Woodland Cree 'rejected all around' says new chief

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Woodland Cree Chief John Cardinal says his band largely consists of Bill C-31 Natives rejected by other northern Alberta bands.

"What do these people do? They're rejected all around. Isn't there something for these people? There should be something," he said.

Cardinal, 43, told Windspeaker the Woodland Cree are not going to hide who they are any longer because "they're Indians just like everyone else."

Since the members of the Woodland Cree weren't being represented by their home reserves, they decided to negotiate for their own reserve, he said.

Cardinal, who recently received his Treaty Indian status, said most of the Woodland members are Bill C-31 recipients whom Lubicon Lake Chief Bernard Ominayak refuses to accept as members.

He noted most of the 420 members are from the Cadotte lake area near Peace River, but admits there are some from other parts of northern Alberta, who are not being represented by their bands.

The Woodland Cree Band was officially recognized by then Indian affairs minister Pierre Cadieux last August, prompting howls of protest from Indian leaders that it was an attempt to divide the Lubicons. The new band included a sizable number of Lubicon members unhappy with the way their 50-year-old land claim dispute was progressing under Ominayak's leadership.

Cardinal, who became chief Feb. 24, said his band was petitioned by Indians from other bands in Slave Lake and Whitefish, who wanted to become part of the Woodland Cree.

"If we take this guy from Slave Lake (for example), he's been rejected all around - don't you think we would be doing the right thing? At least he belongs somewhere," he said.

But the Woodland Cree membership is more far-reaching than Cardinal is admitting, said the chief of Little Red River Cree Band, who has had to fight to keep one of his band members from being transferred by the federal government.

Johnsen Sewepagaham said he was "astonished" to discover one of his members from the Fox Lake Reserve was on the Woodland Cree list. "And she told me she never knew it either."

Sewepagaham has sent a letter to the registrar of Indian and northern affairs demanding that Mary Rose Laboucan be taken off the list. He has gotten no response.

Gerry Throndson, director of lands, revenues and trusts with Indian affairs for the Alberta region, the department responsible for band membership, could not be reached for comment.

Cardinal said he was not aware a Little Red River Band member was on the Woodland list.

Chiefs of the newly-formed Grand Council of Treaty 8 Nations - to which Sewepagaham belongs - voted recently to condemn Ottawa for recognizing the band. They also voted to deny the Woodland Cree membership in the newly-established organization.

Cardinal charges that the Woodland Cree have been black-balled by Ominayak, who has suggested the band was created by the federal government to undermine the ongoing negotiations

"But that's just not so," Cardinal said.

The new Treaty 8 group was established by 40 bands across northern Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories to fight for Indian treaty rights.

Cardinal said his band will continue land claim negotiations with the federal government without the support of the Treaty 8 group.

Lubicon spokesperson Terri Kelly said the band is aware to Woodland Cree band list is made up of Bill C-31 Indians and members of other bands.

Of the 110-name list the Lubicon Band was first given, 63 people were registered Lubicon members, 11 were from the Tallcree band, one was from Little Red River, six were registered as Dene Tha' members, seven were from the Bigstone Band and two were from Whitefish.