Thursday, May 09, 2024

Links - 9th May 2024 (2 - Indigenous Peoples)

Law prof fighting for tenure track loses legal battle - "The British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal has determined that the University of British Columbia did not discriminate when it did not grant tenure to an assistant Indigenous law professor or promote her to associate professor.  The assistant professor, Lorna June McCue, said the university has discriminated against her on the basis of “race, colour, ancestry, place of origin, marital status, family status and sex” after the university did not promote her or award her tenure... McCue had received earlier notice from a dean that there was concern about a lack of peer-reviewed publications on her part... McCue argued that “the metrics used to measure her work by UBC were culturally inappropriate” and did not recognize the importance of Indigenous oral traditions.   “She argues that the scholarly activity, teaching, and service she performed at UBC was governed by her choices generated from protected grounds, which required her to ensure that various aspects of her Indigenous scholarly contributions maintained integrity with her Indigenous traditions in order to have credibility and be reputable with both Indigenous and non-Indigenous societies,” it added.   However, the university strongly disagreed, saying they considered her “non-peer-reviewed oral dissemination of knowledge” when making determinations about her suitability for promotion, and they made exceptional efforts to try to help McCue achieve success. They also submitted that there is usually the expectation of five to six peer-reviewed publications by a candidate, but this was not applied as strictly in McCue’s case. “UBC submits that Ms. McCue has failed to prove that her Indigeneity was a negative factor in how the University assessed her or how it applied its criteria to her. They say that to the extent that her Indigeneity was a factor, it resulted in more favourable treatment,” said the ruling.  “UBC points to what they perceive is an argument by Ms. McCue that unknown, non-expert, Indigenous members of her community are her peers and that their general statements of support and endorsement should be granted an equivalency to publication in peer-reviewed journals. They point to evidence from their witnesses that such statements lacked the objectivity, independence and academic rigour of a peer review process,” it added...   Trerise noted that McCue had been cautioned that some peer-reviewed publications were necessary"
When you give in to grievance mongering, you open the way to even more if it

Making Sober Citizens: The Legacy of Indigenous Alcohol Regulation in Canada, 1777-1985 - "From the late eighteenth century on, the British tried to regulate the sale of alcohol to Aboriginal peoples. Once colonial Canadians acquired responsibility for Aboriginal affairs, they promoted assimilation. Aboriginal peoples would become citizens, but they had to demonstrate sobriety first. The 1876 Indian Act entrenched complete prohibition: Indians could drink only after they ceased to be Indians. After the Second World War, most Aboriginal leaders demanded access to alcohol as part of their campaign for equality without assimilation. Many non-Aboriginal Canadians supported these efforts. Some argued on the basis of justice, while others, ironically, claimed that equal access would promote assimilation. In the 1950s, the federal government began to dismantle Aboriginal liquor prohibition, but the government remained committed to assimilation until the 1970s. By the 1980s, court decisions and the Charter of Rights made Aboriginal-specific liquor legislation untenable, and the federal government transferred that responsibility to band councils."
Clearly, it's the government's fault that indigenous people have high rates of alcohol abuse

Environmentalists are trying to keep First Nations down - "First Nations people used to consider NDP MP Charlie Angus an ally, as he has been outspoken on issues of Indigenous poverty and government mismanagement. Canadians do not want to know what many Indigenous people are calling him these days... Angus tabled a private member’s bill, C-372, that is one of the most contemptible pieces of legislation since the introduction of the Indian Act in 1876. Angus’ proposed fossil fuel advertising act would outlaw oil and gas advertising and the “promotion” of fossil fuels, even by some private citizens. If passed, this would be the most egregious attack on civil liberties in recent Canadian history... Through actions like this, Angus and his environmental supporters — like the Sierra Club, Suzuki Foundation, Earthjustice, Greenpeace, 350.org and others — have shown themselves to be no fans of Indigenous peoples. These single-minded environmentalist organizations ignore the interests of First Nations, Metis and Inuit communities, except when they want to impose their will on them.  Angus has thrown his lot in with the wrong people. They are happy to tell us what to do on energy and environmental matters. But they are never around to fix our water issues, health-care problems, housing crises and rampant drug challenges. They clearly want Indigenous people to stay silent and follow their lead. No wonder many Indigenous folk describe environmentalists as the “new missionaries.”  While some of our members share the views of Angus and his ilk, most First Nations people support carefully managed resource and infrastructure development. We need our own resource revenue to break free from our dependence on government and to chart our own futures. Indigenous communities finally have prosperity and independence in sight. People like Charlie Angus may agonize over our hardships, but they are content to maintain the Indian Act-style paternalism that created so much of the pain we endure. They must back off. First Nations, Metis and Inuit folk will not accept being shut up and will not tolerate people trying to tell us how to use our land and our resources. Canada is likely saved by the fact that private member’s bills rarely get passed into law. But a bright light is now shining on a disturbing Canadian reality: even good-hearted social democrats who are happy to present themselves as our allies and friends, like Angus, can harbour deeply paternalistic intentions. Despite endless evidence of the destructive nature of federal policies, state authoritarianism and attempts at thought control, Angus and his environmentalist backers are clearly fellow travellers. Indigenous people fully understand how Canada works. Reliance on government funding leaves us wallowing in state-induced poverty and despair. Economic independence is essential and is now achievable, even with all the constraints that exist on our nations through the Indian Act, the reserve system and the complex laws and regulations that constrain our freedoms. Angus and the others seem comfortable leaving us with this destructive status quo. We will not take it anymore. Properly handled resource development is, for most of our communities, the only realistic way out of the current welfare trap... I trust First Nations, Metis and Inuit to protect our traditional lands much more than I trust governments and environmental groups. The halls of Canada’s Parliament are filled with fine-sounding words about Indigenous peoples, but when push comes to shove, its true colours come through. Angus has offended many Canadians with his attack on free speech, but he has mortified many Indigenous people with his intense paternalism and narrow thinking. His bill even prohibits “a person” from promoting a fossil fuel “in a manner that states or suggests that a fossil fuel or the practices of a producer or of the fossil fuel industry would lead to positive outcomes in relation to … reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.” In other words, it would make it illegal for anyone with a connection to the fossil fuel industry, including First Nations involved in oil and gas development, to discuss the benefits this will bring to Indigenous communities. Know this: we would never do to Angus and his supporters what they desire to do to us. They want to shut us up, fine and jail us for speaking our truth, and for planning our future in a way that respects and protects our lands."

Indigenous Energy Worker Responds to Fossil Fuel Ad. Ban Bill C-372 - "Regarding the recent announcement of Bill C-372, an ill-conceived private members’ bill that aims to ban what is described as “misleading” fossil fuel advertising. Listening to the Member of Parliament speak about their bill was a challenge, as it was very degrading to Indigenous people who support all facets of the oil and natural gas sector...   Interference from initiatives like Bill C-372 or railway blockades, for example, may come from people with good intentions. However, in many instances, those intentions are misplaced and end up doing more harm to Indigenous peoples than good. Such interference slows down projects, wastes valuable time, and frightens investors who want to see Indigenous people prosper while adding to their own returns.  Interference from anti-Canadian resource activists also sets a bigger wedge in the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. It seems every time First Nations get ahead there’s another hurdle to jump. The government says they want to work toward economic reconciliation with Indigenous people. I say prove it...   Most Indigenous people today want to move forward. Opportunities from natural resource projects, including fossil fuels (it's not a bad word), promote employment, support education, and generate revenues that help First Nations uplift their communities out of poverty and better their overall socio-economic standing.   Indigenous culture is strengthened through the support of Indigenous people who are employed in the energy sector, along with healthcare, mental health, language and tradition. Being able to see and read an advertisement regarding fossil fuel projects may encourage Indigenous youth to have hope, to better their current lifestyle, to not do crime or get involved in drugs, and maybe to encourage an Indigenous person to not take their own life because of financial despair. Misinformation is always circulated by anti-oil and natural gas groups, whether that’s from out of country or from within. But, of course, they don’t say anything about foreign oil coming into Canada."

Fossil fuel projects: uOttawa students join protests across Canada at RBC’s on campus calling on the bank to stop funding - "“RBC has spent more than $270 billion financing fossil fuels since 2016, including funding the Coastal Gaslink pipeline which violates the sovereignty of the unceded territory of the Wet’suwet’en nation. RBC is also invested in Palantir, an Israeli surveillance company used in the West Bank,” read the release.  The release reads that RBC’s presence on campus goes against students’ values.  “RBC is profiting off colonialism, continuously funding the Coastal Gaslink pipeline without Wet'suwet'en consent. They say they care about our futures, but they are the biggest funder of fossil fuels in Canada. It’s simply insulting. They should either divest from fossil fuels and Palantir, or leave our campus,” alleges CJC’s spokesperson Alexandra Stratas."
If they leave the campus, they can be excoriated for leaving students - including indigenous ones - unbanked. Great success for grievance mongers (even as many indigenous people want the development)!

Odessa Orlewicz on X - "Racism report: This is what BC, Canada's NDP leftie public schools/radical left Marxist teachers are doing now to create racism, hate & division amongst young once innocent Canadian school children. There was a "Celebration of the Indigenous"...pizza party at school where ONLY the indigenous were allowed to eat pizza. One family had one indigenous son and one non indigenous daughter (same family) so they both attended. She was not allowed pizza. They told this little girl she was not allowed pizza like the other kids as she was the wrong race/skin colour. A bunch of kids came home all screwed up and upset and told their parents. The parents contacted the principal. The mothers are furious and contacted me to ask me to report about this. A p!ssed off mom asked the principal if she could pay for a pizza party for the entire school that included ALL children. The principal initially submitted and said OK. Then she reversed that decision... because PAC said NO. One of the moms will be coming on my show tomorrow to discuss. This is the inversion of what the useful id!iots call "inclusivity." The true agenda is to cause civil war & unrest and the useful id!ots play their parts. One of the children who never had a problem with anyone at school before this "pizza party" scandal came home and said "I hate the...indig....now." School name: Brent Kennedy Elementary in Crescent Valley, West Kootenays. Below is a part of a mothers correspondence with the principal."
Chanel Pfahl 🇨🇦 on X - "School in BC has pizza party for indigenous students only.  Normal non-racist parents step up and decide they will pay for a pizza party for ALL STUDENTS and call it an “inclusive pizza party.”  Principal @MrsKooz77  responds that this will NOT be permitted, because it has “the potential to create division” and make it look like the indigenous pizza day “lacked inclusiveness.”  Wouldn’t want anyone thinking an event that lacked inclusiveness 𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴!"
Anti-racists are the most racist people

B.C. judge warns of 'tsunami' of Indigenous identity fraud cases - "After he was charged with possessing child pornography, Nathan Allen Joseph Legault discovered a figure from his past he hoped might help with his future.  The Prince Rupert, B.C., man — a former Baptist associate pastor — learned that a great-great-grandmother had been Métis, and based on that distant connection he asked for the special consideration Canada's highest court mandates for sentencing Indigenous offenders... Judge David Patterson didn't rule on whether Legault is or is not actually Métis — that's not his job. But in reluctantly ordering a sentence that will see the 30-year-old avoid hard jail time, he warned that courts need to deal with non-Indigenous offenders trying to game the system. "A tsunami is coming; driven by the desire of non-Indigenous people to get what they perceive to be the benefits of identifying as Indigenous," Patterson said as he handed Legault a conditional sentence of two years less a day... Patterson called the problem of "trying to define who is entitled to self-identity as Métis in criminal court" a "quagmire" — quoting extensively from a report on Indigenous identity fraud drawn up for the University of Saskatchewan.  The author of the report, Métis lawyer Jean Teillet, told CBC Patterson is "quite right." "I think the tsunami isn't just coming, I think it's actually here already and it's showing up everywhere across the country in all of our institutions and I think we ignore it at our peril," she said.  Teillet says no one was thinking about identity fraud when the Supreme Court ruled on Gladue in 1999. But times have changed."

Disconnection from Indigenous heritage grounds to reduce man’s sentence, B.C. court rules - "British Columbia’s highest court has reduced the sentence of a man with Indigenous heritage in a precedent-setting appeal.  In the decision posted Tuesday, a three-judge panel at the B.C. Court of Appeal took one year off a five-year sentence on a conviction of aggravated assault for David Johnathan Michael Kehoe, ruling that the trial judge had not adequately considered the defendant’s Métis heritage.  Kehoe, whose mother was Indigenous, was convicted in February 2021 after an unprovoked stabbing that left the victim with life-threatening injuries, according to the ruling...       During Kehoe’s sentencing hearing, Crown prosecutors argued that the Gladue principles should hold little weight, because he was disconnected from his Métis heritage, community and culture.  Kehoe had only recently learned about his Indigenous heritage, prosecutors submitted, arguing his problems were “occasioned by his stepfather’s lifestyle and connection to the drug trade.” However, the appeal court found that Kehoe’s lack of connection to his Indigenous heritage was, itself, a part of the problem. “Disconnection is one of the very harms associated with Canada’s colonial history and assimilationist policies that Gladue seeks to address. The circumstances called on the judge to consider whether and how the appellant’s disconnection played a role in his coming before the court,” the appeal court ruled.  “In the absence of policies specifically designed to disconnect Indigenous people from their communities, cultures and supports, the appellant stood a much better chance of being raised in a stable and functional environment where his heritage was celebrated and where he would develop pro-social and community-oriented values.”"

Meme - ""Rather than transferring the deed to my property to the Lekwungen peoples I will be affixing this custom-made $1,200 granite plaque to my front yard wall where all my neighbors can see it."
"I am a good person and my therapist thought this might help me with some of my anxiety, guilt, and depression issues."
"Yes, I am a white woman. Why are you asking?""
"Acknowledging the traditional territory of the Lekwungen peoples"

eigenrobot on X - "if indigenous ways of Knowing are so good how did peoples who Knew Indigenously always and everywhere end up getting stomped by peoples who Knew Linear Algebra"

Claire Lehmann on X - "The Science dept at Australia's most prestigious university, is now offering a course in "Indigenous Mathematics," in an effort to "decolonise maths." "Numbers and arithmetic and accounting often are of secondary importance in Indigenous mathematics.""
Maths has no borders: Professor Rowena Ball brings Indigenous mathematics to ANU | ANU College of Science

Moriori genocide - Wikipedia - "The Moriori genocide was the mass murder and enslavement of the Moriori people, the indigenous ethnic group of the Chatham Islands, by members of the mainland New Zealand iwi Ngāti Mutunga and Ngāti Tama from 1835 to 1863. The invaders murdered around 300 Moriori and enslaved the remaining population, causing the population to drop from 1,700 in 1835 to only 100 in 1870."
Damn colonialism and white supremacy!

kang on X - "Spent the last 9 months on the story of Elizabeth Hoover, a Berkeley professor who claimed to be Native American but was then outed as white by one of her closest friends. Hoover says it was an innocent mistake from a family story. Was it?"
Daniel Friedman on X - "My favorite bit from this article is the anecdote about the Native scholar who probably grew up in a reservation wearing a three piece suit to his job talk at Brown, and then a white lady pretending to be an Indian showed up covered in beads and they gave the job to her."
i/o on X - "The Washington Post spent nearly a decade haranguing the local NFL team about its name and even stopped printing the name in its paper. During this time it never bothered to ask Native Americans how they felt. Finally, when it did ask them in a survey, about 90% said they had no problem with "Redskins". WaPo ignored them and continued to pressure the team to change its name. (Eventually, of course, it did.)  The hypocrisy staggers: White progressives constantly lecture people about allowing so-called "marginalized" groups to speak "authentically" for themselves without interference from white people, but when they do speak authentically for themselves, or represent themselves authentically, in a manner that contradicts fashionable or sentimental notions about what "authenticity" means, they get ignored or criticized for "internalizing whiteness" or some other nonsense."

Aussies ‘locked out’ of national parks to protect cultural heritage - "A growing number of Australia’s most beautiful natural environments are being closed off to the public for opaque cultural heritage reasons, with one commentator labelling it a “crazy” trend that’s creating “bad vibes” between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities.  In NSW, the four-year closure of Mount Warning in the Northern Rivers region’s Wollumbin National Park has been a long-simmering controversy.  The breathtaking mountain, which once attracted more than 100,000 people a year, was initially closed to the public amid Covid restrictions in 2020 and in 2021, the local Aboriginal owners requested the track be closed permanently.  The Wollumbin Aboriginal Place Management plan stated that the mountain was considered a “men’s site” and that the “sanctity” of Wollumbin Aboriginal Place “may also manifest physically”, making people sick or putting women in “physical danger”... “Mount Warning is one of the biggest reasons people come to NSW,” he said.  “Mount Warning is the most beautiful national park NSW has. Mount Warning is a warning to all of our other national parks. We’ve got to draw a line in the sand here.”  NSW Environment and Heritage Minister Penny Sharpe has indicated she no plans to reopen the mountain, however.  Speaking on his Friday program, Fordham said “if you think this is an isolated case, think again”, as he outlined several similar examples.  In 2019, climbing was banned on Uluru, ending a decades-old tradition for visitors to the Red Centre, in recognition of the rock’s cultural significance to the Anangu people.  Fordham argued that the while “most Australians accepted it” at the time, “it was just the thin edge of the wedge”. “Then it was the Grampians in Victoria, many iconic rock climbing routes were closed to the public in 2020,” he said.  “The shutdown was allegedly to protect rock art, including some art that is invisible to the naked eye — let that sink in. Then they came after the Glass House Mountains in Queensland. Restrictions have been proposed on three summits in that area, including Mount Beerwah.”  And in South Australia’s Flinders Rangers, St Mary Peak, the highest point which “people have been climbing for decades” was also now closed. “Now there are signs requesting visitors stay away from the summit,” Fordham said.  “But wait, there’s more. In Alice Springs, Mount Gillen has been shut, walking tracks have been closed. Are you starting to see what’s happening here? Australians are being locked out of more parts of their own country, and in many cases Indigenous people can’t agree on the reasons why.”  He added: “Make no mistake, we are damaging tourism with this, we’re punishing people who’ve done nothing wrong, and we’re essentially creating bad vibes between Indigenous communities and other communities. I reckon future generations will think we’re crazy.”"
Some animals are more equal than others
Questioning indigenous sexism is racist

Aussies ‘locked out’ of national parks to protect cultural heritage : r/australian - "Well. They are whinging that tourism to Uluru has crashed. Gee....wonder why."
Aussies ‘locked out’ of national parks to protect cultural heritage : r/australian - "When the tourism income dries up then they will cry about how the indigenous community is disadvantaged and doing it tough. Then it will be white Australian’s fault… 🙄"
"Yep. Apparently tourism at Uluru has crashed. And Kakadu is decreased too. Gee....wonder why"
Naturally there were left wingers complaining about racism. Because restricting access to national parks by race is totally not racist, but pointing out this racism is

University of Auckland student shuts down segregation allegations levelled by Act Party - "A University of Auckland student is hitting back at claims by the Act party that designated spaces for Māori and Pasifika are racist, claiming they are vital for their wellbeing.  Photos show a sign outside a study area in the central Auckland campus saying: “This is a designated area for Māori and Pasifika students”.  The coalition Government party said the signs were reminiscent of an “ugly past” that New Zealand has left behind. The tertiary education spokesperson is investigating whether other universities have the same areas and attempting to shut them down. University of Auckland law student Shakeel Shamaail, of Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kurī and Taranaki descent, was outraged at the Act Party’s position, saying the spaces are vital for wellbeing and counter discrimination they face daily.  The spaces for Māori and Pasifika are a long-standing tradition at the University of Auckland and were championed by writer Ranginui Walker and politicians Hone Harawira and Efeso Collins.  Shamaail said Māori and Pasifika students deserve exclusive spaces and it is a long-standing tradition. The spaces create “balance in what would otherwise be an imbalanced university scene”. Māori and Pasifika students on campus are willing to go to “great lengths” to fight for their spaces and community on campus, he said.  “At no point are we ever going to give up on this fight and pretend like the discrimination we are up against is alright,” Shamaail said. “It’s spaces like these which we can call our tūrangawaewae, to see these spaces which some of us consider wāhi tapu because that’s all we got to come under immense scrutiny discrimination against simply because those are spaces are for our people.”... Deputy Prime Minister and New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters said the university’s actions were comparable to alt-right racist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan.  “It is phenomenal that we not only would accept this as New Zealanders, but that some people have not learnt the lessons of our world’s history of horrors with this type of thinking,” Peters said."
Basically segregation is good and not segregation or discrimination when non-white people do it
So much for 'white fragility'

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