Ecuadoran shaman and son return to court May 14

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Community supporters were out in force again March 12 as two Ecuadoran visitors and their Portuguese interpreter appeared before Justice Randy Lalonde in Wikwemikong.

After a brief consultation with Crown representatives Lorraine Ottley and Blaine Armstrong and defense counsel Lloyd Greenspoon, Justice Lalonde put the matter over to May 14.

Juan Uyunkar, his son Edgar Uyunkar and their assistant, Maria Ventura, have been free on bail since Nov. 26 and await trial on charges related to the death of Wikwemikong Elder Jean (Jane) Maiangowi, 71. She died Oct. 19 after participating in a healing ceremony utilizing a potion containing South American plants, tobacco and water.

The father and son team has been charged with criminal negligence causing death, as well as possession and trafficking of a controlled substance. Ventura faces charges of administering a noxious substance and trafficking in a controlled substance.

A legal defence committee continues to solicit funds from First Nations groups across Canada. Meanwhile, the Hispanic Latin Association of Sudbury has announced a fundraising dance to be held April 12 at the Caruso Club in Sudbury. Toronto musicians Cassava have been commissioned to play at the event.

Anne Russell, a member of the Hispanic group's executive, said the organization was moved by the plight of the Ecuadoran visitors to the north.

"They have been here a long time with little contact with home," she said. "Juan hasn't even seen his youngest child yet.

"Usually we fundraise for natural disasters," Russell added. "There is always lots of need for funds. Last year we gave money to the local hospital. We will contribute something to the fund for Juan and Edgar. We do what we can to help."

Although many community members in Wikwemikong have stepped forward to actively support Uyunkar and his son, some dissenting voices are now being heard on Manitoulin Island.

In a letter to the editor of the Manitoulin Expositor, Wikwemikong band member Jean Trudeau writes, "I will be pressing for a full inquiry and/or inquest into the death of Jean Maiangowi once the criminal trial is finished."

Trudeau is calling for the inquiry to know why an analysis wasn't done on the plants before the healing ceremonies started, and why the healing ceremony participants' medical charts weren't reviewed by the Naandwedidaa program manager, the interpreter and the Ecuadorians to prevent any reactions or complications. She also questions why medical personnel weren't present during the ceremony in case complications developed.

Furthermore, Trudeau questions the role the Wikwemikong Health Centre played in inviting the shaman and his helpers to the community. She asks: Do we just bring anyone into the community and "not do a thorough check of the medicines they propose to use? What rules and regulations does the Wikwemikong Health Centre follow when it comes to bringing in outside healers?"

Similar misgivings have been expressed by Wikwemikong observer Ronald J. Rivers. In a published opinion he notes that "the Ecuadorans have made friends since their arrival and have supporters, but it's not all the band members or even most band members and there are band members that do not want to be on either side."

Rivers believes the Ecuadoran medicine men "did come here in good faith looking for positive results in their traditional medicines indigenous to their country, but something went wrong. An investigation was done, charges were laid and now it is in the hands of the court."

Band member Ian Peltier is equally vocal about the issues. He points out that "there is only a small handful of individuals who invited these people into our community." In addition, he said, they "did not consult with any doctors, nurses, support staff, or other program areas. There were no medical personnel present at these healing ceremonies."

Peltier emphasizes that he fully supports the use of traditional medicines in his community; howver, he feels the soliciting of visiting medicine men is disrespectful to Wikwemikong's own resident healers.

Unfortunately, he said, Mrs. Maiangowi's death "was the result of the ingestion of a known, banned substance." He argues that everyone must be subject to the statutes of Canada.

"We are not immune to them because we are Native. What kind of a precedent are we going to set for the world? It is okay for Natives, Indigenous peoples, Aboriginal peoples, etc. to carry around illegal substances? Why not legalize crack, heroin, and other illegal substances while you are at it," he concluded.