Sunday, June 22, 2008

Today is a Good Day to Die - June 21/08



In the words of Crazy Horse, a holy man of the Lakota, he often rode into battle unafraid of the bullets whizzing past his horse. His words, "Today is a good day to die". His courage was his acceptance that all life is a cycle, or circle. Such was today, National Aboriginal Day, at Wells Hill Park. We all who were there had an opportunity to share in this experience watching as the dancers spun in their worlds knowing they were part of a larger world and perpetuating the cycle as the drums resonated the rhythm the earth.

This was actually my first Pow Wow and for a while I sat on the side of the hill and eventually began to feel the rhythm of the drums and dancers' footsteps through my hands on the earth - "it was a good day to die".

In these days of Truth and Reconciliation I found it of particular importance to hear Prime Minister Harper deliver that day of June 11, 2008, 10 days previous, the historic and powerful "Apology" to all the first nations peoples in the residential schools, dead and alive, of the abuses they received in the 19th and 20th century to erase their culture, languages and history. I was much impressed at the words and the semblance of sincerity but as with Paul Martin's impressive promise to Bono I would give it a little time. As I hold government leaders in high skepticism when they make powerful pronouncements, my head was flooded with these words that convey one of the ‘inconvenient truths’ of Canadian history. It can even be sung to the tune of “Oh Canada”.

As the descendant of Canada's National Dreaming Whitemen and ignorant exploiters of natural resources and indigenous life, I have penned on behalf of my ancestors' and me a personal truth and reconciliation anthem (if anyone hears it) to the tune of “Oh Canada”.

Hopefully there is nothing yet in Harper's State that would consider this seditious in any criminal sense. So as I summon my courage to face the truth and exorcise the demons of my ancestors and my own soul, kindled by the first cracks in his “Apology” at Toronto’s largest outdoor Pow Wow, I felt this was a good day to die.

I observed no presence or any congratulatory reference in the program any member of Harper's government that paid any acknowledgment to this particular and significant event. Perhaps as the closest member, Mr. Van Loan was elsewhere or perhaps it would make little difference to him, or, giving them all the benefit of the doubt, they were stung by the arrows of vicious typos and never made it into the program. Also during the several hours I was at the event, I had the honour of meeting Jack Layton, leader of the NDP and the Hon. Dr. Carolyn Bennett, Liberal member of that riding who gave an opening address, and yet no Conservatives.

I bear my breast…

Oh Canada
Our home on native land.
We lost our way
For India was our plan.

With fire sticks
And quill pens
The treaties we did make.
As the years passed by
We changed our minds
The treaties we did break.

Don’t whine to me.
The ride is never free.
Just keep in mind
We’ve done this thing before.
So it’s nothing personal
We’ve done this before.