Thursday, November 29, 2012
First Nations
Marilyn James presented an informative and provocative look at the current issues around the Sinixt Nation and the federal government's insistence that for the purpose of The Indian Act, they are extinct. She spoke passionately, and it was clear that there was a great deal of pain and frustration behind her words. How would you sound if Rosslanders were declared extinct and thus had no claim to their property in Rossland, to any government funds ( no schools, social institutions, etc), access to cemeteries, or sense of belonging? What would you do? What would you want to happen? How would you feel?
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I never thought of it in that way. If that happened, and I was actually a Rosslander, I'd be upset obviously and confused. I'd try to get a campaign and/or protest started to fix the problem. If nothing was changed than eventually I'd give up and move away to where I can have access to schools and my own property and the necessary places. I wouldn't waste my time fighting for a lost cause when I can move on and keep my life going.
ReplyDeleteI can't say what I'd do exactly since I'm not, and hopefully never will be in that situation.
I think it's very interesting to look at it from a geographically pertinent perspective. It's clear to me that Ms. James' presentation was spurred on by intense emotions. She's clearly suffered before, and I'll admit that before reading the prompt by Miss Nelson, I was armpit deep in questioning about her presentation. I believe that, however passionate and true her discourse was, I found it difficult to follow because I wasn't really aware of the issue before it presented itself to us in an extreme way. But I believe it's interesting that the public who inhabits her traditional land had no idea that her problem even exited. Then if we parallel it with the Rossland example and look at it realistically, people wouldn't miss us. We only make up 0.00009% of Canada's population as a tiny town. No one would be sad except us. But isn't that a reason that it's important to defend the rights to Rosslanders to be from Rossland?
ReplyDeleteIt brings an entirely new perspective to James' presentation. I went from someone who was uninformed and confused by her presentation, to someone who understood what she went through, or who at least tried to understand via this Rossland example.
I would have been more interested in hearing, during her presentation, what she has done to try to reverse this distinction of her people instead of hearing about what the government did to her people—just a bit of personal preference. We were given a lot of background on how the government denied her people the right to appear as people of aboriginal decent, but from my understanding, I thought she was at the forefront of a fight against the government. It would have been more interesting to hear about what she's done herself to try to fix her problem.
All in all I feel like equating it to Rossland has given me a more understanding perspective on the issue. It was an interesting and important presentation to hear. One thing is certain, though. That was not the last we'll hear of Marilyn James.
Losing Rossland would personally be like losing who I am, growing up in a wonderful town and then being told I’m not part of it anymore because its been declared extinct. Just thinking about how it would feel helps me understand a little bit of what Marilyn James was talking about. I have no clue what I would do in a situation like that, but I do know that I would try and do something...Its hard to think about what I would do because I have never been in something remotely like that, and it’s an interesting way to connect in a way to how the Sinixt people and how they must have felt. I can’t fully understand what they went through but I think it would make them feel outraged (expressed by Marilyn James) and it would make them feel hurt. It comes to a shock to me how a group of people can just be treated like that, and not just the Sinixt people but all of the native groups. They are treated so unfairly and it’s been going on for so long. What can we do to change it though?
ReplyDeleteI could tell that Marilyn James was very passionate about her presentation. If Rosslanders were suddenly declared as extinct I would be very disappointed, like I was loosing my childhood and who I am. What right does somebody have to take away a group of peoples identity? I have never really thought about how I would react and feel about being in a situation like the Sinixt Nation. I think I would try and protest, and not give up fighting. Rossland is a part of who I am and giving up would me giving up part of myself. In someways this reminds me of they are closing RSS, it is nothing compared to being declared an extinct nation, but i can compare it a little bit. Such as how our opinion doesn’t even seem to matter to the people making the decisions, even though we are the ones being affected the most.
ReplyDeleteHey there everyone:
ReplyDeleteBelow is the timeline we were supposed to create from the perspective of Rossland being colonized by Trail.
(2012)—Captain Bogs explores lower Thomson and claims the area in the name of Trail
(2096)—A wave of SARS sweeps the lower thompson area, killing one in every three lower thompsonites. This epidemic is carried up into pinewood and even near Columbia Avenue
(2101)—Upper Trail, formerly named Rossland which had been explored by Trail for the last hundred years, is created when Ironcolt merged with Pinewood, Upper Rossland, and the Jubilee Area
(2110)—Native Rossland act established. Influences all aspects of a traditional Rosslander lifestyle from birth to death. All Rosslanders living on their traditional lands were stripped of their titles and deeds. Ombudsmen put in place by the Government of Trail to act as liasons between Rossland and Trail.
(2118)—Anti-Skiing laws enacted—prevented Rosslanders from taking advantage of their traditional ski territory. Rosslanders were forced to be educated at the Church of Trail. Children were removed from their families to be educated “down the hill”. Resistance mounts in the Upper Trail communities.
(2161)—Made illegal for Rosslanders to be represented in court while trying to reobtain traditional lands as well as make money to be represented. It is impossible then for Rosslanders to advance a land claim in Trail court.
(2216)—Treaty rights are reaffirmed when the constitution of Greater Trail is amended. Native Rossland women as well as men can now claim inheritance of lands given to them by the government of Greater Trail.
(2226)—Upper Trail and the neighbourhood of Thomson establish a Treaty commission, whereby autonomy can be granted to certain neighbourhoods of Upper Trail to self govern themselves.
(2227)The treaty commission begins.
(2244)Trail signs the Universal Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
(2246)The leader of Greater Trail holds a summit meeting of all the leaders of the neighbourhoods of Rossland.