The day Indigenous Peoples took a major step forward in healing – Hill Times
May 20, 2024
Going forward, mainstream governments need to stop talking to questionable self-proclaiming Indigenous groups.
OTTAWA—It’s been a long time since First Nations, Inuit, and Métis came together.
Before the colonizers broke us apart by demanding that we could only be one of those labels, I’m quite sure First Nations and Inuit across the Atlantic and the Northwest Territories were pretty close. Cousins, even.
Before the colonizers on the Prairies tried to set First Nations and Métis into war by setting up competition for land, I’m quite sure they were close. How could they not be? It’s family. It was colonization that broke apart the old treaties and ties that bind First Nations, Inuit, and Métis.
It’s been a long time since Indigenous Peoples claimed their sovereignty with such clarity. The weight of genocide and lost family, the repetitive trauma of racism, and inequitable funding for core needs like health and education can weigh a people down. The horizon is close when one is lying on the ground, but one can see further when the weight lessons and you stand up.
