Indigenous women must be seen

Marina Crane (00:01.144) Good morning. It's July twenty sixth, twenty twenty six. well the smoke is still here and I'm just waking up. and I'm trying to be as nonchalant as I can and do what I can with what I've written down. So anyway, A lot of times when I go and I'm bored, I'll go on TikTok and I've I find it's really interesting to listen to young indigenous w activists, indigenous women and men. And so there are two podcasts that from this lady who I think like really is helps self-educate or helps w us as indigenous people identify, especially what it means to be an Indigenous woman. There's a little bit of a bias, like like I try not to put too much emphasis on on cultural differences, but but I do realize like there is some sort of manifestation in our political view, especially being colonized, in in terms of how under the Indian Act we've constructed some biases when it comes to women who marry into our communities. Or just the women who do marry, how much they bully and and really manipulate. I know that's biased. I mean what I'm trying to say is that throughout my life here, most of the women who've run for politics are women who've married in I don't know, just this past election, s five of the women, I think it's five or six of the women actually grew up here that are that have been voted in. So There is there are changes happening and and I'm grateful, but at the same time too a lot of this colonized way of thinking, really we really have to take a look at well, for me, I I take a look at it and ask myself, how has the Indian Act affected me? Especially when it comes to the trafficking of our children. And sometimes we don't even understand what it is to be trafficked. and again this is my own bias because I've Marina Crane (02:27.574) I've never been married or have children or even lived with a a partner. So what makes me an expert, well, I'm not an expert, that's what I'm trying to say. But I d but I do know that that if I had somehow decided to be in a relationship, it would have been really strained because again of the lateral violence and the misogyny, people, es especially women from other communities who marry in have against the women who grow grow up in the communities that their partners l live in. I don't know if it has to do with insecurity or what, but the majority of times too, because a lot of the places that like for Sutina, we're right by city, so a lot of the things that I've become used to, a lot of non indigenous well, no, not indigeno non indigenous A lot of indigenous men say that I'm a princess and I'm going, What do you mean? 'Cause I take offense when somebody says, you're a princess Well because I'm only five minutes from Tim Hortons or or movie theaters or even the hospital or the the malls and so I I grew up that way. I I grew up playing hooky from my school to go to a shopping mall or or you know, hang out in the downtown parkate parkade just just to skip out of school. So th my life How I grew up around white people is different than say women who've lived their whole life in an isolated northern community or southern community and they marry into Sutina. again, too, during the stampede, my cousins and I, when we'd go partying in the city, we'd say we'd see once a year Indians, once a year indigenous people, because you know, like it's only t it's it's just a ritual thing growing up. that there weren't that many indigenous people actually living in the city. Now today there's like forty thousand Indigenous people. So again, I'm talking about generational and gaps in in how people perceive what it is to be indigenous. But in historical sense though, a lot of times because you're growing up in poverty, like say for example, gee, maybe thirty years ago, maybe a little less. I Marina Crane (04:48.342) my my late brother pa he married. I f I I I came up from the United States to witness his wedding and to my surprise the community where he his partner was from there were a lot of teenagers, like children. Children having children. I couldn't believe it. But yet at the same time, even in the past twenty years and when I talked to women in my community who have partners who come from northern communities and I talk about trafficking. It's it's the whole concept of parents marrying off their ch their daughters when they're like fifteen and sixteen. Now, historically here in Soutina too, there've been quite a few child brides. And and I say child brides 'cause like what your your body still isn't fully developed to even to even be like yeah, you have sexual arousal but the whole enjoyment of human sexuality isn't isn't really set in place until your body is mature. Now again, I might be just redundant and repeating something you already know. But but what I'm trying to say is the whole concept of trafficking when when you're so poor that you cannot look after your your daughters or even afford to help them you know, like save money and help them get into university or high school. And and so when they become sexually active they they marry them marry them out. so they leave their communities to to another community. And when you're that young coming into a foreign community, then how do you how do you adjust to that? Because in a in a way it's a form of trafficking. Because because like you're you're still a child. That's that's how I think it's been normalized. But there's also some other complications involved with the Indian Act and how the Indian Act treated and handled indigenous women in terms of like property and and what is what is a status or non status and just the whole racial bias created when a woman gets pregnant. Like like that's hard to understand. But it but again too, I think a lot of white women sort of feel like they have some sort of moral obligation. Marina Crane (07:10.156) to say, well, this is how my life is. You know, your sexuality is no different than mine. I was promiscuous. I did this and that. And I'm going, yes, that's the human experience. But there is a difference in terms of decolonizing oneself and the fact that a lot of the concepts of who we see we who we are as indigenous women is is played out by by the greater society. So So, you know, it's it's no biggie when when I have a friend who's seventy five and says, Yeah, you know, these cowboys they sure like Indian girls. Hey, what can I say? You know, that's that's just the way things are. People from other countries see th other people, other women as exotic. but again too, you know, what what what is what are the boundaries? And who's responsible for putting these boundaries up? So I just got off the phone with my cousin and she's indigenous and I was talking to her, I said, You know, some friends they come and they go and she said, Well, Marina, that's life and I said, Yes. I said, right until the bitter end when it we take our last breath, you know, we're there's there's not gonna be it it's all it's just the way it is. We we make friends and then that we go our separate ways. And and so, you know, I I was saying that to her. I said, My whole life I've I've been around white women and And sometimes it's the hypocrisy or the projection of of privilege. I made a comment, I said it it's really difficult for me to accept white women and white men as mental health workers that come into our communities, especially when they have a preconceived notion of what it's like to live in our communities when really their only reference point is from point of privilege. And and my goodness, you know, How dare an indigenous woman do a critique on you when like see, th th there's a bias right there. So that's why when I talk about sexuality and identity, even though we're the same gender, the colon colonial construct created under the Indian Act and how people have lived that way, like in in a conscious in a conscious way, without even Marina Crane (09:34.838) like understanding that this is what they're doing, this this this shadow effect of how women marry into our communities. It's a psychological thing of privilege in some ways because they're basically mansplaying to indigenous women. This is what you do. This is how you it's like basically I'm I'm I mean I make making fun because this is so real. I I've seen it, I've witnessed it, I've had white women say, This is how you do this. Or this is you know, don't throw water on the ground or or give out the these gifts, these free gifts in in the sacred directions. You know, like where did they learn this bullshit? And why do they think it's so beneath them to to, you know, like understand like you're you're talking to an indigenous woman who's grown up around spirituality or indigenous spirituality and here you are coming in, latching onto somebody who's indigenous, having sex with them and living with them and thinking, okay, therefore I know I have knowledge because I respect my partner. No, no, it doesn't work that way. That's that's for white women. But the majority of times too when I talk about women marrying into my community, These are the these are non ind these are indigenous women. Because again, it has to bring that mindset of of like what what it is that they're they're bringing into our community. And studies have shown that too, like most of the time, uneducated attract uneducated, educated attract educated, wealthy r attracts wealthy, etcetera. But the reality of it is that at that there there is there is some nonsense that has that has been handed down from the Indian agent about how indigenous men should treat their the the women in their families. the Indian agent always took took Indians as property and and even in terms of I use the example of Brittany Spears and how she became a her f her parents became guardian. Marina Crane (11:54.594) Well, that's how the federal government is towards us when it comes to Crown Land and and the and and our our trust fund. So anyway, this young woman, she's she's talking about this bill, bill C two, a bill that started in the Senate and needs to be passed for any of these changes to become law. Now this is a really brilliant young woman. So she puts it that simply bill s two. is proposed legislation that would seek amendments to the Indian Act. So you have to understand every time that Indian Act has been in place and every change to it has to go through this process, even even for the to change the set of of indigenous women from the time that they would marry non-Indigenous or non-status, they would lose everything. So if they were a matriarch all of a sudden just through having a different partner from a different culture. you y the federal government recog took away your identity as an i as an indigenous person, you were no longer considered indigenous. However, it worked the opposite for our men. They could marry a white woman and automatically she would inherit this indigenous woman status. Blonde, blue eyed, she's an indigenous woman. the courts would defend her up and up and down, so she had double privilege. So yeah, the bias on that still lingers even in the sense of like when women marry indigenous women marry within the community because they they feel like their status has has been has improved because they're not from the community like like a white woman who marries in within. There's a certain privilege that that the federal government has recognized. And again at at whose fault? At the fault of the indigenous women women like myself who've grown up here my entire life. So this young woman says, she's seeing a lot of people that think are k and think are confused about this and think that the government just wants to open the floodgates and a bunch of pretendiums are going to come into the w the the woodwork. But that's not really what's going to happen, she says. Essentially it's restoring what was lost, more specifically to women and their descendants because of the sexist and colonial policies. Marina Crane (14:21.548) See, that's what I'm talking about. There like when I say I have white uncles, it's because of this policy, this colonial sextus policy. and some other changes that are being proposed, she says, are things like changing the outdated language because right on right now under the Indian Act, indigenous people with disabilities are referred to as mentally incompetent Indians. Okay, so even that I mean, like okay, for newcomers, immigrants, white people, black people, like really this Indian Act governs how leadership identifies band members, indigenous like First Nations Inuit and Matee. Now understand this too. Only the past two years has the federal government acknowledged indigenous status of of the seven of the I think it's nine Sioux tribes in Canada, as well as the Inuit and Metis in Canada. Only two like a two years ago. So so that means like my mom and my aunties and my grandparents who are Dakota Sioux weren't recognized as indigenous people until two years ago. So even though they're they're sitting on Crown land and they have reserves or Metis sett settlements or Inuit settlements. they still were not considered indigenous until two years ago. So so you under you have to understand the the the the the practice, the systemic racist practice of who and h was d who was defined as being indigenous. Now the ch she says that they want change that di to that to they want to change that to dependent persons. Just th the the identity of like like that they're incompetent in mentally incompetent Indians to just dependent peep person. And it would also create things like a very clear process for people that want to their names removed from the Indian registry. So essentially removing yourself from being certified as an India's status and another thing is that it would do is to see people that are newly eligible for status also be eligible to be Marina Crane (16:41.994) added to the BAM list. Because in Canada, if you are a First Nations person that belongs to a nation that is under the Indian Act, the federal government actually maintains those lists. So that's why like even when my sister married a Navajo, she she she lost her status because he's he's can in Canada we don't recognize Native Americans from the United States. So any indigenous woman who married an Amer a Native American from the United States, she would lose her status as well. Now, again, that's federal policy. So so w w when they when the co the Indian Act was changed, so women who were allowed to marry whoever they wanted that didn't have status, they'd still remain there they'd still remain indigenous under this Indian Act. And they were put on a general ban list in Ottawa. So this is what this young woman is talking about. The even though th they they're gonna change this bill, it it it's a process. And and and throughout the decades that I've talked to indigenous people who whose grandmothers or mothers are indigenous, I've say keep a record. Keep marriage records, birth certificates, everything. I said because your the status is going to change and when it does, you need to have those records because even you're put on the general list in in Ottawa, the application for an individual to make to become a band member is based on the mem the band membership codes that each tribe created for themselves. Like with with the the Code Sioux, they automatically just accepted everybody. Because again, they weren't even considered indigenous until two years ago. So every way and every which way People have tried to erase indigenous ways of knowing or the culture has been part of this Indian Act. And and no matter how much people say, well I get it, no, you really don't because you've never lived it. So so again, in both or this young woman is saying, both in the House of Commons and the Senate, as long as it doesn't sp spend tax tayers doll taxpayers' dollars, which is how it originated in the Senate, it already passed a first reading and second reading. Marina Crane (19:03.926) And now it's in the consideration in committee. Senate and House of Commons committees are a very important part of the process because places like committees is where these amendments were made and voted on. So here's where it gets interesting. This this is her saying this. This bill needs to go through the House of Commons and it needs to be passed through the House of Commons. But if the House of Commons decides that they also want to make amendments To this bill, it needs to be sent back to the Senate to either reject or approve those amendments. And then what has to happen is the House of Commons and the Senate both need to pass the same version of the bill. And then it receives royal assent and becomes law. And then these changes take effect. So throughout the patriarchy and the matriarchy struggle. struggle of balance. This whole process of going through the House of Commons, the Senate, the readings and going back and forth to make it law is so time consuming and so structured. I I use the analogy it's like it's like a sexual assault victim and and how you know the the victim has to document everything and and the investigators, you know, in investigate her. Then it's gotta go to the judge and then they whether or not it's a case. Then if it's a case then they gotta arrest the person that the whole judicial process under Court of King's Branch is the same in the in terms of legislation and even changing parts of the Indian Act that was so discriminatory and still is discriminatory towards indigenous women and like just and children, okay? So she says it's very condensed version of what the Bill C what Bill S two is. And no, it does not open the floodgates and it does not make a bunch of people indigenous. Essentially what it does is address the fact that people were removed or forced out of their legal status was be because of discriminator policies. So this discriminatory policies, as as redundant as some people might think it is, has had a total impact on how indigenous women see other indigenous women. Marina Crane (21:30.038) Or even when Indigenous women marry into communities that are culturally different than them, that have totally different band membership policies, all this is an orientation or oriented to the the woman coming into the community. Because the prejudice is that for me as an Indigenous woman, I cannot bring a man into my community, which is again discriminatory. And because of that, I don't have status. And even my children wouldn't have status because of the Indian Act and the and the representation of it. So so I jokingly say, well, I have white uncles. Again, the majority of my white uncles are married to Dakota women, which again until two years ago weren't even considered indigenous. So so there is there is a lot of expectation when it comes to like who who is indigenous and how traditional Are you? Like really that what it they they do they bring in spirituality to this whole equation. And that's why like for me as a as an indigenous woman, I don't claim to be a spiritual healer, nothing like that. Because because I've seen it play out in in our indigenous men with their with their women that you know they've they brought into the communities. So this woman says, for example, A lot of women in my community no, I'm saying this is what I'm saying. like they've lost their status and the whole fact is that when you have misogyny and lateral violence, it it comes to the identity of indigenous woman, it attacks the identity of a indigenous woman. So the ideology of the colonial way of thinking is that a woman's pe is a piece of property and therefore her children are also a commodity and be can be pushed around and moved around. And see, that's where the discriminatory part of the child welfare system comes in, because we don't have sovereignty over that because we as Indigenous women do not have sovereignty under the Indian Act. And so therefore, if we try to have group homes or or or shelters for our our children in our communities, we we we can't do that because we it's under the Indian Act. And so Marina Crane (23:54.935) Like in order to change that we have to have educated Indigenous people in those areas to develop the policies because eventually those policies will take be taken over by by local government, much like the education policy was taken over. And even then it was a struggle and still is a struggle in in how the tripart agreements are being held between the federal and provincial judiciary process or the fiduciary. obligations that are passed down through treaty. T R E A T Y. Treaty. That's why I'm saying it's a source of it's a catalyst to trafficking. Now like my concerns and the thing about it is like when women choose to be single and have children, the majority of the women don't get housing. or they're at the bottom of the economic spectrum. And so, you know, in order to have sort of like that disp this disparity is is that if you're you grew up here and you decided to have not be married and just keep your status, all your children would have your name, your your your maiden name. They won't have their father's name. And at the same time too, even if you applied for a home You don't you don't have a partner 'cause you chose to not be with a partner because it would be there'd be some disparity in how ban funds are allocated to you. So if you're an indigenous man and you marry an indigenous woman or or white woman and and they're in the community, then all of a sudden you can apply for a house and and you could get it. Even if you don't have children. And again, this is a discriminatory towards women who choose to be single mothers. Or even if you're you're a teenage pregnancy, anything where it has to do with you know women trying to take care of their children, their babies. And and then again because of the disparity of poverty, the woman is looked at as like incompetent or or basically like what they they called like for disa d disabilities. Marina Crane (26:19.929) how they treat in the Indian Act, how they treat people with disabilities. Well that's the same parallel in how they treat indigenous women who've grown up within their communities. And again, this is my opinion, 'cause I've seen it, I've grown it, I've smelt it, I've tasted it, I've thrown up. Anyway, so th the sooner a girl is married off, the the you know, the better off it is for her to to actually get a home and have like a male somebody who owns her and her children. And and again, you know, like it's it's sort of self-defeating when it comes to like like the disparity because then then they look at women who've grown up here and wonder, well why why are you so why do you have such self-defeating behavior? When look at me, I'm from a poorer community. I've got all this culture and you're just so culturally deprived. I mean, it's my opinion, because I mean lateral violence, where did it start from and why why do why do women who marry in are why and this is my own personal opinion, but you can ask any woman who's grown up in their First Nations anyway or Metis communities, you know, you ask them, like women who marry in, are they are they friend or foe? And You know, th that's the reality of our policies that are made in terms of housing, who gets housing, who gets certain perks for for just living in the community. So the more a man is perceived as being like the breadwinner, or the more again because of colonial constructs. so again, if if you marry a white man and your status has improved because You just they just think, well he's your provider. And but again too, they they they neglect to understand the cultural facet of it is that you lose your matern maternal support system that you grew up with. And so like Marina Crane (28:35.181) staying like say with I I'll I'll use an example. There was a young woman who was staying with her uncle and aunt and the aunt had married in. And the aunt worked, was trained by colonial Indian agent to be an office administrator. And because of that she worked and and the and the man that she married was a farmer, mechanic, jack of all trades. And she was collecting like she had a a babysitter, one of the the the her ha her partner's relative without the partner knowing what his part his indigenous wife was doing she was collecting not only she was collecting social assistance for the babysitter but as well as not paying the babysitter for babysitting and and taking care of their children. So that kind of we'll call it narcissism or vac Machiavellian ways of thinking for women who've moved who've married in thinking that, you know, like, I I've gotta try and get the best out of what I my situation here because look at look at my partner. You know, I mean th that in itself is is very like it's the the re the reality of of women being so cruel to other women and and yet You know, you wonder where did they get that from? And and like I said, this woman who married in she's a serv she's a survivor of Indian residential school and also denying that she has any historical trauma, as she she notably says, that was in the past. But the reality of it is that you still see it in how scared her her excuse me, her daughters are of her. Because because her partner had passed away. Marina Crane (30:35.118) So there are so many things there's so many things that excuse me when I'm growing up here in Sutana and you're on this healing journey trying to understand who you are and why things are are are done or policies made to keep you in your place. Like I said, doing the first day care. the first detox just so I could have a place to s to stay rather than going into the city and paying rent. I was I was in my early twenties. Like so, you know, this is a reality. This is my reality. This is my opinion. And again to the policies that anybody under the age of fifty five who was single and had no children could not apply for housing. Because again, you know you gotta look at it historically as well as the reality of today. The majority of women, more than fifty percent, are the main administrators, the main like doctors, lawyers, Indian chiefs. And yet unless you're a chief, a female chief, you don't have a voice at the national, like at the AFN. So this this discriminatory policy goes right through the whole system and then we have our men wondering, what is the matter with our women? Well, the audacity of the fact that for years, you know, you're you're okay to to, you know, bring in women but not honor the women, your sisters, your mothers, your aunts who actually grew up in the community. That's why I think things are changing, 'cause the majority of our our our young coun counselors are women who've actually grown up here. And and again too, like it's it's not it's not like easy. You take on this political role and you're gonna get criticized and you have to take it. You have to. You can't be going around, you know, just putting stuff on Facebook and social media and crying and saying, How dare you do this and that and you know, th it's it's time to, you know, like sort of what do they say, smarten up buttercup. anyway, like there's so much violence that happens Marina Crane (32:58.54) within homes and then you know people like how how do they how do you help? How do you help people who who you know are victims of violence when they don't want help? Now I the the s the basic psychology of it is like when somebody overdoses in the city and and they're laying semi conscious on the ground and the ambulance and the fire department come and the person gets up and they say, Well, do you need help? and they say no, then then they walk away. The person could overdose, but they chose they denied help. Well it's the same thing with violence when I've seen women being beaten up in public and I go and s tell the husband to leave her alone, then I'm attacked by the wife to say to tell me to s to stay out of her business. you know, because, you know, she's being beaten. I mean the laws have changed now. So they found out that at at least a year or so after the violence has occurred, then a woman sort of gets this epiphany, like, this is injustice. So so now they protect the victims of violence, like women and men who are victims of violence. But again to it makes policing all the more at risk when you go into family violence situations where, you know, the woman's trying to defend herself and yet at the same time protect her partner. She can chur she can turn on the person who's rescuing her. Okay, so again That's why like when it comes to people who hear say about sexual violence and they say, the other this this this woman was drunk and this leader took her into her hotel room. And I'm and I'm going, but you're y you took a video of the her being drunk? Why didn't you go up to her and say, Let's have a coffee? Or, you know, why didn't you talk to this alleged victim? And again Marina Crane (35:05.254) it's the the victim isn't telling the story. It's the woman who watched the woman behave in a certain manner, that she's putting judgment on the the man, but yet it's the victim if she actually again That's why I state, if you're gonna press charges, it's gotta come from the victim. You can't be the like like it's like me, if I see somebody being beaten up and I go and I tell the guys, Don't beat your wife and she says, Leave leave us alone, you know, I have to walk away. If if if if a man's overdosing and and I say, Well, I'm getting help and he says, No, I don't want help, I have to go away. So, you know, that's why I'm saying it's one thing to call wolf and and think that you're doing justice by advocating against violence. It's another thing to be the victim and to realize like the victim has to make the statement. It's the victim who has to say, This is this person hurt me. Nobody else can do it. So that's why I caution people, be careful. Be careful careful of how you're mansplaying things on behalf that you think on are be on behalf of all women when really it's it's the victim that you haven't talked with. So and the majority of times too, even like when when you deal with your well, personally, just my opinion is that my dealing with my life and how I manage or don't manage boundaries. That's that's my responsibility. That's my journey in this life. And and you know, as old as I am as and as an elder, I'm constantly learning these things. It it's it's amazing to me that that it's important that I mean Marina Crane (36:58.316) I don't wanna make it sound like like I'm so codependent, but there is there is a a dance of intimacy where where the man has you know, he puts down the boundaries. And and as the woman you're understanding those boundaries. But it should be the same thing too with women and other women. When you're talking you know, as women we need to put boundaries down with other women. I find more so with indigenous women when it comes to to white women or other women that we we do not put boundaries down with other women when we need to. B because you know, that's the lesson that men teach have taught me. And not like physically saying like a teacher sitting me down and showing me the A B C's. It has to do with how I understand my own sexuality. and and to understand like when a man is comfortable or or uncomfortable. It's it's the same thing in any relationship, male or female. Boundaries are important. Because because some people when when you they don't have those in place, they take offense when when you start putting boundaries down and you're you're you're wondering what changed. Well, say for example for me, my attitude has changed. I'm I'm really grateful that, you know, I I was taught this by by a man about boundaries. I mean, it's not like like I just learned it. It's it's a validation. I guess that's the proper way of putting it. Throughout my life, the validation of boundaries w when talking to men is is vital. But it should also take another step forward when it comes to women as well, because we're responsible as women to look after our own mental health. And so that that's part of what I wanted to talk about with my podcast 'cause it is it's a bit discerning or concerning in the sense that, you know, throughout my life I've had to walk away from friends. Marina Crane (39:02.72) You know, people that I've I get close to and then some something happens and I just realize, okay, the boundaries have been crossed. Either I crossed them or they crossed me and and that's just the way it is. So we walk away from people. so anyway, this woman who's talking about Bill S to, when she says it's like what is status. Once you get to your status you have you have to put you're put on the general list and you have an th then once you're put on the list then you have to go the protocols of what it is you need to get voted on. So even though you know you're on the general list in Ottawa, you still have to be voted on as a actual tribal member, either in First Nations, Inuit, or Metis communities. And all and every indigenous person, I don't care how much lies or mansplaying from from pretendiums. There is a paper trail with both First Nations, Inuit and Metis right back to their to the land. There's no getting around it. And and if when this bill s two passes and you have all your documentation, you're get you'll get put on the general ban list in Ottawa. However, you need to go to your original place where your grandmother or your par your mother or somebody lost their status 'cause there were women, you need to make application to be voted back into the general like the actual list where you can vote for people for your chief and counsel. Marina Crane (40:50.036) It's it's been here for a couple of decades in my community and it's been, you know, noted that we needed time to figure these things out for ourselves. A lot of other tribes, like I said, with the Sioux, they just automatically accepted everybody back because they didn't they weren't recognized as indigenous people in Canada until two years ago. So even Inuit and Metis, so for all those people who are pretending or think that they're indigenous, you know, smarten up buttercups. You're good if you have those records, you'll be put on the general list in Ottawa. However, if you've got enough courage to actually make application to be on a the a be belong to a First Nations, Inuit or Metis communities, you have to apply to the local leadership. And if you have relatives who live in those communities, then you have nothing to fear. And if you've been able to advocate for those communities and those communities know you, then you have no problem in being voted on. So that's the gist of it. If you like I said, I There there's just there's just so much in terms of matriarchy in Western Canada and and just how things uncovered when it came to those Indian residential schools d dissolving. Because you gotta understand the historical context of it is that Alberta had more Indian residential schools because of oil. a lot of the human trafficking and and all the disruptions in terms of even trying to get monies out of the province or the federal government's fiduciary obligation under the treaties, they've been trying to Marina Crane (42:41.196) pass it off to the province. And that's why you have this lawsuit with this recovery center, because it was the way of Daniel Smith passing off federal dollars that would come in from Ottawa to the province and siphon it to First Nations. When really it's a fiduciary obligation from the federal government. Now all this stuff, this paperwork and this trail of lawyers all understanding what's been happening is cause for concern and it's cause for concern for Indigenous people. Because all the the work and the effort to heal and have people understand what it is to to go through the healing process has been erased by by separatists. Or people who who don't understand the Indian Act or don't understand the history of Canada or even the history of Alberta or even the history of Calgary. So the importance of of why you are who you are and why the government is the way it is today i is all a result of of the colonial constructs called the Indian Act. which is a discriminatory bill trying to erase the status of indigenous people through the exploitation of indigenous women and their children, which again is is a fiduciary obligation to protect women and children by the federal government, which has failed miserably And again they projected onto First Nations as being inappropriate, that that we don't know what the hell we're doing because again they all they have to do is refer to the Indian Act because it's law. So for indigenous people to just change a law, this young woman has explained the process that you have to go through and even then when they want to put a wrench in it, it goes back in for an amendment. And it takes years to change. Marina Crane (44:39.98) So we're born into this systemic racist system. And the more young people understand, you know, like the origin of the Indian Act, the or the treaties first, the treaties first, Indian Act, Indian industrial schools, Indian residential schools, that's all grooming. It's all grooming. And and again, how well are we groomed? If if we can't even step back and look and say, there were no boundaries. I didn't know this. Yes, you can only plead ignorance for a certain amount of time. Then after that, who's accountable? And it it may s seem confusing to some people, but that's the reality of of what, you know, I've I've been born into. That's why when I say matriarchy, you you have to be born into it. you you know, you you live it, you breathe it, you taste it, you smell it. and and for the life of me, all the women who've come before me and are gonna be here even after I'm gone are still gonna try and help better better this structure, this law. Yes, you have provincial law, you have federal laws that non indigenous people and immigrants follow. But our law is under the Indian Act. And And you know, like this one young man, you know, says, you know, th we're fighting against the oldest the oldest monarchy in the world, one of the older monarchies in the world. And on top of that too, like the federal government has hundreds, thousands of lawyers. So, you know, right off the bat you know, we're we try we're trying to educate our young people and understand the systemic racism that has come and perpetrated its way from from the conquering and the exploitation of Native Americans, United States, it coming into Canada through oil money, just just to take land. Just to take land and like again, under under the King of England right now, we're we're r under treaty. Marina Crane (46:50.188) Which is different than Native Americans. So when you have Daniel Smith and these separatist people and even immigrants who come in from the United States or think American, no, we're not Americans. We're we're c a colonial construct with a ki with a with a king and a former queen. All for from the time of the fur traders. All that all that stuff. Because, you know, at one time Britain was a superpower. At one time the United States was a superpower. And I think it's really difficult for you know, for for we'll say white people or or people who who are colonialized or part of the settler state for for you know, to get the reality that you're your the the regime has changed. the the policies and procedures and the laws of of each government has changed. And just based on just in the United States it's based on a president, one man. W like they have they say the constitution and all this, the Senate and all that, okay? But but in Canada we have a king based on treaties and all this stuff. Do you know the United States' first treaty? The United States, when it became a country, the first treaty that they made was called the Jay Treaty. And that gave rights to to indigenous people from Canada to travel into the United States and live there. That's called the Jay Treaty. So when you're talking about breaking away and separating, who who who has more eligibility? It sure isn't colonizers, it's the indigenous people of the Americas. also validated in the J Treaty of the United States. And then from there we've got treaties one, you know, one, two, three, and we go on in Canada. and Native American people do not have treaty. They don't. They have elected officials that, you know, for some reason, out of the blue, like maybe they live to be fifty or forty or seventy. And just that those couple of decades, you know, they change they change the way people think and how they understand things. Marina Crane (49:10.166) Because there's no reference for the people that came before them. I said, Well those settlers, you know, scalping Indians, like, you know, all this stuff that I talk about in terms of my podcast on the genocide. Well, we're not responsible, they say. But yes, you're responsible now. you're responsible to take a look at at who is doing what and and and to what people. You know, I I I'm just really the the indifference of of of people towards people who've actually you know, their bloodline comes from the Americas. So with that I don't I don't think people get a total grasp of exactly you know, what country they're living in or the history of the Americas because it's been erased by by capitalists ways of thinking. So anyway, I just wanted to put that out there that there's this legacy of of people having laws or policies and how discriminatory they are in terms of fascism. Now that's for non indigenous women. who like white women or or other women of color who who do not fall under the Indian Act or like are not indigenous, that means Metis, Inuit or First Nations. There there's fascism. And that's the closest I can get to what the Indian Act is. But when you're afraid and you're saying, the you know, they're gonna change the way how women are how women are and who their what their rights are That that's that's scary. And yes, as a as I as an indigenous woman, like welcome to the club. But it but if it offends you that I say that and and you think I'm not putting some boundaries down and saying, No, I know I'm different. And if it offends you then then that's not my problem. But like I said, my whole life I've made friends and I've had to walk away from them. Marina Crane (51:26.56) And I think the greatest lesson I've learned in terms of culture or just the differences within each of us as human beings is our inability to put boundaries down. Now the greatest gift as a human being can give to another human being is is to state your boundaries. You know, to let to let the other person know how you feel. what you're capable of doing or not doing, what you're capable of participating in and what you're not capable of participating in. Putting boundaries down. Letting them know because in in the long long run of it, in my opinion, it's a blessing. For me, I get joy out of it that that I I've been respected in such a way that's that a boundaries are put in place for me, guiding me to understand that individual better. And again, for me, just being so so me. Again, I'm not pleading ignorance. I'm just saying I've I've had to walk away from friendships. again because I just you know just not assumed but it's the reality it's the reality that sometimes some people really are just just think so highly of themselves. Like it's so historical, even though they apologize and they say, yeah, this is systemic and all this the reality of it is that, you know, when when when it comes to being offended and I offend you, then then why did you want my opinion? Or why or why why did of did it offend you in the first place? See, for me, when when I'm talking when I was talking to when I was talking to a person who was putting boundaries down, they said, I can take care of myself. See, that's all this other individual had to say in in order for for me to not continue with my opinion. And but they didn't. And and because of that they weren't practicing their boundaries and because they weren't practicing their boundaries I got to see a really nasty part of them. Marina Crane (53:56.291) Which which is okay. It's just that I have to grieve over that. Like like it it's not like grieving isn't new to me. And and again too, like I said, right until the very bitter end, w until I'm six feet underground, I will be practicing boundaries and hoping that I don't have to walk away from from someone that I had hoped would be a lifetime friend. And again too, you know, by the time you're my age you get a you know, a small handful of people will always be there through thick and thin. and have known me since I was a child. It's important. I think sometimes in society, especially women, when you age and you're older and you lose connection to people who can actually see you see you because they've known you since you were a child. It's important in in terms of how healthy we are mentally and and how much people respect you because you you bring that knowledge with you about the relationships you've had with people you've known your whole life. Even women who've married into my community and and seeing them grow and and become grandparents and and seeing their children and their grandchildren. So though those are blessings in in the sense that that I'm grateful for. But I but I chose to come home from living in the States. There was some urgency or some reasoning, I know my late mother needed help. but but again to stuff that I needed to heal from I I I did I did make the effort. I have done the work. And as far as like people wondering who I am and trying to find out and learn from me, either you've done it appropriately or inappropriately. And for for those who have done it appropriately you will always be Marina Crane (56:09.89) you know, as I put Wachashta Vashteya. You know, or or just Vashteya. So so, you know, it's important. Boundaries are important. Boundaries help us learn who we are and who the other person is. And and it also helps us with our mission in this life. What is it here? What is it why are we here and what is our purpose in this life? So as I've listened to different podcasts from from, you know, different different young influencers, it's it's you know, it's important. So here's here's here's a a topic that she wrote. She says, although we only make up five percent of the population, the n two tho the twenty fourteenth National Task Force on Sex Trafficking and girls women and girls in Canada found that fifty-one percent of women and fifty percent of girls traffic hit trafficked in Canada are indigenous. Can you believe that? Even though the pop where the population only five percent of the Canadian population, we make up fifty one to fifty percent of people who are trafficked. And here's where it gets even more concerning. This is this young woman Seventy five percent of indigenous girls under the age of eighteen experience sexual abuse with fifty percent of those being under the age of fourteen. The extreme overrepresentative representation of indigenous girl women in trafficking, sex trafficking, as well as the prevail prevalence of gender violence points to a deep systemic problem. Now let's talk about the link between this and the foster care system. Now this is a young woman talking about this and this is why like for me when it came to my niece and when my brother was arrested and my nieces and nephews were put in the foster care system, I went to chief and counsel and I requested because out of the three only two were nation members ban list. On the ban list. Okay, that like th that's why I'm talking about S two. You know, when when when you're on the general ban list Marina Crane (58:32.45) Like the other niece was on the general ban list. But she wasn't she wasn't in she didn't belong to like she wasn't a voting member on any in any tribe i in the treaty seven area, even though her mother was from Treaty Seven. So that in itself there was no representation from the community she was coming from, whereas the other two were from they were actually on the nation for Sutina. So my request to get them out of the foster care system in the city and transfer them to Soutina was w again, I could do that, but not for my niece. Mot for my other niece who who was on the general ban list in Ottawa. So So she says, so we know that the foster care system in Canada has a source of major issues when it comes to Indigenous people, especially in the broader context when we talk about harmful policies from the federal government, from residential schools, the 60s scoop. It is now just evolving through the modern day child welfare system. That's why I'm saying we as Indigenous people need to take over the sovereignty of our child welfare systems. Because it's policy from the provincial and federal government that we don't have a pot to piss in. And if we do, it you have to be on the your com your the whichever indigenous community you come from, First Nations anyway or Metis community, that those leadership have a pot to piss in to get those children in their communities. That's how the system is str is is structured. And and again too if if they've been in the foster care system or they've been apprehended in the cities, like there I forget how many thousands there's over ten thousand foster children in the the tribe like in one tribe in Treaty Seven that are in Calgary. And the aver and again there's throughout the country when when children, indigenous children again, like I said, five percent and yet fifty percent or fifty one percent are trafficked. Marina Crane (01:00:51.788) And the average age is fourteen. And it's because though I that's my opinion and that and I'm adding to what this woman is saying and she says and because of that, it's a l it's leading into the root cause of those of these issues. For example, indigenous children represent less than eight percent of the Canadian population, but represent more than fifty percent of kids in care. Foster care systems is identified as a major pipeline to human trafficking, especially when it comes to kids that age out. of care without any proper support that they need. See Nietzsche Institute, that's N E C H I Institute, had curriculum, had programs to help children who were going to be aged out of a foster care system. Like for decades we've known there's been trafficking right from the get-go when when oil was discovered and and even then in residential school when those children were aged out at fifteen or sixteen from those institutions. They were given a bus ticket into Edmonton or Calgary. And who would be waiting at those bus stops? Pimps. So, you know, the Indian Friendship Centers were created to help to help these children and to help people who who were being victimized in those urban areas. Especially Regina was notorious as a child. Everybody knew that in Canada and still does, even even non indigenous people. Now this young lady goes which we are which we see in the number of children that have gone missing. There is often a link between them and their experience in dealing with child protection agencies or the foster care system. And survivors of trafficking have pointed out the link between them and entering the system that actually deni dealing with poverty over abuse. So again, like The whole nature. Yes, it was Indian residential schools and in the seventies the leadership said we needed to establish Nietzsche Institute. Now this what the hell? Sam Mureshi, who was appointed and was in cahoots and still is with Danielle Smith, as well as this leader of the Separatist Party and all this entourage of separatist people like hello, two hundred and fifty thousand signatures. You know, come on people, get educated here. Marina Crane (01:03:17.752) For decades and decades indigenous people have been we've been fighting to help heal our children and protect them. And you you then you get this woman elected into the province who shuts down all these programs, these programs that were fiduciary obligation from Ottawa that because Ottawa is trying to make sure the province deals with it, and what does that province do, especially Alberta wants to separate? Why? Because they don't want like hello. They're trying to they're trying to take take the the the money, the very the very milk from Mother Earth's tit called oil and gas. Okay, so this woman says entering the system, then actually dealing with poverty over abuse. So you here she says she's got a map and she shows of the disappearance of from 2010 to the present. And this map ca shows the outline of three major centers disappearing in the prover prairie provinces, Winnipeg, Edmonton and Prince Albert Regina Saskat Saskatoon Triangle. So when we talk about the disappearance occurring in these three prairie provinces, is it very important to note that the prairie provinces encounter the three, the top four provinces in terms of indigenous population. But this is really just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the statistics and how we actually dismantle this problem. But the imp imp emphasis on the foster care and child welfare system in general is so incredibly important because right now First Nations across Canada are asserting their jurisdiction over Bill C ninety two, which gives the nation the capacity to actually manage their own children. Can you believe that? Twenty twenty six A bill C ninety two is identifying that we need to manage our own children and that we've been fighting to do this, and how many senators and how many House of Commons, like how much of this cycle we've been circling over and over again? Because what we're a moneymaker, we're a moneymaker for foster parents, for psychologists, social workers that are not that are non indigenous. Marina Crane (01:05:44.579) Bless the hearts of those non indigenous social workers and therapists who actually give a shit. And for me that's far and in between. That's why I advocate for our own people to you like it like Nietzsche Institute. And and what did they do? They shut it down to try and privatize recovery centers. Eleven in the province of Alberta. W who was the structure that created that? Indigenous people. And what do they do? Now they're putting it, passing it off. As helping all other people under the privacy privatization of the Alberta government. Like, get it, realize it. You know, when you talk about injustices, we know we've been doing this since the closing of Indian residential schools. So this lady says that is why it is so incredibly important for that work to be treated delicately as a as a top priority and people sitting at the table that not just have experience with child welfare system but people with social work backgrounds but also people that understand the data piece that it bec the data piece of it because this is systemic. So when I talk about systemic systemic racism and dismantling and understanding colonial ways of construct, that's what I'm talking about. There are more people like myself who understand the system because we've been living in it for decades since we were children, ch teenagers, getting an education. Now she goes on to say there are multiple moving parts there that need to be addressed, but this is concerning. Why are Native Americans called Indians? So again, Bill C ninety two, it's the complexity of it and how it has been dealt with because it's so systemic. Like I said, there are there are people like like like she says that like say the si the sixties, indigenous people, like I I think in in terms of of Marina Crane (01:08:00.559) just how how people like farmers, ranchers, Indian she like I I don't know. What I'm trying to say is like it it it would be important that people understand where trafficking started and why it's so entrenched in in our whole system that's set up by the federal and provincial governments and that yeah just now we're getting this bill passed. How many decades? Like I said, twenty years ago, my niece fell through the cracks. Marina Crane (01:08:38.53) The only way I could express my concern was through my blog. And even then talking about traff trafficking and nobody wanted to listen. Because historically it's just taking for granted. This is you know, like where are the laws protecting the women and children? And and how is leadership responsible when they take that oath to protect the most vulnerable within the community, their fiduciary obligation. to to the monies that come in and how it's being spent. It's important right now, even with Sutana and this lawsuit, because we're we're making an the this chief and counsel is making an effort to, you know, establish establish who is responsible and the fiduciary obligation of money that comes in and this is trust money as well as well as money from Sutana that generates from revenue. And and and these these are concerns because this affects all indigenous people, both in the United States and Canada. So even though you might just think, it's an Alberta or Sutana thing, no. Everything and anything that happens within indigenous people affects has a ripple effect throughout every part of Indian country. Indigenous First Nations, Metis, all of that. So yes, it's important to understand and to be advocate, especially if you don't live in an indigenous First Nations Metis Inuit community and and you have a status card, it is important to be advocate. Be an advocate and as much as you do and the disparities of stepping on people's feet, the reality of how you have to deal with the systemic racism towards indigenous women when you want to work with indigenous people within First Nations in Witch or Metis communities. It's vital. And and you're gonna get criticized, you're gonna get death threats, whatever. You're gonna you're gonna experience that. how and why do I know? Because I I I haven't gotten death threats, but I sure have had a lot of gossip that that could have killed me, that could have really h that have damaged my reputation and and and even my my character. But yet I know who I am. Marina Crane (01:10:59.72) and I and I know the people I've grown up with here in Soudina. And and and again, I don't think I could do this podcast without really, you know, telling and having people understand that that, you know, it's important to to know who you are, to know your mission in life and the purpose that you're here, whether or not people want to listen or or deal with it or understand how I talk about certain things. And again too, you know, I'm pretty sure there are people who are listening to my podcast that are taking mental notes or actual notes and saying, okay, I didn't know this or yeah, I need to do that. But the reality of it is, you know, life isn't easy. you know, the it's it it's like I said, where would we be as women without men? And where would men be without women? So Setting boundaries down and understanding the complexities of healthy human sexuality is is vital to our very existence. You know, we like I've said before, we can shut it off. It's not like a lice light switch. So we go through the process of understanding boundaries. And and hopefully whatever trauma or way certain ways of thinking that makes you angry or resentful. or just i have emotional pain. it's important to feel that pain and to have a support system in place of people who will help you through that pain you're feeling. Again, that's why I I I continually admire the young women who we from the very young age at fifteen, having attended those Wa Weepie ceremonies and seen the injustice done to, you know, their friends. And how they've rallied for the past twenty years to understand themselves and others within their circle of friends, mm you know, peers. It's so vitally important to have that because it's part of a collective holistic way of healing and understanding what it is to be a healthy human sexual person with boundaries. as much as I praise them, and I don't know if they know how I feel about them, I I do put it on my podcast. Marina Crane (01:13:28.962) And every once in a while I will say, you know, to one of our leaders, we need to honor these young women. And and again to you know, when they're ready to be honored, it'll be nice. But again too, out of respect, you have to, you know, understand their boundaries as well. So anyway, I just wanted to put that out there. I I'm really grateful for all the things that I know about Europe, about the United States, about South America. I know there are so many other things that that I keep on learning about and and hopefully you know as I as I understand and try to to make made a point of what what is a pretendian and what isn't and why is why is it important for for people to understand, you know, that you're doing a disservice by pretending that that you've lived this experience when you haven't. Or or pretend that you're living it today when you really haven't. So if I offend people that way and you think that you are good friends with me, I see I see you. And and what can I say? You know, actions speak louder than words, and my whole life I've known so many white people. I don't chase after white people. I was talking to my cousin, I said, Y you know, this is the whole point. You you just don't chase after people for attention. I I I know when I see that I I know that it has it's it's on the it's it's stepping the boundaries of people. It's over it's crossing those boundaries. And and and that's why in my earlier podcasts about Nathan chasing horse and limerence Marina Crane (01:15:26.88) infatuation or the the the the moment that infatuation turns into limerance. See a lot of people who you know who believe they have this keynote or this theory or this understanding of limerence you know you're welcome to your own interpretation of how you see it and how you need to eliminate it or what it means to to be in limerance. And and for me, it it's a it's a little different than than when I say establishing boundaries because a lot of times when when people are attracted to people and they have this sexual arousal, they project it onto the individual as if that individual is is that love connection. But the reality of it is the critical thinking is the individual isn't isn't the person, it's the person Who you have memory of. So the more you focus on the original sexual arousal of of this this feeling, the sexual feeling that you have isn't on the person you're in limerence with. So even though you feel that, it it it's not real. And the more you know that and the more boundaries are put in place, the better off your relationship is with the person. of that you're attracted to. Because limerence sort of buggers everything up, bastardizes everything. Because you you don't have the capacity to separate illusion, delusion, or even in in terms of trying to find purpose in your life. I just I just hope and I just hope that that I I get to meet older white women who do have the capacity to put boundaries down. Marina Crane (01:17:32.3) Like that for me that that's a critical statement. That's a critical statement. because because I I do th I do truly believe that Daniel Smith is is incapable of having boundaries, especially with men who don't have boundaries as well. That's just my personal opinion. And and I know some women wouldn't want to even be put in the same category as her, but but the reality of it is yes, there there are s complexities when it when it comes to boundaries. And and with that I hope I hope women and men can understand and respect each other when it comes to those boundaries. So I hope my podcast isn't as boring as as as like I I would have thought it would be. But I'm gonna publish this and we'll see how that goes. And I don't want to change anything of this podcast. I I just wanted to put that out there so there's a little history to to these statistics that are out there when it when it comes to the way indigenous women are seen.