War veterans became First Nations leaders

[CDNBear]

War veterans became First Nations leaders

By Doug Cuthand, The Starphoenix
When I was a vice-chief of the FSIN in 1980, I was given the task of working with aboriginal veterans to help them organize a provincial organization. This was one of the most rewarding assignments of my life.

Henry Langan from the Cote First Nation was named interim leader, and after a few preliminary meetings the group called a provincewide meeting at Fort Qu'Appelle to coincide with Remembrance Day. We had more than 100 Second World War vets from across the province. Today only a handful remain.

Our people signed up for service in record numbers during the Second World War. No other group in Canada sent a greater percentage of its youth into the armed forces. Politicians have fostered the myth that they went to war to protect our rights, but the reality is more prosaic. Most of the veterans with whom I have spoken told me that they were looking for adventure, and since the structured life in a boarding school matched life in the army, it wasn't much of a change.

First Nations warriors were at Dieppe, at D-Day and in the campaign across Europe through Belgium, Holland and Germany. Our soldiers also fought in the Italian campaign and against Japan in Hong Kong.

Albert No Name, a veteran from Piapot, survived Dieppe and went on to fight across Europe. The veterans used to laugh about the story when he was asked for his name by an army recruitment officer. When he replied, "No Name," the officer got mad and told him to stop fooling around. Several of his friends had to jump in and vouch that it was really his name...

 

[captain morgan]

I believe that there are will be a huge benefit to having these vets involved in the operation of these communities.

Although I can't refer to any first-hand knowledge of mismanagement, I'd be willing to bet that these vets would run things pretty damned efficient and look at the collective well-being more effectively than the likes of the broad that ruined Attiwapiskat

 

[CDNBear]

I believe that there are will be a huge benefit to having these vets involved in the operation of these communities.

Although I can't refer to any first-hand knowledge of mismanagement, I'd be willing to bet that these vets would run things pretty damned efficient and look at the collective well-being more effectively than the likes of the broad that ruined Attiwapiskat

I would agree.

My grandfather was a vet and a community leader, he taught me about communalism. Sadly it's seen as product of the "Traditionals" and communism, and we all know how communism portrayed, even in Canada.

 

[captain morgan]

I would agree.

My grandfather was a vet and a community leader, he taught me about communalism. Sadly it's seen as product of the "Traditionals" and communism, and we all know how communism portrayed, even in Canada.

I can see your point, although I wouldn't be so fast to pidgin-hole your Grandfather's vision of 'communism' with the version that has a far more political bent.

The only thing that I have ongoing questions on relates to the opportunity for individual 'ownership' of the land. Quite honestly, without that form of recognition/understanding, the average FN person really has nothing other than the ability to say (in theory) that they have some kind of individual place on that land.

 

[CDNBear]

I can see your point, although I wouldn't be so fast to pidgin-hole your Grandfather's vision of 'communism' with the version that has a far more political bent.

Anyone with out an ax to grind, or the ability to think, use critical thought or deductive reasoning wouldn't.

The only thing that I have ongoing questions on relates to the opportunity for individual 'ownership' of the land. Quite honestly, without that form of recognition/understanding, the average FN person really has nothing other than the ability to say (in theory) that they have some kind of individual place on that land.

This is where I get torn. I do own my own land/home, but I keep striving to be part of something larger than I, my community. I'm not alone but I'm not surrounded by great numbers.

On res, the pride of ownership can and should be community encompassing. You don't own a small square, you own the whole area. It's all ours.

That isn't how it is, and the mind set that my grandfather faced was the want of the individual, not the need of the community had to be sated.

With the right mindset, private ownership of a small square really isn't all that important. How you participate in the community, how the community grows in strength because of the unity of the individuals, is.

We've lost touch of that traditional teaching. I see and hear lots of talk about community, but at the end of the day, on one side you have $80,000 trucks, while on the other, snowshoes.

 

[captain morgan]

Anyone with out an ax to grind, or the ability to think, use critical thought or deductive reasoning wouldn't.

This is where I get torn. I do own my own land/home, but I keep striving to be part of something larger than I, my community. I'm not alone but I'm not surrounded by great numbers.

On res, the pride of ownership can and should be community encompassing. You don't own a small square, you own the whole area. It's all ours.

That isn't how it is, and the mind set that my grandfather faced was the want of the individual, not the need of the community had to be sated.

With the right mindset, private ownership of a small square really isn't all that important. How you participate in the community, how the community grows in strength because of the unity of the individuals, is.

We've lost touch of that traditional teaching. I see and hear lots of talk about community, but at the end of the day, on one side you have $80,000 trucks, while on the other, snowshoes.

That's a really interesting perspective.

Clearly I am not in a position to offer any form of direct and relevant input, however, I will say this: The old expression that 'the sum of the parts is greater than the whole' may have an application here with respect to the strengthening of the community as a whole.

Your (or mine) little corner of the world has special, individualistic value and in part, acts as a piece of your identity. There is no reason that this element of identity can't be part of a bigger picture of your entire community that maintains a similar (individual) internal dynamic that goes towards the community identity.

In some ways, this form of identification may in fact act in a manner wherein the 'whole' is now far larger than the 'sum of the parts'.

.. Just a thought mind you