#thisndnspeaks

[aaron2point0]

If you aren’t native american/first nation and/or don’t have a grasp of the complex interconnected relationships within the native community don’t write about us. Seriously your bs short story/novel won’t do much besides deepen stereotypes. 

[aaron2point0]

I don’t give money to panhandlers.....(well not all the time) I don’t hate them nor do I bear any sort of ill will. My basis for handing out money is based on the medical triage system. The loudest screamer doesn't’ mean they get taken care of first.  Say you come across an accident scene, One guy is screaming at you to help him with his leg. Which although is bad. Isn’t nearly as worse as the person laying silently on the ground. Upon closer inspection you realize that the person has major injuries and you aren’t sure if the area is safe for them to remain.  Do you help the guy with the broken leg who can crawl to safety or do you and another passerby improvise a stretcher so as not the incur more injuries on the person? Life over limb remember.... Instead I tell ppl if you really want to help someone, Pick one person and pour some of your resources into helping them while avoiding infectious individuals.  An infectious individual is someone who will never make their situation better no matter how much help they get.  Say I want to spend 100 bux on helping someone. Rather than hand out 50 coffees (they don’t cost 1 anymore) and the several hours to spend buying and handing them out. How about upon assessed needs help one person with a buss pass, Another mother with diapers. Then next month shoes for someone. How do you find these ppl? Well I live/work in a rough area and I volunteer so there’s always ppl who require attention. Other times I watch people and plainly ask them. I also tell them that it’s a one-time thing so as to avoid the infectious (as stated above) while also avoiding people building up reliance on me.  And finally, When you do give things to ppl. Don't hand out your garbage.  A good portion of suburbanites use the can food drives to toss out things they don’t want anymore, Like a 5 year old can of peas. Noooo one wants to risk eating peas that are older than some children. 

[aaron2point0]

Something I tell children all the time.  You know how the old world collapsed into itself after the Roman system fell into disarray. You are a better version of your parents. You hold the world on your shoulders and whatever actions however small will have an effect. The reasons parents do not want you to repeat the same mistakes as them is they do not want the world to fall into hardship. Each generation has that responsibility to move forward. 

[aaron2point0]

Contrary to popular belief. As a native american/first nations man I don’t have some sort of special bond with other non-white ethnic groups. A lot of these other cultures are very patriarchal and I do not agree with how they treat women.  I remember at this one function I asked this one woman about her opinion and then her husband stepped in and starting talking nonsense to me. So my cousin went and asked the woman her opinion. Then the husband started talking down to my cousin. After he couldn’t tell us to ask him for all the answers he then went to how this is Canada to which we replied he’s on our traditional territory and he’s basically acting the same way the old colonials used to act. Then we compared it to how his country was under the foot of the british. He was kinda taken aback. What also really got under his skin is how all the men in my family would bow slightly with a hand on their chest to his ethnic-cultural women and only nod/loose handshake to him.   

[aaron2point0]

When white ppl say that the watering down of the native bloodline will erase us. I beg to differ. The hybridization of the north american native people won’t make us go away. It will turn one problem into 10 and so on. Whereas you once had one chief to talk for a band of people you now have 10 unconventional leaders who will want their needs to be met. 

[aaron2point0]

Maple syrup and dreams catchers are native american in origin (Anishinabe in part) Neither have provided natives a way out of poverty because white ppl choose to mass produce those items. Which is why I’m not exactly warm to the idea of that woman in Toronto having an art show based on the Norval Morrisseau woodlands style. 

[aaron2point0]

I was taught growing up among my first nations peoples in Canada that every word spoken is a prayer and every step you take is on the creators sacred land. So one must conduct themselves with the utmost respect and care.  There is a pair of imaginary lines in the ground, The first is when people have lost trust and the second is when natives will take corrective action. So just because you said something and no native person did anything about doesn’t mean you didn’t damage relationships. 

[aaron2point0]

One of the more disturbing things about being native american/first nations in the city is knowing there is a whole section of population who will do fuck all to help you when you are in trouble or even worse will deliberately target you for no other reason than merely existing.