QUOTE (CanRay @ Mar 22 2011, 12:48 PM)
Actually, there's a major argument over usage of the term "First Nations" and "Indian" in Canada, but that's due to politics and literal nature that the "Indian and Northern Affairs Canada" can have at times.
Personally, I'd be happy if we had a Minister of Indian Affairs be, you know, an INDIAN for once. Just a thought.
Ugh, tell me about it. Oh well, luckily the place I live (heh, wrote love for a second there but that is accurate as well) will soon no longer be conducting itself to the auspices of Indian Act, we're just a few days away from the implementation date of their ratified treaty, so who is the Minister of INAC won't be as much of a concern soon.
Oh and FYI on the possible labels, aboriginals gets bandied about at times too. I am fine with using FN or the different groups/tribes names, it is what they use around me. Plus they are trying to get away from calling their home(s) The Rez now too in some places.
Please tell me again how the label "indian" isn't something that was used to degrade the various tribes like the word nigger again, I need a good laugh. In a weird way, the racist myth the rich perpetrated on poor in the colonies that became the US was not unlike what was done to bring the various tribes/nations that became Germany. "indians" and "niggers" saw themselves as different peoples before the myth of the "white" person was trotted out, you know, when we were this tribe or that when we first started getting tossed out of or desperately left where we originally came from to seek riches to send back to motherland Britain, Spain, Portugal, France, or Dutch...
The history of that word is actually one of the things that makes me think there is room for the member states in SR NAN to end up breaking apart the NAN and having say, another conflict like the Tsimshian vs the Salish-Shidhe Council again or perhaps civil wars. Its not like these different nations didn't go to war with each other in the past. Kinda interesting that the more racist policy driven NAN member states became failed states, like what happened to the Ute Nation, eh?