Struthers & Robinson Welcomed by Hollow Water Leadership

Not what one might expect, the exchange of words between Chief Ian Bushie (including other leaders of the Hollow Water First Nation) and the two Provincial Ministers, Struthers and Robinson, was conciliatory and respectful.

With all the speculation and anticipation by the media that talks between the Province and Hollow Water were heading for a showdown, there will no doubt be some stunned (translation: "jarred") folks out there.

In a move that can be described as a "class act", the leaders of Hollow Water invited the Ministers to partake in pipe and sweatlodge ceremonies at Hollow Waters' Community Holistic Circle Healing Centre. Although, it cannot be revealed what exactly was spoken of in the confidence of those sacred sharing circles, it has been observed the Ministers truly enjoyed themselves and walked away feeling they were genuinely welcomed and better informed of Hollow Water's perspectives.

It was stressed to the Ministers how important the land is to our people and how closely connected we are to Mother Earth. Every animal and plant and creature has its purpose and we must all live in harmony. To fail in that is to fail to live up to our responsibilities as caretakers and stewards of the earth. I'm sure the Ministers felt a great sense of peace as they participated in the ceremonies. It is a great testament to their own commitment and their openness to truly listen to the people of Hollow Water. I commend them for this.

So, the ceremonies were intended to bring clarity to the situation and to open up the channel of communication to the Province - "in a good way". In the Anishinabe way! When I say the "leaders" of Hollow Water, I mean there are others involved in this process that are coming to the forefront and using their gifts and talents to better advance this precarious situation in a non-violent and non-threatening way. Our traditional people and our women are playing a vital role in assisting this process to remain on a good track. Our youth are looking after the sites and displaying incredible restraint in not reacting to provocateurs.

Much like our brothers and sisters from across the ocean from the eastern cultures: whenever a negotiation process is to take place, they spend their time first talking about basic terminology and what is meant when certain words are spoken. When we say, "traditional land", we want to clarify what that means. It's not just the tiny box that the federal government forced us to live on, it's the wider area of land that our forefathers have lived and survived on since time immemorial. We know this because we still have an oral tradition that has passed information on to us for many generations. So, when we talk about our traditional hunting territory, it spans an area much larger than the acreage set aside by the treaties. We depend on that land and that area not only for our survival but for our entire way of life. When a way of life is threatened, naturally, any people will move to defend that. Try doing some development on some farmer's field and watch what happens. Let's be clear about this: there's been a lot of give and patience on the part of the Hollow Water people (and those in the surrounding area) over the years to allow for developers to encroach on our traditional territory. And that has been a steady process. The stopping of this had to occur now and if this intervention did not happen there would be a decimation of land and resources unprecedented in the history of the eastern side of Lake Winnipeg. That is precisely what has been effectively halted it is what must be examined closely before anything moves ahead any further from this point.

Some people may be confused and wondering: "why did the Hollow Water people go through all the trouble to blockade the road and now they welcome the Ministers?!" Well, remember that Chief Ian has maintained all along that this was a peaceful movement and that there would be no acts of aggression. That is a promise made and kept in spite of the aggressive, disrespectful, and shameful behaviour of a few cottagers and a madman developer. I want to highlight this person's behaviour because it speaks to an important issue at hand. The people of Hollow Water involved in standing up for their rights have not succumbed to unspeakable behaviour during this blockade; in fact, they have risen above all the abuses and negativity flying around from many sources, including some that don't understand the bigger picture locally. So, they have been above reproach and have clearly demonstrated their integrity. This takes a great amount of courage, respect, caring, and fortitude to stand with grace "for the people and their children's future".

Now then, contrast that with the behaviour of one man whose antics and negative sentiments have been given wide public attention through the media. I'm speaking of Ivan Saber and not in anger about the man but in great sadness. Here is a person who has committed numerous acts of aggression: he drove his skidder through the blockade and endangered the lives of those at the site - this was well reported and is public knowledge not hearsay. But what is not public knowledge is: a) he accused Hollow Water people of stealing his skidder and this was untrue; b) he's deliberately gone down to the sites and provoked the young men there on a number of occasions; c) and most recently, he pepper sprayed and physically attacked one of the young men!

In short, he's a violent man and a saboteur of anything good. And I note this only to underscore the significant differences in responses and not to take revenge on a pitiful man. Enough said about the dark side of this plot.

Back then, to our original story:

Now that the lines of good communication have been opened up with the Ministers, there can now be fruitful dialogue and the building of trust. That may take awhile to forge but forged it shall be with good leaders at the helm. The movement forward may be cautious but it will be respectful. And that, my friends, is a very good start...