"[P]repared by Aboriginal peoples out of concern to present an Aboriginal perspective at the quincentenary of European arrival to the Americas in 1992". "Meditations, articles and reflections are intended to be a resource for persons interested in cross-cultural understandings and an encouragement of dialogue within the Aboriginal community". -- Intro. p. 2.
Contents: Introduction / Joyce Carlson -- Land of Promise / Stan McKay -- Voice of Our Forefathers / Andrew Atagotaluk [i.e. Atagotaaluk] -- Being an Indian in Today's Society / Laverne Jacobs -- A Challenge to the Church / Laverne Jacobs -- Let Us Be / Laverne Jacobs -- 1492 / Peggy Montague -- Native Leadership / Annette Loutit -- Bibliography / Janet Silman -- International Connections -- Acknowledgements.
"[P]repared by Aboriginal peoples out of concern to present an Aboriginal perspective at the quincentenary of European arrival to the Americas in 1992". "Meditations, articles and reflections are intended to be a resource for persons interested in cross-cultural understandings and an encouragement of dialogue within the Aboriginal community". -- Intro. p. 2.
Contents: Introduction / Joyce Carlson -- Land of Promise / Stan McKay -- Voice of Our Forefathers / Andrew Atagotaluk [i.e. Atagotaaluk] -- Being an Indian in Today's Society / Laverne Jacobs -- A Challenge to the Church / Laverne Jacobs -- Let Us Be / Laverne Jacobs -- 1492 / Peggy Montague -- Native Leadership / Annette Loutit -- Bibliography / Janet Silman -- International Connections -- Acknowledgements.
TORONTO, October 6, 2000 -- The Anglican Council of Indigenous Peoples has condemned "the violence, threats of violence, and intimidation tactics used by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans" in the Burnt Church lobster fishery dispute, in a statement released here today.
"Such control tactics disrespect the human rights and endanger the lives of the people of Burnt Church, while undermining the very possibility of establishing an atmosphere conducive to dialogue and resolution of the dispute," the statement reads. "In this day and age, such antiquated `Cowboys and Indians' approaches ... cannot be tolerated."
The Rt. Reverend Gordon Beardy, bishop of the Diocese of Keewatin, visited the Burnt Church community at the end of September [2000]. The statement was prepared after members of the Council had heard his eyewitness account, which they say confirms that Burnt Church is "a community under siege." Although the immediate crisis seems to have passed, the statement notes "the deep tensions and injustices underlying the dispute at Burnt Church are far from over".
"Bishop Beardy witnessed firsthand children being traumatized by the continual presence of helicopters circling overhead," the statement reads. "He heard stories of women who watched in horror as the Department of Fisheries and Oceans rammed native boats, threatening the lives of native fishers, and confiscating their traps. He spoke with young men who were nightly harassed and intimidated by the RCMP, and with community members who lived in mounting fear of violent reprisals from non-native fishers".
The Council says the government "should fully inform Canadians concerning the historical and legal facts related to the dispute at Burnt Church." The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that a treaty gives the Mi'kmaq people the right to fish, but the government has continued to act as if no such right exists.
It says the government must move immediately to conduct nation-to-nation negotiations "to ensure an equitable sharing of resources between First Nations and the larger Canadian society."
The 19-member Council represents Indigenous Anglicans in 17 dioceses (regions) of Canada. It works to renew Indigenous spiritual and cultural traditions and support self-determination for Indigenous peoples.
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A copy of the complete statement is attached.
For further information contact: Larry Beardy, Anglican Council of Indigenous Peoples 204-677-3846 or 204-677-4652 or Chris Hiller, Indigenous Justice Coordinator 416-924-9199 ext 239
Contact: Doug Tindal, Director of Information Resources, 416-924-9199 ext. 286; 905-335-8349 (residence); www.anglican.ca
Notes
Statement of the Anglican Council of Indigenous Peoples Regarding Burnt Church
October 4, 2000
As followers of our Creator-God who calls us to justice and love, we, the members of the Anglican Council of Indigenous Peoples, stand in solidarity with the Mi'kmaq people of Esgenoopetitj/Burnt Church as they continue their struggle for the recognition of their treaty rights and their dignity as a People.
Over the past few months, we have been deeply distressed by reports in the media and from ecumenical observers stationed in Burnt Church. A recent visit to the community by the Right Reverend Gordon Beardy, bishop of the Diocese of Keewatin, has confirmed what we have heard: that Burnt Church has been, and continues to be, a community under siege.
Bishop Beardy witnessed firsthand children being traumatized by the continual presence of helicopters circling overhead. He heard stories of women who watched in horror as the Department of Fisheries and Oceans rammed native boats, threatening the lives of native fishers, and confiscating their traps. He spoke with young men who were nightly harassed and intimidated by the RCMP, and with community members who lived in mounting fear of violent reprisals from non-native fishers.
In the stories of our Mi'kmaq brothers and sisters, we hear echoes of our own bitter struggles and those of our Peoples over hundreds of years, and we are deeply pained and angered.
We recognize and affirm that the people of Esgenoopetitj have ended their fishing season on their own terms, on their traditional Treaty Day. We commend them for demonstrating incredible courage and restraint in refusing to be drawn into confrontation with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans or with non-native fishers. Their ancestors have shown similar patience and restraint for hundreds of years.
While the immediate crisis on the waters of Miramichi Bay may have dissipated, we know as indigenous people that the deep tensions and injustices underlying the dispute at Burnt Church are far from over.
As members of the Anglican Council of Indigenous Peoples,
- We condemn the violence, threats of violence, and intimidation tactics used by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Such control tactics disrespect the human rights and endanger the lives of the people of Burnt Church, while undermining the very possibility of establishing an atmosphere conducive to dialogue and resolution of the dispute. In this day and age such antiquated `Cowboys and Indians' approaches, which have the effect of controlling the lives of indigenous peoples, cannot be tolerated.
- We call on the federal government and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to show patience and restraint commensurate with that shown by the people of Esgenoopetitj/Burnt Church for decades. The government and its agencies must refrain from fast and heavy-handed responses in order to create space for calm and thoughtful dialogue to prevail.
- We demand that the federal government exercise its responsibility to fully inform Canadians concerning the historical and legal facts related to the dispute at Burnt Church, rather than promoting one-sided versions that demonize indigenous peoples as `lawbreakers'. All parties, and all people living in Canada, require clear, unbiased, and complete information concerning this dispute.
- In keeping with the recommendations of Canada's `Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples' we call on the federal government to enter without delay into peaceful nation-to-nation negotiations with the people of Esgenoopetitj/Burnt Church to ensure an equitable sharing of resources between First Nations and the larger Canadian society. The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that the federal government can no longer assume an unrestricted and unilateral right to regulate the fishery. Instead, negotiations must be based upon the recognition of the treaty rights of the people of Esgenoopetitj to establish and manage their own fishery.
We speak in response to the cries of the people of Burnt Church and the call of our Creator, in the hope that one day justice might prevail and that all of us -- both indigenous and non-indigenous -- might one day live together in peace.
TORONTO, September 21, 2000 -- The Anglican Church of Canada has asked its members to write their Members of Parliament seeking a new approach to the legacy of residential schools.
More than 6,000 Indigenous persons are suing Canada because of their experiences in the schools, which operated from the 1800s until the 1980s. "To date, the government's only response has been through adversarial legal processes managed by the Department of Justice," said Archdeacon Jim Boyles, the church's General Secretary. "Legal costs are skyrocketing and very few people are being compensated".
In a letter to all Anglican parishes, Archdeacon Boyles wrote: Today, the problems arising out of the residential schools endanger the national and international ministry of our church, not primarily because of the people who suffered abuse and are seeking fair compensation, but because of legal actions launched by Canada's Department of Justice, and because, so far, our government has chosen to respond to this national crisis only through the courts and similar legal processes."
The Anglican Church of Canada, which assisted in the operation of about 26 of more than 80 schools, is involved with about 1600 of these suits. In many cases, the church is involved only because the Department of Justice has added the church as a third party. The church has said that legal costs could bankrupt the General Synod as early as next year.
The letter continues: "We believe with all our hearts that we can play a significant role in healing the broken relationships with Indigenous people. We stand by our Primate's apology from 1993; we accept our responsibility for the part we played in the schools, and we are prepared to commit substantial human and financial resources to assist with healing and reconciliation into the future."
Archdeacon Boyles said the government should give leadership to finding a more humane, less destructive response to the residential schools lawsuits. "Certainly we believe that a response guided only be lawyers and legal processes is inadequate and ill-advised."
Archdeacon Boyles said there have been some signs recently that the government is prepared to take a broader look at its policy. "We hope letters from a wide range of Canadians will encourage the government to move rapidly toward a more just solution."
For background information on the residential schools see www.anglican.ca/ministry/rs/reports.
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For further information contact: Archdeacon Jim Boyles 416-924-9199 ext. 280
Contact: Doug Tindal, Director of Information Resources, 416-924-9199 ext. 286; 905-335-8349 (residence); www.anglican.ca
Second revised edition. Originally published 1969.
"[By] Charles E. Hendry with with an introduction by the Rt. Rev. Gordon Beardy and an appendix on the work of the Anglican Church of Canada and government initiatives since the original release of `Beyond Traplines'."
Bibliography: pp. 111-112.
Includes statistics on native congregations and native clergy in new (1998) Appendix D page 101.
"The Hendry Report helped Native people take a big step toward self-determination. The report examined Canadian reality for the public in a way that had never been done before by any organization. The church was critical of itself and Canadian society and made recommendations that would address much of the pain and ignorance that had existed in our church community for so many years.
'Beyond Traplines' was a life-changing document for the Anglican church, with many powerful observations. It is, however, a document rooted in its own particular period of history and, because of that, there are some mistaken beliefs expressed and some landmark changes in Canada's history since 1969 that are, of course, not mentioned.
The text of this report has been left the way it was written almost thirty years ago. There are inaccuracies in the text and the history has changed some of the reality that is being expressed within the descriptions of society, but the report still remains very powerful. Included at the end of this new release of 'Beyond Traplines' are appendices that reflect on the information contained within the report and work to bring people up to date on initiatives undertaken since 1969 in Aboriginal society, by the church and government.
The Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, released 21 November 1996, continued this journey for Canada's Aboriginal peoples towards self-determination, but it also marked the possibility of something greater, that of healing and reconciliation for all of this nation's people. We, in the Anglican Church of Canada, celebrate this journey by educating the Canadian public about the Royal Commission, but also be continuing to use and develop our own uniquely Anglican resources". -- [1998] Foreword.
Contents: [1998] Foreword / Gordon Beardy, Seventh Bishop of Keewatin, Muskrat Dam First Nation -- [1969] Introduction / [Charles E. Hendry] -- Acknowledgements / Charles E. Hendry -- Part One: The situation of Canada's native peoples -- The relationship of Western European missionaries to non-European peoples -- Value orientation re-examined -- Part Two: Anglican involvement in perspective -- Current policy and program orientation -- Missionary syndrome -- Part Three: Goals, strategies and tactics for change -- Implications for The Anglican Church of Canada -- Patterns for action: specific steps to implement change -- Part Four: Recommendations -- Appendix A: Specific Steps (Emphasis on the planning process) -- Appendix B: The Breakdown of Tribal Culture: A.D. 1769-1820 / George Irving Quimby -- Appendix C: A Position Paper Concerning the Stance of the Anglican Church to Indian Work, Prepared for Discussion Purposes dated 9 May 1966 / Edward W. Scott -- [1998] Appendix D: The Work of the Anglican Church of Canada and Government Initiatives Since the Release of 'Beyond Traplines' -- References.
"I was approached by the Program Committee of the Anglican Church of Canada to undertake this assignment shortly after the Canadian Conference on Church and Society, held in Montreal in May, 1968. The theme of the Conference was 'Christian Conscience and Poverty' and during the Conference I talked with Indians, Metis and Eskimos. I became acutely aware that the native people of Canada are in serious trouble. .... This present action-oriented analysis is based on the assumption that the Anglican Church of Canada can make a substantial, strategic and significant contribution in relation to the needs, human resources and potential development of the native peoples of Canada. .... In this Report we look briefly at Canada's native people and some of the forces that have shaped them: we list some of the things the churches and the nation have done and some of the things they have failed to do; and we offer recommendations for action." -- Intro.
Contents: Introduction -- Acknowledgements / Charles E. Hendry -- Part One: The situation of Canada's native peoples -- The relationship of Western European missionaries to non-European peoples -- Value orientation re-examined -- Part Two: Anglican involvement in perspective -- Current policy and program orientation -- Missionary syndrome -- Part Three: Goals, strategies and tactics for change -- Implications for The Anglican Church of Canada -- Patterns for action: specific steps to implement change -- Part Four: Recommendations -- Appendix A: Specific Steps (Emphasis on the planning process) -- Appendix B: The Breakdown of Tribal Culture: A.D. 1769-1820 / George Irving Quimby -- Appendix C: A Position Paper Concerning the Stance of the Anglican Church to Indian Work, Prepared for Discussion Purposes dated 9 May 1966 / Edward W. Scott -- References.