Hi Friends
I have in the past blogged about the lack of representation for us the off reserve community. I am also of the philosophy that you can only effect change from with-in...and now as the Rama reserve is finally allowing off reserve candidates I have been nominated, and have excepted the challenge.
This is proving to be a some what monumental task that I have set myself, as the campaigning time is very short: six weeks to be exact, and the off reserve residents list incomplete.
Six short weeks to get my name out in the community as well as to find many of our off reserve members and ask them for their support. I find our people are like the fluff of the dandelion...scattered by the wind.
My hope in running is of course to first win a mandate, and then to voice the concerns of the reserve members who too long have been ignored by those elected to serve them. I can look with fresh eyes at our problems and work with the others on council to try to address these common issues.
I won't insult any ones intelligence by offering immediate remedies to our many problems. I can however and do promise to work for you...as public servants are supposed to. Any one from my home reserve of Rama or a friend of Rama resident living off I'd be grateful if you'd pass along my message and lets start to build a new relationship together.
Regards Debra
Debra Stawnyczy
Uniting the community
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Friday, July 9, 2010
Majority, mniority rights
Hi Friends
I have always known I was a member of a minority group, but had no idea just what a minority.
That may not be an actual true statement, as the minority group I belong to, is actually, a majority, minority.
I am an off-reserve First Nations person. Now in the past I have stated ( rightly ) that most Indigenous people do in fact live off reserve. About 70% of any reserve's population live and work off reserve. Aboriginal and Canadian governments both know this very well. In actual fact it can be argued we are a very well known group. We are the token Indians at work, we are the token Indians at school, and we are the token Indians in our neighborhoods. More than a few Indigenous families gathered in any town house or high rise complex and it could be correctly guessed your living in " moccasin flats. "(Indian ghetto)
When our Nations called on their people to stand up, we in the off reservation population, answered the call.
When our people are denigrated in the main stream press, it is us, the off reserve, who write letters to the editors of these papers demanding fair and unbiased coverage of our struggles.
Many off reserve persons (like myself) have blog sites to help us connect with our communities, and have access to our leadership, to inform and pass on news, and to help get the word out to others like ourselves, away from their communities, and keep the information flowing.
There are many identities, used to keep track of us. To some we are C-31s and others know us as 6(-2)s. Both of these codes come from INAC, and have to do with our lineage, meaning we are Indigenous through our mothers and therefore less Indian than those who have lineage through their fathers. This is exactly what these numbered codes mean. Don't let any one try to tell you any differently.
Most C-31s/6(2)s live off reserve, because for the most part we are all the products of enfranchised mothers, and having been born to these women have very little or even no experience of reserve living.
This is proving to be a very divisive problem within our communities. Most on reserve have the mistaken impression that we the (C-31s/6(2)s ) are less indigenous then they are.This thinking exists even in the leadership band administration offices.
The leaders want our bodies on the lines for the protests, yet want us to disappear once it is over. They demand their citizens be recognized, as the first inhabitants of this land, and their rights as such protected. Great! Not so fast...not all their citizens, but the on reserve ones for sure...and throw a few crumbs to those off reserve. They then tell us we should be grateful as I myself was recently told. You see, when I was protesting for tax immunity for the Nations I was protesting for ALL the members not just the on reserve citizens. Imagine my surprise when told that I would NOT be receiving the same protection of my rights as my on reserve counterparts. I was chastised by a band office worker for having the gall to expect that my rights as a First Nation citizen should be fully advocated along with those of the on reserve members. I have a vote, yet no representation. Our band membership is used to determine the transfer payments to the reserve, yet there are no programs for us. We are told to access the friendship centers for our needs.
Whats going on here? Assimilated, colonized thinking directed at your own? This from the very people we are engaged in fighting the colonizers over recognition of our rights to be enjoyed...by all of us... I feel the need to add: It can be argued that you are every bit as evil toward us as the colonizing governments, with your willingness to disrespect your own, just because we don't live in your neighborhood!
Debra
I have always known I was a member of a minority group, but had no idea just what a minority.
That may not be an actual true statement, as the minority group I belong to, is actually, a majority, minority.
I am an off-reserve First Nations person. Now in the past I have stated ( rightly ) that most Indigenous people do in fact live off reserve. About 70% of any reserve's population live and work off reserve. Aboriginal and Canadian governments both know this very well. In actual fact it can be argued we are a very well known group. We are the token Indians at work, we are the token Indians at school, and we are the token Indians in our neighborhoods. More than a few Indigenous families gathered in any town house or high rise complex and it could be correctly guessed your living in " moccasin flats. "(Indian ghetto)
When our Nations called on their people to stand up, we in the off reservation population, answered the call.
When our people are denigrated in the main stream press, it is us, the off reserve, who write letters to the editors of these papers demanding fair and unbiased coverage of our struggles.
Many off reserve persons (like myself) have blog sites to help us connect with our communities, and have access to our leadership, to inform and pass on news, and to help get the word out to others like ourselves, away from their communities, and keep the information flowing.
There are many identities, used to keep track of us. To some we are C-31s and others know us as 6(-2)s. Both of these codes come from INAC, and have to do with our lineage, meaning we are Indigenous through our mothers and therefore less Indian than those who have lineage through their fathers. This is exactly what these numbered codes mean. Don't let any one try to tell you any differently.
Most C-31s/6(2)s live off reserve, because for the most part we are all the products of enfranchised mothers, and having been born to these women have very little or even no experience of reserve living.
This is proving to be a very divisive problem within our communities. Most on reserve have the mistaken impression that we the (C-31s/6(2)s ) are less indigenous then they are.This thinking exists even in the leadership band administration offices.
The leaders want our bodies on the lines for the protests, yet want us to disappear once it is over. They demand their citizens be recognized, as the first inhabitants of this land, and their rights as such protected. Great! Not so fast...not all their citizens, but the on reserve ones for sure...and throw a few crumbs to those off reserve. They then tell us we should be grateful as I myself was recently told. You see, when I was protesting for tax immunity for the Nations I was protesting for ALL the members not just the on reserve citizens. Imagine my surprise when told that I would NOT be receiving the same protection of my rights as my on reserve counterparts. I was chastised by a band office worker for having the gall to expect that my rights as a First Nation citizen should be fully advocated along with those of the on reserve members. I have a vote, yet no representation. Our band membership is used to determine the transfer payments to the reserve, yet there are no programs for us. We are told to access the friendship centers for our needs.
Whats going on here? Assimilated, colonized thinking directed at your own? This from the very people we are engaged in fighting the colonizers over recognition of our rights to be enjoyed...by all of us... I feel the need to add: It can be argued that you are every bit as evil toward us as the colonizing governments, with your willingness to disrespect your own, just because we don't live in your neighborhood!
Debra
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