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» babble   » walking the talk   » aboriginal issues and culture   » Ipperwash Papers

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dw_ptbo
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 15301

posted 06 July 2008 08:30 AM      Profile for dw_ptbo     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Yesterday I had to explain to a racist coworker some of the history behind the Ipperwash incident, and how years of ignoring the land issue can boil up in what we have seen in Ipperwash and Oka. I think by the time I finished politely ranting and explaining how horrible I thought the comments were, this coworker may have actually understood the concept of, one can only take so much before the straws break the camel's back.

Having said that, I have been looking into the racism against Native peoples and have been struck by the lack of progressive websites or views on Ipperwash (specifically the lack of non-racist sources on issues like the "Ipperwash Papers"). What I have found is a disconcerting firestorm of anger and resentment against Native peoples, websites that claim how violent and "racist" these people are, how they are "terrorizing" local residents.

While local residents may, obviously, feel caught in the middle, and unfortunate things may have happened as the Ipperwash incident heated up, there is a whole history behind Ipperwash that made the events perfectly understandable. Yet there is no shortage of racist commentators on the ground and activists who have been able to capitalize on their fears or concerns of area residents, fueling anti-native sentiment. More recently, in Caledonia, the KKK made a presence trying to inflame matters there.

Where is the other side in this? I can not find any information on the "Ipperwash Papers" from progressive websites. I can however find a slew of racist propaganda; claims of secret videos showing native sharpshooters, and stories of "terrorism" by area residents. Most discomforting is the sent in "comments" on these websites. The comment I dealt with yesterday at my workplace by the way, was "if it were up to me there would be more than one dead Indian"... (As an aside, a friend of mine from the Ipperwash area told of acquaintances who had been asked to leave politely from native land while camping on a beach in the reserve and cutting down trees as firewood, yet these people made false claims as to the violent nature of the request).

In the end, if anyone seeking information on this topic tries to deepen their understanding, they are likely to encounter racist websites like caledoniawakeupcall or voiceofcanada, which I think is dangerous and shocking. I'm worried about what the future holds, as I find I'm running into more people who believe the nonsense of white supremacist websites than I have people who deeply understand the issues of colonialism and broken promises.

[ 06 July 2008: Message edited by: dw_ptbo ]


From: Toronto | Registered: Jun 2008  |  IP: Logged
sknguy
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 7518

posted 08 July 2008 10:50 AM      Profile for sknguy     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
I applaud your effort dw_ptbo. I wish I had more fortitude to confront the racism I see. Something that continues to puzzle me is why people can invest so much emotion into hatred and none into wanting to learn. Hatred creates such unnecessary work for society.

Your mentioning the KKK attempts to organize in Caledonia reminded me of a documentary that aired on CBC radio regarding the anniversary of a public debate between James Gardiner, the then Premier of Saskatchewan, and R. H. Hawkins, a KKK organiser.

http://www.rhcask.ca/james-gardiner-vs-the-kkk/

Leadership can play a large role in motivating the general population. Or at the very least interest society enough to become self educated. Politicians don’t seem to understand the gravity of their responsibility in guiding the sentiments of a nation. They can choose to foster either conflict or understanding among groups.

I’m not sure if these were what you were looking for, but there is information out there on Oka and Ipperwash.
http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/AboriginalLB/1991/4.html
http://www.easterndoor.com/archives/VOL.4/4-28.htm
http://www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca/inquiries/ipperwash/index.html


From: Saskatchewan | Registered: Nov 2004  |  IP: Logged
farnival
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Babbler # 6452

posted 08 July 2008 12:00 PM      Profile for farnival     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
quote:
Originally posted by sknguy:
...why people can invest so much emotion into hatred and none into wanting to learn. Hatred creates such unnecessary work for society....

such an excellent observation sknguy!

we currently have a federal govt. that came to power uniting through what they don't like, who are the same bad actors that were running the show during Ipperwash. They hate "government" as a concept, in principle and practice and trade in division and negativity.

Imagine the country we could have if the people we elected ran for office on what they would like to see happen to the benefit of the public good, and not the current situation.

i heard a clip of that debate yesterday on CBC and it was fantastic. just the type of programming CBC should be doing more of.


From: where private gain trumps public interest, and apparently that's just dandy. | Registered: Jul 2004  |  IP: Logged

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