I hate talking about myself… but in my current circumstances it’s required to get some points across… some things must be said for clarity. Maybe it’s my ego that’s attempting to have influence on how others perceive me since having a political role in my community. Either way I feel these points will do justice for some people out in the front lines who might be in similar situations. Or maybe there are some young people who want to get active in their community to make a difference, make a change. Hopefully my experience will give others a moral boost (like what I need through this blog) who are also struggling in the confines of systemic roles.
councillor: “I think this needs to go to the people, this needs to go to the people”
chief: “no i disagree with you colby, we are elected officials and we can
make this decision on our own”
councillor: “this needs to go to the people, i’ll take it to the people”
chief: “I’m the Chief, Your just a Councillor, I’m the Chief so I’m the Boss”
councillor: “We’ve had this discussion already, during my first year with this gig. You’re not the boss, the people are the boss, the land is the boss. You’re not my boss”
chief: “at the end of the day, you will see that i’m the boss… if i’m not your boss go upstairs then”
An often classic example of the ridiculous conversations within the walls of a Band Office – often times it can feel like a high school with some of the conversations. The Band Office is pretty much an office of Indian Affairs… essentially. I’m not saying all Band Offices are like this but is there a Band Office that is an actual Indigenous Governance Hub that affirms indigenous laws and strategically defends its existence from Canada’s assimilation/termination processes? And in regards to laws I’m not talking about Indian Act Bi-laws either. I mean a centre of respect and honour of the land and thats inclusive to the will of the people with support for conscious action.
In 2010, a group citizens of Poundmaker met to discuss issues within the community. They also invited the Chief and Council at the time to attend these meetings, mainly for the request from the people for full disclosure in details of finances. Not once did the Chief and Council show up at the peoples meetings. There were occasions where the Chief and Council hosted a meeting however did not disclose information at the peoples request. The people decided to announce a vote of non-confidence on the Chief and Council at the time. They had the paper trail to back up their reasoning and grounds for the non-confidence. The meeting for the vote occurred on the day of a community information meeting hosted by Chief and Council. (I don’t know why they called it information meetings, very little information was given out. I guess they didn’t want to call community meetings “band meetings” because they didn’t want the people to be involved in decision making) The Chief, Council, and majority of people knew of the meeting. I remember vividly how the discussion went down at the end of the meeting. “if you want to go to the meeting this evening you are all welcomed to go there. Regardless if there is a vote of non-confidence I will still be the Chief! I was elected here by the people”…..
The meeting that evening did happen. There was proper notice to the people, to the staff, and the Chief and Council. Everyone knew it was to be a meeting in regards to the Vote of Non-confidence. I came home from working in Fort Qu’appelle to be part of the meeting. To witness it. Neither did I know that vote would pass, and that I would be nominated and appointed that evening to be part of a coup d’état as a ‘Headman’ under Band Custom. Poundmaker Band Custom isn’t the Indian Affairs definition of Band Custom either. Indian Affairs has no jurisdiction over Poundmaker, aside from the yearly contribution funding agreements, arrangements for leases and own source revenue policies. The governance aspect is essentially independent from INAC’s authority. This is how I understand it, and it is both liberating and troublesome. It’s troublesome mainly because of the dynamics amongst families and the ‘post-colonial’ belief systems within the community – mostly stemming from residential schools, displacement of lands, and continued systemic oppression. Regardless, I was appointed, and voted through oral protocols of Poundmaker Band Custom as explained from the old people. Though controversial the coup failed over the course of the remaining two years. The next election occurred with an election code that was never officially ratified by the people. What other choice did the people have? Some wanted to stop the election because the code was never ratified, plus the fact that there was charges laid and some individuals should not be running in the first place. Some wanted to use the code and attempt to get people in that would make a change for the good and betterment of the people. Controversially, old code was followed and again, I was nominated and elected…
I do not believe in the idea that “i am an elected official and I am here to make decisions on the behalf of the best interests of the people”. To me that very statement has been manufactured, created, and manipulated by the Indian Act system which many Indigenous Nations within Canada’s colonial borders have been agreeing to follow. The last thing I want to do is repeat the same thing that has been done in the last few decades. I feel and hope my role is to facilitate a means for our community’s collective reasoning to be strengthened so collective decision making can become what it once was. For that to even happen it’s been about learning the system, how it works, who it benefits, how it’s structured, and how it facilitates dependancy in the dynamics of the community. The direct experience thus far has definitely given me grounds to speak from references that are my own. Though challenging, it’s been beyond valuable to my personal evolution.
The system is insane. People in all levels of society believe that through electing or appointing new leadership creates change. When in reality electing new, fresh people is merely changing the face and image of the same system. That’s like giving a broken vehicle a new paint job expecting it to run as if it’s new. Sure new leadership can present reforms within that system, however reforms will never lead to a revolution that can facilitate social transformation. If anything reforms pacify the oppressed energies of a populace. It’s something I definitely need to reflect and meditate on in terms of my role with this ‘elected official’ title.
I may have it out with the current Chief of Poundmaker from time to time. We may have our disagreements every now and again. And without a doubt there will be disagreements in the future. One time an elder from the community got mad at me because I wasn’t agreeing to decisions that were being made in the council meetings. I responded that I refused to compromise my values and morals. My accountability isn’t to the Chief and Council, it’s to the people and to the land. I didn’t agree that the people of Poundmaker are often left in the dark, and details are vague and questionable. The people have the right to have their questions answered. I meant no disrespect to the elder and in the end we respectably shook hands.
The invitation that’s here is for people to resist the system in all it’s forms. Resist the image of the system, resist the temporary solutions of reforms, resist the broken policies and break the rules, break the norms, resist the system at it’s core. People confuse resisting the system as battling Chief and Council and when Chief and Council take it personally it promotes further confusion amongst the masses. When elected officials take the system personally they then identify themselves as the system. This especially occurs when they have a reliance of income and financial dependancy from that system. They will protect that system with all they’ve got because it becomes a livelihood and a symbol of their success.
I think the key thing in all of this turmoil is to remember that at the end of it all, when grief and love are experienced when our relatives depart to the next world – that connection, that positivity, that love and understanding is all that matters. It’s love that will save us. Not the romanticized hippy type of love. It’s the ruthless, fierce love that is in natural law. Love saving us doesn’t mean complying or compromise. That doesn’t mean exchanging ones passion for passivity. It’s ok to disagree because it’s constructive criticism, constructive feedback that are nutrients for communal evolution. Love, acceptance, and non-personal awareness prevents collective blocked mentalities that can lead to a downward spiralling of despair and division. We can not accommodate the feelings of politicians as a priority, while indigenous rights and our relationship to the land is at risk.
ct.
Just a guy who loves pancakes.
IndigenousEvolution 
Reblogged this on 4 the love of the People and commented:
It’s love that will save us. Not the romanticized hippy type of love. It’s the ruthless, fierce love that is in natural law. Love saving us doesn’t mean complying or compromise. Colby Tootoosis