Indigenous

"Flint And Feather" is a book of poems that I picked up when visiting the author's birthplace and childhood home on the Six Nations Reserve, near Hamilton, Ontario. The house, Chiefswood, still stands as a National Historical Site which gives excellent tours during the summer.

Johnson was born in 1861 to Mohawk Head Chief Onwanonsyshon (G.H.M. Johnson) of the Six Nations, and Emily S. Howells a British woman from an established family.

Her poems reflect this mixing of worlds. She was a prolific author, having published almost 300 poems from 1883 to 1913. She wrote about both her heritages, and about Canada, having travelled extensively across the country. Her writing is fierce about her indigenous roots, and evocative about the lands she visited. Though of course, her language is a product of the time, and her Christian upbringing features in some of her work.

Tekahionwake succumbed to breast cancer in 1913 at the age of 51, in Vancouver. Her public funeral was the largest in Vancouver history at the time. Her ashes were placed in Stanley Park, where a memorial still stands.

The poetry is now in the public domain, and available online: https://pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca/flintandfeather/

Her acrostic "Canada" still rings true.

"Canada" - Tekahionwake
Crown of her, young Vancouver; crest of her, old Quebec;
Atlantic and far Pacific sweeping her, keel to deck.
North of her, ice and arctics; southward a rival's stealth;
Aloft, her Empire's pennant; below, her nation's wealth.
Daughter of men and markets, bearing with her hold,
Appraised at highest value, cargoes of grain and gold.

An excerpt from the piece to give context to the title:

In 2021, the Williams Lake First Nation opened an investigation into missing students at St. Joseph’s Mission. The First Nation’s investigators found that under Father O’Connor, a member of the clergy who rose to the rank of bishop, as well as other principals at St. Joseph’s, babies conceived by students and nuns—including some fathered by priests—were aborted or adopted out. Witnesses as well as records in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police archives attested to something even darker: newborn babies cast into the incinerator to be burned with the garbage.

Sometimes, I wonder what Tony knew about men like O’Connor and what happened at his school after dark. It’s hard to imagine he spent all those years walking the mission grounds at night without hearing or seeing some of the things that students, prosecutors, juries, and even abusers themselves later acknowledged. But he did tell this story to the Williams Lake Tribune, where, seven decades later, investigators found the article and shared it with me.

Because that night, the night of August 16, 1959, Tony followed that wail, flashlight in hand. Sound and light led him inside the service wing to a garbage burner about the size of an office desk, where trash from the mission was turned to ash. He opened it, casting rays of light onto rubbish and soot. Somewhere near the top of the pile was an ice cream carton, repurposed as a makeshift wastebasket and discarded no more than twenty minutes before. Within was a newborn. The authorities called him “Baby X.” And he was my father.

Author: Andrew J. Karesa | Adjunct Professor, Indigenous Business, The King's University Canada

An excerpt:

In the 21st century, leadership is typically framed in the position of power, strategy and authority and oftentimes considered interchangeable with management.

What if there was a different way to perceive and demonstrate our leadership in a way that empowers and supports others?

For Pitikwahanapiwiyin (Chief Poundmaker), leadership was about something more: it was about service, peace and an unwavering, relentless commitment to his people.

Throughout the late 1800s, Cree Chief Poundmaker used his unique leadership abilities to navigate political and cultural tensions while successfully advocating for the survival of his community. His legacy, while often misunderstood or unknown, has the potential to provide significant value in the leadership development of contemporary leaders globally.

Tsleil-Waututh Nation (TWN) is pursuing the acquisition of a longstanding revenue-generating asset rooted in Hastings Park in Vancouver.

On Friday, the First Nation announced it has entered into a non-binding memorandum of understanding with Great Canadian Gaming Corporation for an agreement in principle to acquire the “casino business and related real property interests” at Hastings Racecourse & Casino.

This appears to signal that Great Canadian does not intend to pursue a renewal of its lease to operate the racecourse and casino at the site. The company’s lease began in 2004 and is set to expire next year.

Upon inquiry, the City of Vancouver told Daily Hive Urbanized today that Great Canadian’s current operating agreement runs until May 2026, with an additional five-year renewal option subject to mutual consent.

“Great Canadian Gaming Corporation is the operator of Hastings Racecourse and the City cannot disclose specifics of operating agreements,” the City stated.

As the property is owned by the City, this could trigger potential lease negotiations between the municipal government and the First Nation regarding the site’s future use beyond May 2026.

Before the Usual Time is a short book (180 pages) that spans multiple indigenous cultures. I appreciated getting a taste of each of the authors' experiences and cultures, and the poems are approachable for those new to poetry. The stories are inventive and the writing is excellent. I'd highly recommend it!

Featuring writings from:

• Leanna Marshall - Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (Ontario)
• Emma Petahtegoose - Atikameksheng Anishnawbek
• Joan Naviuyuk Kane - Inupiaq
• Ardelle Sagutcheway - Eabametoong (Ontario)
• Craig Santos Perez - Chamorro Guahan (Guam)
• Sherwin Bitsui - Diné of the Todich'ii'nii (Arizona)
• Chuquai Billy - Lakota Sioux/Choctaw (New Mexico)
• David Groulx - Ojibway (Ontario)
• Sy Hoahwah - Comanche/Southern Arapaho
• Cathy Smith - Mohawk
• Dennis Saddleman - Coldwater Reserve
• Craig Commanda - Kitigan Zibi
• Emily Clarke - Cahuilla
• Darlene Naponse - Anishinaabe from Atikameksheng Anishnawbek
• Lori Flinders - Couchiching First Nation, Lynx Clan
• Ajuawak Kapashesit - Cree, Ojibwe, and Jewish descent

I'm unfamiliar with this topic so I don't want to comment further, here are some key excerpts from the article:

Findings Our search identified 2037 studies, of which 42 peer-reviewed articles and nine grey literature reports met inclusion criteria: these studies were in Canada (n=3), Australia (n=17), New Zealand (n=9), and the USA (n=22). With the exception of Māori children in New Zealand, who seem to have similar rates of epilepsy to children of European ancestry, the incidence and prevalence of epilepsy seemed to be higher in Indigenous peoples in these regions than non-Indigenous populations. In the included studies, Indigenous peoples showed a higher number of epilepsy hospital presentations, decreased access to specialists, decreased access and longer waits for antiseizure medication, and increased prescriptions for enzyme-inducing antiseizure medications when compared with non-Indigenous peoples. In Australia, the number of disability-adjusted life years among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with epilepsy was double that for non-Indigenous people with epilepsy. Mortality rates for Indigenous peoples with epilepsy in New Zealand and Australia were higher than in non-Indigenous people with epilepsy.

Interpretation Although Indigenous people from CANZUS have unique cultural identities, this review identified similar themes and substantial disparities experienced by Indigenous versus non-Indigenous people in these nations. Concerningly, there were relatively few studies, and these were of variable quality, leaving substantial knowledge gaps. Epidemiological epilepsy research in each specific Indigenous group from CANZUS countries is urgently required to enable health policy development and minimise inequity within these countries.