Benefit held for Lubicon, hundreds rally for cause

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Hundreds of people crowded into Calgary's Jubilee auditorium Oct. 23 in support of the Lubicon Lake Indian band and their 47-year-old land claim against the federal government.

The concert featured Indian singer Buffy Sainte-Marie who told the audience that the band's boycott of the Calgary 1988 Winter Olympics is just and should receive the support of Calgarians.

However, before Sainte-Marie began her act, Lubicon Chief Bernard Ominiyak walked onto the stage to spontaneous applause. He thanked the audience for their interest in his cause and for taking the time to attend the concert.

Ominiyak spoke of the solidarity of his band and his boycott of the Winter Games. However, a Calgary Herald cartoon drew his scorn.

"I have to say something about the cartoon that appeared today," he told the audience. "We are often ridiculed but we stand strong in our beliefs."

The cartoon in question featured a four-panel story which indicated that the Lubicon band was being manipulated by "white consultants".

However, that was put aside as Sainte-Marie took the stage and gave a beautiful rendition of "I wish I was in Saskatchewan."

Between songs, Sainte-Marie told the audience of her strong beliefs and said the boycott is necessary as it is one of the few avenues open to the improverished band.

"I like the Olympics and think they should be kept pure of all political content," she said. "But I feel it (the boycott) is fair."

"We are not holding you hostage," she said responding to Calgary mayor Ralph Klein's allegations that the city was being unfairly targetted by the Lubicons and their supporters.

"We don't have a gun to your head. We are not threatening to commit genocide in your community," she added.

In a press conference two days prior to the concert Sainte-Marie said she had been briefed on some of the finer points of the Lubicon situation, but there plight was not unfamiliar to her.

"I travel all over the world and I see similar situations," she said. "You see this type of exploitation happening in Africa, Australia, South America and the United States.

Sainte-Marie says she is also disturbed by the government's apparent apathy over the tuberculosis outbreak in Little Buffalo.

"Nothing is really being done. They send a nurse out there a few times a week," she said questioning that would be done if 91 cases of the disease had been reported in Calgary.

"It may sound corny, but you have to sit down and write a letter to the prime minister or your premier," she advised.

Sainte-Marie gave the example of the Hopi and the Navajo of northern Arizona who, in an attempt to stop destruction of their land by coal mining, began a massive letter writing campaign.

"Enough people sat down and wrote letters that the exploitation of the area stopped," she said.

Sainte-Marie also criticized the Glenbow Museum's Spirit Sings exhibition which features Native exhibits and sacred artifacts.

"A museum must be more than just a collection of dead things," she said. "Native people are an endangered species. You can't just keep one and put him in a museum," she said adding that the museum is passing up an opportunity to actually help the small Cree band.

After the concert members of Calgary's Committee Against Racism (CAR) sold posters and pins, the proceeds will be donated to the Lubicon band.