Homeless woman fined for building her own home

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/homeless-woman-fined-building-her-110000301.html



CBC/CBC - "We're trying to believe as Anishinaabeg, we could live a better life," Darlene Necan says of her plans to construct her own home, plant a garden and become self-sustaining. "But words are easier than actually doing it." 

A First Nations woman in Northern Ontario faces thousands of dollars in fines and a stop-work order on the cabin she is attempting to build in the place where she grew up.​

Darlene Necan is a member of the Ojibways of Saugeen First Nation, but she's been unable to acquire housing in that community, about 400 kilometres northwest of Thunder Bay, since the reserve was created in the late 1990s. 

Last year, Necan began building with donated materials on land where her family home once stood, 20 kilometres south of her reserve, in the unorganized township of Savant Lake, Ont. 

"This is my castle and I'm so proud to have it, even though it's not done yet," Necan said during a recent visit to the one-room, plywood house she is not allowed to live in. 

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry has charged Necan with breaches of the Public Lands Act that carry fines of up to $10,000, and up to an additional $1,000 fine each time she is caught continuing to build. Necan believes it is because somehow the place she grew up has become Crown land. The ministry did not respond to questions from CBC News about this story.

The Ministry of Natural Resources charged Darlene Necan with violating the Public Lands Act after she began building …'A lot of times I cry'

As an unorganized township, Savant Lake doesn't have a municipal leader. Denis Mousseau owns the only store, across the street from his hotel, on one of the community's two main roads.

"It's a common thing for First Nations people to do, is build their own house without title to the land," Mousseau said.  "First Nations people have the right to do that and I don't see why [the Ministry of] Natural Resources should be hassling her over this."

Necan has boarded up the unfinished doorway to her cabin for the winter, and said she feels "shattered" by the charges against her. Her next court date is Nov. 20. 

​"I still keep going with this fight no matter how awful it makes me feel for trying to house myself and help people, because a lot of people don't believe in themselves or that things can change if you fight hard enough," Necan said, her voice cracking.

"It's what I try to believe. I try to be hopeful. That's hard too and a lot of times I cry by myself here. But I talk to my [late] mom and my [late] dad and it keeps me going because I keep thinking of them."

'Not any better in the city'

Necan has spent much of her adult life couch-surfing among relatives and camping out on the family trap line when the weather allows. The 55-year-old was looking forward to a different life, living in her own home and offering shelter to family members.

"This is exactly the same spot where we lived," Necan said. "We slowly started moving to the cities because we didn't have anything after my dad got hurt and we were pretty well desperate."

Necan's father was injured while working for the railway.

"My family... they're not any better in the city than they were here," she says. "Here, at least they were free to roam around in the bush and go hunting and all that, but in the city you need at least five, 10 bucks to even live for the day."

This is my castle and I'm so proud to have it, Darlene Necan says of the one-room house she built with donated …'Aren't we under treaty?'

Fewer than 100 people live on the reserve up the road. Edward Machimity has been chief for nearly two decades, since the reserve was created. Necan said he refuses to help her, or even answer her questions.

"He has said that he has to be careful about how he helps the off-reserve people and that really got me confused because I thought, aren't we on Anishinaabe land right now? Aren't we under treaty?" Necan said.

"Isn't this why we elected him for, is to help all people, not only the people inside reserve? That is so crap because natives are scattered all over Canada. How can they say only the people on reserve have rights?"

Machimity did not return repeated calls from CBC News.

'Pocahottie' Halloween costume offends aboriginal woman

CBC – Tue, 28 Oct, 2014


CBC - 'Pocahottie' Halloween costume offends aboriginal woman

A Winnipeg woman says some Halloween costumes being sold in the city are offensive and hurtful to her aboriginal culture, including one outfit that she saw recently.

Mary Swain says she was browsing at Halloween Alley on Pembina Highway when she spotted a costume for adult women called "Pocahottie," which depicts the Disney character Pocahontas in a short, low-cut dress.

"I just couldn't believe it," Swain told CBC News.

"It's my culture and we dress up in regalia when we dance at ceremonies and stuff, so I feel like people are disrespecting aboriginal people."

She said she also saw accessories made to look like traditional aboriginal headdresses, as well as items labelled "sexy Indian wigs."

Swain said she immediately complained to the manager.

"I talked to her about it, and I told her my concerns that I didn't think it was appropriate for her to sell these costumes in the store," she said. "That's my culture; it's not a costume."

Another Halloween-themed store, Spirit Halloween on Regent Avenue, carried adult costume outfits with names like "Reservation Royalty," "Indian Warrior" and "Native Spirit."

Some of the outfits included feather headpieces. Many in the aboriginal community have banned the use of headdresses as fashion items, as they are considered sacred to many indigenous cultures.

'Native women trivialized as sexual objects'

Jacqueline Romanow, associate professor in the University of Winnipeg's indigenous studies department, said she, too, has been offended by some Halloween costumes.

"The costumes that are most offensive to me are the ones that show native women as trivialized sexual objects," she said. 

"Given the history in this country, given the context of racism indigenous people experience every day, given the hyper sexualization of these costumes, that's really the problem." she said.

Romanow said for a society dealing with missing and murdered aboriginal women, the offensive costumes are a concern.

"I think that's more than insensitive, I think it's dangerous. It reinforces the marginalization and the victimization of some of the most vulnerable people in our society," she said. 

Store official responds

The regional manager for Halloween Alley, which has 37 locations across Canada, told CBC News he respects all cultures and takes feedback seriously, but there are no plans to remove the costume items in question.

Steven Pierson said what may be considered offensive to one person may not be offensive to another.

"The industry that we work in, you know, does have some challenges with sensitivities on a whole lot of fronts," he said.

Pierson added that many of the costumes in question are sold to aboriginal people.

"The reality is by far … our largest customer base are those customers in the aboriginal community," he said.

"It's not really my place to find what's offensive or not … I'm not an aboriginal person."

CBC News has not been able to reach officials with Spirit Halloween as of Monday night.

As for Swain, she said the official explanation is not good enough for her.

"I don't feel people should be making fun of us," she said.

                                      ------------------------------------------------

Admin note: As Native people I agree that what this company and others is selling is highly offensive to us. 

What is happening here, in our opinion, is another form of racism. 

They are not showing respect for Native heritage nor its people.

"The regional manager for Halloween Alley, which has 37 locations across Canada, told CBC News he respects all cultures and takes feedback seriously, but there are no plans to remove the costume items in question."

I AM ASKING THAT THOSE WHO READ THIS ARTICLE PLUS OTHERS RELATED TO ANYTHING ALONG THESE LINE BOYCOTT  Halloween Alley at 1686 Pembina Highway , Winnipeg, Manitoba PLUS ANY OF THEIR OTHER STORE IN YOUR AREA. 

ALSO, Spirit Halloween on 1570-B Regent Ave W, WINNIPEG, Manitoba WHO IS ALSO SELLING HALLOWEEN COSTUMES WHICH ARE RACIST.

THIS ACT IS DISCRIMINATION AGAINST OUR PEOPLE.

Mass Execution of Children Alleged

Posted on November 09, 2011 by itccs

http://itccs.org/2011/11/09/mass-execution-of-children-alleged/

My brother Rufus saw them take all those children and stand them up next to a big ditch, and then the soldiers shot them all and they all fell into that ditch. Some of the kids were still alive and they just poured the dirt in on top of them. Buried them alive.

This mass murder happened in 1943 – not in Nazi held Europe, but in Brantford, Ontario, on land occupied by the Canadian Army, at its Basic Training Camp Number 20.

These words were spoken today on the Native America Calling Radio program by Lorna McNaughton of Oshweken, Ontario: a survivor of the infamous “Mush Hole”, the Brantford Mohawk Indian residential school, run by the Church and Crown of England until 1970.

Why were these children shot? According to Lorna:

The school was overcrowded just then. I was there, I saw the army bring in all these cots for lots of new kids who showed up from all over the country. They must have just wanted to get rid of all the extra hungry mouths; it was wartime and everything was rationed. One day those new kids were in the dorms, then they were all taken out, and we never saw any of them kids again.

A probable site of this mass burial of the executed children has been located, and is now under the protection and jurisdiction of the Onkwehonwe Mohawk Nation and its clan mothers. Surveys and possible excavations will proceed under professional guidance, and according to the protocols of the Onkwehonwe people.

The Mohawk people call upon all people of good will to help protect the remains of these murdered children until international observers can arrive to monitor events and evidence that is uncovered.

This site is under the jurisdiction of the Onkwehonwe Mohawk people and not the government of Canada or the Crown or Church of England.

The investigation into the Canadian Genocide continues. Stay tuned for regular updates from the Onkwehonwe Mohawk Nation and the ITCCS.

Issued by the ITCCS office, Brussels, and Rawennatshani of the Turtle clan, Onkwehonwe people

November 9, 2011

The Mohawk Institute, 1832-1970 – Church of England (Anglican) operated

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Petition for a plaque at the National War Memorial in memory of Corporal Nathan Cirillo."

This is a petition I just signed and decided to post on the site for anyone who would like to sign. It is to ask for a plaque to be placed in honor of Corporal Nathan Cirillo who was the soldier shot to death by a terrorist on October 22, 2014 in Ottawa. Please sign in honor of Nathan Cirillo so all will remember him and what he stood for. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks for signing my petition, "The Honourable Stephen Harper: Place a plaque at the National War Memorial in memory of Corporal Nathan Cirillo." Can you help this petition win by asking your friends to sign too? It's easy to share with your friends on Facebook - just click here to share the petition on Facebook. There's also a sample email below that you can forward to your friends. Thanks again -- together we're making change happen, David W --------- Note to forward to your friends: Hi! I just signed the petition "The Honourable Stephen Harper: Place a plaque at the National War Memorial in memory of Corporal Nathan Cirillo" on Change.org. It's important. Will you sign it too? Here's the link: http://www.change.org/p/the-honourable-stephen-harper-place-a-plaque-at-the-national-war-memorial-in-memory-of-corporal-nathan-cirillo?recruiter=31480877&utm_campaign=signature_receipt&utm_medium=email&utm_source=share_petition Thanks!

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L. Frank Baum... Wizard Of Oz Creator. His views on Natives

Wikipedia

The first piece was published on December 20, 1890, five days after the killing of the Lakota Sioux holy man, Sitting Bull (who was being held in custody at the time). 

Following is the complete text of the editorial:

Sitting Bull, most renowned Sioux of modern history, is dead.

He was not a Chief, but without Kingly lineage he arose from a lowly position to the greatest Medicine Man of his time, by virtue of his shrewdness and daring.

He was an Indian with a white man's spirit of hatred and revenge for those who had wronged him and his. In his day he saw his son and his tribe gradually driven from their possessions: forced to give up their old hunting grounds and espouse the hard working and uncongenial avocations of the whites. 

And these, his conquerors, were marked in their

dealings with his people by selfishness, falsehood and treachery. What wonder that his wild nature, untamed by years of subjection, should still revolt? 

What wonder that a fiery rage still burned within his breast and that he should seek every opportunity of obtaining vengeance upon his natural enemies.

The proud spirit of the original owners of these vast prairies inherited through centuries of fierce and bloody wars for their possession, lingered last in the bosom of Sitting Bull. 

With his fall the nobility of the Redskin is extinguished, and what few are left are a pack of whining curs who lick the hand that smites them. 

The Whites, by law of conquest, by justice of civilization, are masters of the American continent, and the best safety of the frontier settlements will be secured by the total annihilation of the few remaining Indians. Why not annihilation? 

Their glory has fled, their spirit broken, their manhood effaced; better that they die than live the miserable wretches that they are. 

History would forget these latter despicable beings, and speak, in latter ages of the glory of these grand Kings of forest and plain that Cooper loved to heroize.

We cannot honestly regret their extermination, but we at least do justice to the manly characteristics possessed, according to their lights and education, by the early Redskins of America.

Following the December 29, 1890, massacre, Baum wrote a second editorial, published on January 3, 1891:

The peculiar policy of the government in employing so weak and vacillating a person as General Miles to look after the uneasy Indians, has resulted in a terrible loss of blood to our soldiers, and a battle which, at best, is a disgrace to the war department. 

There has been plenty of time for prompt and decisive measures, the employment of which would have prevented this disaster.

The Pioneer has before declared that our only safety depends upon the total extermination  of the Indians. Having wronged them for centuries we had better, in order to protect our civilization, follow it up by one more wrong and wipe these untamed and untamable creatures from the face of the earth. In this lies safety for our settlers and the soldiers who are under incompetent commands. 

Otherwise, we may expect future years to be as full of trouble with the redskins as those have been in the past.

An eastern contemporary, with a grain of wisdom in its wit, says that "when the whites win a fight, it is a victory, and when the Indians win it, it is a massacre."

Warriors of the Rainbow

There was an old lady, from the "Cree" tribe, named "Eyes of Fire", who prophesied that one day, because of the white mans' or Yo-ne-gis' greed, there would come a time, when the fish would die in the streams, the birds would fall from the air, the waters would be blackened, and the trees would no longer be, mankind as we would know it would all but cease to exist.

There would come a time when the "keepers of the legend, stories, culture rituals, and myths, and all the Ancient Tribal Customs" would be needed to restore us to health. They would be mankinds’ key to survival, they were the "Warriors of the Rainbow". 

There would come a day of awakening when all the peoples of all the tribes would form a New World of Justice, Peace, Freedom and recognition of the Great Spirit.

The "Warriors of the Rainbow" would spread these messages and teach all peoples of the Earth or "Elohi". They would teach them how to live the "Way of the Great Spirit". They would tell them of how the world today has turned away from the Great Spirit and that is why our Earth is "Sick".

The "Warriors of the Rainbow" would show the peoples that this "Ancient Being" (the Great Spirit), is full of love and understanding, and teach them how to make the "Earth or Elohi" beautiful again. These Warriors would give the people principles or rules to follow to make their path right with the world. These principles would be those of the Ancient Tribes. 

The Warriors of the Rainbow would teach the people of the ancient practices of Unity, Love and Understanding. They would teach of Harmony among people in all four comers of the Earth.

Like the Ancient Tribes, they would teach the peoples how to pray to the Great Spirit with love that flows like the beautiful mountain stream, and flows along the path to the ocean of life. 

Once again, they would be able to feel joy in solitude and in councils. They would be free of petty jealousies and love all mankind as their brothers, regardless of color, race or religion. 

They would feel happiness enter their hearts, and become as one with the entire human race. Their hearts would be pure and radiate warmth, understanding and respect for all mankind, Nature, and the Great Spirit. They would once again fill their minds, hearts, souls, and deeds with the purest of thoughts. They would seek the beauty of the Master of Life - the Great Spirit! They would find strength and beauty in prayer and the solitudes of life.

Their children would once again be able to run free and enjoy the treasures of Nature and Mother Earth. Free from the fears of toxins and destruction, wrought by the Yo-ne-gi and his practices of greed. The rivers would again run clear, the forests be abundant and beautiful, the animals and birds would be replenished. The powers of the plants and animals would again be respected and conservation of all that is beautiful would become a way of life.

The poor, sick and needy would be cared for by their brothers and sisters of the Earth. These practices would again become a part of their daily lives.

The leaders of the people would be chosen in the old way - not by their political party, or who could speak the loudest, boast the most, or by name calling or mud slinging, but by those whose actions spoke the loudest. 

Those who demonstrated their love, wisdom, and courage and those who showed that they could and did work for the good of all, would be chosen as the leaders or Chiefs. They would be chosen by their "quality" and not the amount of money they had obtained. 

Like the thoughtful and devoted "Ancient Chiefs", they would understand the people with love, and see that their young were educated with the love and wisdom of their surroundings. They would show them that miracles can be accomplished to heal this world of its ills, and restore it to health and beauty.

The tasks of these "Warriors of the Rainbow" are many and great. There will be terrifying mountains of ignorance to conquer and they shall find prejudice and hatred. They must be dedicated, unwavering in their strength, and strong of heart. They will find willing hearts and minds that will follow them on this road of returning "Mother Earth" to beauty and plenty - once more.

The day will come, it is not far away. The day that we shall see how we owe our very existence to the people of all tribes that have maintained their culture and heritage. Those that have kept the rituals, stories, legends, and myths alive. 

It will be with this knowledge, the knowledge that they have preserved, that we shall once again return to "harmony" with Nature, Mother Earth, and mankind. It will be with this knowledge that we shall find our "Key to our Survival".

This is the story of the "Warriors of the Rainbow" and this is my reason for protecting the culture, heritage, and knowledge of my ancestors. I know that the day "Eyes of Fire" spoke of - will come! I want my children and grandchildren to be prepared to accept this task.The task of being one of the........"Warriors of the Rainbow".

---

This version comes from Lelanie Anderson, off her web site. Her contact information is:

http://www.angelfire.com/ok/TheCherokeeLady/indextostoriespage.html

Prophecy from ages past:

The great spiritual Teachers who walked the Earth and taught the basics of the truths of the Whirling Rainbow Prophecy will return and walk amongst us once more, sharing their power and understanding with all. We will learn how to see and hear in a sacred manner. 

Men and women will be equals in the way Creator intended them to be; all children will be safe anywhere they want to go. Elders will be respected and valued for their contributions to life. 

Their wisdom will be sought out. The whole Human race will be called The People and there will be no more war, sickness or hunger forever.

Navajo-Hopi Prophecy 

"When the earth is ravaged and the animals are dying, a new tribe of people shall come unto the earth from many colors, classes, creeds and who by their actions and deeds shall make the earth green again. They will be known as the warriors of the rainbow."   

Native American Prophecy

'Society should be horrified;' 15-year-old found dead in Winnipeg river

By Chinta Puxley and Steve Lambert, The Canadian Press


Yahoo Canada News/Winnipeg Police Service - The body of Tina Fontaine, 15, was found on Sunday (Handout)

WINNIPEG - Officers are investigating the slaying of a 15-year-old aboriginal girl from rural Manitoba whose body was found wrapped in a bag and dumped in the Red River after she ran away from her foster home.

Police on Monday identified the girl as Tina Fontaine, who was in the care of Child and Family Services and was reported missing Aug 9.

Winnipeg police Sgt. John O'Donovan said Tina had only been in Winnipeg for a month, but was rebelling and had run away. Described as five-foot-three-inches tall and weighing only about 100 pounds, she was last seen in the city's downtown Aug. 8. She was wearing a white skirt, blue jacket and pink-and-white runners.

Her body was pulled from the river Sunday.

"At 15, I'm sure she didn't realize the danger that she was putting herself in," O'Donovan told a news conference.

"She's a child. This is a child that's been murdered. Society would be horrified if we found a litter of kittens or pups in the river in this condition. This is a child.

"Society should be horrified."

Thelma Favel and her husband had been caring for Tina for about 10 years. Favel is Tina's great aunt, but added Tina called her mama.

Favel had also cared for Tina's father, Eugene Fontaine, for many years, and when he was diagnosed with cancer, he asked her to look after his children.

"He asked me and my husband if we would look after his kids seeing that he lived with us for so long when he was younger, and he said he knew the kids would have a good home and food to eat all the time."

Favel said the last time she saw Tina was July 1, when she took her to Winnipeg to visit her biological mother. Tina had run away a few times starting last summer.

"She ran away twice and then she sort of settled down and she went back to school and she was doing so good," Favel said, sobbing.

Favel said Tina called her sister Sarah about a week and a half ago.

"The last time her sister heard from her, she told her, 'Tell mama and papa I love them, I miss them, but I'm not ready to go home yet."

No arrests have been made, O'Donovan said. Investigators are calling on anyone who saw Fontaine in the last 10 days, or who knows what happened to her, to contact police.

Fontaine, who had just turned 15, had a history of running away, but O'Donovan said police knew roughly where she went each time she was previously reported missing.

Police aren't saying how Fontaine died or whether she was sexually assaulted, but O'Donovan said she was already dead by the time her body was dumped in the river.

"The autopsy has been conducted and it's obvious that this child didn't put herself in the river in that condition," he said. "It's something that we're going to hold back on and we're not going to get into exactly how this girl died."

There are only a handful of people who know how Fontaine died, including those responsible for her death, he said.

"She's definitely been exploited and taken advantage of, murdered and put into the river in this condition," O'Donovan said. "Somebody may have seen her. We would like to talk to anybody who has seen her."

Last week, Manitoba unveiled a monument to almost 1,200 missing and murdered aboriginal women. The two-metre-high granite statue stands just by the junction of the Red and Assiniboine rivers in downtown Winnipeg.

In May, the RCMP issued a detailed statistical breakdown of 1,181 cases since 1980. The report said aboriginal women make up 4.3 per cent of the Canadian population, yet account for 16 per cent of female homicides and 11.3 per cent of missing women.

Also on Sunday, the body of a man was pulled from the river near a north-end park. That man has not been publicly identified, but police say the death is not suspicious.

Police have not identified the man, but several Winnipeg media outlets reported Monday night that a family member said the man was Faron Hall, also known as the "Homeless Hero."

Hall received national media attention for saving two people from the Red River on separate occasions in 2009.