Educating the Public;

ROYAL PROCLAMATION

THE ROYAL PROCLAMATION AND OCTOBER 7TH, 2013 IDLE NO MORE THE 250TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE

NSSA

NATIVE STUDIES STUDENTS ASSOCIATION

On the 250th anniversary of the Royal Proclamation of 1763, I thought it was important that we reflect on this document that influences our studies and lives to such an extent. Many people call this document the Indigenous Manga Carta because it confirms Indigenous Sovereignty. Others dont believe we should seek this sort of colonial recognition. I think its important to acknowledge it as part of our history and the role it played in Supreme Court decisions like Calder and Delgamuukw. Just as these courts are colonial instruments, the proclamation is the same, no doubt, but sometimes we have to utilize these tools. This does not mean forgetting our traditions or legal systems. Stephen Harper called the Royal Proclamation the foundation of the First Nation Crown relationship. October 7th is a time to ask: is this the relationship we want? Many of our zine entries have expanded on that question. - Emily Riddle Tansi. Namoya nntaw. Jeannie Paul nitisyihkson, Alexander First Nation ochi nya. Ekwa nya currently a 4th year student at the University of Alberta pursuing a Major in Native Studies with a Minor in Sociology. I am also the executive vice-president for the Native Studies Student Association (NSSA). I would like to express my gratitude by strongly acknowledging the students at the University of Alberta for their contributions to this 'zine'. Our goal was to engage and encourage the students at the university to share and express their ideas, opinions, and any possible connections towards the Royal Proclamation of 1763 and it's anniversary marking 250 years, also with recognition to the National Day of Action for Idle No More. Furthermore, we at the NSSA felt it was important that the students share their knowledge while exploring their individual creativeness through their piece of work. Again, thank you to the students for their contributions and I hope you enjoy the 'zine'! Hiy Hiy. -Jeannie Paul

Hey everyone, Im Harley Morris, a second year student in a combined degree program with the Faculty of Native Studies and the Faculty of Education. Im currently the councilor for native studies students on the UofA students union, as well as the treasurer for the NSSA. Id like to begin by thanking you for taking the time to look and the pieces that were put together by people that our passionate about getting knowledge art and ideas out there. The NSSA is proud to be able to represent the diverse views of students and the importance of public education on important indigenous issues; I hope you enjoy the pieces we have collected. Mashi Cho -Harley Morris Tnsi! My name is Montana Cardinal and I am from Wabasca, Alberta. I am currently a fourth year Native Studies Major and Art and Design Minor. I am the communications manager for the NSSA, and loving it so far. Im so thankful to everyone who contributed, and thankful for us to share our creations, writings, stories, ideas, and opinions to the magazine. I hope you enjoy what these people have created to share and that you learn something new from viewing this book of ideas. Hiy-hiy - Montana Cardinal

WHAT IS THE ROYAL PROCLAMATION?

The Royal Proclamation is a document that set out guidelines for European settlement of Aboriginal traditional lands in what is now North America. King George III initially issued the Royal Proclamation in 1763 to ofcially claim British territory in North America after Britain won the Seven Years War. In the Royal Proclamation, ownership over North America is issued to King George. However, the Royal Proclamation explicitly states that Aboriginal title has existed and continues to exist, and that all land would be considered Aboriginal land until ceded by treaty. The Proclamation forbade settlers from claiming land from the Aboriginal occupants, unless it has been rst bought by the Crown and then sold to the settlers. The Royal Proclamation further sets out that only the Crown can buy land from First Nations.

WHY IS THE ROYAL PROCLAMATION IMPORTANT?

It is a founding legal document of First Nations land rights. Treaty implementation became a hot issue during the Idle No More grassroots protests, with First Nations leaders demanding the federal government implement what they referred to as "nation-to-nation" negotiations about how to implement the terms of the treaties signed long ago. The Royal Proclamation is important for aboriginal and non-aboriginal people to realize the history and relationship they have with each other, and hopefully come to a realization. A realization that the Nations that make up the Aboriginal people deserve to be recognized; and as a country we have to work forward to a better future for everyone.

The Recidivist Red Road I cant remember the last time I felt whole, perhaps I never have...maybe thats why Im here. If these walls could talk, people would know the truth, the pain, the irrevocable despair. They would know my story, and they would see how the history of an entire nation has already been written. For my brothers and sisterswe all share related paths. If these walls could talk, they would speak of my faith, my resilience, the true underlying being that is me. Most folks claim they have no idea how they ended up behind bars, but not me, I know exactly how I came to be herea story which aint all that different from any other Indian whom embodies the revolving door syndrome. Like many that have come before me, I know little of my mother and father. I heard stories...many of which I am sure to be distortions foretold by foster mothers and fathers engrained with an upbringing of racially-fuelled preconceived ideas of what it means to be an Indian in Canada. My mother was a succubus and my father a thieving junkie. At 4 years old youre world is a narrow existence, and although I knew not what these words meant, the undoubted tone associated with them, told me I was a bastard, illegitimate mistake. I tried as best I could to fly under the radar, I swept, mopped, kept my room clean, and was quietbut it never seemed to make one bit of difference, I always got beat. I was the first of one little, two little, three little Indian children the Vanderwells took in and nothing more than a government chequeeventually, I came to embrace it. I feel for those proactive Injuns I really do. They go to school, they pay their rent on time, and they wait their turn. They do all they can in an effort not to be greater than, but merely equal to the rest of society and it all goes without being seen. They resist the stereotypical ideals of the drunken neechie, the Indigenous gangster, or the single mother on welfarenot me. I embraced the labels and resisted authority, the former sounds not only exhausting, butdegrading as well. I remember the very first instance in which I truly felt acknowledged. I was six, and wandering around I.G.A waiting for Mrs. Vanderwell to get the fine-shaved meat slices I wasnt allowed to eat when, I saw it. The cover had Sandy McCarthy on it; it was majestic, like looking into a mirror for the first time and recognizing a fearless warrior lives within me; a hockey hero I could resonate with. I knew Mrs. Vanderwell wouldnt get it for me, she never got me anything with that government moneyI didnt deserve more than the clothes on my back and the food in my belly. So I did the most logical thing I could think of, I stuffed it into my coat of many colours and headed for the door. I got no more than two feet from the door when I felt a sharp, searing painit was Mrs. Vanderwell tugging at my ear

yelling at me just what do you think youre doing Ralphie!? You are going to put that back and apologize to Mr. Boisvert right now! How dare you embarrass me this way Clearly the apple doesnt fall far from the tree! She made a complete example out of me, but up until that point I dont ever remember my foster mother ever coming anywhere close to touching me. Mr. Vanderwell disciplined us and she had the obsessive-compulsive, germaphobe thingI felt recognized. From then on, my crippling desire for attention greatly outweighed my tendency to do right by anyone. The Vanderwells put me in Catholic school, how ironicthe last residential school closed in 1996, yet religion was still being forced down my throat, literally. Each morning before we ate our snacks we prayed, lunch was delayed by more prayer, and we couldnt leave until we prayedit was like a prison, except in prison, church is optional, thank God. I was admired and adored for my daily displays of audacity in the classroom; the guys idolized me and the girls worshiped me. This pattern carried on well into my teens until my foster parents kicked me out when my girlfriend at the time got pregnant. Despite my demeanor, I wanted so desperately to do right by my child, but at every turn I came up against a brick wall. We tried living together in sobriety but couldnt receive subsidy or welfare with my income in the home, so I had to leave and when I leftso did my sanity. Without my family I couldnt stay grounded. I drank and used to numb the pain of losing my family, without recognizing my choices were only driving them further from me. I stole, sold, and begged for survival. I was a drunken thief and a junkiethe apple doesnt fall far from the tree. My first court case was theft under $5000, and I had legal aid assisting me with attaining the best possible outcome. My lawyer could care less about my well being, she was there appointed to me for a subsidized price, not because she genuinely wanted to help. Needless as it is to say I was thrown in jail and given a record at the tender age of 19, but I was considered an adult fully capable of making rational, socially conscious choices in the province of Alberta. When I got out I wanted to make a real change, I wanted to be one of those proactive Injuns who stand in line and make good on the light bill, but the system is skillfully crafted to push you in the same direction. I made use of Aboriginal resources and underwent training and certification, but my record often came back to haunt me. I was perceived as a risk and liability, over a human being. I tried counseling but often felt as though the person speaking to me was simply doing a job, they didnt care about me, so I stopped going. I went to AA for a while but all those white people and their first world problems made me unsympathetic to the program, so I stopped going and eventuallyI stopped caring altogether.

The second time I came up against the courts was for possession; I represented myself and did a far better job of it than a lawyer ever did. I was granted conditions and at first believed I got a good deal, but quickly realized the dexterous design of the judicial system will always be two steps ahead of me. My conditions were not to drinkbut I am an alcoholic; not to fraternize with certain individualsmy sole interactions for the past 7 years; not to engage in any criminal activityhow I have learned to survive; hold down a steady job...who will hire me with a criminal record? Expectantly, it didnt take long before I was in front of the Judge again, this time for aggravated assault against a fella trying to commit sexual assault; I was the protagonist in this story, but in the end depicted as the villainstory of my life. Some people question as to how its possible that Aboriginal people make up merely 4% of the Canadian population, but yet we somehow account for approximately 23% of the prison population. My story is a pattern, a pattern that reflects the lives of many, if not every Aboriginal person bound behind bars. This is why my Aboriginal sisters are the only female group currently being overrepresented, and my brothers keep coming back. Our women are victimized and exploited in a cyclical cycle; just as our men come to be criminalized in a bias system. I cant remember the last time I felt whole, but I do know who I am. I am the epitome of the Indigenous thug, the essence of the recidivist, the poster-child for the apathetic Injun. But, I did not come to bare this mark as the other on my ownI had help. If I may, before I conclude, Id like to thank those who have contributed to my criminalization. Thank you to the shopkeeper who took one look at my tattoos and said well call you, but never did. Thank you to the Honorable Judge Brian Carleton for failing to see the person within, but the shabby Indian with an undoubtedly dismal future. I want to thank the prestigious Canadian education system, for teaching me that the history of my people has already been written and for teaching others that there is no place for Aboriginal people in society. Finally, Id like to thank Mr. and Mrs. Vanderwell because without your racist remarks, candid coldness, and relentless abuse, I may have grown into a functional, socially responsible individual. Reallythank you. In conclusionDo I feel I have been rehabilitated? No. Do I believe that I can live harmoniously within society? No. I am an Aboriginal man; it is others who cannot live harmoniously with me. I am beyond a person with potential. The system has defeated me; it found me young and vulnerable, alone and in pieces. Longing for belonging is the prerequisite for gang affiliation, lack of opportunity and resources are determinant factors of criminal activity. I am not an outlaw; I am an outlier in dominant society, yet I am not a statistical infrequency amongst my own people; a pattern that is clearly no accident. Can I ever be rehabilitated? The answer I have found lies not within me, but within all of you.

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King Louis Covenant 250 Years (nsww-mitahtahtomitanaw niynanomitanaw) Like Jesus Who oated In Cofn ships back in 38 We continue our journey Into this Very old war Where shall I go? No time for writing new psalms We do not want to go Into the dreamless Peace of death And lose our children And Our nation Lets give Real battles A taste And be... Idle No More. The Royal Proclamation signed by King Louis III in 1763 October 7th, 2013, the 250 year Anniversary

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Trample Indigenous people for agriculture, now rural Albertans for gas Who will become the next less fortunate to benet the rich few? CBC News reports that more than 170,000 fracking sites have been drilled in Alberta in the last 60 years. Rural Albertans across the province have told horror stories about aming water, bubbling skin rashes, dead livestock, hair loss, the list goes on. Residents from the area met in Cochrane on September 15, 2012 to resist fracking activity on their land. Tresidder, one of the affected residents reveals, Ive had meetings with them to be sensible about this and be concerned with peoples health and not just come in here and rape the country for the almighty dollar. Echos from the past. This is sounding similar to the concerns Indigenous people had when their land was handed over to the European settlers for agriculture. They were forced onto reservations that were mostly wastelands. They lived under oppressive government rule with no economic future because Britain wanted more wealth. After Canada formed as a country, there was a drive to expand to the prairies. The national police were initially formed to tame the west (Indians) and keep American intruders out. The Indigenous people and their claim to the land was a threat to Canada. They very quickly became labelled as dangerous criminals in need of strict rules and excessive policing. The North-West Mounted Police had a section just for Indians in the 1894 Revised General Orders handbook. Amongst a list of how-tos includes, ...attention of ofcers is drawn to the number of Indians constantly hanging about the settlements for immoral purposes...Indians should not be allowed to camp adjacent to towns unless they have passes. It became illegal for Indigenous people to move about on the land they called home for thousands of years. They were painted as unlawful people. In the same way, law enforcement attention is drawn to Jessica Ernst a Rosebud, Alberta resident, a biologist and environmental consultant for the oil and gas industry. She is currently suing EnCana, the Alberta Resources Conservation Board and the Alberta government for the fracking occurring on her land. During the presentation entitled Truth and Consequences of Fracking Ernst states, They sent the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to intimidate, we had served the parties their legal papers... I am really scared... I have been declared an enemy of the state. These bullying tactics are harmful to Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. It doesnt matter who you are.

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Ironically, rural Albertans who live on lands that used to be the homes of Indigenous people have become expendable like the Indians. Back then, the homesteaders were within their legal right to take over the land just like the oil and gas companies have the legal right to extract resources from the land. Fracking is not illegal in Alberta and the oil and gas companies have sub-surface rights to certain tracts of land. In the capitalist system, it appears that people will not complain if the rich few take them under their wing. The European settlers were useful when the money maker of the day was agriculture. Now, rural Albertans have been pushed aside because they reside on the surface of potential gas prospects. Where does it end? Laws are made by people. Throughout history, laws have changed. It is no longer acceptable to burn witches at the stake. This practice is inhumane and barbaric. Likewise, kicking people off their land or creating health risks that make it impossible to live there is also dehumanizing and brutal. It is time people join together and stand up for one another. The conquer and divide tactics using race, class, sex and so on are excuses to funnel the riches to a small percentage of the population. Everyone needs a seat at the table. The rich few dont get to consume it all at once. Stop and think before stomping on someone else to get a bigger crumb than your neighbour while the rich few get 98% plus of the pie. At this rate, there will not be any planet left to ght over. Start by researching the topic. Have conversations with people to nd out their stories. Be critical of the most popular story of the day. People usually have good reason for being upset. Help lobby for someone elses injustices. In turn, they can help you. Organize groups. Find commonalities to foster unity in order to stand up to the rich few. If you keep ignoring the troubles of your neighbour, you could easily become the next to be fracked. *Bibliography on Page 21

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Five Hundred Nations Five Hundred Nations once were We... The Peoples Who once owned this country. Five Hundred Nations still are We... Peoples kept alive through history. Cultures of some may have vanished, Though their tribal members survive. Some, not all, may be vanquished... But all of which We will revive. All Our Nations deserve to ourish As once They did in the past. All Our Nations again will nourish As its Our time thats come at last. For this is the time of which was spoken To revive Old Traditions and Ways... To repair the spirits that have been broken and prepare for the coming days. Days which Weve long been told would come When the Red Man would conquer his foes And all the obstacles He would overcome, As in number and strength He grows. Look to the Heavens and feel the Earth... Await the signs that will appear... And take to your heart their full worth... Theyll let Us know when Our time is here. Days which Weve long been told would come When the Red Man would conquer his foes And all the obstacles He would overcome, As in number and strength He grows. Look to the Heavens and feel the Earth... Await the signs that will appear... And take to your heart their full worth... Theyll let Us know when Our time is here. Five Hundred Nations Well be again... And Well resume Our rightful place. Five Hundred Nations Well be...til then, Dream of an all-powerful Red Race. Author Unknown

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Bibliography Burning water: a new western. Directed by Cameron Esler, Tadzio Richards. Montreal: Bunbury Films & Ontic Media in association with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation News Network, 2010. DVD The Lauridsens of Rosebud, Alberta are concerned about the effects contaminated water on their health and lifestyle. Fiona Lauridsen is an activist trying to stop Encana Corporation from fracking in the vicinity of the small town. However, many community members welcome the activity as it is a source of revenue for the community. Fionas husband does not want to be the troublemakers that are pushed out by community members. The community would like to her to be quiet. Ernst, Jessica.Truth and Consequences of Fracking, Ernst v. Encana Corporation, accessed September 20, 2012, http://www.ernstversusencana.ca/contact Jessica Ernst a biologist and consultant for the oil and gas industry is suing Encana Corporation for the impacts fracking has had on her life in rural Alberta. Ernst has a comprehensive website about her story and links to other stories and facts regarding fracking. The link provided on the website, listed above, is a presentation she is delivering about her struggle, including how she has been deemed a national threat to Canada. North-West Mounted Police Revised General Orders 1894, The Samuel Steele Collection, Bruce Peel Special Collections Library, University of Alberta The book serves as a guideline for the national police on a range of matters from leave of absences to dealing with Indians. The section entitled Indians instructs that transacting business is to be done through Indian Agents, when in custody they are to be taken into restaurants, hotels and are to be fed bulk food, they are to be kept away from settlements, druken Indians are to be arrested and Indian prisoners are not to be allowed to leave the guard room without a ball and chain. Patel, Raj. The value of nothing: why everything costs so much more than we think. Toronto: Harper Collins, 2009. Raj Patel asserts that what we pay for a product does not realistically match the actual costs to produce it eg. Environmental, human and health costs. Further, the corporations production is often heavily subsidized. He explores the history of the market society through sociological and other lenses. Residents concerned about fracking rally in Cochrane, CBC News Calgary, accessed September 20, 2012, http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/story/2012/09/15/calgary-fracking-rally.html CBC News in Calgary reported on a rally against fracking in the Cochrane area. The residents claim a list of adverse effects caused by the fracking activity. They want more environmentally friendly extraction techniques to be used. Thobani, Sunera. Exalted subjects: studies in the making of race and nation in Canada. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2007. Thobani reviews nation-building in Canada by outlining the history and populations involved. Specifically, the mechanisms used to; exalt European citizens, create the lawless Aboriginals without rights and the othering of immigrants. One of the ways she explores these relationships is within the context of colonial and global capitalism and the associated governance and legal frameworks that legitimize and uphold them. "What is Fracturing?." Business In Calgary 21, no. 10 (2011): 35. The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (listed as others in the text) and the Alberta government is attempting to convince the public that hydraulic fracturing is safe when managed properly. These stakeholders are attempting to counteract the misinformation surrounding the technology that has caused concern. They claim that it does not affect the groundwater.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Page 6: Madeline Whetung Page 7: Jeannie Paul Page 8: Kristen McArthur Page 9: Kristen McArthur Page 10: Kristen McArthur Page 11: Madeline Whetung Page 12: Emily Riddle Page 13: Jeannie Paul Page 14: Sharlotte Cardinal Page 15: Jeannie Paul Page 16: Kristen McArthur Page 17: Nola Nallugiak Page 18: Nola Nallugiak Page 19: Jeannie Paul Page 20: Author Unknown Page 22: Emily Riddle

Hiy-hiy, Thank you

Thank you to everyone who helped contribute to this zine and everyone who helped make it possible. We hope that you enjoy it and that you learn something new. Thank you.

Cover art by Montana Cardinal. The turtle symbolizes Turtle Island and the many generations of Aboriginal people in Canada. The Churches and the black robe gures that the leeching down of the black liquid stems from, describes the intergenerational affects felt throughout residential school survivors and their families.

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