Up Ghost River

by Edmund Metatawabin

  That is my dream, and you can help make it a reality by getting involved.

  “Reconciliation with Native People is still the most pressing social justice issue Canada faces.” If you agree with that quote from Ojibway journalist Wab Kinew, or think he has half a point, I hope you might consider getting involved. There is still much work to be done before First Nations get a fair and just deal in Canada. Here are a few ways to help:

  Abolish the Indian Act: The Indian Act is a piece of legislation that profoundly affects every aspect of life on reserves. It makes it impossible for us to own our land or build wealth, and highly limits the creation of jobs and economic investment. Rob Clarke, MP for Desnethé–Missinippi–Churchill River, has actively campaigned to abolish this discriminatory piece of legislation. You can support his campaign by writing to rob.clarke@parl.gc.ca.

  Support native sovereignty: The current top-down approach, where indigenous people are treated like children to be managed rather than a sovereign people, disempowers and frustrates my people. Idle No More campaigns to restore a just relationship between the Crown and indigenous people. You can support their campaign at www.idlenomore.ca.

  Advocate for political change: The widespread movement of First Nations people away from towns and cities into isolated, marginal land that was government policy from the 1700s onwards dispersed and scattered our populations. As a result we are underrepresented in Parliament. Other countries, such as New Zealand, have successfully moved to change this situation, to give fair representation to their aboriginal population. This could be Canada’s destiny too, with your help. Please consider supporting political reform by writing to your local MP.

  Help youth in education: One of the legacies of the residential schools is elevated high school dropout rates among First Nations students. DreamCatcher Mentoring is an e-support program that encourages native kids to stay in school by partnering professionals with northern students. Get involved—become a mentor at www.dreamcatchermentoring.ca.

  The Martin Aboriginal Education Initiative also supports education for aboriginal students across Canada. Visit the website at www.maei-ieam.ca.

  Target youth suicide: The North-South partnership for children or Mamow Sha-way-gi-kay-win is a charity that supports First Nations culture, education, mental health and skills training. It organizes counselling and mentorship to aboriginal youth, suicide support, native art and music exhibitions, and education exchanges between northern and southern high schools, publishes First Nations youth magazines, and provides machines that create safe drinking water on reserves. For more information, see www.northsouthpartnership.com.

  Support native artists: There are many talented First Nations writers, visual artists, musicians, filmmakers, dancers, drummers and historians that rely on your interest and support. Our stories are vital to understanding the ongoing narrative of the country, yet we are often told, “your work doesn’t sell.” And if you enjoyed this book, please consider spreading the word. My income as a writer and teacher supports my volunteer work, including taking the youth along the Albany River, preserving Cree culture through the Ontario Chiefs Traditional Knowledge Keepers group, and advocating for the survivors of St. Anne’s Residential School.

  SUGGESTED READING

  If you want to learn more about the issues described in Up Ghost River, the following books on native history and rights make for some interesting bedtime reading.

  Adams, Howard. Prison of Grass: Canada from a Native Point of View. Saskatoon: Fifth House, 1989.

  Assembly of First Nations. Breaking the Silence: An Interpretive Study of Residential School Impact and Healing as Illustrated by the Stories of First Nations Individuals. Ottawa: Assembly of First Nations, 1994.

  Backhouse, Constance. Colour-Coded: A Legal History of Racism in Canada, 1900–1950. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1999.

  Brown, Dee Alexander. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West. New York: H. Holt, 2007.

  Cardinal, Harold. The Unjust Society. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 1999.

  Carlson, Hans. Home Is the Hunter: The James Bay Cree and Their Land. Vancouver: UBC Press, 2008.

  Dei, George Jerry Sefa, Budd Hall and Dorothy Rosenberg. Indigenous Knowledges in Global Contexts: Multiple Readings of Our World. Toronto: OISE/UT book published in association with University of Toronto Press, 2000.

  Department of Indian and Northern Affairs. The Historical Development of the Indian Act. Treaties and Historical Research Centre, P.R.E. Group, 1978.

  Diamond, Jared. Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 1997.

  Dyck, Erika. Eugenic Frontiers: A Social History of Sexual Sterilization in Alberta. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2014.

  Fiddler, Thomas and James R. Stevens. Killing the Shamen. Newcastle, ON: Penumbra Press, 1985.

  Frazier, Ian. On the Rez. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2000.

  Iannone, Catherine. Sitting Bull: Lakota Leader. New York: Johnlin Watts, 1998.

  King, Thomas. The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America. Toronto: Doubleday Canada, 2012.

  LaPointe, Ernie. Sitting Bull: His Life and Legacy. Layton, UT: Gibbs Smith, 2009.

  Mann, Charles C. 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus. New York: Knopf, 2005.

  McCaslin, Wanda D. Justice as Healing: Indigenous Ways. St. Paul, MN: Living Justice Press, 2008.

  McDonnell, Roger. Justice for the Cree: Customary Beliefs and Practices. Ottawa: Grand Council of the Crees (Quebec), Cree Regional Authority, 1992.

  Miller, J. R. Lethal Legacy: Current Native Controversies in Canada. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 2004.

  ——. Shingwauk’s Vision: History of Native Residential Schools. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1996.

  Milloy, John Sheridan. A National Crime: The Canadian Government and the Residential School System. Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 1999.

  Niezen, Ronald. Defending the Land: Sovereignty and Forest Life in James Bay Cree Society. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1998.

  Robertson, Heather. Reservations Are for Indians. Toronto: J. Lorimer, 1991.

  Sellars, Bev. They Called Me Number One: Secrets and Survival at an Indian Residential School. Vancouver: Talonbooks, 2013.

  Wiebe, Rudy. The Temptations of Big Bear. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1973.

  ——. Big Bear. Toronto: Penguin, 2008.

  York, Geoffrey. The Dispossessed: Life and Death in Native Canada. Toronto: Lester & Orpen Dennys, 1989.

  The following books are helpful guides for learning about traditional knowledge and native spirituality.

  Abram, David. The Spell of the Sensuous: Perception and Language in a More-Than-Human World. New York: Pantheon Books, 1996.

  Ahenakew, Edward. Voices of the Plains Cree. Regina: Canadian Plains Research Centre, University of Regina, 1995.

  Benton-Banai, Edward. The Mishomis Book: The Voice of the Ojibway. Minneapolis, University of Minnesota Press.

  Black Elk. Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux as told through John Neihardt. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1972.

  Bouchard, David and Joseph Martin. Seven Sacred Teachings / Niizhwaaswi Gagiikwewin. More than Words Publishers, Canada.

  Buhner, Stephen Harrod. Sacred Plant Medicine: The Wisdom in Native American Herbalism. Rochester, Vermont: Bear & Co., 2006.

  Castaneda, Carlos. The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2008.

  Couture, Ruth and Virginia McGowan, eds. A Metaphoric Mind: Selected Writings of Joseph Couture. Edmonton: Athabasca University Press, 2013.

  Ehman, Dan. Cree Stories from Moose Lake. Winnipeg: Native Education Branch, Manitoba Department of Education, 1980.

  Hogan, Linda, ed. The Inner Journey: Views from Native Traditions. Sandpoint, ID: Morning Light Press, 2009.

  Young, Shinz
en. The Red Road. Audiobook. Dundas, ON: Vipassana Support International.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  So many people generously gave their time and help to make this book possible. We would like to thank the following:

  Allen Benson, Chief Executive Officer of Native Counselling Services of Alberta, for his knowledge of treating substance abuse and historic trauma.

  Tali Boritz, psychologist, for sharing her knowledge of addiction, memory and mental health issues.

  Marilyn Buffalo-McDonald, President of the Indian Association of Alberta, for her time, knowledge and expertise.

  Wil Campbell, aboriginal activist and film director, for his time and expertise on Alberta’s First Nations history.

  Lewis Cardinal, aboriginal activist and educator, for his invaluable insight on Alberta native rights.

  Hans Carlson, author of Home Is the Hunter, for his invaluable knowledge of the history of the James Bay Cree.

  Gordon Christie, Director of the Indigenous Legal Studies Program, University of British Columbia, for guiding us through the thorny complexities of Canadian and First Nations law.

  Anne Collins, publisher of the Knopf Random Canada Publishing Group, for her insight, vision and guidance.

  Travis Enright, Canon Missioner for Indigenous Ministry in the Chair of St. John de Brebeuf at All Saints’ Anglican Cathedral, Edmonton, whose guidance on all things Cree was hugely helpful.

  Diana Fuller, lawyer for St. Anne’s Residential School students, for sharing her impressive understanding of the law.

  Isaac Glick, managing director of Team Products, a non-profit selling First Nations crafts, for his understanding of native issues in Alberta.

  Moyra Lang, Project Coordinator, Living Archives on Eugenics in Western Canada, for her knowledge of Alberta’s sterilization laws.

  Amanda Lewis, Associate Editor at the Knopf Random Canada Publishing Group, for her intelligence and patience, and for helping us to go ever deeper.

  Leo Loone, former student, for his knowledge of St. Anne’s Residential School.

  Mike Lusty, writer and historian, for his encyclopedic knowledge of First Nations and Métis history.

  Jennifer Mair, National Film Board of Canada Ontario Centre publicist, for helping us access a wealth of First Nations programming.

  Paul Martin, former prime minister and founder of Martin Aboriginal Education Initiative (MAEI) and the Capital for Aboriginal Prosperity and Entrepreneurship (CAPE) fund, for his insight on First Nations politics.

  Don McCaskill, Professor in Indigenous Studies at Trent University, for his insight into the department and the program.

  Jesse McCormick, law clerk at the Federal Court of Canada, for his supreme knowledge of the law and Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada bureaucracy.

  Sheelah McLean, co-founder of Idle No More, for her insight on the worldwide political movement.

  John Milloy, author of A National Crime: The Canadian Government and the Residential School System, for guiding us around the available residential school resources.

  Gerald Morin, judge and creator of Canada’s first Cree court, for his inestimable understanding of Cree justice.

  Bridget Perrier, for her time, humour and knowledge of the law and First Nations women.

  Roy Piepenburg, First Nations civil rights activist, for guiding us around Alberta’s native history.

  Andrew Reuben, Cree elder and former Chief of Kashechewan, for his knowledge of aboriginal history and traditions.

  Alex Spence, former project manager for Fort Albany’s water and sewers, for his boundless knowledge of all things Fort Albany.

  Greg Spence, former student at St. Anne’s, for his vast knowledge of the residential school.

  Andrew Wesley, Elder-in-Residence at First Nations House, University of Toronto, whose generosity of time and knowledge of Cree spirituality were crucial.

  Dr. Cynthia Wesley-Esquimaux, Vice Provost (Aboriginal Initiatives) Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, for her expertise on residential school resources.

  Sandra Willock, consultant and operational manager Neegan-o’chee, for her insight on Fort Albany politics and the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development.

  Nina Wilson, co-founder of Idle No More, for explaining the political movement’s expansion and growth.

  Shinzen Young, vipassana teacher and creator of the CD The Red Road, for his wisdom and understanding of First Nations spirituality and deep equanimity.

  On a personal note, I would like to thank:

  Albalina Metatawabin, Shannin Metatawabin, Jassen Metatawabin, Alex Metatawabin, Mary-Theresa Metatawabin (my mother) and Joan Metatawabin for her endless patience and love.

  I would also like to thank the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council for their generous granting support.

  Alexandra Shimo would like to thank:

  Ailsa Barry and Jonathan Sakula; Steven and Eva Shimotakahara; my brothers and sisters Augusta, Sidonie, Tim and Danielle; Mary Albino, whose ideas and guidance were a blessing; Patricia Pearson; Lucille and Milton Maskalyk; James Maskalyk; Jeff Warren; Sudha Krishna; Elaine Wong; Alexandra Grimanis, for her translation help; my agents Chris Casuccio and John Pearce; and my partner Lia Grimanis, for her guidance, love and wisdom.

  ENDNOTES

  1. From the Historical Development of the Indian Act, Treaties and Historical Research Centre, P.R.E. Group, Indian and Northern Affairs, August 1978.

  2. The Seven Sacred Teachings are a way of being in the world that respects Mother Earth and all of Creation. To live with honour, the Sacred Teachings say that we should observe the animal kingdom, and understand how each species interacts, eats, hunts, plays and lives in harmony with the rest of the environment. Each animal has a teaching for us, a way of doing things that we can bring into our own lives. The wolf, for example, walks with its head down, and lives for the pack, showing us how to be humble. The wolf’s virtue is humility. The other animals that embody the sacred lessons are bear (courage), eagle (love), beaver (wisdom), raven (honesty), deer (respect) and turtle (truth). The Seven Sacred Teachings are common to many First Nations peoples, although the animals differ depending on the geographic region.

  3. Many years later, I began looking into what had happened to him. Under the Indian Act, what was illegal was “Indian participation” in any “show, exhibition, performance, stampede or pageant” in “aboriginal costume,” and encouraging any form of participation. However, it was up to the Indian Agent to decide whether or not a person had encouraged what were called “savage rites,” what encouragement entailed, and to decide on our punishment. Since Indian Agents were liberal with their interpretation of the law, it was hard to know what was legal: we assumed that being aboriginal, e.g., having long hair, was not legal. Arrests, imprisonment, threats, refusal to issue “off-reserve” travel passes, or stopping of food rations were all common punishments. The Fort Albany Indian Agent decided that my great-grandfather’s activities were worthy of arrest but he left no records as to why, or at least none that I have been able to access. This is not uncommon: the Indian Agents were not obliged to keep documents, and other information was destroyed because it was considered “culturally insignificant.” No one knows the true number of arrests; however, scholars estimate that hundreds went to jail between 1884 and 1951, when the Potlatch laws were finally repealed. For more information, see Constance Backhouse’s Colour-Coded: A Legal History of Racism in Canada, 1900–1950 (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1999).

  4. Racist insults heard growing up included “savage,” “wild,” “beast.” More than a reprimand by our teachers, “half-breed” institutionalized the racism: it was the official category for Métis children until the government changed it with the 1982 Constitution Act.

  5. Years later I found out that it wasn’t just school policy, it was the mandate for all residential schools across North America. “Kill the Indian, Save the Man,” were the words of Richard Henry Pratt, a U.S.
Army officer who developed the Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania, the first (off-reservation) Indian boarding school, whose principles and practices came to guide Canadian and American policy. The dictum “Kill the Indian, Save the Man” has come to represent the cultural genocide that took place for more than a century in the continent’s residential schools.

  6. The Trent-Severn Waterway was built to connect two of the Great Lakes, Huron and Ontario, to streamline and improve water trade and transportation. To make room, the government flooded First Nations land, beginning in 1837. Three aboriginal communities were affected: Curve Lake (Anishinaabe), Hiawatha and Mississaugas of Scugog Island. The First Nations were not consulted before it happened. In October 2012, 175 years after the first of the government-controlled floods, the federal government settled with these communities for $71 million.

  7. In 1969, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, and his then-Minister of Indian Affairs Jean Chrétien, introduced the White Paper, which would abolish the Indian Act and dismantle the legal relationship between Canada and First Nations in favour of equality, and by implication, assimilation. Cardinal’s book The Unjust Society: The Tragedy of Canada’s Indians argued that the White Paper imposed legal equality on an unequal situation, ignoring First Nations’ history of oppression and colonialism, and the desire of aboriginals to be a “red tile in the Canadian mosaic.” It was, he said, equivalent to “cultural genocide.” In his book, Cardinal argued that any solution should restore a respectful relationship between the Crown and First Nations, with Ottawa recognizing us as a sovereign people with resource rights over our traditional lands.