Stony Nakoda want to rename all the things

[Cowboy89]

Originally Posted by troutman

Trump asked if he could change Denali back to Mt. McKinley.

Why not both?

[Cube Inmate]

Maybe this is irrelevant or "blindered," but I find it interesting how so much of native identity appears to be tied to the land itself. When I think of other cultural groups in Canada, they hold onto their identities through traditions they've brought with them. I realize these people often left their homes voluntarily, but not always; refugees come to mind. But Native claims are often based on traditional <hunting/burial/praying> grounds or the idea that a certain <plain/mountain/river> is home to a sacred spirit or things like that.

I guess other groups still have strong ties to physical locations (Abrahamic faiths, for one), but those are specific places tied to identifiable (quasi-)historical events. That doesn't seem to be the case here.

Europeans did some pretty inexcusable things trying to wipe the aboriginal culture form the face of the earth. And many of us are still doing things that are harmful, based on that history. So I'm not going to say "get over it." There's a lot of reparation due to natives as a group, if not individually. But it has to be based on reality, and the reality is that the "traditional" version of the land is gone, and we can't bring it back. We can try to help preserve what's left of the culture, and also help patch some of the wounds that are festering, but changing some road signs is not going to do that.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Aleks

The problem with the FN groups is they still remain outside of that, many by choice (the culture conservation facet, or even those afraid to leave the reserve), as a result of reservations. That's the reason I was saying adapting in majority society (#### assimilation if thats what you guys think, thats not it at all). I can maintain my identity just fine, and respectfully while just being a person here in the city. Any articulate, educated, hard working individual should be equal in every way regardless of heritage, so once they can accept that and not play bias steps can be taken and culture will change and be accepting.

So only people in cities are part of the majority society?

Majority society includes reserves. That’s part of majority society. I’m not sure what you think Canadian society is, but that’s part of it. I’m not sure what arbitrary cut off you have for “majority society” and “other” aside from “aboriginal” but I don’t really see the point in making the distinction. There are plenty of groups of people that get benefits not afforded to all people in the same way.

Though there is something uniquely Canadian about a self-described new European immigrant lecturing aboriginal Canadians on how to be Canadian.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Cube Inmate

Europeans did some pretty inexcusable things trying to wipe the aboriginal culture form the face of the earth. And many of us are still doing things that are harmful, based on that history. So I'm not going to say "get over it." There's a lot of reparation due to natives as a group, if not individually. But it has to be based on reality, and the reality is that the "traditional" version of the land is gone, and we can't bring it back. We can try to help preserve what's left of the culture, and also help patch some of the wounds that are festering, but changing some road signs is not going to do that.

I find it kind of interesting, because I agree with you but I think “changing some road signs” goes a lot further than we think.

To us, they’re just road signs. The general points against any change range from “pointless” and “expensive” to comments that come across kind of ignorant “when will it end” etc. But as you said, the land is a BIG part of aboriginal culture and traditions. Their link to the land is strong and I think a LOT more important to them than it would be to a lot of us, and I think we need to understand that.

It might just be a gesture, but it’s one that says we recognise what Canada is and where we are, and most importantly, that we recognise our history and our original people. So to us, maybe it means little, but to them, a gesture that firmly says “we recognise your history and your place in it as our own” I think is extremely important.

I don’t know the answer. But I go to a lot of events where the speakers starts out by recognising that we’re on traditional land. It’s a small gesture that means a lot, so if that happens on a grand scale, then I have no problem with it.

I personally think whoever brought up changing signs to recognise both names is a really great idea.

[robbie111]

Calgary can be called Elbow Town so long as the Blackfoot use "Man in urine stained sweatpants" to name Edmonton.

[Peanut]

Oh good. Another thread where we can come back in 5-10 years and cringe at the racist attitudes displayed by lots of posters.

“Maybe we’d use their language if it didn’t sound so dumb”?! Jesus H. Christ. I can only hope that’s sarcasm.

[Aleks]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

So only people in cities are part of the majority society?

Majority society includes reserves. That’s part of majority society. I’m not sure what you think Canadian society is, but that’s part of it. I’m not sure what arbitrary cut off you have for “majority society” and “other” aside from “aboriginal” but I don’t really see the point in making the distinction. There are plenty of groups of people that get benefits not afforded to all people in the same way.

Though there is something uniquely Canadian about a self-described new European immigrant lecturing aboriginal Canadians on how to be Canadian.

#triggered

[icecube]

Originally Posted by Aleks

#triggered

[Ducay]

Originally Posted by Peanut

Oh good. Another thread where we can come back in 5-10 years and cringe at the racist attitudes displayed by lots of posters.

“Maybe we’d use their language if it didn’t sound so dumb”?! Jesus H. Christ. I can only hope that’s sarcasm.

Sorry, but it might be culturally insensitive, maybe, but how is that racism? Chinese names could sound silly, so could Portuguese.....this has nothing to do with anyone treating aboriginals differently.

If they want to preserve their language, by all means, go full Quebec and make everything in Cree in your nation. No one is stopping you. Just leave our sovereign lands alone.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by Cube Inmate

Maybe this is irrelevant or "blindered," but I find it interesting how so much of native identity appears to be tied to the land itself. When I think of other cultural groups in Canada, they hold onto their identities through traditions they've brought with them. I realize these people often left their homes voluntarily, but not always; refugees come to mind. But Native claims are often based on traditional <hunting/burial/praying> grounds or the idea that a certain <plain/mountain/river> is home to a sacred spirit or things like that.

I guess other groups still have strong ties to physical locations (Abrahamic faiths, for one), but those are specific places tied to identifiable (quasi-)historical events. That doesn't seem to be the case here.

Europeans did some pretty inexcusable things trying to wipe the aboriginal culture form the face of the earth. And many of us are still doing things that are harmful, based on that history. So I'm not going to say "get over it." There's a lot of reparation due to natives as a group, if not individually. But it has to be based on reality, and the reality is that the "traditional" version of the land is gone, and we can't bring it back. We can try to help preserve what's left of the culture, and also help patch some of the wounds that are festering, but changing some road signs is not going to do that.

Native spirituality entrusted Natives as the caretakers of the land they did not own it as it was provided by the creator but they had dominion (might not be the right word) so they failed their duty to their creator by letting the white man defile the land. And it's only by living in concert with the land that they can heal themselves. So depending on the what band and how they practice their spirituality we are essentially burning down their churches. That would be an extreme position but in general there is a religious connection to the land that goes beyond a financial connection to the land. This causes disputes between the Chiefs and the Elders in some bands.

It's part of the reason that a physical land swap over just payment was so critical in the Tsu Tina ring road land.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by Ducay

Sorry, but it might be culturally insensitive, maybe, but how is that racism? Chinese names could sound silly, so could Portuguese.....this has nothing to do with anyone treating aboriginals differently.

If they want to preserve their language, by all means, go full Quebec and make everything in Cree in your nation. No one is stopping you. Just leave our sovereign lands alone.

I'm not sure why the Stoney would make everything Cree on their Sioux Nation. That would be very odd.

[Harry Lime]

Originally Posted by GGG

I'm not sure why the Stoney would make everything Cree on their Sioux Nation. That would be very odd.

It's happening.

[Northendzone]

I truly wonder if the average member of Stoney Nakota nation really cares about this?

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by GGG

Eliminating the Indian act and treating the Native bands as independent agencies responsible for their own people with only grants given by the federal government in accordance with our commitments with the English versions of the treaties. Push as much governance onto the bands as possible. There will be corruption and waste and suffering but it will ensure that these people have the ability to control their own path forward.

Self-government negotiations and devolution of powers have been going on since the early 80s. There are currently 22 self-government agreements signed by the federal government.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indige...ment_in_Canada

And self-government poses serious issues around citizenship and identity. Our federal government and charter of rights and freedoms affords protection to all Canadians. What happens when those rights and protections conflict with the rulings of a given band?

Take Bill C-31. Native women who married outside the band, along with their children, were historically denied band membership. And since treaty rights flow from band membership, they were denied their birthright. Thirty years ago, the federal government amended the Indian Act to remedy this injustice. However, band leadership basically said screw you, we get to determine who's a member of the band, and if we want to deny membership to the children of women who married outside the band, we'll go right ahead and do it. So how does the federal government reconcile their duty to a Canadian citizen with the policy of a self-governing native band?

Originally Posted by GGG

The reserve system is built by the White Man. It is codified in the Indian Act. Going to back to the Treaty's as the basis of policy would be a first step.

Anyone who suggests doing away with the reserve system in Canada is instantly denounced as a heartless conservative. There are powerful vested interests defending the status quo, from native leaders to lawyers to federal bodies.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by icecube

The average Canadian has a lot to learn about the history of colonialism and race relations in this country. The Indian act, policies of starvation, residential schools, broken treaty promises and on and on.

Some of us know a fair bit. I'm part native, my dad is a Metis elder, I've worked for the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs, and lived and worked as a journalist in a native community in the North. I've read treaties, sat in on land claims negotiations, covered band elections, and taken part in a round dance under the northern lights.

And the narrative you tell is hardly the whole picture - it's just as simplistic as they're all lazy bums.

Originally Posted by icecube

How much is the land and resources of Canada worth? A lot of this territory was never ceded to Canada, it is lands held in trust. How many Billions of dollars would that land be worth I wonder? Trillions perhaps? Maybe we could start by using some of it to help those who are the worst off.

We spend billions. Canada is responsible for providing health care and education to the bands is signed treaties with for As long as the sun shines the river flows and the grass grows. That's a legal commitment all Canadians needs to recognize, and moral commitment.

However, you can't just throw money at toxic communities and expect them to become healthy. Some of the wealthiest bands in Canada have the worst drug, gang, and suicide problems.

Take native housing. Much of it is in deplorable condition. But that's owing largely to A) the extreme isolation of many communities, and the corresponding extremely high cost of construction and maintenance, and B) in the absence of private ownership there's no incentive to take care of homes, so they quickly get trashed. Suggestions to encourage private ownership of native housing are unwelcome, which is unsurprising given the power band leaders derive from allocating housing.

Originally Posted by icecube

CBC ended up closing the comment section for Indgenous issues because of the endless stream of colonial bullcrap coming out of ignorant people's mouths.

The problem is that there really isn't any pubic debate on native issues in Canada. The only acceptable comment any non-Native Canada is allowed to make on the subject today is that everything was the fault of the Europeans and we need to spend more money. And when we don't allow open and public debate, people get resentful and pissed off in the anonymous forums where they can express themselves.

[Peanut]

Originally Posted by Ducay

Sorry, but it might be culturally insensitive, maybe, but how is that racism? Chinese names could sound silly, so could Portuguese.....this has nothing to do with anyone treating aboriginals differently.

If they want to preserve their language, by all means, go full Quebec and make everything in Cree in your nation. No one is stopping you. Just leave our sovereign lands alone.

I had two different thoughts in my post.

1. This is a thread full of racist comments that hopefully we will look back on soon enough and be able to clearly see that these comments are racist and biased, and that we’ve progressed as a nation and society in our attitudes and relationship with Indigenous people in Canada.

2. Saying “their language sounds dumb” is, ironically, a ridiculously stupid statement. It’s not one of the racist comments I’m rferring to in thought #1. It is, however, incredibly ridiculous. Why does Cree “sound dumb” and Chinese, French, or German does not? Or maybe that guy thinks all languages except English “sound dumb”.

[Coach]

Lol yeah those Cree words. So dumb. Not like a real word like Calgary or Canmore. Now those are words. Real words. That sound like English things.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by Peanut

I had two different thoughts in my post.

1. This is a thread full of racist comments that hopefully we will look back on soon enough and be able to clearly see that these comments are racist and biased, and that we’ve progressed as a nation and society in our attitudes and relationship with Indigenous people in Canada.

2. Saying “their language sounds dumb” is, ironically, a ridiculously stupid statement. It’s not one of the racist comments I’m rferring to in thought #1. It is, however, incredibly ridiculous. Why does Cree “sound dumb” and Chinese, French, or German does not? Or maybe that guy thinks all languages except English “sound dumb”.

If this thread is "full" of racist comments, you should quote all those posts and point out the racism. This should be easy.

And if this thread is a haven for racist posts you should report it so the mods can lock it.

Doing nothing except posting drive bys isn't accomplishing much.

[icecube]

Originally Posted by DiracSpike

To be colonial don't you have to profit in some way from the people being colonized? Your post is just buzzword city, the only racists in this debate are the people who are perfectly happy to keep throwing money at reserves so the people there can languish in third world conditions.

All from 1 minute on Google. A better education on the matter than you received in all your years of schooling.

col·o·ni·za·tion

kälənəˈzāSH(ə)n/

noun

the action or process of settling among and establishing control over the indigenous people of an area.

the action of appropriating a place or domain for one's own use.


Colonization can be defined as some form of invasion, dispossession and subjugation of a peoples.

The invasion need not be military; it can begin—or continue—as geographical intrusion in the form of agricultural, urban or industrial encroachments. The result of such incursion is the dispossession of vast amounts of lands from the original inhabitants.

This is often legalized after the fact. Historically, First Nation peoples (defined as Status Indians by the Indian Act) lost some 98% of their original lands through various legal means such as treaties and the Indian Act. Métis Nation peoples lost some 83% of their Red River lots through the Scrip program.

The long-term result of such massive dispossession is institutionalized inequality. The colonizer/colonized relationship is by nature an unequal one that benefits the colonizer at the expense of the colonized.

[OutOfTheCube]

Originally Posted by Peanut

I had two different thoughts in my post.

1. This is a thread full of racist comments that hopefully we will look back on soon enough and be able to clearly see that these comments are racist and biased, and that we’ve progressed as a nation and society in our attitudes and relationship with Indigenous people in Canada.

2. Saying “their language sounds dumb” is, ironically, a ridiculously stupid statement. It’s not one of the racist comments I’m rferring to in thought #1. It is, however, incredibly ridiculous. Why does Cree “sound dumb” and Chinese, French, or German does not? Or maybe that guy thinks all languages except English “sound dumb”.

It was a somewhat facetious comment that everyone took mega seriously (though I do think they've purposely picked some very over the top names just to get media coverage). I just find it amusing that there's a number of people that would be content to just roll over and have the names of the city they live in changed to something different all because a minority group is making some over the top claim to it. Anything to look as progressive as possible, I suppose.