OrilliaMatters welcomes letters to the editor. This letter is in reference to the upcoming election at Rama First Nation. (See story here). Send your letters to [email protected]
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On Aug. 28 there is an election in Rama First Nation. Some thoughts about that.
The colonizers came and when the generations moved on and built their empires, they left behind their old cloaks – cloaks adorned with symbols of shame, greed, guilt, violence, prejudice.
We First Nations settled down in the places left to us. We noticed those cloaks. We had lost our traditional ways, so we put them on and became oppressors of our own people.
There was a time when, as First Nations peoples, we were wide awake. We knew how to live, and we knew our responsibilities as men and women, as grandmothers and grandfathers. Things have changed. Selfishness and ego are in control and the inhabitants of the world are in difficult times.
Education has replaced wisdom; religion has replaced spirituality. Organized religion and education are tools. But, if you don’t know who you are, they become potent tools to hurt our own. Shame, guilt, and fear are barriers to a strong people.
We need leaders – especially among our women – with a vision to encourage hope, kindle the light within each of us, and bring a powerful future to our community. First Nations can become the beacon for the world to follow.
To achieve this, our Council must be alive and want our people to see where we come from, who we are, and what we can achieve. I would like to see our women take their rightful place.
The election will be upon us in Rama before we know it. We will see all sorts of catchy slogans, and lots of handshaking and pledges. A leader should inspire us to know who we are, not tell us who we are.
Courage is called for in the search for one’s self, and the essence of a community. If you continue to wear that cloak from recent history, you become good at performing, hiding what is real – pretending. Take off the mask and vote for the rebirth of our spirit.
Paul Shilling (Dazaunggee)
Rama First Nation
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