Black Indians United
Black Indians United Legal Defense and Education Fund
5 Tribes Embassy
1866 Treaties-Ethnic (Black) Indians and Freedmen
“Spirit of Unity Winds”: Mother’s Day Declaration
Chief Gary Metallic
Hereditary Chief, Mi’kmaq Nation
May 2008
Ethnic (Black) Indigenous Mothers
of North America 1860-1920
Quilcene, Yokut
Walapai-Cheyenne-Blackfoot
Response to Declaration of Nationhood
Mi’kmaw People
“Its natural to have a reaction to change, especially if you are seen as a new kid of the block that is bringing a new element; that changes the status quo, in the area of Indigenous Sovereignty. We must understand that this area of Self-Government has been dominated by a circle of nations, through their representatives, within our Territories and in the International forum; for over fifty years.
WE have only recently realized the extensive work that was done by the appointed N.G.O.’s; that worked on the adoption of the Indigenous Declaration in New York, Sept. 13/07, and how those representatives were appointed.
While their work is to be commended, much of the actual deliberating was not known by the peoples they represented, behind the doors of the U.N. meetings; and this is where the problem lies, it was a process between the member states of the U.N. and the appointed N.G.O.’s, excluding the voice of our peoples.
There is a reason for my ranting about this process, bear with me; and this is I have read in emails concerns about; who can sign; should we accept the Black Indians; the Metis; and perhaps other questionable peoples; who may have not been recognized by other recognized Tribal Nations in Canada and the U.S.?
I SAY THAT under the new Nation, we cannot exclude these Peoples from participating and becoming Full Partners, because if we deny them that right-we are no better than the offending colonizing countries that deny them basic human rights to survive as Peoples.
We are their last hope, because they have been rejected by not only Canada and the U.S., but our Tribal Governments created by these offending countries.
Our new Nation promises that it will be a Peoples Government and not a democratic one that exists within our Territories known as Indian Acts System-where basic human rights are violated with no end in sight.
This Declaration must be signed by not only representing Chiefs, but also by the Elders, Women, Men, Children; who validate the legitimacy of our new Nationhood. As I write this on Mother’s Day and extend my Heartfelt gratitude to the Mothers who have brought us into this Earth. I cannot express in words the vital importance of having our Woman participate in the building process of our new Nation; we need their compassion and nurturing abilities to this Infant Nation to grow; as it is their Creator given gift to nurture a Child until it is ready to survive the elements of our Earth Mother.
We as men, and not all, have not done a very good job in nurturing our Peoples; we are aggressive in nature and there is no balance when it comes to compassion when it is needed, we tend to create more problems than solving them with Patience.”
Peace, welallen, Gary Metallic, Hereditary Chief, Mi’kmaq Nation, 2008.