Moose Hide Campaign

End violence against women and children

The Moose Hide Campaign (MHC) is a movement of Indigenous and non-Indigenous men and boys who are taking a stand to end violence against women and children. The campaign is not limited to men and boys, women and girls are encouraged to wear the moose hide and take roles in the campaign like ceremonial witnesses for events, keynote speakers, and cultural leaders and advisors. 

MHC was started by Paul Lacerte and his daughter Raven in 2011. Lacerte is from Cariboo Clan and the Carrier Nation. 

There are many avenues to participate in the campaign. Wearing a square pin made of leather or non-leather is an option. The Xaverian Weekly will provide pins (leather or non-leather), information about the campaign, and other resources about local services in the newsroom (Room 111D, SUB) each Friday of February from 11am-2pm. 

All moose hide squares come from traditional hunters who hunt moose for food and ceremonial purposes, or from animals who have died in road accidents. No animals are hunted specifically to supply hides for the Moose Hide Campaign. 

The patches are produced with care by Indigenous women who are deeply committed to the protection of women and children and who value the living origins of the patches. Making the patches provides a valuable source of income for the women involved.

Another avenue for participation is the day of fasting and gathering on February 13, 2019. MHC provides a fasting guide for people who are new to the traditional practice. The guide is available in The Xaverian Weekly newsroom where the day’s events on February 13 will be livestreamed. If unable to participate in person, MHC has an online “Pledge Now” button that records a short 45 second video with phone, laptop or tablet. Photos and messages are also accepted as alternatives to video. 

O Canada...

You stand on guard for who?

First you thought I was a goddess queen, empowered by the earth and standing tall. I was a protector of the land, so exotic in your eyes. You were the stranger to the new world. You searched our shores, explored the forests, examined our ways. You were the ones foreign to our land.

You stayed a while, you learned to love our home. That is when you got too comfortable and made our land your home. Just as quickly as you had arrived, you looked at me in a different way. I was no longer the goddess queen that I am, when I turned away your drunken breath on my neck.

Squaw is what you called me. Lazy, dirty, easy, a drunk. You used my sisters and I to your own expense. Violated our bodies, corrupted our culture.

Squaw.

The term that you coined, that damaged us forever. You used it as a defense, so that you could get away with hurting us. Because after all, if we were a squaw, which made us easy, then were we not asking for it?

Were you aware of the damage and hurt that you were creating by degrading us to nothing but a term? “That was hundreds of years ago, why do you people still linger on that word?”

Why do we still think about the term squaw? Maybe because even though the white man came many moons ago, the pain that he created has left its mark on our culture and has continued to make us ache.

I hear you joking about the ‘squaws’ on the reserves, that we are so lazy, “go get a job you uneducated Indian”, we’re dirty, and easy. That is what we have become, a joke.

We are nothing but jokes, so every time one of our sisters is murdered, or goes missing, is raped and beaten, you stand idle and watch as we disappear.

Why are you doing this to us? Don’t you think you’ve already done enough? First you purged our land, took everything for yourselves. You ripped our culture right from our hands, banished us from practicing. And if all of that wasn’t good enough, you came for our children, you assimilated them into becoming one of your white monsters.

This society that we live in today is mad for the idea of reconciling with the indigenous people of Canada, and yet there is still enough ignorance in this country to fill the bellies of every hypocritical politician in parliament.

My sisters and I are screaming to a nation to open their eyes and help save their women. The women that built this earth.

We are all linked through our souls, we are all people, so why don’t you listen to us when we cry?

My sisters and I are not just missing and murdered indigenous statistics. We are people just like you. Think of the women that are in your life, would you fight for their justice? We need you to help us. Please, I beg of that you hear our cries, do not be silent anymore. Do not be the nation that silences us.

Mawiomi on Campus a Success

People gather in Bloomfield Centre for a celebration of culture

Indigenous Students at StFX

First Nations students’ share their stories

Devann Sylverster

My name is Devann Marie Sylvester and I am a Mi’kmaq student here at StFX. I come from the Membertou First Nation community in Cape Breton, NS. I am 25 years old and a proud student-parent of my 3 year old son Denver Sylvester. I went to school in both Cape Breton and Truro, NS and graduated high school at Cobequid Educational Centre. In 2017 I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree at StFX, and now I am currently in the Bachelor of Education program and will be graduating this upcoming May 2019 in the elementary stream. After graduation I plan to return to my hometown to teach our younger generations.

Tasha McKenzie

My name is Tasha McKenzie, I am from Indian Brook, Nova Scotia and lived my whole life on the reservation until August of 2013 when I started here at StFX. I am in my last year of my Bachelor of Arts degree with hopes to get into the Bachelor of Education program after I graduate. I aspire to teach the true Canadian history including my Indigenous ancestors. I have spent three of my years here playing on the X-women rugby team, though I had to take a step back to focus on my education they are still my family. In my grade 12 year at Hants East Rural High School, which is about a 15-minute drive away from my home community, I was recruited by the rugby coach here at StFX, along with other universities. I finally decided on staying in province and moved to this small town of Antigonish, instantly falling in love - I felt right at home here. Not a day goes by that I regret choosing StFX! I am proud to be a Mi’kmaq women on campus. staying in province and moved to this small town of Antigonish, instantly falling in love - I felt right at home here. Not a day goes by that I regret choosing StFX! I am proud to be a Mi’kmaq women on campus.

The 2 in LGBTQ2+

Understanding Two-Spirit identity.

You may have noticed that the LGBTQ+ acronym has extended recently to LGBTQ2+. You may not think much of this change as the acronym has transformed and evolved over time to truly incorporate and represent the intricate identities of many. However, I had always been curious about what the 2, short for Two-Spirit, truly meant and how it was an important identity to highlight within the community. It turns out that Two-Spirit is a very powerful and useful tool, especially in a North American context, for Indigenous folks who are queer-identifying and to a country that is working to recognize the true histories of Indigenous peoples and work towards decolonization.

The term Two-Spirit was first coined in the late 1980s in Minneapolis, where, at the time, there were many LGBTQ+ communities mobilizing in response to the AIDS crisis. Many Indigenous folks that were gay or trans did not identify strongly with the larger LGBTQ+ communities and instead, identified more closely with their indigenous community or tribe. In response, activists worked to create the umbrella term ‘Two-Spirit,’ with would be an identity based upon sexuality and gender and would be exclusive to Indigenous people around the world. The development of the Two-Spirit identity relates to indigenous histories. ‘Two-Spirit’ has given a meaning to an identity concept that was previously not defined although was originally understood in certain tribes to be the quality of very powerful and prominent individuals within their communities.

Two-Spirit is thought to encapsulate the masculine and the feminine; the ability to connect with both identities was thought to be special and a source of both power and strength. Historically, many tribes throughout North America have pointed to the existence and place of Two-Spirit people in their communities. Yet, it is extremely difficult to research due to years of cultural destruction at the hands of colonizing Europeans. As author and activist Jessica Yee points out, indigenous tribes in general, were very egalitarian and valued women and mothers highly while appreciating the contributions of many gender identities and skills. With European contact, however, came the harsh and violent assimilation of gendered roles onto Indigenous peoples. Europeans believed strongly in the binary between men and women and religious beliefs also left the topic of different sexual expression out of the question.

The identity of Two-Spirit for Indigenous peoples is a way of reclaiming culture, understanding the values of different identities and the contributions different individuals can bring to a community. The term gives a sense of identity and unity among Indigenous individuals and groups because it connects socio-cultural, historical and spiritual contexts with gender, sexuality and identity in general.

John R. Sylliboy, who joined us as a part of the Pride Month Lecture Series here at StFX on January 23, is the co-founder of the Wabanaki Two-Spirit Alliance and is working to understand how we can look at the identity of Two-Spirit in a context of decolonization. Sylliboy points out that learning about the Two-Spirit identity is difficult due to cultural erosion but conceptualizing it is possible through the analyzation of gender, sexuality and identity in Indigenous epistemology and contemporary settings. Sylliboy’s discussion on Tuesday outlined ways that we can contextualize Two-Spirit identity as a source of empowerment and cultural continuity as we work to decolonize our institutions and our country. Two-Spirit is mainstream in Nova Scotia and Mi’kmaq communities and the Wabanaki Two-Spirit Alliance works to build supports in areas of health, culture, education, awareness and research on matters related to Two-Spirit people in Nova Scotia. We are very lucky here at StFX to have had Sylliboy come to speak with us about matters related to Two-Spirit people. The term and identity works to not only unify Indigenous individuals but sets a platform by which Indigenous histories and values can be explored and reincorporated into a modern context where they can work to benefit individual sexual/gender expression and promote important and beautiful beliefs of Indigenous communities to work to aid in the process of decolonization.

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Msit No'kmaq: all my relations

In the summer, I was chosen to sail across the ocean with forty-seven other indigenous youth from across Canada as part of the Msit No’kmaq tall ship project. On this project, we split into three watches and each watch had to do 4 hours of sailing between 8 am – 8 pm. The watches were then split in half and we had to do 2 hour shifts each. When we weren’t sailing, we mostly participated in cultural activities; we talked about what it means to be indigenous, made wampums, and learned what issues aboriginal people are facing in their communities. These were just some of our cultural lessons. This project was also part of the tall ship race that takes place every year and it took us 21 days to get to the finishing line. We spent 4 days just going port to port until we made it to our final destination, Le Havre, on the 25th.  This sailing project was great because it taught us so many different things. We learned a little more about the other cultures out west and it made us into better people. Many people who went back to these reserves were also able to share this experience with youth on their reserve in hopes of getting them to get out into the world and experience something as great as this project.

Wela’lioq

Dakota Francis

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Indigenous symbols in professional sport, insult or honor?

Throughout professional sports, a wide-ranging usage of indigenous symbols has come to the forefront of moral and societal values. Teams that still use Native American imagery include: Atlanta Braves, Washington Redskins, Kansas City Chiefs, Cleveland Indians, Chicago Blackhawks and countless high schools and colleges. One can not ignore the brazen mistreatment of indigenous individuals throughout North American history so the question persists: Is it honor and positive recognition, or insult and degradation for these logos to still be used today?

The term ‘Redskin’ has been referred to as a derogatory term for Native Americans in the United States. Nowadays, the word is scarcely utilized in day-to-day lingo. Unfortunately, public backlash and political pressures to change the name have been highly refuted by the team owner Dan Snyder. He was quoted in 2013 as saying: “We’ll never change the name. It’s that simple. NEVER- you can use caps.” The perverseness of how referring to a professional sports team as a “Red-Skin” still exists in 2017 is mind blowing. Yet, only real change can occur from the top, and without an ownership change, the name will more than likely stick around.

The Cleveland Indians have a convoluted and complicated history surrounding their name. Indians was formulated in 1915, after going through several other names such as Naps, Blues and Spiders. Their primary logo (until recently) is of Chief Wahoo. Chief wahoo is a cartoon caricature of a stereotypical American Indian face. In 2014, team owner Paul Dolan indicated that the team would use a block C as their primary logo, yet the Wahoo symbol is still emblazoned on side of jerseys and some home caps. “We are people, not mascots, not logos, not imagery, Chief Wahoo does not represent anybody that I know or anybody in my tribe or family” says Potawatomi Tribe member Carla Getz.

The Chicago Blackhawks were one of the founding ‘Original Six’ teams of the NHL. They were named after an infantry battalion in World War I that paid homage to the great warrior ‘Black Hawk’, who was a prominent figure for the state of Illinois. The name and logo have been scarcely modified, with ‘Black Hawks’ changing to Blackhawks in the 1980s. For locals and fans, the name represents an umbrella of shared ideals. It represents a history of athletic achievement and hardships with thousands of players and fans throughout more than half a century. The name does not represent Native American’s stereotyped history.

The Kansas City Chiefs arguably have the tamest idealization of indigenous symbols. Their logo has been an arrowhead with ‘KC’ in it since the team’s name change from Texans in 1963. Arrowhead is ironically the name of their football stadium. Kansas City has never felt the need to change the name of the team, as the logo and name are an embracement of the countries heritage and their roots as an organization and as a city.

To some, these names and logos can be seen as a means of honoring Indigenous individuals and to remember the hardships they had to face during a time of immense oppression. For others, one can point at the fact that by changing a name of a team, you are essentially starting anew. The uniqueness of having teams having the same name since the (for example) 1915 Indians kindles nostalgic feelings. This nostalgia embeds itself into patriarchy, especially in the United States. General Lee confederate statues and Christopher Columbus monuments are still erected throughout the US, so expecting sweeping changes to occur are unfounded. Unfortunately, the solution seems to lie (as always) at the top, with the billionaire owners of the teams. To expect my grandfather to change his mind on what kind of soup he wants is hard enough, so a name/logo reengineering is highly unlikely for these owners, as both their age (average of 70 in all four major sports) and ethnicity (primarily Caucasian) ooze a grandfather-esque tinge.

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