Finding the Boogeyman in Indigenous Lives

Manitoba Assembly of First Nations are wanting to get rid of the Indian Act.  Many agree with him, like Niigaan Sinclair, Professor at University of Manitoba. Who can disagree?  For me its interesting. I have some reservations but on a whole I think we need to change the relationship with the Federal government for sure. If getting rid of the Indian Act is one way to do it, well that's great.

I think we should be doing things that benefit our community. Question is what are those things. I used to say the first question to ask ourselves when in Leadership is: how will this benefit the community?

I think that is it. We are not really sure what in fact will benefit the community?  We are always chasing the Boogeyman. Phil Fontaine did it with the Residential School claims ( or at least he picked up the battle cry). Harold Cardinal fought the 1969 White Paper Boogeyman.  Elijah did it with Meech Lake.  The Mohawks fought the Quebec Boogeyman (SQ) and the Canadian Forces and many other events of Boogeyman battles.  Our people fought the 1985 Constitution repatriation.  No doubt there are going to be more fights and battles to come. There are many individuals looking for battles with boogeyman. We see it in the local communities when people are attacking one another or the local leadership. We see it when "Traditional" people attack other Traditional people. We see it with "Warriors" attacking anyone who doesn't see their way.

The thing I wonder, if we are searching for a silver bullet? Looking for the one thing to alleviate the woes of our people. Will it be scrapping the Indian Act?  I sincerely doubt it? Will it be ending the Fiduciary of Treaty?  I don't think so.  Will it be resource revenue sharing?  Probably not. Will it be getting rid of the Church in Indigenous communities?  Wouldn't hurt for sure.

I bet you the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) has an idea of what can be the silver bullet for Indigenous-First Nations. They once reported they saw Aboriginal Gangs as a threat to Canada. I think it is not what they see as the real threat. As they have said it is the "lone wolf" threat they fear. At least that is what they fear from foreign threats. For Canada the threat to Canada is the Traditional Indian Nationalist.  Why would a CSIS threat be the silver bullet for Indigenous community and their woes?

It is because the Traditionalists will have the foundation of what is a Nation. They will come to know their purpose; their entitlement. Not the entitlement of the mentality we see in the Reserve now, where everyone expects to be given something and to get something. No, the entitlement of being a Child of the Creator with your own laws and life. Not what is dictated by way of government transfer payments, policies and legalities. CSIS sees the  root of what makes a Nation want to stand up. For some it is the radicalization of their society.  This is when you see the Nation become the Boogeyman against the ruling governments.

It is not happening right now. We are right now chasing the Boogeyman and wishing for someone to fix our woes. Its many things influencing our chase of Boogeyman. We shouldn't be looking for the Boogeyman.

We know the answers to our woes but we keep those answers in our closed groups. We speak openly in our friend circles. We talk about our people and the ills they face. We know the answers for our problems.  We know it is about becoming disciplined. We know it is not relying on the Band Office for our wants. We know it is not sitting in the pulpit or the pews of the Church. We know it's not electing the stupid individual who only wants a job or status. We know it is not in the Warrior who battles their own people. We know it's not in the gangs as they are the scum of our community. Gangs are the joke of the big money. We know it's not in the hands of the ruling government. We know it is not in our people elected in main stream political parties. We know it will not be in the University. We know it's not in the loud mouth schnooks yelling around. We do know it is in the words and Teachings of our Ancestors.  It is in those people willing to share the Teachings. We know it is not the attitude of me me me.  We know it is in the Lodge holders, the Road Chiefs, the Sundance Chiefs, the Youth  and  in the Women.

Right now we will continue to complain. We will stage small battles with the Boogeyman. But we are going to  become the Boogeyman for the ruling party and CSIS knows this. Don't think its true. Watch how hard they fight with Indigenous battles right now. You must remember Gustafen Lake and how much bullets the police used?

Now the sad thing is we are doing much of the boogeyman's work right now by fighting each other and crying individual entitlement. We need first to fight our individual entitlement whine and do it for ourselves. The "ourselves" will be the youth, the Women and the Traditionalist.