Education is the key to reconciliation and living together in harmony
EDITOR’S NOTE: The following letter is in reply to the May 17, Page 4 letter ‘Not everyone is a fan of the new look Chi-Cheemaun’ and has been reprinted here at the author’s request.
Dear Bob Lewis,
Where to begin with your letter to the Owen Sound Transportation Company?
Obviously, you meant to poke your sharpened stick at more than the company that runs the Chi-Cheemaun ferry otherwise why ask The Manitoulin Expositor to run your letter as well?
Perhaps you didn’t know that South Baymouth, the place from which you hail, belonged to and still belongs to the First Nations people of Manitoulin Island.
Perhaps you also didn’t know that the First Nations people of Manitoulin Island were forcibly driven out to the far comers of Manitoulin by people from the south who desired the beautiful and pristine lands of Manitoulin for themselves. Maybe you didn’t know that most of Manitoulin Island was systematically stolen, surveyed and then sold to non-Native people from the south who felt they were in a better position to use and exploit the Island and its waterways. Read the history, Mr. Lewis, and you will see that many local officials in Manitoulin’s past have played a not so proud part in this dark part of Manitoulin’s history.
While we are on the subject of history, the likeness of a national figure like Sir John A. MacDonald would be a poor choice to display on the Chi-Cheemaun. (In case you didn’t know, Chi-Cheemaun means “big canoe” in Ojibway, sir). Sir John A. MacDonald, while the Minister of Indian Affairs, is infamous for directing the genocidal programs of Indian residential schools. Sir John has been quoted as saying: “When the school is on the reserve, the child lives with its parents, who are savages, and though he may learn to read and write, his habits and training mode of thought are Indian. He is simply a savage who can read and write. It has been strongly impressed upon myself, as head of the Department, that Indian children should be withdrawn as much as possible from the parental influence, and the only way to do that would be to put them in central training industrial schools where they will acquire the habits and modes of thought of white men.” – 1879
Perhaps you didn’t know that the sole purpose of the Indian residential schools was to “kill the Indian in the child.” The sad outcome from the forced attendance of thousands of aboriginal children as young as five years old over decades at the residential schools is well documented; loss of culture, language, identity, social dysfunction, suffering the effects of mental, physical, spiritual and sexual abuse, alcohol and drug abuse, to name but a few.
You are right about one thing, Mr. Lewis, if John A.’s likeness was on the side of the Chi-Cheemaun, thousands would recognize Sir John A. MacDonald but not for the reason you think.
I look forward to and read The Manitoulin Expositor every week to stay in touch with my hometown area (I was born and raised in nearby Birch Island). Each issue reveals that each township and community on Manitoulin struggles economically, especially when it is not tourist season. Manitoulin is remote and the Chi-Cheemaun plays a large role in bringing in valuable tourism dollars to support many of the businesses and communities on Manitoulin, First Nation and non-First Nation alike. Efforts by local groups like the Great Spirit Circle Trail and other tourism and economic development groups to promote Manitoulin and its rich culture by sharing First Nations culture and artwork on the Chi-Cheemaun and during crossings should be supported and not belittled i.e. “someone beating on a drum like he is auditioning for a punk rock band” or saying “the decal job on the ferry looks like a last place finish in a Grade 2 Native display.”
Perhaps you have not heard of the Truth and Reconciliation Report or the Royal Commission on Aboriginal People. Both of these reports are now an important record of this country’s history, whether you know it, or like it, or not. These reports speak to the need for recognizing the past injustices done to the Aboriginal people of this country, but more importantly, give guidance and suggestions for making our way forward from those past atrocities.
Mr. Lewis, Manitoulin is a beautiful place which we all call home (I still do in my heart). I encourage you to seek out your neighbors, particularly your First Nations neighbors, to learn more and to understand more about the First Nation culture and history.
Let’s face it, Mr. Lewis, we are all here to stay. It is in all our best interests to find ways to live harmoniously together without the need to belittle.
Sken:non (peace),
Bonnie Cole
Akwesasne, NY
