h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

hi Mudhooks,

My mother was orphaned when she was five and went to one of the residential schools you spoke about (in Manitoba). Recently she has asked a lawyer specializing in this matter to help her get some compensation from the government, as many other 'victims' are now doing.

So, even though I am 'genetically' part Indian, I am not 'culturally' aware of that part of me. The residential school took away all of my mother's knowledge of her heritage and of course, as my father was a racist wanker, there was no culture of any sort at home. So as children we were made to feel ashamed of the Indian part of us - what a shame!

az

ps
Now the Canadian gov't only recognizes native/non-native offspring as 'native' if it is on the mother's side - go figure.

Hi Hoo .

"I say we divide into two types: superstitious and sensible.
(but I usually say that to wind people up...)"

You do indeed.

Personally I prefer romantic and rationalist. One should not exist without the other, for without the other each would destroy the earth.

I am the other-hoo, or perhaps 'anti-hoo', thus creating balance (and a fair amount of nonsense).

Blessings,
Matholwch /|\.

Balance AND nonsense? Hey, go for it, Math

az

And interestingly, stuff which was dismissed as superstitious has now had to be accepted as proof has become available, eg that the heart and gut have 'molecules of emotion'. (see Candace Pert's 'the Molecules of Emotion'.

mmm...nice thread mark the hootoo's 4th birthday.

see <./>announcements</.>

I believe he is currently "visiting" in Sikkim.... No one seems to know if he is going back or not. There is some huge Puja currently going on and the Chinese authorities "allowed" him to go. I believe on his website (the second of the two I posted) they have his "schedule". I believe it says there that he is visiting.

I guess that, after the departure from China of the OTHER Karmapa when he was refused permission to visit India to see his mentore, and the Dalai Lama, they decided that "letting" him go was preferrable than having him go without their permission.

Of course, anything I have read may be "old news" if in the last few weeks the "rival" Karmapa, in effect, defected (a poem is born?).

As I am only going on information I have gleaned, I could be wrong, and, as I say..... much of the available information is very confusing.

I don't know how much information you have regarding your eligibility for status. Native women who lost their status are able, now, to reclaim it. Any offspring, whether full or 1/2 Native can be eligible for status, dependoing on the rule set out by their band.

You should check with Indian and Northern Affairs for information in this regard. Their Genealogy Unit has a mandate to assist in matters such as this.

This is the FAQ site: http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/pr/pub/ywtk/index_e.html

My friend is Polish and whose husband was (they are now divorced) Mohawk. Their daughter is status and has her status card.

Interestingly enough, when my ex and I were looking at adopting, we were considered a Native couple though I am not Native. Had we had our own children, they would not have been eligible to inherit property on his Band's reserve. Had we adopted, that child, whether Native, white, or Chinese WOULD have been eligible to inherit land on the Reserve according to rules set out by the Band itself, not the Government...

The following website will give you information on making a claim against the Government or the Church which ran the school. I urge you to check it out. You may well be eligible to make a claim.

http://www.irsr-rqpi.gc.ca/english/abuse.html

The beauty of the Residential Schools system (if there can be considered to BE an up side....) is that everything is well documented.... Your mother can be found on documents such as Daily Registers, Admission forms, etc.

Admission forms will provide many details, such as family information, family names, etc.

Even if your mother does not remember specifics of her time in the school, enough information can be gotten from the wealth of records to prove her presence at the school. This in itself can provide a sense of heling to some. To prove they were there... To support their memories....

I urge you to investigate.

hi Mudhooks,

Last time I was in Canada - a few years ago - I did apply for my Native treaty status. Just to do it, as I now live in Spain it didn't seem really necessary. At that time I was told I was eligible because I was part Indian on my mother's side of the family. So either I was misinformed or they have since changed their rules.

Anyhow, two of my younger brothers have been able to go back to university as a result of their new status. Which has been quite good for them.



az

ps
Do you know that in England they called me part 'Red Indian'? I almost fell out of my chair laughing the first time I heard that. I guess they were trying to make a distincion between Indians from India and those from North America, and no offense was meant. Apparently this is just their name for NA Native people. But it did make me laugh, imagining myself doing a little pow-wow for them.

hi again, Mudhooks

Yes I shall check out your info to pass on to my mother. She is now unable to work and hasn't much of a pension so any moneys she can get now would really help her a lot.

thanks!
az

This was the topic on Kilroy the other day. Co-incidence? (Aired after original post).

I didn't watch it as I can't stand the bloke as I got the impression that he was siding with PYT.

Did anyone see the show?

did he used "surely" as well?!...

mmmmm... another coincidence about PYT's first post: local elections times in the UK...



loup

ooooops typo alert in my posting...

Azahar,

Did you mean you were told you were "eligible" or "ineligible". If you were told you were eligible at that time, then you should still be.

If your brothers and sisters were granted, and you have the same father, there is no reason why you shouldn't fall into the same catagory.

When I said "may be eligible" I meant that I don't know all the whys and where-fors of the status rules. Again, it depends on the rules set out by the particular Bands, in conjunction with the rules under the Indian Act.

Regarding the "Red Indian".... Yes. My ex worked at the British Museum for six months at the time that "Dances with wolves" came out. Someone he was talking to was going on in the "Romance-of-the-Red-Indian" vein. My husband said "I am Indian, myself.... The person just looked at him down his nose, and said "Oh, Reaaaaally" as though he was making this up and went on with his blathering.

It was obvious that my ex, with his light features (common to the Iroquois people) and his lack of buskkin outfit didn't measure up to the stereotype that this fellow prefered to believe.

I made up this cartoon of him being called into the office and being told that he "Didn't look Indian enough", so he was being replaced by Lou Diamond Philips. He nearly collapsed laughing over it.

Loup all thumbs today?
interesting point about the Local Elections, dont think PYT is that smart, but this may have to be looked into *grabs deerstalker, picks up pipe* 'The games afoot'

jonathan... from my experience with this kind of people on the old site i used to quote on, election times tended to make them crawl from under their rocks and use the forums as a platform for racist propaganda with their not so innocent questions...

nothing smart about that unfortunately, just a "good" old strategy...



loup

I was vfery depressed on receiving my ballot paper to discover the BNP are standing in my area of Sunderland. Which has a high asylum-seeker population. And just down the road there was a racist murder last year. Not very promising.

egon... yep... not very cheerful prospect... they gonna play on people's frustrations as usual and even some of the decent people who won't vote for the BNP will admit that there is "something" into what that err party says...

deja vu again and again everytime....