Who is Guilty of Terrorism?

Posted on January 24, 2013 by South Wind

Our voices communicating honour for all life, the sound of our singing drums, the sight of our people dancing, the power of our circles and our growing pride are apparently terrorizing Canadians. This according to a definition of the word “terrorist” as presented in the Sun newspaper and posts by Ezra Levant.

But when I look at our drummers and dancers I see no sign of suicide belts nor do I see anyone loading planes with cluster bombs destined to be dropped where children play. It is not complicated, to me a terrorist is someone who terrorizes others. Martin Luther King was seen as a terrorist by millions of Americans. How wrong they were. Today, Barrack Obama is the president of the USA. It never would have happened had King not been born.

Over 50,000 First Nations children died in Canada’s Residential Schools, dead from neglect as plagues overtook them, murdered by sex crazed perverts or driven to suicide by monsters who attacked their spirits. Many of the little ones, if not all of them, died in a state of terror, the hand of love too far away for the dying children to reach out to. Sir John A. MacDonald, the hero of Canada, wanted to “kill the Indian in the child” and if the child died during the transformation, who would care? Certainly not the Canadians living at that time. And the Canadians of today, they cannot even muster the strength to go there, so unspeakably ugly is this chapter in Canada’s history. Somehow however, many Canadians will still rally around Ezra Levant and join him in his condemnation of the First Peoples as terrorists. Such people are so out of touch with their spiritual beliefs that they are blinded to the harm they do to their souls when they stand at the side of a hate monger and cheer him on.

Our brave Aboriginal people went overseas to fight against oppression. They sacrificed their lives to save the Jews of Europe from the grips of those who were perpetrating acts of genocide against human beings. But were the First Peoples here at that time not also oppressed? Was the storm of genocide not also raging on this continent in all First Nations communities not all that long ago?

The First Peoples call their home Turtle Island. And the turtle they speak of to describe their home is a gentle one. A gentle turtle will rest on a rock surrounded by calm waters. It will sit on a long dead tree limb decaying in the water after a storm has removed it from a tree of the nearby shoreline. The gentle turtle teaches us to honour peace and tranquility. It teaches us that in life we must take time out from our chores to ponder what is sacred to us and that it is a natural thing for even the most passive among us, to be protective of what God has given us.

I do not know Ezra Levant. I am not aware of his spiritual beliefs. I know only that I have never harmed him. To him, because I am a supporter of Chief Spence and Idle No More, I am a terrorist. How he could insinuate such a thing is beyond my comprehension. I wish he would come to my table and feast with me on moose stew and wild berry pie. His opinion about the First Nations might change because of the encounter. If someone reading this has contact with Ezra Levant, then please let him know he is welcome in my home. The gentle turtle, which is Turtle Island, directs me to do this.

All my relations.
Keep the Circle Strong,
Albert “South Wind” Dumont.

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Chief Spence: The Fasting Ritual

Posted on January 22, 2013 by South Wind

The men of Millhaven Institution’s (CSC) Native Brotherhood have found a hero, perhaps for the first time in their lives. Chief Theresa Spence has become a mighty source of inspiration into their rehabilitation goals. Her messages to them is that violence only assures destruction of one’s inner self and guarantees the suffering of innocents. She tells them through me, that peace and love will turn away any oppressive tide pushed forth by Canadians who, for no good reason, despise the First Peoples. Her strong counsels are meaningful to them because they know of the sacrifice she is prepared to make so all Canadians can enjoy a good and prosperous co-existence with us, the keepers of Indigenous bloodlines.

The men of the Native Brotherhood sent Chief Spence their best wishes and their hope that she will stay strong. They wanted her to know that the stand she is taking compels them to leave a gentle indentation on the land of their own doing, as she is. A mark their communities can spiritually touch and connect with. The Chief was grateful for their good wishes and said she will keep them in her prayers as she continues her fast.

Anyone partaking of a ceremonial fast is in a sacred state of spiritual communication. All their words, all their actions, all their thoughts roll like a wind into the world of spirits. The ancestors and loved ones living there welcome the breeze into their midst and make plans at that time on how best to respond to what the wind has brought them.

The lungs and other organs of a human being’s body know what is occurring when sustenance for them stops because a fasting ritual is transpiring. The organs quieten and react to the encouraging whispers of the spirit attached to the human being undergoing the fast. The organs find strength in the prayers being said and do not cry for foods because of them.

Chief Spence also has the island to support her. The rapids and of course the nearby falls so rich in spirit stand with her, too. Anyone who goes there with an open heart will feel upon their souls, the caresses of the many spirits assisting the Chief in her time of fasting. The spirits grant dreams, profound in spiritual messages. They wait to gift people of good hearts who go to the island, with a seed which will flower in their sleep time and reveal something of spiritual direction for them and only them to benefit from.

Let us stand spiritually with Chief Spence and face each of the four directions and say the words “Peace and love to all”.

Keep the Circle Strong,
Albert “South Wind” Dumont.

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Imagine 60%

Posted on January 20, 2013 by South Wind

According to a recent poll, 60% of Canadians believe that the First Nations themselves are responsible for the misery and dysfunction found in their communities. This tells me that 60% of Canadians are a pretty hard-hearted bunch. What must they whisper about me to each other, this 60%, when I’m out of ear shot, I wonder. Nothing nice.

Would this 60% have survived what an oppressive, nazi-like society threw at them in the same way the First Nations have? I doubt it. Imagine the 60% being removed from their parents to attend Residential Schools often run by sadists and perverts. Imagine if they were thrown in jail for 90 days for the crime of praying the way our people were. Imagine not having the right to legal representation until after the Second World War. Imagine not being given the right to vote until 1960. A hard-hearted bunch like the 60% cannot even imagine these things happening to them. We can imagine it very well because we lived it and survived it. We are still here and it is only because we are so strong of will and so strong of spirit that we are still here, intact and ready to fight for our rights. The 60% had better stand aside because the First Nations and the 40% of decent Canadians who stand with us are coming through (in a peaceful way) as we make our way to a life as good as yours.

The 60% will no doubt oppose the honouring of our treaty rights, the sharing of the wealth. I say this to the 60%: We do not want tax dollars, not yours, not mine, not those of the 40% of decent Canadians. Honour the treaties and the First Nations will do just fine. And the environment? It will do just fine, too. Mother Earth will be looked after with great care, if we have any kind of say in it.

Keep the Circle Strong,
Albert “South Wind” Dumont.

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Chief Spence and the Sacred Fire

Posted on January 18, 2013 by South Wind

I had an awesome visit at Victoria Island today, January 16, 2013. The sun was warm and shining bright, not interfered with by even the smallest clouds. Large geese, unafraid of people around them, walked about like military brass inspecting their troops. Nearby, the fire cracked and a man sang an ancient song, the drum sang with him. The background sounds of the city disappeared, seemingly swallowed up by ghosts from long ago and only peace and welcoming energy remained. I was not fortunate enough to see Chief Spence but am confident that she benefitted from the blessings of the day as I and all the others on the island did.

All the days of a season are equal, none is greater in its ability to receive an offering of tobacco than is any other day which passes from one moon to the next. The season is strong, from its first moments of life to the last moments of its existence. Still, a special day will occasionally arrive, one chosen by the creator for the purpose of lessons being shared and lessons being learned. Wednesday, January 16th was such a day.

Most Canadians will never understand what a sacred fire communicates to the spirit of a First Nations person. The ability to hear the messages of the fire has been lost to them because of technology. The fire casts its voice into the circle created by its brightness. During night we see the range of its voice. During daylight, the fire’s voice does not extend any further nor any less than it does at night. It speaks and those within the range of its voice listen carefully. It is up to them to share or not to share what the fire has told them. It is up to them to take the message of the sacred fire far away into territories where the sun rises or sets.

It was humbling for me to sit by the fire and pray for the brave Chief in the teepee. I prayed, too, with those people who place their tobacco and prayers of support for the Chief into the fire. I was warmed by the fire and by the songs of the singer, the drum, the presence of the eagle feather and the energy of the good people sitting or standing within the perimeters of the voice of the fire.

My friends, Chief Spence is not a criminal. The fire burns for her and for all good peoples living on Turtle Island. Do not allow the lies of hate mongers to diminish the voice of the fire. We have a great opportunity to be united in a cause, for the good of our next generations. Let’s not waste it.

Keep the Circle Strong,
Albert “South Wind” Dumont.

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Chief Spence: A Peaceful Protest

Posted on January 17, 2013 by South Wind

Indeed, we are living in extraordinary times. The wonders in solidarity unfolding before us have created an energy in the First Nations that will stay with us until death. Our souls sing with joy. There is no turning back. The demands and expectations of the grassroots people must be met. And it will be done in a non-violent way.

Chief Spence has, from the beginning of it, declared the stand she is taking to be a peaceful protest. The human heart knows that peace is what will always work best. A friend of mine said this after hearing one of the chiefs talk of “warriors” being at the ready, “The moose hunter who walks through the forest making a lot of noise will never bag a moose.” I see the wisdom of her words.

A galaxy of tears of pride have been shed by our Peoples because of Chief Spence’s dedication and commitment to the Idle No More cause. The dishonourable and the hate mongers among us are on the run. The pride of the First Nations is something people who promote hate will never comprehend. It makes them afraid. In the depths of their subconsciousness they believe the First Nations are not even entitled to have pride in their hearts. The problem would be quickly solved if the people who despise the First Nations would just pack up their bags and return to the lands their forefathers left, however long ago that was. Finally they would not have an “Indian Problem” to worry about. They would be happy about that and I for one would dance till dawn in celebration of their departure.

The wind has a different taste to it since the brave Chief began her fast. It is strong in a spiritual sense. I breathe it every day and I find myself getting more and more emotional each time I fill my lungs with it, such is its power. The great falls at Victoria Island and the grand river of the Algonquins bless the Chief and all her supporters who work and pray to keep her strong.

I wonder how it ever happened that in a rich country like Canada, the Indigenous Peoples were beaten down like a deranged man might beat a dog. The Residential Schools that our people called “The places where children go to die”, the broken and dishonoured treaties, the propaganda campaigns against us, why did they occur? How can any Canadian be proud of a country guilty of such inhumanity towards their fellow citizens? Why can’t they bring themselves to fix what Canadians of the past broke? Is it not their duty?

The vileness and dishonour of Canada’s past is being exposed to the world. But still the evil continues today. Never again will Canada fool anyone with their cries of “shame” as they point to other countries guilty of human rights violations. The world is watching. The grassroots will not back down. It will all end in one of two ways, with honour at last, or with further oppression of the First Nations at the hands of Canadians. If it is the former rather than the latter which wins the day, Canada will truly be the greatest country on planet earth. And all Canadians will be better off.

Keep the Circle Strong,
Albert “South Wind” Dumont.

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Chief Spence “Discredited”? Not by a Long Shot!

Posted on January 12, 2013 by South Wind

Can a sacred fire be discredited? Can a grandfather rock resting in the centre of the purification lodge be discredited? We honour these things and are humbled in their presence. Chief Spence can no more be discredited than can a moon signalling the arrival of great changes about to take place on the land. Because of her fast, change will occur and nothing will stop it. She is peaceful. She will not allow the hatred so many Canadians have for our people to slow her down.

Ed Azure, an Elder from Northern Manitoba in the “Mother Theresa Caravan“, who had travelled nonstop for over 40 hours with 15 other supporters of Chief Spence, shared a teaching at the sacred fire on Victoria Island. This is what he said as I remember it:

“When we make a commitment or a promise which is meant to be everlasting, we say, ‘This will be done for as long as the waters flow’. The waters of which we are speaking are not the waters of the mighty rivers of our territories. The waters we are referring to are the waters which flow when our generations are born. It is for their benefit and well-being that the commitment or promise is made. For however long the women of the First Peoples are giving birth, the promise we made on their behalf will be kept. It is a sacred obligation that is impossible to break without bringing harm to yourself in the spiritual realm.”

Ed also shared that Chief Theresa Spence in the teepee was giving birth to something that would restore pride and a strong sense of identity again to all our peoples.

Albert, Julie, and Chief Spence. 9 Jan 2013.

Chief Spence discredited? Not by a long shot! People who support her stand against the Government of Canada, and still write poetry in her honour. A young woman (Julie Comber) shown in the photo with Chief Spence and myself sang a song of appreciation she wrote for the Chief. The people who try to discredit Chief Spence, has anyone ever written an honour song for them? People who hate us have discredited her in their minds alone. It is no loss; they never credited her for anything good in the first place.

Let us promise now to stand with Chief Spence and women like her and follow their lead, for as long as the waters flow, for as long as the waters flow, for as long as the waters flow, for as long as the waters flow, for all of the coming seasons, for each moon the future will bring, we will stand in support of our women and follow the strongest of the strong among them.

Keep the Circle Strong,
Albert “South Wind” Dumont.

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Does a Hate Monger Know Anything About Honour?

Posted on January 10, 2013 by South Wind

An emotionally half-baked colonizer suffering from “Am Superior To – You” (AST-Y), a nasty virus now plaguing Canada in epidemic proportions recently said, “It´s time to dismantle the Indian Act and to do away with Indian reserves”. He advised that Northern reserves “with no economy” be “razed” and the people living there go south. This guy had all the answers for what should be done with us brainless “Indians”. AST-Y had him in a death-grip, poor fellow.

Parliament Hill from Camp Spence 9 Jan 2013

View of Parliament Hill from Camp Spence on Victoria Island. Will PM Harper listen and act honourably on Friday 11 Jan? Photo: ©juliecomber.com

You might as well expect the trees of our territories to pull themselves free of the earth and then walk on their roots to where the government of Canada wills them to go, as to expect the same from peoples who have lived in their territories since time immemorial. Like the trees we were placed here by the Creator. No man – white, black or yellow – will ever remove us from the lands we love.

There is a lot of talk right now about the audit recently completed at Attawapiskat and people are expressing their opinions in regards to the report. Hard-hearted colonizers are looking for the nearest lynch rope because of it. But Chief Spence is not a crook.

I wish folks suffering from the AST-Y virus were as interested in putting the original treaty made between the Cree of Attawapiskat and the Crown under their microscopes as they are about scrutinizing the band´s books. It would give them a clear view at last of just how treacherous and dishonourable their governments, past and present, were and are in their dealings with the First Nations.

Most Canadian citizens are unable to even imagine (not that they want to) what it has been like to walk in the moccasins of a First Nations person for the last 150 years. If Canadians want to be genuinely proud of their country, they need to have a pure understanding of the words “treaty” and “honour”, and to know that the definition of these words is what must intertwine with the sacred threads of this country´s soul. Whoever removes honour from a treaty made between nations is nothing less than a pirate and a cut-throat.

It´s as if the thought of finally doing something honourable has driven the hate mongers over the edge. They have scratched the bottom of their filthy bag of tricks but are not able to come up with anything original. So they rehash and recycle the same old racist B.S. their hate mongering ancestors began almost 150 years ago. The only difference is that the hate mongers of the past demanded that the First Nations be placed on reserves. Today, the hate mongers are demanding that the government do away with reserves. When will they make up their minds, or do they even have the ability to do so in areas affecting the First Nations?

I humbly make a request of all decent and honourable Canadians that we stand with Chief Spence in prayer to ask God to remove hatred from the hearts of all peoples living on the ancestral lands of the First Nations.

Keep the Circle Strong,
Albert “South Wind” Dumont.

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Chief Theresa Spence – They Call Her a Terrorist

Posted on January 7, 2013 by South Wind

The Indigenous Peoples of this land are the first of Canada’s founding nations. As Aboriginals we are fortunate that Kichi Manido (God) saw fit to place us here and to trust in us that we would forever be “keepers of the land”, wherever our territories are found in this country.

Flags at Camp Spence, Victoria Island, 5 Jan 2013. Photo: ©juliecomber.com

My heart swells with pride when I see so many decent people come to this country from all other corners of the globe to assist the Aboriginals in bringing health and well-being to all things alive on the land. Millions of people come to prosper and better their lives here, to take a place on the fertile land and to benefit from what the rich resources of the land are able to provide, things such as the best schools and hospitals. These resources that make this country great were not brought here by the Europeans. The resources were already here, and were being cared for by the Indigenous peoples. It is such an awesome country. There never was a settler or colonizer who ever set foot on this continent that did not wish it was their people who had been the first people here. Some people without indigenous blood in their veins envy us so much that they have adopted our identities. They have rejected their own and lift the pipe in ceremony as if they were truly Aboriginal. But this a story for another day.

We are loved by many Canadians because of the fact that it was our gentle breath which was first felt on this continent, by all other life living here. Our steps were soft on the Earth. But way too many Canadians are not happy that we were here before them. They believe we are in the way of progress (or what I call “Development and Destruction”). Instead of honouring and respecting us, they despise us. They want to keep us down and will stop at nothing to do it. Residential schools are a good example.

Canadians who hate us call Chief Spence a terrorist and a crook. And through their severe distortion of the facts they would have you believe she is also a fraud, a phoney and a charlatan. They present her to their followings as a bullheaded woman, refusing the kind and understanding hand of a far too generous government. And the hatred grows against Chief Spence like the snowbanks of winter with each recent view seen or heard by people who need hate in their lives.

The white men who attacked a young First Nations woman in Thunder Bay did so and said so, according to the victim, because of the hatred they have for Aboriginal people. The hate machines of Canada produced a violent attack by cowards against a woman. The hate mongers will deny the part they played in the attack and will sleep the sleep of innocent angels tonight. We can only hope and pray that the hatred being promoted does not bring about greater violence against our women.

There were so many who wanted to visit Chief Spence on Saturday, 5 Jan, that she could not see them all and made an unexpected brief appearance outside to greet people. Photo: ©juliecomber.com

Chief Spence is not a terrorist. Who would look at her and say that she is? A beast with a heart of plastic who has no love for the trees and creeks and hills and no regard for the wellbeing of the generations to come would indeed see her as a terrorist. A man who is terrified at the thought of not having someone he can point to and say, “I am superior to them”, would also see her as a terrorist. These people are terrified of doing something honourable. You figure it out. I cannot. If you do, let me know!

Canadians who do not understand just how precious the waters of our country are and/or feel that they, as white people, are superior to Aboriginals need to search their souls for answers.

Please continue in your prayers for Chief Spence as she gallantly continues her peaceful protest.

Keep the Circle Strong,
Albert “South Wind” Dumont.

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Idle No More and Unity with Our Chiefs

Posted on January 5, 2013 by South Wind

Nina Wilson, Sheelah Mclean, Sylvia McAdam, and Jessica Gordon, in a land where visionaries seem to be as scarce as are lush green pastures during an extended drought, you descended onto and into the hearts and souls of the grassroots people like a rejuvenating, purpose of life, invigorating rain. And look at what you have grown! The crops of pride in oneself for being of Indigenous blood and of being an agent for activism and peaceful protest have sprouted to life and are flourishing coast to coast, from sea to shining sea. You did it, hurrah! History will note it and we, the grassroots people, will never forget you for it.

Idle No More has shaken up the chiefs. Our leaders who slept with eyes wide shut on the job, have had the ice water of reality thrown in their faces by the Idle No More movement. Whether they are chiefs of small impoverished bands, or lead one of Canada’s rare wealthy bands, the chiefs have been put on notice by the grassroots and have been told to “shape up or ship out”. Fair warning has been given. What supporter of Idle No More did not believe that a major reason for this movement being founded was to force our chiefs to act courageously and wisely on our behalf? After all, the chiefs are our recognized leaders and like it or not, it is the chiefs who are going to be in direct negotiations with the Prime Minister and government officials at bargaining sessions in the future. Like most other grassroots individuals, I am an “everyday person”. But what credentials do I, or most other grassroots people possess that would qualify any of us to negotiate treaty rights for the communities of today and for the generations of tomorrow? I would prefer to leave such complex negotiations to our duly elected chiefs, the strongest of the strong, like Chief Theresa Spence.

Albert with Chief Spence, 2 Jan 2013. Photo: ©juliecomber.com

I was privileged once again, 2 January 2013, to speak with Chief Spence. She spoke of the importance of unity. Listening to her, I was reminded of a memory of when I was serving as a firekeeper and the fire spoke to me about what is gained by being unified and of what is lost when division occurs. The fire told me this: “Only when the sticks of wood touch each other will a fire have a definite purpose. The fire can then do what is necessary to bring security and comfort for all who gather around it for that purpose. When the burning logs are pushed apart, the flames will cease to be seen. Alone, the logs without the touch of other sticks of wood will only smolder for a short while before expiring, leaving smoke behind to blur the people’s vision of something which had once been great.”

Chief Spence said that love and unity are the answer to all the world’s misery. She added: “Without unity, we won’t get past the poverty we find in our communities now.”

Chief Spence was calm, her physical energy level is low. But still, the teepee where she is making her stand pulses with the strength of her spirit. Her sense of what is just for all the First Peoples of this country is greater than mine, or yours or the Prime Minister’s. There is no doubt that all who have sat with Chief Spence in the teepee have felt it, and are in awe of it.

Division has cost us too much already. Need proof? Take a long hard look at our impoverished communities. Do you not see it?

Keep the Circle Strong,
Albert “South Wind” Dumont.

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Have an Honourable New Year

Posted on January 1, 2013 by South Wind

Happiness – who in their right mind does not want it? Chief Theresa Spence certainly does. She is willing to absorb a lot of pain and misery, to the point of placing her life at risk so prolonged happiness could be known, not only for her own community, but also for all the Indigenous Peoples in Canada. If you desire proof of Chief Spence’s commitment to our happiness, check out the teepee on Victoria Island. She is making her stand against tyranny in it, growing weaker with each passing hour. Her body is slowly deteriorating because this brave chief has been refusing solid food for more than three weeks now.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if our wish to one another (politicians included) at this time of the year was to “Have an Honourable New Year”? I will not be making promises or resolving to do things better on New Year’s Day. When someone asks me in 2013, “Do you want your potatoes fried, mashed, or baked?” my answer will be “fried, of course!” When it comes to potatoes I’m weak. But potatoes are only potatoes and if I consume a bit more French Fries than is physically good for me, so what? I will not be infringing on another person’s human rights by doing so. Fried potatoes are fried potatoes, human rights are human rights and basic human rights are a birthright of all human beings, wherever they are found on this planet. I may be weak in the area of fried potatoes but I am now and forever will be strong in the defence of human rights of human beings (politicians included) wherever violations of their rights are occurring.

Courage – it is one of our seven grandfather teachings. Do we need to be courageous to fight for the human rights of others when we see abuse and neglect of a human being taking place? No, of course not. It is natural for a human being to fight against human rights violations and unnatural, dumb, cowardly and against God, not to. Ask Chief Theresa Spence if it was courage which pushed her to make a stand. As an Anishinabe Kwe, courage is a trait Kichi Manido (God) instilled in her before she even left her mother’s womb. The fact is, the Harper government pushed her over the line. She has had enough of seeing her community in their resource-rich ancestral lands living in dire straits and is doing what she feels she has to do to put a stop to it. Her protest is an honourable one. It is a peaceful one and it is a noble one.

Let us all vow to be honourable in 2013. We all should at least make an effort to do so (politicians included).

Keep the Circle Strong,
Albert  “South Wind” Dumont

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