QUEBEC SHOWS IT'S RACIST HAND...AGAIN!

You may think I am bringing up a Native issue. There would be lots to chose from. Sometimes I think Quebec is the most racist province in Canada, it's bad enough the way some "multicultural" canadians behave but in Quebec these attitudes are supported in their government. So what am I on about? An Egyptian immigrant in Quebec has lost her job for refusing to remove her niqab (very conservative religious headdress) link So what has happened to religious freedom in canada? Well us Indians can tell you it does not apply to brown people. I know proud white and black canadians are wanting to disagree with me, but it's reality. My people spiritual leaders can't even marry us or bury us. Now an Egyptian-canadian cannot wear the headdress of her religion. Some I am sure think she should assimilate (such a racist ideal). This is not about cultural freedom this is religious freedom. Chocies of religious modesty should be clear freedoms that should not EVER be stepped on! And the reason they argue are ridiculous. That she can't intigrate wearing a niqab. Why? Because canadians are to racist to make friends with someone who dresses different? We need to stand up and speak in support of this Women and others, especially Woman. How would we like it if we were told we had to dress in a way that we did not find modest enough...especially not spiritually modest enough. Quebec needs to be reminded that their arrogant white do it our way attitude has to go. They want their culture and language respected...time to show that same respect to the rest of us...especially all the diffrent brown us's

Link back to my post the wearing of skirts here to see that many of us make religious and cultural dress choices that may not be made by all

AH, MARCH BREAK :)

Yeah! it is March break! I am relaxing, my kids are out playing and exploring the neighbourhood, the snow is gone and it has been warming up for the past week. Another 10 C day ahead. Indy is out with them and loves feeling free as a bird. I walked up to the park to see if they were there so I could geet some pics. They left Indy to me for a while and climbed some trees. I got some good pics of him on the climber, happy to be able to do it all on his own. Then I went back to get ready for lunch 9we are late lunchers). It is good to know they are all playing together and they will be happy that I did lunch for them (usually we either all get our own or all work together making lunch). I love spring, we got a good March Break ahead of us, I can just tell.

KO-KO HITS THE CAPITOL

MY TRIP TO OTTAWA

I went to a hotel in Ottawa. The car ride was very long (2 hours). We had to play a game that only Mom and Runner liked. Then my brother (SW) stopped and started to play his DS. Sunny Not took it away from him. I stopped and played another game. Then we played our DS's. Then we got there soon.

My Mom took a long time getting our hotel room in the hotel. Then we got there and started to unpack our stuff. Next we watched some t.v. After that we went out for lunch. After that e, Ashah, my Mom, Okaga & Wahtha got on our bathing suits and went swimming. Then we went back to our hotel room.

Our hotel room had a kitchen, bathroom, living room and bedroom. After we were dressed again wee went for a walk. On our walk we got supper but first we went to a candy store. It was called Sugar Mountain. We went back to our hotel room where we ate supper & watched more t.v. After supper we all went to the pool again except my Dad & Wahtha who stayed in the hotel room and slept. We got to the pool and went swimming. After a while Okaga and Ashah went to the lobby to go on the computer. They came back to get us at the pool at 9:05pm. Then we went back to our hotel room.

At the hotel room we got on our pajamas and wathced some tv and took pictures and talked before bed. Mom and Ashah unfolded the couch and Quanah helped. Then we woke up our Dad and us kids went to bed. So did Mom and Dad. Ashah played her I pod touch. Me & Quanah played our nintendo's. Then I listened to a dog play a song n my DS. Next I turned it off. Wahtha woke upand kept calling me, I pretended to me asleep cuz he always calls me. So Wahtha pushed Quanah off the boys bed. We kept talking after Wahtha went back to sleep. We all fell asleep.

When we woke up we had showers & we got dresssed. We went to the 4th floor to have breakfast. Then we checked out, packed up our car and went to the museum of civilizations. We learned about us Indians. We went to the kids section. Then we went home on Sunday. We all had fun.

RUNNER WRITES ABOUT THE CAPITOL

The Buildings On Our Trip To Ottawa

March 8th 2010

Hi my name is Runner. The day before yesterday I went to Ottawa with my family. We stayed at a hotel for two days and one night. While I was there I looked at tall tall tall buildings and took pictures of them too; like the one in front of our hotel. We walked around Ottawa for about maybe an hour. Mom and Dad disagreed about which way to go and which way not to go. We ate lunch at a mexican resturant in Byward Market. I had 4 mini pogos and about two hundrend and fifty fries with ketchup. It was good. I liked seeing the parliment buildings. I also liked seeing the locks at the canal and the bridge. The canal goes all the way home to Kingston. At the canal I saw stairs that went down to the locks. When we were at the canal I could see (in the distance) a building made out of almost all glass. We walked by the U.S. Embassy abd up a huge staircase. If i had climbed the fence I would have been in the United States! I wish I had been allowed to climb the fence but Mom and Dad didn't let me. When we were at Ottawa we went to a store called Sugar Mountain. I got a Pop Shoppe orange pop and I like it. At the museum on Sunday I saw another building, a copy of the Eiffel Tower made out of tooth picks. I took a picture. It was fun in Ottawa

Thee End.

SW; THE BRAVE TELLS OF OUR TRIP TO OTTAWA

INA'S INTRO
So we took a two day trip to Ottawa. it was our first hotel trip as a family (all our trips are visiting family and camping at powwows). So this was a big deal. We went Saturday morning, arrived around noon. We spent the first day around our hotel (which was near parliment buildings and Byward market) and swimming. The second day was spent at the museum. Each of the three middle children wrote an essay about a different part of the trip. SW did his without assistence as he is working towards being able to do a full essay. The younger ones had me assist by either asking lots of questions or taking dictation, depending on their strengths.

SW'S ESSAY

The Museum

We went to Ottawa on the weekend. On Sunday we went to the Museum of Civilizations. At the museum we went to the Canadian Children's Museum. Someone who worked there gave us a passport to collect stamps. We put on Costumes. Ko-Ko, Runner & Sunny Not were playing with the crane. I went on exploring and finding lots of stamps for my passport, this was my favorite part. Soon we went to a section about post offices and postage stamps. My siblings and I found a part that lets you ding to the people in that poirtion of the museum. Then we went to the cafeteria and ate our lunch. After lunch we went to the Native section. We saw a fake jungle like in B.C. and Ko-Koloved it! I really liked this cool rock bed that we all lied down on. We looked at the Native portion of the museum. Then we went to look at the treasures of Afganistan. Sunny Not and I accidentally set off an alarm Mom and Dad said. I don't think so because we didn't touch anything we were just really close to this cool thing. After that we left.

NEW REALIZATIONS

INA'S VACATION


about a week ago I went with Grandma Claus to Trent University's Elder's and Traditional Peoples conference. I have not been somewhere without at least one child since baby Indy was born....actually I think no since my honeymoon a few years ago. (yes we waited until we could afford to get married).

We had a fantastic time and listening to Elders and teachers speak opens your eyes. I think we all learn something different, something we needed to learn. Yes we may gain further understanding of a teaching. Begin to learn a new one but the big things are the personal things you realize.

One thing I realized is that I want to partially homeschool my kids in highschool. This had occured to me, but due to pressure and self doubt I kept saying they would go to highschool. But I realized that there is SO SO much I need to teach my children and homeschooling gives me the oppertunity. I do want they to take some courses and get involved in sports and clubs. But if a child is in school all day they come home, have homework, play, there is not much time left, unlike homeshooling. So bringing more traditional knowledge into our day is one of my decisions. I am not doing feathers and beads, that is traditional crafts, good to know, but there is so much more. Also we are learning my language. French was never gonna happen. Right now we are working on the alphabet. This way we will start speaking with proper pronounciation...very important.

Also we need to travel more. We are taking our first hotel trip next month and going to go to a museum and skating. But we need to visit Aunties and Uncles. Both as a family and one on one. Kids learn so much from Aunties and Uncles because they are not Mom & Dad. Traditional and plain commen sense knowledge is often learned this way. Plus everyone gets a break...kids need a break from us sometimes too.

Also it is time for some of my children to start bringing together their own bundles. I am preparing at this time to help them start. There is much to teach before they grow up and I have to be ready.

I also realized (with Grandma Claus' help) that there is a big market for my sewing skills. Everyone is selling wraps with applique (like what I have made for myself) except they are appliqueing basic designs where mine are more like a picture...a detailed picture. I could definatly corner the market...just ned to have the cash to pull it off...income tax return i guess.

Febuary Activities.

We have had a good busy midwinter season. We have been skating with local home schoolers and un-schoolers. We have also done plenty of skating and sledding on our own.

We made valentines cards with some other homeschoolers and we will send them to a group of home schoolers in the states. I spent hours setting up a valentines craft for my kids. It is a mosaic heart. You cut up hundreds of squares of colour from a magazine. The wish book is perfect and the kids are done drooling over it. I separate all the colours into sandwich bags (red, pink, purple, black). Then you glue the squares on a heart with thin spaces between the pieces. Punch in 2 holes (when dry) and stick a valentines sucker through the holes like a heart. One child made one of these, the rest of the valentines were their own creation. regrettably no pictures cuz my phone was dying. It was a good fun day.

We also went down town to go skating. Usually we skate at the rink at our local park (it's easier and I don't drive). Down town in front of city hall the community college, military college and University were working on snow sculptures, they were making mini bobsled runs (for crazy carpet use). The ollege one was finished with decorative detail being added. The one from the military college collapsed. The University's was a big pile of snow. Apparently they were researching. I think it said alot for the practical education college offers. The college students let the children try it out. The skating rink had a hot dog stand and beaver tail stand. If you haven't had beaver tails I suggest you find some. Yummy yummy treat. They also had ice sculptures and free hay wagon rides around downtown. We had an excellent day. I hope it is still around on our next trip downtown.