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Building and buillding and building. An ongoing process riqht? We talked lo a few women wno nave succeedeo agarnst a odds. have raised the bara litfle higher and made their own rules while chasino their dre.ms We wanled to find-out what drives them and where their inner strength comes from. Thinkrng we_would hear one collective optimistic voice, we neara manv ea"ctt as unidi; ;;d i;;.". as tne next, remindjng us that each woman has her own special conlribution fo make lo the woflo. tosumitalt up in one wod the story is about _ couiaqe.

4

SPIRIT Magazine

darkness can not put out darkness,on y llght can can do

that

.

.

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'l$t",' it rike it is! o A well'connected, influental grand chief lells us her feellngs about Aborig na eaders mak ng g obal irips io share their grievances wlh an internat onal audience. Some are opposed to the trps wh e others Iee it is necessary to help sir the

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An exploralion through the h story of Naiive erolica with a fitm yet gente touch.

The ancent sexualpractices lhe Chrisii€n laboos and the tuture of an acnvity thal is both spine lingllng fun and ovediy

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lf they only knew O!rfrlend and all round funny rnan Don Burnslick couldn t pass up a chance to

Photographer Lincoln Clarkes speni over flve years on the sireels of downtownV€ncouver's eastside docrmenling nnrnate portraits of lhe women liv ng there. The Hero nes seres s a collecton of over 400 phoiographs that have become a socia docu'nenl and rFgrFlrb r c m-n or dl .o lhe / on dr rE hdl6 os

contrlbule to the women's issue with his List ofThings Women Don l KnowAboLrl Nalive [4en. {And forsome odd reason, most are truelAs fl)

A shade like no other

Did you know lhal lhere was contact beiore Collrmb!s?

Did you know Native peope owned saves or that B ack

soldiers were forced to hunt lnd ans? What are the im pacts and how is lheAborig na story reaUve io ihe slory of Blacks through history? Writer Viv af Song uncoveG a dyfanic hislory and le s us that our blood ines run as deep as lhe mountains Firsi of a three'part series

r Poet

arrlors

The poets afd m crophone warr ors of our genera ion are dropping beats and teLing it like I is. li is a movement ihat blends

tEdition aclivlsm ard arl and is rsing from the uF ban proiects and the dLrsty rosds ol reserves across

SPIRIT Magazine

sPtR.t-r Publlsher / Creative Direclor

Jamie [,4onaslyrsk] Conrribuling Editors Waubgeshig Rice [4innie Two Shoes

Conhibuling Wdlers Song,ABhad Khan, Don Burnslick, chard Van Camp, Kerry Assiniwe, Tanya Lukin, Patrick Kane, Kalhy Wa ker, Drew Hayden Taylor, James Benson, Iffany Lse, Keilh Landy, Marga€lSwan, Kinnie Slar, Kerry Polis, Brian Wrightt\4cteod, Debby Oanard, LoriNew Breast

Contnbu ng Pholograph-"rs Tim Leyes, Alan creyeyes, KeestcDouglas, James Kinistino, Ed LitlteJr, Troy Hunter, Lincoln Clarkes

Eva Rose Tabobondung

Newsstand Dishbution

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Printer Prodigy GEphics croup tnc.

Volume 1 lssre 2 SPIRIT l\4agazine 0ssN # 1703-8448 )

SPIRIT is a member of C[,lpA Special thanks

10:

Liicoln Clarkes. Anvii P@ss. slfron A. On z, UiiveBrty of Arizona press.

LoriNew Breasl Arlene Cenb.! Bitt Wanstom, Tom Hill, True Rez Crew, War rady, Jane Ash Poit6s,lvarlha Redbone Eard, Tom Ma6cl€ Keih Lande Sorde. womanThealer. seal Ple'ss, DJ6, 6eena Jackson, David Bever, Wevn lv;qesha.

Julie Rice, Tanya Lachowsiv, pip. Sounrj

Medi@l R€search. Nationat Aborioinat Achrevemeni Foundation. Onla 6-Artr Coufcil, the Harmony tMovement, Elribe NetwoA, GailJaclo, Livandrea Knok. Ed Lihle Jr.. Barb Buxbaum Mtra codd'd Galery,Allred Younq Man, tvto tv Kerminv Aivino Sa.n, Gva Watson.lhe R:rceLmi[ Myrlle and Arnord Bruver6,Ivede Noian.

Rosalee Tizva Pazhe Rice. Tonva Le.a Wrlrrams, K nnre starr, W nona Laduke.

Rebela Tabobondunq, Couchichrnq Frrst Nation and Wasauksing Fnst Naion

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ln SPlRlTs premiere issue, a young Aboriginal family graced our cover in the nude. Never before has this been done and it sets a precedenl forAboriginal people in med a. Shedding lhe archa c slereotypes associated wth Native idenlity, exposlng ourcelves and finding pride and raw power in all of our bare ness.., SPlRlTcarries a new energy ofbeing bold, brave and beautiful. We iealLrrcd families from across Canada 10 t nd oul whal works and what doesn't;prlnted works frcm grcatw terc like poetSimonA. Ortiz and efvironmentallst Winona LaDuke: look a television iouri ran wilh the northem caribou and we even goi frisky wth actorAdam Beach. We rcceived mrJch feedback on the Jirst issue;some comments were quiie posiilve, otherc not so nice bui overallwe were humbled by ihe comments and are fuftherdrlven to iouch you where ii tickles ancli ck e you where it hurls.

Dear Edilori Hello there, lam a [,4om offour, a wife, a flutisl and studenl at the Univers ly ofA beda in Edmonlon. would liketo commenl on the statement made byAdam Beach n yourfrst issue in regards to being a good leader you firsi need lo be a good parcnl. I really ike thal saying because ofits accuracy. ln being a parcnlone needsio attain the princ ples of good parcnting. For exampe, healh, happlness, humbleness, generalons, gener-

Dear Edilor, I rn not Aboriginal, I m not even a Canadian. I came 1o th s counlry a year ago because my husband is Canadian. I bought SPlRlTforthrce reasonsi 1. I liked the tiUe. 2. I liked the cover.

3, The third reason is quile personal,

osily, kindness, patience, forgiveness, thankfulness, ho.esiy, understanding and ove these are found in our cullural aws of lfe/sweatlodge and longhouse teachings. How couLd anyone go wrong in connecting and representing othe6 by living these principes

couple of dreams about Aboriginal Canadians. i've heard that Aboriginals have an interesting

through example. Wilh lhe same love thal we have forour chibren, lbelieve can move the hghesl mountajn. Sincerely yours in maintalning ourculturalteachings Cynlhia Jim

Dear Editor;

On behalf oi myself and the Nallonal l\,'liss

hdian Nations Pageani, lwould like

to extend my sincercst 'CONGMTULA TIONS' on your achievemenl wlih lhe successful impiemenlaiion of your magaGrcal cover Besl wishes and bestof luck

lf there s anything I can do to assisl your dream, please ieelnee lo cal me, I would be MORE THAN happy to coniibule any aid to the slccess of a posiiive Nalive Ameican enterpisePS: Howwouid a person obtain subscrip-

Sincerely and rcspectiully yours, Gya Waison, Miss lndian Naiions Xl

Dear Edliori

Even before

I

came to Canada.

Ive had

a

knowledge aboul dreams. [,{aybe one of you could wrte an adcle about knowledge involving dreams. I would be happy to read adicles like that.lvlaybe ilcould help me undercland myseli. ln the first issue of SPIRIT I liked the aniclei 'The 21si Cenlury Leader, a voice, a Role and a Spiril".

Yours, I\4arla - Toronto, Ontafio

Heyl I am rcally exciied about your rnagazine, ldon t know if it willhil my pari oiihe

Dear Ediiori

wo d, I am sure lookng foMard io il. A

SPIRIT-N4AGAZINE

magazine lo call our own is ong overdue I nlsl head about it frcm my granddaugh ie6, congratulations and lcan l wail to see

I-AM-REALLY-PROUD-OF-YOUR,NEWMAGAZINE

l-wanted-to-wrile-how-proud,bul-rny-keyboard-

isreally-in-bad-shape... which-explains{he-hyEmma Baker Saskaioon, Saskatchewan

phens-and-periods... later, aligator

You really have put together an excellenl and la ented leam Jorlhis publication. __________t0NTACT What can I say. . Spiri is fresh, exclting and lotally unlike anylhlng else lve seen in Ab- We want to hear your thoughts, write us at:

US-

Spirit is obviousy darng and ihoughl-provoking and just the kind of modem ecectic pLrblicalion lhai today's Aborginal aud ence

PO. Box 22555, 300 CoxwellAve. Toronto, Ontario M4L 2AO or

Dircctor General, FedNor

editor@spiritmag.ca

SPIRIT Magazine

7

Spirit soars across all borders I I I

lseems lhe maaazine has skuck

a

chod orrwo

People ask us whal our backgrcund is and why

ro

we are speaking at lhese events. We often reply thal ihe road we have llavelled in media, public

wth our readeB lt is somelhrn. we qcr.Lrr oo outwe were unoreoared ror itre resoonse

II We have

received e-mails ind <,'hkroli.n forms from Unlversities n caliiomia, nuseu;s in l',liami, schools across Canada, suppod

relalions and afts has ed us to this point. We arc cata yst lor our people io telllheir

of y acting as a

lellelsfrom

New Zeaand and Germany and even a touchrnq letler lrcm a Nalive inmate in a Seatte prison who senl us a crumped $20 bll for a subscrption. Othels have enlarged lhe cover of lhe last issue and immed it for their ofiicel lt is alrnost overwhel.ning.

Television Network, Abo ginal Voices Radio, and Wawatay News in norlhern Onta o, we aim to be a medium in which ourAbo ginalvoices and ldeas can be head, eramned, crillcized or exaled.

ln iact, seve€l broadcast and p.int siories have been done by regional, national and international media on the magazlne. The suppon has been wondedul and on y incrcases our drve to produce

ln this issue we have included many of those voices. From university professors, emerging artisls, politicians, leenagers and even comedians " we have given lhem voice.

rnore relevanl and provoking issues.

We hope and believe the most amazins pad of ourjoumey as an Aboriginal-based magazine is yet We have been inviled to speak at evenls in ou Aboriginal commun lies. We have been io confeF ences, g€duations and even federal rcundtabes

discussing our concepts p!blishing.

ot

Native media and

lnleresting y snce we have put lhe magazine out we have been cast as Fi€l Nation spokespersons in mainstrcam rnedia. We believe we do not speak on behalf of all Filsl Nations people bui only seek to express our view and concepls ol media, society and commu nications from our perspeclrve as vounc Abodginal media builders.

Like our friends ai ihe Aborlqinal Peoole

s

We explore Vancouver's downtown eastside wth powedul images that started out as a small story but increased to a photo essay. The iaces of the women in the phoiographs share morcwith us than any words could ever say.

We haveengulfed ourselves inthe Nalive hlp,hop movement, the ich hislory ol our relalionship with Black NodhAmedcans and Native erclica.

We hope we are cresl ng the outer rlm of Nalive stereotypes and are creal ng a new space fo.Aboruinals to freely breathe.

We hopethis issue wilpul a smile on the faces oi our readers.As one ofourletterwriters so eloquenr y put it 'prcvide a swelling pridewhen Ishel saw the faces and stories ofour people on magazlne lacks across lhe country" Meegweich.

Jaanie I\,,lonastyrski

Editor

Our website SPIRITMAG.CA will eventually have most of what you are reading available online.

8

SPIRIT Magazine

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SPI RI

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o veah we ,

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holse ihere were b ealhers throat s noers

rocked the

geLl L,nes

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and lhL, SP RIT l"laoazine.rew

art 5ls, efs elders, elders hah ec Ch eis, bab es

King Paua P-.leter Syrous l'larcus l,larifko Jareb.

!1/e rertrd a fonre .lrurch n downtown Toronlo and .ecla m'r.l its spa.e.s olrs for tlre evefng We

Barbara l,'lainguy. Aqsaarn ut. Syvia C oLrli-.f, June Shappa Pazhe R ce Jess ca H nckson S mon A Oriiz (for the beaLrtiuland k nd words) m stahAdar Beach R:chel Larabe'r Earr Dolge at ihe church, Shane

\lh o

^ Gabby Carlso afd a Backsp n Promoi ons

al-b'd -o d g d.o a , i - .rq on I.e r",t." d GET YOL]R SPIR I tsFRF twas a n ght oispoken worC rnls c, art and more. .

-rn

hopeiul I ir lu c readers Hey so I you re read

7

Eva Rose Tabobondung Clrristne Kng Clrdstne Gerrard Zarra Di on. Bran Woodine. Sieve. Adraf Kahgee ltlar;a Hupfe d, Walrb Rce, vana, Leia Rec ollet, Daf el McGresor (for drinking our beer), Cynthia

slbscribe .. hinl

n! this aunclr pa.ie peeps. nt Watch for our next lalnch event

L'r lo.d .ou.tor.) / u:n.lor..,rl : li<l< .:rn.<

l_.nl

nr tF.l

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.pon\orl

Our oralihrde aoes oiil to Geena .lackson. Rebeka Tabobondung, Tann s Ne sen Kristy. Ge Jand.

o,,. (..i

.efb.< o. rhe Af.o.e b

1i"d

g thanks to Steve,O Pelton of

SP RIT l,'lagaz ne grciefu y acknow edses lhe suppo.l of the Naiionâ&#x201A;Źl Aboriginal Achievement Fo!ndalion Onlario Arts Councl, Solnd lr,4ed ca Research Star Sec!1rly Church at Berkeey HoLoway Studios Steanrwhisie Brewery, Hannony Movement Thercpy

lo noe !aL,i'o.r so 1d H.tin Bug.. Vr7$eB,Fn plo n " I & Tr" 1i ,t ard BJ I Sp P.on o ons

I

SPIRIT Magazrne

9

LIBERATE

1

0

SplRtT N4agazine

publisher's word

The yes

esmeHLusirc:l'-

olher sholld I become lhe Prime Minister of can ada? Ths is a queston that reverberated lhrough the seven-yeaFod bodv. Like manv other ouestions

asked abool dreams. molher, grandmolher and greargrandholher always said yes. And that encouraaino and brghl answer yes, lras opened up the lniverse.

Ths ssle I or

ihal should

Look al lhe iaces of the seven-year olds ir

question, and lhe conc!-

those caravans walch ng those peope speak oui for their rghls. They march trom across ihe counlry lo meet, lo dsclss. lo sing togeiher and io share ore mind wth people they have

is reminesceni of

sholldr't

ihe end didn t prevenl lhe war lrom happenng, but were able lo share in and experience a colleciive consclousress wilh similar revo uiiorary goals When theysay whal was il a lior? lhey miss ool on something so prima and nnate. When lndanAfiairs asks whal are ihe ant FNGA pbtests ior? Do lhey not consider what effecls the gaiherings have on lhe peopl€ parlicipatins in ihem?

sions we hav€ reached alter meeting, chilin, and working wilh our conlribltoG and fealured guesls suppofts lhe yes And lhe grandmothers sad - Y€s, you shauld becane the Pnne Ministet of

Where lhey

cal i

pointless, we call

il

nspi-

raliora ard necessary. lt doesnt ma(er how many limes lhey say'weve heard lhs beforc' or'lhats what we did 20 years ago.'

Canada. Yes, yau shaul.l jingle drcss dan@. Yes, yau should be a goad parcnt.

Yes. yau shauld t.avel aroun l the wand.

Yes. you shauld speak your language.

Nat because we said to, but because yau

And walchina from the sdelnes the seven yeapold m ghl just gain lhe prde and couGge she needs to believethal shecan do anyihing SPIRT Magazine s our form of socialactiv,

can. And when yau da, you lltake a part of Ls wlh yau. You ll even take your future

lsm. SPIRT is an educaliona lool lhat can tepresent Aboiglna peope postively on a nalonalard nlernaliona scaie. SPIRT Maga-

qteatgreat-greal'ganddaughlet hane.l Emry w,ih yor. lsnl thal a wonderfu thing

zne is aware oioLr history and ot our identily Abo ginal women have conslanily laced lhe wrong answer Coonization has been oie big huge NO lor us.And lhere is a b.eak ng polnt There isa trnewhen the peopte just grow beyond lhe boundares of western process and a I me when their ftrles and policies become irrelevanl and you wanl to say, I have had enough.

Look ai the FNGA. Look al how lhe oppositior io t created such a strong serse oi solidarity among Aborigina people. The antiwar protesls broughl commln ties oi people togelher, who in

e had a tough

lnle gerting ou, lou,

\lomen together but shcn we fi nally did. il was fanlastic. We have this onc imlge of dre eirls siuing on a couch together smnking at each othcructing coy and cute. By the end of rhe da). they Nere close, tough and uDbreakable. Which reminded !s ol

as Aboriginal peop e. lt s so nportanttor us lo tell our slories. And we have we have lo tellourslories over and over again. I doesn t malier how mary times you've heard

to

il, tcan neverbeenough.Andalthoughsomemaydisagreewilh us. SPIRIT'S stories and expressons are honest and travelback hany generatons to where we come from. They make !p every word lhar you see or lhs page This senten@ jlsl embraced my gEndmolherand sad lmiss you And lhis sentenceilstembraced yours Meegwetch harmony rce

our vision for the ilomcn s lcature - Courage b.by courage. The concepl w.s ro bring four wonen of thc lbu di.e.tn)ns together: ed. ycllow, Nhile .nd black and hlve them shed the old srereotypes dnd reclaim their bodies.

thcirsexualjtyandrheirieedonrtobcalivc.It worked and wc'rc vcry g.atelulto the SPIRIT

*omcn. Julie Rice (red). Tanyr Lacholsky

{white), Pip (yellow). weyDi

Mengesha

(black), our wrangler Barb Buxbaun, weyni's Iairby Mariam Hemandez, Make up und hail bt Tororto Q Salon stylists Robefi Belicano lnd Sony!. And to our lriend and photographerTim Lcyes who shot rhe pictLres.

SPiRIT Llagaz ne

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12

Sl'lRll i\,1a!azirr--

Native soundbites boriginal r,redia sionars

al rte

The new Aboriginal Jour protes- nalisls Association of Canada

lool cenlresiage

selot

alnLdl

noversily Creatve

1-

(AJAC) .hose rh. 200? ln.ove. sily Creative

Sunail as fl-e pldce

Sum-

for ts oiliciallaunch.

ioln

wod, ol

rit n an arlgrpl lo sl-ow€se lhe assocrator bn.gs Lollerelorts loroclera nore hclJ- g€tLrq Aborgrra joLrralisLs drd sive media lndusiry in Canada, communicalors to sharc ideas.

The summil, held in Toonlo provide mentoBhip, and a ne!

Vay 22 & 23 was a ur rqu6

sLpponlo'o.e anotler

rl'el bcLsed on dNersrlv r Ll-e Vo.e han 60 pFople tuve nedia a.o cullura irslilJlions esporded posrrvety to Lt'e catto Two of tl'e sevel cas€ srJdy form lh€AJAC Tl.e AJAC worls p€sentalors al lhs years eve.l to slrenqlhe. br:dqes beNveen erami.ed niiahv€s rFrl b'oLqll Aborqnals who wor\ ir mainrore Aboriginal slories, vo:@s slrea. reda a.d aqen.es ard at faces lo lie ratDns diMaves Aborqnals wro wo+ n Abongts and lelevision screons.

nal-owned meda and agences

the lG overal air is to e*paad a.d slo-y or a loca radroslaliorsfrve- balance he Tedas cov€raqe of yed efiod to serve and rsiecl ts the Aboiglnal peop e. audience more tully. The staiion Kim Zlervogel, an Aborgnal has a broadcasl area n nonh- ioumaisr wor{ino n Edmorron wesler Orl.no aboul he size a1d one or lht o.qalizeB of of F'ar@. a.d s hore lo .o e -e laJrcS, l'r€ a5socalion 'an 40 Ti6l Ndto. omrrni hopes ro Oel'ays lhe alrenlion of ma fies. 'Wadng ,. rhe Deep End jor nedia players aL lnlove3ty is an in-deplh look at cBc Radio to er them know that rh€ AJAC -hu.de' Bay and lh€ wo'k lhal ull oe a good resoJn e o lap 'or wo1 thc sraiion an RTNDPJUnT jou rarsrs. coarellalo s. slo.y award fordive'sty. ideas and lo provide feedbacl on A@rdinq lo tie slorv, Ab. il'eir cove'aae oi lhe -o'e tiar orEnal people are rhe lastesl 1.3 milio. Abonq'.alpeople wl-o qrowino segrenr ot lhe areas lve 11fis coullr.|, populaton. ln Thunder Bay,lheir The Aborisinal Peoples TelenumbeE are siqnifcant vsion Netuo* c'om ThLnder Bay came

(estimales €nge trcm 10 to 20 perceni of lhe

F

Tooefier we con mok"e o difference! inol Scholorship Progrom wos creoted in

iiboriginol

$ens

lo orquire fie educolion

needed lo secure refrording coreers

populalon) and growins

of CBC is to reilect ils audi-

suceesslul in

sleadiy. One

Radios co€ objectives

in po96mmin9, so Lhe slalion sel .ur to generale and ai. more Abo ginal slodes and ence

fie

new

[very yeor, eight srholorships of $3,000.00 ore oworded to Aboriginol dudenh enrolled

Enolisi n6ws and curent

-serondory school progroms

That commitmenl lo

more o@l Aborioinal sbries ed lo a mo've awav from Aborigina lanquaae

lnformolion Technology.

broadcasts. chhoes in

slatr €cruihenl ;nd to

an

nternshp

proOram

for Aboiginal youlh. ll was tough going ior the slation s program dnec-

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st;ff. Two vears lnto the

efioft Graid lound

rhar

mansrream bmad-

:#ElJ'l:"'I*::J::ii; i"il!P,,'$ ",ilift?; ch ef eYe.ulve,

tor T.m GEnd ,n.{ h'.

Jean Larose;

its

winrirq q.owlh ard sLccess and

on

i,re"r'daar. dircctor of program'good Abongi.a ord rnq. Jim Corpron: (adiddtes were qriclly ard mar(et,ng ran. s.apped Jp bv qove'ntrenl, aoer, Dedne Kolvbabr. other b.oadcaslers. o he prudre Tl-oJof rle Aborig'1al ,rrtase.lo'. rves lrai we.e Droildd ar ,n.oNone of lhe mainsream versty200J orleror t.c sLrlace, lh_eads d Joumals- scl-ools. wth lhe h€y slare cormon e{@prol of a colreSe rr Sa' co-i.q rogetl-e. ro .isk, to spear \atchewdn. had Abo'iqindl su- n oles own voice, ro i..ovate de.ls -he srat@n rrned to rle a.o crea€ aJhenrL ano meanDepartmeni of lndian Afi.irs for nqtulchanqe. help and'oLnd Ro. Desmoulns This yea', rl-e sJmmfs rhene an Abonginal accountant in the was "l\4akins l.' The aclivilles nidsl ot a career chalge. Des- ano 6 €r' focus 01 prof€ss olal the lalent pool was

lhin'

noJlns, mw an award

gfrbe

announcer/ooeratd al fie Thun- show.rsino ihe loos slrar.aor.os der Bay siaribn sl'a'ed lhe staqe aro rrrovJtrve deds Ll ai m-dke wlLr Tor G.and and reporrer dvprsily wo t dryro-day ir real Shane Jodge al the lnnoveGity @mmunites and organizariors.

XEROX.

FFt(OhrT

t ?athaniel l\1c... rn.r".,, .LN "*."der r'i".

l-tt\IEsi

. t.". ar r,r"i,"" r"

greh u! i! Edmorton, Alberra.

Nathaniel \ras birren by rne actirg bug ar ase five qhen he first saw a Bru.e Lee movie at lne diiwe ir Natnaniel,s liisr sma11 lrreak in film vas the role of Tree climler in a movi.e ca11ed sarage tand starri.g coibin Bernsonr Graham cieenE and nany orher norables.

It vasn'r until he landed a role in the telewision series rlloiti of 60 that his cafeer r€ally took off. From that poin! on, Narhaniel,s com€ somethins t. enr:a, working wirh rhe tlkes of rord Rlch ard attenborough, Itarhy Eares, Pieice Brosrar and many risins Most recently, Nathaniel had

a lead role in a telewision pilot for Tne Nathaniel is not rraininq in martial artsi he is beinq dad. He has three children: a dauqhter, Trisha and tlro sons, \taden and ciifrh He iecently uralled DreanKeeper, a l17 mini s€ries fox ABc rha. vtll air Novei$er 2003.

Film lnstitute rclcase historic cat alogue

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'NEW INDIGENOUS SCHOOL A FIRST' Edmonton - Mother Ea$h's Children's Chaner School. rhe first Indi! will begin classes in August, 2003. Locared on 160 acres west of Edmonton, ne; Alberta Beacll the Mother Eadh's Children's Chai.ter Schdol is "child-centred and open to Aboriginal and non-At odginal students.

In 2003 the sg4ogl wtll service grades kindergarten through 7, and expand each year an additional grad to become K-12 by 2008. The charter school will enhanae Alberta's aurricula with additional cou$as il world Indigeno{rs studies, for example. There will also be strcng arts, tutodng and athletics componentr All_ curlicula and programs will be delivered from an Indigenoua perspective fbcusing on balance_for th child. Parents, grandparents, Eldefi, and community members will participate in tliis process of educ, tion. For furth$ information, check out the website: www.meccs.ca or call (780) 968-0767 or 497 737( enous Chafter School in Canada,

14

SP|R T Magazine

Haida's Java Market

threatens corDoration -laioaB-

Feds halt sale

rs a srdl I diqJnous owned ca'e or Haida cwa is receiving an outpoLrring of support in the weeks io lowing

r

news reporc thai ii was being sued by Starbucks ior lrademark infringementHa daBucks - wwuhaidabuckscafe.com -wasfounded in l\,4ay, 1999, by four members of the Haida Nai on. Located in the vllage of Massei (on Haida Gwaii in the Queen Charlotte lslands off lhe North coast of Brllish Columbia), ihe cafe serves salads,

soups, and a variety ot sandwiches and subs in addllion to ils I ne of hot and cold beverages.

The major awsu t by reta lcoffee giant Slarbucks declded that the eatery's Aborginal-lnked name poses a threai io its pLan lo dominale the international java market. They were wamed last month by a Vancouver law lirm acting for Slarbucks thal t must change its name or wind up n couri. and was advised that a formal nolice of ltigation was in the mail.

According to repo(s, a Star, bucks representative n Seatie connrmed the corporailon's actions, asserting that it seeks lo "prctect the public from coniusion and deception.

HaidaBucks Co-owner Da-

in

Swanson said hes angry about the corporation's be-

A

52 nrillion prinring

ol

x

reno\ned oiibNc tediDcr u.l oralor is sir ling iD r shipping c lc in a Crlgnry \v chou\c bcc.t sc $orld

it

ofhistoric art

I

has bccn dccmcd hisr(ni

call,v sirnidcrnt to ClnNdian

Paul Kane s Po,'rat.,/ Mdrrgrr(/.nri was pninted in lE5l a tributc Io dr. pefbmrcr Nho hrd his oNn wild wcst sho\!. ailnrdiln

so*( rl..nr.il of frri.nrl sigDilicrnc. rnl inrtnrflrn.. sln)uld rcnrrin in th. corntr).

oiticials re w iting tin Crnadirr bidder to n[tch

rn.l thrr institutiolr\ in Crn rdr should hrle I chl|ce to

rhc u.s. bid of sl.2inillnnl in order lo kcep lhe \vo* 01' rrt in Ca rdn.

The Cl.rnrdirn Culture Propefir' Review llortut srls it wrll \vait until lhe end ol June in the hopes that r C nrdirn bulcr \vi1l purchrse

r!qLrire thenr.l1 lhal s irnpos sible then drc bor $illhrvc

thc arL. Ollicials sr) ll)rl

lo

nr crpofl pcnnir.

issL'e

'lhe foftmit is rhe Drost c\p.Dsivc Cxnrdirn trinling .ycr {)kl oulsi.le lin!n(J. douhliDS the lli I .rillion of rn Enril) Crr printinr sold in 100(1.

havor, gven its efforts to style its public mage arcund socal and environmenlal rcsponsibiliiy. A letter to HadaBucks from a Vancouver lawfirm that is representing Siatbucks says the wod Halda is acceptable butalleges that Bucks'tesulls in a clear associaUon with our c ients irademark."

According lo ihe Vancouver Sun, Swanson said lhe cafe's name is derived from the owners' herilage. 'Thal was nice ol lhem to let us use the wod Haida,'sad Swanson, who along with one of ihe other owners is a member ofihe H3id3 First Na tion. Bucks refers to young men in lhe cullure of Firsl Nations.

We rc Haida bucks. Originally there were four Haida guys ihai owned the place, so we decided to calLourselves HaidaBucks, ll has nothing to do with Slarbucks.

The cafe on y averages about 60 10 70 customerc a day and slppolrs five ful-time and iwo part-time employees, He said the cafe pays for ltself, suppods the employees, bul makes no moneyforthe owners, reports say, Ernailtor more iniorwebmas ter@haldabuckscafe.com

Red Nations site keeps thern cornino

lh'u'f SPIRIT Magazine

15

I

First Nation leaders

3

seek lnternational support l".Sij):"^[T"T'i"fi"J]",il:,4i""*X.; ifl"? t:jij',:i:i .

Margarct i'tj:fi"','.'""J11ff:il#trH Swan. the Southern Grand Chie, of the I

t\4anjtoba Slor,if,Jin

fi"""i"",""?"'jl""l:,T,:,":"

"l",gTlf Eii,er" Organizarion te,ts us

wny. n November 2oo2 lv'nrtob' s soulhern chiFrc adopled a r€solurion soulhern chiefs of Maniloba auhorized chiei Dennis lreeches oi lhe r;:; ."n \4lrou., , F , 'she, R {e, cr"e PJil:' :1,:::"'; ';:Tl:;"1

r;.' r"r'"' ' iJ# t;;"' i I T fi,T'"i1i'" -':" ',,".",*.".-,",y',.""i";;;;;,i;il"#""",3#"j-i,lliji' Hifftli,,"':r::,f;:jJ:,,;i.l;J:::)jJ,.;;;;;:,":i;; remos ro mode''ize and eode and treary 19h s wr'r"

E,.p"1 ... 'rr-p€nl ar noi r,6,lre,narou,romnln.to RFcer rrv ca.dda 'oioliaisr r'as proposFo d sL,re'rn! rF.krarol '" ro d'";o L"i p"-"1"".c"i"-j;""];:'.":,,,".".,".,,..\,,osa.oL>p"opes "-a2eu rrdiarAcror'876rre'o*owrod':ib,rss'pc'i,"n.v.oeroerirerrouse;il,r;;"':L'il'"n*;"rr.o.""..,.no,",.."",,,o""n,,, von orconnors nor'ada B,r'L-6 rre F,sr\ahnns sneciic c'"-" n*",- i"""-iiio,,.'";'il#:1, (Lu r re.e ol rhe "",.,.n e. we.'r..e,ralrrs .u,D,.s.o,o,..r.,na,,hF i|.!,iliflli;j;"li?ff,iii:ti,"T,""Tl:"^l: alo B c.,e:-he ;;;,h:i;i;;i:;Ti.ado

iiX"J:j;:H,,jg"#;*fJ::i?.::Jitiffii*:""1:lt;:j:mjj:: .rele,r.rili,i;i"-"5;i;;Hilffiil#;,"""1:""".""," di,""t i"irrns"- u"!i'iti.". b* a'"[J"ii]"rr-."0

and oppose lhese brrrs on rhe basis lhat thev are a on ard rh.earen oLr ,lhere. and reatu m*q ,h6se b,f, h";" draned and oe!.roped tr .co,ar,on bv reoe.l bu.ea,.k* alo

re.r

n po)ed

upor.rsr Nat.on

iapacrFo oyrhe'ro,ara(r.

;:il',"*:::,fl*f:T;ijainst

cafada, '|mirs

;; *r b" Brt.c-o r,_.,.,."

dipo,nars rhar canada ;;;i;;;*;;;:ffi ". ,e ,6spo.rp .nd clareq\conrir;" ro rr "" "."". ;;;;;;,.;;;;.,;".";;;." ,..o1or Abols,.a. " " p""pr"i,"r"";ffi; ''ri""t",i"ilv

ed eps rnanciar@n-

a,teded and pardcipated,ha uN Human

crownt (tr was here rhar we srared to",,i"r"g"ri"" the :Ei:i. jil:'fffi":f :"jtr assen-bty rhat canada was created on a foundation and Fosrer rorerance rn paris, :::l:lr"li'ffii ;l.:::*:ns ol racisln and racial superiority against the France. rl was here rhal r srared to atrer he regar starus ori -'to the assembry rhar canada was r'rut."". p,r" .liLa"" ,ier,i" l"Olgenou. plopies.i.;'-----te"1"dn'JloJ,oanot or'dci-m a1o oe1lry"i, aqatrsl rldiviuat rsn*. ar sr6.s*.els rede€, domnar'ol and reo,.ra,ory auhonry over rrdqp.ous p""on",-" ,n".,,i,0,;:li":1"""::il#';"",11; ri'cr Narons Bir c-rs see<s ro emoowe. Ftrsr \s"lors r;.-sr, ;r,-* ."",""i '_1"',i".. ", beeFe, 11" ..o,ge-oLq peopes upor own coui(ereveruesone{iilq aesoruera.d!, bur*'ii,rri'-e1 """",.1"1,-*^, ,"0c,'n,i"",i-'!""i"-i""*^ r,u, oepea,o..F(eNed pos,rive reed.

4na.ca. rr-e clwls ana enrcncrus tne

IdLcaa

'edLce

at

o!,oiri^ns

ro rhe

ri."r

r'r"rio", *.i,iJ

r;;;",

.,

.o-.

rhe .d.,o, s or c.a,c Aro.o "J..i.;;i;; "", " :li;h[Xi1'.i;;'-:i:"Ipo'""n'r'o"atpii"pt""sr",dadsa.o'n,her*si:,"ii,"'ii;,;;,i.],'-,cor,i",prua.r,v.!parr,cioa.e,,,fe yi;yBiJ'&'":::"il":1,:lj,;;,::i::,::,,.xx,T;#;;:::"i#:! s".u i" ,""".ui ,"",u. A,ia5 rins,er,""""."::l.-j.trltr 'mpos. ca.adas ra row der,.r:olor oov-.r.in., ,ron F,,'l Na.iors il r,," Dpoore, ro puo,.y add.e,s ter,ssles ""d,". ""r;";";;"";s

::

ii'i['* iJ;'.ifiJflJ:1",*:ti:t";["fi:,""."f:,;i:"ll j*jli*t",":s _N"r"".'_"" in r,., ncruo,roal aoqressive oub,ic;du.ii,^r @nD",g"

S"J:|"i:,'"J

rn

lhrouohoLl 2001 ano 2002. we ve rD.c-Farpd va.ious ;cfiors

Ma.rooa

'",

."*-;.n ,i"..",;; .;;,;;;;; a|o e€mrl- olner

uearv.

i#. J; qrs i. o,d-r,o p.orecr, p...

-",iii"l prodLclor a.d distrburion or b,octu'6\ -a",.. nirrrrv "i:::,.."" o,r"l .","-,iJ """"dr i,*i"iL"i:"q-r,.. oo.",,-,,v ."*-",,.nd1y. a*o we ".-""rea I ns pLolc meselrar,ons aid a red.a{erar o1s srr.Fey. r v" r.u _"v *""i ii;;;;;;;"1,;, *,i ""o ,",",.,",."rr resa staresy -"sa.o o,he oLs Menbe,s orPar,arenr. cdo'n€r Mi.isrea :r. ^Jx,"0"1"a,, "o ,.".". ,,;,.;;J;;f ;;;,;;;il 'i,"".ry *" ,"u.,ur o". ,o u," ur.r."

Io-rbce reer ns w{h rhe Drime i. \^/ n.h". ^.. [4;y 30. 2002. s;," njpr]*j,i" i" '"ii"mLs peop,as ",r""o"0 a, d He.i,l o roLr ou. soutn. we cor.crFd 5ooo siqna.ures . ^,4i.isLer rrom rsr rrartis rirzens ro, , ;.;^4;..;ij-.,; ;-i;;, u , c,"d. roors peririon reje.ins the FNGA weve orcanze.r ifd participate;s.""_ in a ", ". o;;;;', ;iJ;i;;;;:; astoufdne sLccess. we succeeded in number or pubt( E[,e5 n wnnioeo. Ken;. :n.r orrawairhe peopies _"["g;id#;;;it""";*iil uu.o,. om","r" i,o.,,," ur.r. rt" u",io," 1 5oo Fre' M..r citiz;sdd N;d;: E[;;,,-,"l"iil,ll,l" .,nn , be character,zed as l""lyll :X :H:iTft.""SJo 'i fe

l:Tf

JK;-

-;

*""

"ouid

H:i"""Ji';;*ff,tt,"#il:T*"*Jil#?ilili"i,:f 1,:ti?$iJi"il,::Ji;l::iJ:fiJ:::1ij,:::"JT,:,ffij1;:,tt",;i,r vve ve rearzec har w€ erh'usred all domesli. :vp ,es in our auempts Margaret swan is .the sauthent Gra,d chiet of rhe Manitoba soukeh ro ha.r ard oer.,r rhe TNGA €nd ,he orher brt,s. ' "'' tr was ior rlar reasol -e cn"i.tti*)|ii. ,",,3.""j;f

1

6

splRtT Maqazine

Vile words can create an enduring legacy

by Keith Landy

Although the incident has well passed and the counlry has turned ls attention to war, disease and peace prolests, we asked ihe President of th€ Canadian Jewish Congress lo comment on the anll-Semlllc atlack David Ahenakew unteashed on a dumbfounded country earlierthis year The CJC has shown ihat it swells with compassion and dignity in a lime when it is needed ihe mosi Jhe m.st endf ng aspect ofthe Dav d Ahena, aftar wil not be h$ vre and liciols .nti',ew Senrtnr alta.k, bur the hearttell oulpouring ol irendshrp and suppoi honr Abor glna peopes and ther leaders adoss Canada and lher

from thrs rirslurbfg n.de.t v!thoul hesraton. we renewed lhe commitnrenr betwee. the Jew sh and Abor g .a comdLn ties lo watk rrre jouhey of peace and reconcilration togelher

lowertu denlnciaton oi Aherakews €cisr

betweenJewsh and Abong nalajanadans and make lhe relalonshlp slronqer We wit share

"enonr

These members ol Canadas Firsl Na.

ions nav noi have been aware lhat in

l.e

1990.

Canadian Jewrsh Cofgress wrote io ihe ndian Affa.s mrnisler ot the days dLnng the Ol. crs. From lhar lert.,ar 'Ther-a .an h. n.

more'nrDdant oblectve lhar the altarnment tlirolgh pea.elu means ofjusrce for Cafada s

Ab.ratri peooes Thet

mey not have kfown rh3r CJC commended the estabtshmenr of rhe Rnv6 Conrmrss on on Aborgr.a Peopes bul o. y n retaihed lrotr merely sludyng rhe rssles fi.n s. re cataiogr.g the probiems Na ("e pecpes lace Rather I must prohe more .ieeDy i.ro the basc reatronship belweef the

{

Togelher. we

wl blid

on the exsnnq qoodwil

slories ofancienl lles to an.esrrrlla.ar We w r tdke stock ofihe ageess va u€ i. olilraditrols or heritage anguages and .urtLre af.l |.w we lransmit them to slccessive generaions We

wil compare noles on our sprhr. con.e? uons lo olr Crealor Anc ves. d-. wil r-amind ou.selves or our orhe. common qrc!rd Two comnnnies thal have experenced the iu qamul oi oerseculrof. flom ra.sr .ke5 .nd stereotyp

n0

lh@ugh

socela dscrmrnar.n

to

anemtled Senodde We invile a tC,nad ans r. join usinthe renewed dial.gre Cleart.!'. a poi.! must be n place in oLr hearts and r. olr con

will compare notes on our spiritual connections to our Creator. And, yes, we will remind ourselves of our

We

other common ground.

; rsl NatD.s and Canadran socr,ary

and

ernnrefls and propose concrete

workaLrle

srlLrlons

!o these

Oov

ong-standing Droblems ''lnos. who r-"acheri out to us l(ely had no dea rhar ln 1998 CJC plblicly condemned lhe resid.ftralschools as a nal.nalshame n Ca.adian hrstory 'What a of lh-p peope who .D.ta.led us - we were nundated wth calls e mdrs. iaxes were aculey awar-a of lhough. s7as rhal one ollhet readers had shamed ihem throrlih rnoerance afd bgotry They knew ,hat the Dan he had carsed. lholgh aimei

al rne !@rp. nl: udrnlr

socrclv

had hil a mrch broader larget. lher own .ommuf ly and canadian

al aBe

They lnde.stood the nony oi a reD.ese.iauve ol one mforil! commlniry rhal has exD€renced dsomrnation largetnq

arollre. s!rch communiry ior a haref! dahibe T.et niew wel belore Ahenakew drd that n lhe j{ords ofon€ chref. sience was nol an op, r.f Afn so lhey spoke l. January. mel wlh [lat!],aw aoon Come. Nationa Ch ei oi the As s.nrbiy of F(sl Nalons and Perrv B-allelarde crrr et

lri the Feder-tion of saskatohewan lndian

Nati.ns to dlsclss how

b-asr

thal Lin.terscores :ero to

'lrc( and hale soeech Al lhe sahe rno vD

b!y

nto the proposit/on thatwhiLe

- even Ihose passLonaleij, held

'

rrsL:l

potti.ar,re$is can t€ neel,

exp€ssed. slch dEcorrse husr be ..nLiuciea n ways comparbe wth bas. C.na4a. 16l

ues Caradas

nnrch lalnred nrrtlorittrdrsm co!€qes conih!n ties to ma nraF.nc nrn!.e tleir -Athno d lLtral derrrtes h ir ljlh con.omtant adheren.e {o the.vararchrn! Ca nadia. prf. pres ofcrvilt! res!ecl for d fe s1v social h.rmony and ihe nr e oi aw Tlrese ar. mininium .bligalons that eccrJe t. .drzensh n pol cy ef

and mrsr be adhered to as tne fl osrt.r .t o, Ch.der Rrqhls and Freerloms Ge.r!,a Belialc Shaw on.e wrote lhal. The worsr sin (owards olr fe o! creatures rs not to hate them ilt to be ind fferent toward them lh: Alren3kew affa rbegan wth hate but th.rksl.lheAb.rq fa p€opes of lh s counhr' il n end tlh rtr.l

cohpele .ppos{e oi indff-a....e S.taarty supporr. mltua respecl and enha.ced frr-afi. shp Thatvrl berlsenclrng ega.!

Keith Land'l ts the Presrtent ot the a:atudi.,

lo move fotuard

SPIRIT

Mr!a: re

l7

,Var lJ&n

i.iir

".r

.,!.

i

!' illJ..,th*f 's ijou i

eio lc t Ame.can motrve fo. lhe .uneni w:r

I on kao is ro ocale and destrov weaDons .r -he I h.ss deslruclion US ofcas-betie;e raqi ctatorsaddam Hussein is not onty manuiacturng and conceaing nuclear boogi€|. and chemcal weapors. but aiso plannlng or using then on his own peope. neghbouring coLnrries and possibly, rhe u.s.

With the nvason lndetuay, never before has the lhreal ofmass murder and devastation via rhese weap ons been so immense [4any here n Nonh America and abroad fee Saddam Hussen coutd relaiate wilh nuclear weapons, resulhno in a deslrucrNe maanlLde so rar unseen Whrle the oss of tfe .nd .:iirit resources would be ulte.ly confourd ng to a shoud a nuclear slrike assailTurtle tsand, n woutd be especaly damaging to ihe sprit ofthe tndgenous peoptes d

n Norlh Amerca. no oiher cltlure has a coser more sgnlicani bond wth the earth ihan Nalive

peoples. I is our lMother she nurtLres att jife on ihis planet, and we are lorever ndebted to her nourshina ove Altacks of nuclear biologica orchemica propotr tion

wilnot

on y deshoy vast amounts oi tand and

lfe

il wllloifsel and elernaly damage lhe natLratbatance revered by al Native grolps. Thts natura cycte of tife coordnales and diciates ancieni cuttura protocots, and it il is irrepa.ably damaged lhe Native spirit wit

Nalve cultures are hadilonaly holislc, based on ove compassion and symbosis wilh the land. Aong wth the Great Spnil and lhe Four Directons Mother Eanh s af enlly held in lhe hghest possible regard.

F.st Nalons across Canada and ihe U S. have endured many hardships sincel he.kadilionallards were

colonized. lrdustrialzaton posoned and desecraled the and pushing the or9 nal inhabitants off and renderi.g il useless foriulure generatons.

As Nativeswere shoved inio lhe peripherv oINonh Amercan oovemmentsi thev were ronelheless abe lo preserue the r sacred leffestra conirecl on on re seryed lards' ln addilon toth s displacement. Nalves have endured oss oilie on a genocidalmagn tude as a.esutof disease fanine, and olherotrca practices.

A nuclear atlack wolld pan lhese numbers with mass oblteralon and coniamination oI the land severely damasina the Abodqinal spiit.

Sirce lme immemora. we have Lnderstood ihe eadh esbblishing and mainiainiog an eteha, co, dependenl existence ofsharinq conseruation a.d respect.As LulherStandng Bea., a 1gth Cenrury Ogtaa Sioux said The American l.dian is ol lh-a soi . wheiher t be lhe regon of iorests plairs, pueblos, or mesas.

Fe nts inlo the landscape, for the hand lhal fashioned the coriineol also fashiored lhe man for hs slftound,

lngs HeonceqrewasnaiuralVasthewildsuntlowers, he belongs just as lhe buifa o be onged..

The Gult of Honour

.'

Opinions on mankind's deliberate attempt at se lf-d estru ction.

by Briatr l lright-McLeod

'ram Lo!. in se,eral .rr Jpu.t ru..c '".r.on' ". exp€rien.e, tradirional teachinqs, conmon sense, natural inslin.r and anim bedded clricism. HoreveJ / .he tradition of warrior socie.ies and dury has created a legacr in this cult ?he grearest milirary foice or, e.rth .rains them ard ii they rake ir nome, they vi11 direct action in tne rield durtnq the nexr summer of barricades. yer, prophecles .l iany rations ar€ coming to paes. rne po litical and e.onodi. ganes rhar corporare gorernnenrs cho.se to pldy are abun as a bitrer cynic, r say rnis: co ro rraq. yes, ail tresliassers on Indian :and, pacl! up and leave.

I sullort you 100-per cent. r11 rhe flag sawing ower weight, middle aged, loud moutbed, redneck blg ors who hide behind rheir viiulence: go and lishr _r,oux war yourserE Nor sith our chl1dren. Nor F:rh our blood war is somerhing I donit trish on ny sorsr enemy ard you're irt Bur rion't call ou: for the sa. rilice oE some pooi sLon,s onLy.hild to do yoLr dirry uork. Do it yourself.

If the rrlals of rhe pasr 1

8

SP

Rii t4agrzine

500

ye.rs ce11 hE anythllg, then the eooner you Leave che better. ter rhose rno remain hEre on Turrle rsland build a world or peace and jtrsiice. time for a purge. A reqime change. No frcre {hit€ cor porate dicrarors rike :he serl allointed draf! dodg ins illiterate r,la.hiavel lian nabob vho .c.u!ies the r,Jhite Eouset Even rne shies dor't !an: you around as another slace shlrrl€ is

to be in shock and aNe as tne t]iggesr hate crine of all continues to unfor.d. lr€apons ol massdestiucrion? Tne Atomic lromb was nsed tvice or.ivilian pop utarions at !irosnina and Nagasaki. ceim warfare?

Thal 0as us€d asairst us ar the on set of.olonizarion to the presenr AIDS.risis ard beyond, (don l forqet tne ?uskegee experiment or the fciced steriLization of Native uonenl) Th€se are

flicked our of rhe sky byrhe index linger of tne crear

.rimes rhar !r11 be CealL wiLh by the cr€at spirit be.ause .here is no triqher authoritl Let cNN, Lhe .nos. disgustinq lane in rhat one trith

oxt of norh€re, for mer canadian Prime Minis Ler Brian Mulrorer comes snifiins around ro gnar on qhat's lefr .f rnis .arcass of denocract he stripped to tne bone and offEr liis Har hongering olinions And canadian Alliance Ieader stephen Ha+er wrirhes and coils as he slirhers across rhe floor of rhe lDrse of nisses his ir, harred wi.h reckLess abandon clalming Lhar Natiwes louirre srandards abound Nnile everyole is sullosed

lDakoxalAntsh'abe) ir asrixer/artist/act irj st / sladica.ed 1_adio ,hosr of re'egdde xadio or c(!Ji 3A.1Ft i, Tafanta. tsfia' is r requtar ..ntrilur.r to xews From Irdiarcour rith nis nusic.oluJD -y 'Dirtt- uatd. & rhaughrs abour rrusic, " :!d ane:u rhor of The En.r. t oped.i a

A World in Pieces Enduring lmperial Liberation

by Arshad Khan n s I wlr6!s ll'e *'ile sJpena

A€bs leronsts) and then

justired

lhe weslem e@nomies lor years.

Fu.der,6peard wehvp ir E.me * e1we k.ow tlcisr avocry la(ng oldle on ookg by c smirg ro orng cviliza thd rhe Pelraqon drrrot" Lc peope ihe of the land coonia op- tion and'denocdcl and'libedy media and we know that d ssent is prossoG albitG ly labe ed lraq in tolhem. muzled intheso-caled democralic 1919,lEnnothelp bullhnkollhe To the colon zer lhe enlire wond U.S., y6l we mnunue ro ponder peop alocities thal lndig€nous es 6 divided into @mmodities. A.ab upon inleniions ol lh€ Americans ollhe enlire planet stjllslf€r al lh€ is an oil Eserye, Aftican is ihe lo bins peace and iustice 10 lhe hands otthe coLon a s. diamond and pecious h6tal mine, wodd. Sincethe Second Wortd Wai watched Bono rrom U2 pertom Solih Americanis @ffee, Iorests, Germany.nd Japan ae heldup as 'The hands lhal buill America at pEcious stones, and so on. llod prime examptes ofAmarcan ibeE this yeafs Oscars to 6 backdrcp of Mr Mu.phy that democracy €nnot iion venlures lhat wenr ighl. Howa l-white conslrucion workoG pho- bo de iv€r6d wlh bombs and that ever thereisnomentionofihelacl tosraphed in ihe1900s. I felt na!- the Ameri€ns need lo spand lhe that infrasttuclurc or the two nalions seous al lhe implcalion that white thee trillion dollaB (estimaled cost was essentially preseded and thal peop e bu lt America. L€t a one ihe of wao oi edu@ion, healthcare th€r€ wa6 no sysrematic staryalion facl that il was Natlve peop es who and a leviating poveny in their own and "poveratzaiion over tens oI were the frsl lo work on skyscEp- nalion belorelh€ycan llberaie' years to debititate the pooutaliors eG (because ol Jao.n and :ll'" .99'pL9 Arab s an oil rese^/e. Aftican is he dEmond and orecbus rnebl ce'frarv l[€ n lhek@ld blooded

i]:[.,'",,ir1":'mine.soulhArnericaniscoffee,foresb.p€cid$sbnes,andsoon lire backgound visual excluded lh6'e"og.ilion o'Anen€s roFnr orh€r counfies ot de wor o bilh. PeftaosU2shoLld havetilled tEo was .no bnnotace of ther song _ he bbody hdnds rha rvrz:rlnn:narnp,","r;-""rh" buillAFe'ca inre@onrololrhe mosr edu.:ted 6o0 tardn.n,[o] en"dvere. o'Arr€_s.llelhelo' rrre rr,lioa e rasrl jniveBitv ed.r.i

a-d

ilera'tsEMore peop e have ded i. t€q

si.(etheEhrGuiWEr.rnHto 5hraano Naqasa{ .onbneo he

us

is €sporsible fo. destDrnq atover he word rnd

democidcy

repra.nsrtwrthdclalob'iiervob.

Nalvelard€ndrLregenocdaof\a- lon and heakhcarc we€'iiee fd tu ir tl-e Co-Oo, Prnocher rn Cn.te 've peopl. whl6 orvileqe e.joys eveMre ur lro r99t cJ[ War 7ia JrFlq a.d T* iru"-a@r i. l'€ tr-ils o'al$ar dbor €swa5 and;r.@edn. *"a,.^ n".,i. Prkst.n, No.ieqa i. Pa ard rno

fbr lhar enr|e n our q-aia o;erions he fact rhai the lcl goF! on. I1e U.S lppea vlvood he C A,.rhtied Sadodm H.Fsi,n Io. abida.ce by rhe Genevr Cor i/dsq media nor orlv lres and aner odsrno lhe demo.rancrlv. {enlorbddouot"6la.dadsnce de.ies l'ulh. bul i also oeee[ ahcl.d oove;nenrd kao in t976 the use ol c use boro\ d"ptereo ales whle slprena.v on r recnr Ths was he bednn,n" ;t rh. 3n -Eniur rJ.i ons and the €pt-r6 Edio show CBC ioLrdb. R€, vedB o' JS;ms;d t.etu and esat d€rertio or ove.600 r'ru p\y chaleaged ne for abelrnq 6nlh€ ra.ioeoore ijaddam bold;r pdsore.s of war lmn Ats$nslan, I'e Geome Bush .eqire 6..l werDors for'the US. a.o ;d a€al rncea.violalol -h€ targest e\pol o! rhe U.S. roh's-n€ rndigririon rreminded H6 shned hr tl'ar @lo.bl. mpe.bl rJle6 hemcheaootaswet : *ar sir; t6n and o6udni ev.n F mrtat dno w"€po.s A @Lntry fi'51 delurarized tl'e peop€ rh"v more *eaDons tom theA" e cans har sels seapons ,. rts olgoest orqJ€r€d rcalng Nalire o&ple rno lhe EioDedns Ihus be kroi elpon doe6 otsrnlwo ld perLe. savaqes. Ahi.dns dnmds d.d row pF.es ab-ndarlly clear

pJppet sh@ or Hor

peopte u.i.ientioraty suppoted 'twa-rslhewo

lo rn

UTH VOICE IS WAR ENTERTAINMENT? on a @uch n a suburban oasis rhewar So faraway and we ae so alenatsd. One is blinded bythe media screaming, Full Coveragel Be lnfomed! Lislen lo usl l\,lonlhs have pasl and lleelno more nformed. UndeF slanding isthe keyand we must dealwith whatalL

Qrhhg

\Jis

surea.

Discussirg, debaung,oducating, and listen ng are skllls lhal chibren must sarn in order to become @nslructive and pea@ful leaders of lomoL row To me,lhe war has become an enleftainment scene. Agrcwins bus ness. Howeverdisconcertinglhis may bs, yoLr cannothelp bul seslhalths NASDAO or ihe TsEjumpsjust a lirtle bit higher am asainstthe Coalitions almost unilate€ search lor secuity. DenrocEcy, humanita an aid, and wo d peace are greal ideals buione @untry attack ng and lhen mposing a newgoveminq syslem upon anolh€ r sovereis n counlry is a b€ach ollnternational law and has had devaslaling effecls - especial y in cas€s involving the United The honor ot lhe Taliban regime,lhe threat of nuclearwinter upon scorcs ot islands in Micrcnesia, and lhe ulter chaos Ien in Centra Ameri€ ae enough lo make one shudde. Wil €q be added I have never experenced having my oved ones wither away before me dus lo chomical atlacks as the Kurds have, I have never heard the

sirens warning oi an impending air raid, nor have lseen the su@essfu ebuibing otatorn country The NobelSlatemeni on lhe Trlple Challonge of lho 21st Century slales lhe lollowing: lfw6 perm t lhe devaslating poweroimodern weaponrylo spEad throogh lhis combustible hlrnan landscape,we invlte a conflagration thal can engulfbolh rich and poor Theonly hope ior lhe fulure lies in co{peralive intemalional aclion, l€gilimized by democEcy. A perfect gem ot hope in lhe lace or chaos, itwilL Iit'fany is a 14 yearald high schaol sludent in Taranto who wriles a regular kid s columnn fot

he

BELIEVERS OF FREEOOM

Thewaron

I

kaq has mad€ such an mpacl lpon

me and our school. Everyday or so, I @me

oul.llh nk lhal is justcrazy. beieve lhalwarshouldnteven happen be@use thai makes ihings €ven worse.

As a believq of freedom, wd isn r ihe dght wayto solvethis €vilact.ltonlyb ngs more harm and brings a lotoihun upon the peoplewho didn l6ven *an he wa. I just hope and prav that and see what progressed while I was

President Bush and Saddam Hussein willrealize what errc6 ihey have made irom this act of teror

Janes is a 17 yearal.l fran Weaganaw Lake Fitsl Natian, Ontaria. He plans to be

a

hunalisL

SPIRIT Maqazine

19

I

word book reviews

by Richard Van Camp l/Villrs Garden publkhedbyrheytusBool(!

What love most abour Itrrs Ga, den is aulhor Lee [4aracle nvtesvou nlo her Nahon s lrome and rnv ier;.' to vsit each room al vour tesure Vo'l gelto hear rhe hoDes.ijreams. ta!ohler and h story orher peooe e^oress;d rn lhe augh and worry nes on tne taces ofW s parents, au;rtes unctes.brorhers, cousins, neohews nieces and

I

cant .emehber a tamrv

r.

.n-

anv

bool lhat I fel so pnv teaed io soenA time wilh as Wi s love the l.!-. qrirrpc in here. Very romanrc have medilaied

non-stop on the insiahr one of rhe men provides n th s novet on whal sacriices parenrs have ro male when rhey do h.ve cnrdren and how o!e.s can becomc

slranqers when thev become oa.enls th nl this s Lees firieslwdrt v;i

by Ruby Slipperjack The book L/d/e yolce rs

1

ihat she w:s qono to i.henl he morher s wearth of_nformation or how lo save llves ease suffern. and wercome fewborn babes rra

lo read This slory iolows

a

Younq

woh..

Onlario lrom lrrc

arowino

represenls the sprrr of fnendshio

moose ,nd r. se5 tt as best thev

PROGRA4VI TELL.NG OIJF OWN SrOR/€S s/'1.1t ot// i)N /Ht /ss!/ts IHAT L/t:L('/ OUR COMUUNlflt::. Ot/R BIM/L/aS ANt)

.an berore I oulorows rard oui eaLs)

lher house. Ravs orand ai.i md w,re

mother is a he: er

realrzer rh:r <ha 5 siowly bernq shown what her

grandmorher Inows, ard lhar she was chosen ai a very yoLng age

laled inlo ev€ry anquaqe rea/v is a booh forevervon.

Ay Daist Han.ndez and BushB Rehnan, rorewont bt Cheme Llohoa

Thrs

editu,

n rhe lEdirbn of rrden t/p, th€ new b@t Colozze tD,s rs n-you.raG, ongin.twling iion a newo€neklion ol wom.n

Co ege Oip/oma in Joumalism r,1 M1i,,): fi,/jt,t,r/ h:titttt

frti /i,tritu j-. a ryrrtiirEr tlrh.,i. ^,,rri .. L)tJ

/.\i)

^ir,t .: / .9Ot) alt7 t\i.a7.r./-J .:9. t t,)it: nLJBOhlt ty.,Jn) )!t ntt tyu dh t alp. n et/ fn t i rc dia )

hhas b€en deedes sincemmei ol6tourfEttum€d fen nrsm upsde down. erpos ng the 70s remnism moven€nras erduBrve, white and unaw.rc oflho @nceh, and rssua.r women of@lour l@m amund lh. otob€. Now 5 n.w nrn.e. rion ot brirtiant. oulspoken wonen or corour a,e soei|". L he oonehs of. new femn sm and lhair pta@ h

[.

'

rh's mpE.sive airay of j5ret-pe6on ac@unt6 adds i r.ne ongord oaroq:e oer";en mce ana senoe.

1,ll,i"d""'""' ".*,-

{a'

-<

'"d

.tz" "Fl$ut*T , rl rr'{

.\

.b

Women have redefined the lives we all lead and in turn are redefining who they are. This is the story of women who make things happen. And the. turning point isn't about people losing their culture and adopting non-Aboriginal valJes, it is simply about people being a-ble to functjon persevering and maintaining what they qqoyt : hold dear to themselves and those aiound them.

And that takes courage.

by Harmony

,,r

I

Rice

he-hdo-or tho.,r,ae deep in rhe bush on a bruesky day, one occasEna y swarLng ai btackfies, the otha irent y strnning h€rselfin the warm sunshine. Afr€r lhe lh;h6 ano rne bae unches are packed uD. rhev oo b.ck wo.k r. lhei rhei bia, big. black btack rubber b@G booG. oui;iu Auibriv hpL the! r"L lath .bacl and rorth every so ofrer wne. they ae

.i

orsralce or one

v;ih;;b;;

anolher

abour peopre o€ins abro lo tulction - about Derseverino and ma:nt8rnrng whsr lhey hotd dear lo hemsetves and thos€ a;und rh;; u's au.-our susraiiins ihJ6iiaia"i, p."ia".

.iiii-iiiii"ii,illj -"

Whv vou so down babv?

Ansela, asudent ano you.g morher reflects on her sirenoth as

a mo -er. tr's.mpornrto menti6n lhis ourine a stesstiriuui;"il;;

i.

ih;;;;;;i;;

^i,;;t^;; ii;; !d;4 ,;d: i;l;}:;ffir# g;?,n'ff*13jflfi*.rg:^1j"19^yjtr.rt"_!T_":tr.r!1y:9J!:-*-y99:l:1""1.11,91e,.".1'e;6;,1i1;riitii.ii?iir! sonna mpress he, wirh my rasr prcr.ins cuz rm younolilriji;;d. oE ones-and wono"rs rio* ii,6r;i,ir trriiiy i,!-r.;;;'$; il:G;id': rne,sirl roors ar whar sh€s oicked wih pnde. Lateiwh;; spalkofiie in h€reyes, thav,; muci Dowerno" u"*,i".ri,i n.,sh,a.d core back b -er bass. rhd yourq one,ooks lh;i;; newdaushter I couro nshr a wai ioainii fii,iio;i;;; iffifii;ijii €ii;; win. gra.drnolhers bLndle rr sJFnse. rhe youns woman hin\s

ro

Fe6e{.

r've picked so much

sw".1-

Like aiwavs-. trer oranomorrrei uch as sh€ has and s,-e'drd"'

Whats nen worb-t

""""

rhat w€s anor1q rine. alothe, orace bur one hat is conneds :dch fl-hs asAboiisnjr hii;fu. iji. Dicrason h;;#;;i]i€ L; j6 .ro wh8l Aborisi%lwomen feet. say €nd do lhrs momeni Th; ia ""Hj"?31,91i".""?"$?!yflsl#iJilxfx,:fl':fljF,i3;i"J yedF or her trfe prc",nq t em ;{[no. ne.oay wnen women face the issues thatlhetrnolheB ard gEnd- 'Vy satishclron is end conrinJe-s to be lt-at Ive mohe6 raced we are riv'ng davro dav. csusnr in cvcrea;n'i;;s wofr is a hFroian ara as a wlrer. ina rnet |ve been abte tooo oeen aL,Jr..i,i ord. nob-ody sa6 ii wit' ger easrer I rs aasy t6 say ial Aoor€ nath,story into rocus on a nril noiJirii,lii;,ifi iiff; w;et;; nan0re rr, lnat women can add lhe batane ihat thd woid needs. gver been done beio€. says the wirv genlte voice or Or Orcriloi Bul rlere may De mo,e ro t. lhere may be somehinq so brighr in eaci fiomher hom€,n Orawa. onbno. Sie;dds. it is ari"rii qi.rq-";; €ro every woman that is so inponant and speci:that;e have no and I m very pteased lhat I t^appened lo ptay a smatt pan iro mar .ar is so q.eai- rhar nas nappeneo. rhers E a wayro qo vei. uierc is a r5ie shs has a i,itiri;,;i;i; i11s*1?:19,!:::,1!:j'.q"ts,se eo s anve aghr nor ald she c€n.give il lo ein on rlghl now wirh rhe FNGA irh€ Feiebr covemme;rs orco-ose; us. p1i'".ii'';:i'"8 +'J :,.:.'!3 so rne worra is patient, readv to see flf,i"|XliT""fJ:llii:ffi3i f,Ef " rn

3:?Js'8"?,"J3,"*llf *fli:1,111#:::"j3:+H#ll!1]a"d;;:li; lii'jt$?i"is"?J['r** mucn br odv@r€? you r€ orevcnr_ .ddh;m Msn,roba oln,liijiirie ins

.e ton

hav'ns that job? you r€ toot,ns al my body fiat

ramirv, ci bl;i;;;n';;;: oecaJse ? who wirrsav vou re cuninq rhos; r€e3 on 6y 6;dwav aged ro earn a de€rce ana wenr on o pureue liiumarism. w6*irio ir whar reason? You € takins my dshls atay over money? savsrat majoroariy papeF in;ludr;s rl,e cr;6;-;nd ir;;i. rhis ssue. w€ htked ro many womeir wt-o asked lhes€ q res- a € ty,t t'" tine.

1teft-homo ar i _ _rl nons 8nd many rore wr,o woutdn't take no ror an dnswsr rhis ii lt-e h -mptele the woid. t wb(ed and al rhat rme lh; 6;jil; s.orvor women wr-o did noi wair ro see what wourd happen . p€op,e. rh€re was a s,a, i.-"iriio iiildii,ili woJld sland idrvbv and warch lhet cL Je raoe. rhis ,s.iri; pl.ano an euorigrnar p€s€n@ t;;nor oven a raao'rr,i1;vi trory

'

worenwroare rappenrng.Ano ll.e rrmna

k; -

depression and its erecrs or nei

th; oi Doint isnt abour bedob Dickason.

bs'|ns hetr cu'|'|ure and adopr'|ns non-Abo'isina'| varues

l

i"i'",t

ijiiis

fi;i;; l8ro*.i;;ib ;; io6;;,;;ii;t ,rn-tv;i;,j;; iji

"""'Jr's,if"!3rt?%'fg?i""JpJ::#3ig

24

sPlRtT Magazine

T,i!:.Tin:%$fl3:i.,"

eK #ry5' qF**K fffr'5, EF:&K aF th6m, and slill have lhat same spi.ilual re, connecrion to rhe land.' reoontbn Dr Dickason effe.red.hand.a bv us s inq what she knew and Jsino-wl-alever

Canadian history begins wilh lhe nvd ofthe Eubpean colonizers. This search ludher Dromoteo the of lnoigeloLs aeopes as his coi.lry

o.iginalinhabi!

privileges she gained. lnslead of work-

ecled fie convenlionai acaoemrc vE\i at lhe tme which held Canadas orignalpeope lo be p.erle€re and rhe€lore, pre-hlstoicar D'.

she amved ar an undersranoino oi who h6s lhe oower wrhout ever h-avrfo lo acknowl&g€ or su@urb lo rl. She,-,ike ma.v olher Aborioinat womsn. addrcss llis issue and .e&anze that lansuaqe, custon and culrure are loots of enpow-

founding civilzalion and

mti

Dr

Dickason

Dcl€so.

re

has such prolound'eelinos

lo-

Ihave in findng

wards'eMiti.o rhe hislory boohs

developed a de€p salislaction oul aboul mv own anceslrv and lm de rem ned lo do honour ro my

ing bwa.os pe-so1gl

6ova.ceme.r

erment.

anc€sloE And the gzntlnothet, sidinq 04 hel parcn on th; take, aaet pickin; sweetsaiisfoiis.

Dr Dickason. hke manvother with het onnddatmhtcr naohe -bcino

and r .as been very

ot her eE searchgd for ird ad\ocaled able ta th;nk about-the sane hts.ecoSnilion of ihe co.rribulols Aborg- roa, the sane issues n ane AboqEnat nar peope mdoe lo Ca.ada, inclLdns lansuaae. Haw wodd rhar saund2-Ho il'e mntdbuiors otAbonqrra wonen would ihaL feel? Wautd n ncan sanc@dainly enorionallv rdenlrfu wih beinq d,nq drire,enr ra !au? Wnat it you coutd a1 Aboigindr woman: we w;e uad;Alard rhe*inioos tan'n rci.own al fhemiddleof the bJsl-, lN,no orce and. oraqe. wdh a seale; m.jestandqs hulr,rq and r€ppi.o,_ say! Dr D,ckd- iou; dnute: ihautd be traoic. h wiuld son. 'l l'ad 'rse daigl-ted raise.l then be beauuut aad thee woLtd-be so nu.n power in that realization. and when lhey became indepeftenl, thougLrl ho{ abour .onlinung on Vany womer ider ry wilh rhis and m) educaliol? I was e.rh rLcl\y. edch dai lh.e arc no€ woren w.o apis imporia.l. Tring has lo be.igl-r.llrho pty lhis cutrurata.d aender .ompe.eirtirir! is ofi. forsone roason oranother, siol lo lhei woh. Miss tndEn Nalions s nol brealnq righl, irwllbe very and Arizora Stale UnrveEry sluderr fcdr Pow urli\ely was rhar, thar ininqs Gya Warson, w.o cJderrty iesioos ir

"t €is€ol;

I wlh t,ring

il

dr-

would fallihai

way.'

Fhl Naliors

r6cenuv oremEred

s on Vi-

Ths documenlarv. Ohvp Dickason

sionTv.ltis the slorv'oihow one

remadr

-pmpe, Aizond savs, 'p6 a woran, I slrve to male inis illt lhs urd€r,y,nq facr known and encorFde orherwomen to emo€ce all thdt rs dood aooul our

way hrsory and that i. my cJ_ur€ we b€risve man was woran. We (rh€ >ne nas OrOKen grouno, and. first peopte) Gme ior ier and;he Ooened dOOrS Of oooortunities Ives elerralv - bei.g €bor1 rllo fdr young women titd inysett." iJL*"j,'"9",1"Jb3.ff.?":l'"ffi; abl€ womdn helped ro change lhe

we fhinl about our past.

Racism cass hierar.hies and brniels were alive and wellin Dr Dickasois eady days, as rhey are loday, r€gulated lhDugh welfare, child €re and health care issues. To undeFland ihis delibeF aie subordination at the hands ol the ruling order, thinl aboLrl a land, cullu€,

idenlitv and all the fa.r6K lht h:va been oxposed lo @lonization. Think

aboufwhaf has been occupigd, violated, sloen reDlaced and removed. ls there any queslion why low sgllesleem, subshnce abuse and suiclde ae elevant issues in lho Aboriginal communily? ln the aeeplancs and acknowledqmenl of these issues, history becones re@gnized and lhere is somethinO to leam fdm Women have taken the slruggle, turn€d il aound and are using

Hisloically, Abongina women were leaders of nations, After coniact coonisls used lhose slengths against them. This is th€ way it was and as colonialism iore away ai leadelship, relations wlhin the communitu alro.h.nded

cya watson sdes rhe erieEence

ot chango once asain, only this time women are ralino a l6ad. 'The Aoache way and cullure is_hislori@lly matnlheal, how€ler in the hislorv ol our lribal qovernmentawoman has nsver h€ d executive oflrce. ]-rmes arechanging however!

Proudly, last November for rh€ first time an educated woman was elected inlo our rribal govemmenfs execulive positionlShe has broken OroLrnd andopened dooB of opporiun ties ioryoung women

il

'

Dr Oive Diclason venrured our inlo a foreign €nvironment. She didnt tusl adapt fo ii, she aclually used il to srdndlh.n h.r f."nd:hnn sha was ;bb lo lortitu^wn Abodoinal culLure Dr DEhason E lrke tEnv oiher women who have met woslern sociely, used ils lools

lo their

advanlage, and rElained lheir

own cullu€ and slrendth Rosalee Tizya, a 6ene woman lrcm

Fori lMcPherson, NWI, lEvels acrcss Canada talking io many women alonq lhe way. She recognizes Ihe slrenqlhs Aborginalwomen have by rheir abllily to tunclion in both worlds. 'Thev €n oo io a @mmunitv to work with lhe DeoDdand also hunl wlth them or pick b€rries wilil

ln the earth am

I

ln lhs documentaryflm Lsgacy, iour

geneEtions of Afrl€n Amed€n women are lrappad in whal the filmmaker Tod

Lending calls "urban poverty' in chicaqo. Depefdent on welfare, livins in public housins, lhe Colliis hmily @mes

race lo iaco with lhe sreatesl challenge: the loss of one oftheir childrsn.

"Ap eeol my heart was qone. Gone.

How can I fill the space in my heart? asi?€ q€ndmolher Dorclhy Collins, aierhersrandson Terell is brutally mlF

dered, Ralhor lhan fall inlo a downward spralofgnel lhe famiy linds community supporl and an inner slrengih lhal helps them brerk freF fr6n w.lfrre suhil:n.a

SPIRIT

Magazine ?5

WeK Web'1e)E5" XFft{o ryr vl9l9llL": whal pe"ople never sel lo_see s how o.rr :PY::-i"d cnanges a lamry over lime. says Nickmle Pe.€, Oorolhvs gra.ddaJgrEr She adds.'Teretl t€fl Ls wirh so-olh,rg

qodo,

i' ed by Arerican t.didn ]\,tove becads€ she knew solij6 of lhem w.ae ndv.,nmerr spi€s, whte others sa.d Aauash was trted becau's; ahe sone sp..uared she was

menl

renbe.s

something oowertul He s shosn rs now p€c oJs ite is. Fe-s reh l'eBe'was ar rtorman. rioerer irtrorities r'.u.,.o.,r.ar, us wr a sprnr ro.ol jJst acceor wt-al we hav€ bJl t. skLqqte den ed ar v r votvehenl. Ame @n noians have saro tor !;a6 ror more H6 nas morvabd us ro betieve in ouFetves and make federat invosligators and pDsecutoB knew who kidnaiped and

fi;

ofour.ives. ^irtedAorash womer in t.e collns familv wenl rt'roLgn pos lve change Aq!;sh venrLreo rrlo rhe same coto.,dtsortd D. olve DrL€ .rr reqacl ,The and lrke rany Abodgi.alwomon ano olhe. womenbf so. did bL' her nerl-ods wereorflerenl. Rather lhan woa nard'v corou'wno racegno hey reach a grealer Jnderslandi.g cl the rrLo a wl ire. male-domiaareo socielv ano mod,l views tron wirhi.l Emry oono. rney car aEo acknowtedge "

somelhlng

the commJniry

lhal emoroed

sLpport

sn€ ct-ose lo co.front

rt

lhey have seen the coloniai worid, ventured into its core and retained whar is rea y vatuable to them. And it is in knowing i:flyl:1iffi,|fl',".:i:"" E:€sidhwrl made in conle-c1ion wih he ongoins in- Whdt they foughl lor that lhe courage arises. vosrroarion or our motheis murde. Over l. €ss€nce, D'. Di.kasol a.d Aquash ,hare lhe sane oas27 years ol silence lrom lhose hvolv6d. atono wilh timred .eso rft. €s lo seek jLslrce, have led lhe hnlv ro osfieve lhart.€v drd nol s04. ThFy have seen fiecolona, wold, ve.lJ€d inro rr5 co.eand have owrership over our morl-er's aliars and her dqhr diJstc€ " relained whal is really valJrble ro 'her Ard r is in kmwi! what lhey foLghl fo lhat tho ^oJ'aqe anses. says Denisedro Deboi€. oaual-reB ot Annie MaeA;udsh: when I look al Annie [4aes sEndchild€n, when I visit them Aquash, a Native aclivisa was iound muderci morc ihan a quaner-cenlury aqo on lhe Pine Ridoe Resetuation. abodl ardwalchrtem aJgh a.o ralh and oe luia4 be nos lrhi.lotAn90 miles f@ Rapid Citv, Sourh Oa^ob.TaLash a me;b€r oi lie ]\,lae and wl'al we hdve arl loir wlh rcr passiio, I .ea tv rh n^ Canadas Mlkmaq Trbe, was arono rhe Nativ€ mrhlants who aboul ll-e commiirenland lhe sacnri@ -arshenail€ The reas I occupied ih€ vrllaqe ol Wourded Knea in a /lnav stendoff wirh @ndornrelur, s l'e p ro lell the storv of 1 l'le, as a celeb'alron ' fed€ralaulhodri€s rn 1973. olo.e sppcialpeson, who has n5Di.ed somanv savs Cathenne r,mmdler r,mmdter 'w€, a'6;s uth our molheis sisters rhe

ydrl'r, Mdrlr, a,vlr.naq a Vlr.naq

\j;liona Abor.qa a.o char ot ol rhe \i;liona Abor.qra

reevson Nelwo4.

Va'l n recenr'y di'ecred r.6

Peopres

",

n

t

ne Spd,t ot Annie Mae,

wnee

worked closely wth Aqrains dauqhie.s ar s,s.er> "tMv erperi€4Le in !et1:n9 lo klow I er daLq1les, arardct-trd.en an6 srsrers ra!6 grven ne a grcat amouni o. coJ€ge hrs hetpFo me to lor us, io bs qralefrl br everv aomell we t-ave savs Manin

ste

1|rc!9h neraward-M n,nq tit-s, t\46rtu tas asssied wLh lF r A ant. Canada wlh Itms ite S!/,. rdDd 3 c.noe tou.ney Maail flned ted bv vihionorv cliet Misel Joe and l'is crew Marlin has inspired ald e.coJ6q€o a genera. revival ol lMiikmaq cu rLre

lion ol lllmmaleB to lell lhe slonas of the r oeoDle ' bar'i€rs l-ave bee. pJr . place berore rs,buttoyover --, Ma.v years o'oom,nan.e by arcrher nation, arothe, va,Le sisrem 500 Ihar did nor belong @us and tnocted usouroibatance So brng inq bacl balan.e io oLr Loaruiities has beer a cha tenge aq w€"|

dsr€cla'milglhe eadershrprolesardlfep.op€r p'd@sahalwomer lad bgfore EJrocenrric ano coror,arrst ilnie.aes and imposed

valLe systoms," says lvlartin- Marth is lhe liBtwoman lo chat lhe APTN says ihe nenrork has a long way ro ao, but betieves rhar Is an ilcredible gii for theAbonghal con.urrty. Obslactes hal have been pul in pla.e ovor yeas oloppressio. have creared a s iLaiior of desodir and l-opelessless, apariv i. our \ommLnrry Ou, youns people offel ct'dose lo tale rhe i,te ,nsread or Dein; rea.hed b/ hop6 These obstaclFs hsve been t." mostdrficLl over@me and nse above aftervea6 ol opor€seon.'

6

[4arli., a member ol

rr

Mrlto'ool Vi<mao Firsl Nalon in

TrLro. Nova Sco'ia has maoe l.er home rar Peaavs Cove rn Nova Scofia. Fo'l'er, I has always been d cntohbdo ore;n to Lve nea Ll-e ocean. So eacl oav she wates Lo lo the sound ot ihe $av€s and lhe bi.ds ano sn€ €r t maqne anv o l-er wdy lo greet rhe day

SPIRIT N4agazine

1,)

Vt)

)

Tonya Lee Williams continued,atuays rhere, I believe lhs shapes olr experience.

I beieve in dharma, at 14, I realized I came into ihe world wth a sircns spirituai bolier, I dof'l rcmember nol knowing lhat there wasn t reincamaton. lvy mom says lhat I would lalk about having a concept of an energy outside oi myseLl a sense oi a presence arcund rne, knowing lhal I was beng prolecl€d at age nv€. I would questiof, ssking Why are we here? What was oLr human purpose? ll was a spiilualjourney that lcan t €member nol beins on.

It started io shape my Liie my lriends wanted money,

mariage, kids, I wanted l€edom and irue purpose in my llie and I lislened ior signs. Youte lislening io yoor lnner voice, shaping it in iiny little baby steps.

I ask, ls this taking me closer to my plrpose? Am I sivins lo everlthinsaound me? As you gel funll6d,

ever,4hins around you does also, il mak€s il easier lo do things. lr,4y mother always sad, one-day you.e golng to wakeup. lhad the peEonallty and the type oI chldhood ihai changed everysiluaUon into a magi€ situation. There must be somejoy in our lives.

At

you fallowing lhe dteans al yoDt childhaad? Arc yau daing what youset out b da?

I was very artislic. I view the world in a very anisfic 3.

way. I think my molher saw the arUstic nalure oi my sptit. I don'r rhink she forced it down my lhroat. l ihink il was her way of empowering me. The facl that Im on The Young and the Resttess is another message. llsa racial message. l've manifested myself inlo a job where peopie see ine everyday in lh€ir homes.

There are peope with Limiled ideas oI what being someone black is, iilcouldnt see il that way itwould bore me to be there. I feel lhat pan of mv entire pur pose has been 10 show the world thai lhere are ooe peope, and ihal anyharmyou doto anyone, is about harmlng you6elf. The Reel Wond Film Festival could have been segregaled bul one day there w llbe Nalive, B ack, As an peoplewho are aLlsharing the same expeience. ReelWodd is anolher .,raniiesiation ofmy view ol lhe planet aid hopetully lhey llembrace it. So Im defnitely do ng what I set out to do. lwait tor moments and signs, wth a certain sense lhal 20 years fom now lhe ReelWond Film Festvalcould be ihis.

I

ook for ihe slppori of the people in Toonlo, io

come lo ReelWodd. lt orly lives because olihe spidt oi the p€ople thal6me. lts purpose is to help shape @mmunity, We carcfully creale lhls festval to send posiuve and inspidng niessages out inlo the world. gel such an orgasmic rush wher see lhal. SLpport,

4.

wh.t is

th6 biggest rhing yau had ra

av*one2

Who

nade

lhave nev€r thought of myself as a victim.lbelieve l'm the one prcjeciing who I am. Unll I can embGce lhal tacl then il willsian manifesting wilh olher people, lam projeclins lhatenergy. Honon your word on ev-

5ef \

5. who arc yaut nain ihtluen@s ih butuess, lire atut 6ptr

[4y molher N4y mother is slch a b*utiful spir]t.

She is a born-again Chrisuan, very dogmatic. I love the fact that my moiher a ways embraced the person I arn - herjove has been very un@rd iional. Not many people have parefts who allow their chid io be who

.l

b-

SP

Rtl l',i,,rc.]zll]-. 27

{Y'%Fffi%Ftff;-Wrcr€ l.o{

my

qrrroro.te-s ald greal-o-andnolheA

were very llor o who woLtir revel bow down to aryone. know that trom the slo es I am totd. We a;e; o odJd of hose strorg toL91 woner .rd .t-r. s whar r.kes Ls cucij srrong women todav, savs Marl r

woTer V6rv 4leliSer hedleb redicrle womer

,

Ole ol rle cenlrdlliaures lMadi.5oo,Jm"..dryorArneVae

AqLasr s o sof,a. tumed V.n e two S1oes. wo Shbes$ds bom on lhe Fon Peck Assiniboine Reseruation in norrheast Mortana. A Native angL.qe .pea"er iom binl-. wo Stue\ aonq *,r" .er O.orr.s.no sEle s we e erov"d hon llei,amry ov rt-e Bu.eal o, roran Afa.s rFbc.tror prolran wiere Vrrr.e spe.r 1r ved6 r 'cdphvrly.

A, a loull, wo Sres i.voved leBetfwilh lhe Am"ncdl ldiar Vovamer. llrousl- vario rs .rrl alives dnd "niergrrg occrba[ons Ther ilcrrde lie voJll FLsnno,e. soL.h Dakora occuorno; r t9l0. 6 TJai oi Brolei l.eclres n '972. ald tle Lrbp-arior ot Wo:noeO <.ee, SourhDakola r 1973 I Fre expeler @s t-ad r. imnense nfluenleon

'l w.s lhFre wilf be is onl Asoe cecL tv. cooi no ( edlrlQ-slalegy reetiaqs. taco t-aldteo n6da.'oa Latr.q th;m Lp al-d

calilq'GLpss whrL wa re talrlg ove toorv. t ile scy-.

Tso SLroes. ile Cdlprne tvonrr, is; nedia bJ.oe. wrh ndn\ arrevem6rts she is -u renttv butdrro lhe Abornrnat Voces Rad; Nerwo k, d lariofut Aoo.igi.a; b.oddcaistrg ,yste; .ro"qsO: acio,/ A0orqma medra tuminatu catu Fam.r 'Proles-iorary .s fy @mmrment to oLitdir he caorLtu tor

LoaruliGl,oi' il

pprsord,tt

l-e Narv. worto. ita ldv rS raheA my crrldren as Natives wilh idenlitvand cu iure , lhoLgl he' $oF Tro Sh6es €s e\oto.Fd he conceptoi react ol and illera!l01 By r.ino meora root. to addess Drobtems. Aborion,t *onpr vdn, hallpnqe.he meou rrd c€ale torJms ro, ors, iscon.irke 'wo s roes, w"cr"vp. Abor9 nat wo-e. stald ll ey a€ ptesea no lhe va ue or oJr ldrdr .ess doern. ndtier .

5 an oHia in N.-"w-rd,t -1ur CilL, a hosorla r oe. Bay or or tdrd n he \otwe.r ter to r es. we can slil d-rerd whalwe bFreve a.o orolecl wlo we are. rove be 19 a wq an. says [4artin Looh;.rt-e poputarol slcris

l

h.

'

,

' s so e/. r1q to. ou. rJ(LrF. We wit t-ave mary teadFF te w nave -dnv soid 'oLtanoas'or lhem to DLrtd on. We. e od gere.a or have trorled hrrd lo providea otace,or oLrcritd,ei asa,epicewrec 'hey -dn be proLd o rheir he laqp a.o wlere lhev aan tead our oeoDt." ll'i.k tl-e lutr r" is qrear to. 't-er ald it.t-ey wani i rt-ey cdl hrve lhe wor d so Trcr is oLl [-are fo ttem.rdmoaodooLrrhal

Ac'o orrg lo rarslecr neoia Lhe n\:rqAbo,ror.ar oopualror .s a oerrne.rar -pacl or ooverly. rather than a positivF aFrr, o. 'o, Lhe Abor,gra cormLr ty I 15.Abor qnatcorFLnry.l.F brh ota chtd rs one or the greatest celebral ons ofthe communiti

the woman who has courage Eane Aexie is cwch n from the Northwesl Teritores.

Born n tr-!r( (l'e drsed ia Fol tr,4!pherso1. she , urenlty tNes r Kamtoops. Bc w'e'e s r sFcolo-j,e.r trvror-e1la, Scie"Le, sh dF.' Sne i, con-rned to proleciiT Alas(d sArcr. Nar,oldtW totife Refrge troh O I and Gds Deve ooner . Witl ne dnd n v oher eEl r q b i.g"s. I wojd renenb-rpassrrS hc sO nq season atou lu.rild.dmo fi;nnovno to orr summer lisl rq drea, rl-e1 retL-.i.o oac\ ro-on hlnrno lEb. i; willp'area fee l.ar I ldve sel ou|o do wrl neeolodo sa"vsAlerF: She ados. Wilhoul l-edhl-y wo."i. tEe a e no ?athv fd.,t'bs :;d ii i <a d tl-al oLroles as woler ers rre rt-e we berlq oi oJr peoptF we

ae

lhe or es rlat hetp lo pasr on ladrlrona tnowhd;e. . loro lrm" o J peoplF be lher. sas n; tutu.c

Fo'

iy rs

lt-at

\toLld .har oe a.o :odpl. Wdl 'eveo cJicide rartact-e cld Da.r , t1ev belreved tta s e se'e ooing ro drsaopea. BJI no oiF reaty i ea,Lr"; he womer r r.elqrh at r one rerttv..ew how orcLnd;o our slrendh sas il oLr capacit' ro'dce rt-e voerce ald aoft6 ry Our lltmale achevemert s ihatwe do hav€ afurLre ke Ale4e, Anqera lt-e.ew lother trom rF beornnrno otorr \loft td! hdo d 1e'enlaoproa.nFs roaraw upor arqea drc:n-s, Ora,e, ar6 rairiT d cl rld il 'ne wold A.qeta t-ai l.Fce-orave won;n .hdr hdve rore rodered c wa\, ro sufrNe and ro cortrofl. and a wdy .o rs. above il.llwilh her hcr"tu inta.i ''rl soe,arcesekowwlar$et-ave We w I dr*a /s oe sr.nd nd lhe.e. sa\s Rosal"e Tzv.. wlen lne r e. fa, r." oni ore trere 16 deerd lhe cl'ldren arp rhe woren. We d e he eader_ Abor o r a woren ald rl-e r @mmJ.rr es ldvp a iJtJ,e lrar .r c,Jdes the capacily lo conrmln cate the intetecluataid culura wealh foun; i; the deplhs ofAbo ai.allradrlon and tanouao.a Tzlo oJl il so o€aurituly wrer +e'ca;s. thi.tfg rboJl t-os a dresr is mdde ofca.iboJ t-,oe. trlel we weir -e o es! ile rh n1of.n.L molher dnbor lhal l.ar $ahed.l o rsands otmrtes b moher ner.,nv ' Whpl we wed. tle oress we thrl aooLr he, Thal s how I lnnk or.; wone. I is i\e heys.h lt- s coJnrr/ Aro I r Molher _d-h thal b.he lordalo.orhowwe'Lrc or ds Aboriqirdt wo- en tl rs lever s.ro dno .r rs leva.re!eaed bJr ir is al Lhe t-ear oiwt-dtsa do wa

Magazine

Our ultimate achievement is that we do have a future.

cu -Af

)2;$t" %,Wy4,trr.%)f zruif, ?>tpz4*f

b

I '{

I

\ .. w. asGd our.ou'

WOIIIEN OF

lHE

FOUR DIRECTIONS

nends ro.htl( ora neodlve aorc nayrave beer -aled in Jt€ pa{ tFevpa-r"dlhewordsonhorood,ei and bgerhe' *e1tFrolghlh€ orcess or.roo,ns cwar hewo,o! wtite supponing eaoh other

rur.

R

-e,pora@.or

)

riom wd!€"*. "n r o' on , anAbodg., orgcnzarion

..*",i *o.J*tl?

- oonro Onu.o. ", o,o r"n o'*** eueens Coun. en be heard n'*'Ilf,!?Y; 'oo".r

u.r,

*-**,,""*, , "*" * *11'"*i $h6badendrdon e

*"r"'

, ,.*

soe.

- -.. "bs< "-"*'rhect@ prod"orcrons ".3*"",ii Ccncdd. .

HUlL,3

THEy ADUEI{IUHE

The Spidenruoman

by Kath

celebrates over z5 years cereorales

Walker

(

threading stories, offending the comforted,

and entertaining the

world. These kin d and beautiful women sha re

with us the inherent

power of telling your story.

Talk about a tough crowd. Pierced faces heavy with eyellner and fuzzy vrith new faclal hair glare at the makeshifl stagei I dare you to try and entertain me is the unspoken credo of tho crowd. A lone mlcrcphon€ slands belween the three

grandmother-aged members of Spiderwoman Theater, and public annlhilation by teenagers. "We're going to gel killed here," rhinks Muriel Miguel, surounded by the pubescent peril in the high school gymnasium. "Nobody's going to listsn to us." But in the end, the women tell theh stories, because it's what they do - theyte storytell6rs. And the crowd loves them.

This tough crowd story is just one of a varied colleclion of such sio es gathered over th€ years by SpideF woman Theater in their 27 years of pedormang togother to become the

longest-runninq women's theahe group in North America.

Three sisterc of RappahannocU Kuna heritage, Gloria Miglel, Lisa ldayo, and Muriel Miguel, crealed the avant{arde group, drawing on years of experience in thealer, dance and

ln 1980, N/arvel Comics tried to

stop Spiderwoman from using the name, claiming that it was a trademark infringement. Wilh lhe help of infamous attorney William Kuntsler, the troupe won, not on the basig of the name being a 5000+year-old icon of Native spiritualit, but on the technicality that the troupe first published the name several monlhs before Marvel flrst used it.

song in and around New York City, Gloda studied drama

at

Obertin

College, Ohio, and appeared in numerous theatre productions, including the original Naiive Eadh production of Tomson Highway's lhe Rez S/'sters

a Northern Lights Production in Edmonton, for which she was nominaled for a Sie ing and in Jess,ba,

Award

for

oulstanding supporting

actress. l\,4ayo, the oldest sister, is a

classically lrained mezzo-soprano, who also studied dlama with Uta Hagen and Robert Lewis. I\,4uriel, the

youngest, studied dance since the age of nine, and is an accomplished choreographer, dhecior and actress. who rcceived critical acclaim for her one-woman show, Hol? Soff.

Their peformances with SpideF

woman have been tough because they tell the siories that nobody etse lellst in a way that nobody had seen or heard of. lt is theirstories, totd their

Back in 1976, when they did their

first show, ltomen in Violence, men

would frequenlly leave en masse yelling lez,es" on their way up the aisle. Domestic abuse, sexual harassmenl in the workplace, the oppressive 'women's place,' and olher incarnations ofviolence against women were stilltaboo subjects. But those were the very issues thal SpideMoman acted, danced and sang aboui on stage in lheir premier pedormance,

'We were able to verbalize what people ihoughi about as they sat on the toilet," says luayo, from her home in Manhattan. "We werc very contro, versial, people loved us and hated us, Aclually, guys haied us."

Muriel. the adistic director of

Spiderwoman and youngest of the three sisters. echoes that sentiment .Peopb goi angry because we were not what they expected us to be. We were a really radical group, "Content aside, some playgoerc still had a prcblem with the way

in which Spiderwoman

ffi&Mrt€..+Ma*.rg..J.M 30

sPtRtT Maoazine

IF SPIDERT''tlMA1.I IHEAIEB performed her plays, which was a hybrid of conlemporary and classical theatre and traditional Nalive story telling. l\,4uriel calls it s1ory-w6aving. "l knew stoMelling from my toenaiJs up," she says from San Diego State University, where she's the Feminist in Residence. 'ln my family, stories were

lold at the kitchen table, the ones who make you know who you are and show you where you come fom: how Uncle Joe metAunl l,'lary or how someone was bom on this very kitchen table."

She knew lhal inside these everyday stories were other slo es - tales about her iribe or nalion; her communityt and even crcatiof. But how do you lransform such stories for lho stage? ''Ithought- how do lmake a story threedimensional?" shesays.ln the end,IVu el decided: 'lt doesn't mean there s only one

story being told. Lile isn't like lhat, it's many stories happening at once. "So story weaving became many stories in one. The weaving begins with asingle topic, like

thai taughtthe people lo weave.

SpideMoman iold

lhe people,

"you must make a mistake in evâ&#x201A;Źry iapestry so thai myspiil may come and go aiwill." By

"l thought - how do I make a story three-dimensional?"

glng their culture for themselves,' and 'being greedy'' by disgruntled audience members. Their lalesi show Pers/sferce of Menory, which ptemieted at the Ujima Theatre in Buffalo, NewYork lastyear is a trjbute to all the people who helped make SpideMoman Theater what it is.

Each sister has her own perspective on lhis latest story by SpideMoman- 'We

highlighiing ihe r flaws on slage. through such comedic techniques, like clowning,

wouldn't be around if it wasnt for our great, great gmndparents keeping the cultule alive through thek perclstence," says lMudel. 'll was our pjece to honour

ihe sisters try to follow what Spiderwoman

them"

Although they continue io tellwomen's slories the sisters now focus their attention on the particular issues of Native peop]e. Their 1991 piece entitled Mrnelou's Snake-Oil Show fron Wigwan City dea)I wth plastic shamanlsm and the penchant of new-agers to commercially exploit Native spifitualily. They received hate mail lot Winnelou, and werc accused of 'hog-

is ihai l'm te{ling you my siory, and l'm

''lvy story in Persistence of Menory not gojng io change that, says Gloda. "l never wanted io be dogmatic. This is rny story this is what happened, !f it makes you change, good, il's just tell ng my sto, ry." And Mayo weaves in the Unal thread. "li goes into our Aboriginal beginnings.

Now, we're giving ii back io lhe younger

violence, than through improvisation or jusi plain ialking it out, different threads of stories are pulled oul of the subject. These

ihreads are then woven together to make an elaborate, complex nafialivewilh many laye.s,llke Wanen in Violence.

The students from The Centre for lndigenols Theaire (ClT), a nationalthealrc

training school, used story weaving in lheir prcduclion of A/moslAI My Relations performed in Toronlo this past February. l/urieldnectod the piece, and ai the same time caughtthe siudenis' admiration in her langled web of storyweaving.

"She lMufiel] pulls a lot of stuff out of you,' says Bernard Stanight, a lead acior n Alnost All My Relatians, and a secondyear theatre student at ClT. "lls basically a pile of shil, and she's ihe magician who turns inlo someihing else." l,lurphy Pal ck, in his lhird and final year al ClT,

il

was also impressed. "The process of storyweaving made us look deep into ourselves. lt helped me get more connected wilh lhe story," he says.

SpideMoman is an apl name for lhe group, which contrary to a falled lawsuit, is not a rip-offofthe l\,4arve Com cs super heroine, but lhe name of a Hopi goddess

SPlSlT Magazine

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HEROINES On Vancouveis downiown eastside women are living and dying on the streets - a majo ty of lhem Native. ln the last six years, 39 ofthem have gone missing. Following a public outcry ea ier this year and a number of demonsiEiions cily police and lhe RCMP renewed their inierest in the cases.

Subsequeniy affests were madePhotographer Lincoln Clarkes created an epic visuat documeniary of lhe women living and working on the streeis of Vancouverfrom 1936 to 2001. Comprlsing over400 portraits, the Herolres photographs have generaled controversy and nalionaland intemational attention since ihelr first exh bilion in 1998. Now more than ever, these images are a testamenl io ihe women who once llved on ihe streels of Vancouver's easlside and io the ones who continue to do so today.

Hercines is available in nasl baokslores but can be anlered thrcugh

3?

SP,RIT Magazine

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SPIRIT Magazine

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36

sPtRtT Maqazine

NAKED CAME THE INDIAN:

ABORfG]NAI, ER.CTICA ]N THE 21ST CENTI]RY

by Drew

f.vnaf Tay.r

"Incligenou" lt'lr1ii-;:, i'r iroittir:ai" Nj0r-r: ihcn th;11, it's si-iilir-r, 'i latiirg, irLs;.-.t I'i-n';, I i j i t; I , ;tttd -rtttt',t:iiiLtcs crplicit. it's l','i'j ttcn br. lr,,ir:jrnr,,u., i',riir:rs, frllinlr,:iJ i:i,r.' lnrligenous pllil-iters, hlrhi:,,t 1--,' iit..liri itr )ii:; llimniai'tr:r's, photograpirccl it,;, Indigenrius rrr'tl j;(,i-i.,;iii{trs, sLrng h_r iticligt:rtou.s,,sinSe1s,., ;-r r," :,:

here are many Nanabdsh legends: ta es ofs llness, ofadventlre, somelimes stories wilh moral and philosophical implications, Legends are oilen th€ souloia clllure Bul there are also stores of a more scaiological or bawdy nalure, Tales that had lhat randy Ticksler lrom Ojibwe mrtholosy runnrns wild and chasins women... sornetim€s even men, and through his own insatiabie serual appelites, crealing

some uniqle eblic mischiel Often llnes there s no belter way of nvestigating a nalion then through ils amorous advenlures.

The Natve communilies ot lhls counlry and ils pe.cepllon and praclice of sex, have gone through an amazng and sometmes traqic melamorphosis in the 500 vears sirce immigraiion opened up. Keepirg in mind thai there were approximaley 53 distinct languages and dialects al poinl otcontact each belonged to a unique cullure. Through oo fallt ot our owi, every one ol lhose dve6e people's perceptiof and pmclce of sexlaily has b€sn atlecl€d in some way by colonization, ltis only been very recenly that Nalive people, lrequenl y artsls and w lers, have been re-examinino Abodainal s,axualiiv in ils past, presenl and flture forms

Wilh

a

healthy and practical view of

sexualty, many cullures due lo weather and available r€sources, ollen had many lamiry membec, aven generations of famiLies living under communa rcois. Privacywas a loreisn concept and sexualliy was no secrei. t was

an everyday occunence and as

a

resllt,

chidhood awarcress to sexualily began practically lrom blrlh lt was not something to be lea€d or hidden: lt was viewed as a nalu6 parl of exislence. As slaled ea ier, many tradilional legends ol the Trlckster, or olher more generic legends, olten had sex as ils focls be€lse like an!,thina ese in the natura world, il was enterla n nq, iunny, and

Besides being entedaining and

a

parl

practical sex educaton of the youiger generaton began, oilen w th iamiy members Iak ing charge ollhe inslruclion. li was common practice ln lhe roquois cullure (and many oihers) for the nearest relatve, uslaly an aunl oruncle, io iake a young asde at lhe p.oper time lo chal wilh them

about the prcverbial bnds and bees, and more imporlantLy, the responsibiiilies invo ved in the acl ot sex. lt was not somelhing lo be

embarassed about, bol t was somelhing to

of ev€ryday life, lhere we€ eemenls lo Abodqnal sexuality thal ran much deeper lhan lhe general acceptance of t withln the commun ty. Wih hadil ona values and t,aachings aboLtthe inherenl conrecton lo lhe land ard to crealion thai were present n cu ture clslom and larguage, t was nalura for Aborglna setlaity ro be healrhy, connecled, lv,lany Native people have a1 one lime

or

Sex and i1s eftects on ihe cLlture were oiten ar the lorefront of a lot of aad tonal arr.

Many ofthe various works of arl atToronlos Royal Ontaro l',,luseirm, Ollawa s Museunr ot Civilization ard olher such colecllons reflect thaifreedom. They conveya wide seleclion ot erotic and earthy oxpressions, Phallic latles, pass onate lnuir and variols other €toings

€n

all attest to a kaditonal conneclion w th

another bought, bo.iowed or simply read the

book, lales From The Snokehouse. labv lolsiv illustraled by Daphne Odiq. Published

in lhe ate 1960s. t featlred a coleclon oi erol c legends fbm varous Nalions and inrroduced them to the general publc. The

response was predictable: Wow, ndians have sex?' I provided yet anolher pona for the generalpubliclo view Nallve peope, and legends. No longer were lhey seen as just amlsing chlldrens slores but as sto.ies of On a more practical fmnt, the direcl and

And as the sayng goes,

al

good things

nusr como ro an end. lnto the Native wodd of open aid heathy sexualty, slddenly appeared Euopean paternalism and the Church. Priests, mlssonares and other as soned ioreigners from iar off ands, wth d ilerenl beliels and coolradictory ideas, swepl

afoss the land. They woud show up

ln

Aboriginal communilies leaching lhe gospels of

God.dclating, ihoushaltnotacknowledge

lhy body. lt appeared like lhey didnt wanl Native people to have any sort of sexualty

SPIRIT

Nlaqazrne 37

K-"

@"C-

ft-r-

.osv.lrrcUn.l]cJndi

soMerer H€r rre er'perenc€s are roo rucv tor lhe ,ear a head .nd lan be deecnbed n sriorr':s,b..n she s ar mysr.at and

iime ess

sesrein h n.^ F-rownq on hpr nalura charm and abtirv lo latk b h€E n

..s

hp\

.me wa,

n

wrrioxrrc."-"r""

nared she eisls beyoid tha edoe.

oo|nq br rrcub e or a wav ouroJft.trhj F 6.r wods r@m thewiso.

her€ s some

why do r malority ofNaive ne. ingrsr on seekind younsGr, wh e wom€n? Aren,t proud Nat!e woh"; Well-arn1 rhal a loaded qun honee.. what r

say ,n

etder btd me on(e lhat

€n

ihrre dnm,n

{wnIe suqa. and whire tour) were disasteroLs ro Nalve men. Besides I woutd never ter a m:n c poor sense orludgneni come between me and my prloe, why should voL, Ajter a De..tp ,re peopre .nd are kee ro choose ihetr D:ad.i6rs F g:rotess ol skh colour Juicv toves altcolouB or peope, and h.s oved a[ cotouB otmen My qirrrriend ended up gefling a qood iob with

thal lhey sholldn t ratl\ aboutse,, tel a one eniov il Se^ became evt. Ser ard s manv reoresen_ lalions, was senr Lnderqround And perhaps reatizing the message the mis eone es were preachinq was havinq trmted re sulls n an absolulev rmmense counlto thev did Ihe best lhrnq they coutd he mounr:in r

.

""nto come lo Mohamhed, then 'rsend Mohammed the molnt;rn Lke pneumoiria fotowrno a bsd cold, nexi came the residentrat schoo ;vsbm wlh ils own stewed behef in the ma.tn";l s",

irains and banished io And tike a sickness, t was also @mmunicabte. The abuse became cycl cal, passed down over qeneranons, resutrinq n a damaged consciolsness, Ecaized ser and

Porhaps nowhere was this distortion

ofsexla

understandng betler itustrated rhen throLoh the homophobia that grips mary ot our comminlt.,"s roday. Ar one tne, Two Sryied peopte were

oflen given paces ot pnvlteqe, rke Medrcrne people. Their contributions lo the communily were honoured, nofuevited.

Wilh that betng said, rewwirds are blowirg. Like a b€arh of rrcsh ait there seems to be a resu.lence of inrerest and pride in redefinrno

whal Aborgnar se"uariiy

,

is

wolld argue il never realy

Mani

went away, onlywenl undergoond or to pla@s where the dor.linant societv

sov€nmed .gency .nd now she worrs whh r hese young, orb.n hip surs who askherour6n a r€qur.rbasis for tunches dunnq lhe dav aidd,j.*; aner wo/k. Sha r, a Gsut.r btuo+ojbr o.u b.

couldntnnd and desloy it, For

ex'-

I

ample, Metis write. [4ar]a Campbe

wncn 6 nerera good idea untess vouie in rh:r oosrness, rryou krow what mean:Doni <wp,r tr rorgel t. shes messino uD al wort. shes prooaDty norwonh messins Wrrh athome. llhat is rhe easiesrway ro,co

saucy lhe very langoage oi Cre,. can be. wharwoutd rorma ybe an Lnlnlereslins senlence in Enolish would come to tire in some i;que manner when lranstaled to Cree.

The same is sad about manv diIerenl Aborigrnat anguaqes As wlth lhe tradilionat darces,

guess lhar depends on how No use cryrng over spitled mrt[ or anv,ihind pkp rnat nEht be sprting over at woA. Obq-oustv your noney rs mr\r.o business wilh .tp:<,ra

has sad oflen how intdnscaty

and very rosey c6onunitvi lhere ain t fo easy wai to co.ne

oLt. sweerano your ommunitv s that nosev thev p.oDabry alreadV hnow Besldes. iudo."m6nt ri a wo way skeet reqa.dtess oi whar -sde of rhe sreer you dave on You obvoust! dont rhink very nEnry or your"nosevi communrlv and tam sure iharri you qive sohe ofthem a c6an.e rh.v mgnl pole you wrora. I €@mmend lhe drc.:t approrch and ir a[ etse fats chanoe vour name

nean

the sonqs, the ceremonies. rhe language, lhe Aborigifa sexual b€llel system retlsed to die oul.

Even now in Aborigtnat teachirgs. one can see how Aboriginat sexuat_ ity is ialual and how sexuatity is connecled to dealton. The teoends

kepl il alrve, and stores are- very

All my sjngte rriends are on the lnternet chaflind sith men from ac6ss North Am€ric.. a t w o-f them a(tu. y m.r kith them tace ro f.c€. rm shv ronery. sha tbe men I h.ve h., 'nd cha ine.7 andI meer "".;a rhe if h€ rs scrry how ca. tm.tie

hard to

s eep for a hundred vears and rl w

Sexual abuse as the word oI God be€me ram pant, and lhe counteractive phitosophy of,,Do as

kalchewan

lred ceanha yoursef up firsr? There rc more o, a rum off rhan a hornv oarher

Hav-a yoL

man RegLlar basls for a man is so oGKl,te,l b ve yourwrre a break ir is nor her dulv to teeo y.L reguEr Grve youEetra he Dr.o h..id budni vuves are no longer requned b iumo rnio lh'e sach for no real Dteasure excebt to hakr hpr

nusband happt i,4aybe if you oaid more anenron ro your wite outside of the bedmom rh. mqrr acrLa/ty want to be wilh vou. B!t. ri vod are iar hard up you €n ln, eatno a tub oli.p (ream Duyrrg a doq who wi ove vou ard lak-a

Mo asprnnr and cal me r rhe moriinq

be tho arlists that wit wake them up.'Who bertor to exptore ihe issu,a and revilalize il? Many adisrs from many ditrerent disciptines have heard the cutturat alarm clock go otr and ae 6agerto, as one Sas,

The tales were merely waiting for another Etdffcated it, "reclaim our generation of people to re-explore and rectaim what coutd be caited loorigin"t ""tX'Y;,",

regurar basis wirhout tnvojvinq rood, .htmats or noln

;i

it

I *Enl l. add a tinh spice to our tove tite. Whar ways c.n rentic€ ny wife tnto the sack dn, Eor.

rs rc

The iales we.e m.r.tv

people to re-explore and €ctairn what cood be catted Aboiginat sexua ity, and c€lebrate And as Louis Riel said over a hundred years .go, '[,ly peopte wili 9o Io

Fist 6f z1l, trrtuat reatitv rs no reola.pnpnr ror rear rivnq honey. The reason vou a.e so toneiv

s Decause you are obvrodStv not sDendin; enough lrme awa'/ from the c6mouler 'A.i",""1 car Lp some or your girtfnends add ao out. trve your [re. stop waitina arolnd 1or a-man io .mar yod bac[. rr yo! are for some reason strt unhappy wirh your ife and insisi on meerin. : comprete skanqer then make sure voL bri# , rrend aronq Didnl your motherwam vou noiro

lll.

waiting lor anoiher seneration

sexuality, and celebrate

it.

f"""" hibit

churches primanty the Cathotic and Anotcan to share csponsrbrlires for 'earcano r-rp .dian people of thE tand ro save mo;ev. huoe buildngs were bLrtl rn statesrc tocahons acro;s ihe country where thousands and thousands of chlldren were huddted together in panes and

,x:i

loured

Regna, Oltawa and Brantiord. tt was cat6d

EXPOSEO, and it featured eroltc visuat ard in_ slallaiion art by FiFl Nalons ar|sls from across Canada. Rosatie Favet, Noryat tMoriisseau, Thir_

za Cuthand and of course Daphne Odiis to name a few, were al .epresenied fo. the filst show ot ils

Have you qol a quastion forJuicv? e-mail her.t juicyspirit@hotmait:com

38

SptRtT Maqazine

e Qa'tr>.f*$a^orlra

f$etdra &$ardza

.t..S

klnd. There have been other memorabb anistic explorations. Poeis ike Kater Akiwenze-Damm, Marilyn Dumont, and Greg Scofe d have been pushing lhe boondaries of€roticwriling tor years

now Theahe, one oi the bsst baromelers oi what s on the mind oltho people, has long been cft€lof the sexualabLse thai hEs plagued our

For a lime, it seemed like practi€ly every Nalive play w lten in the lasi 15 yeaB made reference to rape, prcstituiion, or some form of sexual expoliationi lhe Rez Stslers and Dry

Lips Outa Mave to (apuslaslng by Tornson fareWEL by lan Ross, Maonbdse by Margo Kane, Prlrcess Pocarontas a d lhe Btue Spots by Monique Mojica lo name a few Bui H ghway,

d.*

o- mr---ons o- s.omp-ng moccdsins 6pJt me ociant dfops of dewy sueat tsumble between my legs, to dust, to dust stofrpinq, grinding, crushing, pushing into moist black dirt arnoyln9 ecboes or testinonies, police re!ort6, act6 of contlition and violence, descriptions of ME as a disease, and Al-Ipast, lreseDt and future tbreate. stomped, qroud, cxushed, pushed ou! of sight and defense of self. echoes

Fortified by thundeliag heartbeats against by big back,

during this lransilion phase, lhe different phibso-

phies about whal is appbprial€ and whal isnl Consider the concepr of whats known as "cullural hypocrlsy.' Somewhoro in Saskaloon is a grandmother who trcqlenls many pow wows aid ceremoniss, Sh€s also a very hip and sexy lady who has been told seve€ iimes io leave

Aboriginal @remonies because she ravours skirls that are a respectable knee lenglh, nol lhe even more respeclable and required ankle length. She fnds il ituslrating be@lse many of the Eders shes ialksd to have no problem with a bale ankle, it's oflen lhat midde qene€iion thats been tauqht to cover up and hide. Some would argue iis faloul from lhe ChrisUan sexual One

zZ1z"

sclaight

up

from my worn mocassins, beneaih ny berry lipped sweet breastsi underneath the damp clinqihq dress over my body is as simple as it gets.

I an the gift, gj.fted with a llace of deet unlimited Pleasure, don't make that a 1itr1e P. PLEEZEI Everyole's mother, sister, lover, giilfriend, acquaintaAce, wife, and absolutely no froccasin wearing Madomas or whores in evidenee around here o! ontalhe, e.

Silly, swirling, silky eparse hair amounces the entlance of creation and hub of pleaEure above my heat radiatinq thiqhs covei€d wiih juicy juice, Trenicling tremendousty strong legs tsnat carry alouDd your baby, his baby, her baly, our baby and No babyl,Jalkilg, stomping, deeiring, creatihg, ssooning beyond fry lio1ogy and back to the task at hand. s€winq neu footrear to gtace the bottom of my flowing, beautiful, fresh smetlins dress,

oflhe more diflicult aspects of rcseaoh-

ing lhis issue lstrying to deiermlne what aclually

could be classned as Nalive erou@ in tems of today s modenr llftss. Today, mainstEam industdes and lhe dominantcultu€ havsalleled what once was so easily idenlllied as being wholly our owr. With dominant sexuallty today crealed by the media, religion and the governmeni, Abo linal sexua ity is diffe@nl and it is iravelling back lo the supporlive role it once had lowards sexualv in ils various iorms, ibm Twcspiriled people lo teiish or lealher llAborignal sexual ity conlinues to be lgno€d, they willconlinue to supporl oLi opprcssion. Thoy hav€ even appDpiated many aspects of our cultu€ into lheirs, and lEded back some dubious examples oflheir own sexuality.The.e are also hxo poh flmswith

the names Po€-ho-ass and GeFanaLmo. For obvious reasons, they are noi amLrate or valid reclamauons otoursexualiry. sonewhere in cyborspace is a web sile devoted to Node Nalive Americans. 'We are a beauUiul people, il says.

We agree, though lhal mighl not be lhe best venue for arguing the case.

I declare, as a Native aonan on this day the re-sexing of myself. I honor aad re€pect the gift of my life. By sashaying dom ny path I make

the commitmen! ro dismaDtling, the lost-colusbu6, Po6t-viLing, pos!-PMs, posc-colonial reman! ald pr€-coituB disinformation campaign aboul who r am and camor be. I will pray and walk a sliritual path, and tlansverse the imaginary boundaries betveen rez and uxban campfires. I am respon sible for frt epirit, ny body and ny sexual retations, I 'elcone the rising su and r am absolutely grateful to live durinq this healing tihe- r celebrate my sexual se1f, Lnowing I possess the right to soothe the skin frade stronq by the scars of our past. I am lesponsible to find ecstasy and comfort in tshe arms of a person, who loves to celebrate rich me and fray or fray not have creatton biology differelt or similar to my om, I am xesponsible for my pleasur€- r ui11 comunicate to my partner if they becone frightened bt fry scent, spirit o! power detalled celebration in 6t!uctio!6. I vo{ to acknowledge my pleasure by a cheer, 6hout, dance, sonq, satiated silence or in any flee manner r choose. r vou to honor my ancestors wbo hung on !y a thin moccasin string duf,ing the dark times.

I pledge to put out offerings, p!ay, ask for help, give gifts, act {ith lespect and kinit'less towards all people, which includeE me, of the people, too. My creed from thi6 day foruard will be to honor the live, love and cultivate my spiritual understanding.

in tshe land of the Amaskaliliikani during an early spring day in ihe eyes of the ancestols and ln lewerence of all creation.

Enactsed

Drew Hayden Iat|or is a playwight who is wo*ing an a lilm for the Natbnal Film Baatd af Cana.k on Nalive Erclica. His mosl rc@nl pubenti ed fhe Buz Gen Blues published

by Ialon Baoks. He can often be faund al treditional gahenngs ot variaus sttip c/ubs acrcss fte licaUon is

tra^r$p-ntra^ +M4C[A

to rndiqenoDs

haktng, darcing

+ffi6*% ;'U:.i

;'

:f 74ffi

D.n Burnstick is a Cree irom the Aexande Frtr N:lon nâ&#x201A;Ź" Edir.ror ALbena -a.aJa Doi has

:T##ru::r*;ri':*i1*m;tru*..*"*lirm;r:1,::i:r; Ar'i.a s worlshdF yea6 Fe has hclilated mnlerencos and lra

nLnq

rhDrqhoul Nonh

Don

h gh

|W!H':I::,E;#xI,i**:#:";il::,"#",*'-*.l:ol').]ei,n..aljBihsI.k

I

1

. Native men think_celibacy

?

,

is.

a vegetable

think bolvoamv isn't a bad idea

Nalive nen lhi,rl rhar lo be a body bu der you nave lo go Io la

rl

i

_re_se--xy

t

5. Native men reall\l think the\l have nice 0sS0s z.r.rati'," rnen think having a c,ousin | ,n I do, l have ldon't l^ave ro rh th iff my wife wor\ing working, wite is 6. Native men thlnk _ | on CoUnCil iS 's

I| g-.l6vr nUr 11nk llt ON< 6ni,rufth-vqriornnlr*so g,

I | t I I

"beins connected"

ffffierlf'Wwrwtmaf.pgdhusbands 10, NatiVe men

think wornen squinting at BINGO is sery

\%N$os(mNs\wbs\soQsghN$s 1

3,

N

ati

ve

y;

r1t^g

p gtlygY

| "l|1ltt]" li I 15. Native men think its oK to date a girl

i

|

"Y

i

i9 "s-y,9|f?19.

t or

I whose parents are the same age as he is

16. Native men think honesty is a womarr's

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34O US- S2O.

lEtitutional. t40

P2A_2x2. s.rd ch*!c ormohev or.l.r lo sPlilr ll/l.tatln., eo Box 2, Parrv sound. oN alea; il6w up ro roui wâ&#x201A;Źeke dellv.ry or rirst isiue. sFlRlr Masalln. i5. qsartcrlv publlc.rlon. q:tins_summe'

2oo3

.i

ob

alm of spirituality, there has been some ep and profound cross-cultural sharing r Black and Aboriginal peoples in the vein, A sharing that has strengthened of people and in some cases created a new syncretic culture."

6

Ihey Came Before Columbus, says Dr lvan Van Sertima in his book that goes by ihe same iite. The book is a beaulitully written, prosaic hisiorv of the Airican presence in ancient Ameri@ and €counts rhe Spanish conquest. Columbus began his expedilion on lhe rumourthat conlinentallands, of whal is now South Ame ca, exisled roughly on the same atiludes as Guinea, Africa. [,,lore imporlantly, rumour had it lhal boats had been found that had launched trcm Guinea, €rying merchandise to lhe west. When Columbus and his men landed on the Soulh American coast on Auqust 7, 1498, natives indo€d boughithem ihandkerchiefs oi colton very symmelri@lly woven, worked in colours like lhoss broushl fom Guinea, rive6 Siena Leone-alike in slyle, @lour, also in luncllon.

The handkerchiels aLso resembled almayzaa

or

Guinea headdresses and loincolhs, clearly making a case for being the ea iest documented t a@ ofAlrican and Native trade - Guinea and lhe NewWond.

Perhaps mosl slriking

in eany Bhck-

Aboriginal contacl, however, is ihe ritualistic heritage they share. Sertima wriies ihat bolh Atrica and lhe Ameicas sharcd the sams rain god, and used lhe same symbol c image over

lornb and lemple chamberc. The unqnny similaities that these two groups share can only be explainei by eady cultural tusion.

Quelzalcoall is a solid ligure of South Amencan hislory as lhe son of Mixcoatl, Chienain ot the Tollecs. and dales back lo lhe 10lh cenlury 980-999. He had several incamationsi feathered seDenl king, rainmaker god in CentE Ameri€, and as a guadian oithe well of ife. The image ot Ouetzalcoatl was of a Fine Feaihered Snako' - a great bird who would wresile wilh and evenlually devour a snake who imprison€d life{ivins moistue,

teleasing ihe rains, and fenilzing waleB ne@ssary ior men and crops," writes Ser lima. lnlereslingly, the only winged persislent and su@esstul hunlsr of snakes is ofAfi@n odqin, the secrelary bird, clea.ly illuslratinq lhe myrhic voyage the bid took from Alnca to €mbed ilself in Native Amedcan cullure.

QusEdcoall's anc enl African counierpart is Dasii of Bamba6 from the Mandingotdbe, a beneficenl spidt who prolecled ihe vilage

4?

sPlRlT Maqazine

and a so manifested itself as a serpeni. Das ri was a so addressed with the p€yer. 'Above al, qive us rain, without which hafrest ls

and slaveowneB. and Af cans nio lndianlighiers. Liqhl-sknned Ai cans were Dined againsl dark-skinned, free agalnst enslaved, Black-lndians agalnsl pure or fullbloodAin-

Bolh lhe Mexlcan Queiza@atland Mand

ingo Dasri also sharcd lh€ same itualislic dance, invorving ser-nagellalion or self-mulilation. ln Airica, dancers w.apped lhemselves in thom or lac€Eted $en breasls and amp ts. The Ouelzalcoatl @remonial dan@ was

aso based on sef-chaslisement,

dancers

p ckinq themselves wth lhons. The whipplngs and prlckings were designed io nduce blood-dmpping and symbollzed the ialins or

Anolh€r €xampe oi sha€d culluGl symbo isnr was iound in Egypl. Egyptians

plaed

the imase oi winged discs over ent€nces to inner chambe€ of temples and gales. n preCol!mbian Amenca, lhe winged disc was also placed overlemp es and linlels. 'ln lhe realm oi sp irilua lity, lh6re has been some very deep and profound cross-cullu€l sharing betlveen Black and Aboriginal peoplss in ths spnitua vein, said a writerknown simply as Dub, aulhor of Dancing on Jahn Wayre's fiead. 'A shanng thal has slronglhened bolh sels of people and in some c€ses created a new syncretic cu turs."

The cullural similarilies of pr€-Columblan Amenca and Affica defy msrs "coincidence' io reveai cenain coniact belween Afri@ns and Nalives. Betore they came, Sertlma ae serts lhat Airicans and lndians iraded deilios and ceremony, lo become the li6i muhiEcial

Bul while research of the pre-conlacl era lndi€tes am €ble iies bet\reen the h{o groups, relationswere deLiberalely soured bv European colonizers iollowing lhen arival.

Conlempo€ry Black-Aboriginal €lations are indelibly ma*ed by a history of slavery, European-imposed kcal prejudice and colonization. William Loren Katz describes lhe early €lationship with acuie clarily in his book Black lndians: A Hid.len Herilagel "To prevent Afncans and Nalv€ Ame+ cans rbm uniiing, Europeans played skilfully on the racial diferences and ethnic ivalries

-

lhey kepl the pot of animosily boiling.

Whiles lurned lndlans into sbvehunteB

cans or 'pure' hdians' He goes on to assert lhat hislory books have aways emphasized lhe difierences belween Atrcans and Nalive Amencans. with litlle or no mention of the similariies beiween lhe two 'dark' peoples, Katz proceeds to recounl lhal, @nhary to lexlbook defnition lhe nrsiforeiqn colonv on U.S, solwas not lhe a.ivaloflhe Ma!4lower and English-speaking Anglo'Saxons, but raiherthe San Miguelde Gua dope an unro d slory for reasons lo be explained. h June of 1526, Lucas Vasquez de Ayllun, a weallhv SDanard oirca om Sanlo Dominqo, rounded tho colony in Soulh Carclina. He brought with hm 500 Spaniards and l00African slaves. ensaved the free Natives of the land, and seltled near the Pee Dee River. Neighbouring Natives fed inland and after ony live months, lhe European coony was struck bydiseaso, statuation and nternal mutiny. Afiicans r€belled and fled lo join the Abo ginals to begin new ives n the woods among a people who had also been victims oi enslavement. The Eurcpeans soon lefl, while the Africans remained and buit lh€ir own symbiotic sociely with the Natves. Katz calls this "the frst sotllemenl ol any perma,

-

nene on these sho€s lo include people from oveEeas,lhus qualitying as ou. eadiest lnhertan@," aid perhaps the oadiest record of Black-Abodginal friondship.

The aliance grew so strons thaithe sDirit ofrebellion eventualy p@voked mass revolts.

Eubpeans in [4exi@ le i so threatened bythe aLlied groupsthatlhey enio@d laws to k6ep Afrcans separate lrcm Naiive Americans. lntermariage grew at such a pace rhat Spanish law prohbied ths two €ces lrom living togelherand marrying. Racialmixing was so common, in faci,thatin Mexico il became dii ficull to deierm ne by merelyskin colour, who was f€e and who was a s avs.

Aincans and Natives uniled

lo

ressl

Whiie ensavement. Former slaves and Na, tives formed ollaw communiiies, or 'marcon @lories, n remote, hidden terntory in

defance of the Eurcpeans. ln Floida, maroon @lonies be€me lhe state's lirsl

It is the Seminoe naiion,

however,

lhat best elucidates rhe stength of ihe Blacklndian aliance. Seminoles, or "run aways', were composed oi a va ety oi lndian elhnic oroups - Vch, Hichil, Alabama - and Airicans were a so wdcomed

and accepted. Fo das lropical lerain was famiiar qround for Af cans who ensured the lribeis sue valby cultivating riceneds. ln kind, the seminoles ofiercd

ihe ex-siaves and other olhnic groups ndependent village slalus.

soon enough, C€ek

msrcenaries

and U.S. troops d@ve lhe Black semi noles inlo soulhem Florida, and ihrough a series ot three wars, evenlually forced them to ndian Terilory, or whai is now Oklahoma. Horrined and lhreaiened by

the Ecial aliance between Abo

ginal

and Bla.k Seninoles U.S. offclais lried to sever lhe relationship by promoting slavery among lhem. However, unlike lhe other Civillzed Nalions, chebkees, Choclaws, Chickasaws, and Creeks, the Seminoles rejecled what KaE calls ihe while mans noiion of @pilaist expansion and labour exploitaUon' thal lhe other lrbalnalions were driven to.

Bv the 1860s, a siqnilicanl chapier in Abodginai-Black relations was being written with enslavement, BLll as Tiya Miles wriles in her essay, Unce Tom was an lndian", the popular slory iold in American cassrooms and movies

- Hariet

Beecher Siowe s Urcle lorrb Cabh is a story lhat nollceably omils American lndians. She lisis recenl lims like Amisiad and BeLoved as examples

where the main cha€cteB ae simply "Black' and 'While'. Bul slavery had be@me a major economc ro@ for four of lhe live Civilized Naiions as well. The White man had successfully "civilized Natives lo their way oi life. It a slave €belled, the lndian Slave Code even required olher membeB of nalons quite

to help carch them. Noi only did the Civil War pit Confederate againsi Unionlsl, bul italso made 'mixed-bloods ommitted io

slavsry clash wlth "full-bloods' and their black alies. Within the Seminole naton, BLack Seminoles we€ building homes, churches and schools by lhe end oi the ii6l year But lormer slaves of lhe Chociaw ard Chickasaw naiions suffered, and had to for cilizenship iahls, land,

nq

Sadly, nol long aiter, Semlnoles suc-

cumb€d lo the false allure of a soldier's sa ary relocailon expensessnd promises oi land by the U.S. mililary. Seminole Negro lndian Scouls, who one stoodshoulder io shoulder wlth iheir lnd an boiheB, now worked for lhe very governmenl who enslavod and brutalized them noi long ago,lo improve lheir ol,

'Bufialo Soldiers' we€ now playing out a cu ous i@ny, lighting against thoir kin and shooling ata people who shared the same experlence ot racial viclimiza-

tion. "U.S. Cooured Troops' cared out Washingtor's orde6 that were meani

to esrablish lhe WesNvad Epansion and keep law and order in lhe frontier African hair - short and cury - reminded lhe lndians oi the neck har on b!ffa os, hence the term "Bufialo Soldiel. Bul falo Soldiers @mmanded the respecl oi boih lheir mlilary leaders and lhet foes.

Th€ deserl on rate was the lowesl in lhe fmnlisrarmv in sp ie olsecond-hand supplies, bigotry and desiilute postings. Native foes were aw+slruck by the Bufialo Soldiers' ferocily. Ln one lamous standofi, 90 Buffalo Soders from the hmous Tenth Cavdry held lheir qrcund againsl 800 cheyenne atlackers near Forl Loavenworlh, Kansas, losing ony three men in batte. Butfalo soldiers were hisiory makers, captunng wesiern lagends like Billy the Kid and chiel Gemnimo, and awaded 17 Medals olHonoududng lhe Anolher predicameni facing bolh elhcqroupswas the crealion ol mlxed famllies. lnleracial maniages in save quats lers and iree communilies chall6nged the n

White nollon oi a biracial society - white' and 'coloured' as well as mlddy Black aid Aboriginal self-idenliiicalion. ln her

essay, [4ies desc bes the White sla' veowneris ambvalence toward African and lndian ancestry: accoding to Whites, bolh grcups were simply "co oured'. The

'one drop rule whch holds that anyone with one "drop' of black blood s Black, aso meanr rhat ensaved Back lndans were, lhe€fore, denled lheir hdan eihnicily and delined as s rnply Black. She continues to say that the simplificalion of m xed{ace ancestry and result ng misclassifi@ton ot peop e have contdbuied to lhe licllon thal Native Americars did not play a role in savery pasi lhe eighWhite policy-makers in lhe nineleenth cenlury lsed the one drop rule to deny

Black-Natives ther lndian ancestry, slrippng lh€m of ther ghtful caim to land and sovereigfty, leaving more and lor White setlement and development.

Texibooks wrlien in pari by descendents of White @lonialisls, and Ecial classilicaiions cealed by imperial Europe, have succeeded in progressively erasing a relalionship thal was born wilh the discovery otlheAmericas. Black and lndian

€lations have sLffered under the axe of the whts man whose eady effofts lo disempower the "coLoured' peoPie have cultivaled an era of gnorance, aienatlon and estrangemenl. Like the man who 'honesily'didnt know h€ had a ink lo lhe Cheokee nalion andjust had lo assume he

was parl' ndian, other Tamaras must

lead blind liv€s, oblvious lo ihe truih.

They once foughl wiih and against each

oiher lived togelher, maried one

an olhe., and sufiered underlhe same yoke.

Bur lnril mainstream history is rewriiten 16 in.lLde omisslons oi lndian and Black lnleraction in reciproca cullures, ilseems lhat the onenrop rule willremain intacl.

Looking for sornething

good to read?

Read

these booksr

1. UndeEtanding the connections between Black and Aboiiginal Peoples

by Raging Blakklndian Dub Publisher:The Fire Thls Ime Pub. 12002) 2.

Aftlcans and Seminoles:

Jr Liflleneb Publisher: Univ Pr of Mississippi;

by Daniel F.,

3.

Oui Land Before We Dier Proud Story ot the Seminole

BTACII

by JefiGu nn PubLishn J. P. Tarcheri (2002)

NDIANI

4.

Ahck lndian3! A

Hi.tden

Publisher: Pockel Books; Reprint edilion (1997) 5.

Atricans and {ative Ameri.

ca!$ the Language of Race and the Evolution ot RedPubisher: Univ of lllinois Pr (Pro Re0i2nd ediiion (1993)

SPIRIT

Magazine 43

T,l:."R"al Word Rediscovered on Vinyf

ffi,*ffi i*l'iffi

,l-1,"iffi:.i{"i,,#ffi

triri+;;{ffi

l#+:',:$'m

l'iF;ft{,,$I+#,*,iF ;1Frtffi #1fl$,;;,,"E}':ttr$

thTffi+i*ffi l#ln';*ffi':ilffi tril{frHq:ffi ,rfeti:w:rm;n

*:idl

-.":r"'*"r',;n*"::r,:r,

*i.;"t+gli*-"',;*x:, 7!i!#";i"i#il^ii#,

strong beat is like strong drum is .e a strong heart

by Klnnie Starr

liEt

sladed makng .,r,, lO ago Lookng blck on".,,,d . I hLsi nave webofred mus@ rnlo mv Lr. h. cause il was trm6 ro 6tad geihs wel.

Atrnougn I was onty 2t yeaB otd.

I was a eady qut6 runed I woutd qet deeo oacK prrn ron watrmo oven ler m,;. ut€s, ard slandifg slil was unbea.abte

.€se, thee are 6.nant references to L.Ke Hlmn

yea6

r

I""rt.a *iU,.y

asfamed urdeMesht.

tr m one

oos-crue rhe lhyrho orrhe narurat

woid wien todr.-

i,i,.

Sonqs .tso document and erpose De6on:t it-"a i. .nYpocns€s Listen ng back reaches huhrtrty and

essary escape into an rmaginarv

abufd;o

mercress setr-ef,echon Once an arrrm i.

-€ased Io the pubtrc, lnyon€ is free to rudoe r espeoar/y the adisl who €teased ir lvr[sr-] .,, oaEry xsren bact to mytiBiabum from I9q6 h€ srBr.6d tinbre of my snqina voce rrre x",-" rve and airogant narue or rhe sonqs.

Reilecri;d

*onO rr,"._"

arcuno beh,een sta,o* t. m.mo-.

I;r.i or iorergn Enqlases and sorss, I was abte io orsEnce mvsetT fom lhe reat wond. / woud sin;

tulabes hagni.o whai

of rs

pasr worr i5 bas

_

or

klty tust emOanas." ra c.u.irtpart oftearnro Bul lhe rea /elminq beq; w,lh

s

hy Enso.icAsR_r sampb.

n

r

i

the Durch:s.

rn 1999.

niit,n.,h"

Hip-hop feels Iike a louder beating ofthe heart. a supportive pulse con_ nected to the earth. The poundiig mesmeric uu"t".ur" hv6noill].,0 crrcula( reminiscent of the drum a;d traditjonal songs. the wdos neEnt and rebnd,ng I u.o6.slooo I mid-tehpo, amb€nl hip-hop b€ats ror hv second was a ste dd merodds o,4a lhatpovioed me

w{h a sefse ofshelbr

,€ - &url rct seles r very drfie,enr ourp.be n i! i,,e rhe acr o,6xp€;s,ru ard

ad.cla.ngd fitu srdions

r po,Jerr. roirr"a The o@ess o, Mtrno s.nn.

so.ra€ y sonsq bored LU

is

in h,p-hop

,€a- ny body d.d sptrl ral,no

goLrded ard t6ss se*-deshcl*"

hr; he.;;

re .i,"".

€ _o e o"i"q.

rou.cee ,onqwlt,ng €t.ow: one lo defr.e;o -,. .rcdrre thei,tElr So.gsmrrc.what isqo,.a, n nsoe .nd cra,rl Tade5 0, :npo1.n.€ tn fy

44

SptRlT N4agazine

and

Europeln/^4oh.wk.m;F..trk.1

he.oon.ir ril se.sofs. These r6curnfg theme. teu"r, _ unc€nan lems lo honor and ,tudv -. ^" mv lMred_ Erood @ots to oue anc uatre .v ium,t". .na r"

hucn abohor^m andforenolq; "" tsorrunalely, I dEcoveed Ihe ";;.-'""'" ov a..i Fr.r ^f marhq musicand rr€ srowtybeSjn q"r.o Uulr.. yynef I wrs a chltd, music obvidJ r n-.

cse songs ro mysotfas

hose

n""o n"noino

weed, and pooriy batan@d."o""r""rrv l had beer

r

o

aroln

ili::

rn 2000 pmvidod me with a

il*-**

ptafa; tu cE-

onqn.rqrooves formymind ro

Hip-hop fe€ts lrke a toudorbealino ofth€

a slpponive putse connected ro rtre

he,d

rn"

pourd'ng, nesheric be.ts are hypnolrc ".ar, and cn !rsr bmniscenl ofrhe drufr and tEdrt@na s.n.< trrs rnl€€srinq to nor€ rhe sihrranlEs berla;en rne un.aveIing ofrhoughttut q€n!rne tvncs,n h,nnop ano the rolinq speeches ot sohe poe We ,vru s, cofrptete with prasing rhe pow6B lhar bF nrbducifq and hono.ng tnends and stranqeB

.

.h

ismak coFmentary on he d:neK

rashronsand evenl h both h p hoD and pow a good Mc cEn ltuty wd@me tu .u_"

w;;

Emdy rriendship, rove, denriry,

;[":::i:"T',:i,X

"

'

"*o,hinsl,;!n: *.n "ad "

Hip-hop cutture ofe6 a tutuE fo.

Nahves/ rnnKersmghters to investig!t6 ard pul p6erlr nessages of p de and indritv forrh nurr ,m ;"r cflnq oE-budget @oki+cuuer trip-troo. r am rersenofq bands tile Jlcssc 5, Mos dei and Th" ooats, as we t€sthe Mdergro!ndforyard-thrnk,n; sx s orvancouveis Manit Kia Kadh and Skee.: rce5e ro name. few rn manv undemr.,,nd hic nop.ohmuniries, soc opo ,@r o.me;ta. iri.. reen ror sharing dymes. rnretrqene " rie_." potrrar @frnentan/ sharp hlnour and nex,b; worooay€e lhe teys to ear.ino resn.d As Nariveand no.-N!tve c;ru;,ans a6o o.re to avoid lsins false ano nred Ecrst, se{istchches which dEin hrD.h.n or 6 cllural sign]6.an@.

,

.

w"_.

FDm peBonat erpenonce, ,nrp-nop oeats .nd

wnlino sonds

i,,

rhyhes has stenorrre..a ser-esleem, clanred my r.uth aro .asi,o mu mai

olr

or chronic pain.

The pbcess of ceating and revisitino s.d fas deny5tified some or the o"o"i"o i nave aboul tanily and abolt beiis ",.ir,.* Miied-Btod tr nrs atso uptined Lhe way I s6e the wo d I :m

iifi ffij;]""*.",t",0,,0". and th6 rme ir,s now bEced wth a more steadv vorn. l .KnowI am rhat hoati.s

urwo(. rny'nm

bur

w

rales E tifelm" ana wirr m

lan !p

lor the chalenqe.

h

be my dabte ouroe The

"r"i the end

*.,."".

@finue b cycte, rhe beat or the hearr teads ,;( rnD rhe rutle. Ast@ng be5t rs like a sto.o dru; s

r(e a skong hearl.it alows u" to nno

ou-r

rrut

\

I

lhii!!roL!

Born out of black urbar Amerlca in lhe late 1970s - the hip-hop scene has now metamorphoszed, selilng and thriving ln First Nalions communilies across Nonh America, lt is a muslcal and cullural movement thal has expoded ir populariry among Narive yolth snce the late 1980s, when hip-hop ascended from the slreels lo mainsteam rado. lts audience has since been universali kids ol all backgrounds have been buying heavly inlo lhe genre tor neady two de€des. Bul aside from back youth, the group it has perhaps impacted and nfluenced the most is young Naiive peoples. Hip-hop has captued lhe spirils of Native youth and evolLion-

And ii makes sense: bolh co tLres have suffered oppresson at the

oflhe ruling order in their respect ve sociellesj both endure poveny andsubstandard lvng condilions in manyareasjand both have strugglod wilh cu turalidenl iy for centuries. Becalse of these conelations, t's easy to pinpoinl hip-hops iniluence on Natve youth. Blt it also goes much hands

Young First Nations peope can not only identify wilh rheir dsadvanlaged black urbai counierparts, lhey can also €ffsciively uso lhis rnessaqe ol adistic express on and communication lo raise awa€iess oflheir owr hadilional culture thatlhey are stilcoming 1o grips with. Essentia ly, il is a lradilonally holistic culture effectivelv usinq another cullures minimal isl arlistic channels in a questlor identity and crealivity.

Erperts say there is a ink betlveen Nat ve and Black youth in a cullural andgeogEphica ghettoizalon sense. They be ieve lhere aresha€d c.isis siiuations wilh both gmups, politically and socially. And many hip-hop lracks contain lyri6 thar address lhese issles in a stong and controveF sialmanner- sornethiig Native leens can relale lo. And many curent Nalive €ppers hava€xperlen@d this cullu€ persuasion frslhand.

Rex Smalboy, executive producer and foundlnq member of the

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3

46

He remembeBtheeary 1990s, when hip-hopand rap became popo ar through movles ike Botz ln the Hood, lienace Society and Anerban M. cangsta rappers like N.W.A., lce-l snoop Dogg, Tupac Shakur and ihe Nolorious B.l.G. were echong lhe hardshps oi sneel life lo hard-bul catchy beals and lhy,lhms He says alloi a sudden lhe youlh around his @mmunity began mimcking everything lhey saw in those moves and heard nihe music:lhe violence,lh€ drugsand crime.

Like a unique and damelric modern-day Manifest Destiny, ths paltern peFisled in Naiive communilies lrom easl to west, even in ihe most €-

I

rnote. lnstead oiieelin! estranged lrom an external, dominatinq cultLre as they had in the past (lhrough while-bas€d entedainmeni), ihe kids on reserves fe t a close bond wih a d fferent extemalcu t!re. ore that had a so suffered in the periphery of mainstGam white cullure thrcughout history And it isn i a sir clly soco ogical link, as academie would argLre. Naiive youth eLale equallyto lhe musjc. The repetillous, naturalyet immense beats are simlar to those lhat have reverberaled throughout Abo ginat cuhlral history - those of the pow-wow drum. The comectone of Nalve musc can be heard in the .aw, basic beats of hp,hop music. Rhylhm plays a certra role in both genres, hence lhe embra@ment of modenrday black muslc by Nalive youth.

Therefore, the culturalard musicalimpacl is enomous And th s iswhy Smallboy believes it becomes paramounl lor lhe ndustry role mod€ls lo convey ihe right messag€s and polni iodays Naiive youth ntherightdircciion. Ne says addressins Naiive issues in music isjustanother means ofeducalng and foming undeBlanding oi the Native people olloday.

MANITOBA

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hip hop cu iure exp oded into the mainsiream. "l lhnk lhere is such an identty crisis lhal thats why the k ds we€ so quick to qrasp lhal because they were acking then own identily as Nalive peope. So il was easy for them to relale to lhat and wanl to be lhat. And t s had real y horible ef-

regina.com/

Sask Re@rd Pool(slpool)

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SPIRIT Magazine

htlpr/@.saskrecordif q,cal

.Wele

also lrying to show sociely that Native people do have a loi oislrengths, we do have a lotofgood lhngs inslde ofus lhat are vauable and ihal we do have a loi to otrer losocely,'headds. A lot of societ does have a ol of lowexpectalions ofus and were lryingtoshowlhem lhal we can grow;lhalwe can be posillve and open mlnded.'

Fed up wilh the overbown "qangsta' ihage oI rappers and other back youlh in the mainstream med a, this s exactly how many other hip-hop anists n ihe pasl have re sponded. Ariisis I ke A Tribe Ca led Quesl, De La SoLl Qleen Laiiiah, Aresled Develop ment'and more recenllyihe FLqees, the Rootsand Jurassic5 promole a more pos iive and conscious image oi urbar black America. Musically, these groups lend lo b ur the lnes of genres, bLt lhe r yricalmntent generally focuses on sellawareress peace, rePLb ic Eremy s Chuck D has been crusading againsl mage-based. v o ence'drven hip hop since the group's rise to popularity in the 1980s. He recently addressed the s sles ofslereolype propagaiion and black exp o tation through gangsia Ep on the group s website, !vw.publ ceremy.com 'Whai makes a cai hale arother bblher who ooks and laks jlst lke him whereas lhey never evâ&#x201A;Źn mei? Chuck D says. Radio, hype and video talk lo a I fo ks on beha f ol lhe perceived and corceived opnon oi black peope, mastermnded by the lhoughl ot He says loday s hip-hop alrisls are at the whim ol record company owners and execu l ves who perpeluate stereotvpes bV encouraqin! v o ert conlent n an ari sls music and imagery. (t's like) lhe slave who proudly paces his masler's lasi rame on his lirsl ajler belngwhipped iosay t while nol being ablelo spe t,'he continues. Trained lo love the leve and status oI n"'"r granted by hls mastefs ideology while daing allo chalenge

.Whereas lhe nrd 12 yeaF of recorded rap reflecled lhe love oI hlp hop. the aidsts hymed love, sprcad ove ike Bob l4arey and lhus gol love from lhe peeps. Rap was a passporllo visil olher hoods represenling oveln the words ihls reconnectingthethought ot FAIM'aka famiy. Now lhe famly lor rappers is ihe @rporale pimped pseudo record conpanieslhey spitfo. [4any no onger rhyme forlhe peope theycoinielpro against lhe

SASKATOON

httpJ/!vW.olf beatproduct ons.cal Blaiani SelI Promol ons httpr/ww.b alantsellpro.notiof s

hrtpr/kill ngtrâ&#x201A;Źes 250f ree.com OTI-]ER CANADIAN HIP HOP RELATED LINKS Underground Sound Magaz ne

hlipr/$/W.ugsmag.com/ Canadian Hip Fop Online hrtpJ/V/W.hiphopca.con/

Visual Orgasm ' Graflil hltp/www hiphopcanada.com/

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hltprwwwhiphopcanada.com/

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Toronto Hp Hop On ine hltp://ww eagleson.com/hlphop/

Htlp/ww.dsunelwolk.ca/ hrtpr/v!W.hiphopcanada.com/

SPIRIT

N4agazine 47

continued trom lasl page .. Ald as younq Narile raope.s

,r. becom:nq nore se(-awara tud.ne ron Na.i;e lio noo . rany :1:T".,:':::1.:" :"d.",r-",e Bws. ne .4 to.m ras b*r adopred a.d s mooried ro pcho Ftevani .t-e

rssue! taced bv .n sK Smd[Doy \rys hal a .hoJgt_ oe^rved ton bta(t hi,Lel(s. il does.lirec[y _,mic his anwork is ro.hrm rtsar, dborlrhe e btack uroaf rvere our rere ir the p.a ,es dnd we wort wrh muec so.e aa.sls who _ bEd. b-J as ro r,mk .L[r.aty aie o. ou. rivetihood, utris, EF re hI( he savs .Bul rt.s d,fferert ior lte,e sn.. mucn oher aqisls. tho,e , r Drqqercrries

serse oi dw,Mass d,nF s€me

.re

j::l,"',i ""g:":li:." "T ":ryi1e qess oi r_ow rha|Na.ive p.Ee. ,s sore N.[ve hio-hoo alisl! wrle aboul Natve EsJec col(er.s. or his.ory wrh srong a.d some-ines corkovesdl

I wdr_

trj

olr4

^f

p4op,6 ro

sld."s hd Nariv-, rre cLrell," e{p.r enc,! so, a ,e!ts ,_,_Srd,lbov ,rrty.5_biEt-,rs rarzaror. c,v"l rt-.t ne sa)s ',"" orr"",. -jr ,ecoon"ibirr! "ri .ro e. And \fle lo erpo$"r ore rrp nop ras b"coae so ircrecs.rgy popLtar bit^r tne Nati.e rou,. popLrafol rhF solgs L.eaFo,r,o,o ou" pdssolrboLtl.eanddt itspossb,htrer rnu. a.".," o, a"nr,v r.o Hesavs.hi. aproi, h wi, he.p gu0e Ndtve roull .r tte nl oie(Lon.d1o.olrrbLeroapo.rr.e rLrLrre ror allNal ve peop e Decore amb.s!.dos tor oLr p"ope l,Lp.o!, obtele _..,.wF .td4ojdro

;-.i.,

AlhorglWrrpdnviot.osrhi!pojhvea.dcorsci-rtrcLsdtechor, ,r rflFe a.e oher \ctrve np]-oo dnrsts wrh a orf6ren, vrew o. .t\dtive

6as.le\anvelrp nooartsts,.,.telort-rnhof ,,.,^do^reary.tnkof 6,ao€ acNar Er r hidnop wF mahe r,p-hop mr;a a.d se I appen to ue N"wo sayrJor Gddow a rproer o,ftuRe2 ar eqt-1mefrbe. rolpe rrom St NErions, Ontano

bpher r;,ahor sh,o, Vn." goe,, so myson, years frcnr now, doesnl feetashanred " . ro be an lndi:n

and Grfimdin

by Leonard Simpson Jr ruc,,,.o pop-t" \4. ! 1 rn. n-.. s w,a. rhpy q,er up f . rhouqh, you are gonq to neet res6tan.€ tu+h. r. b mgs Fc p.oodb /,,r"n.ng ro 6; ; d rdb,m from ohers tr, :'.-""i;; i: """"i"i1"1":1 ns on e \ qee <ure mee"*p''"" :i:l:_:":^ T 1:":: -^ *"orc, or ho.hop an"* woe those oa(\ .n me odv rdrdio _or ne rolt " " ""-'"' ,hen I s ;'""1* .dF^drong_d.ddrdndrrF,our,.j ^-_rr "rJwe.e h" o d" oFs, .F I @u .r o, >.bt nqc *hen\dltre(re.6ge_!hrorhat I -erF {"e. I rDr cuneo , ,ru nop ei"nefl ,s soneu'ng d,r-enr, d d n"n thoush rp orc o_es nor tre p donq conerh nq olje.enl .o.ner !c -_ ds Fypanded a orc, dpr .noNarie!too! rhF{prdcei)r. than h;\ ,1 d.d s_ar .ne) ".de.( wanFd ro do regard ess. r_er o eh -p hp-op .o ro !o\ lne! LJ ob lnvrlnc Fr561dv no rhs 1p -oprfo.naho- ag" o, Ndr\es are De.o d.uzlp 5 ft"in c.l was ahr,i,q *"* r" or t\ar n, n d,Fe,F_. -rm -O *"" u,,nri.""i." lhem. iusrlime separates them in rhe lo.., rn stonqryabouj +e th" h,o noD --t-re ard Na[;.oncE.ng lr " U.S Ndne h o-nop s-e.e b e,oaadrq I gooo Tqv t.e.e. a,erdya oed. Bul r! .or psDbr' "ed acl. rnpe dl,1d dono a ot or wo{ 4p ;, ocinq re.ecos-,, a.e vF-y rew co ;, o"r",o :::^: :o^1ol llotr p".,,n .u ia re say sood loorirs o-r ro B"d- , @rec I dd - ee ! 4Fvitroivoor o to "-,,o rejo. Red " ",". er oq-da rb;m ., be r r{p "* trFelt\ e )Fsronqorg "o on. b-Dov(d-der,+,1 rne cu,ru-y o( ( cdrp. k,etr olrDeyond llrat.lhe person hay nothave s-prnar _b haNd much losh.u 1e.rrtsoo Non4rc M, oJsm S^,q O-e Mdn,[,eOS,) pe.,^t rhrrC.r As'o'supoo- o- Doo.r q ano !o.4n od.e.. rth!< r,kalr bFen,har I Fer ol, U!Abel. Va-otre DJ< vouw"nt,tdone ar J. ro. oo. \ou6pJ Noooo.,\gor.olora.e)oubj rnd evervo-F er$ rh4s ooo-t-e,..s e r" on qnhe o;nei.voudo ,d yo,, ^Fep s nngandg.dfolno, d, coretoger.qeven-r,y ,:, ri :::,3.":-."-:._:i11't :l:. uw"ueGuqe\oure 4soo I,op

-il:''#

u de.

: bt6'!.a iorlour Grep. Do-o.e$e.lpeopta.o,of" " ::l:_::t 9"r'-":-r. r. eo,re ro bF d r Lp.ovo..oee. your nore uu' |e.e. soqoandI geryolrhounddoq husLeon

"-j-t

..,^,wl:n

'ra

::

:oe.onol"vorser d ;rr,avea,,hh nc,-a,o .r'o^-r,e

€re oon9 o <oe

d

o

o-

/ou ro o./orn. dss-.:no

fa,F,d.n-redio.rdt:d,.r.d.Fro-rou.

!e oa\ ng *or .oyoreni, ._1i o,ou.rtrrrerrre

r0rr rhev h.ve open lo.vou lihink music is qoing lo be bnri.uinq rogain momenium. With everylhing

48

i":;l:T"

'"""

I

SptRtT Magazine

) <

eveDore rn lihes :nd reoe.ve- ro ted, sror

ano

:i.:s.'l.t

!

\rNe.

*:'1..Tl':Ilrg."::il". ura ry. rre onv rfq,tat wr',.ome outwt rr,nq f ort, ,ro ,y_prif, tdor t need any piry or sympathv, ba'tow says wt al fe o.oro wlles dooL. ,s wha. adil..ed,n rourr Lal retale to. trt€ qit! o, oarryi q - rhen es comao. ,o aa n.redn Lp. ,t-e noD dnd even gar gsla gerra Ar lhis orecl on somewrdt up.e.. omer Native hip-hop an sb ti[e Smar]bnv

-

frn"nrtng

no.

lir:::'lt__,q:,'

messaqes.

-We oio a,Calaoa Ddy show wFddrhesons Tn,sLaao sOurs,, n€ F.dK "There weie dbout T,OOO wt_,le p.oote"They $er6 ce,co?l rig me lreedon or Cmaoa, ard we waireo b remilo rhem .Oh, €:qom bJr we eor sLrewed rn hF p,ocess Ard yeah we remnded llFm of har am rnev toved {. They sad.Jear yoJ.e nqnt,., srartboy oorr.s to W-at ti rq aro,heioiWar oarty s Ljtur;r,y s,g _. lrca.rcLts Hee)purc. r t..rs .ooLr wt-al rr we we.e hea.hy we were r.d"perdenl, shar rf w4 were d strono rhars whal we wanl io porntolrpeoDte

rfol?

rh

drft urroodrLfoJllwd,auF,o \F. -oo, dcoeopehea.t|?. rlF/a9lti,. .o bhy aouto I rc.er to .hr., Aro twdr.

sroud b6lo boaoen.heir ar base. I ot ctiF4ore tTh l. hrnr when pFop,F near Nar,ve t.p t-op. _ev m,qh, IrnL.heli u,e ,ano ra" nere aro a, ,he r ps. i,",:: "ow wi ,t-e qoverlmerrano mdyo" h r ira, *vs Gdrotr.,Bur,,Lsr qoy awJy rroh a.

,esLrc;re or.Ndwe pnoe..a.co.o_

lo.,

.,

!o <.

add, h€l b locus o re ryp@t.y rlronlnare o. rhlt y !o.r.o _He lers€rNat.ve issues a so19 or.y ,e.0, o,r r"qan,e _p!\ages h !r h urr Fceive naqalve responses dFbeieLes'd.dnFrso@Ar.e

c"",;";;;d;,.,:l ;,;1"fl,:il."p:fii]9

to dedrF a

5avs'rrRez$,,res -o, qq.tar coppdtro elcfrorp,,

,ycxrars arar s..

Partys ioutsmember sel uses ils music r.

*o.dr rre

PF

wer

ike in the slales

War

,,

Na ve "pe. ntLr,r L it woLto oe moF NdnveLp hop. oeLaJseas

snp.h.runta! tl4ndeaqqt san.c',{ e.otted as l4 cot,trte.

A 1/8 Pdb6e H" c"Is h,aser d rLtt.otaoded nun. He 'nd F,teF tnd@ Dalae.h-r thsrtrp ifit) ia. ^ ated n Albeu+que Nea Me\na HA.,ea,.d !h,;" ar44vdr,e $pads sil" aad a.N bCag, \eut"n*n ^pDs{p, vo*nh)Uate,aaop q_ 'r.s,a.arp+rene.e||pb'tc tnar e oJo,es d/ dro"cr or e l/p-Hopl" Inc u 5 a-nd r dda 14\s b sane at the bgg.st h.p-\@ ^/rni a.t\ and e4e9. .wth rq adbr) artt nrtudes dorhtaodabte Mp). a"o a b; -n".odto ,ie, an De

,

oLAando 1ad N'7 P-t

teached at wnd@ane@nattuehipho, net

the music in me

...the natural environment for art

,.

)."...

II

.*', -*. -. .*. t ran r,r:,n1, " o ro ne

,.

L...

."

n,i

I r ."' (h-q, .

I I

ri.',.

:.r.er .r

b.nos b.ons and Lee.s . " i " i"i ,. -",. ."-"

s.r s arolnd C.s. if p. n s Toronlos EARRL a nrshnrash of mlsi

oftlre besl

ca.s who rrx ro{ik rok a.d

a

oi reggae n then lrnes R.h Ss na mcr Peter Fo --y. Oarton Ofna Daf Reid and lh. rffer m.n N cho.s. fo m lhs q! ntet And thcr s!.!nd s rcfreslrifg n a wor.l lh.t r".p cu llre seems to ru e EARRL ras bc.n .rclnd h nt

for abort ten ye.rs

afd

(e any

!.der!rou.d b.nd

they are

slart.e lo gel llrat

wh

cess a

jlst

ff of slc sweel smel .esu tnl]

irom hard lvcrk lnd some tough

. the hards lrsl CD. w.s reeas.d ! 1997. ard ater folowed !p by Ir. F st Sa D, yr1e.r r 1998 Iher alest CD. EARR

l4lcked Srl/ is ex.ciy lhal since il was reeased I Novenrlrer 2002 cou d s.y lhey solnd lke a mlx oi The T.agically Hip and Rage Against the Machine bll

Yo!

els stck io the

rea

ily ot it all:

lhey sound ike EARRL. Weve bu 1 ourseles. Our sludio a.d CD s comes from everyo.e s hard

And rn the mdsr ol bu dng

rhemseles and se ing

rhem

seves. ihey also g ve back We do a ot ol benefirs and k.k oils a ol orl mes for fo pay We

pay

(f

n Regenl Fark

Toron-

to) sonretimes. becalse we grew up lhere and we d lke lo make I

whal I used 1o be Foley adds l. Februar!. they lraleled lo

Penfsylv:na and were one of two Canadlar reprcsenlatives

oll

of about 3000 app

cants

be showcased ar the l,,llenf

N'l!sl. Conierence

n

-

lo

!n

addilon,

shot. ldeo lor their sl.ge lorr lror,son from the lhey have

'For the mosi

pan. llsl

ro do what any fan of mls c lo do pLay mlsc ful I me.

I

me.

want

wants

al

the

says Foley I a! goes ac

cord nq to

pan EARRLWi bea mlsc lsleners won I

racket that

Visll Eairls websle at for upcom ng dales and contact nfomaton.

r"!ii, !, ri,, rn

,,!,.(r r\ rqr\!r

3:',1;i:l' ( la

nad:r

first person with Alfred Young Man

Landscaping the political environrnent _l_he

new Native arl is beinq pedecl ed in much the same way lhai my nw..eneralnn answered ourown questions ior our own "era-' Blt loday s artists arc using more medilrns than did those before them and they seem lo be having less of a problem making lheirway nto the mainstream adwodd,

I I

I would like to think that this state of affaire was rnade possible because of rhe kind of 'landscaping' of the political environment lhat many of the previous geneEtion of Nalive a(sts accomplished - somelirnes al srcat

Alfred Young Man was among the first students to graduate at the lnstitute of Ameican lndian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1968. Between then and 1972, he studied at the Slade School of Fine Arts in London (B-F.A.), and completed his l\,4A at the University of Ivlontana's Northern College in 1973.

He also pursued doctoral studies at Rutgers University in 1989. Young Man taught art, media, and educational television before becoming a faculty member at the University of Lethbridge, Alberta; presently he is an Associate Professor. Although acclaimed as a painter at the forefront of a generation questioning Euro-cenkic notions about Native identity and history, Young Man's

production of art has diminished while his aciivities as a writer, teacher, and curator have increased. SPIRIT Magazine asked him what he thought of the current state of contemporary Native art and what he sees in its foture

persona and profess onal cost. Jusi as their seneration in tum depended upon the aeneralion before lhem ioranswers to get them to wherc ihey could openly paciice thek art in relative frcedom in lhe a.l envircnment, such as they

I

find the present aenelaiion of

Canadian lndian arllsts to be every bit as inquisillve and serious aboul what they are doins in iheirad as werc lhose who came before them and thal is as it The conlent oilhek art al filst g ance seems lo be the same io lhe uniniliated.

But if one takes a closer, deeper ook it becomes evident lhat their ad does

in many cases advance the aâ&#x201A;Źument, the theory, of Native ad another slep tudher. Butthe basic cultulaland soclal fabric is stillin evidenceto be built upon, as is only right.

Any socleiy lhat makes a complete break ircm its pasi is a dead society,

according

lo

anlhropologicaL theory societies human beings- need a history lo build upon, lhat is if they are to continue to

ai Leasi since cultures and

survive as definable viable enliiies.

One cannot predici with any ceF

tainty where lhe nexl grcal adwillcome frorn in any counlry orculturc or people bul if history is any indicator Nalive adisis will utilize al the msdiums and prcbably even inveni a few oftheir own

Filst Nations, or Native Ameicans, have always been inventive, ioleEni, and accepting of oiher cultures. Bll in ihe end the record shows thatthey have

always made the cullural exchanges lhat occuffed on their own for ihat is

inhercnl in ther DNAand also lhe long lerm condition of the coniinents biosphere irom which we have allemerged and willcontinue to emeqe.Theyarc all one and the seme and ihat ls a diflicult

notion ior non-Native peopls to try lo understand and accept.

Therc will always be o ginal people to this continent for thal ls lhe history of ihis hemisphere and I see no reason for ihal lo change, save one wherc the entirc species is wiped oui by some lype of holoeusl but lhen the question wo'rldnl matler anr\day.

How do we suppod our adisls? Keep lnvolved in ihe aris ol every kind in any way that you can, from taking Nalive arl courses to luning in to APTN to creating art for you6ef. Of course, ldon't mean lo say that we should suppod only the visual ads as in dâ&#x201A;Źwing, painting, photogmphy, lithography, sculpturc and so forth bul we can suppod and enjoy lhose other areas of ad as in drama. music, dance, litelalure, lheatrc, and now te evision and cinema.

Native people are on the move and the ans are our new lifeline lo the Research reveals that Native people

across Nodh Amerca are crcating themselves a new and better universe and wodd. And as the future unfolds before lhem, lhe arl can only get progrcssive y better and thercby serve to make Native people overall a belleF educaied, knowledgeable and enLighi

People who arc more confident in how lhey carry oul ihen every day lives, cedain lhal they belong on this planet

with sornelhing of grcal value io ofier lhe other great races and nations on

I see young ta ented enercetic a of the lime. And

Naiive sludents

although I cannot possibly know or see how lhose on olher reservations, rcserues, orcampus across lhe conlinent fare, I have tmveled around the world and NonhAmerica enough lo knowthat where there is taleni ihat an will"oui" of

The c.eative impuLse, on lhe olher hand, is as common as the air we brealhej its jusi ihat some individuals have uncommon ways and more energy and imagination to carry out their drearns. Thal is where ihe adwillcome

from, those unseen places ca Jung called our subconscious mind. Add to

lhat the spi tual connection in which every good Native percon believes and

you have a iormula for great things to come. Give a man or woman the iools to move lhe earth and he orshe wiLl do

Planfihg ro+fs andl lorr*ahi^g +la* rvrl*s An afternoon with artist Jane Ash Poitras

by Tanya Lukin

aneAsh Poihas recentLy vislted with me ai The Library a loung€ near ihe UnlveF

sity oi Abena campus in Edmonton to discuss her r€cent adislic work, painlings that centre on a theme olelhnobolany.

Whie she marked papers, checked on her assislanl, we spoke aboul the recenl Nalional Abo ginal Achievemert Awads show on CBC, and she lalked about her

jolrney

which usualy speak enlirely dillereni languages.

She says lhat her woft is so fresh, the arl word hasn lyel caughtor, butlhe medicalword aclualy

hdectanding il. "lmashrdisturber,arevolurionary,..

seems closer to

1. Would you rcthet eal cald ceteal at aatneal

Neilher, bul when

lwas a liile girl,

I

fot

oved hot

nro elhnobolany,

which olfcially staded h{o years aoo.

Jane Ash Poitras most recenl exhibiiion, lit ed

Gatheing Medicine, showed at lhe peslilious Mira Godard Callery in lhe early Spnng. This new sedes isa prcject, which could span the resi of my liie, acmrding to Poilras. Shesaysthai Gairenhg

Me.licine is a 'well-researched' series. Poilras

2. would you

hthet painr

with yellow or purple?

Both colours, theyte prctly awesome. They're lraditonal Ojibwe @lours, you know You pul lhem togelheron a lradilional coslume and they

€

3. Wauld yau nthor have a life full of laveless sex

She also literally grounds her studies of plant medicines in the earth, as she built a greenhouse near her home, and began growing traditional, medicinal plants that are mostly indigenous to North America. backgrcund nlhe sciences (B.Sc. in Micobiology) sives ha a parlicuar edqe in lhe exploration of To

ireshen h-"rscienlifc knowledge, she delved

tudher inlo

the empiri€|, orthodox' aspecls of

ethnobolany by enrolling in advanced courses in medicine and pharmacy. Poil€s says that this ad is aboul the medicine, what il does physiologcaly lo one's bodylrom a scientifc perspeciive, aswell as how lt ifvokes "altered siates ol reality' and how

or be madly in lovewithoul sex?

I am madly in love, and I have no sex n life. So, l guess lm madly in lov€ with iie. l have kids bul l've never had a sex llfe. llhink scared any over.

I have a passion wilh eveMhins: arl, boor, pool, @F. lf you have a lover, you pul allyour c€ativity into your loverand notyourwork. Spielberc has no

4. Would yau rcthot sing ot dance?

ld Elherdo

therir bo1h. whch

ldo.

as lhey were 'lhoughl{ul, laboured, and iine-

5, wauld you tathet be without intelligene or

''ihe empirica and spirltual ' sides ot the medicine.

I donl have any inleligence, so Iguess Ihave maginaton. ll I had inteligence, Id bo a med cal

She also lilerally grounds her stLdies of plant medicines in lhe eadh, as she bLih a greenhouse nearherhome, and beqan arowinq tradiriora, medicinal panls lhal are mosily indigenous to North She says ihalthe.e is no precedent n canada for the kind oi work she is expbnng. While many Abodginal adisls a€ rcceiving accolades ior thelr polilicalwork, PoitEs has moved our of poLitics, as she s tted of shlt-dislulbing.'

She ikes Oiego Riveras ari in Mexico, becauss,'ln Mexico they donl qo lo a reou ar docior,'they go to the healeE who prov de medicinal hefbs, and Rivera explored lhis. Poitas muses lhat perhaps Georgia O Keefe, in her apprcach towards nowe€ trcm the perspeclive of women's sexualily and spiriualily, expLored similar ideas.

Yei, Poitras art bridgesworlds oi art and medicine,

Out of the Silence: The Enduring Power of Totem Poles Now through Seplembsr

al The Borke

'1,

lvuseurn

2003

of

NaturaL

History and cuLture in seattle, Wash-

Some of lhe painlings took tlvo years io creaie,

luned,'using technques of high realism, aswell as llusion and technologl€l magic to teach about

IN THE GALLERY

doclo. or physics peFonaliiy with a nice, coshy lenLi€d job ai the Unive6ily. As il is, Im painling on the sheet, gelting arrcsted every orher weekend, protesting. I guess ony cEzy, maginalive Jane Ash Poilras wil be showing her work next in a snral exhibilion al ihe Bear Claw Galery n Edmontdn Albefta rt wilr be hernd show in Edmonton in 15

years.

,,,

Tanya Lukin is an Alutih wonan frcn the Nalive Vi age of Pon Lions in Alaska. She greduated fron Stanfotd Universily in California with a B.A

Whales, bea6, and ravens from ihe lnie oven wilh the haunUnq photographs of Adelaide de lMenil and vibrant images of con-

Bufte collection are

temporary poejaising ceremonies.

Toqelher, lhese sculptures and lmages prcvide a retbspecrve view of Nodhwesi Coast totem pole traditions

-

Irom lhe earliesl known drawings

of totem poles, lhrough the time of seeming sience in ihe midl900s, 1o the brillance and vila ity of Firsl Nafhe Burke Musoun of Natural History and Culture, Bax 353010, univeBity of Washington, Seaft|e, WA 9A19* 341

0

rc@p@u.washington.edu

in English Literature. she dan@s, sings, ard wriles o@asianaly, subsistence tishes wilh her fanily, and is mana to a beautiful three-year ald

SPIRIT

Magazine

51

COME TOGETHE

Lets get down! Look who SPIR T [/agazine crossed paths wiih on orr journey.

The NAAF Awards was host

to

many achievers frcm across Canada. and lhe Reel World F m Festiva broLrght n some ol ihe brghtest in the r m and vdeo scene When

The2003 NationalAborOina Acnev.m-o.lAlvards Cockwise fron 1o!: Olfi€r l,toses and F'ona Bondin or Frank Ca der and Dorolriy Gr:nr Greg

Dreave(BilDahond.friendandD.wnM.d.rrb-"e Maxne Noel Trna Keeper lfd Aifed cay Nl.nes Mor!.. M ey Falvn Ger{y ai.r Nalasha Batt F.yit Fave Re.ee tulorsseru rnd farod Tarbe . ElJah Harp€r and lhree girs hav n!. loon t mel

The Ree Word Fim Festiva C ockwise trom rop An.kh V lre plb isher Ralwant cnn .id Sangeela Ch.n! Tonya L€e W l i.ns Ngoz P:u .nd B a r ltolder Dale Shr tul.nd pame, Malllr€ws D:wf W kiison and crasshopp.r N kk Lea...k R.hard Leaco.k and Lyrq Bent.

Rebeka Tabobondurq Adanr Bea.h.nd Adran Kahq€e. Tonya ThoiCs D.ecror Erncsl Ockerson and Kolenwa [,to n Frai.eAren an.]Teren.e l.tenry. Thar..!. Ram:nayake and A un O Bren, and two rrore women h.v no a oood l nel

r.r'

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I'rhal;z r.

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SPIRIT Magazine

53

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I

/"r* ""/"f"""er-t 54

sPlRlT Maqazine

Apache Puberry Pollen Ceremony 2001

Aboriginal Voices Radio Opens a door to the Aboriginal world for listeners across Canada Showcases the talents of Native peoples Provides regular news reports about Aboriginal events and issues proposes to provide ihe Natrve commLrfrties in the urban centres of Canada radlo programnring with an Aboriginal

slant. Desp te the arge populat on of Native Canadians n urban areas, media coverage of the r events and ssues ls oiten m n mal or even non ex stent. AVR wl f ll that gap w th a firl slate of Nat ve specific programm ng that inc udes reg! ar and t rn€ly news repods and programs that encourage language retenl on and cultLrra awareness,

other areas of focLrs at AVR w ll nclude national ca I n talk shows, prograrns that highlight parenting and homemak ng or business and economic development.

G€nder and age specif c round table discrss ons,

documeniari€s and docu dramas w ll

place n the

a

have 2

AVR programm ng schedu e.

The wide and plentiful array of mus cal slyles and ta ents that permeate Native soc et\j w ll a so hav€ a prominent

place n AVR programm fg.

Not only Native people will benefit from AVR on the airwaves:

a

Canadians w ll reap the benef is of a culturally

specif c Aborigina radio serv

ce. ntoleranc€ ls fueled

by

gnorance, and mrsunderstanding can eas ly prop up prejudices. AVR afd ts programmlng w I br ng a breath of fresh alr to a Canada that needs access to news about Aboriginal ssues.

AVR has what it takes to bring to the

wo d the Abo ginal viewpoint in a way that benefits all Canadians.

Aborigina Voices Radio, inc.

Studio City B dg, Suiie 342

366 Adelaide St. East Torofto, ON tul5A 3Xg

Iel.416103-1247 Fax 416-703-4328

ABORIGINAL

VOICES + RADIO

-

E-mail us at info@aboriginalradio.com or listen in at www.aborigi nalradio.com

t

a tribute to our women

frcm the Hero nes series by

L

ncoln Clafte: