First of all, I am glad to hear that you've experienced res life in all its
facets by attending not only traditional gatherings, but also the more common
and enlightening "all night drinking parties." I guess you're legit :)
Seriously, I do still disagree with you not so much on the sentiment you've
expressed regarding the need for Indian control over "Band" government, but
on the specifics of your strategy. I too am sometimes prone to exaggerated
rhetoric when making what I feel is an essential point. But your last message
contained the same sort of logic as the first:
HH> "outsiders and their form of government and implement your own."
My point is that the "eesentialist" view which sees Indian and White societies
as completely insulated entities is outdated. The distinction has become
blurredas more and more of our people have been attracted to and integrated
into the
dominant society's economy, culture, etc.. Our societies have evolved from the
time when they were a mirror image of White society in terms of values and
structures. The modern reality is that we retain many of our most basic values
and remain part of what is a distinct culture, but at the same time we share
many of the chraacteristics and institutions of the dominant socitiety. "Their"
form of government has become in a real sense "our own" form of government.
The case you have used to illustrate your point also serves mine. I'm
interestedto hear you say "closer to home" when referring to Mohawks. I am a
Mohawk from
Kahnawake myself, and directly involved in the reformation of government in
that community, which you write of:
HH> "Mohawks are working towards the elimination of the old band council system
and implementing an amended form of the old clan system."
The case illustrates my point because, contrary to the impression you give, we
are working towards a merger of the band council system with certain elements
of a traditional system. There is no question in our mind that some of the
administrative and bureaucratic features of the BC system are necessary
elementsof an appropriate governing institution for Kahnawake. We are not
kicking out thoutsiders and their government, but taking what is valuable for
us, and kicking
out what is not relevent, wether "outsider" or "insider" inspired.insider.
That said, let me clarify a few other points:
1. To reiterate, the process (I assume Hitchhiker is reffering to Kahnawake) tha
the Mohawks are undergoing is not so much a replacement of European with
"traditional" ideas of governance, as a selective combination of the two.
2. There are no guarantees that this process will go beyond the conceptual stage
and bloom into reality. Having worked on this problem for over three years
now, I am still not convinced that our people will accept a return to
"traditional" government once they realize the implications of that move.
In 1979 and again in 1990, the Band Council was given a mandate by the people
to begin movement toward a "traditional" government reimplementation. The
only problem is that no one in the community can agree on what a "traditional
government" is! Most people seem
3. The Band Council system is NOT responsible for alcohol and drug abuse in the
community. This is an ill-informed and irresonsible statement. These probelms
existed in Kahnawake before the Band Council system was implemented in the
1940's. If you are prepared to argue that Kahnawake has experienced alcohol
problems only since the Indian Agent appeared among us after the War, then
I'll refer you to my friend "Cliff," (FIDO BB) who I am positive will be
happy to provide evidence that we Mohawks have been plagued by this poison
since the 17th century.
4. The Band Council does not derive its power from the Indian Act. It derives
its legal authority within the Canadian system from the Indian Act. But like
any community government, it derives its authority and legitimacy from the
allegience and consent of the people of Kahnawake. Don't confuse criticism
of the canadian Indian Act system with other issues. The BC may be chartered
under the IA, but it exists today as the only institution in the community
that represents the vast majority of Kahnawakero:non (people of Kahanawake).
The other "traditional"institutions in the community can claim far less
support. One Longhouse has at most 300 people, and another approximately 50.
My point is not to criticize any group, I think all are legitimate in a sense
but to demonstrate that one cannot negate the power and viability of an
institution simply because of its association with "White" law and the "White
Way." In a community of 6000 people, the BC at this point represents not
only the vast majority, but also the only hope for a reconstructed system
which will unite both bickering Longhouses and the rest of the population.
I agree with you that we need to govern our own affairs, but I hope you are
begining to see that we are a complex people and simple solutions will not
be sufficient. Dogmatic rejections of everything "White" and glorification of
all things "traditional" is harmful, and presents probably the biggest obstacle
to the creation of an appropriate system capable of leading us into the future.
Skennen,
Gerald Alfred
Cornell Univ.