RCMP desecrates Mi'kmaq culture and traditions, page 1

RCMP desecrates Mi'kmaq culture and traditions

Keptin John Joe Sark
OCTOBER 13, 2012
PRESS RELEASE

I was appalled yesterday, October 12,2012, when I heard the news that the RCMP Officers and the wood cutters had moved into that Beautiful Hemlock Grove, where we had set up a Sacred Fire, arrested all the people who had camped there for at least week.

I was disgusted and saddened by the fact that one of the Officers, after he had been told not to touch the Sacred Fire, reached into the Sacred Fire and pulled out a burning log and threw it into the stream. That was a desecration of our Spirituality and an insult to the Mi’kmaq Culture and Traditions As well as a breach of our Aboriginal and Treaty Rights, and a breach of the United Nations Covenant on the Rights of the Indigenous, which the Canadian Government has signed. A we have the right to practice our Aboriginal Rights to hunt; Fish, Gather and we also have the right to practice our religion and our Spirituality on our unceded land, which includes all of PEI.

After years of our people conducting Mi’’kmaq Cultural Awareness Courses for them. They did not follow proper protocol. When they want questions answered by an elder they are supposed to visit the Elder and offer tobacco, to the Elder, before they ask for his or her council, or ask them to answer their questions. In this case they did not do that. Instead an RCMP Officer called me on the phone, which is a breach of proper protocol.

The RCMP Officer blatantly lied to the protesters at the Plan B Camp site, and they lied to me, by assuring us that nothing would take place there until proper protocols was followed in regards to extinguishing the Sacred Fir and removing the Sacred Eagle Feathers from the Hemlock Trees. By doing so they have dishonored the Crown in the right of the Federal and Provincial Governments, that they represent, and because of that I have lost all respect, trust and faith in our National Police Force, namely the RCMP, this present Provincial Government, as the Premier Robert Ghiz, is supposedly the Minister Responsible for Aboriginal Affairs for the Provincial Government of PEI. To me and to many other people, Democracy has died in our beautiful Province of PEI.

Yours Sincerely,
Dr. John Joe Sark
Keptin of the Mi’kmaq Grand Council
For the District of Epekwitk (PEI)

From the Keptin's Facebook page, picked up by Cultural Foundation Native Expressions.

For further information or background on what the Plan B protest is about, here is an archive of the provincial paper's coverage to date.

reply to post by Kennit

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As an alternative belief practitioner, I find these kinds of stories to be all too common. Next time take pictures/video/audio of the abuse and post THAT online. Maybe eventually if enough of us fight the one-religion-police we can bring it down.

reply to post by Kennit

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Native peoples are dealing with Iran .This is how the ZIONIST ,NAZI ,HARPER
deals with pockets of you now.These traitors of humanity will soon pay for there
human arrogance.

reply to post by auto73912621

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In fact, the raid was done with 16-20 RCMP officers (many from New Brunswick, led by some Island officers) between 6:30-8pm last Friday. Many of the protesters were detained at the road and barred from entering the camp. To date, there has been one photo I know of from that evening that is circulating on Facebook in one of the groups.

reply to post by madjetxe

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Whoa, care to explain how your beliefs fit this situation here? 'Cause I sure don't see it.

reply to post by Kennit

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In a political world the prime minister because of the insult of the visit by said Manitoba natives to Iran
will step up attacks on Canadian native peoples.Have you not watched the main stream news
how pissed the NAZI is.

Originally posted by madjetxe
reply to post by Kennit

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In a political world the prime minister because of the insult of the visit by said Manitoba natives to Iran
will step up attacks on Canadian native peoples.Have you not watched the main stream news
how pissed the NAZI is.

Perhaps rather than derailing the topic into a perceived conspiracy in another province involving the prime minister, you'd care to read any of the information in the original post about claims of treaty violations by the RCMP against the Mi'kmaq in PEI.

reply to post by Kennit

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Hi. I am so stunned and troubled by this, because I thought relations between the police and native peoples had greatly improved in recent years. So I admit I am not understanding the picture, as I think I'm missing information, or need clarification. The indigenous Islanders I know are such gentle folk, and kind too.

If I understand this correctly the people were conducting a ceremony on unceded land that the crown considers as public land or maybe crown land (?) and I'm guessing here that's the reason the cops moved in? By unceded, do you mean since the reserve system came into being, or unceded from the beginning of European arrival and the apportioning of land to British settlers?

I'm not understanding the purpose of the police action, or their reason for it. What reason did they give? Is this grove located close a developed area where homeowners complained perhaps? I fully agree with the advice to bring along some cameras and record everything. Looking forward to your reply.

reply to post by Kennit

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Bit of a weird one for me. For starters, that many officers seems like a total over reaction, whatever they were looking for.

However, i have to say, when reading the email it comes across as entirely pompous. Are these people a separate nation or part of Canada? If part of Canada, then surely these things are no longer expected? I mean really, if you want to talk, bring tobacco and speak to an elder? How arrogant is that? But then i have to admit that i am in favour of native cultures being protected so kind of get caught in between two positions on this.

From my (outsider) perspective, definitely wrongs on both parties here.

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