The

AFN and Indian Act Chiefs on Band Membership

Is there a written or unwritten Enemies List maintained by your Band?

This announcement from INAC should scare the crap out of every First Nations person.
The letter is addressed to those government employees otherwise known as Chief and
Council. You know like those bullies Wahta and at other reserves across Canada. Non-
reserve members are not heard in these engagements. Grassroots are definitely not
heard because we keep outing the crooks, misanthropes, bullies and abusers out there. I
am not painting all INAC C&C with the same brush (so don't get all fragile). Some of
you are doing your best inside a system designed to exterminate First Nations people as
distinct and of our own sovereign Nations. But certainly the AFN leadership with its
paternalistic hierarchical approach styled after the white man's way of being are a direct
threat to all of us.

The white man's government mechanisms are diametrically opposed to Indigenous

governance models. The few at the top make the decisions for the multitude. The 1%.
There is power without authority.
The MOU We All Got to Speak To
We have already seen what happens. The Memorandum of Understanding between the
AFN and the government of Canada was completed without any input from Elders and
citizens of the Nations "represented" by these chiefs. Subsequently out of the AFN
meeting in Niagara Falls, we see an education agreement that looks very much like
FNEA that we punished Shawn Atleo for negotiating without our involvement.

The MOU announcement

http://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/the-prime-minister-and-the-national-chief-of-
the-assembly-of-first-nations-sign-memorandum-of-understanding-on-shared-
priorities-627968953.html

The Education Policy Is a FNEA Bill C-33 Encore

This post by Rachel A. Snow on the Education agreement noting that in Alberta the
province is preparing the federal government to download the responsibility to the
provinces further eroding any semblance of a Nation-to-Nation relationship.

AND, the AFN is supporting this!

The AFN View of Their Role
So how does the AFN see its role in terms of Treaty and in terms of government and
with external relations government the Nation-to-Nation relationship with Canada? I
have had occasion to challenge the upper management of the old boys club at the AFN
to see what they are doing to maintain some semblance of integrity within their
organization and their voting base, the Band Chiefs and Councils.

Dancing Around the Termination Tables

Comprehensive Land Claims and First Nations Self-Govt. Negotiation tables include
dozens of First Nations. As everyone should know there is a built in extinguishment
clause that terminates any future rights to additional claims including any based on new
information and the Inherent Rights as Indigenous People are terminated. These rights
are the gifts of our ancestors. While the chief and councils pursue these Termination
agreements, they are amassing significant debt to the federal government of Canada
who loan them the money with interest to pursue the termination of the rights as
significant. Now looking into what happens when Chief and Council sign off on one of
these agreements reveals the debts are forgiven or taken out of the settlement amount of
a combination of these. Those that dont remain at the tables, stalled, while the debt
mounts time passes, and their communities sink lower into poverty.

I made a post when Ontario Regional Chief Day (why do they use colonial borders that
ignore our Indigenous realities in their titles?) commented that he was not consulted on
Trudeaus act of Solomon splitting the baby, dividing INAC into two new Ministries. I
countered that none of us outside of the Band offices was consulted on the MOU. How
can that be since the AFN does not have a legal right to negotiate anything Treaty
related? None of these people do. Treaty rights are collectively held.

At that point Chief Day lost f and became incoherent. Then, he blocked me on Facebook
so he wouldnt have to face more questions that made him uncomfortable. What he
revealed though is significant.

He speaks for everyone. All of us within Ontario: people, Indigenous Experts (whatever
that is), and Chiefs and Council. So I pursued this revelation and questioned him on
this raising the point that Chief and Councils were negotiating away inherent rights and
converting reservation land to fee simple municipalities.
Rather than answer the last question I posted, he blocked me.

It is interesting to note that the AANDC listing all the Termination Tables and the Bands
engaged is no longer available. This is probably because people are asking questions
because of the tireless effort of Russell Diabo to bring attention to the disastrous erosion
of Indigenous Rights and Sovereignty. INAC instead has made everything disappear
replaced with some bumpf about Renewing the Comprehensive Land Claims Policy:
Towards a Framework for Addressing Section 35 Aboriginal Rights

What has happened to all that accumulated debt? You might want to ask your Chief. Be
careful though he may block or delete you.

The last words I had on the matter from Chief Day is this gem.
I hear some Chiefs at the tables are communicating with their people. I am treading a
fine line here because of the notion of non-interference. However when a non-
indigenous system that has always sought our extermination as distinct peoples is
driving the process and holding the people hostage through massive debts is affects us
all. It affects the collective. It erodes everyones position in terms of Indigenous Rights
and Sovereignty. Thats why the quaint notion of non-interference has to be thrown out.

This Storify link ties to the entire episode of the online conversation with Chief Day.

https://storify.com/Thohahente/does-chief-council-have-your-proxy-for-consent

I have attempted contact with National Grand Chief Perry Bellegarde but he is non-
responsive. He needs to answer the same questions on how he considers his office.
Does a person voting in the Mohawks of the Bay of Quite Band elections delegate his
rights on all matters to Chief and Council, and to the Regional Chief and ultimately to
Perry Bellegarde? By rights I mean commentary, input, consultation, and all decision
making?

Is this your understanding and belief?

A Tale of a Grand Chief and Grassroots with Children in Care

I have friends who are holding space at the INAC Toronto offices. They have been doing
so for 102 days, calling attention to Indigenous Youth suicide and Children in care.
Many activists from around Turtle Island and from abroad know about them and have
made contact to meet with them and discuss their stand and the issues that have bound
them together to sleep in the street outside INAC offices for the past 100 days.

These groups of moms, grandmothers, and aunties are well informed and have a vested
interest in changing the status quo. They have kids in the system.

Chief Day happened to be sighted going into the INAC offices one day in Toronto with
his entourage. The people holding space did not know he was coming. He had made no
effort to reach out and to arrange spend time like everyone else has. There was one
person there at the time and they gone across the street to use the washroom. I saw a
Facebook post from a member of the group saying she was so broken-hearted and
disappointed. I could not see the conversation on her post because, remember, Chief
Day had blocked me although I am in the colonial sense a constituent.

Here is how this played out.

Me: Ok. You saw him?

Woman on site: Yes I did... I was crossing the street to go to the washroom
and stopped to see if he was going to stop in as I would have ran back to engage
in a conversation with him but nope he stood right beside our structure and
waited for the cab and when it arrived hopped in it with 3 others and drove off

Me: Who were the others? Did you recognize any of them?

Woman on site: No... but according to what he posted on my post he was

talking with someone by the name of Nathan Wright who is the COO of
something and the others were women

Me: Did he apologize

Woman on site: Nope just put it on me and made excuses

Chief Day: What --- for your information. The enclosure was all bundled up
when I left. NOBODY -- appeared to be there when I was standing outside.

Don't convey untruth -- I did not RUSH to a taxi -- we waited. I stood outside
chatting with Nathan Wright COO -- where was everyone??

For your information... I had hard and direct discussion on advocacy of the
issues; particularly I was very direct on a community that has been dealing with
these unfortunate issues. Nebinamik FN and Chief Yellowhead and his
community's issues were a priority for me.

Attack me all you like -- that is jot respectful. Innuendo about what I care and
don't care about; listen,... I do what I can and if you think you can jump on my
back online to gain some attention --- I'll respectfully respond.

Have a good day and try to find space in all of this that helps move your agenda
forward in a good way.

And so another constituent gets kicked to the curb.

The AFN are Complicit in Bullying and Corruption by Indian Act Chief
and Council
Now, for this week. Those of us in the frontlines of the fight against anti-Indigenous
Racism know and have said, that if you are silent in the face of obvious wrong you are
complicit in the act. Worse, if you are in a position of power and allow moral and legal
wrongs to be committed within your power structure, you are part of the problem and
must share blame.

Wahta Community Fire posted on their Twitter feed an update on Sunday October 30th.
This was a response to a post the week before where a Kaninkeh:ka man from
Tyendinaga contacted the band council at Wahta to get a letter of permission to hunt on
their territory. A common practice of reciprocal hunting, fishing, and gathering
arrangements between Kaninkeh:ka communities. The man from Tyendinaga was
told by a white man working for Wahta elected council that they were not offering letters
of permission any more to outsiders.
This change is of great concern to all Kaninkeh:ka because if is a direct challenge to
our Nation and our culture of sharing the land. I have followed the affairs of the Wahta
Mohawks for years since a great chief and council organized the community to write
codes of conduct and an oath of office that would introduce accountability and
responsibility where there is none under the Indian Act except to Ottawa. This was done
after years of despotism, nepotism, and cronyism for many years from a single group of
people.

The good chief and council got voted out through some allegedly questionable activities
such as vote buying and promises. Upon entering office the new chief and council who
were once again the old group of despots, told the community they would not be
honouring the community law. There was push back and a blockade of the
administration offices by a group of community Elders and other community members
who wanted their community laws to be observed. There were lawsuits threatened and
an enemys list developed by Chief and Council. Elders on the list were denied
community services and were punished in other ways by Chief and Council. They are
bullies.

When I saw the Twitter post I questioned Chief Day (yes, I still was not blocked on
Twitter). Here is the exchange:

https://storify.com/Thohahente/chief-day-on-afn-ethics-policies-for-chiefs-and-
co
As soon as Chief Day posted this response he blocked me on Twitter.

Time to Call the Exterminator

All First Nations should be very concerned and should planning on how to block the
AFN from moving forward on consultation with Canada. The AFN leadership believes
when you voted in your Indian Act Chief and Council, you gave the AFN a mandate to be
your sole voice in discussions and consultations with Canada. Based on Chief Days
behaviour they believe they can negotiate your treaty rights.

This is a group who will not intervene when their members are bullies and despots to
their own people.

It is critical that voices be raised to remove the AFN as a part of the discussions with
Canada. They have no time for the grassroots, for the advocates, for the activists, for the
common First Nations person. They behave like any other white colonial government.

And remember this. I have it from a few good sources that Chief Day wants Perry
Bellegardes job. He wants to be the king on the hill.

We should all worry. We should all act before our rights are all gone and our remaining
land is simply a block of private properties.

The Next Act

Historically, it has been the grassroots pushing that creates meaningful change for our
Peoples. Canada wants us to devolve into municipalities powerless to intercede in their
headlong exploitation of the land and resources. The AFN is busy greasing the rails for
Canada to achieve this goal behind closed doors and in secret, while Chief and Councils
in so many communities are acting like dictators with no recourse or relief for Band
members on reserve. Those of us off reserve are the forgotten people.
I am open to talking with anyone seriously interested in doing something about this dire
situation. I am open to doing what needs to be done to put an end to the old boyz club.
Inbox me. Lets talk and lets make a difference.