Channeling the Warrior Spirit

Chase King says the principle that guides him is simple. “Pretty much all Anishinaabeg people are tough and have a warrior spirit within,” he says from his home in Barrie, Ontario. “This spirit helps me to focus on my training and fight with intelligence, but most of all, with respect.” Originally from the community of […]

POLL: How should a BC Legion atone for publishing a joke about ‘beer-baiting’ and hunting Indigenous people to their death?

A Legion based out of Cranbrook BC is at the center of a storm over a racist joke printed in its August 2012 newsletter. The joke’s premise features non-native hunters from two different Prairie provinces discussing whether it’s okay to pick off Indians with a rifle. After the one shows the other how it’s done […]

Shameless scapegoating: A catty critique of how Canadian media cover Indigenous people

Yesterday marked the United Nations’ International Day of Indigenous Peoples. This year’s theme for the Day: “Empowering Indigenous Voices.” As the UN noted, the aim was “to highlight the importance of challenging stereotypes, forging Indigenous peoples’ identities, communicating with the outside world, and influencing the social and political agenda.” And while we should take this […]

A new Assembly of First Nations for the people? Second thoughts on a ‘One Indian, One Vote’ AFN

Last month’s election for the Assembly of First Nations’ National Chief has once again stirred calls for change. On election eve, for example, fellow MEDIA INDIGENA contributor Waubgeshig Rice published an op-ed on CBC.ca entitled, “How to make the AFN more relevant.” Then, in the midst of the election, author Richard Wagamese wrote an opinion […]