Is this worth fighting for? Would you?

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   JeanMeriamposted 14 years ago

   I’m Canadian. We have the Indian Act which most of you have probably never heard of. Most of it is discriminatory garbage, but there are some treaty rights in there that aren’t half bad. I adopted my daughter who’s bio mom is Cree and father white. According to Bill C31 of the Indian Act if  my half white daughter marries a man who is not a full First Nations (Native) her children have no treaty rights. According to Section 67 of our Charter of Rights and Freedom, the Indian Act is exempt from our Charter of Rights and Freedom. This means you can’t fight Bill C31 until Section 67 is fought. I thought “I’m going to fight this, the government has no right to choose who my daughter marries” which is what this bill seems to be doing.
   
   Basically these are government bills to eliminate the Indians. Many, many marry white people, Metis people etc. When figured out, there will be no registered Indians in Canada within the next few generations according to what I’ve read. Basically it’s a form of genocide. Like in Braveheart “If we can’t route them out, we’ll breed them out”
   
   It seems straight forward what I should do. But, here’s my dilemma. First Nations women have almost no rights under the First Nations governments either. They have little property rights, little protection etc. So now I am not sure if it is even worth it. The women might be way better off falling under our Charter than under their own government. But the alternative is the loss of land, and treaty rights her family is entitled to.
   
   Sorry if this is long and hard to understand. There’s so much and I am trying to condense it.

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   cosetteposted 14 years ago

   sorry, it is kind of hard to understand but anything is worth fighting for if you want it bad enough. if i have to take on a big challenge like this, i am sure i have all the info i could possibly need to help me. and you're right, she should be able to marry whoever her heart tells her to. good luck. and post more info if possible...

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3. 59

   Ohmaposted 14 years ago

   I understand the problem and agree that no matter which way you choose to go, from your point of view, you seem to lose or rather your daughter does.
   My questions are this
   If your daughter marries a white man in chooses to live as a white women and to raise her children as such. hasn't she chosen to not perpetuate the purity of the Cree line?
   
   If she marries a Cree and chooses to perpetuate the Cree line she would then be entitled to the privlege given to that line right?
   
   Seems to me that it is designed to help maintain the purity of the Cree. Preventing people who can claim to be 1/8 Cree from being given the privilege that full blooded Cree enjoy. I see it as preservation rather than genocide.

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4. 48

   DR.Pumpkinposted 14 years ago

   Love has no color whom ever she or he marries just stand behind him or her and keep loving your child.

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   JeanMeriamposted 14 years ago

   Okay the easiest way I can think of to explain this. My ancestors are Irish. I am 3rd generation Canadian as my great grandfather. Even though I am 3rd generation Canadian I can still go back to Ireland and be a part of my culture and possibly gain citizenship there and I can take my husband with me, no matter who he is.
   
   If she marries a white man her children can not go back to their own people as I could. They are not welcome on the land that was held by their ancestors. They will never have the same rights as the children of a woman who married a native man.
   
   Her bio mom, being Cree, is a landholder on the reserve, my daughter is one of the heirs. If she marries a white or half white man, the land is gone. Me, as a white woman, I own land. No matter who I marry I can pass my land to my children.There is no government telling me I have to marry another white man or they take my land back. If I die my land can go to my children. If she lives on her land and dies, her children are thrown off their land.
   
   To me it is about basic human rights, not lineage.

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   Ohmaposted 14 years ago

   Sounds to me like you are saying that I am resposible for the actions of the Early american settlers who kept slaves because I am of English decent or that I should be resposible for the actions of my German ansestors because there are a lot of them in my tree as well.
   No thanks I am an American plain and simple the land of my forefathers belongs to them and any that chose to stay there. Your daughter has a choice.

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