Our devotion to First Nations is reminiscent of Wild Bill’s Wild West Show

During the westward expansion of the United States, Native Americans were systematically abused through genocide and land appropriation.

Concurrent with the “Indian Wars”, one of the more popular entertainments was Wild Bill’s Wild West Show which featured lots of “Indians” in native costumes dancing and whooping it up for the crowds.

As the Vancouver Olympics opened with big native of First Nations fanfare, the hypocrisy of Canada’s apartheid was running around in my head.

Outside the festivities, they were protesting the unsolved murders of more than 500 native women. We don’t have to go far back to remember the Saskatchewan RCMP early termination program for natives under the influence – take them outside of town at minus 40 and let them freeze to death. Abuse of First Nations people is a blight on Canada.

Most of the land claims by Canada’s First Nations remain unresolved. Successive governments have dragged on negotiations for decades.  I’m not much on the finesse details but I remember my history – First Nations people were living here first. The French came and assimilated with them. The British came and took the land and natives who survived the turmoil were put on reserves.

On PEI, the resistance to Mi’k Maq land claims was demonstrated recently when the Federal Government was ready to declare the Agriculture Canada research farm in Charlottetown as surplus. The hue and cry to keep the land from reverting to the First Nations people was immediate. The anti-native sentiment is Canada’s racism at its finest.

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