In part one of my critique of the book 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann, I noted how Mann’s writing was influenced by a political agenda common in Native Studies — one that denies the developmental gap that existed between aboriginal and European societies before contact. More advocate than […]
According to the most recent Census, the “census metropolitan area” of Winnipeg “had the largest Aboriginal population of any city in Canada in 2006” at 68,380 people. (Rounding out the top 3 cities are Edmonton at 52,100, and Vancouver at 40,310.) That works out to 10 per cent of Winnipeg’s population. And a good chunk […]
A new voice has entered the fray in the mediaINDIGENA-hosted debate over theoretical understandings and practical implications of culture — in particular, the contentious idea that cultures can and ought to be compared and evaluated against one another. Here, the intellectual and political dispute centers around federal policy regarding First Nations in Canada, a debate that’s […]
Some recent tweets by RezSuperstar and YorkAboriginalU have alerted me to a disturbing, decade-long trend in federal support for First Nations students. According to the Chiefs of Ontario‘s Summer 2009 newsletter, an internal Indian and Northern Affairs Canada audit published last spring January reveals a less-than-rosy picture regarding the number of Status Indians attending post-secondary […]
Remember when I said that, beginning Sept. 1, the province of Ontario was going to be honouring point-of-sale tax exemptions for its (8%) portion of the 13% Harmonized Sales Tax (HST)? Well, it seems some retailers didn’t get the message. While shopping today, I flashed my trusty Secure Certificate of Indian Status at both Walmart […]
