The Voice of my People beats strongly; the Fire in our Souls Burns Brightly.  After all, our Passion for who we are is Written in the Stars. All My Relations

NIIT, WELCOME TO AN EXCITING &
COMPREHENSIVE LOOK AT
TURTLE ISLAND & INDIGENOUS PEOPLE

The Song you are listening to is my song, "Warrior's Lament for Corporal Matthew David James Dinning."  On Saturday in late April, 2006. as Sandy and I were preparing for a show at the Blyth Theatre in Blyth, ON, Corporal Dinning's hearse drove by in a somber procession headed to Wingham, just up the road for his burial. Corporal Dinning, Lieutenant William Turner, Bombadier Miles Mansell, Corporal Randy Payne were killed by a roadside bomb near Kandahar, Afghanistan on April 22, 2006. The song came to me in an inspirational moment while on stage. I stopped the show, sang the song, Sandy quickly picked up the harmony, the audience stood, held hands and sang with us. It was a powerful, emotional moment. The song honours all Turtle Island's warrior heroes. They have served us well and will remain in our hearts always.

Corporal Dinning's Comrades at Arms who also died like "Heroes going home"
 (From Left, Turner, Mansell, Payne)

Names of All Canadian Casualties to date

This section is a Comprehensive, Vital & Accurate Educational Tool about North America's Indigenous People 

Browse through the subject areas & learn from a Native perspective about the rich cultural diversity, history, cultural and spiritual practices of North America's 'INDIAN' People. The site is a valuable educational tool for essays, research, books reviews, projects and for general knowledge and interest.

Students:  Don't forget to acknowledge your source. Plagiarism is serious business, particularly at the post-secondary level!!

PRE-EUROPEAN CONTACT & OTHER THINGS 

Columbus Rant  (Honest Injun! It's not our fault we're called "Indian!")
Facts and Fantasy About Turtle Island's Indigenous People  ("Just the facts, ma'am, just the facts", Pre & Post-European contact, & yes, a lot of us actually pay taxes!!)
Indigenous History  (Off-beat & not so off-beat walk along Memory Lane: Here Come the Vikings, Here come the Missionaries, Foreign Diseases, Germ Warfare, Alcohol, That Persistent & Pesky Bering Strait Theory. Horses, Warfare and Conquering, John Wayne)
Shannon Thunderbird's Thoughts  (Indigenous Work & the Workplace; Native Casinos/Gambling, When Native Cultures are Postcards, To Heal or Not to Heal, If you are going to Talk the Talk, then you'd better walk the walk, What it is to be a Leader, the strength of shared Leadership, Native Identity)
 

 POST-EUROPEAN CONTACT,
POLITICS  & CONTEMPORARY ISSUES 

Canadian Constitution (English Colonial Law, Ethnocentrism, Constitutional Timeline)
Indian Act  (Facts, Evolution, Amendments, Powers of Indian Agents, Meech Lake & Charlottetown Accords)
Indigenous Women  (Place in Society, place in ceremony, Women's Moontime, History, Challenges in Modern Times; Bill C-31, 'Ghost People', Non-ownership of on-reserve land.)    
Justice & Indigenous Rights (What does it mean? Indigenous Nation Building, Women's Rights, Sentencing Circles, Haudenosaunee Great Law.....)
Modern 'Indian' Wars  (OKA, Ipperwash, Gustafson, Burnt Church, Caledonia)
Residential Schools  (Canada's Shame and and finally an Apology)
Royal Proclamation  (Where it all began...."At the Pleasure of the King....")
Self-Government, Sovereignty & Land Claims  (Is it self-determination or sovereignty? Issues & concerns, Theft of Land, Terms & Definitions, Tribal Environment: Asserting Indigenous rights, conflict between Native & non-Native land claims, supporting traditional lifestyle)

TRIBAL SPIRITUAL BELIEFS  

Beliefs, Supernatural & Ceremonies  (Anishinaabe, Blackfoot Confederacy, Cree, Haudenosaunee (including Great Law), Masks, Mi'Kmaq, Plains, Smudging & the Four Sacred Plants Sweatlodge, Sun Dance, Powwow, Spirit Doctor, Universe, Visionquest, Wampum)
Colours & Their Meanings  (Colours when combined with Nature's gifts have special meanings.)
Drum Teachings  (Drum is Female; Moonstone & K'oolgyet Na Hool Big Drums; Drum's Voice; Messages from the Drum....)
Elder 'Speak' - In Their Own Words  (Past & Present Tribal Elders, Leaders & Traditional Teachers speak their truths)
Medicine Wheel Teachings (What goes around comes around...walking the great circle of life)
Pacific Northwest Coast  (My proud heritage: Art, Beliefs, World of the Spirit Doctor, Land of the Totems, Button Blankets, Feasts, Culture Hero Raven)
Prayers, Mantras & Sacred Thoughts  (A Message of Hope from Me, Divine Discontent, Emotional Healing, Great Spirit Prayer, Journey of Life, Memories, Peace of Wild Things....)
Prophecies & Teachings (Hopi, 7 Fires (Ojibwa), Lakhota, Cherokee, Onandaga, Inuit, Fiber-Optic Cable)
Sacred Symbols & Meanings  (Ancestors, Animals, Circle, Drums, Four Elements, Land, Medicine Shields, Parfleche, Pipe; Plants, Pottery, Power or Guardian Animals/Spirits; Rattles/Shakers; Sand Painting, Smudging (Sage, Cedar, Sweetgrass, Tobacco); Talking Stick; Talking Circles)
Spirituality  (When we are victims...Five Native Ethics, Five Native Beliefs, Respect, Spirit, Soul, Balance/Harmony, Wisdom, Healing, Sins of Spirit, Memory and Powerful Song of Divine Discontent...The Peace of Wild Things, Remembering Your Dreams, Four Agreement)
Warriors  (Dedicated to historical & contemporary Warrior Heroes who continue to impact the world with their wise words & brave acts. Visionaries, Warrior Chiefs, Orators, Singers, Athletes, Dancers, Actors)
Women & Ceremony  (Patriarchal, patently predictably pathetic!!)

TRIBAL LIFESTYLE   

Environment  (Asserting Indigenous rights to hunt, trap and fish; conflict between Native & non-Native land claims; supporting traditional lifestyle)
Housing & Transportation  (Plank House, Longhouse, Tipi, Hogan, Chickees, Brush Shelters, Adobes, Wattle, Wigwam, canoes, sleds, dogs, horses)
Language & Cultural Groups  (Who's Who in Moccasin Country!)
Lifestyle, Gender Roles, Elders  (Pacific Northwest Coast, Haudenosaunee, Anishinaabe (including description of their 7-point star Clan system, Cree, Mi'Kmaq, Plains, Inuit, Warfare, Social Systems)
Native Contributions I  (Settlement of Canada, transportation, people, wealth, government, military service, language, sports)
Native Contributions II  (Food, Lifestyle, Medicine, Earth Wisdom, Healing properties of trees and plants)
Protocol, Behaviour & Celebration  (General Conduct & Etiquette; Powwows: How to behave, Grand Entry, Descriptions of songs, dances, regalia, interaction with Elders, when money is a gift or a fee)

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