Every Wednesday, at 10:30a is tea-time at the not-profit at which I am a staff member.
It isn't a company policy or anything, just something the volunteers started doing
many, many, years ago. It's a nice ritual.
Tidying up some unfinished business, I joined the volunteers late for tea. Theresa
had already poured everyone, Don already had two cookies, and Yami & Dave chatting
away about current events.
"I don't get it with these indians," said Dave in relation to the natural gas
pipeline the government is building on disputed territory.
"We get consent from the elected chiefs for this work and now the 'hereditary' chiefs
say 'no?' This sounds like their problem."
"We've been so good to them for soo long," Don chimed in.
"The governement has been giving them free money and services for too long. They've all got
it soo good that they're lazy now too."
"They've been conquered and it is about time they start acting like it. The problem is
money. They don't want the project now because they're not getting money for it. Or
only some of them are getting money and the others, well that's their problem." agreed Yami.
"It's been a long time, I don't understand why they're not getting along like the rest of
us." Theresa contributed.
"New Foundland and Laborador got it right." Dave piped up.
"Do you know why there aren't any natives in New Foundland?"
"I have a feeling," I answered.
"Because they killed them all. They put a price of their head. Scalps. They were all killed.
New Foundland got it right. We should institute the policy and call it something nice like
the New Foundland Indigenous Peoples Rights Charter. Just get rid of them," Dave eagerly
continued with a sound of achievement.
"I hear you Dave and agree that if all indigenous people were killed, the pipeline would
have less negative publicity but your strategy is a dangerous one. If a policy were
instituted that encouraged the killing of human beings, then wouldn't you and I, who are
also human beings, be in danger from the precedent?" I responded.
