The DAM Blog

Green & Blue Screen EXPERIMENTS 4 DAM T5H Indigenous Liberation and The Hawaiian Resistance | IsumaTV

2012-01-17T22:35:00.000-08:00

Green & Blue Screen EXPERIMENTS 4 DAM T5H Indigenous Liberation and The Hawaiian Resistance | IsumaTV

Two States In The Middle East, Israel and Palestine Side by Side

2011-09-26T16:40:00.000-07:00

I think it is rather poor judgement for Canada to turn down this golden opportunity for balance and equality. Compromise is important for all nation states in this global quagmire. What is exactly the problem to recognize Palestine as a nation state? Is it indifference, hatred, pride, stubbornness, political, territorial, cultural, historical? What? What would the Universe want in this case? Balance within the cosmological nature of our time? Whether you or I believe in the Creator, God, Jesus, Buddha, Allah, Hindu God, the invisible government ruling the world through money and militarism? Either way, everyone has to compromise and ask what is good for the humans, and living creatures of the world, not nation state ideologues, bankers, generals or whoever in power and absolute power. All my relations.

Redford's irrational choice based in old colonial thinking

2011-09-24T01:36:00.001-07:00

See link below regarding Alberta's conservative party's infractions: My wonderment about Redford’s her choice of backing Horner instead of Mar is concerning. As we read in the media we know that Mar commands a promising lead. I can only interpret such irrational positioning as thinking old school in her Canadian colonial background. After all the Asian immigrants were not treated as bad as the Natives, but were looked down upon as well by the colonial mindset of the colonial years, the modernist years, the contemporary period, and now this new millennium. Her white imperialistic positioning is showing through her smiling racist teeth. And Horner, well he looks too much like settler mentality rationality, which we do not need. Even though I am not a conservative, as least Mar's ethnicity will be a lot warmer than the old cold stone of Alberta's conservative racist past.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/story/2011/09/23/calgary-redford-horner-second-ballot.html

My Comments on Story about Gentlemen who saved man swarmed by angry bees in California

2011-09-17T08:11:00.002-07:00

Well, good for the men that helped the gentleman in the wheelchair. I remember when I was 4 or 5 and I was living with the now late Mr and Mrs Allan Hisey in Ross Creek Alberta. Foster parents during the sixties scoop. Well they were good foster parents; one day when I was putting around the farmyard I came across an old wooden egg cargo box for two sets of those large open egg cartons. The wooden crate could hold four or five high stacks of eggs, and well I was curious. I lifted the top of the crate, there was I believe cotton batten in the create, I lift that up and wow, I was swarmed immediately. Thank God, Mrs Hisey ran out of the house, wrapped me in her skirt and rushed me inside. I was stung too many times to remember the count, but survived to tell the tale. Thanks Mrs Hisey, You saved the day. I visited their graves last spring on a rural road that heads north towards Chipman. No, I would hope those Africanized bees stay south, it's warmer down there. Congrats guys for saving that man's day and life!

Those dirty days of Colonialism, a backwards time

2011-08-17T13:28:00.000-07:00

A blog on the August 17th CBC web story
Backwards, I agree. I can only quote from my friend d colleague Gitxsan Writer, playwright and poet Neil Benson who I worked with in British Columbia after our film and video training program was completed at the Chief Dan George Film Video training program in 1986. Life took us down a different path till 1989, when the late Ahasiw Kitocigan Maskegon-iskwew (Donald Ghostkeeper) asked me to do a performance piece for the International Pitt Gallery. Having finished my degree at SFU, life was not a bed of roses in the employment department.

Working from Ahasiw request, I decided to track Neil down and visit. He received a Canada Council Exploration grant for his new works & as I read his work I noticed how his writing style was considerably different than my writings. He read his poems out to me, very visceral, cutting images of colonialism affecting the language & culture of the north west people who lived off the salmon for thousands of years. I asked him about his work & style. It was a matter of translations, his mind, & tongue is Gitxsan, so he had to translate his mother tongue to English, & then work the foreign language to suit his culture his voice. Instead of allowing the colonial trappings of British Royal imperialism to destroy the mother tongue in Canada's First People through assimilation policies & residential schools, he kept his mothers tongue. Whereas the words that formed the poems & plays I wrote were very westernized, colonially correct in its narrative structure and development. Indians & Dogs (90, 92, & 94, & now on the net) was the result of juxtaposing his & my words together into a scripted, multi-media and oral traditional performance piece. Neil wrote, "colonialism is the dirtiest word in the English Language"

Re CBC story: First Nations children still taken from parents

2011-08-03T07:45:00.000-07:00

Story at: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2011/08/02/pol-first-nations-kids.html

As a survivor of the 60s Scoop, and a Métis aboriginal, I am still stereotyped as an NDN due to the historical conditions that form the structure and mindset of dominant society. As an indigenous performer who toured aboriginal communities in BC as a modern dancer and actor with different companies, I have seen the problems of some of these communities and talked to the inhabitants there. All around good people, with strengths and failures like the rest of us, we are no different from the urban people living in and around the cities in this country. Family is important to us. We are breaking the cycle of dysfunctionalism that took over our communities, when the European Settlers came to live on this land and push the original inhabitants further and further away from mainstream society. After all this was a couple hundred years since Squanto and Pocahontas were commercialized, and after paintings of some of the original inhabitants drinking rum off the ground, the image of who we were stuck in the minds of the high and low brow new immigrants who arrived off rat infested ships reading dime novels and Ferdinand Cooper Novels about "wild savages" running off with the white man's daughter. So it carries on in history as you people came coming over here in droves and droves of opportunists looking for your pot of gold in the new world. You guys killed most of the buffalo, what else can you destroy? hum? That's a good idea, kill the Indian in the child, and the Indian problem will be resolved! As long as the historical conditions continue to signify the Indians as worthless and unworthy of being, we will still have individuals within families struggling with their self-esteem, raising children. We need healing programs and support programs, not welfare police. Hy hy

Regardng Globe and Mail article: Dismantled sweat lodge exposes rift in Christian, traditional teaching

2011-06-21T11:35:00.000-07:00

Original article at: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/quebec/dismantled-sweat-lodge-exposes-rift-in-christian-traditional-teaching/article2066299/

It is sad that this community is so divided. After a century of failed assimilation policies, one community has recovered relatively from the draconian laws of the 19th and 20th centuries. While I accept the Great Creator as the ultimate Spirit encompassing all that is good, Jesus, and angelic spirits, humankind has twisted the words and teachings of Jesus and created a century of fear and distrust between native and non-native people. The Elders and authorities of this community have been duped into thinking that now their religious beliefs are part of the tradition of the community, while at the same time the social ills of the community arise out of behind the veil of civility and Christianization of a people who were always connected to the holy trinity through our own relationship to Jesus when he visited us here on Turtle Island. He told the people that he may not come back because he was going to be killed in the old world and when he was killed, he came back briefly to tell the first people of what happened. This teaching passed down to me by a medicine woman, tells me that what is being taught in the schools, dormitories and previous institutions of the assimilations years, has purposely changed the world and historic view of many first people, and demonized their own history and culture which was part of the Great Spirit/Creator long before the European culture of ships sailed to Turtle Island. Yes, take the community to the human rights courts, because the Elders actions are unacceptable but understandable due to the brainwashing actions of residential schools, reform schools, boarding schools and mainstream society which painted the aboriginal person as heathenistic and void of spirit and worth. Shame on Canada for creating this form of division and mistrust through your failed assimilation policies of Canadian Society.

An Open Letter to my one of my former media students from IMAG, now a great visual artist, See on FB

2011-06-14T19:39:00.001-07:00

To me Judy, I relate to your story, more in fact that I was called the shitbox, the etc, etc, Tired of the negative aspects of our existence, Your car was a shitbox, but you are a good person, we create negative images within and around ourselves because of the forms of the dime novels of the modernist period, which ironically re-gurgitated back to its early filmic adaptations avec comic movies of this day, la de da! Mine was a "pile of crap", "jezuz Donald u #%#%$# uo again" and we push ourselves into what "they" have painted us for 500 years! Great to see the art today of our contemporaries, emerging and established artists, what does this have to do with my car, naming it, blah blah blah? I attended a workshop Monday with the Rubaboo Festival, and a wonderful lady Joanne Daniels share a wonderful perspective on who we are as people and why culture is so important avec the spiritual and the Cosmological nature of our breathe, our place in the world, and how our breathe is left on our path, intertwining avec ancestors, ancient ones, aho, let it be. So naming our "pony" was essential in our travels to bless our pony, name it because as we are the ones who are able to shape matter, matter exists as a breathe even in the things we create. Thunderbirds, thunder, so deep within the earth's soul and beyond, we as a first people were taught these words long B4 the Old World arrived. As Jesus walked among us, he said I may not come back, because they might kill me, and so it was so. While away Jesus comes back and shows that "they "did kill him, but he will be back soon. Jesus was of many great aspects of the Cosmological beings here and today, and I feel that a great weigh has been lifted off my being, and the car is a gift from the universe for work I have done, and more work that I must do, Spirit Pony I like. Green is a natural colour, don't you thing? Part of the Woodlands, the little people, and deep and around Mother Earth. Deathtrap, well, that's more like the trap door in my opinion, It will happen when it happens, so let’s forget about that till we are dead, then we can stay asking questions , creating spiritual art in the dead zone between life and beyond. Keep up the Great work, Hy hy Miigweech! ;-)

Anti-Harper rally draws hundreds to Ottawa core

2011-06-11T08:57:00.000-07:00

All you conservative Harperites can go to bed each night knowing that you are all complicit in the many lies perpetuated by this fallacy of a government. When the system collapse and the economy is in ruins, you can thank the ultra right wing fascist and fools who lied their way into power stepping on the disadvantage, the dispossessed, and others less fortunate than yourselves. Brigette DePape did more for us as a people with her actions than anything you conservative idiots think you can do sucking up to their lies. To see Stockwell's wife hold the ridiculous We love Harper Stop sign , shows they do not have a creative or original thought in their minds or their body politic, and are desperate to show that they are on the right track as a people supporting a corrupt government. To see that fat cat cow smiling like the fascist pig dog she married shows how scary these euro centric systemic racist fools are. Get rid of these people immediately and send them back to their ancestors land

Brigette Depape, upsetting the politics of ratified complacency

2011-06-06T16:55:00.004-07:00

The politics of complacency. We on both sides of this argument are swimming neck deep in it. What exactly is the issue here? That she is a young woman who upset a patriarchal bastion of colonial thinking, affirmative culture governing, has upset conservative thinking women, who feel that this woman was wrong for standing up and voicing her concerns with two words for 20 seconds in a political and monarcharistic domain? She was interrupting a speech pronounced by the Governor General. Stop Harper. Period, a stop sign symbol she posted those words on, hid the subversive "propaganda" under her skirt, and stopped the ideologues for a fraction of a second as the colonial guard took her arm and escorted her off the political stage. A media and political stage in a colonial building that reeks of the imperialistic and colonialistic history of a British Empire. A empire that utilized the Letter of Patent, Vatican doctrines, and mercantile greed to define and build the society we called now Kanata, Canada. A place where land was stolen from the first people, women and men subverted to colonial rule, and the women settlers stayed in the kitchen, made babies and let the "men" govern the country. It took women to upset the status quo in a male history, and herstory is being written now, as this performance artist, playwright, and ex- parliamentarian employee utilized her intelligence, aesthetics of will and action to create 20 seconds of change. Twenty seconds is a life time in the media and Worldwide Net, She has got people thinking, writing, arguing, grandstanding, empathizing, ridiculing, and others wondering, what the big fuss is about?
Is it a question of semantics, semiotics, basic signifiers who many of us identify with? Stop. (A stop sign) and then the word Harper. Next it’s the throne speech by the GG, not too far from the page, an array of judges, and then all the men and women and servants of parliament? Her Father disagrees with her actions, her mother and sisters support her. Others say it was the wrong place, shows her disloyalty, and that she was wrong. Under all those basic signifiers of that twenty second protest, we have the rule of law. The notion of “Stop” in a family , state, church, school or other societal apparatuses is drilled into us from the time of infancy. An affirmation of what is right or wrong to do. A stop sign, is that an extension of the word stop or is it a traffic signifier? Hers, it was a stop sign for the political highway, the governing and construction of law, language, and society under the affirmation of the affirmative culture which stood shocked for 20 seconds. How dare this girl do that in this building. Then we come to the word Harper, Stop Harper. Conservative party, of course they are going to demand her head, such public shaming in such an important institution like the house of parliament! Her sign over-powered the majority signifier of this media moment, the conservative governing party, awaiting the queen’s representative’s ratification of their mission statement and intentions as the governing party of Canada. With the Governor General as the royal signifier, her timing was impeccable and rightly timed, as she no doubt knows we are still part of the British Monarchy, the Queen’s subjects. Brigette Depape upset this bastion of British royal ratification, by simply walking a few steps and holds her stop sign. It was good that the GG barely flinched during his read, as it will only have been more fuel for the fire, if he stopped, stuttered or was taken back the former page's actions.

In closing, where do we turn to find new people to govern and who agreed with her actions? People say it was disrespectful of parliament. Is it a sign of respect or lack of respect? It’s a respect for life, mother earth and all of us as individuals who voted all the parliamentary people into power, and a lack of respect to us as a people from Ottawa, when we hear about and find out about hidden agendas, political wrangling, manipulation, swaying, and how people in power get complacent because the money’s good and other perks; and then some young woman comes in and holds up a stop sign that read Stop Harper. Our votes did not stop him, but can our conscience, our activism, our uprising, our Arab spring? Well, that’s where the ridiculing came in and I write, don’t be too smug out there in Kanata Land (Canada) because the “Indians are restless” The Natives are restless! We are leaving the reservation, and more than willing to take up arms to upset the status quo of all the complacent societal beings of democracy, and scream , enough of the consumer materialistic culture people strive on, we are taking back mother earth to heal her and protect her for her children, young people , adults and elders who care for mother earth under the arms of our Creator, not some granite building called the house of parliament, Politics in stone, Good work . Brigette Depape, we can change the diapers of the ruling class, and you started the first wipe!

What is to be said about the news story about Osama Bin Laden?

2011-05-02T18:18:00.004-07:00

What is to be said about the news story about Osama Bin Laden? We can participate in Canada's democratization of political dissent and vote, but where are as an indigenous people today when it comes to our past and present history as activists and labelled by INSET and the RCMP as criminals, terrorists, provocateurs, saboteurs, militants, etc? What is to be said about the news story about Osama Bin Laden? To be signified as terrorists, do we empathize with his family regarding their loss, or do we embrace the western notion displayed in the media and web? (celebratory, ultralistic, which will be painted in history as part of the normalcy of life.) Do we condemn him? Every human life is a loss and all those that died 911 is a profound tragedy. Yes justice was served under the jurisdiction of one ideology of military and political might. But as in the Middle East, many say; they do not believe it" and the rest of the middle easterners say, May God have mercy on his soul.

I am caught between both positions. WILLY FRENCHEATER, a character in my 7 fires film embraced Osama Bin Laden in his totality when it came to bringing down the occupiers of Turtle Island. He was part of the hatred of the white system and its inhabitants. This desire to destroy and kill the white way of life came from the collective consciousness of the dark and dirty history of North America of which is today’s Canada and The United States Windigo! Willy Frencheater was getting the semtex to blow up a building on Turtle Island; he wanted the language of blood to pour onto the streets, onto the rivers, and onto the politics in stone, where the Moonyass sits as a representative of the Royals in Britain. Ultimately, the complete film screenplay was never completely shot because it was too political, too different ideologically, I had my own problems in life, but I never gave up on my vision regardless, where we are today as a people today scars and all.

I believe we have slowed down the dysfunctionalism that has been a part of aboriginal life, as a result of residential schools, foster homes, splitting of families, loss of language and land; through our great leaders, students, young artists, and established artists, teachers and professionals, who have left their stamp of worthiness and success on modern life. The dominant society slowly accepts who we “are now” as a people, not what was taught to them in their schools, churches, families and institutions. But ultimately the majority of the masses are still caught up in the old mindset of the colonial settler mentality as winners of the Indian wars. So to their minds and thinking, it was all settled back then. But when we stand up for our Sovereignty, we are labelled as militants, terrorists, and pronounced in media snippets , that “the Injuns are at it again!”

There is still a dark shadow over Canadian life as we still see Canada’s first people struggling to survive, struggling to overcome the hand of worthlessness left from Canada’s colonial history. Racism is so embedded in the collective sub consciousness of the masses that they will never change unless we use the language of blood again. And there are indigenous warriors out there willing to use the language of blood. Louis Riel was a leader who was hanged for using the language of blood to protect his provisional government, but that is another story.
Bin Laden in his entire intellectual and spiritual worth embrace his Creator with all his senses, and in his messianic and cultural sense of leadership and land based power, was able to evade the Terror fighting nations after his hide for the killing of innocent civilians at 911. As the auteur of my film, I was painting Frencheater in a similar vein since the Oka crisis 1990, because in all my interviews, sharing of tobacco and medicine, we were a hair away from dying as warriors in an ideological war as the army invade kanasatake, as the authorities fired 70,000 rounds at our spiritual leaders in 1995 Shuswap, Interior Salish areas of now what is known as British Columbia.
What have we gained since the Oka years, Gustafson years and the on-going issues for Canada’s First People? Have we become sell-outs embracing the capitalist consumeristic life of material gain and worth? Many of our women and men are in the jails, and one lawyer I heard, made an off handed remark that Alberta is building a new huge super jail to hold all the Natives! Taiaiake Alfred, a brilliant scholar has spoken at great lengths about the relations of native people in Canada, and I have had the pleasure of listening to him speak. Yes, great things are happening for our people, yet we are bought off with monetary value and societal class positioning. As my ex wife Kalaallisut filmmaker/performer Laila Hansen said to me years ago; they pay us big money to shut up! So true in many cases, but so what! Who wants to abandon all that is part of the everyday in this society and go live in a cave as Osama did? And the US news story says, that he was in a large walled complex lived relatively well.

Well it is ultimately choices we make in life and how we relate to our Creator. In Bin Laden’s case, his choices were hard, extreme, a way of life for many people of his region, and utilising the language of blood to spread his message resulting in a great change in the world order of life and his own demise, so they tell us. Are we now sheep waiting for the slaughter? Now that he is mediated as being dead, how will his death affected Canada’s first people? Is our own fight hopelessly? Do we collect guns or throw away the guns to obtain Sovereignty and self determination? Willy Frencheater would embrace the war machine if it can kill enough infidels of the white capitalist system. Myself, did I sell out to the Hollywood Hallucination and am I a poorer man for it. The politics of survival has changed over the years, and as I get older, I strive for the idealism of my youth, and the integrity of my experience to show me the right road to follow. IF another Oka happened, I can only pray to my Creator that I make the right choice in defending what is of worth to him, life, and the future. Hy hy, all my relations!

The killing of Kinling Robin Fire carrying a pipe

2011-04-14T17:26:00.001-07:00

It's funny, when I sent a letter to the Edmonton Journal regarding the killing of Kinling Robin Fire March 30th in Edmonton. I mentioned racial profiling, and nothing published. The Mainstream media only prints what the masses want to hear with respect to justice and policing, and if we point out the motion of racial profiling, it is dismissed immediately. It is how the Affirmative Culture reifies the notion of what is normal, the everyday, and how meaning and control is learned through family, church and state. Where all the apparatuses of institutional signification are utilized to create classes relations, economic and ethnic, and racial definitions, historical place and contained thru the perpetuation of conquering definitions, and cultural conflict bantering, i.e.: 'Once he gets off the reservation, " Don't go NDN on me!", "Red N#$er!", Savages, etc, etc! The authorities rookies, chiefs, administrators and working police grow up on this "Indian" positioning, the media grows on this historical positioning, and it stays ingrained in the masses heads, minds and hearts, because, well they are the conquerors, all because of the Papal Creeds from the Vatican, Letters of Patents from Kings, and all those dammed Mercantilists who saw the $$$$$ in New World,
So through the high art forms, and the low art media, the New world savage was slowly being torn down bottle by bottle, barrel by barrel, and debased lower and lower as our people drank rum from the grounds of their ancestors. Devious men, traders, voyageurs, and everyone else in history learned of the noble savage, and how alcohol and infected blankets were the weapons of choice. As our people were politicised onto reserves through broken treaties and stolen land, the new world order thought they had it made.
Who was going to hire a NDN if they left the reserve? It was hard for our ancestors who paved the road through colonial Ville, and the New Euro-cities throughout Turtle Island. Once the early Chromographiques and early camera apparatuses captured our bodies on the land and in their cities, our place in society was sealed forever into the mass sub consciousness of popular culture, education forms, and political legislation. Genocide in a bottle, a skid row hotel, and through domestic violence development because once these societal leaders took our land, family, voice and mother tongue away, How did we communicate in this new world of capitalism, and democracy? Through the self-destruction of ourselves because of how worthless the systems apparatuses leaders and teachers felt about us and positioned us, Worthless, , For my brother and I, a Grade one Teacher told our foster parents once “Oh, those Morin brothers will never amount to anything” Fostering and reservations systems worked their hardest to kill the Indian in the child. Sadly many of us did not survive, and sadly many of us have lived and grown up with this worthlessness positioning. With Kinling Robin Fire, I never met the man, but his family is close to families from my extended family relations even though, the system separated us, we were still connected.
Even though all the victims were in an altered state of mind and body, the police have a duty to serve and protect us, not to blatantly kill us. They can disarm us in others ways than certain death kills. Just as the Native eleven year old boy, they tasered in Prince George. These policing methods of containment are part of a whole system failure to us as Canada’s First People.

Convicted killer won't play on Canadian stage

2011-04-08T17:13:00.000-07:00

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/story/2011/04/08/bertrand-cantat.html

I am just a man, at times a foolish man, wise man, or a fun kind of guy. I have made mistakes in the past which I regret when it comes to male female relationships, and how emotionality and physicality overcome the senses and pushing and shoving turns to a swing. ON bother sides of the party too. Unacceptable and undeniably part of the human existence since we learned about possessions, pride, power, etc etc, that makes us human. Laws created, prisons created, time served is time released, and then the human attempts to get back on his feet. IN any society, we are taught to forgive through our Creator. I see here nothing but bitterness, resentment, restitution, and deniability in this affair which has nothing to do with our Creator, forgiveness, giving people a second chance, and allowing life to move forward even though our memories and mistakes never leave us. As Cain has done, this man has done, sadly a victim dies, and time was served. By allowing all this fear mongering, pointing fingers, and transferring ones own anger and retribution to others shows that evil is winning in today’s life and we are no longer living our life in according to our Creator. We must start each day with honesty, humility, and respect for life and all that can be good, or should be. If Jesus, Buddha, or Allah can forgive, why can't we. Must we continue to live by the irrational senses defined through our flesh and lack of it through death, so we strive to embrace life as tight as possible? I have had family members who were killed. Yes I am angry, sad and lost without them. But to wake up each day with potential for goodness and helping others, then we should do that here and globally. Miigweech, O'Siem Gala Kensal, all my relations

Edmonton Journal story about Police association says man shot dead by officer was carrying a pipe

2011-04-03T07:49:00.000-07:00

What I find disappointing in this story regarding this indigenous man is the decision to kill a man, who needs help. I would ask; is this a case of racial profiling against aboriginal people in Edmonton? After two days of speculation about the details of the shooting and aggravating circumstances, we now read that the victim was carrying a pipe. And we are expected to take the word of a police association member, who rationalizes the actions of the young limited experienced police officers? Far too often, Canada's first people are in a position of seeking help through inappropriate actions, that are detrimental to themselves and people around them, but does that give the police permission to shoot and kill a man who needs help? Why did the police officers aim at a body extremity that would not cause a fatal wound, which would have disarmed the victims handling of a "pipe" but no, the officers shoot and kill the man and ask questions. In my opinion, this is a case of racial profiling and an independent investigation should be initiated by professionals who are arms length from the police or any police association who is there to protect their officers with no regard for helping this man and his family. Shame on the police and their trigger happy officers who see Canada's first people through the colonial racist beliefs of the 19th and 20th century, which has no place today in the 21st century. Miigweech, all my relations

Condemming Mr Jones burning of hte Koran

2011-04-02T06:28:00.002-07:00

Terry Jones' church, Dove Outreach Center
http://www.doveworld.org/

Well, Mr Jones, you really messed up this time. To utilize the actions of using fire to burn the holy words of our Creator is not part of God's plan and is actually just part of the Devil's work I would say that you are actually a wolf in sheep’s clothing to decide to use the auspice of your unholy church to disrespect the holy words of our Creator. Your narrow minded world view just caused the death of innocent people of the UN, and you do not realize what your stupid callous acts have started.

As you I assume know, the word is the word, and the spirit of the word is part of God's tools and that we humans here on earth may call our creator different names, but God, Allah and Buddha are one and the same but painted through different aspects of history and cultures. God is very angry with your actions and I would suggest that you apologize to the people overseas that your stupid callous acts angered. I cannot believe that you and your associates would do such a stupid, hateful act because of your narrow self righteous point of view. You will be held accountable by God, and brought swift and condemning justice

Adapted Greek tragedy banned on Sask. reserve - Saskatchewan - CBC News

2011-04-01T08:20:00.000-07:00

Adapted Greek tragedy banned on Sask. reserve - Saskatchewan - CBC News
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/story/2011/03/31/sk-play-banned-first-nation-110331.html?sms_ss=facebook&at_xt=4d9548b16d1de468%2C0

This banning of a contemporary interpretation of Shakespeare's play is akin the burning of books in the 20th century in Germany, where a people's voice was denied. The actions of these community leaders is completely unacceptable and the Canadian theatre community should hold these Chiefs and Band leaders accountable and demand immediate resignation of their community position as respectable community leaders
One would ask a simple question; why was the play banned? Reading the news story, it is because of the theatre company’s interpretative direction, of which these people in power did not like what the artists painted. And that is what we do as artists, we paint a picture of the world we share, scars and all, and people do not like the picture of themselves due to negative perceptions, then, the people in power must change and admit failure due to their past indiscretions, and learn again to regain the trust of the community they govern.
If the mirror artists’ paint is to close for comfort, then there is a ring of truth on the contemporary version of Shakespeare’s words.
And that is what we are dealing with here colleagues, friends and enemies, the power of the written word, the freedom to express ourselves in a democratic society. With this closure and banning of the play before it opens, these leaders’ actions are parallel to the actions of leaders in another time, where voicing one’s opinion against the people in power can have you imprisoned, shot, or just simply disappear. And of course throughout history we have many incidents where people in power abused their authority against artists, writers or others who spoke up against the social, political and economic injustices carried out due to abuse of power, greed and the corrupt actions of people in power.
And what do these actions by these so called leaders create in the minds of our children who live in our communities and have the potential in life to do great things for society? They will see that if they expression themselves in a view that is not favourable by those in positions of trust and leadership, that they will be punished. They may then settle with life instead of realizing their potential in life.
Perhaps we can look at these people who banned the play as insecure, subconsciously dysfunction due to the century of intergeneration colonial conditioning of Canada’s first people due to the residential schools abuses and assimilation policies of the 19th and 20th century, but I would basically say, that these people’s actions are due to not wanting to see the truth versions of themselves due to their abuse of power and control. Rather fascist in today’s society and void of any sense of dignity, honesty, humility, respect or grace. Let’s hold these people accountable

One NIght Only, this MArch 20th Empire Ball room, Indigenous Singer/Songwriter Donald Morin

2011-03-17T12:02:00.001-07:00

B.C. lawsuit challenges solitary confinement rules : MY Reply to the naysayers commenting on my comment of Globe and Mail article of March 7th., 2011

2011-03-08T11:40:00.000-08:00

MY Reply to the naysayers commenting on my comment of Globe and Mail article of March 7th., 2011
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/bc-lawsuit-challenges-solitary-confinement-rules/article1931853/

GlynnMhor of Skywall, Northern Princess, and you others who negatively applied to my comments. I heard all your illogical reasoning b4. Redneck, self righteous, arrogant, sarcastic, self-serving, indignant, incredulous, colonial, and reeking of all that euro-centric validation of whose right and whose wrong. I would say It is the system's fault why this woman is the way she is, intergenerational abuse due to residential schools, abusive foster homes, family members whose language and culture were beat out of them, and drugs and alcohol replaces spiritual values, because the government and its system of churches, schools, prisons and justice servers had it in their legislative mind and policies to kill the NDN in the child. Grey nuns who used religion, guilt and physical abuse to destroy the worth and life of our children.

All you say that; we got to get over it, others have been successful, get a job, get educated, while northern princess fool, systemic “Indian” racism is invisible and insidious, and un-seeable by the black, yellow and white race because colonialism has positioned the Indian below all other cultures due to how the historical real, the spectacle real and the erotic real defined the “Indian” in popular culture. You colonial simple minded , limited educated euro-Canadian simpletons, can get an education if you do not understand how semiotics, signs, ideology and cultural propaganda has helped define that little brain you people use to write your simplistic, sarcastic replies to my comment about this G and M articles.
You all may not take the blame for what happened, but your simplicity in reasoning has made you all complicit to the tragedy of Canada’s first people, I still say, you people void of compassion and understanding of all the issues involved with this native women who is in isolation , can go to your Christina hell, because of your lack of empathy and your fullness of pride and illogical hatred of who we are as one of God’s chosen people to help each other in these troubled times.
To the ones who understand my writing , peace be with you all too. Miigweech

BELOW, my first comment on articel and commenters on my words:

DAM_ba
3:47 PM on March 7, 2011
As an aboriginal person, who was as well abused as a child, I empathize with this woman's pain. a system takes a person's language, culture, hertiage, and family away, and gives them abuse, hate and life devoid of any love , you would develvop into similar conditions, assimilation policies are the reason's for this woman's pain, Give the abuse and hate that was given to this person as a child, you tend to give it back to the "other" because that is all a person is taught when you deal with the failed assimilation policeis fo Canada

For all you people void of any understanding or empathy to why this woman is the way she is; can go to hell, because your lack of compassion will take you there
Friendly Anglo
I also was abused by a family member. Doesn't mean I have to become one.

I survived not because of my upbring, but in spite of it.
Ned Chiwalski
So what you're saying is that it's society's fault for creating the animal that she is??
Nice try!
Bendygirl
Dam_ba - abuse can destroy the soul of any person it touches. Truly. It is painful and traumatic. I know this from personal experience myself. My compassion ends where a person believes that their past entitles them to harm other human beings with impugnity - aboriginal or not. There are many aboriginal people in this country who were subject to abuse and assimilation policies who do not behave in this manner - and they may have mental illnesses, and post traumatic stress disorders and they are also haunted by terrible demons. They do not inflict their pain on those who did not cause that pain. That is the salient point here.

Peace to you.
GlynnMhor of Skywall
That's a typical Politically Correct indian response to just about any problem:

Blame Whitey.

The logic goes:

My life is messed up (waaa, waaa).

Somebody Else messed up my life (waaa, waaa).

So Somebody Else has to fix my life for me.

And I don't need to change.

Northern Princess
Oh come off it people. I will not take any blame for what happened in this country 3-400 years ago, sorry! Times were different, thinking was different and reactions were different, get over it. Sick and tired of hearing how the poor aboriginal was treated. Heck they could live better than some of us with all that the government gives them. Some have done extremely well in their lives and don't blame anyone for their lot in lives. Get a job, get educated (which I know that the government can pay for that for you) and do something with your life. We all have to do it, why not you? Get over yourselves.

How about moving to Lybia where the government treats his people so much better than you have been treated in Canada? Now that might be a great experience. No houses given, no ski-doos or 4-wheelers, no net fishing, no unrestricted hunting there either, but you can protest all you want and maybe you'll get away with your life and freedom. Life is so hard for you in Canada isn't it? Give me a break.

Allan Ross
6:49 AM on March 8, 2011
It wasn't hundreds of years ago NP - it was within the lives of the survivors of residential schools. I'm not exonerating the natives from some personal responsibility but you can't ignore the systematic destruction of their society and culture by the predominantly white government. If we actually want to improve our country then we need to take responsibility for what has happened within our lifetimes and work to improve the future for First Nations peoples.

NDNs & DOGS, A MOMENT DEDICATED TO FRIEND

2011-03-03T08:36:00.002-08:00

Dedicated to the late Lisa Sazama

I was shocked to hear about Lisa's passing Sandy Scofield informed me, and I am sadden by this news. I met Lisa around 1991 - 92 through my former artistic partner. Jimy Sidlar. Jimy is a great singer songer writer performer and actor. I first saw Jimy as an actor in Peter Barnes Noon Day Demon and hired him for the role of Danny Dog in the Experimental multi-media work NDNs and DOGs. NDNs and DOGs was a chaotic and intense performance script adapted from the poems and writings of Neil Benson and Donald Morin after Donald Ghostkeeper asked me to do a performance event based on the indigenous issues of the day (1989-onward) After dialogue with Neil and studying all my writings and plays, the script was re-written numerous times till the first 1990 performance event at the International Pitt Gallery in Vancouver, then at the Earth Voice Festival 1992, and then at the 1994 National Native Youth and Multicultural conference at The Hotel Vancouver. As an inter-disciplinary artist, I directed the first two events of which both were learning experiences in accordance to the Aesthetics of Performance, It was with the 1994 event that Lisa was the theatrical director of the Hotel Vancouver Show, while I constructed the multimedia around the direction of her two actors, Jimy and Donald.

She was an extraordinary artist who had a strong and clear methodology regarding her directing and her involvement in the rehearsals and her direction created in my humble opinion, the best performance of the three produced shows of my work as a writer/producer/director.

You can see and hear her briefly at my NDNs and DOGS web-documentary of this unique period of my life. My condolensces to her loved ones at this sad time of all of us, who were touched by her grace, her artistic geniosity, and her kind and caring nature.

NDNs and DOGs Hi-Res Digital Release-May09

Donald_Morin | Myspace Video

Live 3 Song Medley by Donald Morin

2011-02-27T16:55:00.000-08:00

Lecturing and Teaching with Skype; A First at The University of the Fraser Valley

2011-02-18T17:23:00.000-08:00

Hats off to Sophie Isbister for her seamless writing and editing at the cascade student paper about my online lecture and presentation of my media work. Here is the link: http://ufvcascade.ca/2011/02/15/teaching-with-skype-a-first-at-ufv/comment-page-1/#comment-3170

Christine Elsey's work is important at the academic level of deconstruction, evaluation, and applying direct action and ideas to how we manufacture literacy.

Manufacturing Literacy as in The Literacy Manufacturing Company, of which was part of and is part of my ideas as an artist today and since the 1990s. Beyond the systemic conventional terms of a dying colonial world, we manufacture our literacy through our connection to the Great Spirit, the Creator, and to his/her angels and how we teach our children Yes the Affirmative Culture Literacy has always existed and its system with all its apparatuseses of definition and control. great and small are being exposed in the new WikiLeaks literacy and that is good.

Chaos happens today now in the Middle East because it is the time of the end, the slow march towards the end of time. A New Literacy is being created, so stop, stay alert and be prepared to do great work in all you do. Hy Hy The cyber surveillance tools of all the terrologues in the free world may watch us and look out for the agitators, anarchists, militants, sabatours, provocateurs and terrorists, but hell, they have been calling us those signifiers every since they got lost in these woods during contact. So stand up, show your power, and that you are not afraid to fight the terror machine. Feed the poor, heal the sick and get ready for the war! Hy Hy, O'SIem, Gila Kesla, All my relations.

CBC News - Saskatchewan - Sask. First Nations call cigarette seizures 'unconstitutional'#socialcomments

2011-02-17T16:03:00.000-08:00

Finally More of our People are taking a stand againest the colonial monopoly Canada has on our sacred tobacco. The time is right for revolution, stand up against the system of decay around us that they call Canada. Take back what is ours now!

CBC
News - Saskatchewan - Sask. First Nations call cigarette seizures 'unconstitutional'#socialcomments

lecture video excerpt from U of FV presentation.wmv

2011-02-16T10:35:00.000-08:00

Online Interview of Christine Elsey published in UFV student rag and online at Interview pertains to Online lecture and media presentation I did for Native Studies Class at University of Fraser Valley

http://ufvcascade.ca/2011/02/15/teaching-with-skype-a-first-at-ufv/

1999 Metis Sauvage European Tour Digital Magazine Revisited | IsumaTV

2011-01-30T18:43:00.000-08:00

1999 Metis Sauvage European Tour Digital Magazine Revisited | IsumaTV

Harper says 'Canada shone' in 2010

2010-12-23T14:36:00.001-08:00

Right. After a discussion this morning with professionals in the various services of working with Canada's first people, we all agreed that Canada's relationship with Canada's first people has not succeeded and that systemic racism invisible and visible is in Canadian society. So, PM Harper, quit spreading the lies you create. You only perpetuate the status quo of systemic racism in Canadian society and pulling the wool over all non-native Canadians, who buy into the current lie about native/non-native relations in Canada, and North American society.

The day a Slain yachtsman's daughter [who is] 'pretty tough' made the news

2010-12-05T13:12:00.000-08:00

Theses commenters lost the point of the news and made it a social discourse of left and right winged political debating.

Commenters!, What exactly is the problem here? It is a news story that happened. Done with , victims and crimnals. A fact of life on this world. Why judge the two sides? Let the Creator settle justice in his/her time. Let us take care of the survivor, mourn the dead, and let the proper authorities capture the perpertrators,. If that is humanly impossible, for what ever reason, let it be. If we truly search to understand the Great Mystery of Life, we would work hard, help others, and judge no more. That is why we have the sytem today. Our imperfect human form of life, justice and death, but that is allwe have, and we all pick sides, right or wrong.
Good luck in your argumentative state, but do you feel better where it counts or in an instant physical emotional gratification from trying to beat down a way of thinking that is not your own? Take care

wasted resources spent on Cariboo grow-ops targeted by B.C. RCMP

2010-12-04T08:28:00.000-08:00

Const. Michael McLaughlin says, These newcomers to the pristine Caribou region have no regard for the land that they occupy; streams are being diverted, growth-enhancing chemicals and pesticides are leaching into the soil, and garbage is being left behind,"

Sounds like he is talking about the capitalist expansionists who are ravaging this land. Sounds like he is talking about Canadian society and what they did to this land after contact

The plant is part of the Creator's garden, it is the white system that is criminalizing a part of the Creator's garden, why should we believe an ideological based law that is not part of the Creator's will?

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2010/12/03/bc-rcmp-grow-op-crackdown.html#ixzz17A0xBiNK

2010-12-03T05:58:00.000-08:00

Some words regarding the the opinions from the CBC commenters pertaining to the Dec 3rd. CBC story of First Nations group, province disputing child welfare.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/saskatchewan/story/2010/12/02/sk-foster-care-reserve-1011.html

Canadian farmer writes: "If the tribal councils don't care how the kids are doing, why should we?"

That is not what the news story mentions you opinionated person. Quit putting words in the mouths of our leaders. As a survivor of the fostering system, I say after provincial social agencies created a genocidal pattern of abuse in the foster homes of non-native people who used the system as an adoption wheel to bring in extra money, and abusing our children, why in the world would we let our children with you people again?

We have a right to take care of our own children, and all you Naysayers can keep your stinky euro-centric Canadian nose out of it!

CBC closes commenting on the WikiLeaks stories

2010-11-28T17:37:00.002-08:00

CBC's comment tool is closed for these wikileaks stories! Why is that? The true colours of the USA are being exposed, the arrogance, the roughshodding, the bullying, the racist sense of superiority of military and diplomatic might from the beast of the belly

Shaking Our Artistic Hands with the Devil

2010-11-23T15:57:00.004-08:00

Shaking Our Artistic Hands with the Devil
From Alumni SFU Inter-disciplinary Indigenous Métis Artist: Donald Morin, BA

Re: SFU Visual Arts & Goldcorp: "Framing Cultural Capital

Attention: Jeff Derksen, Ian Angus, Alexandra Henao, Cecily Nicholson, Irwin Oostindie, Jayce Salloum, Carole Taylor, and all other interested individuals and colleagues

Dear Associated Colleagues of SFU and Salish Territory now know as the lower mainland of British Columbia
As a SFU graduate and artist who has studied two semesters of visual arts along with my performing arts and the SFU film program, I raise my hands up to all of you who help create this upcoming dialogue forum regarding Goldcorps 10 mil donation. Miigweech.
I personally find it deplorable that SFU has accepted this buy off donation from Godcorps.

What is more incredulous is the trilateral position already taken by the university:
• the immediate designation of naming the SFU downtown campus to the Goldcorps Centre for the Arts,
• half of the funds going towards the capital costs of running the facilities,
• and the endowment created to support programs aimed at community engagement in the DTES

Without even asking the downtown eastside community for some input in how such a donation can help the community before accepting the money.

Considering, the whole notion of Goldcorps past history in its mining developments, I am ashamed of being part of SFU's history for their immediate acceptance of this sellout donation without proper consideration of the more urgent needs of the residents of the Downtown East, the lack of cultural protocol with respect to the first people of Salish Territory, and the lack on including a Salish First Nations Artist to this important dialogue event.

As a first nations man who spent close to thirty years on Salish Territory and many years in the downtown eastside as an activist/artist and community member, I learned much about cultural respect and my self worth as an "Indian" man who moved to Vancouver 1980 from Edmonton to realize my potential in life. Where at that time, society's expectation of native people then were only seeing us as drunks, in jail or dead. Moving back to Edmonton Dec 2009, it is sad to still see the judicial system still stereotyping native people in the same light, and certain members of Canadian society still have systemic racist views of Canada's first people.

It is good to see that people are concerned about this donation, but are they the right concerns? Will this dialogue event be seen as a lame afterthought, when it comes to the lateness of the press release, because suddenly people hear about this donation are of concern, and SFU organizers realize they do not have proper community discussions and involvement when Goldcorps first put the money on the table?
And then there is the issue of cultural protocol. Considering the sad and sordid history of the Downtown Eastside Missing women and the strong percentage of aboriginal people in the area, where do these people fit in with this donation?

An artist paints a picture of a missing woman, a dying native on the street, and we all done our part in helping less fortunate people through our work as artists?

I see this late release as a case of poor insight and planning to be sending this press release out now considering the date of this event. I can only assume that there may be a limited crowd of people involved due to this later publication of this event.

What will the result of this event be? Considering the language of the press release, I see it as a rather pretentious event of artists, moderators, and intellectuals complaining about the ethics of such a donation to real people with real concerns, but still the money has been taken, plans have been initiated and discussed, and we can all go away thinking that we are doing some good for the community talking about it.

Meanwhile the residents of the DTES are struggling to survive, eat, maintain a roof and wean themselves of the substances some have fallen into, while the old timers in the area area sit in their rooms they have and will never see the benefits of this sellout donation.

My critics will say, well, there are already many social agencies out there helping these people, and I am missing the point of this donation and discussion. But I would refute that argument, by saying that the university can go against the status quo of community relations, and use that money in a context that will take all your departmental disciplines in consideration, and use that capital to build and improve the current housing conditions for the residents, create all types of employment for the residents, invest in improving the health, body and mind of the residents, and use that endowment fund to help all the people of the DTES instead of just the artists and their subjects.

Any further real concrete action for the university and this discussion panel to do is to tell the university to give back that money to Goldcorps and instruct the corporation to go into the downtown eastside community, and create real change for the residents without any sort of public acknowledgment or recognition.

Does the university have to be involved at all? No, I see this as a public relations ploy by this corporation and my former university, and now with all you colleagues being involved, everyone is grandstanding themselves around this donation because, it is a news worthy item and we can all get something out of this fiasco, and the residents get nothing but what is offered later, much later, once the money is implemented in the system and the infra structure develops and everyone gets their piece of the pie, and the status quo remains the same.

In closing, while I accept and give credit to the organizers of this event for creating dialogue in [demanding] " a more active role in shaping [their] position at the university and [their] relationship to the community, nothing is really going to change for the residents of the community outside of the artists who will utilize the downtown SFU Centre for the Arts.

I apologize of I have offended anyone in this dialogue, but what is our role as artists in contemporary society if we do not address immediate basic issues of survival for our fellow humans accepting nothing in return. Miigweech, Gila Kesla, O’Siem, Hy hy, all my relations
Miigweech Donald Morin, BA

http://www.isuma.tv/dammedia http://myspace.com/donaldmorin
http://www.google.com/profiles/donaldmorin http://www.youtube.com/Willy2Frencheater

DAM Comments on CBC story of U.S. pornographer targets Winnipeg aboriginals

2010-11-04T17:07:00.000-07:00

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/story/2010/11/04/man-winnipeg-aboriginal-pornography-website.html#socialcomments-submit#ixzz14MTYRmWB

DAM COM
Regardless of accusers’ talk of victims taking substances, who has not sinned and is able to judge these victims? We as aboriginal people were taken from a language, a land, family, extended families and place in horrible homes where the adoption parents used the cheques on themselves and left the children to struggle and struggle trying to be the assimilated person like the euro-Canadian immigrants, and travelers who came here and stole what was not theirs. THE assimilators stole our true Identity, our mother tongue. An identity as a people which goes back to the days of Jesus among us, and the Great Spirit who made you and I writing here. Grow up you zealots of the new century, the time has come to separate the left from the right, the light from the dark, and we will see who judges who!!

Supreme Court to hear case over Quebec’s controversial ethics and religion class

2010-10-21T23:23:00.001-07:00

In response to article published in The Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/quebec/supreme-court-to-hear-case-over-quebecs-controversial-ethics-and-religion-class/article1767535/

The security of our children is paramount. Ideologically, and physically. It is an important debate. How do we help children to understand the different religions, and cultures of this world? It is not as simplistic as teaching a westernized curriculum of mosaic or multicultural values of who we are as Canadians, Americans, indigenous, class or people of diverse cultures.

Parents want to choose? Is that a form of protectionism? How do we look at ourselves and understand a family's interpretation of another culture, religion and history? I.e. stereotyping, propaganda, church values, family history, generational history, it is a complex issue.

All we can do is each pray to the Creator in their own words, thoughts, and prayers, and perhaps we can find what is best for our children and not directed by state ideological apparatuses bent on form control and mass order.

Clinton tackled for oilsands comments

2010-10-21T20:37:00.002-07:00

"Calgary-based TransCanada Corp. has said its pipelines pose no threat to the environment", they say there is no guarantee in life, and it is rather arrogant for the corporation to say that. Let’s not forget the accidental rupture some time ago in Burnaby when an independent contractor made a mistake. Oil is oil; IT will destroy everything it touches No matter what clean up attempt is initiated.

The Creator will take that arrogance of man and humble us to our knees, as we slowly devour ourselves to survive. Life's Windigo's is here there and everywhere, If I can quote an old pop songs from way back lore.

We must stop this pipeline, stop our dependency on what is suppose to stay in the ground to keep the world balanced We are slowly dying driving faster to nowhere. Clinton is a realist as she knows the system will not change and the cost of our freedom is climate change, pollution, less resources and a human race who can not see their own demise every morning we go to work or play. Our polluted bodies die, our soul goes where it will go, free of oil, but still the human race can not change, because we are living in the end of days. Aho all my relations I am, that I am! And it will be down.

Alta. child welfare system needs to change: report

2010-10-17T06:58:00.000-07:00

Story closed for commeting, why is that? The majority of the children under care are first nations. Is the government hiding behind legislation in their positioning and conditioning of indigenous people? Has anything changed for our children since the 60s Scoop? Tell us something we do not know. Stop taking away our children! have a good day, and week ahead.

All 33 Minors rescued in Chile! Rescuers remaining!

2010-10-13T18:39:00.002-07:00

Thank our Creator, all "33" men were rescued. Very important number considering Jesus lived 33 years, now we have the resecuers to rescue, God help them all. God bless the survivors in the belly of our rocky life!

Prostitution laws struck down by Ont. court

2010-09-29T06:28:00.001-07:00

The protection of our life givers is paramount. The old saying about "the oldest profession” rings true throughout history, the bible, other teachings, writings and the modernity of our popular culture. Women and men have a God given right to their bodies, and how one cares for the human body and what we do to our bodies.

God gave us that choice, and we deal with the consequences when the physical body is returned to our Creator. It is written that we must treat our body like a temple for our Creator, keep it clean and pure. Yet. the reality here on earth is vastly different than what we all ideally would like if we were free of our urges, senses, and idealization of whom we are as a body and how we live our lives. Morally or immorally, but then who is the judge of our bodies, our choice in private, and what people do not see.

Trudeau mentioned something about keeping the state out of the bedrooms of the nation? Does that apply here? Perhaps, for sex between two beings can happen anywhere if we were animals. but we are not, and we must protect our body, spirit and mind from falling into the primal instincts of our nature. Prostitution will not go away, as long as we have immoral people, who have lost respect for the human body, and replace love with lust. Yes, protect the vulnerable from exploitation in this sexual trade of relations, but as well protect our woman without prejudice, malice or judgment and do the right action, without bowing down to fundamentalist or the religiosity of institutions, and organized political fronts of conservatism.

Kelly A H Bird Presents An Exosphere Production In Association with New ...

2010-09-13T07:37:00.000-07:00

Kelly A H Bird Presents An Exosphere Production In Association with New ...

2010-09-11T17:20:00.000-07:00

Edmonton hospital asks homeless for advice

2010-08-18T10:45:00.000-07:00

See: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2010/08/17/ed-royal-alexandra-hospital-homeless-survey.html

It is good that such institutions are look at other ways of helping less fortunate people than ourselves. Instead of judging the homeless, the street bums, why not go out and buy them a coffee, sandwich, and ask how they are? Do they need to know where to go to need help, is life that busy and fast that we forget about the founding values of Canadian society? Bad apples in every crowd, so do not judge all people on the street with the same brushes. I was looking for work downtown Edmonton & saw a native man bandaged over his left eye, He was weak and softly asking for $. No passerby could hear him, did not care, & didn’t pay attention to this poor soul. I gave him a smoke, told him I was not working and sat near him as I waited for the bus. It was sad to see all these people walk by, as this man held his cap out and tried to survive. I dug in my pocket and gave him the two quarters, but felt bad because I still had a loonie. Late Chief Dan George's son Len George told me once that if you see someone who needs help, dug in your pocket and give what you have in change. It is the right thing to do. Today I see signs saying give to social agencies instead of to the people on the street, Why do we follow the rules of society when it comes to helping the less fortunate, instead of trusting the teachings of your/our Creator totally by helping the less fortunate regardless of ones judgment and assumption of their background, ulterior motives, or the degree of their empty stomach or brain; if you consider the ones who have bad motives regarding charity like the woman who faked cancer and defrauded many as a result of their good grace and charity? People on the street are our equal, Help them, karma exists be on the left hand or right hand? U decide.

The Duck Wife At The Edmonton Fringe 2010 | IsumaTV

2010-08-13T11:45:00.000-07:00

The Duck Wife At The Edmonton Fringe 2010 | IsumaTV

MY PERSONAL REPLY TO CBC WEB ARTICLE: Oka developer met with protests

2010-08-06T14:26:00.002-07:00

MY PERSONAL REPLY TO CBC WEB ARTICLE: Oka developer met with protests

Ducharme says he has the rights and deeds for the land on behalf of a financial institution, and implies the Mohawks committed heresies. Having finished my first feature film in 2004 based on the incident of Oka, 1990, After years of study, research, and travel to the Mohawk territory in my younger days, I have met the late Joe David, As well as members of the Gabriel family. Wonderful people who spoke the truth regardless of the stereotyping and racism that is steeped deep in Canadian History, Alanis Obamsowin's film Kanasatake 200 years of resistance is also a great film to understand the history of the area, which is the results of this current valid form of resistance. The Whiteman’s malaise. The title deeds are worthless when it comes to broken treaties, manipulating priest from the Oka area and its history, and how the euro centric ancestors of that territory's history stole the land from the Mohawks. Duchames sounds like that guy from Pale Rider who shows Clint Easton’s character his piece of paper saying he owns the land. White devils again manipulating the media and council people
See the article at: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2010/08/06/que-oka-conflict.html#socialcomments

Donald Morin, BA
seen and heard at
http://www.isuma.tv/dammedia
www.myspace.com/moredammusic
http://www.reverbnation.com/#/donaldmorin,
http://www.google.com/profiles/donaldmorin,
http://www.youtube.com/Willy2Frencheater,
http://myspace.com/donaldmorin

DAM T5H3K8 and The Indigenous Hawaii Resistance | IsumaTV

2010-07-26T15:42:00.000-07:00

First section of My New Experimetnal film I am developing!

DAM T5H3K8 and The Indigenous Hawaii Resistance | IsumaTV

Drunks force Winnipeg business to close: owner

2010-07-22T12:59:00.000-07:00

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/story/2010/07/22/mb-kraut-king-close-downtown-booze-winnipeg.html#ixzz0uRX9gF58

The implication of this CBC news article is that the people who move in & around this location are always 1st nation’s people who are extremely intoxicated, & that "...the ...aboriginal leaders need to step up and do more to address addiction problems among First Nations people..." The article also mentions the MLCC fining the hotels that sell liquor to the " disadvantaged people who wind up drinking...illegally in public places..." While I empathize with the business owner, I would ask, is only 1st nation people who are causing the problems, or a combination of euro-Canadian & native people, along with some of our multicultural friends, who are being disrespectful to others in public places? The historical conditions that helped define the pathos of these people is entrenched with the endless dreams of fame and fortune, growing up in a society that endure two world wars, endless conflict, & the lose of land, language, & culture as a result of colonial practices, immigrational distanciation, & the development of life in a new country, new environment and a new sense of values and shortcomings. Sadly 2 say Canadian history is full of successes and failures when it comes to the conduct of the self in relation to the other. Is it a question of race, genes, destiny, stupidity, or simple series of bad luck situations and the lack of will to do better in life? How long do we strive to reach our potential in life, instead of just settling with life? We all have choices in life, and ultimately The Great Spirit allows us 2 success or failure in according each day's progression of life and death. This world creates vices for us all, but it is the ones on the street that shows the true mirror of who we are, if we judge & condemn others B4 our Creator.

Sage for Our Warriors and Elders from Turtle Island to Hawaii | IsumaTV

2010-07-22T09:04:00.000-07:00

Sage for Our Warriors and Elders from Turtle Island to Hawaii IsumaTV

103 meg repro of First rough edit and early start of Donald Morin's Experimental film depicting an unique approach to Indigenous Resistance and Hawaiian Indigenous Sovereignty Issues. More work has to be done on translations, text notes and the Hawaiian One Law government March and rally.

Response to Elder criticizes native omission from summit and native protest comments on CBC news story about Natives protesting peacefully

2010-06-28T06:15:00.001-07:00

CBC did not publish article, so here it is: 2nd. story about Elder omission is at link below:

Some people have 2 understand the fiduciary relationship of Canada & her 1st people 2 the original treaties & why there is a lack of treaties & broken treaties which exist. We can thank Cabot, Champlain, Cartier & others who were looking 4 a passage to India. Cabot thru the King’s Letter of Patent, set sail & the rest is history. The new immigrants, traders took advantage of our ancestors because they had the best resources. 2day we still struggle with this historical embedded racism yet some people will never understand why we must fight for our rights & benefits, because those treaties are law which last for generations 2 come. Treaties were signed because of the land that we lost. Dead or no deed that is old world written literacy thinking that has no argument here today. The cultural , political, economic apparatuses of this country romantized the 1st. people’s history The dime novels of the time, the melodrama forms & newspapers of the Wild West defined our relationship to each other since the modernist period 2 the literacy of your local papers & media 2day. The historical real, the spectacle real, & the erotic real has defined your coveting of who we are as a people due to this modernist period, I write about, but as well to the romanticist period, with novels like Ferdinand Cooper’s Last of The Mohicans, or the story of John Smith & Pocahontas romanticized our relations to each other. This ideological condition developed out of the progression of North American Pop Culture as the masses bought into the desires of a material capitalist culture. From how your grandparent’s great great Grandparents, the “Indian” was painted in the derogatory light then, as it is 2day. Why? Because of the lack of correct education about the history of the 1st people.

That is why there was no Elder at SUmmit, because these politicians are not properly educated about Indigenous history with the moonyass!

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/g20streetlevel/2010/06/elder-criticizes-native-omission-from-summit.html#socialcomments-submit

The Lies of Aboriginal Day

2010-06-21T11:37:00.000-07:00

The best of Aboriginal day to you all even though Canada does not live up to the ideals that bind us together as a people or a country, as statistics defines Canada's first people and our relations to your economic, social, cultural, state apparatuses and your skid rows. So shame on Canada on this propaganda day for the immigrant Canadians, who will never really know us as a people , only as how the system paints their picture of who we are before contact, after contact, and during the time of you occupiers!

Response to CBC article: G20 police arsenal includes plastic bullets

2010-06-20T10:21:00.000-07:00

The fact that they are practicing is down right scary. Sure, they say plastic bullets and tear gas, but it takes one projectile in one vulnerable place of the human body to destroy ones right to voice their dissatisfaction with leader who are over-consuming Earth’s resources.

Practicing to shoot first to justify their over-priced weapons of death and authoritative control shows how the current ultra right conservatives do not care about people. People who want to change the status quo for he care and betterment of Mother Earth and her children. To spend the excessive money they have on security, so they can practice using guns is unacceptable. Cancel the G20, recall this current government and fire all these security personnel.

CBC artile at: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/06/18/arwen-weapon-summits.html#socialcomments-submit

A response to commenters on a CBC article Renew Aboriginal Healing Foundation: MPs, See link below for Comments by dumb people

2010-06-18T06:37:00.000-07:00

Free sky and LaRock, Your negative comments and hatred, and racial ideals will be the downfall of your existence. Without compassion, grace, and humility, you will never enter the Creator's garden, but head to the place where fire and hate fills your dying space. Treaties maintain the current relationship to the modern world, because our ancestors knew that they must consider their future generations, when the treaties were singed and the land of the area know as parts of Canada were transferred to the Old World explorers. Treaties that exist today and helped develop the relation that we have now with Canada. Treaties that are utilized to provide aspects of life for the first people, but it is because of the greedy mercantilists, capitalists who went beyond the legal aspects of the treaties and manipulated land and resources form the first people. GO over the treaties of the time and educate yourself and see that your comments and negativity is full of hot air. You guys get over it, move on and realize that the relation exist between Canada and her first people exist today because of your forefathers, and swindlers who undermined the first people and began to perpetuate the racism and bigotry that exist today. SO you Euro Canadian post immigrants and immigrants get over your inadequacies, your insecurities and learn to love your neighbor and understand how the past affects the present which in turns affects the future, where we will all be judged. SO smarten up you racist fools. grown up and learn bout your past and see that we are all in the same canoe traveling down the same river of life together as one human family helping one another.

To see comments and CBC article go to: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/north/story/2010/06/17/aboriginal-healing-commons-report.html#socialcomments-submit

In response to CBC story of Boy, 11, slams residential schools legacy

2010-06-17T05:53:00.000-07:00

Good on the 11 year old boy to speak out. I too, barely over a year old was apprehended along with my twin brother from our six sisters & brothers and two half sister and brother because of the racist policies of the 60s. Split up from my twin & surviving 16 foster homes by the time I was four, (Found records of my stays in 1994) It took a long time to realize, understand, and deal with why I was so full of hate and forlornness as a child with native life skills programs & doctors who one told me in 1983, come back in 8 years when you feel hopeless. ( I did not go back, even though 1991 was a time of change for native people after the Oka incident.

From self destructive patterning due to not liking myself, acting crazy , impulsive and always being intense, I was determined not to end up dead or in jail because this where society stereo typified us to be or end up in. Leaving racist systemic Alberta at 24 was my only choice as nothing was gong to change in redneck Alberta, and sadly after returning to Alberta 29 years later, nothing has changed in this city. Native people are still shunned, looked down upon and treated badly by the police, peace officers, and the courts of the justice system.

Moving to Salish Territory 1980 was a turning point for me 2 realizes my potential in life instead of just settling with the status quo. After a film & performing arts degree, I did what I had to do to survive. Under qualified, over-qualified, getting work was still problematic due to the racism in the film & television industry even when I got a job at CBC news, one producer during the production meeting, says, well, the Injuns are at it again, and this was a white middle class educated woman. 2010, we still have much work 2 do 2 eliminate racism in Canada.

See story at http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/story/2010/06/16/man-truh-reconcilation-commission-foster-care.html#socialcomments-submit

Start of Human rights complaint against MasDonald's restaurant

2010-05-28T10:44:00.002-07:00

I was having breakfast in the restaurant, and Morley Potts was giving heck to the manager over something. Fearing it would escalate, I decided to go off the native man some help. I listen abit and Morley says you can't do that The manager say he is going to call the police, I say to Morley "let's go outside, it is best to walk away.

After I was outside, I asked Morley what happened. Morley told me he was going to the washroom doing number two and praying to God in his private room, when the MacDonald Manager peered over the bathrrom stall and invaded Morley's privacy, MOrely said , What are doing? What;s wrong with you, After he cleaned himslef, he opened the bathroom door and went to talk to him.

He spoked to the manager and said what's wrong with you, Manager said he going to phone the police, Morley said go ahead. Morley thought why did the man want to peek over, of all people, what's wrong with him. why?

A critique of Canada’s desire to change legislation of the Pardon me: Forgive me ( Inresponse to CBC story of May 12, 2010

2010-05-12T07:18:00.001-07:00

A critique of Canada's desire to change legislation of the Pardon me: Forgive me ( Inresponse to CBC story of May 12, 2010

For a Christian society which invaded, conquered, assimilated, and exterminated Canada's First People on the basis of changing the infidel and heathens to Christianity, forgiveness was a major factor in accepting the first people as part of the euro-centric family, society and state. Forgiving ones evil ways is a Christian fundamental and major component of the Christian mission, mandate, and future direction. How can we go on as a good Christian democratic society if we as a country do not forgive others? If we as a people elected this government then we must stop this misdirected legislation as it will only stigmatize sincere people who want to move forward in life and cannot remove their pardon due to the lack of compassion and understanding required in order to forgive others so we can move forward as a whole, not fragmented as Canada is today due to the self righteousness of others who think that we should just leave all people convicted of a crime to lose opportunities to change and lead a productive life. While I empathize with victims of serious crimes, we still must understand that this physical life we have is not the end of life or seeing our loved ones, our dead family members, or people we care about and love. The afterlife is another component of Christianity, and victims should not forget that component of our lives. Staying in the present is important in life in moving forward and time s does removed past grief. Seeing our perpetrators receive forgiveness may bring up anger, resentment, but all negative emotions and feelings created moments which we may regret in this life and after. If we are really Christians and care for our fellow human, forgiveness is a must .The government and Public Safety Minister Vic Toews must retract his words

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/05/11/f-background-pardons.html#socialcomments-submit#ixzz0nizIIRUh

A remnder of what we must do to change the status qo, reprinted

2010-05-06T11:52:00.000-07:00

"...To change the stereotyping, the cultural norms of two centuries is going to take more than school board recommendations and passage of levies or school board orders, it is going to take two to three generations of re-educating of the ruling classes children, and the restructuring of the educational, cultural, and political apparatuses of North America and any euro-colonial country affected by colonialism. It is going to take a re-education of the masses who strive on the sports competitions, and the audience participation jingles. It is going to take time and the disruption of sported related industries and the elimination of mascot related sports games and themes. It is going to take a total elimination of two centuries of colonial history and the re-education of the masses. Regardless of the rebuttals against changing the mascot's image or name, these moronic culture opinionators will never see beyond their point of view because of how invisible, the notion of ingrained systemic racism is embedded in the subconscious realm of popular culture literacy and how one sees what is normal or a way of life in this world. Not until we have a total disruption of the North American way of life will we see change or have an understanding of the old world view of colonialism and all its entrapments and entitlements...."

CBC News - North - Yukoner's cell 'not habitable,' inquest hears

2010-04-25T10:32:00.000-07:00

See link below with respect to my response to this injustice:

The RCMP is a racist institution who hire racist people, who have no regard for Canad'a first people due to ther cultural, political and educational and economic upbringing,. What does that say for Canada as a society? THE RCMP should be dissolved and these people charged with criminal charges. Back me up and pass this around. It si time now to bring some accountablility to the actions of this Racist organization

CBC News - North - Yukoner's cell 'not habitable,' inquest hears

Film, Video, Media transference and Convergence, From Analogue to Digital to Podcasts

2010-04-17T11:22:00.001-07:00

CHAPTER ONE:
30 years of Learning about Film, Video, Media transference and Convergence, From Analogue to Digital to Podcasts, My Observations. Based on my current Web stream of Take It Easy When You Talk About Me"

Sometime ago, an artist approached me about web streams and pod casts, and the availability of them on the Internet. Digital filmmaking since 1992, I have seen many changes in filmmaking, digital media, and I know I have still so much more to learn. Digital Media is a complex web of variations, formats, and converging technologies to create the moving image. Capturing the digital or analogue sound and image varies in according to the technology and capital available to create moving pictures; but more so depends on the creative applications of the filmmaker, visual artist, or amateur working with such technologies.

I prefer Arriflex 16mm camera, but today the digital camera surpasses the availability of such technology, and the immediacy of seeing and using moving pictures surpasses the desire to use "film " today. However upon using film ; how does one transfer 16mm images off the celluloid and 1/4 inch sound off the niagra sound recorder in sync or non-sync applications?. (That is another problem I will mention later.)

The filmic way in my younger days at the SFU Film Workshop consisted of re-photographing the image off walls, bed sheets in makeshift studios, or special front screen re-photography screens based at the SFU mountain basement library studio. It may not exist anymore, an old 3/4 TV studio in the basement of the library building at SFU mountain in Burnaby, BC. That was where we (Peter Webb and I) filmed the 16mm Re-photography scenes of "Take It Easy When You Talk about Me". See the slightly altered version of "Take It Easy When You Talk about Me" at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKhycWMXScM; my 3rd year 16mm film collaboration with former alumni of those classes. Directed by Peter Webb,

It was learning collaborative on my part as I did not agree with some of his choices on audio usage, but overall, I enjoyed co-creating this short dual screen narrative because of the collaborative script based on the Native Scientist and his petrogyphs experiences. Important was learning about cultural protocol with actor (Buffalo child) and other research in first nation's cultural history. We created two 16mm reels and one 16mm audio track.

The audio track was synced to the right screen of the scientist working in the field when he encounters something strange. We then bring in the left screen with the accompanying narrative to the story. Sound was synced up on an old Steinbeck Editing table. I remember many "B" roll excursions thru Vancouver to film what we needed and as well helping record one "Native" protest of the time for the film, that sound recording involved Michael Playfair recording a protest against Fletcher Challenger Corporation and he recorded words from the protest speech by the late Joe Mathias which the director included in the film. I cannot remember if I was there for the recording, I think I was, someone will have to remind me, who was there. It was a protest at the Canada Place Hotel Complex on the waterfront.

Nevertheless, Getting TIEWYTAM to YouTube today was different to what we had to do to get TIEWYTAM on video side by side. After we graduated I remember Peter and I booked time with the SFU Video Communications Lab, where he had friends. We brought our finished edited work print films to the techies and they telecined each edited film roll it to ¾ video tape. Telecine is a method of projecting the film image through a prism device apparatuses to record the image onto video. Frame ratio was a problem as film was 24 frames a second and video was 30 frames a second. Flickering was problematic and today such problems are resolved with existing technologies.

Onward, we had the techies as well transferred the audio to video and then we used a TV switcher to compose the two video images side by side, inserted and synced up the audio track to the sync beep and voila! Peter gave me a ½ inch vhs copy of the film of which some of the VHS was creased, so I edited it out; that is why the ending of the film is slightly off. The VHS copy sat in my library for years as a personal record of my work, I showed it to old friends like Lenard Fisher (pictured far right) but it was not till 2005, when Wendy Nahanee asked if I could show some work at the 2005 Heart of the City Festival aboriginal film night that I digitize the 16mm dual screen narrative short.

After years of desktop video editing thru my old Amiga 2000 Commodore computer and S-VHS equipment, I accumulated miles of S-VHS, Hi-8 and VHS footage for my film 7 Fires 4 U...Kitchi Manitou, I haven't even shot any 16mm film yet. I finally had funds release in 2000 and I filmed 16mm footage out of the "timely" script. I had the 2000 16mm footage telecined to video. Darryl Bird offered to edit a promo of the shot 16mm footage and existing video archives of the 7 Fires project. His promo is now at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHnY1e-uV8s

With the completion of the promo, I re-applied to Canada Council for the arts for further funding. 2,001, I received further funding to shoot the 7 fires project. After discussions with fellow artists, computer consultants, I upgraded my desktop video system to digital media. I secured a windows system with Adobe Premiere editing software, Matrox video hardware, and other video editing software. I remember sitting at the computer for at least a month trying o figure out how digital filmmaking worked.

Connecting the wires was not a problem, RCA composite connectors, S-Vhs connectors and BNC connectors all fine, it was the compression rate, or no compression, but as well as usage of the fire wire. Getting the Hi-8, VHS, and S-VHS footage into to the computer at the proper compression ratio was problematic and involved trial and error methods of operation. I settled on combining old and new technologies together to achieve my own sense of satisfaction. I connected my Analogue video technologies to the video/audio input of a mini-DV Camera and went thru the menu section to output the video data coming thru the RCA v/a connectors and S-VHS connector thru the fire wire to the Adobe Premiere Capture window.

Upon capture the video data thru the fire at a rate acceptable to me I saved my film and clicked on the captured data in the browser window. Sound and Image show up in a separate window and I clicked play. Seeing the "film" image on the computer was amazing.

After setting in and out points, I dragged the avi file to the timeline, adjusted in and out points to fade in and outs, added smpte countdown, black video and exported the file as a "movie" file in DV avi. Upon completion of export, I opened up the file in QuickTime Pro and exported the avi file for 'web". Finished exports involved formats for podcasts and webcasts. 3GPP audio/video and Mp4 video for webcasts and pod casts. Ready for mass distribution on the net thru zshare, YouTube, Digital Drum or MySpace.

Closing this chapter, I recently recaptured the VHS copy of TIEWYTAM and the "Dazzle " Capture device practically eliminated those creases in the capture, so that was great, and I will have the new version of "Take It Easy When You Talk About Me". On the net soon. Thanks for visiting!

Donald Morin, BA Filmmaker/Digital Artist

CBC News - World - U.S. woman returns adopted son to Russia#socialcomments-submit#socialcomments-submit

2010-04-09T16:43:00.001-07:00

I wrote this earlier on CBC regarding the poor Russian Boy rejected by his foster mother,

"Torry Hansen of Shelbyville, Tenn: You are a disgusting person who will be punished severely for your callous actions to this poor vulnerable child. IT is absolutely awful to see that there are people like you in this world. I hope your punishment after t his life is so serve that the evil minions punishing you will yell at you, swear at you, and pull your hair for eternity."

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/04/09/russia-adoption-tennessee.html#socialcomments#ixzz0keLQBPvA

I was angry, Very Sad, but God Bless that littel boy Artyom Savelyev; HAng in there young fellow, I was like you, but trusting God, he saved my very soul. See you soon in life

Donald:
FOR Artyom Savelyev:

I apologize for being so judgmental. I was angry, I saw the picture of the child, I was adopted as a foster child, and had a tormentious existence from child to man. Demons have haunted me, my vices, and my own self damnation for who I was, who I am, and who I can be today. I could have taken my way out if it was not for our Creator. After finding out about my sixteen foster homes of hell from age 1 to 4, then systemic colonial ideals as a child growing up in redneck Alberta, I moved to Salish territory at 24 because here in AB, they expected NDNs to remain in jail or dead. 29 years later I am back to Cree territory, and nothing has changed when it comes to how people treat people or children, and we are the losers of the grand picture of life. God forgive all of us in these days of judgments’, and God help this child, and the child in all of us, so we can start each day without shame. As I am ashamed today. Yes, the woman did wrong, but who I am to judge without knowing all the facts, I read the letter, I was an unstable child, screwed up for years, but through the patience of my last foster parents, I found some tracks to follow. Yet, I know I have so much more work to do, B4 I sleep, miles to go B4 I wake, remembering Robert Frost.

CBC News - World - U.S. woman returns adopted son to Russia#socialcomments-submit#socialcomments-submit

My take on “Telefilm wants U.S. stars in Canadian movies”

2010-02-20T14:32:00.004-08:00

See my script below CBC article:

Telefilm wants U.S. stars in Canadian movies
Last Updated: Saturday, February 20, 2010 | 9:43 AM ET CBC News
Comments119Recommend30

Michel Roy, the head of Canada's federal film agency Telefilm, is urging the government to ease restrictions on allowing foreign stars to appear in publicly-funded movies.
Current tax rules require that the lead actor or the second lead be Canadian.
Michel Roy says he believes including more U.S. movie stars would help Canadian movies at the box office, especially the ones from English Canada, which accounted for only one per cent of box office receipts in the country last year.
"We just can't go on this way," Roy told CBC News, noting the industry in Quebec tends to be more dynamic while attracting a local audience, too.
"We need to make changes — in order to make those changes we will have to dare to do new things that at times might shock some people."
Roy understands some Canadians may question why their dollars are underwriting films with American stars but if the movies do well, they also give the Canadian talent more exposure.
Changes could be announced in weeks
Roy says Telefilm - which has plowed nearly a billion dollars into the domestic industry over the past decade - has been holding discussions with officials at Heritage Canada about relaxing restrictions on foreign stars.
Telefilm also wants to alter other guidelines to boost the number of co-productions, which have dropped dramatically in the past five years.
The changes could be announced in "a matter of weeks," Roy said.
"We're so advanced in these discussions and the reception has been very favourable."
Roy won't discuss the details of Telefilm's proposals and the minister of Heritage, James Moore, wasn't available to comment.

My reply to this story below:

NDN Aesthetics du La terre du cinema avec Anglo/Franco Hallucination USA Style.

(Working Title)

FADE IN:

EXT. HUSKY TOWER - DAY

An AMERICAN TYPE OILMAN is looking at Calgary with a gleam in his eyes. STEVEN, the PM holds an artificial CHIEF BONNET in his one hand, A Deed of PAPER in the other.

D.W.RUSH:

I'd like a cowboy hat with that oily Injun Steven!

After all The boys at the Alamo didn't kick ass those

mexicans because they were brownies, were they?

STEVEN:

Well, I'll don't know Davy! Goliath there wants the

whole kitten ka boddal! Who writes our history anyway?

D.W. RUSH:

The people in power, American, Canadian, what's the

difference. Those Dam Injuns don't recognize our

border anyway!

STEVEN:

We tried to turn them into Settlers Davy!

D.W. RUSH:

An American Actor would make up the difference.

One Canadian NDN actor would appease the Tribal

basterds, and an English Canadian Whitey can be

passed off as a northern cousin here to Goliath.

What do you think?

STEVEN:

What about the BLACK Afro Americans and rabbit breeding Latinos?

D.W. RUSH:

On both sides of the border? ( The two whites laugh)

STEVEN:

We can make our films like yours, who would know the difference?

That way, the Hollywood Hallucination would stay the same

D.W.RUSH:

And the Canadian Film Wanna-be Americans can continue using

the Government money to create mediocre film stories based

on race funding!

STEVEN:We don't want another James Youngdeer & Mona Darkfeather

D.W. RUSH:

We can thank Neil Diamond for that! Brown Angelinas, Scary!

STEVEN:

Telefilm says an American star would do wonders for the Canadian

film business.

D.W. RUSH:

Well, Annexation won't be a problem, culturally we are there already.

STEVEN:

Sweet Cherry Wine Diamond?

D.W.RUSH:

No. sign here!

At the end of the day, cultural appropriation is still evident

2010-02-18T06:30:00.001-08:00

My response to Globe and Mail article below

"School board urges end to native-themed mascots

'Mock Indian' symbols trivialize aboriginal culture, Vancouver trustee says" from article at link below http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/school-board-urges-end-to-native-themed-mascots/article1469260/

At the end of the day, cultural appropriation is still evident, as the sound and images in the popular cultural realm of film, television, and sports is inundated with the constant references of idiomatic expressions from the dime novel days of the Modernist period.

`...Bit the dust,...the only good injun is a dead injun,... watch your back,.....once you leave the reservation, there is no turning back...`` etc etc.

I have heard these expressions more than once in my lifetime, and with a bit of research you will see how these expressions came to stay in the North American Lexicon library. To change the stereotyping, the cultural norms of two centuries is going to take more than school board recommendations and passage of levies or school board orders, it is going to take two to three generations of re-educating of the ruling classes children, and the restructuring of the educational, cultural, and political apparatuses of North America and any euro-colonial country affected by colonialism. It is going to take a re-education of the masses who strive on the sports competitions, and the audience participation jingles. It is going to take time and the disruption of sported related industries and the elimination of mascot related sports games and themes. It is going to take a total elimination of two centuries of colonial history and the re-education of the masses. Regardless of the rebuttals against changing the mascot's image or name, these moronic culture opinionators will never see beyond their point of view because of how invisible, the notion of ingrained systemic racism is embedded in the subconscious realm of popular culture literacy and how one sees what is normal or a way of life in this world. Not until we have a total disruption of the North American way of life will we see change or have an understanding of the old world view of colonialism and all its entrapments and entitlements.

The New Age of Indigenous Manufactured Consent

2010-02-09T08:28:00.001-08:00

Eric Grey, TV producer and traditional artist sent out this news story from Zoe Blunt, a free lance journalist on Vancouver Island. My comments are after the published article:

VANCOUVER—It looked like the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Committee had everything sewn up tight: new venues built to order, ads from corporate sponsors, bylaws against ambush marketing, and smiling Indigenous people welcoming the world.

Now, the committee must be wondering whether it misjudged its First Nations "partners."

Hard on the heels of Indigenous protests during the Olympic Torch Relay, the Four Host First Nations (FHFN) surprised the province and its international partners with an announcement in January. Chief Bill Williams, chair of the FHFN, declared they will use the power of international media to shame the province into honouring its commitments to economic development.

Thomas Leonard, president of the BC First Nations Forestry Council, fired the first shot. In a letter to BC Forests Minister Pat Bell last December, he wrote, "The fact that your government and its federal partner are spending $3-9+ billion to stage the Winter Olympics is merely exacerbating the frustration and anger felt by our communities as they continue to be told that there is no money in the pot to address their situations, which, as you are fully aware, are of a most desperate nature."

Williams explained the consequences for ignoring the FHFN's ultimatum. "There's going to be some 14,000 media people running around [at the Olympics]," he told the Globe and Mail. "Some of them are already contacting us. They want to know, 'What's it like to be an Indian in today's world? How do you live?' We are going to start letting those reporters know the reality of the poverty we face."

The host nations—the Squamish, Musqueam, Tsleil Waututh, and Lil'Wat Nation bands—signed partnership agreements with VANOC years ago, and until now, they've submitted to the demands of the international committee on everything from cutting old-growth forests to wearing faux regalia. Some, like Kwakwaka'wakw activist Gord Hill, have accused the FHFN of selling out, and cheaply.

Raising the price at this late date doesn't make it right, and Hill calls the latest move an "attempted cash grab" by "native sell-outs."

"What is truly hypocritical is for Williams to now raise the issue of Native poverty, or to express concerns about the social conditions for Native people, after several years collaborating with VANOC and the 2010 Olympics," Hill told The Dominion.

Indeed, with the Olympic spectacle upon us, Indigenous leaders have upped the ante. Thomas said, "Our communities are tired of being told there is no new funding available—and that they might have to make do with even less than they already have—and at the same time being told they should be excited about the 2010 Winter Olympics."

Thomas asked the province for an urgent meeting to resolve the issue, and said if steps aren't taken, "The FNFC and its member first nations will reluctantly, but without hesitation, take advantage of the intense international media interest that will be focused on BC before and during the Winter Olympics."

Along with his position as chair of the FHFN, Williams is vice-president of the BC First Nations Forestry Council. He said the province is overdue in funding $6.2 million for developing aboriginal forestry businesses. According to a press statement, similar commitments from Ottawa for $135 million for mountain pine beetle salvage and recovery were pledged years ago but never materialized. A second letter to Federal International Trade Minister Stockwell Day requested a meeting to discuss the long-overdue funding from Ottawa.

Hundreds of reserves across Canada are mired in abject poverty, and thousands make do without safe drinking water, housing, health care, employment and education. Conditions for Indigenous people have only deteriorated since Vancouver and Whistler won the Olympic bid, Hill said. "During this period, hundreds of Natives have been made homeless in Vancouver, subject to police violence and harassment; yet where were Mr. Williams, the Four Host First Nations and their Olympic toad Tewanee Joseph? Kissing the ass of corporations, government and Olympic officials," he charged.

Investing in forestry is a delicate issue for the Squamish and other First Nations who have fought to preserve the forests of their traditional territory from industrial clearcutting. But in many parts of the coast, unprecedented liquidation of old-growth and second-growth forests is underway, and raw log exports are at an all-time high. Meanwhile, unsettled Indigenous land claims languish in limbo.

Growing nations are desperate for jobs and economic development, and this is the trade-off they face. The Olympics represent development, but at the expense of traditional lands, foods, and wildlife.

Today, neither the province nor the chiefs are speaking to the media—likely because they are attempting to negotiate a truce. The chiefs are certainly aware that when provincial and federal governments are confronted by intractable First Nations threatening action, they often give in to the demands. That's how Indigenous activists have won substantial concessions in the past.

In this case, the FHFN demands are dwarfed by the scale of the Olympic money-pit. The province's $6.2 million debt to First Nations forestry amounts to one-tenth of one per cent of Olympic spending. Ottawa's contribution to pine-beetle salvage in First Nations communities would be a little over two per cent of the budget for the Games. Clearly, the host nations have the position and the leverage to negotiate sweeping changes. But what they stand to win by what some have called "selling out" appears to only be crumbs from the master's table.

Zoe Blunt is a journalism school dropout on Vancouver Island.

My comments

Two wrongs do not make a right Eric. I don't know what to say to this turnaround. Bill and his colleagues no doubt see the frustration we as first people experience, but kept their mouths in the trough long enough to see how dirty their faces were becoming. To save face is one thing, to wipe off the shit inside ones mouth is another matter. These are a sentiment of many a people, I am one of them, as so much money is wasted on these facades of harmony, that the poorest of the poor sink deeper into misery and the ones on top have so much of nothing they cannot take with them.

After this is all done with, will the protests and political posturing actually do anything? Our youth on both sides of the mountain are continuously being harassed by the law, our most sick ones constantly jailed for "being" and our most marginalized preciousness , our women are getting lost on the streets for man's desire. How shameful can we paint Canada, when The Settler mentality is a global sickness, and the indigenous people are seen as a global nuisance getting in the way of progress and humankind's new technological gracing of our Mother Earth. Green Environmental Authentizing industries; created to cut down humankind's carbon dioxide emissions and what is truly indigenous and authentic through the legislative containment of worth and exchange.

If Olympicide continues its manufacturing of consent agenda; in the Capitalization of the Human Spirit through athlete and corporate transformation, then we as a an indigenous people are truly lost as Indigenous people. This is because of how some of our leaders lose their direction as a result of the evangelical meanderings of Corporate managers throwing security certificates at the ones who toe the line in dominant society. Financial buyouts in following a particular order of grace and verisimilitude of who we are as people. Humans in the oneness of the corporate bull next to their Creator. The Oneness carrying the Eye of The Pyramid, and In God We trust. Miigweech, all my relations!

May The Great Spirit guide our leaders to the right grace in these days of parallel worlds and cultures?

Fight and stand against the illusion they are painting before us

2010-01-31T19:23:00.001-08:00

The fine line between fascism and democracy has been unveiled in the propaganda charade Vanoc is portraying in their media campaign. By including and doctoring the historic footage of the Nazi era Olympic newsreels show that the historical real, the spectacle real, and the erotic real of our performance as a global society is being subverted by Vanoc and the Olympic machine to devalue the past experiences of our human condition as irrelevant. So that they can de-politicize our current climate of dissent as a minor occurrence in lieu of their interpretation of the greatest event to ever define the human body this 21st century. The corporate and governmental elite have not changed since the modernist period or the contemporary period of cultural politics. IN this new age I call The Age of Technological authenticity, the mass propaganda machine of these two false entities of absolute evil is authenticating what is democratic and what is fascist in the minds of the populace mind. We as a people must fight and stand against the illusion they are painting before us and strip away the illusionary veils they broadcast on our technological tools! I write this article as a result of the story published in the National Post below

'Saluting' Nazi filmmaker a no-win for VANOC

At: http://www.cbc.ca/olympics/blogs/joeoconnor/2010/01/saluting-nazi-filmmaker-a-no-win-for-vanoc.html#socialcomments-submit

It has been raining on Cypress Mountain of late, causing some logistical headaches at the Olympic venue, but the latest dark cloud on the horizon appears on the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) website.

"Lights Will Guide You Home" is a four-minute video celebrating the Olympic torch run. It also happens to include the work of German filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl, whose biggest fan was a madman named Adolf Hitler. Riefenstahl was friends with the Nazi leader, and was a sometime propagandist for his National Socialist program. Her film "Triumph of the Will‚" about the Nazi Party Congress in Nuremberg in 1934, helped put Hitler on the international map.

A few years later, Riefenstahl shot "Olympia," a movie about the 1936 Berlin Olympics, where Hitler hoped to show the world his Aryan utopia. There is an ongoing debate about whether the film is a piece of propaganda or a non-partisan work of art. (Let's just assume it was a bit of both).

One of Riefenstahl's most wondrous inventions in "Olympia" -- in addition to filming athletes in slow motion -- was the Olympic torch relay. She concocted the now well-worn ritual for her movie, and VANOC incorporated some of her scenes into its four-minute clip.

Borrowing from a Nazi propagandist -- er, ah, cinematic genius -- is no crime. (Not crediting Riefenstahl's work, which would appear to be the case with VANOC, could be). But where VANOC may run afoul is in the editing applied to "Olympia."

In the original version, a torch runner enters a packed stadium with the flame held aloft. There is martial music playing and, just on the edge of the screen, a handful of individuals flashing the "Heil Hitler" salute. In the edited, made-in-Vancouver version, the Nazi salutes have been blacked out. (Coldplay has also replaced the drums and trumpets).

Had the salute been left alone, there would have been howls of protest, perhaps even a call for a federal inquiry. By blacking them out, VANOC is hiding a historic truth and paddling down a familiar Canadian river called Political Correctness. (Cut Riefenstahl altogether and it is self-censorship). Can anybody say: no-win situation?

VANOC said in an email that they decided to include the controversial footage to maintain the historical accuracy of the video.

"We weighed our choices as to whether to leave the Berlin 1936 relay footage out entirely, to alter it in order to depoliticize it, or to leave it in unaltered; we chose the middle ground, in order to respect the relay¹s history while not highlighting the political environment of the

day," the statement said. "We weighed the decision carefully, as even though the Berlin 1936 Games footage lasts only a few seconds, we wanted to try and do the right thing to reflect the relay's past."

Walking around Salish territory during the new colonial guard of Olympia

2010-01-31T17:45:00.001-08:00

Russell Wallace wrote a great response to articles in the various media outlets on the four host nations who are hosting the Olympics on their territory.

Russell, you will have protection around you from our ancestors, from our peers, and from our children, who will see who the real NDNs are in the next few weeks.

First presented on http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=304031584782&comments=

My Second follow up to Russell writings

Walking around Salish territory yesterday for the brief few hours showed me a small sense of the nightmare unfolding on Vancouver Streets. The schisms between band elected council aboriginals and traditionalists are ever increasing as non-aboriginals paint the line between what is authentic and what is not acceptable in North American society. Everyone favours the flavour of the month, the reality hero, and the all around ethnic talent hired to sooth the wary minds of the travelling masses as they travel from one settler village to another. The Settlers moved into Indigenous territory some year after the revolution down below the US/CDN border, the settler moved around the dominion sometimes after confederation. Both historical developments which changed who was the NDN and who became the NDN across the whole of the Americas. We as a people became the dispossessed and the Settlers became the new NDNs of North America taking our names of territories, lands and rivers and appropriating them as their own. If our leaders complained , they were caricaturized in the political cartoons, ridiculed in the commentaries of the times and always presented as children of the Great white Father in either colonial and imperialistic countries of the USA or Canada. As in the Queen of the Hawaiian people, or Louis Riel of the first provincial government of the now Manitoba territory. If we attempted to assert our sovereignty we were criminalized, killed or imprisoned and locked away, Oka 1990, Gustaferson (95).

Today with all the band council chiefs setup by the neo-colonial laws of a settler society built on racism, indifferences, and contempt for anything that was connected to the land or nature before their arrival; Vanoc and the corporations and governments paid for their protocol buy-off with paper money we cannot eat. They turned our images and our history into fantasy pictures of a contented people in a new world where we finally found what we were looking for after years of discontent and protest. Today, the new settler masses are going to eat up the new reality of contentment, and wonder why the aboriginals are complaining again, Nothing has changed except genocide which has changed its tools of persuasion and our children are the losers in this game we call life choices.

CBC News - World - Global fund created to reintegrate Taliban#socialcomments#socialcomments

2010-01-28T09:32:00.000-08:00

CBC News - World - Global fund created to reintegrate Taliban#socialcomments#socialcomments

What's the saying my former wife said regarding Indigenous people being bought off by the system? Oh ya, "they pay you big money to shut up!" Sad but true as capitalist expansionist systems buy off indigenous people of all disciplines and occupations for a pretty song, meanwhile raping Mother Earth of her resources. NDNs in Canada were the terrorists long B4 911, the Oka Crisis and Gustaferson lake crisis. As long as we maintain our sovereignty over our traditional territory, governments and corporations will label us as saboteurs, provocateurs, terrorists and militant activists. The time is now to smash and destroy the politics of stone everywhere on Turtle Island. Destroy their monuments of excess and everything else will fall. It is no different here than it is over in Afghanistan, Iraq, Bali, Hawaii, America, New Zealand, or Australia. The capitalist pig dogs and fat cats of governments and corporations are everywhere they think can be in the name of progress and democracy. All in the name of controlling the natives. A real settler based form of neo-colonialism control. D. Morin, H. Trask and J. Armstrong are right in all their writings and thinkings!Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/01/28/afghanistan-conference.html#socialcomments#ixzz0dvgS09aX

CBC net story of: Prisoner who died needed help, ex-inmate says

2010-01-25T12:20:00.001-08:00

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/01/25/blackwind-inquest-prison.html#socialcomments

sweepy wrote:Posted 2010/01/25
at 2:45 PM ET: Who cares. When are we going to stop making excuses for why people commit deplorable crimes. Once the crime has been committed sentence the criminal and throw all the resources towards the victim. Keep the scum locked up and keep law abiding citizens safe. If the jails fill up, build more. No more excuses. There are alot of people who have been victimized as children and do not go on to commit crimes. STOP MAKING EXCUSES AND GET THESE SCUMBAGS OFF THE STREET.

Sweepy!

You have no excuse for your callousness and black heart; No doubt, you have never experienced the genocidal practice against Canada's first people or a residential school. Everyone is a victim here, and it is our duty as children of our Creator to help the dispossessed, the incarcerated, the sick, and the meek. To turn a blind eye to the hopes of rescuing people from the darkness of this world is a grave sin of which you are guilty of. God help you to get the darkness out of your heart, your eyes and your mind. For it is you who needs help more than anyone these days.

Donald Morin, BA

An Indigenous Opinion on our Canadian and Albertan Education issues from a First nation Filmmaker/Performer and Educator

2010-01-23T18:30:00.004-08:00

(Based on articles published in the Edmonton Journal January 23^rd, 2010)

As a First Nations Professional Filmmaker/Performer and Educator, born in Alberta but lived and worked the last 29 years in British Columbia, I recently returned to Alberta to be closer to family, and to begin work on my next project as a filmmaker and secure other work as cultural professional. I was appalled to read about the educational conditions pertaining to Northern Alberta's Indigenous Métis and First Nations children, not surprised by the band-aid solution offered by Alberta's education Minister Dave Hancock and resigned to apathy in reading the four sectional commentary articles in the Saturday January 23^rd weekend newspaper of The Edmonton Journal.

I am writing of the four sectional articles:

"We see success in our kids" by Sarah O'Donnell
Desperate measures reflect deep problems by Paula Simon
SOUND OFF! Comments by Not the problem, Banana Republic, Sandy, James, Former Student, No friend of NSD, and In the woods
And the editorial comments of Dismissing school board good call:

But I must response to these authors in this weekend paper in their entirety because we are dealing with a bigger issue than what is being addressed by all the writers of these words. which in my opinion present colonial and neo-colonial attitudes, moronic responses, and autocratic reasoning purely because everyone except the former teachers and former students, are so removed from the territory. This is due to the literacy of the system, and how the Affirmative culture defines our relations in the everyday and what is seen as the normalization of the state and her occupants.

Throughout these articles I keep seeing references to the social , economic and cultural issues pertaining to Native and Non-Native relations, living conditions and of course the historical relationship of residential school issues that exist in this country. Yet no author outside of the writers who actually wrote David Hancock's name and refer to his political decision, make reference to the political issues which formed the crux of the social and economic and cultural issues outlined in all these writers words.

Everywhere it is termed as a social economical and cultural, but it is a political and historical issue because we are living in a settler state mentality of the divide and conquer mentality of the Manifest Destiny of Christendom, and how the Europeans who first travelled to the New world saw a land ripe for the taking of their resources and heathens and infidels ready for conversion to Christianity all in the name of the father, the son, the holy ghost and the holy spirit Amen!

This then brings us to the front page and all these articles which points away from the real problem which is the lack of Canada, her governments and her people from acknowledging and restoring the political and sovereignty of Canada's First People to it's proper place in relation to the settler based society of citizens and governments within Canadian society. We must be given our right to govern and look after our own people to help heal a people whose language, land, laws and customs where stolen from them, just like in the United States of America and the State of Hawaii, where Queen LiLil'uokalani royal government was overthrown by unscrupulous businessmen back by the US Military and where today the Hawaiians and American Natives face similar issues as of Canada's first people.

So why is attendance an issue, is it apathy from the parents or the children? After years of standing up for our rights as Canada's first people, we are still struggling and living in third world conditions. Parents and children give up on Canada and we stay in our comfort zone, where we can live as a family and not worry about the white system coming down on us as a family because we are not assimilated enough for their way of life. No one race on both sides of the cultural divide is not making sacrifices. Turnover for the teachers? Because they cannot buy their own home or land? Well, that is how our ancestors felt under the Indian Act, where we could not own land or hold giveaways or potlatches. It's back to that Settler mentality of ownership of something we have no control of anyway. We are all caretakers of Mother Earth, not owners.

Why do the parents duck away? Why would we want to see or trust white people again after years of broken treaties, lies, accusations, and all around hate by the white man because we were Indian and consider beneath everyone else. Years of racism does that to a person where we lose our sense of worth and simply stay in areas where we feel safe and with people we love. And the phone calls to the teachers, after years of inter-generational abuse, the residential schools, the fostering system, and difficulty in getting accepted as equals in this society, our parents, our grandparents are still hurting and distance in family relations because of the denial of our language and worth as a people, escaping from reality through alcohol, substance abuse, TV programming or just plain sleep as we live in our dream world. Then when it comes to the exams we are dealing with an archival system that is systemic and caters to the ruling ideology, not snare lines, trap lines or the simply forms of living off the land. A colonial system based on the settler's way of life in succeeding in dominant society and moving up the ladder. From the time the kids are born we must change the diapers of the ruling class, change the cultural, educational and political apparatuses of the ruling system so that the children of the ruling class know how to relate to different cultures instead of using stereotypical reasoning or historically defined judgement calls to define a native persons' role in life.

And all this comes back to the next article, "Desperate measures reflect deep problems by Paula Simon" Right away we are offered a perspective of hands on governance by Ed Stelmach's government with one governmental reference to health care and of course this educational directive by Hancock. Of course it smells of neo-colonial measures because we live in a settler's society where white people were given governance over the first people because of the Christendom factor in defining the new world. The Indian agent, the white politician and Dominion of Canada army coming in to overthrown Riel's provisional government because he was a half bred, today it is all the democratically elected natives and Métis fired and the education apparatuses is overseen by one government appointed appointee. (See Indian Agent).

Again we have colonial mindsets blinded by their sense of superiority on seeing the real cause of the problem which is a lack of a real and sound political relationship to Canada's first people and her provinces which should be based on a sovereign based relationship of nation to nation status as defined by our indigenous leaders, academics, and our artists. And supported by the UN Declaration of human rights and not based on this settler mentality of being conquered and under the thumbs of our colonial superiors, which is not seen because of Hancock "risky" broad sweep of fascist control. Simons is correct to say that it would be unfair to base this educational problem on the trustees, the problem is based on the whole notion of how the settler society defined native/non-native relations in Canada and the federal apartheid racist legislative policies of the federal and provincial governments of the past, present and no doubt future governance of this country.

And as far as the legal fight between the board and the Peavine Métis Settlement, that is a result of the divide and conquer mentality that exists in our communities because of the systemic racist governance of this country and the policies that divide us as a people as a means of control and containment on our reserves, settlements and squalor urban conditions. If we are painted as divided, then we are painted as unable to handle our own affairs of which is propagated in the media to show Canada's settler defined society that they are in control and we are not. But let's look at the Canadian and provincial governments and democratic society right now, and you will see how we are all divided and defined by a capitalist expansionist society that defines the success and failure of individuals through material and economic worth and not by the roles and dynamics of family relations and community relations which if is health and sound, we would not have these divided problems as a country.

Simons again hit the issue on the nail with the bringing up of the residential school issue. Harper's apology does nothing when it comes to putting food on the table and managing the cultural baggage we have as Canadians as we begin to examine the true cause of these social economic and political issues affecting native and Métis people and how all this relates to Canadian society. This educational dilemma is a small percentage of the problems that exist in Canada and her relationship with her first people. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission came off with its dismal start because of the Europeanization of its appointed professionals and justice professionals and how LaForme refuse to release his euro-centric defined notion of power to professionals in their own fields who felt that they were marginalized by patriarchal positioning and refuse to go along with LaForme's decisions and recommendations.

Today the TRC may have finalized all its appointed hired professionals through an euro-Canadian defined hiring process, but will these white ratified new appointees truly set aside their differences and seek what will address the demons of Canada's residential past or will their euro-Canadian defined education and professionalism get in the way of the common good, (which is the well being of our children, the healing of Canada's first people and the restitution of a people destroyed by a racist systemic country and its people) or will they allow the own sense of superiority and allocation of power be complacently defined by the constructs of the Affirmative Culture and the Status Quo? I await to see how many of the professionals in this country put themselves on a pedestal and use the media positioning of the issues affecting Canada for their own sense of self aggrandizement.

So where do our dear poor children fit in this malaise of discontent and ideological positioning by the writers in this media, popular media and governmental practice of controlling the masses and the normalization of the everyday? Well unfortunately for all parties involved, in the back seat of the hay wagons as the ones who know what's best for the children hum and haw over who is right and who is wrong. Instead of trusting our Creator's plan in the Great Mystery of life and putting all children at the first of the line of value and utilizing the notion of self sacrifice on all our parts as humans; so that we can grown as a one community, one humanity , as one global village under the guidance of the universal order of truth, sacrifice and trust in our heart where in the Great Scheme of life is where the Creator lives, not in our governments, our churches, our homes or our minds, but in our hearts. So we can live each day with honesty humility and respect instead of the capitalist notion of what defines success in dominant society and what defines our failures in society. The loss of our children's ability to realize their potential in life will be our biggest failure as we continue to play the blame game and use outdated colonial, draconian ideals to correct what is wrong with our cultural, educational and political apparatuses of this country and not use common sense to resolve the historical wrongs of this country and change the ideological condition of our society.

A society that continues to create divisions of race and saying we are the root of the problem because of choices and divided notions of place in society. I say again change the diapers of the ruling class which I interpret as change how the ruling class educates their children in how history has defined native and non-native relationships so that the child is not taught by the grandfather, the father and other family members that all native people are drunks and belong in jail or that those native brothers will never amount to anything. That was told to my brother and my late foster mother Ann Bilan of Alberta by a grade one teacher many years ago when we were adopted by the late Mr and Mrs Bilan from the Mundare orphanage. Well today, my twin brother is a prominent and respected criminal lawyer in Alberta helping Non-Native, Native and Métis people who have fallen in their walk on life's path. I have had a successful career as an actor, modern dancer, performer, filmmaker and digital film teacher for native based education organizations, and I have not given up yet even though I joined the class action lawsuit against the Alberta Government for the abuse I experienced in 16 foster homes between 1 and 4 years old and the physical and sexual abuse I experienced as a ward of the crown.

So in closing, I come to the editorial page and the sound off, where the only sensible comment out of all those words from the writers is the former student who lived through the educational process of that district because he saw the problems from all parties due to his/her history of education and what the district is up against. He/she saw the totality of the problem because he survived and finished school and now looks back and perhaps sees the historical conditions of the native /non-native relationship and why no-one has the support to support the children. The politics of survival takes precedence as the parents struggle just to keep a roof over their head, keep food on the table as well as come to terms of the cultural baggage we all inherit as Canadians but keep putting our head in the sand. The teachers , one from Donnell's article commendably spent "at least 10,000 of her own money' to help the children, but like Hollywood throwing tons of money to resolve the cinematic problem, that analogue of using capital to resolve societal problems will not help either. Like the former student suggest, the grandiosity of the school division must be broken up and we all must get back to a simple way of life in terms of education and finding ways to help our children to feel good about themselves and their families, new ways of increasing the literacy of our children and not be afraid to use a small education base for each community and allocated all of societies resources to help all our children in distinct traditional and contemporary territories urban or non-urban areas and not be afraid t make sacrifices as a family, community, a territory and a nation to show the world that we are a one humanity and not divided by borders or the shades of our skin.

As far as the moronic comments pertaining to the important issue of education , for example the banana republic comments and James, their comments only show the systemic racist society that exists around us because Timbuktwo references and banana republic references are in themselves racist terms relation to the euro-centric relationship to geography and a euro centric reference to the tropical people and their relations to euro centric values of thought, geography , history and distance. The other comments are reasonable sensible and address important issues , but again these issues all relate to how the Affirmative culture defines history, culture education, church and state and our relationship as racial nations defined under the guise of the Manifest destiny, the settlers society rationalization and society's failure to look beyond their own backyard and judge all other nations with impunity of imperfection and on control of their own sense of reasoning, justice, governance , and knowing what is best for the natives of the new world!

No one wants to be accountable to history's role in defining our relations because we have been so far removed from the simple essence of life as one people and allow one people's definition of history and our order in the universe to define a country or series of countries because of a few old men or families of class distinction define what the Creator wanted through their creation of the Manifest Destiny and how they defined Christendom which turned all indigenous cultures from their mother tongue, land and language and gave us the dysfunctional relationship we have today based on greed, selfishness and a capitalist notion of what defines material success educational success, or in this case the failure of a system that has failed the essence of our survival our children. For the editorial to title his/her comments under the notion of Dismissing school board a good call, is deploring in the sense that this paper is not looking at the totality of the problem or root of the problem and fingering the trustees as dysfunctional but not looking beyond the educational apparatuses of this province and looking at the historical and political relationship of native and non-native relations. I left this province 29 years ago as a young "Indian "man because all red-neck Albertans saw "Indians" as drunk or in jail. Sadly to say the justice system still sees our troubled first nation's people in those stereotypical positions, and that is why so many of our people are incarcerated.

If the editorial board says we need the tools to navigate the cycle of poverty, despair and hopelessness, then I say those words are simply saying the system has no intention of Canada's first people of leaving that cycle of worthlessness that was bestowed in every Native child in Canadian history who was affected by the racist assimilation and apprehension polices of Canadian society. All legislation supported by the Canadian people each governing part of history and still exists today.

We as Albertans and Canadians must all make self sacrifices for the sake of our future, our precious children. We are up against a enormous beast, (popular mass culture) which devalues our human relations and family values as inferior to the plastic and digitize imagery of corporate and Hollywood imagination monsters all creating works based on profit, violence and the destruction of the human spirit and our potential as being one with the Great Mystery of Life and our Creator.

It is time to grab the bull by the horn and as the editorial writers say that [the government]... won't tolerate the status quo...' but it is quite another thing to change the status quo of a racist society and create an action plan that will work, and not be doomed for failure because a select few are not willing to sacrifice monetary worth or ideological success or control for the well being of our communities, our children and our children's children which is all our future. I will not doubt have to publish this in my DAM blog because perhaps my ideas and opinions are too radical for a contemporary province like Alberta or nation like Canada to handle. After all, I wrote this for our children who will inherit what is left of our dying planet Miigweech, O'Siem, Miigweech, thank you, all my relations

Accredited Buskers ? Donald Morin's response to this notion during the Olympics as I have buskered hundreds of times in my life as an artist

2010-01-21T04:37:00.001-08:00

Sent to <searchgrads-list@vancouvercommunity.net>, an artist training facility I attended in 2003, which was created by The Vancouver Alliance for art and culture to help artist become self-sufficient and marketable.

Well with Cavelle's wonderful comments, I hope she is fully acknowledged for her fine irony in this reply. As she is a respected artist , I enjoyed my visit with her a couple of years ago as she explored possible work ideas with me at a time in my life when I was searching for work in my career and she invited me over for a chat. A fine artist, who now presents very interesting perspectives on the work we do as artist, and this comment on accredited buskers is another fine example of her use of irony, subtle wit, and a critical perspective of a time on Vancouver's civil life where, entertainment for the masses takes a new low.

Just as Gustave Corbert created works in a duly noted exhibit of his work during a time of commercialization, she should as well create an avenue or venue to work in critical parrellel to the crass ventures out there attempting to cash in on the Olympic beast coming into town during the month of Feb and beyond. Next these cash greedy adventurists can put out a calling for accredited homeless people, who can sing and dance too? Cavelle, good work on pulling out the stops in examining another example of an Olympic scheme designed by "another group" wanting to promote art and culture alongside the belly of the beast.

With a word such as "accredited", the Olympic committee, Vanoc or Van art, whatever these groups or organizations want to call themselves these days, they are putting themselves on a pedestal to idealize the notion of a perfect world, a perfect street, perfect entertainment, perfect athletes and perfect cultural politics and a big lie of being an example of the quintessence of urbanization on a international, national, and local level of cultural consumption for the moronic culture, the masses and anyone else who is caught up in the biggest lie in Vancouver since expo roll into town. Where after that charade, the richest Asian capitalist came in after the expo lie and bought up Salish Territory for a song. Look at that area now. no better than the streets next to it, as it is sandwiched between DTES, China town, main street, and the tracks and streets between the rich and the poor.

No wonder Vanoc is scrambling because there is no snow on Cypress, because Karma is coming back on their lies and use of words to spread the illusion of excellence in promoting the human spirit in all its grandeur! (Right next to the homeless, the sick and mentally suffering, and dispossessed shoved in the dark corner of urbanization where no one can see them. We tend to forget that first there was the spirit of the word before anything in this universe that was created. That is why we must choose our words carefully, because it is through the spirit of the word that ideas manifest into being creations of good use and consumption as opposed to be words of lies and accusations, disrespected, demonize and left ethereal in the universe to rot and fester

I am so glad I moved to Edmonton, so I do not have to see the lies and machinations of golden calves shining on the dirty streets of British Columbia for the entire world to see. Some people will see me moving away from this as an example of running away from the problem, but I seen it as moving to be closer to my family members which is where community starts from, and then we can continue on to help bigger communities in a time of great need in the world... Hy Hy, O'Siem, Gila Kesla, Miigweech, all my relations

Filmmaker/Artist

Donald Morin, BA
seen at
http://www.facebook.com/donald.a.morin,
http://www.google.com/profiles/donaldmorin,
http://damorin.multiply.com,
http://spaces.msn.com/members/DAMaNDN4MEDIA4ARTS/,
http://www.youtube.com/Willy2Frencheater,
http://myspace.com/donaldmorin, &
http://d_a_m.blogspot.com/

GET OVER YOUR RACISM AS YOU SAY GET OVER OUR GENOCIDE

2010-01-06T06:42:00.001-08:00

This blog is written in response to the comments posted to a CBC article at this link: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/north/story/2010/01/05/north-ahf-funding.html

So for those 2 say to move on, get over, I would say you R callous, & one-sided in your thinking. If we were really to examine the actions required 2 resolve this historical travesty, this lineage of genocide against us, Canada's 1st people, then we should as "Canadians" bring the Canadian Government and her people 2 trial 4 genocide. Bring the Canadian Government 2 court 2 charge them 4 removing the child, family, community & nations from their land, culture, language, & family. Tribal custom usage based on persons ability 2 connect 2 the land, their language & culture. Once the government removes those variables, U kill a people, destroy their connect 2 their mother tongue & take away their worth through attrition. By forcing them in2 residential schools, orphanages, reform schools, & isolated areas of barren land where disease, dysfunctionality, & abuse growths & festers due 2 the inability of a people 2 support themselves and become productive members of a collective society. With Canada's 1st people, representing a very small percentage of the Canadian population, why do Canada's first people represent over 65 percent of the federal and provincial jai population? Why do the majority of Canadians still see us Native people as drunks, losers, or just in jail? It's a 2 way street here, if these naysayers say that the intergenerational sorrows that continue to destroy us as a people must stop, then I say the intergenerational racist attitudes against us as a people must stop too. Stop recalling the racist attitudes taught to U racists by your parents, your grandparents, & your society's apparatuses of education, culture, & power 2 stop disseminating information that still positions Canada's 1st people below all others in this country. Get over it

CBC News - Saskatchewan - Riders GM Tillman won't have criminal record

2010-01-05T14:55:00.000-08:00

CBC News - Saskatchewan - Riders GM Tillman won't have criminal record

Ya, I wonder if they would do the same for a First Nations Person in this sick racist society. I am sick of these white thrash homeboys getitng away with crimes of their desire while our people who were victims of genocidal abuse and pursuasion are charged to the full extent of the law! Casterate all these honkies , especially him

Happy New Year Worlders

2009-12-31T06:20:00.002-08:00

WIsh I was there! Wish you were here, Wish The son was everywhere, Happy New

Year here there and everywhere to my enemies, to my friends, to my lovers, to my

haters, to all of our children, let us start the year with honesty, humility,

and respect..HNY2U-All

May all your happiness, love and fortunes arrive at your doorstep, bank account, and in your home

Ballad of Norm Bullion Video by Donald_Morin - MySpace Video

2009-12-30T15:20:00.000-08:00

Ballad of Norm Bullion Video by Donald_Morin - MySpace Video

#the+music+died?cid=rsstgam

2009-12-20T07:24:00.000-08:00

#the+music+died?cid=rsstgam

Getting closer to the Beast, part deux
Well, I saw things like this coming as we moved closer to the beastI would say as in my DAM blog, identify the 2010 Olympic sell-outs, shame them for buying out for the big bucks, shame them for forgetting the less fortunate people of the world, of the Downtown Eastside. Tell them to contribute more than the minimal requirements the VANOCKIANS are doing now. [VANOC says one thing, their actions tell another. They say and publicize that they are contributing to the community as they say when they are giving jobs to residents of the Downtown Eastside, but in reality, they pick who they want to use to publicize their so-called good will, and leave the most vulnerable and most desperate ones in the alleys and jails, hypocrites who prophesize good will, but use clandestine secrecy to promote their real agenda, which in my opinion is the aggrandizement of the self and their greedy egos and pocket books.
So, shave off the edge of the capitalist, and use those remnants and your work to help the ones, time forgot, the ones 2010 Olympics use to aggrandize themselves along the edge of media falsidity. Remind the sell-out artist to use the grand stage to shake up the status quo, do not be afraid of VANOC and their propaganda, and remember my quote "Aboriginal art in the Age of Technological Authenticity" as opposed to Walter Benjamin's quote The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. [Where the 21st century world believers of the Olympic beast use technology to authenticate and politicize what is indigenous to nature, and the quintessence of the human body, and whereas the world believers of the 20th. century used art as a means of reproducing a political means.] So this VANOC symphonic proposed lie which was rightly refused by the artist of the Symphony, is another indication that the 2010 Olympics is still caught up in the old world thought of containment and control instead of embracing the Great Spirit's essence of what the human body can be in maintaining the quintessence of the human body and spirit...So, we R getting closer 2 the Beast and it is scary. They will use illusions, transparent idols, and Olympic bric a brac 2 buy u ...off. Like Inuit artist/filmmaker ex-Wife Laila Hansen of Greenland said, they pay you big $ 2 SHUTUP! Good call Vancouver Symphony, you saw through the transparent veil of the 2010 Olympic illusion. O'Seim, Miigweech, Gila Kesla, all my relations!
Respectfully
Donald Morin, baFilmmaker/Performer/Educator

Getting Closer to the Beast

2009-12-19T09:27:00.000-08:00

Identify the 2010 Olympic sellouts, shame them for buying out for the big bucks, shame them for forgetting the less fortunate people of the world, of the Downtown Eastside. tell them to contribute more than the minimal requirements the VANOC-KIANS are doing now. Shave off the edge of the capitalist, and use those remnants and your work to help the ones, time forgot, the ones 2010 Olympics use to aggrandize themselves along the edge of media fasidity. Remind the sellout artist to use the grand stage to shake up the status quo, Do not be afraid of VANOC and their propaganda, Remember my quote "Aboriginal art in the Age of Technological Authenticity" as opposed to Walter Benjamin's quote The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. We R getting closer 2 the Beast and it is scary. They will use illusions, transparent idols, and olympic bric a brac 2 buy u ...off. Like Inuit artist/filmmaker ex-Wife Laila Hansen of Greenland said, they pay you big $ 2 SHUTUP

Support The UMAYC youth centers

2009-11-06T22:25:00.002-08:00

I would say, support the centres; very much so, give them the support they need and deserve. From my experience with teaching some of the Coast Salish Youth and Indigenous urban youth in filmmaking, I learned so much from their innocence, their desire for social and political change, and their desire to leave a legacy for future generations. As some say Architecture is politics in Stone. Our Indigenous youth today have the ability to transform Nature's resources into a social and cultural tool for changing the "diapers of the ruling class", through their activism, through their traditional and political/cultural creations, and through our support. As a survivor of the 60s scoop, my mother tongue came from the Queens institutions of the day, and they have tried to define me every day as the historical, stereotypical unban ndn, no matter how much education we obtained as we developed ourselves as fighters against the systemic racist values of the day. Many of our relations did not make it to today to be able write our comments for the world facers to see and read.

Their written history is in the statistical archives of a colonial born country that left our people behind to die on the streets, in the desolate areas of territory, and from the drug/alcohol stained veins of our cancer infested bodies living in a cancer infested world. Our youth know our people from all sides of history, the spectacle and the body. The human body in its many forms can build these Centres, because there is a dire need and urgency to build and utilize these centres as cultural/spiritual/educational grounding and healing place to help heal a troubled world. Miigweech, all my relations and give them the money they need to begin this great journey we can all share to our children.

Go to facebook at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=166709714366 and join today, tonight, don't think about tomorrow cause it does not happen then, life happens now!

Dreams from Hera’s Temple on Salish Land

2009-10-30T09:59:00.001-07:00

From the 2,600-year-old Temple of Hera to the 2,600 years and more years Salish People have been on their territory, culture is re-ignited in every generation, in every dream and this flame is the beginning of something new to many, is the beginning of something un-liked by others. From watching the ceremonies and listening to the "dignitaries", it was appreciative to hear the acknowledgement to the people of the Salish Territory, From the Olympics' Furlong to the Mayors and the premier; then they introduce the PM Harper. He does his salutations to all, but when it comes to the first people of this continent, there is no mention of territory, only acknowledgment of race, "our aboriginal guests", so the Olympics may be intended to represent the best of the Human Spirit, the torch represents the best of the Human Spirit, and then the cauldron is to be lit for our global human family, but it only takes one with his political schemers to use a choice of words to define who holds the allocation of power in this country.

Yet, do these unabashed media portrayals of pride, determination, success, and futurist winnings help the less fortunate of our society on a daily basis. Does all the money spent each day on the physical, economical intellectual and technological devices to allow us to watch, read, and listen to this Olympic Dream Story feed, support or love: the ones who have nothing, the ones who live in the alleys, roach and sick infested houses of the countries? Does the money for these games and how the money is spent in covering, celebrating, hosting these games; help the families in the welfare slums of our territory as the flame dies in their hearts. Each of our four nations ask the hosting indigenous territory for permission to land, show their cultural strength and rightly representations of cultural protocol, but does pomp and ceremony help the starving child/man /person/who lives on stolen unceded territory, as bravados shows our class distinction, and the new pan-Indian canoes. We are still the dime store Indian as we are moved by digital dreams and the high dreams of social change. You are not speaking for me, Mister rep. of the four nations. Miigweech, wound a knee, break a leg, merde, here in "Canada"! Not!

Thunder Bay mom wants answers after teacher's aide chops off son's hair

2009-05-21T18:24:00.003-07:00

Check this story out!
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/05/21/thunder-bay-hair.html

This is clearly an assault on a vulnerable child and a personal attack on the values of a first nation’s child, his family, their cultural and spiritual heritage, and an unfortunate reminder of the conditions that other native children experienced in residential schools, orphanages, and foster homes. Where a euro-centric validation of what constitute humans defined the affirmative culture and what constitutes family, churches, laws, states, and the orders of society, whereupon theses supposed care takers of our children called them infidels, heathens and savages, and cut their hair to kill the "Indian in the Child" After 500 and some years of worthlessness, of not worthy of "being" We first people of this continent survived your systems assaults against our being, but we lost much as so many of our people lost their sense of worth, their self-esteem, self factualization, and were positioned to skid row alleys, bars, unemployment, and barely secure low paying jobs, Fighting constantly in life to survive the racism, bigotry, physical attacks for the length of my hair, the colour of my skin and for me simply being Indian. This narrative included me as a baby, infant, child, teenager , man, and now a much older university educated man who had to work four times as hard to survive the tricks and weapons of the white person and his/her system of control and containment. Sue the assistant, the school the whole dam system for this assault on this vulnerable child. Miigweech, all my relations.

Catholic Church Pope and A Chief, Our Survivors, Elders and others

2009-04-29T07:43:00.002-07:00

"About 150,000 First Nations, Inuit and Métis children were taken from their families to attend the schools from as early as the 19th century to 1996."
The pope says some words as our people listen.
Chief Fontaine says , It's a "very significant statement..." .I disagree. As one colleague of mine says in our song, "...I don't need no apology from you...!"
Restitution and Proper compensation for the sexual and physical abuse, and much more for the murdered missing native children..
As for the all you racist people on this site who make fun of our Chief, Elders and others, shame on you all! . Your ignorance and lack of respect will be your downfall!
As for teh above statistics "About 150,000 First Nations, Inuit and Métis children were taken from their families to attend the schools from as early as the 19th century to 1996."
Whose initiative is devaluing our worth in words and numbers again? After the burning of church and school records, , and the abuse of governmental and societal power, I would estimate a much much larger set of children apprehended from their families.
Shame on Canada, in the past, present and future. Shame

Donald Morin, ba

Prentice defends oilsands following National Geographic article

2009-02-26T07:42:00.000-08:00

I just produced and co-hosted my radio show last night in Vancouver with three folks from Indigenous communnity, who aired thier concerns for thie communities affected by these tar sands. For Prentice to defend the practices fo this evil industry shows he, the oil industry or the government does not care about our health, our land, our water, or our air of which we all share. These tar sands, these new developments for the benefit of corporations and the wealthy has to be stopped or we and our future generatons are all dommed to death and misery.
Donald Morin, producer of When Spirit whispers on Coop Radio, Vancouver, 102.7 every wednesday night at 11pm

First Nations community struggling with the death of another child

2009-01-08T13:41:00.001-08:00

First Nations community struggling with the death of another child
2-month-old child died last November at Yellow Quill reserve
Last Updated: Thursday, January 8, 2009 1:31 PM CT Comments0 Recommend3
CBC News
The Yellow Quill First Nation, still coping with the freezing deaths of two toddlers a year ago, is now in the grips of another tragedy involving a child.RCMP confirmed Wednesday that on Nov. 29 they received a call about a baby who was not breathing. Police said the two-month-old boy could not be revived.Police are investigating and a coroner is also looking into the case. An autopsy has been ordered.Meanwhile, a social worker on the reserve has raised concerns about the safety of children in the community.Margaret Roper told CBC News that the latest death is not being discussed openly."This one, I think, was kind of, you know, … swept under the rug," Roper said. "It just seems so weird because, who's here to protect our children?"The results of the autopsy are expected to be available in February.The Yellow Quill First Nation is about 270 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon and has an on-reserve population of 900.My response posted along Web Story
My heart goes out to the community of YellowQuill, The parents of this late baby, and for the soul of this little child of our Creator. B 4 anyone begins their diatribe about the issues of this poor child's death, let us not forget how Canada's 1st. People where pushed into a position of containment, dependency, legislative apartheid, and left with useless parcels of land to live their lives in despondency and worthlessness for just "being". Why the death of this child was not acknowledged is tragic, but when assimilative social mechanisms like foster care, Department of Indian and Northern Affairs, and residential schools are utilized to kill the "Indian" In the child, we as a society are left with the aftermath of a failed colonial system which perpetuated genocide against our people merely because of the colour of our skin, our cultural and hereditary systems, and because we as a 1st people had the best land and resources when the "settlers came to town" to find the Canadian Dream. To acquire said lands and resources, the governments and churches of the day did their best to assimilate the "Indian" into society, residential schools, forbidding to speak their language, distanciation of former residential students from their family and relatives, 2 the denial of acceptance by the general population of Canada as "Indian" attempted to move to urban centres to find work or a standard of living similar to the euro-centric Canadians who settled into a country which was once part of our first people's ancestors. Needless to say, systemic racism grew larger and more insidious as grandparents passed on the racist views of their forefathers to their children and their children's children because of us simple "being". How did this affect our families, our notion of bringing up our children and providing a future to them? Well not very good as we look back at the statistics of Canadian History, U take away a language, a family, a culture, a land, and pushed them into a racist society of devious Indian Agents, uncaring social workers, and a racist population, bent on using any means of persuasion to subdue the "Indian through alcohol, racist laws, and arbitrary beatings and violence, then what does the Native individual take back to his people; Shame, worthlessness, violence, incest, and no sense of value to oneself because the assimilation and apprehension policies of Canadian Society worked in killing the "Indian' in Canadian society and Canadian History.
Donald Morin, ba

'Top-level' panel to pick new truth commission head: lawyer

2008-12-15T07:33:00.002-08:00

In response to CBC story December 15th, 2008 0n their website!
Good Day: Wound A Knee on the national stage, as you Canadian pundits banter out your informed/un-informed rants and raves! I certainly hope we as a global family can move forward each new day with honesty, humility, and respect. Now if only our government’s leaders can begin each day like that, then maybe we can heal the present, so we can prepare for the future. The Past is what it is, and apologies and compensation means nothing if the ignorant and the racist ignore the truth, honesty, and humility of themselves, and what was taught to them and their ancestors to make them think what they live, say and speak contains some sense of irrational truth.
As a first nations man, abused sexual and physically as a child under foster care, I am disappointed that the Alberta government is appealing the class action lawsuit launched against Alberta for Native and Métis Children abused as Wards of The Crown! Yet, I must believe that attitudes will change and the governments and churches, and Canadians responsible for the abuse against Canada’s First People's children will accept and acknowledge their complicity and involvement , and help healing the inter-generational problems that exist due to colonialism, and feuding of governing legislative ruling parties. I may not agree with how this appointment will happen, or that these two women from the original IRSS agreement are still on the board, but hopefully these women can begin each day with honest, humility, and respect, and not allow their ego get in the way of the common good. that goes for me too

the first ministers will... [had ]been a major cause of ongoing native poverty.

2008-12-15T06:49:00.002-08:00

"the first ministers will ultimately end the turf war between federal and provincial governments that has been a major cause of ongoing native poverty."

Tell us something we don't know!

Brother of slain aboriginal protester gets Order of Ontario

2008-11-21T07:18:00.002-08:00

"Sam George, the brother of an aboriginal protester killed by an Ontario police officer at Ipperwash Provincial Park, has been given the province's highest honour.
He received the Order of Ontario in a ceremony on Thursday at the Lieutenant Governor's Suite of the Ontario legislature for his work following the death of his brother, Dudley George..."

AllforEquality wrote:Posted 2008/11/20at 5:35 PM ET Booooooooo Bad Decision. This man is no hero and neither was his brother.

AllforEquality YOur abject denial of The Ontario Governnment decesion to honor our aboriginal activist is racist, shows your ignorance, and shows why Canadians like you do not deserve to be part of this great aboriginal land, which was systemically built on the colonial aspirations of previous governments, racist corporations, and the many colonial settlers who had no regard for first nations people which is stil evident today with systemic comments like your Sincerely, Donald Morin, ba Salish Terrtory

John (Johnny) Brian Altinger

2008-11-04T07:11:00.001-08:00

John (Johnny) Brian Altinger

I was shocked to see his picture in the news Nov 3rd as I was getting ready for work. I immediately copied his name email my son and asked if he was the man he knew. I worked as I normally do, trying to keep some sense of normalcy in my life. Dorian emailed back and confirmed my inquiry. I met John 1998 when my son Dorian, John and their other friend Shawn. Three young men moving to Edmonton to find their fame and fortune.
The only reason I remember Mr. Altinger was he was polite, respectful and going on a journey with my son, who was leaving the nest so to say at the time. I met John again around 2002, then again at my son's wedding 2006. Good man and I am saddened by his death. To see his picture and actually remember a man I met three times in his relative short life shows just how close we are all connected on this fragile planet. A body is space just as fragile as John's body in this space we live in. My condolences to his family, his friends, and co-workers who had the opportunity to know this gentleman. May the Creator help his family in this time and loss and we as his collective neighbour and human family must remember he is our loss as one in a society, and the society that raise him and the perpetrator of his tragic demise
Miigweech, all my relations

The Apology

2008-06-19T19:37:00.004-07:00

It has been a few days since Stephen Harper spokes his legislative words of compassion, mercy and grace with respect to our people. Yesterday I was angry, today I was angry, I thought I was okay , working , doing what I had to do to work, rest, play, and everything else in between. Yet the slight mis interpretation of life, people, and the system, I raant and rave the injustices of this "white world"!.

From "Rio Island to the Great Spirit, I search for grace and our Creator of our times. Was I angry at Canada and its history regarding us NDNs. I cried like many as they spoke those words of asking for forgiveness, mercy, and what happened to us as children. God`s children hating and killing our children!. Kill the NDN in the child was a truism to me as us little indians working in the child slavery homes of foster parenting.

From my years as child, I cried and cried. Crybaby I was called when I was one , after that all I did was cry as I was shuffled through out the 16 foster homes of hell! Hate was an emotion I knew too well! Locked in rooms , pissing and shitting on the floor and in pails and boxes. I only know the dirty child NDN they made me be! Some fifty some years later I still remember the hate and the anger at me as i cried and long gone from my mother, and family. Get over it, they say!.. I`ll think about it as I take your children away from you forever! But then a young blonde man came to me as I scream out to people around. I understand your anger, I know your pain, You don`t realize who I am!...Was he an angel of grace, mercy, Oh I am a fool crying over you!

Regarding Globe and Mail article and comments about Aboriginal highschool dropout rates

2007-11-26T12:09:00.000-08:00

As long as we share the notion that we all have the ability to realize our potential, anything is possible, even for me, a Métis who survived the physical/sexual abuse of the fostering system of the 60s scoop, & the worthlessness that was bestowed on EVERY NATIVE &f METIS CHILD who was forced into the residential schools, fostering systems, abusive priests, nuns, social workers, foster parents, policing people, & all others who felt that they were above & better than native people because of their heritage, class background, colour of their skin, etc. As a media teacher, I always instill in my aboriginal students to realize their potential in life instead of settling with the status quo. It is a fight because racism is still a problem today even in 2007. I still struggle, it is life as we know it; our Creator gave us life to learn, from our mistakes, achievements, & failure. Who said it was going to be easy. Our native & Métis youth struggle because racism in the school system is evident, & carry on from the systemic history of colonialism & how colonialism is instilled in the education teachings, the family structure from grandparents to parents to the child, because of the old way of thinking. As long as we change the thinking & mindset of the old school elders of the colonial system, the education teachings, the family structure from grandparents to parents to the child, & critique the racist literature, & history books, then we can remove the barriers that are not conducive to the potential of our youth. Such problems do not come from the notion of some of the racist & stupid comments noted to this article, but from the mindset that derived from the racism that is subconsciously shared to others or directly taught due to bigotry & superiority over others because of either because they work, pay taxes, & they are entitled to share their uneducated view to others. Tolerance, peace, compassion, & love all others. I can learn & change too.

More comments on Harpers position regarding UN declaration

2007-09-10T10:40:00.000-07:00

Violet, some people call it communism that is your opinion. Others see it differently, reading your comments; it appears that you would embrace the notion of capitalism entirely regardless if your ideals are helping propagate the notion of profiting from rape mother earth and her resources, leaving nothing for your descendents, your unborn relatives, and anyone else that will inherit the leftovers of a capitalist expansion system. No doubt, you seem relatively balanced as a person, but democracy in this country under your ideals will only implode an already self=destructing government bent on its self pompous positioning on the world stage. You are so worried about your taxes paying for reserve living costs, but you don't mention the fiduciary relationship this CDN government has to Canada's First People. BECAUSE the ancestors of Canada's first people gave up their land in lieu of what was offered in the treaties, the Canadian Government has a legal responsibility to our ancestor’s descendants, so get use to that! Race politics is insidious, but such ideals are needed to give native people and people of colour some leverage in obtaining some sense of opportunities and freedom in this country, Canada and BC have an obligation to settle the relationship between the provincial government and all the unceded territory BC first nations legally own, but no-one mentions how the land was outright stolen from the First People of this area. Maybe, if you were more knowledgeable of the exactness of Canada’s sordid relationship to Canada's First People, then perhaps others will not see you as one of this boards G and M nay Sayers. All my relations

Another Comment on PM signals Canada unlikely to back UN declaration

2007-09-10T09:58:00.000-07:00

Gran2006 skipper, Miigweech 4 your comments, The UN Declaration was handed to me during the United Church Conference on the residential School Settlement Agreement issues in June 06. My colleague residential School Survivor Gunargie O'Sullivan and I broadcasted deconstructive reviews of the IRSSA and the confusing, and obscured hidden data in the agreement & subsequential media releases since April 07 on Coop Radio's When Spirits Whispers. The government, its lawyers, advisors & its courts have decided to settle with respect to their decision to not acknowledge their guilt and complicity in initiating cultural genocide against a people so they can take control of the land & its resources. Nothing has changed as of then, & the CDN government knows it is in an illegal position regarding the notion of landownership, title, aboriginal rights & their fears now are governing their lack of accepting the UN declaration, and Canada's relationship to International law parameters. Everyone these days has an opinion on native/non-native relations, & I am no different. Sure at times I fall and fail in my ideals, but then I was taught to be like the white man, get educated like the white man, & live like the white man, but if we as native people decide to asset our ideals as a cultural sovereign people, others begin their escalated critical review of our actions, intentions and economic initiatives. You are right regarding “Let's not blame Harper...regardless of who is in power." Nevertheless, Harper is too ultra conservative for my likings, and perhaps it is time the people of this country form a new political party to take on the conservatives, Liberals, Parti Quebecois, NDP, Greens & Others.. I an not talking about fringe lunatic parties like the Marijuana Party, but a party which is based on egalitarian reform, non-capitalistic development and an equal division of power, economics, & natural resources. Idealistic, even some natives will disagree with me.

Commet on PM signaling Canada unlikely to back UN declaration

2007-09-10T08:07:00.000-07:00

nYu non-indigenous folks may very well agree or disagre with Harpers stance, debate the ideological framework of Canada's government to the UN, BUT NEVERTHELESS, INDIGENOUS PEOPLE have been forced into a position of placid acceptance of the democratic initiatives circulating in the free world today. Where freedom comes at the cost of living in abject poverty, abysmal living conditions on the reserve and in the urban centres, and demographically separated by class division real estate allocations , financial buy-offs for the aboriginal intellectuals and economic developers, and others who see the "NDN" below their cultural worth due to the historical conditions which shaped this Country, and the euro centric descendants who were told to contain the NDNS straight down from their grandparents, to the blue blood elite who run the financial and political halls of power. Harper is only an extension of the status quo and should be eliminated. eradicated, disposed of and striped of any form of decision making, humiliated in from of the aboriginal residential school survivors, like we were in front of the nuns, the police, the judges, and teachers, when we did not fit into their assimilation plans and policies. The only thing that will teach the people in power anything about equality or fairness is the blade of a guillotine coming down to their neck. A cultural revolution is in order for Canada, so let’s just do that, okay?

Main stream Media and the IRSSA August 20th deadline

2007-08-20T14:27:00.001-07:00

There is an Overall sense of MEDIA censorship to alternative first nations views regarding the Indian Residential School Sttlement Opting Out Deadline and its connection to the contemporary issues of our time. As a native filmmakers, artists, and radio producers, my colleague Gunargie O'Sullivan and I have constantly shared information to Canadians about the complex issues pertaining to the residential school deadline today (Aug 20th., 2007). We understand and respect that Elders and others have a choice to settle with the defendants in this suit. Yet after much study , debate, many of us recognize that the settlement and propaganda campaign was flawed, deceptful and the opting out portion of this settlment was hidden with layers of newspeak to confuse all who take it upon themselves to study this nine court approved series of public documents. Apathy and limited comprehension by the media, has created a false sense of potential closure to the "NDN" problem, and that the setlement will heal Canada to heal. That notion is so far from the truth, it is the same old trickery the governments and churchs used time and time again since contact. aboriginal residential school survivors, and their understanding of the issues surrounding the IRSSA and the opt out or settle clause. Even today, I discussed the deadline with one native woman by Coop radio She understood the issues, but was too high to do anything.

Colleagues, it is tiring as we deconstruct the idealogy of Canada with art and politics. Disheartening as we see less and less people in the media caring about the tragedy of the most dis-possessed people, Canada's First people and how trickery and red tape is used by ideologues, lawyers, and government servants designed to contain and maintain the status quo. We must provide and dessiminate alternative perspectives on the issues of our times. How does the MEDIA and her their hired hands expect to know Canada without supporting the first nations artists and people who volunteer, collect and research others ways of Seeing in this world we call a global village? Do you expect us to stay in the age of feathers, ink and rawhide? Or with trinkets and beads. Is the MEDIA and their people so short sighted that they can not see beyond their place of priviledge as responsible community members? Perhaps its time to throw out the old and bring in the new? Do we all have to wait again for the okay from the Great White Chief in Ottawa? No matter how arms length we position ourselves from government policies, initiatives, clandestine meetings and manoeuvring, there will always be some subversive directive in the background monitoring the politics, media, events, words and times of the everyday.

I have more pressing issues to look at regarding the most dispossessed Canada's First People of this country than my pitful needs. Meanwhile the politicians in Ottawa will pronounce their grand schemes and dreams, while Canada's First People get @#$(W by the colonial mindset of people who think we should settle with life and what others think is best for them.

IN our numerous attempts to show the alternative aspects of the IRSSA data, the main stream media and others ignored the truth and published the propaganda that is utilizing the new pursuasive tools of genocide! Miigweech, all my relations!

refering to globeandmail story Letter was God's will

2007-07-18T11:49:00.000-07:00

Why will T & G not publish this entry? Stirring Debate?
Each to his own, but I would preferably to rely on the goodness of the Great Creator and the Great Mystery of Life, rather than to reply on the judgement of the people on both sides of this argument. Is the act of a physical union between a man and a woman an act of procreation, an act of love, or lust? With animal procreation and human procreation, our physical urges may be similar to animals regarding emotional needs, genetic patterning, social relations, and the physical pleasure of physical entities and species of all life’s genetic programming of procreation. But as well it is through the Great Creators' designs that we are allowed to utilize the physical union of a man and woman for spiritual love through intercourse and as well procreation. Perpetuating ones immortality through our descendants is maybe every ones desire in leaving some aspect of our lives to the living earth outside of a material object in a time capsule. Sure two same sexed beings can enjoy the physical act of love or some sort of physical connection of body parts or what not to define ones relationship to someone they care about, but is it part of the Great Mystery of Life, love, lust, or just part of the normal urges, desires and choices we make regarding what we can do to something we truly own in this world, our flesh and blood. In some camps it is said, that we do not own our bodies but our bodies belong to God, Jesus Christ. Our bodies are truly temples for our Creator, but the unseen powers of this world con all of us to disbelief and doubt regarding The spiritual world, and what we cannot see, or prove in the physical world, so do what you must in this world, but I would prefer eternity in paradise as opposed to the hatred, anger, lust and gluttony of fire and brimstone and gnashing of ht teeth. Each to his own though!

Re" Globe and Mail article of 05_23_07 Stop trains or natives will: chiefs

2007-05-24T11:55:00.000-07:00

I'm sick of all you armchair pundits giving you two bit crap about what to do with the issues of us Native people doing what we have to do to assert our rights and protect our interests as caretakers of mother earth and our culture.

It is not a matter of us not having the guts to be suicide bombers, because that is an option as far as I am concerned. Maybe we should just strap on a couple of vest bombs and come knocking on your door? But then on another hand, we value life and we are not in the NDN wars of the last couple of centuries where we had to kill to survive or be killed by all you Indian hating ancestors!

It is not a matter of one law for all people in this country, because other wise if your capitalist pig dog excremental living developers and other purveyors of capitalist destruction did not bend the law, or evade to law to get the best land of the time and racially segregate NDNS, then perhaps life would be different now. No, because aboriginal land WAS STOLEN from us and now there are over 900 outstanding lands claim cases b4 the system, which’s to say what laws have been broken or ignored.

Instead of hiding behind your web name on this list, publish you real name so we can really see who the hate mongering racists of this country are really like. I encourage all native people in North America to start suicide bombing to show the idiot who accused us of having no guts. Otherwise you racial idiots, let us demand and secure justice, restitution, and a decent life for our children and grandchildren instead of the activism we have to encourage to get the government to take our issues seriously.
Like AFN's Fontaine said, we are not breaking the law, and if the tractor protest and the transit protest is not consider unlawful and a right for these people to protest, then why are we call law breakers? Why? Because CANADA is a racist country run by Racist politicians & capitalists from the old school of colonialism. Miigweech, all my relations!

New Video on YouTube for Metis Winter Morning Film

2007-05-24T10:23:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/v/R7FyMccQSAw"> http://www.youtube.com/v/R7FyMccQSAw" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350">

that's right, google me for you tube and you will find my works. Have a nice day

Condolences to Family of Amber Stewart

2007-04-04T15:58:00.000-07:00

My condolences to family and relatives of the late Amber Stewart, daughter to Deloras Dallas and sister to Danien Dallas. Her memorial will be at GlenHaven Memorial Services @ 1835 East Hastings on April 5th. 07 at 3:00pm start.

anna Niciole Smith's mom being disrespectful

2007-02-09T15:54:00.000-08:00

It is totally disrespectful for Anna Nicole's Mother "Vergie Arthur" to air out her comments about her late daughter's supposingly drug usage, and to spout off her moral intentions on "Good Morning America" today Friday!

What gives her to right to immediately criticize the late woman's lifestyle, friends, and her position and assumed "drugged up"-ness? If this Vergie Arthur had any moral values or sympathetic values, she would have allowed grieving to take precedence instead of her jumping on the bandstand to get her two bits worth into such a sad and tragic ending to a young woman, wanting to experience life on her own terms.

Regardless of family estrangement, people still need to respect the moments in and around the passing of ones life to the next world. Anna Nicole Smith's mother had none of any these traits that show any decency or respect during a time of tragic endings. Shame on you, Vergie Arthur. Keep your assumptions and opinionated notions to yourself.

Black CLoud covers fireworks (Province A3 story Jan 31st. 2007

2007-01-30T09:02:00.000-08:00

Why should I care about this " Black cloud covers fireworks" trivial loss when it comes to placating the desires of the masses of people who want to see these fireworks to ease their worried minds, take their mind off reality and to ease ones life? Spending that amount of money on fireworks is vain, selfish, useless, stupid, idiotic, wasteful and every other adjective I can not think of right at this moment. When Canada and its cities resolves its homeless crisis, build homes for her homeless, her seniors, resolve the problems of her first nations reserve system and urban poverty and clean up the streets of all those really bad people, who continue to get let off easy, then maybe I will support Canada and her cities to celebrate the fullest of life. Instead, the system uses such resources to appease the masses with something to do when instead today's population should seriously consider how they are spending their time in earth's prophetic days!

Respectfully,

Donald
@
http://groups.msn.com/TheDonaldMorinWebSitehttp://spaces.msn.com/members/DAMaNDN4MEDIA4ARTS/ http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Donald+Morinhttp://www.myspace.com/donaldmorin& http://d_a_m.blogspot.com/

From Globe and Mail Blog about OPP toughen stance in Caledonia standoff

2007-01-22T09:28:00.000-08:00

Wow the pros and cons of the Land Claim issues of North America are battleing it out again! Wow JUst like in the Middle East n'est pas? Who's right, who's wrong? We're all wrong, we're all mad, we're all going back to the land, so why are we still fighting and why are we in a hurry to defend what is right? EIhter way we are being pushed over the edge of madness as the new millenium moves faster and faster towards the face of our demise! We will head back to our homeland, and wonder what the fighting was all about when we were alive. As long as the developers and capitalists attempt to re=develop the natural world, we will always have the defenders stop or attempt to stop the concrete madness of the new world My advice, let the bombs fly, the sabateurs bring in their ball bearing suicide packs, and let the language of blood define this new age of terror. Either way, the new world and old world is no longer the sane, they are now the insane face of ourselves slowly dying to get to the other side of life. After Death, where we are at peace B4 we go to heaven or hell. Depending how you fight your battles here in the flesh I guess! Have a good day world, I really want to get off! I see my stop over by the dark side of the moon! I am a metis , born of two worlds colliding in the bearded faces of the fur trade, and now dying in theface of the development trades. What's wrong with our picture of democracy in this Canadian Middle East Quagmire.

B.C. artists memorialize missing women (Globe & Mail Jan.12_07)

2007-01-12T09:48:00.000-08:00

Col. Akula
As far as I am concerned, you are an idiot and totally void of any sense of reasoning and only angry because so many people called you on your words and opinions. Awareness is important B4 and after any fact, and if you had any sense of humility, you would take your criticism with a grain of slat and move on, but no, instead you begin to rationalize your words of anger with assumed historical reasoning, and spout off validations of your father. So what! Your reasoning is after the fact too.

Regardless of B4 a tragedy or after a tragedy, life's events happen for a reason, and no effort by society, community, or individuals will stop these acts of horror if providence continues day after day. And if acts of heroism or community efforts do create change or stop a tragedy, then it was part of providence and the will of our Creator.
SO Colonel Goof, keep your opinions on your side of the fence and accept people's act of valor, recognition, or homage for what it is , a desire to acknowledge what was, what is gone, and what will be, and as far as issues from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, don't judge a person till you walk a mile in their moccasins. And if anyone really agreed with your irrational sense of outrage, then perhaps we would not honor the World war one and two war dead every November 11th, after the fact. So take your wounds, and move on to your dead end street of misguided reasoning.

TO artist paying homage to DTES missing women, (About Globe & Mail Arts Article published Jan11th., 2007

2007-01-11T14:53:00.000-08:00

Col. Akula
Get your head out of your patriarchal stupidity. This work is no different than what Rebecca Belmore did with respect to honoring the missing women. Ms. Belmore created a performance piece in DTES where she held a rose in her mouth, placed the rose at each of the last location of the missing women, and called, (yelled) out her name. Not for money, not for respect, but for acknowledging their person, their being, their soul and heart as a woman. Here in CDN, women are still marginalized in some circles by patriarchy, and the old school of thought, where men still think women should be barefoot and back in the kitchen. Here we have an artist who is creating a work of homage to these missing women, who died due to catering to the sexual misguided desires of men. Men who should be doing better things with their life instead of taking advantage of less fortunate people. If these men have more control over their sexual urges and though more about their humble beginnings, then maybe they will have more respect for themselves and the women they abuse. Just because you pay someone money to take care of your urges, does not mean you have to mistreat them or other women who are the care-givers of our future society of children growing up to be adult. Our artists touch these ideas without saying a word, but by using an art brush to paint what's left of the blood and souls we once had on this planet earth!

NDN bishop in Canada

2007-01-05T12:25:00.000-08:00

NDN bishop is a wonderful move considering that politics and religion together makes a firey mix, when we want to erase past mistakes. As the commenter said eariler, we are all God's children, so race should not be an issue, I am Metis and sit on the board of a United church Longhouse Native ministry, and the pastor is a wonderful non-native man, who conducts wonderful services. Incidentally, I was rasied RC, and I have no quelms against their teachings, after all we are all God's children and only should be leary of humankind, when they twist the sacred words and politicize such words. I do not see this as the case, it is a annoucement of sharing the word, so lets get to work and change the world through the love and work of our one Creator, not through past divisions of humankind's interpretivie grace.

Goodness revails over Chld help line (Globe adn Mail Jan. 5th, 07)

2007-01-05T11:57:00.000-08:00

Kudos to this young child and to the law-enforcement officials and citizens of the world, who utilized an a potential technology which is increasingly being used for nafariouos ultraistic deeds. This shows , that the "good" prevails over en entire world, if we give goodness a chance to work with the internet sytem instead of the system being used to help those who go on raping and destroying our children of mother earth.
Every time a child cries for help, that cry is heard in the heavens, and bowels of the earth. For once, a child's cry is taken serious, considering the many times our chidlren are not heard. Good work folks, our chidlren are our precious gift from the Creator of our Times!

Re: Globe and Mail article of Jan 2nd. 07: Child care so costly immigrants sending babies back to China.

2007-01-02T10:28:00.000-08:00

The question to ask regarding such an important parenting issues is why does systemic racism still exist in a supposingly democratic country such as Canada?

Outside of governmental polices, social initiatives, legislative laws pertaining to immigration, and economic development, nothing the government initiates is going to change the attitude and mindset of a Euro Canadian population which is sway and defined by the Affirmative culture. A culture which is defined by the historical conditions and development of a colonial culture which created the systemic and racist capitalist system we have today in Canada.
Our new Asian Canadians and other new immigrants would not have to break up the family unit if the potential private/public institutions and employers of these new professionals did not devalue the academic, and professional experience of this people, based on a Euro Canadian value of what is worthy and affirmed in North American society, by the constructs of the Affirmative culture. These families are no different than the descendants of the European immigrants, who came here to better themselves in the new world. Today it is no different, for the new immigrants who only want to better themselves and their career opportunities to provide a better life for their families. Such devaluation of their professional skills is blatant racism, and not until the Euro- Canadian descendants realize and deplore their systemic views and attitudes, will our Asian Canadian families be of equal par with the majority of the Canadian population. So Canada, Harper may describe that Canada is the greatest country in the world, but he is only paying lip service to the status quo and is creating a racist government and country just like the days before and after confederation. Miigweech, all

Coming back to Edmonton, NDNs and violence

2006-12-29T06:37:00.000-08:00

Tansi Edmonton
Well it is good to be back in Edmonton, I moved to Vancouver from here 26 years ago due to the extreme attitudes of people here. I was a young First Nations, and I was tired of the negative attitude Edmontonians had towards Native People, and tired of the sucker punches, assaults, and derogatory remarks because of my heritage. I was seen as a drunk, or only in jail. Sadly enough, my twin brother told me last year and this year, that people still see Native people in the same darkness, so the choices and attitudes of people determine our relations in the past, present, and future.

I walked Whyte Avenue last night a day after my son's wedding to reminisce about the times I strolled this famous strip, and much has changed since the days of my youth. The place was not as violent as I read today about former stabbings and fights last year. My brother told me to not hang around that area, but for me I saw no reason to leave, till this morning when I read comments, and former articles about the actions of various people.

Ultimately people will blame many factors for their actions, but it all boils down to ones ability to make either a good or wrong choice when dealing with confrontations, anger, emotions, and self control. Raising children to be responsible children is an arduous task that takes in many factors of life, history, religion, beliefs, and understanding our place in the universe and the wholeness of time. I am proud to say that my son has made wonderful choices due to his own understanding of the factors I mentions, and how his mother and I raised him to believe in his potential instead of settling with life. Sure he gets influenced by others, the media, and the government and gets angry; mad at aspects of life like us all, but it is how we control our action which defines our character. Believing in the Great Mystery of life and how it defines us, speaks to us, will help us in our relations.
Life is a highway of moderation. Earthlings will experiment with the highs and lows of life, and we as humans must live the rest of our life with the consequences of our actions. So no matter how opinionated we are, blamable we are we are not the judges of life on planet earth, only the participants in the wombs of time.

We can watch all the sports we want, it may incite our anger, emotions of madness, boil our blood, but pulling a knife, sucker punching a fellow human is the result of one persons choice and how he/she wants to continue his/her life. Goodness and Evil is real in and around us. Make no mistake, God is real, and so is the Devil. I am not a religious person, but history tells us this grand old story of human conflict, it all depends how we read and live life, remember life and how we want to exist in the hereafter.
So I will continue to walk the streets of this life regardless of how violent and hurtful people can be to each other. If we give love, we get love, if we give hate, we get hate. Violence begets violence, so make your choice in sharing life or condemning life, but we are all in the same canoe floating on the universe's river of energy. How we use that energy defines how we live and die. Today, I still live in Vancouver, while my son and my brother moved back to Edmonton. Will I, God only knows because it saddens me that after 26 years in Vancouver where I realized my potential in life and I still am working on it, nothing has changed in this oil capital when it comes to our relations. So some of you Edmontonians, you can do better than pulling a knife, or calling out a derogatory name! Miigweech! Happy New Year Edmonton worlders from a Vancouver worlder. I am coming back to this neck of the woods again to begin my next film project, so, I look forward to meeting you Edmon-chuks again. 2 learn more about moi, see http://groups.msn.com/TheDonaldMorinWebSite Take care, God bless you all

Email reply sent to CBC regarding October 16th article, but published here due to CBC not often publishes my words

2006-12-27T09:08:00.001-08:00

Email reply sent to CBC regarding October 16th article, but published here due to CBC not often publishes my words
link was at: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2006/10/16/native-prisoners.html#skip300x250My Reply belowThe audacity of Stockwell Day to quote "[that he ]will consider the findings of Sapers' report...[and then says that]...there is no evidence of systemic discrimination against native offenders in the prison system."Well Mr. Day, the evidence is in the report itself, in the federal statistics regarding the federal prison system, and in the systemic nature of the Canadian racial legislative system of the Indian Act, the deploring justice institutions, and the systemic nature of a colonial mindset which has existed for the last two hundred years, and then some.Get your head out of the sand Stockwell Day, and do something good for a change.