‘Treaty Gathering’ kicks off here

More than 200 delegates, participants, and spectators sat under the tent yesterday afternoon to witness the opening words of chiefs, politicians, and representatives of each of the treaty areas.
In his speech, former Assembly of First Nations national chief Ovide Mercredi, the current chief of Grand Rapids and spokesperson of the Treaty Gathering, captured the essence of what this fourth-annual Treaty Gathering aims to accomplish when he said “whether you are Cree, Dene, Ojibwa . . . the treaty is a common bond and if we work together, we will strengthen each individual treaty.”
“It’s as if all the treaties are a single web—a single treaty that we can use to strengthen our communities,” he added.
Chief Mercredi explained there is much lost under the treaty, especially in the understanding of what the treaty means.
Much of what is lost is due to the fact many of the rights under the treaty have not been upheld, they have been forgotten, and that many facets have been swept under the rug.
It is in agreement among the delegates who spoke yesterday that the way this ignorance or forgetfulness can be solved is if the youth are taught to take up their culture at a young age, to understand their rights under the treaty and their sovereignty, and that they practice what they know and build a stronger First Nations community together.
It is because of this youth movement that the gathering, while it is for the chiefs and the treaty representatives to learn about practices and sovereignty, will be held primarily for the youth so they may learn more about their culture.
Chief Gary Allan noted many Anishinaabe people do not pick up on their culture and their customs until they often are 25 or 30 years old. He insisted that kids should be picking up the drum and the pipe on their own when they are still little—even as early as five years old.
It goes back to the fact that the native community does not have a strong sense of identity anymore as it has been taken away through various interferences, such as the residential schools and the treaties that were never properly upheld.
Chief Allan insisted that it is pertinent the First Nations’ people find their culture and rebuild it, starting with the young.
The main task at this year’s Treaty 1-11 Gathering is to develop a clear understanding of what the treaties mean and what they entail.
Most notably, the broader topic will be broken down into:
•sovereignty and law-making rights and abilities of the treaties;
•the rights to land and resources, with the discussion of the rightful owners of Pither’s Point as an important example; and
•the rights to a peaceful and drug-free environment (one they claim to have had before the treaties were introduced).
The Gathering will continue through to Friday, during which ceremonies, events, and discussions will be held under the tent at Pither’s Point.
The Gathering is open to anyone and everyone because, as Chief Mercredi explained, the treaty involves all Canadian peoples.
Not just the native communities but also the remainder of the Canadian community as each group makes up only one side of the two-sided agreement.
The Gathering encourages the education of the treaties, so everyone is encouraged to attend and learn about what has been for so long forgotten.