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A Celebration of Aboriginal Heritage
Photo: 13th Annual Canadian Aboriginal Festival by Bahman (Flickr) used under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 generic licence.
Two decades of native activism
Broadcast Date: Feb. 4, 1984
On its 20th anniversary, Our Native Land looks back at the rise of Red Power in Canada. The Kenora protest and the native pavilion at Expo '67 are early examples of activism, but a national movement rose up against the Trudeau government's 1968 White Paper. The ongoing struggle of native women for equal rights is reported, as is the 1973 Wounded Knee protest and the 1974 March on Parliament Hill. The show ends with stories on the James Bay hydroelectric deal and the Berger pipeline inquiry.Two decades of native activism
• The Indians of Canada Pavilion shocked many Expo 67 visitors by revealing the stark living conditions on reserves and their anger at the government for breaking treaties. This episode of CBC Radio's Expodition plays down the "note of unhappiness" inside the pavilion.
• The 1975 $225 million deal with Hydro-Québec and the James Bay Cree and Inuit was only the beginning. While communities benefited from better homes and schools, traditional ways began to fade and social problems, including alcohol abuse, grew. In 2002 the Cree signed another deal for a second phase of the giant dam project. The CBC Digital Archives has the full story of The James Bay Project and the Cree.
• Supreme Court Justice Thomas Berger traveled through Canada's North for two years to hear from residents about the proposed pipeline. Berger's recommendation for a 10-year moratorium on pipeline development was heeded. But today, with most aboriginal land claims settled, people are talking about the pipeline once again. See the CBC Digital Archives topic on The Berger Pipeline Inquiry.
Two decades of native activism
Medium: Radio
Program: Our Native Land
Broadcast Date: Feb. 4, 1984
Guest(s): John Barbarash, Thomas Berger, Jeanette Corbiere Lavell, Walter Deiter, Sandra Lovelace, Russell Moses, Bob Rhodes, Vina Starr, Bernelda Wheeler, Johnny Yesno
Host: Brian Maracle
Duration: 28:04
This clip has been edited for copyright reasons.
Last updated:
Aug. 17, 2009
The Six Nations' annual Indian Pageant challenges contemporary history and a 1000-year-old Iroquois settlement is unearthed in Ontario.
Two decades of native activism.
The CBC Digital Archives Website.
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Last updated: Aug. 17, 2009.
[Page consulted on Feb. 14, 2012.]