Vision of hope inspires Duffield Indian

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Duffield, Alta.

A Duffield Indian has just returned from an international conference held in Japan, where he joined with 2,000 other people to declare the 21st century - "The century of hope".

"I'm hopeful," there'll be changes, said Ed Burnstick, whose children and grandchildren will inherit the future.

"The way things are going worldwide there has to be a change of attitude," he said.

"There's some very sad stories and some very unfortunate circumstances for people in different parts of the world. When you look at things on the world scale, it makes you

wonder where we're going."

Burnstick was in Japan for most of August taking in a number of mini-conferences, which were held as part of the People's Plan for the 21st Century.

"I think it'll take a little time for the people, who have organized it to set a plan of action, to take the next step to deal with the concerns," said Burnstick.

"A lot of the governments aren't concerned about what's going to happen in the future. They're only concerned with what's going on now and how best to use the profits (from

development) for their use," Burnstick said.

As well as dealing with the concerns of Indigenous people, their plan for the future dealt with environmental, agricultural and women's issues.

"It was a tight schedule travelling, talking to people, steering meetings, attending workshops and staying in Japanese homes," he said.

As a board member of the International Indian Treaty Council, Burnstick focused on the week long international indigenous peoples' conference held at Hokkaido, the northern

most Japanese island. It's home to the Ainu, an Aboriginal people conquered by the Japanese in the year 1200.

He was one of 30 delegates from around the world attending that session. Others came from Mexico, the U.S.S.R., Brazil, Malaysia and India.

Burnstick also took part in a conference on peace at Okinawa in southern Japan, a cultural festival at Fukuoka and the general gathering at Minamata, where thousands of

people have been poisoned by the mercury pollution of Chisso corporation. He met some of the victims.

He also participated in a live six hour long national telecast on the environment.

"I didn't know it was going to be live until five minutes after it started," he chuckles. "It caught me offguard."

The International Indian Treaty Council was formed in 1974 in South Dakota to bring Indigenous issues to the attention of the world.

Burnstick is the only Canadian representative on the council.

A number of declarations and resolutions came out of the conference.

"Oppressed people have natural and universal right to criticize, oppose, or prevent the implementation of decisions affecting their lives, no matter where those decisions are

made," says the Minamata declaration.

Delegates to the Indigenous People's Conference approved resolutions calling on the Canadian and U.S. governments to allow Natives to have self-government and to honor

existing agreements and treaties with them.