IamA Ojibwe Native from Canada who is currently living on a Rez AMA

Hey. This is actually a really cool idea. I'm a First Nations women living in Regina, SK where racism towards our people is at an all time high, as well as addictions and homelessness. I was thinking of doing a similar AMA, would you be cool with me kind of stealing your idea?

Go ahead

Do you feel that direct or indirect discrimination against Natives in Canada is a problem? If so, how would you say that manifests itself?

I believe in parts of canada with high native population like winnipeg there is alot of discrimination against natives about crime/drinking/thugs/free loaders and honestly most of those judgements are a problem in the native community just like any other community

Do people still speak your native language or is it no longer being used actively?

I know some words but don't speak it fluently but almost every elder on my Rez can speak Ojibwe fluently

Is the usage on a large downward trend? Do you think it would still be spoken in say two or three generations?

It is on a big downward trend and will probably be extinct on my Rez soon if nothing changes which is sad

Are any of the younger generations interested in learning Ojibwe where you live?

I know my friends weren't very interested as teens but as we get older and are having our own children the interest seems to grow.

Yeah I'd say it's the same here, the town high school has a Ojibwe language class for us who don't want to learn French

Is it taught in school or at community centers?

My high school has Ojibwe language class and French

And once in a while we will have Ojibwe language programs on our Rez but young people are not too involved

Do you participate in the traditions of your people?

Pow wows and sweat lodges all day lol I wish I could dance like my people tho

Why have you not learned?

Lazyness and being shy because it the main reason people learn to dance is to dance at pow wows and there is a lot of eyes there

But if you look for a teacher, or practice much, you might participate and even enjoy. Your culture should be recognized and continued. It is so beautiful.

Yea that's true but there still is a lot of people who still dance in traditional ways so I don't think I'll make much of a difference haha

I understand. I'm not much of a showmanship myself. What do you like to do?

In general or within my culture?

You, yourself. What do YOU like to do?

Watch/play basketball,movies,sit on computer for long hours of the day lol and hang with friends

They literally have Indian cards. Is there any reason it could be revoked?

What part of Canada are you in? How remote is it?

Did you go to a regular Canadian school, or did your reservation have its own schools?

Is there a lot of addiction and poverty, as is commonly portrayed?

Do you feel discriminated against?

It can be revoked as in the band/ tribe but it is rare

I'm in Ontario and my Rez is not remote and is like 5 minutes from a town and an hour away from a city

I went to a regular public school and high school since town was so close

Addiction here I think is as big as any other place imo

And not really but I know a lot of people have bad stereotypes about natives and think they're true and it can be offensive at times

Ojibwe? 5 min from town? I'd guess Thunder Bay.

Close lol

I live in the Niagara Region of Ontario. The reserve closest to me, sits right outside of Niagara, in Caledonia. I have 4 friends, all with GMC and Chevrolet pick ups, and know of dozens more who have had there vehicles stolen and found on the reserve. Some of these trucks had close to 15 grand in aftermarket parts in them.

My question is, if you are educated on the topic at all, how do the people on reserves feel about this whole thing going on? Are the police on the reserve hands tied?

Well the police on my Rez work with the town police and will arrest you for those kind off situations no matter what but it could be different on other rez's

Have you always lived on the Rez?

For most my life, give or take a few years

How is it different from not living on one?

Not a lot of access to basic thing like groceries and stuff gotta drive into town for that stuff, all we have is two gas stations that rake in a lot of customers tho since no taxes lol

But who knows maybe that's just my Rez

How much is the gas there?

No clue lol I just know it's tax free

What type of wildlife exists in your environment?

Moose bears fox coyotes wolves etc

Do you have many relatives around you?

Yes

Best AMA ever!

Lol I wish

What are the advantages to living in the reserve as opposed to a bigger city?

Free college and got 5 grand when i was 18 and no taxes on rez's i guess

oh ya can hunt when ever i want all year round

pretty lucky if you ask me lol

Her, could you please clarify; I assume your band paid for your education, and that it must have a source of revenue to give you $5000 when you turn 18?

I ask because I often see this myth repeated on Reddit; that all First Nations and Indigenous students get free post-secondary education, and get handed a chunk of cash when they turn 18, and I know it isn't true for many, many bands out there.

This wasn't from the federal government, right? It was from your particular band office?

Yes my band or native education groups pay for college, but if you drop out you won't get it again

And I got 5 grand because our band was kicked off our land by a hydro company and they finally reached a settlement for a big chunk of cash that was split between every band member

What are the repercussions, in your opinion, of giving 5000$ cash to every 18 year old?

spend it stupidly because of being still a teen

It's like 10000/1 but fort William first nation?

Haha i know where youre talking about and have been there before if that helps

tbay?

How was your childhood? Are there elementary schools on the reservations themselves?

On bigger or more remote Rez's there are schools on the land but my Rez is close to town so I just went to the towns schools

I see. Did you enjoy it?

Yea it was good I guess, had all the basic childhood memories not much more tho

[deleted]

Grass

Do you take offense to the Washington NFL team using 'Redskins' as their team name?

No not me in particular

I live in the US and Indians that live on reservations are usually seen as poor, alcoholics, and druggies. Does this stereotype hold any water in what you have seen, or is it different in Canada?

quite the same id say but to a lesser degree

There are so many denomonyms (Indian, ojibwe, native, native Canadian, indigenous), and so much confusion even in this thread. What do you want to be called?

Just native I guess or First Nations Edit - I don't find the term Indian offensive but that's just me

Why not move out?

I will eventually

Do you personally like it there, or would you leave if it was convenient?

Uhh it's not like I don't like it but yes I'll eventually leave

Does your tribe discourage interracial dating/marriage? If not are mixed race children accepted into the tribe?

My tribe discourage or encourage mixed relationships, they don't care really

But up until recently if a native woman married a white man her and her kids could not have status cards

Boozhoo, aanii! I'm another Ojibwe from Minnesota!

Do you guys have alot of tribal drama up there too? I don't live on the reservation, nor have I ever but i have family that does. Also about drug/alcohol use, is it high? I know that on my reservation, we have a very large casino and it gives jobs to alot of people, it's a fairly decent reservation, there's part in the city where you can have a normal job, and there's also other parts where there's not even really a gas station in the area. How would you describe your reservation?

Everyone's always fussing about chief and council lol

Drug and alcohol use it pretty normal here but others Rez's near by are a lot worse

My Rez is pretty good too lol like a little town

How much does traditional food, mythology, and rituals play into the daily lives of Natives?

I am currently writing a movie about Nalusa Falaya and research has been limited to non-Natives writing about the topic. I've been interested in approaching Native Ojibwe, but I fear it may be culturally insensitive to approach a modern Native and start asking about Shadow People and purification ceremonies without knowing if these cultural touchstones are even relevant anymore.

I have heard all the myths windego skin walkers etc but for me personally I don't know much about them but most elders do and I don't think they would be offended if you asked them about it aslong as you ask respectfully or don't make a joke of it

How far away from the Rez have you ever lived?

I am Ojibwe and lived off Rez when I was a kid and it always seemed like a place people never move away from permanently.

Haha yup , I lived in a town like 5 mins away but eventually moved back lol

What Rez are you from?

Too much info for reddit lol

I grew up off rez, im the whitest native you'll ever meet with a status card, my mom would take us to pow wows and stuff on the rez as often as possible to be around native people. I grew up in North Bay Ontario. Have you ever been to North Bay?

No I have not but I'd love to visit

How do people on your reserve feel about people living in major urban centres (Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, etc)?

They encourage us to go start a life/job some where, it doesn't matter where

Who are your role models and why do you admire them?

Adam beach just because I'd love to work in Hollywood as a screenwriter or a director

That's a lofty goal. How are you working towards getting to Hollywood?

Writing my screenplay haha yes it is a lofty goal but dream big eh

Hey fellow Canucks

For OP.. if you move from the rez do you still maintain some of the benefits? Like I get it would be tough in a retail setting.. but would you receive tax free status if you lived and worked in Toronto?

Or do you feel if that was an option that some of your heritage or culture would be lost because of people being spread out?

My status card takes off some taxes for everywhere in Canada

And if I moved and my band got a big sum of money I'd still receive a share and I'll still get financial education help

How is the education system on the Rez because in America it is pretty bad? Also do Canadian Native Americans face the same hardships as Native American living in the US?

Yea some Rez's here in Canada have poverty, most of them are the remote Rez's far north that you have to fly into

My Rez just sends kids to the towns schools and high schools but bigger or more remote Rez's have there own education systems

Do you think that simply being born with "status" is part of the reason that most Canadian working people despise your people? I am 5th generation Canadian and it really pisses me off that my taxes support you... Natives in Canada are some of the most entitled and yet least productive people on Earth.

Yea but with my band " your taxes" don't support us, our Rez is self sufficient

And not everyone hates us or they would have to go somewhere else for tax free gas and cigarettes lol