[NatNews-north] URGENT Protest at SPAET Mountain
- Original Message -
From: Cheryl Bryce
To: Cheryl Bryce
Sent: Thursday, November 16, 2006 12:05 AM
Subject: FW: URGENT Protest at SPAET Mountain
I know most of you live out of town but send us your good thought,
prayers...etc.
Regards
Cheryl
- Original Message -
From: Cheryl Bryce
Sent: Wednesday, November 15, 2006 11:17 PM
Subject: Fw: URGENT Protest at SPAET Mountain
Sorry about the late notice but this is URGENT! We just found out this evening
that the developer will be taking the top of the cave off the mountain tomorrow
morning. We need to stop this. They have beaten on our ancestors, our spiritual
beliefs, our culture and land. We asking all First Nations to come out and
stand with us. This is something that it affects us all. Please come and stand
with us. If you receive this after we have gone up there maybe other ways you
can take part and assist call Kathy Bryce at the Songhees lands office
386-1047. If you have a camera please bring it.
Cheryl
This Protest will take place on SPAET Mountain November 16, 2006 at 5:00am. The
developer of Bear Mountain plans to destroy the cave SPAET Mountain tomorrow.
The hike is a bit steep and will take about an hour to reach the cave.
a.. 5:00 am meet at Canwest Mall near Shoppers Drug Mart. Look for Wendy
Edwards in or around her brown van. We will find people to give rides from
there to the mountain. This ideally will stop any potential parking issue. If
you are able to get someone to drop you off then meet us at end of Savory Road.
Look for the little brown women, Cheryl Bryce. It is located off Trans Canada
Hwy #1 it is the first road to the right past the Shell Gas Station. The Shell
Gas Station is on the corner of the Hwy and Spencer Road. If you reach
Goldstream Park then you went way to far. Maps are attached.
b.. We will need to leave Savory Road and start up the mountain at 5:45 am.
Bear Mountain Development is planning to take off the top of the cave tomorrow
at 7:00 am. It will take approximately 1 hour to reach the location.
c.. Please layer your clothing. Prepare for all types of weather, rain
jacket, warm cloths, gloves..etc. Bring food, snacks and water. If you have
anything that can be used for shelter from the rain please bring it. As long as
it not to heavy it is a long and steep hike. The weather is suppose to be much
like it was today. Please pack your backpacks with suitable gear.
huy ch q'u siem nu siyeyu
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[NatNews-north] Military Vehicles set off brief Aboriginal Blockade off Eastern Ontario Highway
- Original Message -
From: RUSSELL DIABO
To: Undisclosed-Recipient:;@priv-edmwaa10.telusplanet.net
Sent: Wednesday, November 15, 2006 7:58 PM
Subject: Fw: Military Vehicles set off brief Aboriginal Blockade off Eastern
Ontario Highway
FYI
- Original Message -
From: allen deleary
To: book end
Sent: Wednesday, November 15, 2006 8:09 PM
Subject: Military Vehicles set off brief Aboriginal Blockade off Eastern
Ontario Highway
Military vehicles set off brief aboriginal blockade of eastern Ontario highway
2 hours, 3 minutes ago
DESERONTO, Ont. (CP) - An aboriginal campaign to erect posters at the site of a
land claim in eastern Ontario descended into a tense road blockade on Wednesday
after several army vehicles came upon the site.
Tyendinaga Mohawk residents posting signs on the contested land used several
vans to block Hwy. 2 near Deseronto, Ont., for nearly half an hour after five
army vehicles approached.
It was not a planned blockade, it was just posting of the land to let people
know that it is Mohawk land, said aboriginal spokeswoman Jan Hill.
Coincidentally, the army drove through Deseronto today, she said.
The 15-soldier convoy was travelling from CFB Borden near Barrie, Ont., through
several military bases as part of a three-day training exercise, said spokesman
Cpt. Fraser Clark.
The sergeant had to call the OPP to help them, escort them through that
particular part of Hwy. 2, said Clark.
It's a planned route . . . they've been through there before and they've never
had any previous incidents.
The appearance Wednesday of army vehicles during the postering campaign sparked
a heated confrontation in which one Mohawk community member was bumped by a
truck, said Hill.
They were stopped and asked why they were there, what they were doing in the
area, said Hill, who witnessed the dispute.
They were detained for a while . . . maybe half and hour, then they were
allowed to go through.
When the trucks began pulling away one man was bumped, said Hill.
Tempers flared a bit, but nobody was hurt and the truck was allowed to
continue passing through.
The eastern Ontario town is the site of a planned 140-home subdivision - but
the Tyendinaga Mohawks say the land is theirs.
The land claim is currently before the federal government, and Tyendinaga
Territory Chief Don Maracle met last week with federal government officials to
discuss the issue.
The claim is similar to one in Caledonia, Ont., near Hamilton, which touched
off a controversial land occupation that has bitterly divided the community.
But David Ramsay, Ontario's minister responsible for aboriginal affairs, said
he's not concerned this land claim will escalate into an occupation.
I think the federal government has it in hand, he said, adding it may just be
a misunderstanding about permits being issued.
At this point, he said the province doesn't have anything to do with the claim.
Ontario would only become involved if it escalates into a confrontation and
provincial police are required, Ramsay said.
Copyright © 2006 Canadian Press
Copyright 2006 © Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved.
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[NatNews-north] Statement issued today to UN Missions
- Original Message - From: Victoria Tauli-Corpuz To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; Ida Nicolaisen : ; [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; William Langeveldt ; Adrian Lasimbang ; Anselmo Lee ; Aqqaluk Lynge ; Bernice P. Aquino See ; Cecil le Fleur ; cej.peter-bluewin.ch ; Celeste Mckay ; Chandra Roy : ; Don Bain ; Donnie Nicholls ; Ed John ; Edtami Mansayagan ; Ellacarin Blind ; Ellen Lutz ; Emil Kleden ; Fergus MacKay : ; James Anaya ; Jing Corpuz ; john scott : ; joy tudu ; mirnacunningham-aol.com Sent: Wednesday, November 15, 2006 8:45 PM Subject: Fwd: Statement issued today to UN Missions Dear Friends, Please find below a statement by the Indigenous Caucus in New York on the moves of the Africans. cheers, vicky The world's Indigenous peoples call on states from Asia and the Caribbean not to support the procedural motion to defer the decision on the Indigenous Declaration! . The Namibian proposal tabled on behalf of the African Group suggests that the decision on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is, in effect, a non-action motion. If approved, it would have as its most likely outcome that the United Nations never adopts the Declaration. . For historical reasons, African, Asian, Caribbean peoples and Indigenous peoples have always supported each other, generally and in various UN processes. It is with great sorrow that the Indigenous peoples note that despite our similar history, hardships and concerns, the African Group presently has a position that most likely will derail the entire Indigenous Declaration process. . The Indigenous peoples of the world request that the Asian and the Caribbean states vote no to any proposal to defer the decision on the Indigenous Declaration. Namibia, on behalf of the African Group is - in a proposed amendment to the earlier tabled Peruvian resolution - requesting that the United Nations General Assembly's decision on the Indigenous Declaration be deferred. The amendment is characterized as friendly and not of significant importance. Namibia says that they only need a little more time to be ready to support the Declaration. It is not explained, however, what activities are planned that would allow Namibia, Botswana and others to support the Declaration in a few months time. The African proposal to the UNGA is - both in the way it is presented and in the effect that it would have - the same proposal that Canada made in June in an attempt to block the Human Rights Council from adopting the Indigenous Declaration. It is widely acknowledged that the intention behind Canada's procedural move in the HRC was to derail the entire Declaration process. Further, even though couched in other terms, the Canadian proposal to the Human Rights Council was generally regarded as a non-action motion. The amendment tabled by Namibia on behalf of the African Group is also in effect a procedural non-action motion, and should be referred to as such. The most likely outcome of their proposal - should it be adopted - would be to prevent the United Nations from adopting a Declaration that aims to include in the world community the over 370 million Indigenous people that all statistics show are among the most marginalized, discriminated against, and impoverished people in the world. Explaining its material problems with the Indigenous Declaration, Botswana has stated that the Declaration, among other things, threatens the territorial integrity of states and gives a blanket recognition of tribal groups to full political and economic self-determination. Botswana further asserts that any group could claim indigenousness under the Declaration. The Botswana statement presents a striking similarity with previous interventions by Australia, New Zealand and the United States. International legal experts and a vast majority of states have concluded that the U.S., New Zealand and Australian interventions contain exaggerated, highly inaccurate and prejudicial interpretations of the Indigenous Declaration. These interventions have generally been regarded as being part of a strategy to induce unwarranted fears. Indigenous peoples have immense sympathy for the African, Asian and Caribbean peoples. We condemn the crimes committed against the African and Asian continents, as well as the islands of the Caribbean, during the colonization era. We celebrate the formation of independent states in these regions. We reaffirm that former colonizing powers have an enormous debt to pay to former colonies. We support, as we have always done, Africa, Asia and the Caribbean in any such claim. Part of our support for these claims is that many of us have been through similar hardships. Several of us have first hand experience with how cruel colonization can be. It is therefore natural
[NatNews-north] Counterpoint: Native assimilation is not the answer
- Original Message -
From: RUSSELL DIABO
To: Undisclosed-Recipient:;@priv-edtnaa03.telusplanet.net
Sent: Thursday, November 16, 2006 5:51 AM
Subject: Counterpoint: Native assimilation is not the answer
Thursday » November 16 » 2006
Counterpoint: Native assimilation is not the answer
Waubageshig (Harvey McCue)
National Post
Thursday, November 16, 2006
In a recent editorial, this newspaper praised former Ontario cabinet
minister Alan Pope for his proposal to relocate the Cree residents of the
troubled Kashechewan First Nation from their reserve near James Bay to the
outskirts of Timmins, Ont.
But Mr. Pope and his media admirers are merely reiterating what many
Canadians have argued for generations is the salvation for First Nations: Get
off the reserve and get a life! In fact, this sentiment began in earnest with
Duncan Campbell Scott who, as the deputy minister for Indian Affairs in the
1800s, officially commented numerous times that the only good Indian was an
extinct one, or words to that effect.
If the residents of Kashechewan agree to it, the relocation proposed by
Mr. Pope will result in their assimilation. The same would be true of any other
isolated First Nations communities that accept this route.
Elsewhere, other First Nations, such as the Cree on the Quebec side of
James Bay, are actively pursuing economic and social progress, and rejecting
the conventional wisdom that says success for First Nations lies in
assimilation. The principal difference between the communities on the two sides
of the bay is that the Quebec Cree have acquired authority over their lives.
That authority has enabled the Quebec Cree to fashion a growing regional
economy, a quality of life that combines ancient Cree traditions with Western
modernization and a cultural confidence that is the bane of Quebec separatists.
They have found a successful course that does not involve assimilation. Life is
not perfect for the Quebec Cree, but they do have the tools to work at
resolving their problems.
The Ontario Cree, by contrast, have been virtually ignored. The
communities there have been left to subsist on federal government handouts
rather than developing policies for their own benefit. That subsistence has led
to what some might call a culture of dependence.
The condition stems from the views of an army of officials, who have been
unwilling to see northern Indian communities as self-reliant. And so Ottawa
continues to provide a minimal level of services, which ensures that a
wholesale social collapse will be avoided but ignores any meaningful
consideration of how these communities might become successful. Consequently,
the residents lack the tools, i.e., the infrastructure, the institutions, the
fiscal resources and, more importantly, the self-determination to do much more
than make do with handouts.
Indeed, the federal government doesn't really know what self-government
means for First Nations. If the Quebec Cree had relied on Ottawa to achieve
their local and regional governments, their nation would now be in tatters.
Moreover, the process to achieve Indian self-government -- as Ottawa defines it
-- is mired in bureaucracy with little guarantee for success.
Relocating northern residents is the easy way out, the quick fix. The
slow strangulation by the umbilical cord of government handouts is not a viable
option either. Instead, we should support Kashechewan and similarly situated
First Nations in creating a northern economy, and ensuring that they have the
power necessary to take control of their land and resources.
For two centuries, officials and politicians have been trying to figure
out how to get rid of Indians. As their strategic roles as key players in the
early economy of the fur trade and as military allies waned, the preferred
strategy came to be moving them as far as possible from developing areas onto
remote, isolated patches of land. Duncan Campbell Scott predicted that
residential schools would possibly be the final step in the process. Failing
that, the Indian Act was used as an instrument of the state to get rid of
Indians through the loss of Indian status.
Mr. Pope's suggested urban relocation of an entire community is just
another step in that desperate process. Assimilation is simply not a
justifiable or worthy goal for this country to pursue.
- Waubageshig (Harvey McCue) consults on a variety of First Nations issues
© National Post 2006
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[NatNews-north] Natives' 'sacred' cave destroyed
Natives' 'sacred' cave destroyed Developers at Bear Mountain committing cultural genocide, aboriginal leaders charge Louise Dickson and Bill Cleverley, with files from Jeff Rud Times Colonist Thursday, November 16, 2006 http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/capital_van_isl/story.html?id=80cd36bf-4bc7-435f-bc53-925c6231 CREDIT: Darren Stone, Times Colonist Cheryl Bryce, the Songhees First Nation land manager, inspects what is left of a cave that is held sacred by many lower Island aboriginal people. The cave is on private property on which a road will be built to access part of the Bear Mountain project and was excavated under the supervision of government, archeologists and native representatives. The provincial government and Bear Mountain developers are committing cultural genocide by destroying a cave on Skirt Mountain that is sacred to aboriginal people, the land manager of the Songhees First Nation charged yesterday. As dump trucks roared in the background, Cheryl Bryce stood at the cave entrance, now clogged with tree stumps. A subterranean lake has been drained and filled with tires. Natural vegetation has been scraped off the top of the cave. This angers me. It really, really angers me, said Bryce. At the same time, I'm really, really heartbroken and saddened to see this kind of destruction to this sacred land ... to me it's another form of cultural genocide to take away what is rightfully ours, to take away that connection we have to our spirits and our ancestors. Bryce and Tsartlip Chief Chris Tom complained that First Nations were not consulted about archeological assessments of the site by companies hired by the City of Langford and by Bear Mountain Resort. They said they were shocked to discover last week that the province approved removing the roof of the cave and draining the lake to complete the assessment. Their methodology is insane and horrific, said Bryce. To damage a site to prove there might be some physical evidence -- We know we used it and how sacred it is. There's evidence all round this mountain of use and occupation. Langford Mayor Stew Young said There's been consultation [with First Nations] all along. They've been able to consult with the archeologists we hired. They've been with them every day. They've been allowed to have somebody on site every single day -- a representative from their band. Young said he has done everything he promised. I wrote a letter to the chief and said 'if you have any problems let's go out for dinner.' I invited him out for dinner, three or four months ago. ... I had no response. Bear Mountain project developer Les Bjola said the company has followed regulations to the letter. We've hired the two best archeological firms in the city of Victoria and we've been operating under the direct supervision of the ministry -- and I mean hands-on direct. We have done nothing that wasn't officially supervised and sanctioned by them. Asked if First Nations representatives were on site, Bjola said, We paid them to be there every day. Bjola said the geologist and the safety officer both declared the cave unsafe. The roof was removed because it was going to fall in anyway. Justine Batten, director of the archeology branch in the Ministry of Tourism, Sports and Arts, said the Songhees were consulted throughout the process. The ministry was in touch regularly with Songhees representative Norm Pearson, she said. Bryce said she met with members of the government's archeology branch who told her sacred sites are not accepted as archeological sites. They said they cannot protect sacred sites, they could only protect anything that shows physical evidence of occupation or use. Batten said the cave will not be rebuilt. For the first time, members of the media were taken to the cave yesterday. Bryce led the excursion up a steep path through forests of arbutus, Douglas fir and Garry oak to the damaged entrance. That was huge, said Bryce. It's sacred enough we keep it a secret. We do not share this with people who do not have indigenous family rights to it. But right now, we need people to know and we need their support because this is not right. Even though it has been severely damaged, the cave is still a sacred site First Nations want to protect, she said. At a morning press conference Tom called what has happened to the cave a slap in the face to all First Nations. All the chiefs and council will be called together to discuss what action they will take, he said. Young noted the site is on private property. He said Langford had spent $30,000 on the archeological efforts. Bear Mountain has spent well in excess of $300,000. The land is adjacent to Bear Mountain Resort, but resort owner and former NHL player Len Barrie struck a deal with the owners to build the road through the forested land to provide a second access
