Canada and Quebec are waging a war of attrition on a small band of 500 Algonquin Indians a few hours north of Ottawa. Today, this war has reached a critical juncture: its outcome will be a judgment on whether Canada is able to share the land with First Nations while respecting their right to maintain their cultures and determine their own destinies, or whether Canada can only offer resilient Aboriginal cultures a menu of assimilation, dependency, and cultural death.
barriere lake
February 27, 2012 |
On March 6th come hear about the long-standing resistance of Mitchikanibikok Inik, the Algonquins of Barriere Lake, to forced assimilation and cultural extinction.
Algonquins of Barriere Lake vs. Section 74 of the Indian Act
Barriere Lake Solidarity has produced this video to help bring attention to the current struggle by the Algonquins of Barriere Lake (ABL) against the Canadian government's imposition of Section 74 of the Indian Act. By enacting this obscure piece of the Act, the Canadian government is attempting to take control of the community by imposing band council elections on the community. The ABL have always had their own customary government.
For more information, visit:
barrierelakesolidarity.org
Algonquins of Barriere Lake fight for self-determination and environmental protection
On Dec. 13 2010, members of Barriere Lake Algonquin Nation and supporters took their message to Ottawa, demanding that the government respect their traditional customary governance and take back Section 74 of the Indian Act, and honour the 1991 Trilateral Agreement to sustainably manage their territory's natural resources. Video by Greg Macdougall. For more info visit barrierelakesolidarity.org and ipsmo.org.
Stop Canada's cultural genocide at Barriere Lake and workshop
Nov 1 2010 - 7:00pm
Nov 2 2010 - 10:00am
Location
Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE)
252 Bloor St West, Rm. 5280
Toronto, ON Canada
43° 38' 57.0084" N, 79° 28' 4.7424" W
See map: Google Maps
The Algonquins of Barriere Lake are a small First Nation community in northern Quebec, part of the Algonquin Nation. They are a tough people -- among the last Algonquins to maintain their own language, their traditional economy, traditional knowledge and traditional governance after centuries of colonialism. The community has always had a clear understanding that their survival as a people depends on maintaining their language, their relationship to the land, and their way of life. And crucial to defending these and transmitting traditional knowledge is their traditional form of government.
Algonquin community of Barriere Lake stands its ground
To exert pressure on the government and the logging industry, the Barriere Lake community has set up several blockades in protest. (Photo: Anita De Costa)