Anishinawbe Blog

By Bryan Meadows
Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal

The Rainy River District School Board is taking steps to provide a safe and caring learning environment for students that respects and values all cultures within its system.

In response to the “racist” video incident last week, school board officials said Friday that they are working with the Fort Frances area Chief‘s Secretariat “to seek a resolution to this situation.”

The board came under pressure from aboriginal leaders to acknowledge problems of racism in the area schools after the two-minute video showed up on the Internet. It depicts six non-native female Fort Frances high school students dancing to the sounds of a powwow while acting drunk and holding liquor and wine bottles.

All six students were “disciplined” by school administrators and have been kicked off the Muskies girls hockey team. They have since issued a public apology regarding their “inexcusable” behaviour.

Provincial police are not considering criminal charges in the case.

First Nations leaders, like Bob Goulais, want the ugly aspects of racism revealed for what they are and for people to take the necessary steps to create awareness and understanding of First Nations culture.

“In this case, it‘s important for First Nations and others to see what racism looks like and to talk about it,” Goulais told The Chronicle-Journal.

“I definitely don‘t agree that this is about the people of Fort Frances, or that specific school system. This is caused by ignoring the problems – instead of talking about this.”

Goulais, who is chief of staff of the Anishinabek Nation, stated on his online “Anishinawbe blog” that he is “deeply concerned over this entire matter.”

“I have strong feelings about this because powwow is a part of my lifestyle . . . (and) important to me and many of my friends and family,” he said.

The Rainy River District School Board states in a press release that it wants to reassure students, parents, and community members that a safe and respectful learning and teaching environment is paramount.

“The board is very concerned about the respect and value of all cultures within its system,” the release states.

Meetings with First Nations students, parents, and community leaders have taken place throughout the week, and high school students and staff are continuing to discuss ways to provide support and a voice for all students, such as the re-establishment of the Aboriginal Youth Council.

As well, Fort Frances high school, with the assistance of the Ontario Provincial Police, Treaty Three Police and community agencies, are working together to provide a safe and supported learning environment for all students.

Education director Jack McMaster added that the board is committed to working with aboriginal partners to move forward to ensure that all students, staff, and stakeholders are respected.

Letter to the Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal 

It is most regrettable that your editorial (Understanding after Dismay – 22 February 2008) appears to reflect the same systemic racism that remains very much prevalent in some of our mainstream institutions, those of journalism being no exception.  How typical of you to blame the victim – and shame on you for doing so!

The bulk of your comments focus on the admittedly petulant but understandable outburst of a non-elected official of the Anishnabek Nation whose life-long frustration at having being exposed to the likes of the racist nonsense “performed” by these churlish and immature high school girls likely led to the blog comments he posted. You then go on to provide a wider platform for the views of Bruce Woodbeck who went as far as calling the OPP to determine if he could stop the above-noted postings from the official! Good grief, would that Mr. Woodbeck would have called the OPP to determine if it would be appropriate to lay charges against these misguided teenagers. How interesting that he made nary a comment about the racist actions that led to all of this!

Your editorial should have condemned, yes, that is right – condemned, in no uncertain terms the completely unacceptable racist actions of these thoughtless teenagers and called into question the kind of education they have been exposed to that would permit these kind of racist assumptions to grow and fester unchallenged. Or are you going to apologize for that as well?

Perhaps in your reporting and editorializing, you should question your own assumptions and approaches to Aboriginal issues that continue to breed negative and stereotypical characterizations of a Canadian population that has been discriminated against since the days when we appropriated their land, their resources and their children.

Peter Andre Globensky
Thunder Bay, Ontario

Letter to the Fort Frances Daily Bulletin 

Your newspaper is doing an admirable job of providing news coverage of the despicable video depicting six local high school students mocking Native traditions, apparently while under the influence of alcohol.

But I am curious why you choose to use quotation marks in referring to the “racist” video?

This grammatical device is usually used to indicate that the writer does not agree that the term being cited is accurate?

Do you and your newspaper not agree that the students’ action could appropriately termed as racist?

Those familiar with analyzing community and institutional response to charges of racism are used to seeing predictable  responses from communities involved in such incidents:  scoffing at the accusations as being “over the top” responses to “childish” or “immature” pranks – the “boys-will-be-boys” defence;  attacking those making the accusations as being “whiners” or “complainers” – the “sticks-and-stones” defence; or minimizing actual evidence of racism – the “it’s-an-isolated-incident” defence.

Several years ago the North Bay Nugget’s official response to the most detailed examination of racist attitudes ever conducted in the city was that “you can’t base such strong accusations on only 300 interviews.” This month the National Post published an article that dismissed as statistically insignificant  the 3,000 hate crimes that have been investigated by police in Canada in the past 13 years.

Does Fort Frances have a magic number of how many racist incidents must occur before citizens decide racism is a community problem, or do you have a zero tolerance policy against racism – like you do for drivers who fail to observe stop signs or traffic lights?

What initiatives are being taken in your community to ensure that citizens of all cultures, creeds and lifestyles are entitled to respect? What is your newspaper doing to ensure Fort Frances is a community of strong moral fibre?

What would it take, Mr. Cumming, for the Times to remove the quotation marks from around the word “racist”?

Hopefully, not a tragedy.

Maurice Switzer
North Bay, Ontario

I need to reassure my readers and you Justin, that I’m not advocating any form of formal charges or “punishment”.  I’m asking the average non-native to understand and talk about these issues.  To ask yourself “why” this has happened – not by these girls, but within society as a whole.  I’m hopeful this may lead to understanding and healing.

I’m not sure who this “40+ year-old chief” is?  I’m not a Chief and I’ve got a long way to turning 40.  LOL

However Justin, your response surprised me.  You are certainly in the minority if you aren’t offended by what you seen and by the actions of these girls.  I certainly was offended and quite hurt by this.  Most people I have talked to are equally offended. 

And you are certainly in the minority if you’re saying that you feel this is a “compliment” to you.

Maybe you can ask these girls to sing you a parody of an Honour Song.

—–Original Message—–
From: Justin
To: goubob@anishinabek.ca
Sent: 22/02/08 11:08 AM
Subject: Racism in Fort Frances – YouTube/Facebook Video

This email has been forwarded to many people

———————————————–

RACISM IN FORT FRANCES (For Bob Goulais)

“Trust not in those whose desire to punish is strong” ~Fyodor
Dostoevsky~

Punishment is not the way of the ojibway people. To think such things is
very destructive… and destruction only leads to more destruction which
are not the teachings of our elders.

I’m an aboriginal writer aspiring to be. Although, I’m one of the few
who caught this video before it’s shut down, there is very little
“actually” offensive about it.

These girls were not on traditional pow wow grounds and they have said
nothing offensive to the anishnabe people.  All they did was dance in
their house drunk to pow wow music as though wannabes. Pow wows are
about gathering and having fun (along with other things) which is what
these girls were doing.

If anything, it’s like a parody… and a parody is a form of compliment.
The only insults are the ones who “take it personally” and do not speak
for the people as a whole.

For a 40+ year old chief to advocate charges against teens over a
mindless video can be seen as irrational… and I will not stand beside
a person, even an ojibway person, who is willing to cause “disharmony”
onto someone else.

~ Justin Achneepineskum

I am certainly not a conspiracy theorist, but doesn’t the missile take-down of a spy satellite sound a lot like a good excuse for a test of the U.S. missile defence system?  Toxic fuel, my behind!

I’m deeply concerned over this whole entire matter.  First, there are the comments by a number of my readers is that I have done something wrong by publishing the names and photo of these girls.  After all, their names, the video, and their team photo are all public domain repeated many times over.  There were no hate charges laid, so there was no publication ban of any sort.

Given that they’ve issued an apology, I’ll remove the girls photo and my harsh words about these young women.  However, I was simply giving credit, where credit was due.  After all, they have proudly circulated the video amongst themselves for a couple of months, laughing about it, enjoying their schoolyard notoriety.

Admittedly, these racist girls are sorry that they’ve simply treated our traditions as an “just another dance move off MTV”.  Sadly, their Principal, school board and Ontario Provincial Police are concerned mainly with the “power of technology” and how fast the video got out into the global village. 

But this isn’t about how these girls were dancing.  This is akin to going blackface and blaming the consistancy of the make up.  And it isn’t about how fast a “viral” video gets out on the internet.  That’s akin to blaming the efficiency of the lynch mob.

The real problem is I seem to be recieving far more threats, excuses, and stereotypical comments than sympathetic comments.  Far more.  The real issue is that many people commenting on the sitution don’t believe there is a problem.  They don’t believe these girls have done anything wrong.

Folks, racism is real.  Most Anishinabeg have experienced it first hand.  Those of the caucasian persuasion can’t possibly understand.  It’s what social scientists call “white privledge”.  You make your comments from the perspective of the majority.

As the prayer goes: try to walk a mile in our moccasins.  Ask yourself how do their Anishinabe classmates feel?  How about those classmates who sing, dance and go to pow-wow? 

Do you even know what kind of song they danced to?  Well it was a Grand Entry Song, a song that shows deep respect for our Eagle Staffs, our Color Party, the Canadian Flag, but especially the veterans.  Not just Native veterans, but all their comrades.  This is of particular offence to them.

Some question what is so wrong with drinking alcohol and dancing in this way.  First of all, alcohol is strictly forbidden at pow-wows.  More importantly, there are many people and families who use pow-wow singing and dancing as a way of healing and path to sobriety. 

And do you honestly think that these girls overlooked the hurtful stereotype that Natives are all drunks?  I am one of a generation of young Anishinabe who has never touched a drop of alcohol in our lives.

What is in these girls hearts?  What made them do this?  What made them think it was OK.  This is what needs to be addressed.  This is what is needed for healing.

For all my critics out there…  yes indeed, the girls finally admitted this video was recorded three months ago.  Why wasn’t the apology given when it happened?  What happened since then that made them apologize now.

A simple answer…  they got caught.

Fort Frances Bulletin

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Dear editor:

Please accept this open letter to the aboriginal communities:

Three months ago we gathered to celebrate with friends. What happened next is inexcusable—nor is there any explanation possible for our stupidity and foolishness.
We have watched every humiliating moment of our behaviour in the video with deepest regret. We took a sacred cultural tradition of the Anishnawbe people and treated it like just another dance move off MTV.

There was no planning or intent; we never for a second meant to harm anyone. And in our ignorance, we have disrespected, insulted, and hurt our aboriginal communities—and embarrassed ourselves, our teammates, and our families.

We are writing this letter to acknowledge the harm we have done, and to offer our apologies. We know a simple apology is not enough, but it is a beginning and we have to start somewhere.

We have many friends of aboriginal ancestry—we go to school together, we play sports together and work together, and share meals and sleep-overs. In our foolishness and thoughtlessness, we have trampled on their traditions and terribly hurt their feelings.
We are so sorry.

We have asked the high school to allow us a Healing Circle to begin the healing process. We have spent the past weekend talking, researching, and listening, with a growing awareness of just how hurtful our actions were.

Please accept this acknowledgment of the harm we have done. We are truly sorry,

Megwetch,

Lindsey Roehrig, Kristen Penner, Katie Stearns,
Kimmy Lafleur, Kailey Curtis, and Taylor Meyers