3d ago

Amid a surge of nationalism — Indigenous sovereignty must be recognized

indiginews.com

15 comments

Shit or get off the pot.
If the Tribes want full autonomy they should get it without question; If they want to be seen as a part of Canada as a self Governing province they should get it without question; If they want to assimilate their territory into Canada they should be able to do it without question.
But it needs to be done yesterday.
Enough of this bullshit debate and give these people the right to choose for real so we can be done with this.
- The Fed's no matter what party are always fucking the native population. The Mi'kmaq I. The east coast have been fighting for the right to fish and earn a moderate living, while white fishermen burn their boats and cut their trap lines. Physically threaten them and their families openly and often cause physical confrontations at the warves and on the water. This law that gives them the right to fish and sell their catch was enshrined by the supreme Court in 1999 by officially recognising the peace and friendship treaties. (See the Donald Marshall Act)
  Yet their traps are confiscated on the regular by fisheries officers. Fisheries officers employed by the federal government. Put in lockup never to be returned. They are routinely harassed and their lobster and fish are also confiscated regularly.
  That's just one of hundreds of issues Canada wide with our federal government and their continued attempted destruction of Native people in Canada. Our government is no better than our American counterparts for ignoring and defying supreme Court rulings without consequence.
  We need to do better as a population to ensure they uphold the laws of our country.
  
  Yeah what's happening there is absolutely insane and is just the tip of the iceberg because it gets a bit of news coverage during fishing season
  
  They're after them about elvers right now. Baby eels. They are harvested this time of year and shipped overseas to be grown out as food. Feds declared a moratorium because of fights and problems last year between the racists and the natives.
  As a protest the natives are fishing anyway. Daring the feds to come arrest them and the racists...well you know. Again.
  Also I'm pretty sure (don't quote me on this part) that the feds have no earthly idea how many elvers there really are each season. They set limits but the chaos around the season cannot be conducive to research and counting numbers.
  They just slam them down time and time again. The things not reported on are even worse.
  
  I am obviously passionate about this subject but I want to add one more point.
  In British Columbia if you are Native and you want fish, crustaceans, whatever ocean creature you like to eat. Go get it. Want to sell some smoked or whatever. Even as a business. Giver. No one is going to even think twice about it or question it at all. When restrictions are put in place, the vast majority of people obey them.
  It's not a fish problem or a fishing out of season problem at all. It's a concerted effort to pit the fishermen and the natives against one another by our federal government. Keeping racism alive keeps people poor and disenfranchised. Keeping them fighting amongst themselves makes them an easy sell at election time and small concessions here and there ensure that it just keeps cycling.
  
  Well said, and thank you for adding this information to the conversation. It is rightly fucked what is, and has always, been going on and more people need to be aware of this nonsense.
  
  Umm catching fish to eat with your tribe family whatever is different then commercial fishing and selling over seas. I thought everyone thinks they are the nobel Savage yet they are fishing during the animals breeding season commercially.
  Take a guess what the outcome is going to be.
  
  They're fishing out of season to force the feds to do something about it, to force a point. They're doing to cause disturbance and have folks like you spread this message. They're doing it because they are treated worse than second class citizens when this is their country perhaps more so than ours. They're PROTESTING.
  They fish in season what do they get. Burned boats and cut lines. Fights at the dock and on the water. Trucks burned. Equipment stolen or trashed. Families threatened. Nails thrown under their truck tires. Processors that refuse to buy from them. Those processors who do...burned down. Fisheries officers who steal their traps without cause or warrant. Same as they get out of season except with a few less assholes around. I can't even imagine how pissed they are to have someone like you dictating to them how to live because they're "just fucking Indians." Know how much I hear that from white people here? Fucking lots. From Acadians no less. It's more than shameful. They don't even know our history.
  You think you get recognition or someone to listen as a Native in a country that has been attempting to exterminate you for centuries without making something uncomfortable for someone? Put down your pitchfork if you can and live in a repressed, minorities shoes for a while.
  Yet no one is listening or even trying to change any part of the situation for them for for the past 30 some years. Just bitching and burning.
  Also they are allowed a moderate lively hood as well. Enshrined by our courts into law. That means they can sell their lobster wherever the fuck they want and make a living. Feed their families. Buy homes. You know. Life. You'd deny them that as well I'm sure. Our feds do. They arrest them and charge them then drop the charges so they don't have to answer to the judges why they did that. The really fucked up part of that is that if I, a white dude go to town and openly buy lobster from a native fisherman guess who gets arrested, and guess who usually gets to take the lobster home anyway? Oh who am I kidding you don't have to guess. You know the answer very well.
  I am sad for my fellow Acadians and Nova Scotians to have become such terrible people in that situation. They're hardliners along with our federal government, acting exactly like the fascist pukes South of the border. Dare I utter the word Racists.
  Until the past few years I had not ever heard one fisherman say anything bad about Clearwater though. Unlimited fishing basically. Year round. Their own zone in one of the most profitable area. Mini corpo nation. That's all good cause they're a business. Whatever that means. Wooops...That was until a bunch of Natives bought it. Now they're the Antichrist.
  You should be pissed at the feds for putting fishermenand natives both into this stupid fight playing them off one another to avoid making a decision and keeping them fighting so both groups are weak and unstable. They should be teaming up to challenge the government. But but but bitching and burning cus muh money and fuck those Indians.
  Don't even get me started on this "I am an Eastern Metis" bullshit.
- They want to be a nation and self govern fine but no more money you want self autonomy then be self sufficient.
  
  Oh I recognise you now. Yea. Whatever. Altman. You're now tagged Acadian chucklefuck one and two so I can keep calling you out.
  
  Same goes for you when you need something and your bootstraps are down bud.
  
  Begone racist.

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