It's about time we all got really disturbed there is so much nasty stuff going on and has gone on. People have had a peak into the evilness of Residential Schools but nobody wants to go there(with their mind). I am talking about people who didn't attend or have no relatives that attended.
We saw and heard really HORRIFIC things yesterday.
They tried to prepare us...but I didn't really have the tools to be ready for what was coming. The elder (while he hates to be called that) -I'm going to call him Wise One- he had prepared himself in a special way because he actually lived this through this and so did his family.
I cried, cried, CRIED! I WANTED TO GO OUT SIDE AND SCREAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I wanted to puke out all the evilness and hurt.
I made it through, and I was only a bystander, I didn't experience this personally but it felt like it. I have great empathy for these friends, these loving souls, when they hurt I hurt.
We were told not to take this stuff with us. Don't pick up someone else's bundle(?) baggage, I was told to think of it as going on a a long canoe journey. Some parts would be very VERY hard and we would have to STRUGGLE through but once we did, we would get to the next village and people would be there to feed and care of us.
So I survived, I came home, I was safe. It never happened to me. It just felt like it did. HOW CAN PEOPLE BE SO EVIL TO OTHERS????????????????
They learned, they learned it when they were children. I have always said, "monsters make monsters", if you never learned love then how can you give, but it goes deeper.
It has to do with people feeling superior. They used to believe the that Indigenous people were not human. They had deep GREED in their core and when they saw all this land, they wanted it and they figure out how to take it for themselves. They would KILL THE INDIAN!!
Isn't that horrible. I KNOW you probably don't want to read this, maybe you won't but if you do, then you are brave and you have a heart and soul and your willing to be enlightened.
Do you see I mentioned the term Indigenous.
Someone is my class enlightened me yesterday.
You see I didn't realize I wasn't using some labels/terms correctly.
First Nations, Metis, metis, Inuit, Aborignal, Indigenous...do you know the difference and WHY they are important but why they shouldn't be.
First Nations is a term and all these terms were created by the government, they define the person by the amount of blood they have...if you are 51% then you are can have status and you get a card saying that, If not, you don't.
I will break the rest down in a bit.
But the reason it's all so important is that it comes down to land rights, it is the INDIGENOUS people that were living here before the Europeans(Settlers) came and killed them with disease and Residential schools, it was and IS their land.
Residential schools were horrible evil systems that ripped children away from loving, abundant homes and forced them into violence. Propaganda promoted the idea that they were doing some huge favor but in reality it was the government RIPPING THE OFF OF THEIR LAND. And it is to this day.
But it's been buried. Hidden, they don't want us to know this dark nasty evil secret BECAUSE they are STILL doing it.
There are so many Indigenous people in the Child Welfare system and Judicial system it's programed that way to keep them out of the way, WITHOUT RIGHTS, KNOWLEDGE, HEALTH, JUSTICE so that their land can continue to be STOLEN, DESTROYED, POLLUTED, SOLD.
It's true. Sadly it is really true but everyone is in denial because it's too F*UCKING ugly to acknowledge.
I am sorry for venting here but I am OUTRAGED and so should YOU!
I shared a video the other day, https://tinawinterlik.blogspot.ca/2015/11/lets-rip-off-all-labels.html
You know in a PERFECT world we don't need labels, labels are really horrible and cause so many problems BUT that said INDIGENOUS PEOPLES MUST KEEP THE LABELS OR THE GOVERNMENT WILL CONTINUE TO EXPLOIT THEM AND THEIR LAND.
I know, I know I am yelling with my big font but I feel like I need to wake everyone up because we have been lost in the dark and now it's time to find our way out of the forest.
So who is considered First Nations- this is the conversation I had yesterday because I was told I was using the term wrong when using it to refer to myself. (I said I had First Nations in me...)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Nations
This is what Wikipedia says, it's a very long article, I have glanced through it but will read it more in detail later and you should too.
The First Nations (French: Premières Nations) are the various Aboriginal Canadians who are neither Inuit nor Métis.[2] There are currently 634[3] recognized First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia.[4] Under the Employment Equity Act, First Nations are a "designated group", along with women, visible minorities, and people with physical or mental disabilities.[5] First Nations are not defined as a visible minority under the Act or by the criteria of Statistics Canada.[6]
Now if you look on the Government of Canada website this is what it says,
"First Nations people" refers to Status and non-status "Indian" peoples in Canada. Many communities also use the term "First Nation" in the name of their community. Currently, there are 617 First Nation communities, which represent more than 50 nations or cultural groups and 50 Aboriginal languages.
According to the 2011 National Household Survey, more than 1.4 million people in Canada identify themselves as an Aboriginal person, or 4% of the population. 50% percent are registered Indians, 30% are Métis, 15% are non-status Indians and 4% are Inuit. Over half of Aboriginal people live in urban centres.
Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada's (AANDC's) responsibilities and its partnerships with First Nation people and communities range from negotiating land claim and self-government agreements to providing social services, education and economic development. These activities support AANDC's mandate and vision, and help to maintain and strengthen the relationship between the Government of Canada and First Nations people. READ MORE HERE
https://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1100100013791/1100100013795\
Is this shit complicated, you bet!! Why, because it's all about money and greed.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/indigenous-aboriginal-which-is-correct-1.3771433
Indigenous or Aboriginal: Which is correct? A collective noun for the original inhabitants of Canada a challenge since Columbus, writes Bob Joseph
http://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/indigenous-aboriginal-which-is-correct-1.3771433
Here's another informative article
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/what-s-in-a-name-indian-native-aboriginal-or-indigenous-1.2784518
This this the take away from that article but please read it all.
"Bottom line: First Nation people have done much to reclaim their identity by striving to become independent and self-sufficient. This is a good way to go about things for now.
Perhaps the biggest problem with all of this is that we fight over it and people's feelings get hurt. I have always maintained that we should call people what they want to be called, and if I make a mistake when I refer to someone's name, I ask that they please "guide me gently to a higher understanding" like the elders do. I never meant to offend anyone and I hope we can teach each other about these things in a good way."
Recently the CBC changed it's name to CBC Indigenous
http://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/cbc-aboriginal-becomes-cbc-indigenous-1.3765790
http://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous
Today, CBC Aboriginal will be renamed CBC Indigenous, and CBC's Aboriginal Digital Unit will become the Indigenous Digital Unit.
While we understand that there is no truly all-encompassing term, Indigenous is fast becoming the preferred way to refer to First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.
In adopting this change, we join the ranks of many individuals, groups, organizations, universities and governments — both nationally and globally — who have chosen to use the term Indigenous.
Aboriginal vs. Indigenous
In 1982, the Canadian government adopted the legal term "Aboriginal peoples of Canada" in the Constitution Act, referring to the Indian, Inuit and Métis peoples of Canada.While the term Aboriginal increased in popularity in the '80s and '90s, Indigenous began to take over, often chosen by Indigenous people — as opposed to designated by someone else.
Canada officially adopts UN declaration on rights of Indigenous Peoples
Standing ovation at UN greets Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett's announcement
http://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/canada-adopting-implementing-un-rights-declaration-1.3575272
So what is the take away from ALL THIS!
Who AM I?
And while I am lost and trying to figure this out and people are upset because someone used a term that they feel is incorrect, people are fighting about who's who, how much blood makes you qualify for a title, the title is only important because it's a way for the government of Canada to categorize you and decide who it can abuse...
People are fighting within families, people denying they have any Indigenous blood when the truth is we are all indigenous to this earth but you can't say that because then you may have more rights or NO RIGHTS and it's a real sad F*cking mess.
So this THANKSGIVING think long and hard and hopefully promise yourself to educate yourself and your children and family about all of this, go gently if you must but have the conversations...
What was that Thanksgiving really about. It was giving thanks because the Indigenous peoples living here before the Europeans arrived to take over and claim what was NOT theirs, they were giving Thanks because the Indigenous people saved their "starving" asses.
But we have never been taught that. Instead through art and written words and violence we have been fed a horrific concoction of lies and those lies were fed to each generation and they will continue unless you TAKE ACTION now and ENLIGHTEN yourself.
DON'T BE FOOLED any longer.
Because if you don't, if you don't, we face a much darker future. That's the Truth. Indigenous people have something deep inside that says 'PROTECT MOTHER EARTH' and they will do what they have to to do it.
The governments have tried to "kill " that in them, they are still trying but it's STRONG! IT'S SO STRONG, so there is hope, I feel it.
I feel sad and mad and go through so many emotions, and I have had to do so much research and I am learning new things all the time about my history, my family's history and deep inside a little voice, I am sure it's my Great Great Grandma and my Great Grandma, and my mom, they are pushing me, pushing me to find and learn the truth and to share it. And that's what I am doing, the best way I know how.
Last night when I got home, I felt traumatized. I took a long bath and I had a vision. I saw things that encouraged me, a story, maybe it's a series of paintings, maybe it's a carving...some how I need to do them and share them.
And that brings me back to art and history, where is the Indigenous history, where is the evidence of the people who lived here before the settlers arrived.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Population_history_of_indigenous_peoples_of_the_Americas
It's weird I can not really find a stat on how many Indigenous people were here before contact with Europeans, I remember reading that in South America or maybe Mesoamerica something like 9 million indigenous people died of disease, you see, they don't want us to know so this info is not easy to find and that tells you something right there. The fact that all their art, clothes, homes were destroyed or stolen shows they were trying to wipe them all out and they are still trying...and it goes back to greed.
My final point here is ART is POWERFUL! Tell your story through art. What every injustices you have suffered or are suffering, put your energy into art and tell it and hopefully it will survive, and it will tell the TRUTH many many years from now.
Like this...
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/ballet-ghosts-of-violence-first-nations-1.3794579
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/national-archive-indegenous-documents-1.3792693?cmp=abfb
or even this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nYXFletWH4
OR THIS...READ THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/oct/05/artemisia-gentileshi-painter-beyond-caravaggio
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| https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/oct/05/artemisia-gentileshi-painter-beyond-caravaggio |
Tell your story and tell the truth, not some trumped up shit that has been fed to us through a lying government and people who were sick, sick their minds and souls....who CREATED A WAR OF 150 YEARS AGAINST CHILDREN!! And it is still going on!!!!!!!!!!!!!! just in a different format.
The time for Truth is now and if we are to Reconcile let it be with our families, friends, people you meet on the street, on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, the power of SOCIAL MEDIA to tell the Truth, share it and let's give thanks this Thanksgiving that we have to power to access it.
Please use that power, use the power of art, let's reconcile with ourselves, let's reconcile with the truth how ever dark and ugly it is and let's change it, change it for a better future, for our children and children's childrens future.
Because if we don't...if we don't ....I don't want to think about that future...it's too dark and too scary...just like the past we just came from and the present that so many INDIGENOUS people are living RIGHT NOW!!
There's so much more I want to say, like we need some of these for John A. MacDonald- A-standing for ULTIMATE A-HOLE but I actually have to get ready because I am going to share a Thanksgiving dinner with my family, and this doesn't usually happen for us.
In fact it's been 12 years since I've been to this family member's home.. I am going to give thanks, thanks that we will be together, thanks that we have food to eat and we are safe, thanks I have not suffered as others have, thanks that I have the ability to learn and share the truth, thanks that I am an artist and create and hopefully I can share a message that will live on long after I am gone. Thanks that I can share the truth and others will hopefully learn and end the evilness that is happening NOW and prevent it from happening again in the future. That's what I am giving thanks for this Thanksgiving.
Related:
Related links: (haven't read these yet but plan too)
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/natives-americans-reveal-what-they-really-think-about-thanksgiving-day-a6751771.html
http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2012/11/23/what-really-happened-first-thanksgiving-wampanoag-side-tale-and-whats-done-today-145807
http://www.elle.com/culture/career-politics/news/a32138/native-americans-react-thanksgiving-christopher-columbus/
Keywords: TRUTH, evil, residential schools, reconciliation, thanksgiving, rape, pillage, plunder, First nations, Metis, Indigenous, Anger, sadness, empathy, outrage, Canada, John A MacDonald, school, education, prisons, colonialism,
