Editor’s note: the following is a quote from Rick Revelle’s novel Algonquin Legacy.
No Homeless, No Laws, No Jails Shared with All, Respect for Two-Spirited People, Women held in High Esteem, Children were Gifts, Land was Pristine.
Then they came.
They traded guns and alcohol to us. Gave us diseases we had never experienced before. Then they took our children and our souls. For all that, they left us with “treaties” that we have to fight in their courts just to keep our lands and try to obtain the Treaty Money owed us. If you want to know more about Native people, take the time to talk to us. Ask us about what we are trying to do with our lives. Get to know us and understand us. Our ancestors and your ancestors made treaties in this land that is now called Canada. Try to research and understand what these treaties are about.
If I can leave you with just one thing to ponder, it would be this: Whenever someone says, “What are those Indians doing with all of our tax money!” always remember that it is not your tax money that Native people are receiving.
It is “Treaty Money” owed to them.
Miigwetch,
Rick Revelle,
Mashkawizi Mahingan Inini