Was it a good year to be Native?

Page 4

So 1999 and the 20th century come to a close.

We could be negative and say, "Good riddance!" This century has been marked by some of the most horrific events in the history of mankind. A non-Native reader would think, upon reading those words, of the two World Wars, the Nazi holocaust and events of that type. Of course, the North American Indigenous holocaust was in previous centuries, although some would say it hasn't ended yet.

When you think about it, this century has seen a steady, if not rapid, succession of positive developments in Indian Country. Most of them have come despite the professed good intentions of settler governments, and 1999 was no exception.

It was in this century that the prohibition of sacred traditional ceremonies was finally expunged from the law books; it was during this century that the Indian Act section that forbade Native people from hiring lawyers to pursue their human rights and legal rights was repealed. Native women gained a valuable ally when the United Nations Human Rights Commission reviewed the case of Sandra Lovelace and then subtly pressured the Canadian government to amend the Indian Act with Bill C-31, although there are still some bugs to be ironed out of that piece of legislation. Likewise, the attention of European governments during the confrontation at Oka (10 years ago this summer!) revealed a brand new tool for those seeking respect for Indigenous rights.

A painfully slow and agonizingly bureaucratic process is unfolding within the Organization of American States and the United Nations. Nation-states that evolved, for the most part, during the colonial era are struggling to come to grips with the lawlessness of the past. But could anyone have even imagined such a process existing 100 years ago?

This last year of the millennium has seen a dizzying succession of court rulings that probably have more than a few Ottawa bureaucrats pining for the good old days when they could lock an Indian up for attempting to hire a lawyer.

Following up on Sparrow, Guerin, Delgamuukw and other cases, the Supreme Court of Canada changed the legal landscape forever this year with Corbiere and Marshall. Neither of those decisions has been fully digested or appreciated in the corridors of power in Canada as of yet, but both are decisions that lead away from exclusion and marginalization and should, unless perverted by political compromises, lead to a more just society.

There is still hate and ignorance and small-mindedness and selfishness at play in the political systems that exist in this land, but the younger generation is more educated, more assertive and less patient with the old ways of the past.

After the progress of this century and, indeed of 1999, there's a light at the end of the tunnel and this time it probably isn't on the front of a speeding locomotive.

Good luck, peace, happiness and best wishes for the holiday season, the year 2000 and the 21st century from all of us at AMMSA.