From the January 1992 NATIVEBEAT, Forest, Ontario
by Miles S. Morrisseau
Hunters from many different aboriginal nations have banded
together to try and stop the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR)
proposed cull of up to 500 deer from Rondeau Provincial Park.
The ministry say the overpopulation is destroying the fragile
Carolinian forest and the deer must be brought down to a more
manageable level.
The ministry planned to distribute some of the deer meat to
First Nations but the hunters from the nations say this is an
insult. "it's just like welfare," says Chief Larry Johnson of
the Caldwell First Nation. "Indian hunters are fully capable of
harvesting their own deer, the idea of waiting to be handed a
deer, packaged by the government just doesn't work. They're
turning the wildlife resources into a welfare program." As
further proof of this Johnson points out that the rest of the
deer was going to be given to soup kitchens and food banks.
The Caldwell First nation has been instrumental in getting
the hunters together and keeping them informed about what happens
during a deer cull. Last year at this time the MNR culled deer
in Point Peelee, the Caldwell's traditional territory and that
First Nation received about 60 deer from it. Johnson says "We're
not proud of the fact that we went through that deer cull." It's
an experience they don't want to go through again or any other
First Nation for that matter.
To Johnson, having the MNR hunt for their people was a slap
in the face, and to have it done so poorly was like pouring salt
on the wound. "They were supposed to be sharpshooters but those
deer were being shot front, back and all over the place, they
totally destroyed some deer," he said adding, "some of our
members who are hunters commented to me that the deer hadn't been
bled properly which has to be done soon after they were shot.
They could see that in the meat."
When the Rondeau Park cull was being planned Johnson heard
that they were getting advice from the people who ran the Point
Peelee cull. From his experience with that cull johnson knew
there would be a problem, "They'll run the same kind of a show
they ran at Point Peelee," he says.
Up until a few months ago, each First Nation each First
Nation had been dealing individually with the MNR. But the
Rondeau park issue has galvanized the communities. "There were
others (Nations) that were inquiring about the deer cull, and
somehow during the process we all got together. So this is a
joint effort, an all inclusive effort and the more the better,"
says Johnson.
Johnson believes that this present day united stand over
Rondeau Park harks back to a time when that territory was shared
by many Indian Nations. "There's a network of old Indian trails
that were used commonly by Indian people. These trails go east
and west from places like Rondeau follow Lake erie and in some
places they branch northward, for portages, they followed streams
and portaged to the next lake. These trails indicate that the
land was shared, the resources were shared, and the hunting
territory was shared."
The Hunters meeting with the MNR have been conducted by
members of the Oneida Nation and have followed the procedures of
the Iroquois confederacy. The communities attending meetings
have included Walpole Island, Kettle and Stony Point,
Moraviantown, sarnia, Chippewa and Muncey of the Thames.
Following traditional procedures has also meant taking into
consideration traditional ethics, which raised the question of
future generations. "The traditional leaders at Oneida have the
far future in mind, there's a lot of deer today, it isn't a
matter of going out and killing a few hundred deer so that we can
all have enough deer for today. We have to think about future
generations of Indian people,' says Johnson.
It is this conflict between looking at a long term
permanent solutions rather than the quick fix that shows the
difference between traditional management and present day
government practices. During a meeting at Moraviantown a
spokesman for the Ministry told the assembled hunters that unless
the cull is carried out, the problem of overpopulation would be
an ongoing problem for years. A member of the Oneida nation
responded, "it took years of your mismanagement to get things the
way they are, it will take us some time to make it right." The
hunters believe that by allowing the First Nations to practice
their traditional hunting methods in Rondeau Park the problem
will be solved.
The hunters have forced the Ministry to postpone the cull
for now, but it has yet to be cancelled. Johnson remains adamant
that it will not happen, "as far as we're concerned, the cull as
planned will not take place, some other activity will take place;
but not the killing of 500 deer."
And with that future goal in mind, the hunters of the eight
nations in south-western Ontario have established one very
important goal...unity. "If you go with what we used to do in
the old days, and what we are trying to accomplish in the 90's,
is that we use these resources together and we take an equal
concern over what happens in this area."
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Report submitted by Harold Koehler, 43 Napoleon Drive, LONDON ON
N5V 4A8 (519)453-5452.