Splinter groups queried

EDITORIAL

Page 6

When you can't get your way with an organization, why not form another one? That seems to be the only way. Sometimes I wonder just how many societies are registered in Alberta, because members and leaders of these groups can't come to terms regarding their in-house problems.

Recently the Native Council of Canada (Alberta) found itself faced with a number of its members, which included board members, forming a new organization right after a special meeting, who now call themselves the New Status Indian Council of Alberta (NSICA).

When will it stop? When will we as Narive people stop demanding that our leaders resign because the books are all wrong or because nothing is being done for the people they are supposed to represent. Let's form another society, everybody!

Why can't these differences be worked out?

I don't think it is wrong to start up an organization but so many are begun because people don't try hard enough to rectify their differences.

If this wave of forming societies continues, we will have something like six million Native societies speaking on behalf of us as Native people in Alberta alone, something I am sure the government don't mind at all. If we continue to split into splinter groups, as

it seems we do quite well, then why should they? Why on earth would they want to negotiate with a united people in Canada? They must surely know it would be a formidable force they would then have to deal with.

Why can't our Native leaders try, and try real hard, to work out some sort of solution that everyone can be happy with?

Possibly, the cry is, how can you deal with Native leaders who are not honest or sincere? But who is to say they are not honest? Who is to say that maybe mistakes are made because we are not working together? I think the day is gone where dishonest people in leadership roles can - and it's a big can - control funding and organizational monies for their personal benefit.

Native people have learned from past mistakes. We will not, or at least should not, tolerate this anymore.

Maybe what we need is a go-between person to be available to all meetings just so when people get mad, they don't walk out, but try to settle the problem.We all know there is no problem big enough that it can't be worked out. Compromises could be worked out if we would only get rid of the anger and frustration that seems to simply grow between ourselves.

I know trust is a big word, but we have to start trusting each other as a Native body, together. It's getting to where I really don't know which Native organization I belong to anymore.

Somewhere I know there is a government agent smiling at me as he reads this saying, "Good."