Chippewan Elders work to promote awareness

Page 11

For the past 10 years Sue and Harvey Anderson have been using their own unique style to maintain Native culture in Canada.

The retired couple, Elders of the Rama Reserve in southern Ontario, have been involved in promoting Chippewan culture within their community and promoting awareness to Native culture outside Rama.

Their work has not gone without notice. They are being profiled in a segment of the new CBC production 50 UP dealing with grandparents and Elders and the role they plan in communities.

In May the Andersons received the Ontario Historical Society's Canochan Award for 1992. Presented annually, the award is given to individuals who make outstanding contributions to the undertaking of Ontario's history and heritage.

The Andersons are using their time to preserve the Native fishing weirs at the Atherley Narrows. They're also working to preserve local Native burial sites and artifacts being dug up without official permission.

Recently, the couple was honored at a gathering in Toronto, held to celebrate the formation of the first-ever Metropolitan Toronto Aboriginal Peacekeeping Unit.

Helping to strengthen the bond between the Native community and police agencies across the province has been one of their many ongoing projects. Harvey Anderson points out with pride to the two Chippewas of Rama First Nations police officers who serve the community. Both are Ontario Provincial Police officers, held in high regard other community members.

"The young people here look up to the officers. They're seen as role models in the community," he said.

Some of the problems associated with Native communities are almost non-existent in Rema, said Anderson.

"The drug and alcohol problems have all but disappeared here. More and more people are taking pride in their community and are doing things to improve their way of life."

Educating police officers in the Native culture and way of life has been one of the aims of the work undertaken the couple. Last year they were involved in a pilot project with the Ontario Provincial Police which provided Native awareness training to cadets, front line officers and commissioners. The Ontario police have accepted traditional Native ceremonies as part of the annual graduation ceremonies at the Ontario Police Academy in Brampton.

In the past five years, Harvey Anderson said he has noticed a major change in the attitudes of people and their interest in Native culture.

"Gatherings we go to, particularly senior events, they lap it up. They're interested in what we have to say...It's history from our view point, not the information that's in history books, because a lot of that is incomplete."