Chii Miigwetch, Chief Ralph.

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In deepest sympathy
Posted by claire hogenkamp (friend and colleague) On Tuesday, March 8, 2011

I am so profoundly sad about our loss off this treasured man. Chief Ralph was a sensitive and respectful man. Always the educator, he taught me to be still and listen. I did as he suggested and learned a lot about the people, history and guiding principles of Nawash First Nation. It was a valuable lesson.

I remember, with particular fondness, his unannounced visits to my Toronto office. He dropped in when he came from visiting his mother in a Toronto hospital. Chief Ralph would just arrive with his briefcase (a plastic shopping bag) to sit and rest, or show me some document, and we talked about life, my daughter and his concerns about his his mother. Ever so gently, he would probe for new developments in government thinking that could affect the negotiations. He was always respectful and sensitive to my concerns about confidentiality. He was a true gentleman.

I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to serve with three MNR negotiation teams (Nawash Commercial Fishing Rights) over ten years. That time, being patiently guided by Chief Ralph has been among the high points in my life's journey.

Our world is a better place for Chief Ralph Akiwenzi's time among us.

Claire Hogenkamp

CHIEF Ralph Ernest Akiwenzie

AKIWENZIE, CHIEF Ralph Ernest - Of Cape Croker passed away peacefully with family by his side at 8:20 a.m. on Friday, March 4, 2011, 6 days before his 65th birthday. Cherished brother of Jean of Oshawa, Rhonda of Toronto, Helen of Owen Sound, Donna Lynne of Toronto and step-brother of Orland of Toronto. Beloved nephew of Michael (Marge) Akiwenzie of Sault Ste. Marie, Harold Lamorandiere of Barrie and Ernestine (Lenny) Baldwin of Barrie. He will be sadly missed by nieces and nephews Michael of Curve Lake, Tarah of Toronto, Wilfred of Toronto, twins Lyndon of Prince Edward Island and Leah of Owen Sound, Danielle of Owen Sound, Priscilla Lynne of Toronto, Billie Jo Solomon of Winnipeg, Murrie-Jo Ducharme of Winnipeg, Murray Jr. of Wininipeg and Mickey of Winnipeg, great nieces and nephews Donna Jacobs of Curve Lake, Jenelle of Owen Sound and Michael of Toronto as well as many great nieces and nephews of Winnipeg. He was predeceased by his parents Donna (Lamorandiere) and Ernest Akiwenzie and brothers Carman and Murray. After graduating grade 13 at Wiarton & District High School, Chief Akiwenzie was the first native in Ontario to graduate from the Stratford Teachers College. After teaching in Stratford for 2 years, he returned to Cape Croker and continued to advocate for and teach his culture and language for 17 years, and obtained his Native Language Diploma through Lakehead University. Chief Akiwenzie was a strong community leader serving on Band Council for many years and then as Chief for 22 years. Visitation will be held at Chippewas of Nawash Community Centre, Cape Croker on Sunday March 6, 2011 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. and on Monday, March 7, 2011 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. The mass to celebrate his life will be held at St. Mary's Catholic Church on Tuesday, March 8, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. Interment St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery. Arrangements entrusted to the GEORGE FUNERAL HOME, Wiarton. Donations made to the Maadookii Senior Centre or Nawash Scholarship Fund would be appreciated by the family as expressions of sympathy. Condolences may be sent to the family through www.georgefuneralhome.com 9913294

BILL HENRY

Sun Times staff

The Chippewas of Nawash bid farewell Tuesday to Chief Ralph Akiwenzie, Cape Croker's longest serving elected chief.

St. Mary's Catholic Church and hall were filled with mourners and hundreds more crammed the Cape Croker community hall to watch a live broadcast of the funeral mass which began with a brief sweetgrass ceremony.

Chief Ralph Ernest Akiwenzie died Friday morning of cancer a few days short of his 65th birthday. He was remembered Tuesday for his quiet, determined, exemplary leadership and his 22 years of tireless and selfless work on behalf of the First Nation community.

"We've lost a teacher, a leader, a protector and a friend," Scott Lee, the interim chief and head band councillor said at the church. "It was his commitment to the community that drove him, not praise or power."

Lee highlighted some of Chief Akiwenzie's legacy, especially his role in helping reassert aboriginal fishing and hunting rights. He contributed $5,000 of his own money to the legal defence fund in the Jones-Nadjiwon court decision of 1993 in which Judge David Fairgrieves recognized the Saugeen Ojibway right to fish commercially in their traditional waters surrounding the Bruce Peninsula.

Chief Akiwenzie was also a key negotiator for three subsequent, court-ordered fishing agreements with the province of Ontario which implement those rights.

"He was tireless and instrumental in negotiating three fishing agreements which have begun to bring protection and peace to our waters and the fish," Lee said.

After the funeral mass, hundreds of people lined both sides of the road outside the community hall. They watched as the funeral procession of close to 40 vehicles slowly drove through the community and eventually made its way to the cemetery.

A feast was planned after at the hall, where several Ontario chiefs and others were to speak about Chief Akiwenzie.

Stand on guard for Canadian values.

The radical right in the US is making their democracy dysfunctional and threatening the very rights entrenched in their constitution. Reason and respect are being pummeled daily in media passing themselves off as legitimate. The USA is on the verge of another civil war but this one is psychlogical. The end result will be the same, destruction of institutions and traditions, corruption of unifying, fundamental values. Their precious democracy will be consumed from within and a religious oligarchy will assume control. The enemy to the US lifestyle will not crash the gates because it is already inside. I had hoped Obama would be able to harness the remaining democratic energy to overcome the cynicism, fear and religious fanaticism afoot in the country. But the forces of negativity are well organized and ruthless. They have captured middle America's innate racism and are using it to divide and conquer. There is little we in Canada can do but watch. It's not our country nor our battle.

When it comes to our own country, however, we can work now to prevent these divisive ideas and organizers from making inroads into our system of democracy. We have traditionally been political moderates with our own traditions, system of governance and institutions. We have been influenced by popular US culture, but in the crunch we do things our way.

The biggest danger to our way of life and our sense of fair play exists with the media today. Too few people own too much of the media. They promote their own narrow perspectives by promulgating schism where none exists. One such communications empire is Quebecor-Sun Media. Their basic philosophy is to make the most money with the least journalistic integrity possible. They walk in lock step with big business and the conservative establishment. Just as in the US, this wealthy minority seeks to command by closing down debate and balanced opinion. They too rail against the educated elite (Starbuckers) and the liberal left (silk underwear socialists).

Hence Sun Media purchased community newspapers and instituted an editorial policy that publishes all personal opinion pieces from the centre. Local papers no longer speak with
their communities' voices. They all speak with the same corporate voice espousing values that have little to do with the views in the local population. The letter that follows is my response to a particularly blatant barrage of neo-conservative hectoring. The Peterborough Examiner today bears no resemblance to the paper that was once edited by Robertson Davies and I am writing to remind them of that. It won't help, but at least I felt better. If a few people rouse themselves to respond we can remind Sun Media that some people still respect independent thought.

Peterborough Examiner
Re: The Comment Page
(formerly the editorial page when the local editor was allowed to have an opinion).


Dear Editors:

I must express my profound distaste with the tone of the Comment page and my regret at losing our Peterborough voice. The Peterborough Examiner has had a proud history in Canadian small daily newspaper publication. Over the years, even when I have not agreed with an editorial position, I could rely on a balanced perspective. We are not a homogeneous collection of like-minds in Peterborough. We have broad ranging beliefs and values, but one we commonly share is a belief in fairness and respect. This has been eroding since Sun Media has commandeered local editorial policy.

I almost didn't renew my subscription until you gave us some fine, in depth reporting on our Peterborough Transit System, and our health care delivery. This encouraged me to renew my subscription. Peterborough is my community and I love it. I really respect our citizens' common sense and open hearts and I look to our only daily newspaper to reflect those values. The tone of this recent editorial page doesn't represent me or my neighbours at all.

First Jim Merriam's extremely biased column against unions. A spectacularly one-sided perspective that is insulting to every honest hard-working union member in our community. The recession has seen huge concessions from unions to help save manufacturing industries on the brink. Local union members are active participants and donors in the United Way, Heart and Stroke, Cancer and myriad other fundraising campaigns. They are "us".

Then Michael Den Tandt's insulting and condescending piece about the people who are not conservative Rob Ford fans - he calls them "Starbuck Nation" and "silk underwear socialists". Wouldn't life be easy if people could so easily be categorized into Starbuckers or No Frillers. This is an insidious form of snobbery intended to create division where none exists. Most of the people I know, shop at several stores from The Superstore to No Frills because they go where it's convenient and where there are sales. I also meet my neighbours and friends in places like Starbucks, Tim Horten's and in local businesses such as Natas or Dreams of Beans. We switch around according to inclination and location. In Peterborough we are not so polarized that we won't have a cup of coffee together.

He goes on to lump CBC's Ken Finkleman, Jian Ghomeshi and David Suzuki together (in silk underwear at Starbucks), as emblems of the satanic liberal left. The first two are popular with a younger demographic who are not politically entrenched but David Suzuki is indeed popular with, among others, the liberal left. Sun Media never misses an opportunity to demonize the CBC even when it's not relevant. CBC fans are also "us"

Finally we get Christina Blizzard' oblique piece about union and Liberal support for a very boring and ineffective commercial that bought time on Oscar night. Special Interests work both ways so I won't even glorify this column with further discussion.

They are entitled to their points of view and space in any publication. But not all three, side by side, in my community newspaper at the same time. It's bad editorial policy. Where is the balance and how does this come close to our community values? This is extreme political bias passing itself off as serious discussion. It's brain washing and an insult to the Examiner's readers and to Peterborough's tradition of fair play.

Sincerely,

CH

Wake up animal lovers.

It's March 1. How is this possible when it was February yesterday? Help, where is my life rushing too so fast. I was complaining about the long dark winter in December and now the days are lengthening. In fact, daylight is a full two hours longer now than in December. Can spring be far behind?

Willy is overjoyed to go outside these days. He gets so excited even though he doesn't stay out more than an hour. Each evening, we are visited by a variety of neighbourhood cats as they are gearing up for mating season. There will be yet another crop of kittens to add to the feral cat population. I'm astonished at the number of "in tact" pet cats there are in my area. It baffles me how people just ignore all the information about the dangers to song birds and wildlife from the increasing cat population.

Wake up folks. Your roaming tabby is also a danger to himself and other cats. Feline Immune- deficiency Virus (FIV/Aids) is becoming a serious cat disease that is very infectious, and for which there is no cure. It is a lingering, wasting disorder that is spread through bites and sexual intercourse. Un-neutered Toms fight a lot in mating season and the female in heat gets a double whammy because the Tom bites her to pin her for mating. She then passes the disease to her kittens. If your neutered Fluffy is allowed out even briefly, and gets caught up in a territorial skirmish, there is a strong chance she/he will come home with FIV.

FIV is not dangerous to humans or other animal species, so you and Fido will not get sick. Alas, Fluffy will be symptom free until the immune system begins to break down. Then, like a human Aids sufferer, the poor cat will succumb to all kinds of illnesses. When that happens, and the family feline starts to need veterinary care, the same irresponsible people will likely abandon Fluffy somewhere across town, to die alone, from hunger, thirst and stress.

A cat is not a disposable toy - cute as a kitten, but a challenge as it grows up. Cats suffer from neglect, indifference, superstition, ignorance and worst of all, abuse. Their very independence and self- sufficiency makes cats ready targets for mistreatment. It's assumed that they can cope without human intervention but their coping skills (hunting) cause the damage to birds and wildlife. Cats are damned for their hunting ability while also abandoned to rely on hunting to survive. This so called *cat problem* is really a human problem. We bring them into our lives, but accept no responsibility for them. Of course there are also good cat people, who do the right things for their pets. This is not addressed to them. This is for all the folks who still think its better to let Fluffy lead a "natural" life, and about the people who are cruel in their ignorance.

Spring is coming and Willy is so excited. So are all his neighborhood buddies. It's such a joy to watch him play and sit in the sun. I wish for every cat to have a patch of sun to sit in, and carefree games to play under the watchful eyes of loving humans.

We need a lube job.

One of the after effects of a house full of people is the intense quiet once everyone leaves. I really enjoy that quiet. It's like the days when Maya was little and went to bed at night. I would sit in the quiet and relish my aloneness. There was never such a sweet feeling. That doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy my children or that I don't love house guests. Not at all. I really enjoyed the weekend a lot. It was filled with activity, a birthday party for Tori; a day with my other daughter Tracy and her two little people; Glenn 's quiet conversation, dinner with Kathleen and Ray in attendance, and throughout, Maya 's energy and humour. It was wonderful fun and I loved cooking special meals and the lively conversation, but last night when everyone had gone, I enjoyed that special calm of solitude.

People need solitude to be friends with themselves. We need silence to connect with our inner selves. In this world of mobile communication devices, silence and solitude has become rare and all the more precious.

I find it troubling to see that my daughter, her man, and so many others can no longer disconnect from their Blackberries. Wherever we go, they are checking their messages and texting others. It's done in restaurants, at birthday parties, in mid conversation et al. What could possibly be so important that it justifies such discourtesy? At the very least, leave the room if you must check your messages.

Nobody likes to feel irrelevant, but that is exactly how I feel when a text or a ring tone interrupts our face to face connection. It's like talking with someone, at a party, who is constantly scanning the room for someone more important to talk to. Cell phones are really useful devices for safety, keeping people informed of your whereabouts, checking meeting times and warning about road conditions. None of these need to be reported or checked in mid-conversation at social functions. Doing so, sends out the message that being in the now with fellow human beings is of lesser value. It is dear people, at the very least - rude, and at its worst - unkind.

There are enough situations in daily life that devalue us, we don't need it reinforced by our friends, nearest and dearest. The time seems to be at hand where human interaction is no longer prized and we are settling for imitations of life. Does LOL really mean laughter, and OMG really register genuine surprise? Will we ever be satisfied with :) when a real smile is needed? I'm from the generation that invented labour saving technology and strove to make life easier for people. We were on the threshold of a culture shift. Marshall McLuhan sounded the warning about the medium becoming the message and he was right. It's time to reflect on how far we, as a species, are prepared to go in surrendering ourselves. As individuals, we need to decide how much of our humanity we are willing consign to this technology addiction.

In our daily discourse, we could take the first step by turning off our cell phones to talk to each other. Let's stop referencing our senses in text, and instead, using our touch, sight, smell, laughter, emotion and intellect to again embrace one another in real time. I believe that we would see less road rage, less frustration and reduce the new phenomenon of pedestrian rage. A civil society requires civil citizens to function and the purpose of courtesy has been to lubricate society. Judging from what passes for social interaction in this technological world, we are all desperately in need of a lube job.

This is not a rant against my nearest and dearest. They are no worse or better than everyone else in their generation, being swept along by the tide of dehumanization. They are busy people doing the best they can and, no doubt, see these technological advances as a huge benefit. I honestly believe that they would be less stressed and busy if they unplugged more often. They need more time to listen to their inner selves and to each other. We all need some silence to make friends with ourselves.

Remembering where I belong.

Today is a warmer (only - 4) day but quite grey and damp looking. It's looking like it might snow. I like it colder with bright sunlight and no wind. A -4 * day with a strong wind chill is far more difficult to tolerate than -20 with sun and no wind. We have had a few of those bright crisp cold days lately, that make my winter experience thrilling. Walking on crunching snow is one of my favourite sounds. I guess I must be Canadian.

I was invited to visit friends in Florida, and kept looking to find a time to get away. It dawned on me now that it's February, that I'm procrastinating in part, because I don't want to leave and also because I'm not too fond of Florida. I like my friends very much, so it is no reflection on their hospitality. I'm just weird about winter. I keep thinking I'd like to go to Cuba sometime, or back to Columbia (which I loved), or to revisit Jamaica but I don't do it. I only think about it. I do have concerns about the heat. Lately, I have had such bizarre physical reactions to the heat that it makes me nervous going into it deliberately. I've even had to install air conditioning in the cottage to prevent getting sick in a heat wave. Knowing I have it, really relieves my anxiety. So
those are my reasons for staying put.

I have been invited to speak at a dear friend's first anniversary in AA. It is a true honour to do this because I know how difficult his journey has been. Sobriety, as a way of life, is the farthest thing from any alcoholic's mind. The first year is a struggle that I would never want to relive. My HP and the fear of losing my precious sobriety, has kept me sober *one day at a time* for 36 years. It has been a gift beyond any in my life, except the birth of Maya. Her birth would never have happened had I not walked into AA. The miracle of her arrival, following three miscarriages, was a direct result of my sobriety. So, I have much to be grateful for and it will be a joy to share that with D's AA Group.

As it happens, his First Anniversary is on March 15, my 71st Birthday. Without a shadow of a doubt, I can say that I would never have reached my 71st birthday without my 36 years of sobriety. It wasn't always a smooth trip and there were many painful moments in my life since February 19, 1975, because that's life - full of peaks and valleys. By living each 24 hours without my crutch of oblivion, I can say, each step of the journey was felt, experienced, and increased my consciousness. I am part of the world and I can have a hand in changing the world. I am responsible! I believe it's called maturity and I like it.

In sharing D's anniversary, I hope I can help some newcomers hang in there. There is hope and a good life awaiting them if they believe in the group's love, follow the collective experience in those AA rooms, and with the help of their HP come to believe in themselves.

Nowhere else in this life can I promise that things will get better.

Thank you D.

Pets and their people.

We are having a bout of illness here. First me, with that horrendous ear infection. Both ears completely blocked and aching. I had close to a month of being out of it from drugs, pain and deafness. Now Kathleen, my lodger, is ill with a vicious sinus infection. She missed several days at school and is sleeping round the clock. I've been making healthy soups and stir fries to keep up her strength. For the time being, Willy has escaped it. He had a really difficult time when I was deaf because I couldn't hear him and didn't respond appropriately. He chatters all the time and I respond but when I wasn't answering him he started to become withdrawn and mopey. When I returned to normal, Willy was wary, then jubilant. Another example of how sensitive our pets can be to our health and mood changes. Now he is disturbed by Kathleen being shut in her room. He sits and picks at her door but she doesn't respond. This troubles him. Sometimes he'll stand on his hind legs and rattle her door-nob. I call him away so he won't awaken her.

Much as I love cats, I draw the line at cat fisticuffs and caterwauling on my back deck. They are not even my cats. One huge white male belongs to a neighbour. He is a bully and Willy instinctively dislikes him. The other is a dark grey feral tabby. I have been leaving a bowl of kibble and water in a sheltered spot for the feral cat who is too shy to come out if I'm there. The white cat is well fed and should stay home but clearly has owners who put him out at night (even if it's freezing). The feral cat has nobody, and my food eases his rough life slightly. Tonight the bully showed up as the feral cat was feeding. There ensued such a territorial dispute, it was alarming. The white cat decided to launch an attack on the feral cat, who wanted to escape but was cornered. I seized a broom and intervened. They both ran off in different directions. The bully will go home and the feral lad will sneak back to eat his supper. Willy, inside, became over stimulated by all this and had to do his cushion to unwind.

Snow days are pure magic.

I'm retired, so I have no pressing or urgent need to be anywhere. I can work or not work at my own pace. Still, snow days are surprise presents from the sky and out of our control. They just happen and it's the randomness that makes a snow day such a welcome gift. We have all been given a get out of jail free card and we can relax without a schedule or guilt.

I love snow days! Kathleen, my lodger was called early in the morning - college closed - brilliant! Back to bed she went. I woke up to that wonderful silence that accompanies heavy snow falls. I looked out at the pristine unploughed world that is my garden and smiled with the recollected joy of my childhood. Yay it's a *snow day*.

I canceled my podiatrist appointment and spent the day in my jammies. I read, wrote birthday cards, played on my computer and briefly went outside in big tall boots, over my pants, to smell the air.

Willy, my adventurous cat tried gingerly high stepping it over the snow. No, not so good, so he walked all around my deck banister and over my window sill to get back inside. I took some winter photos and came in as well.

We ended the day with a good supper and a relaxing fire in the fireplace. Kathleen, Willy and I had a perfect winter day. We were blessed with a lot of snow. Sigh.