October 22nd

Book Review: 21 Things you may not know about the Indian Act

“Burn Sage, Sweet Grass & the Indian Act.” I bought a plain black t-shirt with that quote in white letters to wear to MC Canada’s Gathering in Kitchener this past July. I bought it from the same company, Rez Life,  as I bought my “Ask Creator” t-shirt. I wanted to make an Indigenous justice statement and judging by comments there, I did that.

Fast forward to back-in-Calgary. I wore my Burn Sage shirt to Foothills Mennonite Church one Sunday. It got no comments. Oh well…perhaps no one saw it under my cardigan. I kept it on that afternoon and while chatting with some neighbours, one said, “I’ve been looking at your shirt. I don’t understand what that means.”  I was caught off guard and stumbled around saying something about the awfulness of the Indian Act. When I went back into my own apartment, I berated myself for not have a well thought through immediate answer. “If you’re going to wear that shirt, you should at least be prepared!”

And so, when offered a free ticket to hear Bob Joseph, the author of 21 Things You may not know about the Indian Act speak about his new book 21 Things you need to know about Indigenous Self-Government, I jumped at the chance. Surely there I’d find my “quick and accurate” response to comments about my t-shirt.

And I did, sort of. While he was speaking, I typed “The Indian Act is everything about us without us while self-government is everything about us, with us.”  And then, I bought both of his books.

I’ve read quite a bit about Indigenous history in Canada and so I’m always surprised that there is still so much to learn. But reading 21 Things You May not Know about the Indian Act still taught me Things.

I knew that Indigenous women used to lose their legal status when they married non-Indigenous men but I did NOT know that this was not changed until 1985.

I knew that some Indigenous people have European surnames. I assumed that this was because somewhere in their lineage, someone had married a man with that name. I did NOT know that Indian agents renamed people at will. Bob Joseph said in his lecture that he had met other Josephs.  “We’re not related but we may have had the same Indian Agent.”

I knew that potlatches and powwows were illegal until 1951. Illegal for 71 years!! I did NOT know that Duncan Campbell Scott, Deputy Superintendent General of Indian Affairs, 1921, wrote “It has always been clear to me that the Indians must have some sort of recreation, and if our agents would endeavour to substitute reasonable amusements for this senseless drumming and dancing, it would be a great assistance.”  WOW — I love powwow. I love dancing and drumming. Senseless??? How dare he!

A story is told in this book of a potlatch in Alert Bay, British Columbia, that was raided. Forty-five people were arrested and 22 were charged. In addition the community lost hundreds of priceless ceremonial items which over time were dispersed to collectors and museums around the world. Is that how Blackfoot Chief Crowfoot’s regalia got to a museum in the UK? This regalia was repatriated. Watch here.  

I knew bits and pieces of how the Indian Act subjugated Indigenous people in Canada. I did NOT know that it wasn’t originally meant to be this way. Perhaps I’d read this but I needed the reminder that the Royal Proclamation of 1763 recognized the First Nations as owners of the lands that the Europeans were using and occupying and that it set out rights and used the terminology of nation-to-nation.  But this Proclamation was circumvented by subsequent legislation including the Bagot Report of 1844 which laid the foundation for the Indian Act.

If you, like me, are on a mission to educate yourself, and if you, like me, can’t give a clear answer about the Indian Act, pick up a copy of this book.

Now on to book two: 21 Things You Need to Know about Indigenous Self-Government (Bob Joseph).

Addendum: 

A few questions: Why should this matter to us, Mennonite Christians who are part of Mennonite Church Alberta? Have that conversation with any of the MCA Indigenous Relations Working Group.