WHITECAP DAKOTA FIRST NATION, SASKATCHEWAN — Canada’s Crown-Indigenous relations minister has apologized to 9 First Nations in Manitoba and Saskatchewan following many years of the Dakota and Lakota being labelled as refugees.
Gary Anandasangaree stated Monday at a ceremony at Whitecap Dakota First Nation south of Saskatoon that the teams ought to have been formally acknowledged as First Nations in Canada.
“On behalf of the Authorities of Canada and all Canadians, we search to start to fix this injustice with three easy phrases: we’re sorry,” he stated.
“We acknowledge you’ve gotten been handled as second-class First Nations, as strangers right here in your homeland in Canada, a Canada you helped defend, construct and develop.”
The apology was met with cheers from the gang of greater than 650 individuals.
The Dakota and Lakota, who’ve held land in Canada and the USA, have lengthy had a robust presence within the nation.
Nevertheless, the Canadian authorities by no means acknowledged them as Aboriginal Peoples of Canada below the Structure. As a substitute, they have been seen as strangers from the USA looking for refuge from the American army.
The Dakota and Lakota have been defeated in battle by the Individuals within the 1860s and 1870s, forcing many to maneuver north. Canada allowed them to remain however ignored their title to land.
Because of this, the Dakota and Lakota weren’t invited to signal treaties and acquired no treaty rights. They acquired smaller reserves and fewer financial helps than different Indigenous teams.
Anandasangaree stated Canada’s failure to supply recognition harm generations of Dakota and Lakota. He famous that they had pledged their allegiance to the Crown in the course of the Struggle of 1812, when the USA declared warfare in opposition to Britain.
“You have been allies, you weren’t refugees,” he stated.
He added they have been additionally topic to the residential college system, ’60s Scoop and different insurance policies which have harmed Indigenous individuals.
“There’s no method to undo the years of collective trauma your individuals and nations endure to this present day,” Anandasangaree stated.
“Regardless of the racism, discrimination, social and financial exclusion and lingering harms of colonialism, your dignity as Indigenous individuals stays unbroken.”
He stated Canada will work with the First Nations to develop treaties and agreements to affirm their rights within the Structure.
Whitecap Dakota First Nation signed a self-government settlement with Canada in 2023 that formally acknowledged its members as Aboriginal Peoples below the Structure.
It additionally acknowledged the Whitecap Dakota’s capability to make legal guidelines on-reserve.
Whitecap Dakota First Nation Chief Darcy Bear stated the apology was a very long time coming.
“We had territories on either side of the border — and there was no border on the time — and we’ve been right here since time immemorial,” he stated.
“(Reserves) restricted our alternatives however that’s all going to alter, and that’s what we’re on the lookout for, that acknowledgment.”
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