Assembly of First Nations Observer – Take 2

My son and I were “observers” again today at the Assembly of First Nations closing ceremonies. What a great category of participant. Fifty dollars, no questions asked, and you get to hear first hand about the key issues facing First Nations and possible approaches to addressing them. More organizations should adopt this approach to accessibility and transparency

My little guy was pumped to get back there today to see the ceremonial flags and hear the drumming. All the way downtown it was, “boom, boom, boom” and “gros, gros, gros drapeaux”. It was a rush to leave the house and get there on time. As we entered the Assembly area we were on the receiving end of miles of smiles all directed at my son whom folks had seen a couple of days earlier. He’s in that cute of cuteness stage with curling curls, open, open eyes and a sweetness that rivals any naturally produced sugar.

The Grand Chief Phil Fontaine was at the podium wrapping up the conference. He is a natural speaker – his tone, his rhythm, his cadence. The aroma of sweetgrass impregnated his words sending them true and straight to listeners who will relay and transmit them multiplying their effect and impact far beyond Nova Scotia. His words were powerful speaking of sorrow and tragedy. His words were hopeful speaking of intransigent engagement and focused dissent.

The drummers from Membertou drummed everyone out. Volunteers bore the flags. The media packed up and went home. But the spirit will linger and perhaps bless this small naval town and infuse us with a gracefulness and understanding that will help to restore a balance in our relations with First Nations Peoples.

Certainly one Mi’Kmaq that helped in bridging worlds and instilling positive ways of seeing is poet Rita Joe who died earlier this year. CBC provides some video that reflects on Rita’s quiet determination.

AFN, thanks for having us as observers.

Mi'Kmaq, Cree, Dene and other First Nations Gather in Halifax

I stood next to Elijah Harper at the registration desk for the 28th Assembly of First Nations Annual General Assembly yesterday. I was down there so my 22-month-old son could hear and see first hand the opening ceremony – drumming, honour songs and flag bearers. These are all things that he loves. They are things of value that I love too introduced to me by Cree and Dene friends in my early 20s.

Mr. Harper is an iconic figure in Canadian politics. As a member of the Manitoba Legislature he opposed the Meech Lake Accord – negotiated without First Nations input – sounding the death knell on this constitutional amendment. CBC’s archives host a clip from an April 1990 interview on As It Happens. And last year CTV started production on a movie focusing on Harper’s life.

A national assembly of chiefs, elders and other First Nations representatives was last in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 2001 at that time under the leadership of Matthew Coon Come. I think the attendees of this Assembly would agree that since 2001 the pace of forward movement in addressing endemic challenges has been less than astounding.

Nova Scotia is no stranger to high profile causes spotlighting First Nations’ Peoples. The most celebrated individual is Donald Marshall Jr. who experienced two strikingly different outcomes before the courts. The first was a miscarriage of justice achingly recounted in Michael Harris’ Justice Denied and portrayed on screen in a film by the same name starring Billy Merasty. Mi’Kmaq historian Daniel Paul provides his take on The Marshall Inquiry that exonerated Junior.

Later in life, Junior’s fishing and selling of eels resulted in a court challenge based on 1760 Treaty Rights accorded to the Mi’Kmaq by the British Crown. This case has had some profound impacts and returned two decisions R. v. Marshall, [1999] 3 S.C.R. 456 and R. v. Marshall, [1999] 3 S.C.R. 533.

Aboriginal peoples have been petitioning for decades to have their rights recognized. In 1977, the Haudenosaunee (Six Nations Iroquois) made an address to the United Nations in Geneva. I first came across A Basic Call to Consciousness (the book version of the address) when visiting the Canadian adjunct of The Farm in the early eighties. This edition of the book was co-published by Akwesasne Notes and The Farm. It’s a must read to appreciate an insider’s perspective on the Iroquois nation – its political structure, its economy and its culture and spirituality.

As many nations gather under one tent this week to seek improvements in the quality of life of their peoples, let’s also remember the many positive contributions that First Nations peoples continue to bring to our lives.

South of the border, N. Scott Momaday’s The Way to Rainy Mountain is classic prose and spirituality that’s partially available online. XIT started recording songs of political resistance in the 1970s. Their 1971 recording The Plight of the Redman is a haunting indictment of America’s treatment of Aboriginal Peoples. In Canada, Tomson Highway articulates the Aboriginal ethos and resilience in his plays and his novel, Kiss of the Fur Queen. Native Earth Performing Arts takes theatre and bears witness to the diversity of the Native experience including traditional roots, reservations and urban living.

A personal favourite of mine is an Arawak musician/poet originally from Guyana but for these many years past a resident of Ontario and British Columbia. David Campbell’s melodies and poetic lyrics promote aboriginal identity and celebrate diversity. One album in particular was a favourite of mine, Pretty Brown. So much so, that I am ordering it today as I lost my original long ago.

The Assembly continues tomorrow and its deliberations will be reported in regional and national media, as they should be. Let’s hope that concerted action will enable us to collectively address the many challenges we face as a country in coming to terms with the inhabitants of Turtle Island who preceded the arrival of the first Europeans by millennia .

By the way, my little guy adored the flags – he has a fixation on them and to see 20 or so in one place was a toddler’s dream come true. He loved the drums and told us later in the day through words – “boom, boom, boom” - and gesture, his arm pumping up and down in the air, what an impression they made on him. As for the singing, he was a little tentative on that. The volume may have been too much. Maybe we’ll go down for the wrap up tomorrow and see if he likes it any better.

Soccer Nation

Back in July 1966 when The Beatles had a number one hit with Paperback Writer, when America was getting dug into the jungles of Vietnam, the English were celebrating being hosts of the international sporting event, soccer’s World Cup. It was the first and only year the English won. Geoff Hurst’s hat trick propelled the home side to victory against West Germany. Final score:
England 4 – West Germany 2. The English have been akin to Toronto’s hapless Maple Leafs ever since – never quite able to pass muster to win the matches that count.

England’s brief shining moment on the international football stage has been eclipsed. Brazil, Italy and Germany continue to be dominant forces but it is only a matter of time before previously unknown soccer nations control the midfields, outflank and outplay their adversaries.

New powerhouses from Africa, Asia and yes, even Canada are emerging and will continue to build strength over the next couple of generations. Some of the shift is already underway particularly in Africa and Asia where there are new contenders holding their own and exporting some of their best to play in top leagues in Europe and the Americas. Just look at England’s Premier League with Park from Manchester United, Drogba from Chelsea and Zakora from Tottenham Hotspurs.

I was a young boy when England triumphed at Wembley Stadium. I had my first taste of organized soccer in 1967. My teammates and I donned jerseys for the inaugural year of a league comprised of about a dozen teams in North York, Toronto, Canada. It was the best of times for a 10-year-old kicking a ball around a field.

Our Swedish coach, Mr. Petersen, instilled us with his love of the game. We had a good year, a very good year. The Bayview Bulldogs, as we were called, won it all. As it turned out, it was the pinnacle of my athletic career – at least up to now.

We boys rampaged through the next season too. Our play won us a berth in the finals where we went down to a resounding defeat. I still remember the lightening bolt emotional impact of the loss. My best buddy wasn’t able to contain his disappointment and broke down in tears on the field. Cockiness had helped to undo us that day and I remember consoling myself that evening with a few quiet tears cried into my pillow.

Now, after 40 years of organized amateur soccer in Canada we are hosting a FIFA Under-20 World Cup. Although our lads are not burning up the pitches, this tournament continues to build on our soccer credo. In Montréal in excess of 50,000 attended matches at the big “O”. In addition to the fan support, the federal government contributed more than $4 million to assist with the staging of the event. CBC as part of its overall FIFA U-20 promotion has designated July 8 as Soccer Day in Canada.

So what have we got going for us as a future soccer powerhouse? For starters, there’s the phenomenal popularity of the game – over 700,000 registered players under the age of 18 based on 2004 estimates. Let’s all make a little noise in support of our soccer girls and boys.

Another great asset is Canada’s immigrant population originating from the four corners of the globe. Many of them bring a passionate love of the game with them that is infused in their children like a fine herbal tea. Just remember the spontaneous public celebrations in Toronto following Italy’s World Cup victories. We must be one of the few countries in the world that can rightfully boast having significant expatriate communities representing every World Cup nation adding a positive charge to an already exciting sporting event.

A sleeper secret ingredient is the intangible and immeasurable impacts of the soccer moms and dads across the nation. Their time, effort, encouragement and love help to develop the skills, stamina and strength that could just collectively take us over the top and make us champions of the world. It’s not going to be in the next couple of years but I think we’ve got the right ingredients.

Of course there’s the kids who play for the love of the game. My daughter counted herself among the hundreds of thousands of registered players for years and enjoyed the opportunity to hang with peers and friends while keeping fit. I got the biggest charge coaching her one summer. The experience helped me bring my priorities into sharper focus, re-inject more fun into an overcrowded professional life.

Now I have a 22-month-old son tearing up and down our hallway playing his version of the game – kicky ball. He’s already been at it for six months. I hope his passion and excitement will continue for years to come and maybe by the time he’s in his teens Canada will be a force to contend with.

Let’s all root for the Canadian lads this evening as they go up against the competition from Congo. Regardless of the outcome, we just need to keep plugging away. Next time we’re hosts, maybe it will be for the big one, the best of the best, the show watched by hundreds of millions around the globe.

The best live TV ever

It’s a _______ ‘insert gender here’!

Some couples want to know in advance. Others expressly don’t. Some jurisdictions in Canada will tell those couples who want to know. Other health authorities will not.

Halifax is one of those jurisdictions that just happen not to tell and we’re one of those couples that felt we wanted to know. The first time around we didn’t go in for it but that may be because no such private sector service was available.

Yesterday was the big day. My in-laws were with us for the unveiling so to speak. My parents had accompanied us the previous week for the public sector health care ultrasound. The truly miraculous viewing has been getting shared about.

Yesterday’s star billing was on a big screen TV in a tastefully appointed room. Mom was comfortably reclined on a plush table type device with Dad right next to her. The in-laws had plenty of room on a sofa that shouted out, “relax, sit back and enjoy”. Big brother at 22 months was deep in snoozeland as much in his own world as his sibling to be in the womb. Just the popcorn was missing.

Our MC for the event, the entrepreneur slash nurse slash technician whose deft maneuvering of the magic wand pulled our baby into focus and brought to the fore those developing body parts perfect in their imprinting and awesome in their fragility, has truly found her vocation. Her enthusiasm, her engagement and colour commentary swept all of us along on this journey of discovery. Not that we really needed the sweeping but it was so welcoming and affirming to have her serve as our tour guide. She knew what to say and how to say it.

After some in uterus acrobatics – we have a call in to Cirque de Soleil – and very talented sleight of hand, now you see me, now you don’t, we were introduced to the unmistakable, no coyness, tell all genitalia.

Round about mid-November, we’ll be welcoming a brand new little girl into our arms, into our hearts, into our family. Now after having seen her twice, it’s so much harder to wait to have her with us, to shelter, nurture and love.

We celebrated with fish and chips on the Halifax waterfront and purchases of little baby girl clothes at Frenchys, the best place we know of for kids’ clothing. If you live in Nova Scotia, or New Brunswick these are retail outlets where you get phenomenal value, a real opportunity to stretch your dollar.

If you can’t find out the gender of your child through the public health system check to see if you have the option of a private service. It worked well for us.

Prior to yesterday's appointment, we were told that the Halifax children’s hospital no longer offers this service because of litigation that ensued as a result of an incorrect gender determination. We haven’t been able to sort out if this story is authentic or if it’s another apocryphal urban myth.

We were told yesterday though that one of the reasons that sexing is not routinely done in some venues is due to the amount of time it can take and the fact that strictly speaking it is not necessary from a health perspective. But as a childless good colleague recently said to me, "you've got to let your friends and family know - that way the gift buying can begin in earnest." I guess it's time for us to share the results of our TV babyland screening with her.

If you want to know, UC Baby could be a possibility for you.

History's dance will shake the steps

This is a reprise of yesterday's theme - the Black communities of Nova Scotia. The Prestons, Birchtown, Whylah Falls all places with footsteps, heartbeats and sorrows. The Maroons from Jamaica then the freemen sailing off to Sierra Leone - a presence here in this New Scotland measured in the hundreds of years, decades upon decades of apartness living outside of history.

I heard just the other day that Marcus Garvey visited the UNIA Hall in Whitney Pier advocating a glorious return to Africa. Close to 100 years later, Nova Scotia is beginning to take on the characteristics of a cosmopolitan society. The universities are embracing students from around the world. Just today two finger quays away from the Amistad I met Davi an undergraduate student from The Gambia enrolled in International Development Studies. Nova Scotia's universities continue to reach out to the world through organization's like EduNova to attract students from the global community and to export our expertise.

I wonder if Royson James from the Toronto Star picked up on any of this dynamic when he visited Halifax this past week. He has been following the abolition commemoration story around the world to England, West Africa and now Nova Scotia. We can only hope that his visit will mean that the stories of Nova Scotia's African Canadian communities will find their way to Canada's most populous centre and into the ether to the world. For a taste of Nova Scotia visit the Black Cultural Centre.

200 years and strugglin' still

There have been a number of commemorations this year to mark the 200th anniversary of the abolition of slavery. Most notable perhaps, in terms of world attention, were the United Kingdom events in March that culminated in Westminster Abbey, house of worship and final resting place for centuries of English royals. Arguably no absolution is ever possible for the horrors perpetrated by man on man for the hundreds of years the Atlantic slave trade endured, but perhaps some atonement and awareness can happen...

From June 24 through July 1 Halifax, Nova Scotia, a garrison outpost of the former British Empire, hosted a gathering of its own honouring and respecting all those whose lives had been destroyed by the 'middle passage'. Commemoration 2007 featured a series of panels with participants from the US and Canada.

Best-selling author Dr. Afua Cooper told the story of Angélique executed by the state for an alleged arson that burned a section of early 18th century Montréal to the ground. It is through the lens of this slave woman that Dr. Cooper gives voice to the complicity in slavery of those colonial jurisdictions that would eventually become Canada. The Hanging of Angélique is Canadian history that we don't learn at school - get your copy today.

Two other significant events are linked to Commemoration 2007: a visit to the port by the clipper Amistad; and the dedication of a public monument at the entrance of the city's North Branch Library.

The public art depicts a crouched man atop a wall extending an arm to pull another to freedom. On one of its surfaces is text attributed to George Elliott Clarke - Nova Scotia's poet laureate in all but name.

North is freedom -
Uptown, down-home:
Each book a drum
Each life a poem.

Local artists Doug Bamford and Stephen Brathwaite have created a sculpture that speaks to hope and humanity.

Amistad is a replica of the 19th century vessel whose slaves overcame the crew in the 1830s and eventually won their freedom in the American justice system. Many returned to their homes in West Africa free from bondage. The replica is sailing from North America to Europe, Africa, the Caribbean and back again to the Carolinas. It has a young multinational crew eager to learn and share their experiences.

The journey has just begun. Check the Amistad site to keep in touch with their adventures.