Is freedom overrated?

A friend of mine watched Braveheart again last night and we are both feeling a little frustrated about the current state of affairs in Indigenous/Aboriginal politics. I suggested after lunch, "perhaps freedom is overrated." Maybe people don't want it. Maybe it only matters to the few of us who are cursed with some (perhaps pretentious) sense of awareness or knowing that things are not as they should be....sigh. What say you?

As the Nation Turns

I'm not sure if I find it funny or disturbing that more people were curious about my blind date than a recently posted poll saying that Canadians wanna unleash the hounds (police, paramilitary, military) on us po' lil Indians. Probably both. In retrospect, I realize that perhaps I DID show a little too much W-shoulder in the blindfold picture...haha. What can I say, I had just hopped out of the shower and it was a last-minute inspired moment to do a lil self portrait, seeing as how this was the first time I had ever gone on such an occasion. It turns out it was not as blind as I thought. I ended up having sushi and lively conversation with a highschool penpal from back when you were just a loaf of bread. I will respect my dinner companion's privacy and leave it at that :p

Meanwhile, back in the rain forest...

Yes, 60% of your fellow, friendly (ahem) CANADIANS would much rather the whole Six Nations Reclamation at Caledonia thing go away through the use of FORCE. Is it just me or do the world renowned peacekeeping nationals occupying our lands get cranky when they can't get to Tim Horton's as quickly as they used to? Come to think of it, I can think of one Indian in particular, who orders 2 XL triple triples on her insanely long commute to work! For the record, I have not actually seen her grumpy, in fact she smiles and laughs just a little too much for my liking (jk), but as far as I can tell she's a peaceful woman. Perhaps the Canadians actually feel guilty and are trying to cover up their living off the avails of crimes against humanity by lashing out (you know how actual people in your life/home/workplace do that when they feel guilty or cornered?)

What do you really think? Indulge me.

CTV Poll Results

The Six Nations reclamation in Caledonia, Ontario and subsequent roadblock and dispute has been brewing for over two months. For Indigenous people the dispute has been ongoing for over 200 years. The www.citizensofcaledonia.ca are calling the Indigenous people terrorists and suggesting that the good Canadian tax-payer has put up with enough from the colonized riff-raff. Over 1,200 voters in a www.ctv.ca poll give their opinion on how to resolve the native standoff. There is so much I could say, including the biased questions but I will save that for another day perhaps and let the numbers speak for themselves:

Question: How do you think the government should resolve the native standoff in Caledonia, Ont.?

Use force 755 votes (60 %)

Continue negotiations 344 votes (28 %)

Give in to native demands 151 votes (12 %)

Total Votes: 1250

going where this W has never gone before...

Yes, for the first time in my nearly 33 years, I am going on a blind-date :I Wish me luck. Updates to follow.

The Movement has begun...

The Stop The Violence march is over. It ended where it began: In Tla-o-qui-aht territory with the women saying, "enough! Stop the violence!" I am still overwhelmed and "processing" the impact of this march on me and the people we met thoughout our homelands. As I drove Chiinuuks and Muhwa home to Mituunii late Sunday night, I remarked in somewhat stunned disbelief, "Wow...we actually DID SOMETHING!" Chiinuuks grabbed my hand and with a big smile said, "We did!" and it is just the beginning. This Stop The Violence march has now become a movement. In listening to the voices of the women and children we have begun to restore balance to our lives, families and nations.

Consistent with our ways, our principles, "hish-uuk-ish tsaa'waalk," it has always been about something bigger and yet that bigger goal was never going to be achieved until we started somewhere small. More discussion and action will come. It is true that our hearts are heavy with the suffering our people have endured and inflicted upon each other, but we also have hope and our hope is not merely a pragmatic response to the pain. It is rooted in the courage of those many people, young and old who stood up, some for the first time, and said, "Enough! No more! We have grown weary of surviving. We are taking back our lives, our communities, restoring balance to our families and we will live again, thriving as strong, dignified Nuu-chah-nulth people."

My tears are mixed; of pain and joy. My resolve to do my part, to live as a strong, healthy Nuu-chah-nulth man with integrity, compassion and love is unwavering. Our renewal has begun.

[Click here for latest photos from the march.]

Indian Fighting Skills

I first came across this online over a year ago, and perhaps needing a good laugh, I decided to look for it again, googling "Indian Fighting," "American Indian Fighting styles" etc. This guy is named Randall Brown and at some point he discovered he had some "Serious Indian blood in him" lol.

You can check out the full pitch here but here is an excerpt:

The best part: Though Indian fighters trained their entire lives... the actual MOVES they use are amazingly easy to learn.

You don't have to be a big guy. You don't have to be in super-hard-ass shape (or even be in shape at all, really). No special skills are required, no strength, no nothing.

The fact is... you can just WATCH these kill moves... and suddenly be more dangerous than you ever imagined. Instantly.

So why all the secrecy? The few Indians who practice these nasty killing arts aren't eager to share them with the civilization that almost wiped them out. Jeez, you can understand that.

LMAO

Stop the Violence

I've been busy working on a new website for the upcoming Stop the Violence march in Nuu-chah-nulth territories. You can find it here. We are down to the last few days of planning this march and people are getting excited. There are a lot of last minute preparations to do and people to talk to but I am confident we (there are many dedicated organizers) will pull it off. The message is one that is so critical in our communities right now: Stop the violence. Learn your history. Restore balance. Our families are precious. Demand respect, integrity and accountability. Live a Quu'as life.

Check it out, especially for updates and photos as the march progresses through the territories: www.stoptheviolencencn.org.