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The cadets of Hobbema are a good news First Nations story that the media ignore

Photo: Jesse Winter

It's no secret that the media love to sensationalize violence and conflict, but this is particularly dangerous for marginalized communities like First Nations.

"‘If it bleeds it leads' isn't new, and it's not unique to Aboriginal issues," says Duncan McCue, an Anishinaabe reporter who covers Aboriginal affairs for CBC's The National.

"The problem, though, is when it's focused on a racial group you end up with the concern that Indians are being painted as problem people."

The people of Hobbema, Alberta, are well use to this attitude.

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indigenous culture First Nations First Nation issues alberta first nations Aboriginal rights

First Nations burial sites threatened by ignorance and indifference

Watersnake Mound, a burial site for 3,000 years, in Toronto's High Park. Photo: Catherine Tammaro
High Park is the largest park in Toronto, home to dozens of sacred Iroquoian sites now under threat.

Related rabble.ca story:

Haudenosaunee sites of cultural importance damaged in Toronto's largest park
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indigenous culture first nations rights burial mound Ancestral burial grounds

On the theft and appropriation of Indigenous cultures

Photo: robotdot/Flickr
There is no fine line.

Related rabble.ca story:

On the theft and appropriation of Indigenous cultures
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indigenous peoples indigenous culture Indigenous First Nations cultural exploitation cultural appropriation
in his own words

On the theft and appropriation of Indigenous cultures

Photo: robodot/Flickr

A recent discussion over a cup of coffee with friends in Edmonton brought up four very different examples that had me considering how indigenous culture is flagrantly (mis)appropriated and twisted.

They are: a self-proposed, self-described "chosen shaman" of multiple indigenous nations named "Little Grandmother," the deaths and injuries that took place in an appropriated sweat lodge at a "New Age" retreat in Arizona in 2009, a noted pretender who once taught at my Alma Mater in Minnesota, and a "Quantum Healing" business in Saskatoon.

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indigenous peoples indigenous culture first nations culture First Nations culture cultural exploitation cultural appropriation anti-racism
Columnists

Telling the truth about Thanksgiving

Does anyone ever wonder when "Columbus Day" will no longer be a nationally "celebrated" holiday? I mean really and truly -- when do y'all think that will happen?

In my opinion, it's not as if the information does not exist out there which explicitly states that no, Columbus was never even near the continental mass of what's now known as "America". The "great" navigator that he was didn't even know where he was going and never washed up here -- ever.

What he did do with the full backing of the voyage was ensue genocide, apartheid, and colonization -- all whose affects are deeply entrenched in existing assimilative federal policies, hierarchical societal structures, and the realities of Indigenous communities here and around the world.

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Thanksgiving Indigenous rights indigenous culture genocide First Nations columbus colonialism

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Five Native myths you really oughta know about

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No one likes to be pigeon-holed into any kind of stereotypical box, but the long history of colonization and oppression of Indigenous people has shoved us so far from mainstream public view that it's no wonder there exist these warped, outrageously wrong ideas about who we are.

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Healing ancestral relationships is important to activism

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In the view of many of the world's Indigenous peoples, maintaining good relationships with ancestors is considered crucial to ensuring the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health of individuals as well as the community.

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babble: Celebrating Thanksgiving = Supporting FN Genocide

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Thanksgiving is the day when the dominant settler culture celebrates the beginning of a genocide, and FNs continue to suffer the consequences.
rabble news

International Indigenous Leadership Gathering draws 1,000

Calls to healing, prayer and protection of Mother Earth were made by spiritual leaders from around the globe at the second annual event held in British Columbia. Photo: Kerry Coast.

We are the ones we are waiting for. This is the hour; we are in the time of change. However the urgency of this time in history -- spiritual or physical -- can be stated, it was so said at the International Indigenous Leadership Gathering. 

Over seven days, starting on May 31, a thousand people came to the Fountain Indian Reserve off Highway 99, near Lillooet, British Columbia. This was the second of four such gatherings to be called by the St'át'imc Chiefs Council, with the final event due to take place in 2012.

Chanupa carriers, prophecy keepers, and leaders of ceremony came from as far away as New Zealand and Mongolia to share in a celebration of indigenous wisdom and practice.

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indigenous culture First Nations Aboriginal rights

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A century of broken promises: The Memorial to Wilfred Laurier

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An arbour has been named and opened on the spot where, in 1910, the chiefs of many B.C. first nations created the ‘Magna Carta’ of their peoples, demanding redress, treaties and certainty.
Needs No Introduction
Needs No Introduction

Needs No Introduction: Aboriginal law conference

April 2, 2012
| The aboriginal law conference brought together three experts on aboriginal culture and law to discuss how to go about respecting aboriginal culture in the courtroom.

60:48 minutes (83.49 MB)

Aaju Peter

Michelle Valberg's Aaju Peter, shot in Iqaluit.

Aaju Peter is an Inuit activist and recipient of the Order of Canada in 2012 for her tireless efforts to preserve Inuit culture. Born in Northern Greenland, Peter moved up and down the west coast as a child with her family. Her father was a preacher and teacher. In 1981, Peter moved to Iqaluit where she has focused most of her activism.

Peter has been a vocal supporter of the Inuit seal hunt and its vital role in indigenous culture. She makes ready to wear seal skin clothing, from coats to tank tops with pelts bought from local hunters. The plummeting market value of seal pelts has a salient impact on her communities.

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seal hunt Order of Canada inuit women Inuit perspective Indigenous Sovereignty indigenous culture

Wise practices guide for aboriginal trans folks

two spirited folks have always been around

Developed by 2spirits this guide is part instructive, part demonstrative but on the whole a necessary read for activists. Designed for educators, organizations, activists and community workers, it includes detailed explanations of issues currently facing the indigenous trans community. From unisex toilets to harm reduction and visibility in the community, everything is examined through an indigenous perspective.

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Two Spirits trans human rights queer indigenous culture community activists Aboriginal rights
Migrant Matters
Migrant Matters

The powerful sacred life stages of women, Cree, Métis and Ojibway

November 12, 2011
| Nurturing and appreciating women, at each life stage, sustains healthy communities. The Sacred Feminine and story as healing forces in the decolonization and recovery of Aboriginal communities.

43:31 minutes (39.84 MB)
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