Listening to John Bighead, Dean Honours the Elder

Home » Wawatay Online » April 3, 2008, Volume 35, No. 7
Kitchenuhmaykoosib leaders are exiled political prisoners: Cromarty

* Letter


To the editor,

April 3, 2008: Volume 35 #7

Chief John Bighead was a traditional elder and leader of the Wunnumin Lake people.

I recall his counsel on the qualities required of Aboriginal leadership. He often said to me: If you want to be a leader, you have to be prepared to accept the most difficult situations that will come upon you.

Your life may be threatened.

You could face incarceration for your political beliefs and advocating for your people. John also said: You must be prepared to give up your life while performing the duties of your leadership.

It took me a very long time to understand these words.

John Bighead and many others like him passed on before I could really understand. Now, all I can do is wish they were still alive so I could tell them I finally realize what they meant.

Old John Bighead passed on a story about an incident he had with Ontario’s law and conservation officers. At that time, his people had warned him he should not fish for sturgeon during a certain time of season as he could be picked up by game wardens.

And sure enough, John was checking his net, accompanied by his son Charlie Bighead and grandson Mathew Angees, when an MNR floatplane landed, arrested him and confiscated his net, canoe, supplies and all the fish he had caught.

He was whisked away somewhere beyond the horizon.

I think this incident etched out his definition of what leadership meant, specifically the qualities needed when dealing with a foreign system of governments and laws.

His words became abundantly clear and prophetic as I watched Chief Donny Morris and the other Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug leaders being sentenced to six months in jail – a sentence I believe disregards their political beliefs about protecting their traditional lands.

I watched them as they filed out of court into a van and whisked away to a jail somewhere in the city, in the same manner that occurred to John.

I am glad that we have some leaders that are brave enough to withstand the powerful onslaught of resource developers, governments and the judicial system.

I salute the people of KI for their strength and for standing up to these foreign forces that are invading their lands.

Another piece of advice John provided was non-Native governments will do everything to defeat you as a leader. They will throw paltry sums of money and other rewards at you, so you will not oppose them in their quest for more power.

Again, I was reminded of these words, when I listened to Ontario’s Aboriginal Affairs minister, Michael Bryant respond to a question about KI posed by NDP leader, MPP Howard Hampton during question period, March19.

Hampton asked: “When is the minister going to admit that it’s the McGuinty government that is responsible for the conflict that has arisen?”

Bryant replied: “Yes, we have said that we’ll pay the legal fees of KI. We’ve said that we will assess the fees above $200,000. Only the leader of the NDP would think that $700,000 in legal fees is something that the government of any province should just pay, sight unseen. You’ll excuse us for trying to assess the fees over and above $200,000.

“It’s just part of an attempt by this government to try to come to a solution. But the member really disrespects all of those First Nations that have come to agreements with the mining industry across this province to build more jobs and build more revenue. ... There are far, far more First Nations working with the mining industry and working with the government to the benefit of First Nations than the leader of the NDP would have us believe.”

KI was also offered hundreds of thousands of dollars and guaranteed revenues.

But KI never gave in to accepting these paltry amounts of revenue being offered in return for their acceptance of Platinex and the government’s plan of exploitation.

I think impact benefit agreements (IBA) are used to justify provincial government actions.

IBAs are agreements with private companies, not governments.

It is unfortunate that the only resolution for the government and the company is to allow Platinex onto the KI traditional territory. They won’t accept any other solution.

A solution is for KI to set the pace, the terms and conditions, for the development of their traditional territories in ways that would sustain their people, community, environment and the land.

Dean Cromarty,

Wunnumin Lake First Nation,,