Posted on October 28, 2019 under Monday Morning Musings with 3 comments

 

Oh Canada (Part 2).

I am filled with anger and despair.

In 2016, a young Cree man by the name of Colten Boushie was shot and killed on a farm in rural Saskatchewan. Colten Boushie was shot in the back of the head. An all-white jury acquitted the perpetrator of the shooting. Several indigenous people were called as potential jurors. None were chosen. At  a town hall meeting after the incident, hosted by the RCMP, members of the community, including many farmers, participated in a discussion about the events leading up to the tragedy. One farmer said that 80% of the people in the room would have done the same thing if their property (not their lives) were being threatened.

So, let me get this straight. It is somehow acceptable to shoot an unarmed First Nations person in the back of the head if he or she is perpetrating a property crime.

Last Friday, I sat with a few hundred other people at the Antigonish International Film Festivals screening of the disturbing film “We Will Stand Up “. The film is about Colten Boushie but it is much more than this. It speaks of overt racism in our country and the pathetic treatment of our founding people.

Three local First Nations young women opened up the evening with their own accounts of how their people have been treated for generations and the lasting stigma that continues to persist. They wept openly as they tried to explain how racism continues to affect them, their families, and the children. Many people in the crowd were moved to tears.

Sometimes Canadians can be pretty sanctimonious and smug. We are prone to looking at our neighbours to the south, pointing fingers at the treatment of blacks in that country. We have much to answer for in our own back yards.

It is hard to believe that in a country blessed with incredible resources and riches that many of our own people live in abject poverty, in sub-standard housing and in many cases,with terrible water quality. The racists amongst us will lay the blame at the feet of our indigenous community about their inability to manage the financial resources passed to them by various governments over the decades.

How did we get to this tragic state of affairs?

I have been doing a lot of reading lately including Tanya Telaga’s excellent book “All Our Relations”. If you want a brief history lesson about the history of First Nations people in Canada, this is an informative read. There is also an excellent YouTube series entitled “Eighth Fire”. If you want to better understand how we have arrived at a time when the lives of indigenous women and girls are rendered almost meaningless as they go missing and die with shocking regularity, get educated.

The plight of our First Nations people can be traced to colonialism, residential schools, broken promises and treaties that were signed in good faith but never honored. It can be traced to these people being placed on reserves. It can be traced to the loss of their way of life with the slaughter of thousands of sled dogs. The list goes on. It is appalling.

Robert Burns wrote a poem in 1785 called “From Man Was Made to Mourn: A Dirge”. In the poem, he speaks of “man’s inhumanity to man.” It means man’s ability to do horrible things to fellow humans. It speaks of oppression and cruelty that mankind causes and mankind suffers.

Understanding how we have gotten to this situation in our country is one thing but how to move forward and try to improve the situation is very complex.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (http://www.trc.ca/) issued its report in 2015 with 94 recommendations. In it, is a detailed account of what happened to indigenous children who were physically and sexually abused in government boarding schools, where an estimated 3,200 children died from tuberculosis, malnutrition and other diseases resulting from poor living conditions. Estimates of the death toll are much higher because burial records were so poor, according to the Commission.

Stop for a moment. Imagine that your children are ripped from your arms and taken far away to get an education by strangers? And then imagine your children suffering sexual and physical violence at the hands of those entrusted to their care. No wonder our indigenous people are so scarred. We have much to answer for.

I don’t expect everyone reading this to agree with me. All I ask is that you educate yourself so that you might have some understanding and empathy.

Have a great weekend.

P.S. To my new friends in Cheticamp, Pleasant Bay, Cape North, Bay St.Lawrence, Dingwall, Neils’ Harbour and beyond. My friends at the Highlands Hostel in Cape North (https://www.facebook.com/highlandshostel/?epa=SEARCH_BOX) are raising money for Yvonne Daisley who suffered a stroke a few months ago. I have donated several copies of one of my books. Please contact Bricin or Patricia and support Yvonne’s recovery. Thanks.

 

 

 

Posted on October 21, 2019 under Monday Morning Musings with no comments yet

Aida Arnold and Beth Latwaitis of The Arts House

 

When an artist puts her brush to a blank canvas, it becomes a work in progress.

Such is The Arts House in Antigonish. A vision that started with the people who run the very popular Antigonish Art Fair, the Arts House has become a thriving, energetic entity in our community.

What is The Arts House?

According to the visionaries, it is a “space to create.” Antigonish has been a big proponent of the arts for decades so it comes as no surprise that it now has a facility that supports artists and those who are interested in participating in creative activities. The Arts House provides a space (the former Visitor Information Center) where artists are employed to teach young and old alike.

The Antigonish Art Fair recently completed its sixth summer. More than a year ago, organizers felt that the artists who routinely show up to display their works on warm summer evenings, needed an actual facility to produce art and share their talents with locals interested in learning more about art.

With the generous support of local businesses, government and private donors, The Arts House opened its doors in the spring of 2018. July and August saw the first children’s’ art camps which were enthusiastically embraced by the community. But art lessons are not just the purview of young people. Many older folks, including retirees, now take part in a variety of creative endeavours. Last Friday evening, several people signed up for a “Paint Night”. Participants were asked to choose from two paintings posted on social media. At the event, the painting that was selected became the subject for would be artists. Under the watchful eye of the artist, people learned techniques and had an opportunity to create their own version of the painting.

The Arts House also houses a pottery studio complete with a kiln and five wheels.

Local dance groups now call the Arts House home for weekly practices.

The Arts House is quickly becoming a hub in the community. Birthday parties for children include an hour of hands on art activity. Several groups now hold meetings at the facility on a rental basis and a few local authors (including yours truly!) have chosen this intimate setting to launch a new book.

Would you like to explore your creative side? Are you interested in having your event hosted in a great facility that is affordable with lots of parking? Are you a new artist in town who would like to share your talents?

The Arts House (http://antigonishartfair.ca/the-arts-house) is just getting started. Like a new piece of art, it is a work in progress.

Thanks very much for your support of my new release, “Eat, Sleep and Walk: Stories from the Camino”. While copies will always be available on Amazon (https://www.amazon.ca/Eat-Sleep-Walk-Stories-Camino/dp/0992070643/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Eat%2C+Sleep+and+Walk%3A+Stories+from+the+camino&qid=1568728469&s=gateway&sr=8-1), I only have 45 hard copies left in the initial run. If you want an autographed copy (or 5!), send me an e-mail at lenpdmacdonald@gmail.com and I’ll sign the book (s) and mail it (them) out to you. You can pay me by e-transfer. If you live in the area, you can contact me. I’ll sign your book and we can have a coffee.

It goes without saying that today is another important date in our country’s history as Canadians go to the polls to elect a new government. Please go and vote. It is a privilege and your civic duty.

Have a great week.

P.S. Come to the Halloween Harvest Bash

 

Posted on October 14, 2019 under Monday Morning Musings with 3 comments

 

Generous, gentleman Joe.

The community lost a good one last week. Joe Arsenault was one of those truly decent human beings. He was incredibly talented with his hands, turning stone into works of art. He was a fine musician who loved a good jam session. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather and brother. He was warm and he was very witty. I can’t ever remember seeing Joe out of sorts.

Joe was also a generous soul. Back in the mid- 1990s, much to the chagrin of our neighbours in town, we harbored a small collection of farm animals including a rooster named Archie. Archie had attitude problems but was nonetheless, the pride and joy of one of our children. Early one morning, I went out to the fenced in area behind our house to check on the flock. Some predator had gotten in during the night and wiped out the entire crew. The children were quite upset.

To this day, I don’t know how Joe found out but one day a few weeks later, he arrived at our home with a small memorial stone for Archie. He refused payment. I know he did this for several other people.

I had the privilege of spending some time with him in the small workshop behind his house where his creative genius flourished. He could do anything with those hands.

On this Thanksgiving Day, while we enjoy food, family and friends, let us be thankful that people like Joe come into our lives. He made our community better. His memory is etched in the many stone carvations he created. He was one of the good guys.

Happy Thanksgiving.