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.

Canada's must see places before you die

The stereotypical American tourist is on the hunt always looking to bag, to notch, to acquire places, images, experiences. A recent book by American writer Patricia Schultz, 1,000 Places to See In the USA and Canada Before You Die by its title at least seems to confirm this mania.

Web references indicate that Ms. Schultz is an accomplished travel writer with her own television program based on ‘the numerous places to see before you die’ concept.

In the Toronto Star's June 30 issue, reporter Daniel Dale bemoans in that cagey, kinda humourous Toronto-centric way becoming of the centre of the universe that only 5 of the 1,000 entries showcase Hogtown the Fair or if you prefer Tdot the Navel. But really you should read for yourself - T.O. low on `must-see' list.

Dale does write that Ontario has 15 of the coveted 1,000 spots less than 26 U.S. states. Well that’s as far into the national ethos as Dale chooses to meander. We don’t get clued in as to how many entries Canada has garnered let alone what’s happening in the hinterlands beyond the Ontario borders.

I say we make our own list and being recognized internationally as more modest that those fellow North Americans on the other side of the 49th parallel, let’s do it a bit differently.

Let’s call our list the 100 great places in Canada it’d be nice to see before you turn 55. ‘Cause after all, who wants to die doin’ it? Think of this challenge as a lighthearted, populist version of CBC’s The Seven Wonders of Canada.

Let’s get those entries in. Limit of 100 entries per person. The contest closes 100 days from today - you do the math.