved his children deeply.  He loved and cared for his family and his friends.  He cared and was committed to his community, the Mocreebec people, and dedicated his life to leadership and projects in line with the values of his people.  Here is an article that highlights one of his many initiatives, the Cree Ecolodge:  ABC Leaders - Randy Kapashesit

Randy knew who he was. He knew that Indigenous communities like his that work for self-determination through the assertion of their own values are important. Randy made hugely positive contributions at the local and international level.

Randy was also hilarious and silly, and had a fine sense of the absurd.  He loved great music and meeting  new people.   He was generous and hospitable, and built many cross-cultural bridges.  To me, he was a great friend to play pranks on, someone who cared enough to make efforts as a matchmaker (not successful, but thoughtful nonetheless...), and a guiding light.  Randy is someone whose opinions I truly valued and respected.   I always wanted to introduce him to new people in my life, because he was such a unique and wonderful person and good people should know each other.  He is often in my head when I think of what path to take, especially in my work. 

Randy, we will miss you so much.  You left us as a young man of 50 with so much more life to live, people to meet, things to do.  You left too early.

To Donna, Aj and Wasey, our thoughts are with you. 

Randy Kapashesit, Paul Lantz and Donna Ashamock sharing a laugh - fish eye view (photo by David Hunter)