Marlene Carter – How You Can Help

Posted on February 15, 2016 by South Wind

birdcage-454467_1920Marlene Carter still remains in seclusion at the Brockville Mental Health Centre Forensic Treatment Unit after close to 4 months. Where in the future will there be light for her? When she is finally freed from her torture chamber, it will have to be done with care and in great consideration of the damage/trauma the months in seclusion have done to Marlene’s mind.

I hope she will be treated with gentleness and patience by staff as she slowly reintegrates into the routine of the hospital.

How can you help? Two ways. First, for those in or near Ottawa, there will be a march and rally on Friday, February 26. We will gather at Westgate Mall at 9:15 a.m. At precisely 9:30 a.m. we will march to the Royal Ottawa Hospital, where George Weber works, the man who calls all the shots on how and where Marlene Carter is treated while she is in Ontario. Weber is President and CEO of the Royal Ottawa Health Care Group (the Brockville Mental Health Centre where Marlene is being held in seclusion is part of this Group). At 10 a.m. the rally will begin. Click here for the FB Event. We call on all supporters who can make it to join us for drumming, songs, speeches, flag and placard waving, and all around support for an Anishinabe Kwe (Onion Lake Cree Nation, SK) who has suffered for too long in our homeland. Make a commitment to be there. Keep it! Spread the word!

Second, everyone and anyone can write a letter. I am suggesting a letter-writing campaign beginning February 19. Write your letters now (samples to follow soon). Then flood Weber with volley after volley starting February 19. Please document your outrage! If you care about Marlene Carter, then please take the time to condemn what is happening to her.

Write to George Weber and cc his boss, Ralph Goodale. The Honourable Ralph Goodale is the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness in Trudeau’s Liberal government. Correctional Services Canada falls under this Ministry. And part of Minister Goodale’s Mandate is: “Work with the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs to address gaps in services to Indigenous Peoples and those with mental illness throughout the criminal justice system.” The abuse that Marlene, a mentally ill Indigenous woman, is experiencing is certainly a gap in service within the criminal justice system! Goodale and the Minister of Justice (Jody Wilson-Raybould) and the Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs (Carolyn Bennett) must address this situation! Therefore, please cc Wilson-Raybould and Bennett, too.

Write to:
George Weber, President and CEO of the Royal Ottawa Health Care Group: george.weber@theroyal.ca

And cc:
The Honourable Ralph Goodale: ralph.goodale@parl.gc.ca
The Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould: jody.wilson-raybould@parl.gc.ca
The Honourable Carolyn Bennett: carolyn.bennett@parl.gc.ca

Let them have it with both the emotional and spiritual barrels. Enough is enough!

Keep the Circle Strong,
South Wind

NOTE: Click here for background information on Marlene’s case. Sample letters will be posted soon. Have your letter ready to send by 19 Feb!

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Follow-Up On Rally For Marlene Carter

Posted on February 13, 2016 by South Wind

The Brockville Mental Health Centre experienced its first protest in its entire history on February 11, something long overdue, so far as a growing number of human rights advocates are concerned. A small group of these dedicated activists gathered at the Centre and partook of a smudging ceremony, prayed together, then marched a short distance to the steps leading into the building where Marlene Carter continues to be tortured.

Media Coverage

By Ron Zajac of Brockville’s The Recorder & Times: http://bit.ly/1TZ3UWo (and reposted by the Ottawa Sun: http://bit.ly/1TfcnnN)

By Annette Francis at APTN: http://aptn.ca/news/newscasts/

And I was interviewed for CBC Radio’s “As It Happens,” which aired on 11 Feb. My interview is from 3:18 to 10:04 of the third part of the show, take a listen here: http://bit.ly/1RzmzHQ

A Summary Of My Speech At The Rally

I pointed out the fact that Marlene Carter is not a criminal, nor is she a psychopath, nor is she a rabid animal. She is a human being stricken with a mental illness and should be treated with patience, compassion and empathy. This is what works! It worked last summer when Marlene benefitted enormously from being treated kindly. The outdoors and the smudging ceremony helped her to recover and heal.

Albert speaking to the crowd and media outside the Brockville Mental Health Centre. Photo Credit: Julie Comber

Albert speaking to the crowd and media outside the Brockville Mental Health Centre. Photo Credit: Julie Comber

Quotes of mine from the rally: “Whenever a human being is treated like Marlene Carter and society doesn’t do anything about it … Where’s the insanity? The insanity of the society itself is greater than anyone being confined here.” – “Marlene’s organs, her heart, her kidneys and other vital organs have deteriorated under the inhumane treatment she is receiving at a hospital, which is supposed to be a healing place but for Marlene it is nothing more than a place where human rights abuses and torture are experienced by her day after day … Her weakened organs will eventually shut down and Marlene will die because of her ordeal in Brockville.”

And on seclusion: “Within the last 4 months, Marlene has spent at least 105 days in seclusion. Whoever is making the decision to keep her there, should be made to spend one hour in the seclusion room for each day Marlene has been there (total 105 continuous hours) so they can get a dose of their own medicine. Maybe then they would finally understand what torture is.”

The day before the rally I visited with Marlene (February 10). She had undergone an electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) treatment at 6 a.m. that morning.

To my dismay, Marlene was still in the seclusion room, tied to a bed, her wrists secured so closely to her body, she could not even hold the bottle of coca cola I brought for her as a treat. The restraints locking her to the metal bed were very tight. I asked Marlene if she was able to lay on her side. “Sort of,” she answered. “Well move from side to side as much as you can,” I told her, “or you’ll get bed sores.”

Even though she was a bit tired from the ordeal of ECT, Marlene was responsive and happy to see me again. She talked to me about the hope she had of soon having a chat with one of her sons, something she has not done in years. “I want my mind to be clear,” she said, “I don’t want to be dizzy or tired when I talk to my son.” Her sister will make arrangements for mom and son to talk when Marlene feels ready for it. We prayed together, shared some ‘Indian Humour.’ (How anyone being treated the way Marlene Carter is being treated and still be able to laugh, is beyond me.) But Marlene is Marlene, one of a kind, that’s for sure! Marlene is not allowed a one-on-one counsel with me. A male nurse sat close by listening to our every word. I must admit, this is an irritant I find hard to take.

When I returned to my home later that day, I lay in my bed with both arms tight by my side in the manner Marlene’s arms are when restrained as she was on Feb. 10. I imagined being in a small bed, my ankles tied to the bed frame. I turned onto my left side as best I could (it wasn’t easy) and understood then, why Marlene answered “sort of” when I’d asked her if it was possible for her to lay on her side. The position I found myself in was not very comfortable. I wondered how she manages to get any sleep when tied down like that. I want you to visualize it so you might understand something of what this Cree woman, far from home, is going through. If this is not a torturous existence, then tell me what is.

Albert speaks to protestors braving the bitter cold in Brockville. Photo Credit: Julie Comber

Albert speaks to protestors braving the bitter cold in Brockville. Photo Credit: Julie Comber

The dedicated activists who took the time out of their busy lives to stand for Marlene Carter on February 11th should be commended for their stamina (it was not a nice day) and for the compassion and dedication they have for her. The cold of the day (-20°C) had a ferocious bite but the protestors withstood it, warmed no doubt by the explosions of fire burning in the hearts of the good people around them. To all who read this, I want you to know how good it was to have had Tasha-Dawn Doucette sing two traditional songs for Marlene. Tasha did so without the assistance of the drum as no drum was present. She began with the song ‘Anishinabe Kwe’. It was a spiritually powerful moment that left some people in attendance teary-eyed. We ended the protest with Tasha-Dawn being joined by Julie Comber, singing the ‘Strong Woman Song.’ I doubt I’ll ever meet anyone again as strong of heart and spirit as Marlene Carter. She tells me upon every visit that she prays for me to enjoy health and healing. What a sweetheart!

As we prepared to leave, one of the protestors pointed to a window of the institution. A person was in one of the rooms, holding a sign. It read, “I want to be free.”

Keep the Circle Strong,
South Wind

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Update On Marlene Carter

Posted on February 9, 2016 by South Wind

I have just been notified that Marlene Carter has experienced another incident of self-injury. It occurred on Thursday, February 4th of last week. Marlene was in the confines of her seclusion cell when she began striking her head on the floor. It had been a long time since her last episode of self-injury (early January 2015). Am I surprised this has happened? Not in the least! What surprises me is the length of time she lasted in seclusion (over 3 months) before she totally mentally collapsed. I expect I would have been banging my head, screaming and climbing the walls after only a month of being forced to endure the type of solitary confinement poor Marlene was subjected to. Make no mistake, seclusion for long periods of time is torture in every sense of the word. Who the hell can emotionally tolerate it for long periods of time? I guess only heroes in books and movies. The rest of us don’t have a chance!

Example of seclusion room in BC. Full Article on Solitary Confinement: http://bit.ly/1T3PEen

Example of seclusion room in BC. Full Article on Solitary Confinement: http://bit.ly/1T3PEen

The time has come for new mental health practices to be developed into how our citizens overtaken by mental illness, are treated. Tying them down is not the answer, neither is keeping them in restraints or locking them away in an 8’ x 10’ seclusion room. No one wants to be overcome with a mental illness. No parent wants to see a son or daughter caught in the space of relentless fog and confusion of mental illness. Are we not duty-bound as human beings to treat our citizens suffering in such a way with compassion and understanding? Are we being tested? What will it signal to Creator when no one no longer cares?

I’m not advocating for the coddling and pampering of people whose minds are lost in a whirlwind. I’m only stating a fact: empathy, trust and patience is what will work best in returning victims of mental illness to some kind of existence where a purpose of life for them will be served.

The rally for Marlene begins at 10 a.m. on Thursday, February 11th. Women of the Ottawa community are stepping forward to support a Cree Anishinabe Kwe (Marlene Carter) with drumming and songs. Speeches will be given and our message of “End Seclusion Now” will be heard across this country. We must not let Marlene Carter down. Bring your placard. Make your statement. Make time for this event.

Try to be at the protest site at 1831 Oxford Ave., Brockville by 9:45 a.m. The directions are as follows (from Hwy. 401): Take North Augusta exit, stay on N. Augusta Road until you reach King St. E. Turn left and go straight until Oxford Ave. Turn left and continue to the entrance of the Secure Treatment Unit.

I will be in Brockville early at Winniebee’s Cafe, 23 King St. West at 9 a.m. I’ll see you at the protest site at 9:45 a.m.

Keep the Circle Strong,
South Wind

FB Event: http://on.fb.me/1ZXzNOG
Press Release: http://bit.ly/1Q74P7x

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Press Release: Protest Calls For End To Inhumane Treatment Of Mentally-Ill First Nations Woman

Posted on February 9, 2016 by admin

For Immediate Release – 9 February 2016, Ottawa, Canada

Protest Calls For End To Inhumane Treatment Of Mentally-Ill First Nations Woman

What: Rally for Marlene Carter: End the Use of Seclusion!
Where: Brockville Mental Health Centre, 1831 Oxford Ave, Brockville, ON
When: 10:00-11:00am on Thursday February 11th, 2016

Marlene Carter, a First Nations woman (Onion Lake Cree Nation, Sask.) has been held in seclusion at the Brockville Mental Health Centre, Forensic Treatment Unit, since autumn of last year. For Ms. Carter, seclusion (solitary confinement) means a tiny 8’ x 10’ room containing a cot and a sink/toilet, no TV or radio or internet, no tea or coffee, no shower privileges, no right to a smudging ceremony (spirituality), no right to private one-on-one counsel with her spiritual advisor, no right to spend even one precious minute outdoors. It also means limited access to the phone.

Kim Pate, executive director of the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies and professor of law at the University of Ottawa, has known Ms. Carter for nearly two decades and says, “Like so many other women, especially Indigenous women and those with disabling mental health issues, Marlene should be in the community – her community of support – with supportive and therapeutic resources, not in isolated and dehumanizing conditions of confinement. The monies being used to keep Marlene in such isolation should be invested in the community and utilized to provide appropriate therapeutic supports with and for Marlene. Prisons are not and can not be treatment centres!”

Elder Albert Dumont (Kitigan Zibi, QC) has served as Ms. Carter’s spiritual advisor for the past year beginning in January 2015, approximately 6 months after she arrived in Brockville. He is leading a rally outside the Brockville Mental Health Centre at 10am on Thursday, February 11th to demand that Ms. Carter be released from seclusion. The rally will condemn the use of seclusion for long periods of time against any Canadian, regardless of cultural background, anywhere in the nation’s prison system.

The Current Situation at Brockville Mental Health Centre

Marlene was transferred from Saskatchewan to the Brockville Mental Health Centre Forensic Treatment Unit in the summer of 2014. At the request of the Brockville therapeutic staff, Algonquin Elder Albert Dumont began to visit Ms. Carter regularly as her spiritual advisor in January 2015. They were allowed to sit outdoors and smudge, something Marlene had not been permitted to do for a number of years. Mr. Dumont witnessed an amazing transformation, with Ms. Carter going from a mind-frame of mistrust and inner rage to becoming calm and hopeful. He also observed that she was intelligent and soft spoken. But by the fall of 2015 she deteriorated once more after Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT’) was imposed on her against her will. A series of assaults followed soon thereafter, leaving staff members shaken and fearful. There are still two outstanding charges for her assaults on staff members, one as recent as Jan. 6.

Mr. Dumont believes that Ms. Carter’s traumatic past combined with the way she is currently being treated are responsible for any regression Ms. Carter has experienced.

“Marlene Carter is neither a criminal nor is she a rabid dog,” states Mr. Dumont. “For most of her adult life, especially the past 7 years, she has been treated as one or the other by Canada’s mental health system and by our justice system. She is a woman whose mind has been devastated by a mental illness brought down on her by the unspeakable traumas of her past. She should be treated with kindness, patience, compassion and proper medication until she recovers to find peace of mind and can live a life worth living supported by her family and community.”

Mr. Dumont also wants to draw attention to the fact that numerous reports and studies confirm that no one – in particular those with mental health issues – should be subjected to seclusion (solitary confinement).

The Ontario Review Board determined in January that Ms. Carter should be returned to Saskatchewan to be closer to her community and family. However, she is still being kept in seclusion and the date has not been set for when she will return to Saskatchewan. At the very least, she should not endure seclusion while she waits to go home.

– 30 –

Contacts

Albert Dumont, info.albert.dumont [@] gmail.com

Julie Comber (bilingual), info.albert.dumont [@] gmail.com

Background on Marlene Carter

Ms. Carter was sexually and physically abused as an infant and throughout her childhood. Due to the abuse, Marlene attempted suicide on a number of occasions.

The mental and spiritual downward spiral that lead to much of Ms. Carter’s adult life being spent in institutions began with a conviction in 1999 for non-violent offences. She was sentenced to nine months, but an assault with a weapon while incarcerated extended her sentence until 2003. She was then convicted of several assaults on correctional officers and inmates in 2004. She was in and out of custody on breaches until 2006. In 2009, she was convicted of several assaults on peace officers and a stranger in the community. She received a 30-month sentence, but further assaults while incarcerated extended her sentence until 2014.

From 2009 to 2014, Ms. Carter was in Saskatoon’s Regional Psychiatric Centre (RPC). She began hearing voices instructing her to bash her head against the floor or other hard surfaces. RPC responded by keeping her in restraints for so long her muscles atrophied, leaving her unable to stand or walk on her own.

In 2014, Saskatchewan tried to have Ms. Carter designated a dangerous offender. The judge did not label her a dangerous offender, and instead stated she should be transferred to a mental health facility that would focus on supporting her mental health.

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Stand Up For Marlene Carter

Posted on February 4, 2016 by South Wind

What a miserable season it must be in the life of a human being to have to sit, through the use of force, hour after hour, day after day, week after week, month after month in the same spot with absolutely nothing to do. Imagine as days and weeks pass, not even being able to look forward to washing your body under the water of a bath or shower. Such has been life for Marlene Carter since last October. Her only crime is having the misfortune to be stricken with a mental illness brought down on her because of the unspeakable traumas of her past. The people inflicting ‘seclusion’ on Marlene would likely tell us that they have ‘sound’ reasons for doing so. But where is the common sense or the humanity in placing her in a small (8’ x 10’) room, without TV or radio, no right to tea or coffee, no smudging or one-on-one counsels with her spiritual advisor, for months on end. Why do they not understand that seclusion for long periods of time is something guaranteed to build rage? Where would their breaking point be if they, themselves, had to endure it?

When will Marlene be free of seclusion?

I worry that if these human rights abuses continue, Marlene will be driven to the point of no return so far as her mental health is concerned. There certainly will arrive a time when her mind will no longer be able to tolerate what is happening to it and crumble under the abuse. We cannot allow this to happen. We need to rally in support of Marlene before it’s too late. She deserves a chance to have a life worth living.

Marlene’s favourite song is ‘Rebel Yell’ by Billy Idol. There is a line in the song that tells it all about Marlene Carter. The words of the song say, “She don’t like slavery, she won’t sit and beg.” Marlene will never under any circumstances ‘beg’ any authority in the physical domain for anything and because she refuses to do so doesn’t mean she is unfit to enjoy the human rights the rest of us take for granted.

I wrote the poem ‘Voices’ for Marlene after she had begun healing because of getting brief access to the outdoors after many years of not being allowed outside.

Voices
Inspired by and dedicated to Marlene Carter
by Albert Dumont ©

The voices
Of birds, rapids and leaves
The songs
Of spirits emitting from the land
The whispers of ancestors
Promising, love for you will never die

These voices
Call to you, to be at peace
And to extend lovingly, a gentle hand
Surround yourself with their healing, wrapped
In a blanket lifted from the earth
Made of your birth season’s medicines

And those voices from the dark
Which call to you
To bring forth rage and mistrust
Banish them forever from your mind

Your prayers are strong, dance spiritually
With them in Creator’s love
Your drumbeat and soul
Now gentle as a baby’s heart
You stand in beauty, with the voices
Of birds, rapids and leaves

The protest on the 11th of February, beginning at 10 a.m., is about stopping ‘seclusion’, not just against Marlene Carter, but stopping it from being used against any Canadian regardless of their cultural background. Take the time to stand with us. Let’s make the world a better place.

Keep the Circle Strong,
Albert ‘South Wind’ Dumont

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A Call for Action: Rally for Marlene Carter on 11 February

Posted on January 28, 2016 by South Wind

Marlene Carter, a First Nations woman (Cree, Onion Lake, SK) is still being held in seclusion at the Brockville Mental Health Centre Forensic Treatment Unit after being confined there in the autumn of last year.

Why is Marlene in seclusion for so long? Is it some kind of a monstrous act of revenge on Marlene by the Ministry of Labour for her assaults on nurses which incidentally began after she was subjected to electric shock treatments? Marlene warned at the time, “If you do that to me (ECT’s), I’ll bite you, kick you, punch you, I don’t want them.” Someone needs to investigate to what extent the Ministry of Labour is involved in Marlene’s care. Make no mistake, the Ministry is playing a role, a big one, in how a mentally ill First Nations woman is being treated in Ontario. When the hell did our healthcare system sink to that level? This is an outrage!

I have had the honour and privilege in the last year to get to know Marlene Carter, a human being I believe is the most spiritually strong and most spiritually beautiful woman I have ever known in my life. Marlene Carter is extraordinary in so many ways. She has survived where most, if not all of us, would not have. Marlene is like that little bird who had the misfortune to get lost in the eye of a storm and carried far, far away into a strange and frightening place (her mental illness). Balance for Marlene needs to be regained. It takes time. Her mind needs to adjust and recover from many years of abuse. Marlene Carter was scooped up by that storm not once but numerous times over the course of her tortuous life.

Marlene needs to get back to Saskatchewan where she’ll have the love and support of her family and community by her side to help her recover from over 7 years of being emotionally, psychologically and spiritually abused by Canada’s mental health system. The way she has been treated by a warped, spiritless system is NOT our way. Who in their right mind would think that the taking of a First Nations woman and placing her into seclusion, a tiny room 8’ x 10’ containing a cot and a sink/toilet for months on end is something of health to the human mind? Seclusion means no TV or radio, no shower privileges (she is given a sponge), no right to a smudging ceremony, no right to a private one-on-one counsel with her spiritual advisor (me), no right to spend even one precious minute outdoors. She is in that deplorable, wretched little room for 24 hours a day most if not all of the days of a week.

I am proposing a protest. A call to action. Let us gather in Brockville on Thursday, February 11, from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. with placards in hand and rally outside the Brockville Mental Health Centre. Will you join me? I need to hear from you. The human rights of an Anishnabe Kwe are being abused. Are we going to do something about it? Yes or no? We need big numbers of people to show up for this protest. Let us know if you want to sign on. We’ll need cars to carry protestors to Brockville. We’ll need bristol board for placards. Contact Julie Comber at info.albert.dumont@gmail.com if you wish to commit to this. If you are on Facebook, here is the event to RSVP: http://on.fb.me/1ZXzNOG

I’ll keep you all posted.

Keep the Circle Strong,
South Wind

 

To learn more about Marlene’s case, please see:

http://aptn.ca/news/2016/01/20/how-the-federal-government-failed-marlene-carter-one-of-the-most-dangerous-female-inmates-in-canada/

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/marlene-carter-brockville-saskatchewan-mental-health-1.3412228

http://globalnews.ca/news/1600745/crown-fights-to-designate-mentally-ill-suicidal-inmate-dangerous-offender/

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The Circle, Power and Healing

Posted on November 15, 2015 by South Wind

If you agree it is a good idea, then please come to take your place in the circle next Saturday, November 21st at 10 a.m. The circle will take place in the park across from North River Road and Prince Albert Street (near Queen Mary). Our purpose? To take a few moments out of your life to express in a circle and to Mino Manido, the Good Spirit, why you support development at Asinabka or why you oppose it. What you express will be your prayer and truth. Your soul and heart, communication to Creator what your definition of spirituality is.

We will speak with honour and humility in our hearts. No one need worry of ridicule or condemnation of any kind for expressing their view. What each of us share will be for our relatives and spirit helpers in the land of our ancestors to weigh and react to.

This is an opportunity for all of us to pray together and to feel free to speak our minds in a good way so we will find peace and understanding with all. And for our community to remain strong and united tomorrow for the sake of our future generations.

Let me know if you are interested in attending. Bring a tobacco tie and a chair. The circle will end with a feast. Please bring your own plates, cups and cutlery.

Please RSVP to info.albert.dumont@gmail.com.

All the best,
South Wind

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Spirit of Asinabka

Posted on November 15, 2015 by South Wind
Albert & William Commanda at a rally to protect the South March Highlands, 2011

Albert & William Commanda at a rally to protect the South March Highlands, 2011

After a friendly discussion with Romola, I will, hence of this day, when speaking of our most sacred site on the Grand River of the Anishinabe Kichesipirini Nation (Algonquin), refer to said place as Asinabka. It is a word which translates to ‘Place of Glare Rock’ in the language of my noble forebears. Deceased Elder and Spiritual Guide of many thousands of people, William Commanda who lived to be 97 years of age, knew our sacred place to be called Asinabka. Out of respect and to honour Morning Star (William Commanda) whose vision we stand in defence of, we should embrace the name Asinabka when referring to Victoria, Albert, and Chaudière Islands and Chaudière Falls. Let us be united in this, so as not to be bothersome to our cause. For some of the good people who protest the disfigurement of a sacred place to claim they defend Asinabka and another group of allies to call the same space Akikodjiwan, only serves to confuse our supporters.

Asinabka has been lost to us for too long. Let us look to the teachings of the turtle, bear and hawk for guidance on how we should proceed from here to retrieve it. If we are always sensible with our plans and push forward slowly and cautiously and soar with joy in our hearts as we celebrate even the smallest of victories by acknowledging spirit, we will overcome the power and influence of money and win out at the end of the day. Let us trust in Creator and in all things of creation to inspire and motivate us.

Hundreds of years ago, before settlers from Europe arrived, Asinabka brought healing and hope to the Peoples. The energy of the waters there carried our songs of honour and praise for all things Creator placed here, into the valleys and hills of our territories so all life could find peace and joy in it. Only kind spirits emitting goodness and health danced in the wind around the Falls of Asinabka at that precious time of our past. How can anyone not want to restore such a place today, as all of us can gain from it again, emotionally and spiritually?

I remember myself as a troubled young man, my mind empty back then of thoughts of wonder at what is the purpose of life, my heart hollow of spiritual substances, my spirit in a constant state of despair, feeling helpless because of not knowing what to do to assist my physical self in regaining my balance. I was lost in my state of confusion. My heart, mind and spirit were unable to show me the true glory of what it is to be a human being. In how many ways would Asinabka have helped me back then? I am not sure of the answer, I only know that within the spirit and energy of its sacredness, the life of a reckless and wild young man who did not care whether he lived or died would have changed for the better. He would have shunned a wasteful and destructive lifestyle and become a good son of his nation long before I did in the early autumn of my years.

I learned long ago that a young man with a chip on his shoulder and a 40 pounder of Canadian Club are two things which just don’t mix. When the two get together, there will most certainly be hell to pay. Two more things which don’t mix with any more promise than that, so far as I’m concerned, is money and sacredness. It is impossible to mix the two. Those who try, will find that the devil will sooner or later, take time to collect his due. To see the proof of this, only look at the world’s history, recent and ancient.

For Windmill to tell us, “Oh yes, there will be a piece of space at Zibi left open for spirituality,” is like the carnival barker who shouts to the rube, “The cost? Just one dollar, my friend, even if you miss your shot you win this wonderful kewpie doll, no one loses here,” except for one thing, the carny paid only 10¢ for each of the dolls the suckers have just paid one dollar to ‘win’.

Keep the Circle Strong,
South Wind

What you can do to help protect our sacred site:
-> Read, act upon, and share this call for support from Four Algonquin Communities: http://bit.ly/1RJB5d2
-> Sign and share this petition: http://chn.ge/1VB6x3w

Prayer and opening for 13 Nov "Anishnabe Cultural Demo to Protect our Sacred Site"

Prayer and opening for 13 Nov “Anishnabe Cultural Demo to Protect our Sacred Site,” on Victoria Island (Asinabka)

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Zibi Condo Sales – A Clarification

Posted on November 9, 2015 by South Wind

I want to clarify here and now to readers of my blog that I do not feel I was badly treated by anyone last Saturday, November 7, while participating in a protest at the Zibi condo sales site. Jeff Westeinde and Wanda Thusky were gracious, polite and exhibited no signs of disrespect to me whatsoever. I shook hands with both Jeff and Wanda. There are no ill feelings between us so far as I am concerned. (Here is the Citizen article with the video about the encounter.) I do not see the pro-Zibi supporters, whoever they are, as my enemies. They do what they believe is the best for the Algonquin Nation. It is their right to do so and I respect that fact. I ask only that my right to object is also respected by them. I wish all Algonquin Peoples well. There is no cause or issue which would ever make me condemn them.

As a long time human-rights activist (since 1993), I have seen many times when the cause at hand was placed on the back burner while personal attacks, destructive to both the opposing and pro camps, took the forefront. When a cause goes into such an area it signals a mistake so great that it brings suffering even to the kind and supportive spirits in the outer world. Let us tread carefully in the future. There is no need for name-calling or personal attacks. We are, after all, a community, and however things play out with Asinabka (Akikodjiwan), we will have no choice but to live together as friends, associates, and neighbours. Let us place wisdom and tolerance in the forefront of our actions and wish each other wellness.

Keep the Circle Strong,
South Wind.

What you can do to help protect our sacred site:
-> Read, act upon, and share this call for support from Four Algonquin Communities: http://bit.ly/1RJB5d2
-> Sign and share this petition: http://chn.ge/1VB6x3w

Douglas Cardinal & myself after our peaceful encounter with Windmill supporters

Douglas Cardinal & myself after our peaceful encounter with Windmill supporters

Posted in Community, Nature, Spirituality | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Zibi Condo Sales – An Objection

Posted on November 8, 2015 by South Wind
Thanking the youngest picketer

Thanking the youngest picketer

It was important for me, as an Algonquin, to stand yesterday (Nov. 7) with the good people who object to the planned destruction of Asinabka (Akikodjiwan), our ancient sacred space, at the ‘Zibi’ sales site (3 Eddy Street, Gatineau, Québec). I wanted my protest to be documented so my grandchildren’s grandchildren will know something about me which will spiritually endear them to me long after the drumming of my heart has disappeared forever from this domain. My many faults are what they are. Like all of us I need a place to heal from a world, often seemingly to me, gone totally mad.

Asinabka (Akikodjiwan), our most sacred site, was stolen from us at a time when no one except the good spirit Mino Manido and Creator cared what the Algonquins had to say about it. We are told over and over again in recent times that a “new relationship of honour and mutual respect is at hand” between us, the First Nations and the settler communities. If Canadians are OK with a sacred site such as Asinabka (Akikodjiwan) being violated in the most despicable manner by the construction of highrise buildings upon it, then their warped definition of ‘reconciliation’ is very different than mine. My mind is not strong enough to even imagine what will be lost to us spiritually if highrises do end up getting built there. I only know with all certainty that our future generations, yours and mine, will suffer the most because of us allowing a place of prayer and ceremony to be raped before our very eyes.

Akikodjiwan_7Nov2015

Akikodjiwan. Will we choose profit or sacredness?

I stand in full support with Algonquin elder Evelyn Commanda’s statement, “Mother Earth is not for sale. If someone was to offer me all the money around the world, no.” Money is nice to have, but when we see our children’s minds swallowed up and destroyed by technology or see them hopelessly addicted to a party and drug lifestyle, what good will money do us then? Would we spread money on the floor and roll in it in the hope of it bringing us peace? When we replace a spiritual base, the natural thing to do on our earth walk, with the one laid before us like a snake in the throes of anguish by the almighty dollar, we will find at the end of our time what a terrible mistake we made. What explanation will we give? “I did it for the money” won’t impress anyone in the land of our noble forebears!

I find the strength occasionally to travel into the swirling darkness, where my life’s most painful memories live like grotesque birds waiting for the opportunity to consume what is left of my sanity. God knows I was brought to the edge of mental breakdown many times by what severe alcohol addiction and the acts connected to it did to my mind. What I survived is not something I ever want my descendants to experience. The spiritual beliefs of my beautiful ancestors saved my life and I became a fit parent because of it. I want spirituality, and the healing it can do, to be there for my loved ones, now, always and forevermore. Akikodjiwan must return again to us as a place of sacredness.

This is what I would have told the people in the Zibi sales office (sales staff and potential buyers) had I had the opportunity to do so. But when Douglas Cardinal and I, two old men, made our way towards the building housing Zibi’s sales office, we were blockaded by Zibi owners, the police, and members of the Memengweshii Council (see the second video on the page, titled “Protesters and Zibi employees share their views”). Still, the experience was worthwhile. Next time, and there will definitely be a next time, I call on our supporters to come out. This is just too important. If you really care about the spiritual wellness of our future generations, then take the time to make a stand.

Keep the Circle Strong,
South Wind.

What you can do to help protect our sacred site:
-> Read, act upon, and share this call for support from Four Algonquin Communities: http://bit.ly/1RJB5d2
-> Sign and share this petition: http://chn.ge/1VB6x3w

9 Nov Update: I posted “A Clarification” here. Please read it. I did not feel disrespected on Nov 7. And I hope everyone, regardless of their views on the future of our sacred site, will be treated with respect.  There is no need for personal attacks.

Douglas Cardinal & myself after our peaceful encounter with Windmill supporters

Douglas Cardinal & myself after our peaceful encounter with Windmill supporters

Posted in Community, Idle No More, Spirituality | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments