Iconoclast Media

When Canadians hear the term “genocide” they commonly think of the Jewish Holocaust during World War Two or the Rwandan genocide of 1994. In fact, these are very significant events, they did happen, and it was genocide. What is not commonly attributed to genocide is the historical reality of Aboriginal Nations on this continent. What is also not commonly known is exactly what genocide is. The term was coined in 1944 by Raphael Lemkin in his book “Axis Rule in Occupied Europe”.  In 1948 the UN adopted the legal term in the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. There it read the following:

…any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:
(a) Killing members of the group;
(b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
(c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated      to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part
(d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
(e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.

Note that genocide is not synonymous with mass killing nor does it have to be done by a specific mode of killing i.e., Gas Chambers, or gunning down people.

All of the above has happened to almost every Aboriginal Nation on this continent. (E) is the most obvious as of late. Considerable attention has been paid to Indian Residential Schools, although, rarely with the association of genocide. Mostly the Canadian government and churches have framed the issue as one of “sexual and physical abuse”. This is obviously done to downplay and actually deny what happened in addition to “sexual and physical abuse” to protect themselves from international embarrassment, concessions, retribution and punishment. Actually Canada does not recognize the definition above as genocide. When they adopted the convention they conveniently felt out (B) (D) and (E); this has never been changed.

We believe that life here in occupied Canada will never be right until the government of Canada makes things right with the Indigenous peoples of this land and steps aside to let them govern themselves. The culture you are a part of is sick; because underneath the appearances our everyday lives we are all suffering white and corporate guilt. We are a population of immigrants, but we followed settlers, who were apart of colonization, and the other nations which took this land are still a colonial force unlawfully occupying and ruling over this land and its original occupants. This process stripped Aboriginal people of their basic human rights. The current government is trying to put a lid on accusations that they, along with the churches of Canada, are guilty of genocide. Currently the Canadian government is trying to hide the facts and discussion of genocide in Canada and have a created misleading and corrupt commission into Residential Schools called the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). To kind out more about the Canadian Genocides check out  Hiddenfromhistory.org

Over 517 years have past since European merchants and settlers made substantial contact with Native Peoples of the Americas . Over the last 517 years 95-98 percent of Native Peoples have been eradicated either by being killed directly, starved, contaminated by foreign disease and the like. It is estimated, conservatively, that there were 15 million Native Peoples living north of the original Mexican border, before settlers came; there are now a few million Native Peoples living on this continent.  The effects of contact have been devastating to Native culture, prosperity, self-determination and human rights.
All along this path in history Native Peoples have experienced genocide in all of its ugly forms. Much of these crimes are not known to the benefitting settler society. This is due to official distortion of history, racist settler mentality, and out right denial of facts. This is the context in which everyone in North America finds themselves today. That being said, there has been a prolific amount of resistance to colonization and there still is!
The purpose of this article is to present alternative perspectives (more accurate ones) and a contextualization of the historical and contemporary world of North America - to reveal the proper framing of reality. This will hopefully allow for discussions to become more productive, sensitive and informed.
The main problems that are present when most people talk about Aboriginals and Aboriginal issues arise from the fact that a humble understanding of historical context is missing for them. Many people have a distorted understanding of Native history. Many cannot come to grips with Native issues on their own and they do not have sufficient education from their upbringing to do so. This may be due the fact that most people experience disinformation, racism, colonial attitudes, and have a lack of knowledge of the basic facts about Aboriginal issues.
Here is your re-education about your context on this continent:
One of the best ways to understand and think about Aboriginal issues is to apply the same attitudes and concepts that are commonly applied to Aboriginals as if it were applied to you and that you were in their shoes, in their historical setting. This is not often done, which leads to racist comments, incorrect framing of issues and unethical opinions; this we obviously do not want.
Let me now, more or less, correct the ways in which Aboriginal topics are approached in peoples’ minds so that we can speak of these sensitive issues with more genuine concern, correctness and intelligence. The following is in no particular order. I am simply drawing on opinions and comments I have heard during my life from all different types of people and medias. I am attempting to provide an insight into how perspectives about Aboriginal issues can be improved – to be correct.
First, Aboriginal Peoples inhabited this whole continent before settlers arrived. It simply was not empty, although this is constantly the way it is talked about. It is factually incorrect to suggest that it was empty in any sense. It also follows that anything done to this continent or its inhabitants that was harmful, was done to the detriment of Aboriginals .
In all of the Americas (South, Central, and North) there were approximately 500 Nations.
When the term “Nation” is used it is meant in the literal sense. Nation basically means a self identified social or cultural group - the same as Canadian, German, Spanish, etc. However, historically there were no ‘nation-states’ in North America, but they were still by definition nations, like “Canadian” or any other nation. So, imagine looking at the map of the Americas and seeing 500 distinct nations linked to territory spread out over all of it.  That is the way it was before contact and is certainly not how it is now, as you know.
Second, Harold Johnson, in his book called Two Families, explains that originally, Native tribes in North America at times accepted that settlers were here and that they, like all people, need land, resources and safety to live. Some Aboriginals nations granted the ability for settlers to stay on this continent. Granted is a key term because it was their continent and they were its occupants and caretakers. In a sense they were the authorities and they allowed people to stay here by written Treaty and Wampum Belt. It was their decision because it was their continent. And still is. Notice how I am using past tense, stating that it was their continent. I mention this because after a while the settler-governments and society started to act like it was their own continent and that they assumed that different Aboriginal Nations were under their control. Are you seeing how this is all backwards? It is still their continent! Aboriginal Nations have never given their right of self-government up. There are millions of guests upon this continent and the only legitimate reason for being here is that they were allowed and that agreement was completely destroyed, and in its place these newcomers nations became bullies, conquers, murders, etc. Nothing from then has changed. Today the Canadian government still views Aboriginal Nations as wards of our state without the consent of any Aboriginal Nation, ever!
Although current North America does not function under Aboriginal authority it still is legitimately theirs. This is because it was not surrendered. Therefore there is no legal claim to much of the North American continent by the settler governments.
I will now address the topic of racism and the ways in which a colonial mentality permeates settler society. I will also respond to some comments I have personally heard that arise from this mentality in an attempt to correct these harmful viewpoints.
The following may be offensive to the reader, and for good reason. Nonetheless these comments have to be addressed because some people do hold them and if we are to transcend racism and prejudice we must work with the perspectives and views that exist in contemporary settler society.
i)  “Natives do not use land and property properly”
When settlers and merchants first came to this continent they suggested that Natives did not know what wealth they were sitting on. They also suggested that they did not know how to use the environment around them. Essentially it was looked down upon to not dominate the earth. This is all too ironic now for as you know settler-society are destroying the natural environment around them which is becoming a larger and larger threat to the existence of the human race. Compare this to the essentially harmonious existence many Native Nations had with the natural world (although settler academics have tried to distort this reality).
So, when people today suggest that Natives do not know how to use land and property it is inappropriate and historically racist. These ideas were used to legitimize expropriating land from Native nations.
Furthermore, it does not matter what settler-society thinks of what Native People do with their property or land. IT IS THEIRS TO DO WITH IT WHAT THEY LIKE. A simple “mind your own business” may be appropriate here.

ii) “Native People should contribute to our society more for all they do is take”
This is an extremely odd proposition. People often complain about taxes going to people who do not “deserve” it, or that it is a “waste of money”. This is strange for two reasons: for one, it lacks class-consciousness, two, it can also be absurd in a Native context. I will leave the former for another time.  To say that Native People sponge off of the tax system or settler-societies’ wealth is ridiculous because the wealth that settler-society has is from the theft of the indigenous population. This is occupied America! You are most likely on occupied land that was never ceded. Settler societies’ natural resources, which has been the foundation in which the settler-economy was founded on from the beginning of contact to today, are rightfully owned, in large part by the Native population according to location. Although it is assumed by many that it is no longer theirs for colonialism says so and that system must remain.
iii) “Native Peoples have not assimilated properly”
This is of the worst ones. It is hard to know where to begin with this one. It is extremely racist for implies that the settler societies’ value system, culture, religion et cetera are better than the indigenous populations’. It can generally be related to a “Master Race” mentality where one “race” or nation is inherently better than another. This leads to a justification of all sorts of crimes to the oppressed nation who is subjected to the imposition of the oppressing “master” nation/“race”. Also keep in mind that this oppression is called colonialism, or in the case of North America specifically, internal colonialism. Also keep in mind that colonialism is inherently genocidal; wherever there is colonialism there is genocide.
Second, why should they? The white societies are different from their own traditional communities, and many Natives experience discrimination, hate, violence and racism. And remember, until recently many Native Nations were confined to concentration camps (reservations) where they, by law, could not leave.
iv) “What happened to Native People was bad, but it was not genocide”
There are those who do not understand the term genocide, and there are those who for one reason or another distort the historical reality of what was done to many Aboriginal Nations and what it is called.
Holocaust denial is extremely damaging to people who survived it, the following generations and to others throughout the world who have suffered the same.
Prime minister Stephen Harper gave an “apology” for the experience Aboriginals went through in residential schools in June 2008 to the Canadian parliament. He even admitted that children were forcibly taken from their homes to residential schools. However this residential issue was not labeled for what it truly was: genocide (by definition). This way no one gets tried for the crime of genocide in Canada, the false (holocaust denying) description of history continues, Canada maintains a respectable reputation and Native People are denied justice.
There are many more racist beliefs held by members of settler society in North America. I cannot go through all of them but I will end this article with a further comment.
I find that a large amount of people in North America are unable to consciously identify who are the true oppressors in society. For example, workers often are not conscious about their objective role and place in society. The often do not realize what the root elements of oppression are that is upon them. They do not realize that bosses, management, bankers, CEO’s, corporations themselves et cetera are systematically oppressing them. Instead people often fight amongst themselves and not their common enemy.
When people make racist comments they are coming from a standpoint that is not conscious of whom the oppressor is in a given situation. For example, settler governments (colonial governments) are an oppressive force on indigenous populations. Often settler society supports this oppression expressed through racists comments and beliefs that justifies the oppression of the subjugated indigenous population. They also complain or counter demonstrate against natives when they stand up.  Others often play the ‘silent by standard’ removing themselves from involvement, in effect doing nothing to challenge the status quo. This is obviously immoral. Settler society should understand that their government is STILL oppressive to the indigenous population and that that population is a victim of the colonial presence it is forced to deal with. All people therefore should be sympathetic and even stand up for the victim, not the oppressor. This follows basic morality.

There is a place about an hour or so to the northwest of London known as Ipperwash.  Some astute readers may remember this as the name of the place where Dudley George was shot, but Dudley George is a topic which will be reserved for another place and time.  Instead of focusing on the blockade point near the entrance to the former provincial park, I’m going to draw your attention to the reclaimed military base at the south edge of the Ipperwash area.  I mention this because if you drive by the old military base along highway 21, what you’ll see about halfway through the base’s territory is a shed with some spray painted words which read: “Canada, where were you in 1812?”

When doing a search on the Internet to find a picture of this poignant question, I noticed that the only people to reference this memorable sight were confused as to what it means.  It is my hope that you will understand why the Stoney Point band asks Canadians this question by the time you’ve finished reading.

To begin, let us move to another area about 1 hour southwest of London along Longwoods Road in between modern day Thamesville and Moraviantown.  It was somewhere along the Thames River in this vicinity where our story will end with the death of one of the greatest leaders of Native People in all of North America. Canadians and Americans may know of him as Tecumseh. In his own language and according to his own customs, he was called Tecumtha or Tekamthi.

Tecumseh (as we will call him) was born near the modern day town of Xenia in Ohio which is a little less than 500km south of the point between Thamesville and Moraviantown where he was killed.  Having been born as a Shawnee in the Ohio valley in latter half of the 18th century, Tecumseh was born at the edge of a metaphorical bayonet.  Both his father and brother had been killed by the ever raucous Kentucky and Tennessee crowd who had made it their life’s work to harass the Natives, Canadiens, and British to their north and west.

The goal of all of this killing, harassment and land seizure was to push what would one day become known as “Manifest Destiny.”  To put it plainly, Manifest Destiny was the idea that all of North America must be conquered and pacified for the recently created United States which at the time resided on the Eastern Seaboard of North America.

When the aims of the recently formed American state are worded like this, the American theatre of the war of 1812 produced one clear victor, two status quo participants and a loser.  The outright winners of this conflict were the Americans.  This is because they had successfully fought off several halfhearted British counterattacks, and broken the back of the Native resistance to their west.

As far as the status quo goes, The British, their settlers, and the Canadiens had all managed to hold their own and stubbornly refuse the foolishly orchestrated American drive into their territory.  In some senses, the Canadiens and the British Settlers (later to be known as the Canadians) gained more in this conflict than their colonial administrators (the British).  This is because their contribution to the war of 1812 had secured the necessities for a future state (modern day Canada), which would gain semi-autonomy from both the Americans and British.

Having outlined the clear winners and status quo, we now come to the only remaining faction, the Natives.  The sad truth of the matter is that the Natives clearly lost in the war of 1812, in spite of the fact that they had fought with a tenacity and valiance which was unparalleled by any of the other participants.  In some ways, the courage that the Natives had displayed reflected their precarious situation.  Failure to secure victory in their war on the western American settlers would surely result in their total annihilation.

Tecumseh displayed a profound understanding of the place in which he found himself and used that understanding to persuade other Native tribes to rally behind him and the cause of a common Native territory held by all and owned by none.  In the years prior to the beginning of Tecumseh’s war on the American westward expansion and occupation of their territories, Tecumseh had been riding up and down the western extremities of American held territory seeking to recruit the Native tribes still left standing after the initial onslaught of European colonisation.  On one particular occasion while speaking to people from the southern Native tribes, Tecumseh made the situation which faced the Native People very plain:

“Where today are the Pequot?  Where are the Narragansett, the Mohican, the Pokanoket, and many other once powerful tribes of our people?  They have vanished before the avarice and the oppression of the White Man, as snow before a summer sun.  Will we let ourselves be destroyed in our turn without a struggle, give up our homes, our country bequeathed to us by the Great Spirit, the graves of our dead and everything that is dear to us?  I know you will cry with me, NEVER NEVER!”

Tecumseh would eventually repeat this theme in his words to the northern Native people as well when he said:

“The whites have driven us from the sea to the lakes. We can go no further… unless every tribe unanimously combines to give a check to the ambition and avarice of the whites they will soon conquer us apart and disunited and we will be driven from our native country and scattered as autumn leaves before the wind.”

It was Tecumseh’s forceful oratorical skills that moved many warriors to stand up in defiance of the encroaching American hoardes.  When the rulers of the American western colonies heard Tecumseh speak, they took note of the way in which he moved his audiences.  His ability to rouse was greatly feared and with good reason.  The ideas in Tecumseh’s head (a resurrected version of Pontiac’s plan to rid the continent of the British) were to push back against the Americans who were pushing into their lands and retake what was once theirs.  Not only was this plan in direct conflict with the imperial aims of the new American state, but it was also a direct assault on the notion of private property.  In no uncertain terms, Tecumseh’s aims were to enforce a communal ownership of Native lands where no one person or tribe directly owned the land.

When boiled down to it’s essence, this is the central theme which the Natives fought for in both Tecumseh’s War and the War of 1812 (which is what Tecumseh’s war eventually morphed into).  When looking over the ideas of the leaders of the American state to the east of Tecumseh, it is clear that their goal was the exact opposite of Tecumseh’s.  The Native people were to accept private property and become like Europeans.  Those who did not accept this needed to be removed from the continent, as they did not fit into the agenda of the newly forming American state.

As time went by, Tecumseh eventually assembled enough forces together to begin skirmishing with the American settlers.  Eventually his back and forth warring with the settlers took a fateful turn when Americans declared war on the British, and their settlers to the north.  This presented both the British and the Natives with common cause and eventually lead to them linking up in a common struggle against the imperial aims of the American state.  This new found common cause with the British eventually lead to Tecumseh bringing whatever forces he could muster to the northern reaches of the American state and into British territory.  It was here where Tecumseh’s valiance stood on display and struck fear into the hearts of the American foe.  It was here where Tecumseh would earn a favourable reputation amongst the British controlled people and the reason is simple.  If it were not for the bold actions of Tecumseh and his warriors, it is very likely that upper and upper Canada would have fallen to the American onslaught.

Indeed, on the day that Tecumseh fell, he was fighting on territory which had been understood to be British for quite some time.  What’s worse, from the accounts we have of the situation under which Tecumseh was killed, it would appear as though he died fighting while the cowardly British general Procter retreated northeast to the Niagara region.

It is with this in mind that we come back to the question which was quoted at the beginning of this article.

“Canada, where were you in 1812?”

Yes, it is true. The institutions that founded Canada did commit (and continue to silence survivors of) planned mass murder. The events occurred at Indian hospitals and residential schools across Canada for many decades. Documentation of dozens of mass graves has begun and survivors and eyewitnesses have been interviewed on camera and in print.

No, the government is not solely responsible as the Churches state it was.

No, this was not just physical and sexual abuse.

No, these were not just isolated incidents.

Yes, these were crimes that should be tried in a criminal court.

Yes, this was a genocide.
How can we make sense of this so we can help? We must give credit to the First Nations people who endured these hardships and were silenced for so many years and allow them to speak.
Imagine you are a mother with a small girl of 5 years old. A man comes to your door and tells you that it is time, and takes your child forcefully away from you for months or years at a time. She will not see her older brother who has already been there for one year.
Imagine you are that small child and when you speak the only language you know you are smacked with a cane across the hand. At night you are brought to a room and treated like a sex toy. You witness a nun severely beating your friend until she is bleeding. You can’t see your brother and do not know he is even there. Your hair has been cut and you are no longer called your own name.
Imagine you are the mother again and you see your children the following year. Their hair is cut short and they look different. They have grown taller and don’t remember the language you speak. They remember you but something is missing and the silence begins.
We must acknowledge our own role as Canadians, which is to understand the context and how to act appropriately based on this revelation because it is new to us, but not to Native people. Denying the truth of their experiences in Residential Schools and Indian hospitals will not help these people to heal or give them anything resembling ‘justice’. It might be hard for us to believe that the institutions we have been taught to trust were not only out to Christianize the Indian, but to do much worse. These institutions, namely the United and Catholic Churches, are still getting away with the crimes they committed by using clever language and spin.  It is up to the rest of Canada to educate ourselves and demand justice and fair treatment for these survivors.

Canadian Indian Hospitals = German Holocaust Hospitals
At the very same time the very same type of cruel experiments that were being inflicted upon concentration camp prisoners of WW2 were going on here in Indian Hospitals in dozens of locations all over Canada, which continued into the 1980s. In 1999 the government of Canada sealed all its records about the Indian hospitals, which are now not available to the public. Survivors have given testimony about children being killed in an electric chair, and babies who were burned, alive, in furnace ovens. Doctors were paid to sterilize Native women who lived on reserves in the hundreds and the thousands. Children and adults were given diseases and experimented on like rats. Many of them died, and are buried in mass graves on these sites, but some survived to tell the story.

For documentaries, books and information please see http://www.hiddenfromhistory.org/

A new feature film about this subject: http://www.olderthanamerica.com/