The Province Has No Authority
Dear Editor,
Several letters (November 28, 2018) wrongly ask the Ontario government to end the hunt at Short Hills when they should be asking the only ones who have the legal and moral right to stop it, the Haudenosaunee. The hunt is under nation-to-nation treaties between the Crown and the Haudenosaunee which date back to long before 2013, recognized by not just the Canadian and Ontario governments but also the United Nations and international law. Whether people accept it or not the Haudenosaunee’s rights are that of a sovereign nation.
Saying you understand “repression and hardships” the Indigenous have gone through is only lip-service if at the same time you call for more repression and hardships by violating their rights. This is disingenuous and misleading.
A comprehensive respect for the Haudenosaunee means not only recognizing only they have the right to stop the hunt, but also respecting the role of the hunt in their ceremonies and food independence. Protests targeting Kosher or Halal slaughter would be rightfully suspected of prejudice and the exclusion of minority communities, why doesn’t the same apply to protests targeting Indigenous hunting?
To say modern archery and trucks make the hunt non-traditional is as absurd as saying attending a traditional Christmas dinner requires dressing up as people in Palestine did 2,000 years ago and traveling only on camels and donkeys.
The way forward is to have a comprehensive respect for the inherent and treaty rights of the Haudenosaunee. To address them as equals, not to continue erasing them from their own lands.
Saleh Waziruddin,
St. Catharines
Dear Editor,
Several letters (November 28, 2018) wrongly ask the Ontario government to end the hunt at Short Hills when they should be asking the only ones who have the legal and moral right to stop it, the Haudenosaunee. The hunt is under nation-to-nation treaties between the Crown and the Haudenosaunee which date back to long before 2013, recognized by not just the Canadian and Ontario governments but also the United Nations and international law. Whether people accept it or not the Haudenosaunee’s rights are that of a sovereign nation.
Saying you understand “repression and hardships” the Indigenous have gone through is only lip-service if at the same time you call for more repression and hardships by violating their rights. This is disingenuous and misleading.
A comprehensive respect for the Haudenosaunee means not only recognizing only they have the right to stop the hunt, but also respecting the role of the hunt in their ceremonies and food independence. Protests targeting Kosher or Halal slaughter would be rightfully suspected of prejudice and the exclusion of minority communities, why doesn’t the same apply to protests targeting Indigenous hunting?
To say modern archery and trucks make the hunt non-traditional is as absurd as saying attending a traditional Christmas dinner requires dressing up as people in Palestine did 2,000 years ago and traveling only on camels and donkeys.
The way forward is to have a comprehensive respect for the inherent and treaty rights of the Haudenosaunee. To address them as equals, not to continue erasing them from their own lands.
Saleh Waziruddin,
St. Catharines
No comments:
Post a Comment