Melina Mewapun Laboucan-Massimo
2) What is the name of the people that you are from? Where were you born and when?
I am Cree from the Lubicon Lake Band and I was born in Peace River, Alberta in 1981.
3) What are your interests? What are your goals for the future?
I like to travel and meet new people. I enjoy reading and watching movies especially if they have interesting social commentary. I also like to be active - I love to dance, play soccer and go jogging. Learning, whether doing it formally or informally, is something I very much value. If it were possible, I would love to do new and different things everyday and I want that to be a defining factor in the remainder of my life.
My hopes and goals for the future include pursuing my Masters Degree in Environment and Community Development Studies. As well, I want to be able to make a positive contribution to the Aboriginal community in Canada and build and foster solidarity among one another, including both local Indigenous other Indigenous peoples around the world. I hope to extend my support and help to others who are dealing with human rights violations in other countries. As well, I really feel the need to be a part of the struggle against the way the world is being desecrated for the pursuit of profit. The natural balance of our environment is seriously in threat. These reasons are why I hope to always work with a non-profit organization.
4) What do you want the world to know about you and your people?
I want the world to know and realize that we are not relics from the past but living breathing human beings who are dealing with very real issues. A lot of these issues are intertwined now with global issues due to the effects of globalization and colonization. This list includes environmental issues which are linked to land claims, poverty, education, loss of culture & language, self determination, and discrimination due to a lack of understanding by dominants cultures and mainstream societies.
One thing I would really like the world, and my own country, to know is the history of the past 500 years and what really took place. Many Canadians do not learn about the various methods used by the Canadian government in attempts of purify or “whiten” and Christianize its population through methods of genocide followed by systematic discrimination and assimilation policies. One such case is that of Residential schools which is usually excluded from the primary and secondary educational system. The Canadian population does not learn how Native children were basically kidnapped from their parents and forced to live in sometimes horrendous boarding schools until the age of 18. They were not allowed to leave and if they did escape to try to return to their families and communities, government agents would be sent out after them to ensure their prompt return to those undesirable locations. Upon recapture they would be severely punished.
In these residential schools, children were made to feel ashamed of their culture, beliefs and traditions, and if the priests or nuns heard them speaking their Native tongues, they would be beaten. Many experienced abuse ranging from physical, verbal, emotional to even sexual. This was an attempt of the government and the Church to “civilize” and assimilate the Aboriginal population but instead all it achieved was to make these children into lost, disillusioned and hurting people. When these children finally turned 18, they would be released into a world they no longer knew. They still did not belong in the white dominant society as racism and discrimination against Native people was still a blatant and rampant occurrence and they no longer could identify with the people in the communities due to the long term estrangement. If you consider this and the way communities were deliberately broken down, one may finally understand why Aboriginal communities are what they have become. They are a people who have been abused in every meaning of the word, but yet society still has the audacity to ask, “what is wrong with those people, why are they like the way they are?” A look past the superficial textbook knowledge would reveal a much darker and hidden history which would explain away any such judgments.
5) Are there certain aspects of your culture that help shape your identity? Can you describe them?
One cultural aspect of Cree people is to listen first and then speak if necessary. This is contrary to the North America cultural norm of making sure you are heard first and to make it loud and clear. This is why in a bigger crowd I am quiet and speak only when I feel something needs to be said. On the other hand, when I feel down and discouraged I look to the resilient and persevering spirit of my people and know I can’t give up. For a long time I too learned and internalized feelings of shame in regards to my culture because of how it was looked down upon in my society. I can still remember kids in school saying rude comments about Aboriginal people. Only as I began to mature I realize how much a part of me my culture was and how much it meant to me. The traditional songs speak to me and calm my spirit beyond the point of explanation. That is why I am now taking drumming lessons to retain this, so I can practice this and pass it on to next generations. Just now am I starting to realize the deep connections human beings have with Mother Earth and all she offers us. It deeply saddens me to see the destruction of our planet and people’s lack of disregard for our home.
6) What are your reflections on the past between your people and the government of the land you live in? Are there certain anecdotes you would like to share concerning the historical and/or present relationship of your community and the dominant society?
The history of the way the Canadian government has treated Aboriginal people in Canada makes me feel frustrated, sad and betrayed. There was a lot of suffering that resulted on the part of my people from harsh treatment. However, it is a tug of war in my heart because at the same time I feel proud to be a Canadian. Traveling to other countries has made me see the extent to which the Canadian government put in place policies that benefit its people. I guess the reason why I feel betrayed is because many times Aboriginal people have been left out of this process and that the policies are actually aimed at benefiting non-Aboriginal people of European descent. Currently, Aboriginal people in Canada are still the most marginalized population. One stat that speaks for itself is that the suicide rate for Aboriginal youth is 4 times that of the rest of the population. We still experience discrimination and in some areas blatant racism. However, on the flip side we are seeing an increase in programs that are aimed at helping and assisting Aboriginals peoples that now include and value Aboriginal culture as a means of healing from the past. So in this aspect I see improvement.
One area which is still a huge problem is that of land claims and its associated environmental problems. In some case, the government is selling land, oil and lumber to corporations despite it being occupied by Aboriginal communities. This shows that Aboriginal well being is still overlooked in many ways by the Canadian government. In the end, the destruction and over use of this land will not benefit anyone as it leads to more waste and pollution leaving the land unusable. That is why environmentalists point to Native people as using the land in a manner that benefit both nature and people. Native people have always tried to maintain this reciprocal relationship with nature realizing that one must take care of and respect the environment. When will our governments learn that they cannot keep taking and taking without regards to its consequences?
7) What is your hope for your people in the future?
I hope that one day my people will fully recover the beauty and pride in a culture that in many ways has been lost. I also hope that at the same time we can learn how to live and find solutions to the problems that trouble our communities today. I hope we will one day be a people who possess the power of determining our own destinies without external forces.
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