Stop The Abuse!

http://www.angelfire.com/planet/nativeexpress/nativepride/index.blog/1256362/native-pride/

Thursday, 8 March 2007

Native Pride!
Mood:  sad
Topic: Abuse
Native Pride!Great Spirit, Grant me sight, So that I may see the beauty In all that surrounds me, Just as I’ve seen in all my yesterdays. And as I go on my way, Let me remember the teachings of the past. So that I may use them, To reflect on all my tomorrows. ? 2000 Tracy BressetteWhat is Native Pride?Do you know what I did this past evening? I sat down and I cried, because I was trying to figure out the answer to this question, I even asked myself, what would the old ones say if they could talk to us now and how would they feel seeing us as we are, right now. Would they be proud of the people we have become or would they also cry? Think about it? After thinking long and hard about the question at hand, I decided to look up the meaning of Native and the meaning of Pride in the dictionary and here’s what I had found. Native: indigenous, aboriginal, original, local, citizen, etc. Pride: dignity, honor, self-esteem, self-respect, self-worth. So to myself I had come to the conclusion that Native Pride must mean proud of ones self for being aboriginal, being proud of your aboriginal community, and being proud of the teachings and traditions that have been handed down generation after generation within the aboriginal communities. Well as a young aboriginal women, having lived on and off the reservation. I’ve come to notice things, differences I mean, some good and some bad. It saddens me to see the abuse going on within many of the aboriginal communities. In fact, it sickens me to see and hear of the abuse that is going on by either, community members, band council, law enforcement and many other organizations within the aboriginal community. At one time I thought we had prided ourselves as being better than the white man whom had taken over our land. What happened to that? Where has the respect gone that we once had for, land, animal and people? Are we really any better that the white man, whom we’ve accused for generations for abusing us. Who is more sick, our abusers or us for allowing what we’ve learnt from our abusers to continue and contaminate our communities. I once thought we had prided ourselves as being a strong people and if so why are we allowing this abuse to continue. Do you think that turning your head when you know that an abuse has occurred makes you a strong person or does it really mean you are coward? My mother had once been told that she shouldn’t say anything about the abusive situation that I was in or she could stir up a bee’s nest and she was told this by a respected community member. The only thing she could think of was to protect her child from and abuse that had been occurring. Question? “What is wrong with that picture?” If you do not see something wrong with this picture, then you are sick person and need professional help! A lot of people worry about stepping on somebody else’s toes. Or as was said once before, “Stirring up a bee’s nest.” Stopping it or trying to pretend that it isn’t happening, what’s worse? This is a serious question that needs to be addressed immediately. I know that sometimes it’s hard to find someone in the community that can be trusted to do what‘s right. Sometimes it takes more than just approaching a community member, sometimes it needs to be addressed off the reservation just to make sure that something is done right. Pretty bad when our own people can’t be trusted! We as band members have the responsibility to take care of our own peoples instead of having to allow, the white man to intervene. But sometimes there is no choice. Long time ago a people or persons would have been banished from the community if they were hurting or abusing the people of that community. I think that this needs to be done again, whether it is an elected member of the band or not. These people regardless of their standing in the community should be made to resign from their elected title after all, we are the ones whom elected them, and we the people should have the right to un-elect them. Fair treatment of every member should be enforced. I’ve heard of many personal stories of how elected individuals help their own friends and family and overlook others whom are just as deserving as any other. I’m sure you know what I mean! ( Abusing their authority for their own selfish gain.) Everyone, regardless of who they are or what their circumstances are, deserves fair and equal treatment. How does one rest peacefully at night, knowing these things are taking place all around us. Or, I guess the real question is “Where does one take pride in ones self knowing these things and not doing anything about it?” Where does one draw the line and say “NO MORE, will I allow this abuse to go on!” When I look around me I see the aboriginal communities, as failing to thrive. We should be flourishing instead of, just surviving or existing. Look at us fighting amongst ourselves when we should be laughing together. Fighting breaks the family just as it can break up a community. We should not be abusing each other in stead, we should be standing up for one another and not letting this abuse continue. United we stand, Divided we fall! Just as the old saying goes. We should take a good long look at our lives and evaluate ourselves and our community. Take some time to ask yourselves, “How you can help your community and its members. Each of us has a responsibility in the community, no one is higher than the other and each and everyone one of us has had hard times and sometimes each and everyone of has needed (at some point) someone to console in. Each and every one of us has been there and if you haven’t seen hard times, you must have a family member on council (Ha! Ha!) or a magic lamp. Everyone should be apart of the decisions that are right now, being made for us. Yet we complain amongst ourselves and do nothing about! When we should be taking part in all the decisions. They call this Community Involvement. Each of us has a voice and we should be using it. We have a right to each and every one of our own opinions and we should make them known. If we don’t say something, how can we be heard? Everyone’s opinion is as equally important. Everyone one has good ideas in the community, we should be working together to make our community better for ourselves, our children and they’re children to come. We should be setting an example for our children and not allowing them to be ashamed of us. No matter how small they are, they are all watching & learning from us. If we could put away our differences and work together, our communities will strengthen. When things are done together as a family/community you learn to grow together and become close and not in an immoral way either! In my opinion a Community Involvement Committee should be started on each and every reserve. I think that is the only way we the people can be heard and not ignored anymore! I think now is the time to address these problems in each and every one of our communities. Look at our Children and what they are becoming! I think we need to start practicing some tough love on them. They are gifts that we have been given, no matter what joy and misery they bring, we have a responsibility to them and they’re futures. We are the ones who have to teach them Right from Wrong. After all we are going to be the ones sitting back one day and wondering why our children have No Respect for us, that’s because Respect is a learnt trait. If we don’t instill it in them, who will? Drunkards, drug abusers, sexual predators and etc? That’s the reality of the situation if something isn’t done! If you really think about it, we are the ones helping our children’s futures to be destroyed because we turn our heads. We are the ones at Fault because we choose not to stop the abuse, in what ever form it may come in. Don’t give up on your Children like that or they will learn to give up on their children. Listen to them you’ll be amazed at what they know and they too, will learn to listen to their children also. I stress that communication is a very important tool in their future and futures to come. Children should be seen and not heard, Hogwash I say! These children are our futures. These children are only in our lives for but a short time. Since you only have a short time to mold and nurture them, Take advantage of the time you have with them. These children are a precious part to our own existence or destruction. Some day you’ll wake up and they’ll make you wonder what you ever did wrong? But by that time it might be too late! You don’t know when you or somebody close to you may get the call. Don’t wait until that day comes when you decide to speak up or do something. When you know you could have made a difference. Don’t wait until you’re holding your child’s cold lifeless body in your arms. Before you wake up and decide enough is enough! Our children are looking up to us for guidance. Our children are crying out for our help. Open your ears and you will hear them! Look at their faces and you will see there pain! Look deeply into their eyes and you will see the tears they cry! These children used to be the babies in our arms. Would you or could you ignore the cry of a helpless baby? Well, I’m not sorry for speaking openly and being blunt. BUT HERE IS YOUR WAKE UP CALL! It’s your call to do something, if not for yourself, for your child/children/grandchildren’s futures! Stop this destructive cycle and make a difference! Don’t worry about what toes that you’ll be stepping on because it ain’t worth a lifetime pain in the long run and you never know what kind of difference it might make in the future! Even the smallest change can make a Huge impact in the future! When you learn to speak up and stop these abuses that are occurring, then you can look in the mirror at yourself and say you have Native Pride because you’ve helped to make your community a better place to live, for generations to come! Now that is Native Pride! Now let me ask you, do you have pride? Do you know of an abuse that's occuring? Or are you being abused? I know this is a touchy subject but how else does a community and it's people heal. These isssues need to be dealt with and not swept under the carpet as is usually done on most first nations. I know there's people who are suffering in silence but what is that silence doing to you. Devouring you from the inside out? You're not alone let me assure you of that! We need to open some line of communication and discuss these issues. This is why I've created this blog! In hopes that we can stop the abuse and begin to heal, not only as individuals but as a community as well. I haven't made this blog to condemn anyone but to shine light on this issue. Yours Sincerely!Personal Stories, Suggestions and comments are greatly appreciated!

Posted by planet/nativeexpress at 12:26 PM EST