[FlamesFanInOilCountry]

Originally Posted by 4X4

Are you sure that 'a lot of Aboriginal groups do not want the same things (property ownership, entrepreneurship)'? I'm certainly not calling you a racist here, but that statement is not much different than saying that they're drunks. Some are, some aren't. Some don't want preoperty ownership, but I bet that lots and lots do.

I think that the ones that don't want property ownership are the ones in charge. The chiefs and/or councils get to control the entire reserve, and from what I've learned here and there, you can fall out of favour with the guys in control, and pretty much get your house taken away by the chief. I'm not saying that happens every day, but the fact that it does happen at all is pretty out of place in our 'civilized' country.

The problem, as I see it, started when we put them on reserves, which limited their ability to live the way they were living before us European folk came along and took all the rest of the land, and essentially put them on little islands all over the country. That basically eliminated the possibility of the two cultures integrating and advancing simultaneously. And now, they're just so far behind, in standard of living, education, and just general confidence as a race, that it seems like they hardly care about doing anything that promotes success for future generations.

In some ways it baffles me that they have all this land, and don't bother to do stuff with it that will generate money. Sure there's a gas station and a casino and a golf course on the Tsuu Tina, but think about all the things they could be doing. The ring road thing is the obvious one. If they took the money Alberta offered, let the road go through, and then used the chunk of land that would appear to be inside the city as a place to put shopping and commercial things, they could generate loads of money for their band, as well as create lots of jobs. Things that would give a lot of people a lot of hope or purpose, rather than this life of living in near squalor that we're constantly hearing about.

On the other hand, it's not so baffling that nothing is really being done, when they've basically been pushed out of out society and treated like crap when they try to come in. It like they've been taught that they're losers, and now they believe it. Like the opposite of Jews that are rich, generation after generation, they're poor, generation after generation.

I don't know how to fix this, but paying them a half million dollars to take the rest of what they've got left isn't the answer. Maybe the reserves could get divided into usable lots and given to each member. Titled. Give them something to own. And make it 88 years before any of that land can be purchased by a non status person. Give them a chance to join this century, and hopefully they're be fully caught up by the next one. With this scheme, by the year 2100, the reserves will be gone, and many of the FN people will have really changed their family's course. Not everyone will win, but it's not like us Euros are all winning, either.

I think you had a lot of good points in your post, so thanks for that. I am very sure that alot of Aboriginal's do not want individual property rights, and you would be foolish to call me racist, so I'm glad that you did not. However, I don't think it's true to say that the only Aboriginals that do not want individual property ownership are those in power. Many Aboriginals that do not share communal ideals chose to move off reservation (hence Canada's growing urban Aboriginal population), but there are still massive Aboriginal populations that chose to stay on reserve.

There is a struggle within Aboriginal communities about what path to take. Should there be a concerted effort by certain bands to take a more modern approach to economics and property ownership and the counter argument that there should be a entrenchment of egalitarian property ownership, so that every thing comes to the band and is distributed throughout the community (this argument is linked very closely to a resurgence in traditional spirituality). The only successful initiatives will have to come from the Aboriginal groups themselves, so you can introduce ideas to the bands, but the bands need to see it as a viable option or it will just be considered another act of paternalism by the government. Latest academia suggests that hybrid Aboriginal governments following the line of the Nisga'a Agreement would be the most likely method that could be used to move away from the Indian Act, which would require individual agreements with various bands and not a singular piece of legislation like the Indian Act. However, Aboriginal groups feel that this agreement does not give Aboriginals enough power, and some non-Aboriginals feel that this agreement gives too much power to Aboriginals and sets a dangerous precedence for other minorities.

Basically, there is going to be no quick fix to this, but by watching how the Nisga'a Agreement continues to pan out as well as negotiations with other bands in Yukon will show that the only fix will be Aboriginal self governance. The only questions are to what degree will bands be permitted to govern and what government mandates will exist to ensure compliance without being perceived as paternalistic interference. The government will not just "cut a cheque" to Aboriginals across the country and rip up the Indian Act, nor should they.