[IPSM] what Kevin Annett did to Harriet Nahanee

Fri Mar 9 13:17:59 PST 2007

Dear ipsm-l list: This is what Kevin Annett has done to Harriet Nahanee, 
I have been asked to provide you with this info and ask also that any 
who have been taken in by Annett forward this as well, and I urge people 
to attempt to get CKUT to reconsider whether or not this high priest 
deserves to be anywhere near the radio station in any form audio, 
physical, whatever.

Macdonald

--
Annett is at it again. I have been in touch with some folks from Ireland
who had been taken in by him but now his visit has been canclled. Please
circulate the following to your lists.

thanks,

Jim

I was at Harriet’s funeral and didn’t see Rev Kevin there. Harriet was my
dear friend and this gross insult to her memory and work, along with using
her images without her permission, will not be allowed to stand.

Jim Craven/Omahkohkiaayo I’poyi

Blackfoot Nation

-----Original Message----- From: Craven, Jim Sent: Thursday, October 07,
2004 7:41 PM To: 'afenton at riseup.net' Subject: FW: "at a time when they
were considered savages"

-----Original Message----- From: Craven, Jim Sent: Sunday, October 12, 2003
4:35 PM To: 'James Tomlinson' Subject: FW: "at a time when they were
considered savages"

-----Original Message----- From: Louis Proyect [mailto:lnp3 at panix.com]
Sent: Tuesday, January 05, 1999 11:46 AM To: Craven, Jim Subject: "at a
time when they were considered savages"

Dear Dr. Hasart:

I am writing on the matter of Prof. Jim Craven's internet correspondence
relating to the Tribunal on Indian Residential Schools held here in
Vancouver, British Columbia, in June 98.

Since the Tribunal, where I first met Prof. Craven, I have followed this
matter with interest and have received much of the related E-mail material.
With others, I have been assisting Prof. Craven to deal with the fraud and
further victimization which has been taking place, both during and after
the Tribunal. I very much respect Prof. Craven's integrity, courage,
dedication, and his considerable skills in handling extremely important and
sensitive issues.

As I live in Vancouver, B.C. and have connections here, both Indian and
non-Indian, involved in the Indian rights struggle, I was able to make some
connections for Prof. Craven. He has visited Vancouver B.C. several times
since June to further investigate the matters he has been writing about and
we have been in frequent communication.

I myself am a trained human rights worker and trained social worker (MSW,
McGill University) with over 30 years experience of cross-cultural family
and social justice issues. I have worked in Asia for 10 years with
International Social Service, a Geneva-based NGO, and worked for 10 years
in British Columbia with NGO's in the field of minority rights.

Although Kevin Annett has gained media attention, being articulate and with
dramatic stories, there is no doubt in my mind that he has been using
survivors of the residential school system for his own purposes, and using
their recorded testimonies to publish articles about them without their
permission. I have seen enough untruths in Kevin Annett's own E-Mail
writings to indicate outright deception, or someone who is seriously out of
reality. I have also seen evidence and heard reports of his controlling and
domineering behavior towards Indians which is really another unacceptable
form of abuse. I can also say, to the best of my knowledge of the Indian
community in Vancouver, that he does not speak for any group nor does he
have support from any organization or individuals since he has betrayed the
trust which people had given him. In other words, he does not have
credibility where it counts.

Therefore, I believe Prof. Craven is doing a service to the Indian
Residential School survivors in B.C. by his exposure of Annett's doings.
These people do not have access to E-Mail, many are not highly educated,
and they lack the means to defend themselves when the matter enters the
"high-tech" arena. It is to Prof. Craven's credit that he has taken on this
issue, following through on his responsibility as a Tribunal Judge. I
believe his sense of outrage at what has been happening is entirely
justified.

We have seen examples before in British Columbia and in Canada of what is
called "expropriation of voice" by white academics and consultants who get
involved in Indian justice issues and end up taking over, usually for some
personal gain either material or psychological. In any human rights or
victim advocacy work it is a basic rule that the primary subjects, their
perceptions and their privacy must be given utmost respect and one cannot
take seriously anyone working in these matters who fails to do so.

I therefore commend Prof. Craven for this important work, which very few
people would be able or willing to take on. He is certainly an exceptional
person. Through his efforts, the Residential School survivors habe been
greatly encouraged to stand up for themselves and I understand they are now
taking legal counsel to deal with Annett. Prof. Craven's intervention has
certainly been valuable and I know of people who are impressed.

If you wish to have any further information please contact me at phone

(604) 432-9017 or at tkage at axionet.com

Diane Kage, MSW (Retired)

On the same matter as above I am also transmitting statements dictated to
me by Kitty Bell Sparrow and by Harriet Nahane, both are unable to access
fax or internet.

-------------

I have spent over 50 years in activism on behalf of Indian people in
British Columbia, USA and internationally. I am the third generation in a
family of pioneer activists which goes back to the last century, a time
when Indians here had no rights. My father was Thomas Hurley, the first
lawyer in B.C. to defend Indians in court, at a time when they were
considered savages.

 From my father, mother and grandmother I have learned and been strictly
taught that any non-Indian working with Indian people must not be in the
forefront and must in all circumstances take direction from Indians
themselves. Non-Indian people must listen and not formulate their own
perspectives on behalf of Indians. I have always sought to adhere to these
basic principles in all my work. I am the founder and was editor of Indian
voice, an internationally known paper from 1967 to 1980, and I trained many
Native journalists and writers. This paper covered the Leonard Peltier
trials in depth, including the extradition hearings in Canada. For 25 years
I have been the senior reporter to the Indian Homemakers Association which
gave voice to Indian Women on reserves. I have acted as liason to Indian
prisoners for many years and assisted Deno Butler in gaining recognition
for Indian spiritual practices in prisons in Canada. I am an elder of the
Musqueum Nation through marriage to my late husband John Sparrow.

Although I am now blind, I still receive calls and visits from Indian
people from all over North America and I still attend and testify on many
court cases here in B.C. on Indian rights issues. I had received
information about the Tribunal on Indian Residential Schools from several
persons and I had the opportunity to meet with Jim Craven on one of his
visits to Vancouver B.C. He has consulted with me on matters related to the
Tribunal. I know about the fraud which was carried out by persons involved
with the Tribunal, including Kevin Annett. Unfortunately he fits the
profile of so many others who seek to take advantage of the trust of Indian
people, building their own careers on Indian's suffering. If, in the Black
Civil Rights Movement in the United States, a white person had presumed to
speak for leaders such as Martin Luther King or Malcolm X, it would not
have been acceptable to the black people. Indian people feel the same way
here.

I concur with the work being done by Jim Craven to expose Kevin Annett. I
immediately recognized Jim Craven as an exceptionally able and honourable
person who is doing the right thing. If you require any further information
please contact me by phone at (604) 980-7680

Kitty Bell Sparrow
--------

I was Convener of the Tribunal on Residential Schools which took place in
Vancouver B.C. in June of this year. I worked together with Kevin Annett
whom I have been associated with for several years. As a Residential School
survivor this Tribunal was very important to me. It was my hope that some
justice could be won for our people. There is a federal government Healing
Fund of $350 million for healing of survivors but none of it has gone to
the survivors themselves. I put a lot of effort into the preparation of the
Tribunal and it was through my relationship with Jack Bell, a wealthy
Benefactor, that the Tribunal was able to secure special terms for the
rental of the hall at the Maritime Labor Centre.

During the Tribunal a number of things went seriously wrong. Decisions and
procedures which had been decided together were suddenly changed without my
participation, funds were misappropriated, the privacy of witnesses giving
closed testimony was compromised, and some of the judges appointed by Kevin
Annett and Rudy James turned out to be without credentials. Many people
were upset and angry. Jim Craven saw what was going on and has attempted to
set things right. I have serious grievances with Kevin Annett because of
his actions during and after the Tribunal which showed that he had an
agenda other than that which had been presented at first. I feel used by
him and information about my experiences at residential school have been
given for publication by him without my consent.

I am President of the Western Canada Leonard Peltier Defence Fund and
District Vice-President of the Indian Homemakers Association in North
Vancouver. I belong to the Pacheeda Nation and carry the name of Tsibeot
who was the Grand chief of Pacheeda. I also run the Sacred Duty Institute
and I teach hereditary chiefs their traditional roles. I feel very strongly
that nobody has the right to speak for others but white people always speak
for us and think they know better than us. They consider us as helpless
children to work on behalf of.

Most of us who survived the Residential Schools and have been involved in
court cases in Port Alberni suing the United Church and the government of
Canada, we are not on the internet. Jim Craven has taken a lot of trouble
to inform us about these discussions on internet, to listen to us carefuly
and speak our thoughts the way we would like. We would like him to
continue. If you need further information on any of these matters please
contact me by phone at (604) 985-5817.

Rosetta Stone (Harriet Nahanee)

-----Original Message----- From: John Shafer [mailto:wy430 at victoria.tc.ca]
Sent: Thursday, March 08, 2007 11:04 PM To: Craven, Jim Subject: FW:
Harriet Nahanee Remembered (fwd)

A powerful story......Remembering Harriett Nahanee - Reclaiming our Sacred
Space and holding the Criminals Accountable by Kevin
Annett/EagleStrongVoice found at www.hiddenfromhistory.org

From: "Bluejay Pierce" <bluejay at 3riversdbs.net> To:
<Undisclosed-Recipient:;> Subject: [six_nations_info] about Elder, Harriet
Nahanee Date: Sat, 3 Mar 2007 18:15:28 -0700

PRESS RELEASE

WHY DID British Columbia SENTENCE ABORIGINAL ELDER TO DEATH? Fellow
Aboriginal activists and concerned non-indigenous citizens demand answers
regarding the death of Harriet Nahanee as a direct result of her
incarceration On February 24, 2007 Aboriginal Elder Harriet Nahanee passed
away, exactly one month after she was sent to jail on January 24, 2007.
Madame Justice Brenda Brown sentenced Mrs. Nahanee, age 72, to fourteen
days incarceration for contempt of court in is obeying the Eagle Ridge
Bluff injunction. While in jail under unacceptable conditions at Surrey
re-Trial Center, where she was held in a cell with tens of other inmates
and subject to racist treatment, Harriet Nahanee contracted pneumonia. She
was hospitalized within a week of her release from custody and passed away
within a week of that. Aboriginal activists and non-indigenous concerned
citizens demand a public inquiry into Harriet

Nahanee's death as a direct result of her incarceration. These are the
questions we want answered:

1) Why was Aboriginal elder Harriet Nahanee sent to jail despite clear
direction from the Supreme Court of Canada that imprisonment should be the
last remedy for Aboriginal persons?

2) Why did Madame Justice Brown fail to take Mrs. Nahanee's frail health
into consideration?

3) Why did Madame Justice Brown refuse to hear Mrs. Nahanee's Aboriginal
sovereignty defense?

4) Why was Mrs. Nahanee incarcerated at Surrey Pre-Trial Center, under such
inappropriate Conditions?

A public inquiry will have to determine why Madame Justice Brown refused to
hear Mrs. Nahanee's Aboriginal sovereignty defense and incarcerated her,
whereas all non-Aboriginal defenders of Eagle Ridge Bluff charged with the
same offense were given either fines or community service. Such an inquiry
will also have to address Madame Justice Brown refusal to exercise her
discretionary powers in considering other sentencing options or ordering
medical check up before incarcerating a great-grandmother. Madame Justice
Brown was made aware of elder Harriet Nahanee's health condition, including
her asthma and recent influenza  before sentencing. Madame Justice Brown is
also set to sentence, fellow activist and elder, Betty Krawczyk, 78, on
Monday, March 5, 2006 for her involvement in the Eagle Ridge Bluff
Protests. Crown Counsel is asking for 9-15 months of incarceration for Mrs.
Krawczyk for her opposition to the expansion of the Sea to Sky Highway,
paving the way to the

2010 Olympic! s.

The Crown and the courts also have to answer the underlying question: why
are 2 respected elders and women over seventy years of age being prosecuted
for protecting the environment and sent to jail for defending the land?
There can be no justification for the incarceration and resulting death of
esteemed Aboriginal elder Harriet Nahanee, a strong voice for her people at
a time when many are afraid to speak out in the light of criminalize of
dissent.

Harriet Nahanee was a part of many struggles, firstly for the recognition
of Aboriginal land rights and protecting the environment and also fighting
against discrimination, marginalizatio marginalization and
institutionalization of Aboriginal people in the cities, especially
Aboriginal women in Vancouver's Eastside. She was a vital member of so many
movements and activist communities, a role model for many and will be
deeply missed. The loss is aggravated by the fact, that she passed away as
a direct result of her incarceration, starting January 24,

2007, in Surrey Pre-Trial where she contracted pneumonia. A service was
held at the Squamish Recreation Center on February 28 with hundreds of
people in attendance mourning the passing of their mother, grandmother,
great-grandmother, fellow activists, friend and role model. FOR MORE
INFORMATION CONTACT: Kat Norris

(604) 253-1020

_______________________________________________

six_nations_info mailing list six_nations_info at masses.tao.ca
https://masses.tao.ca/lists/listinfo/six_nations_in

Remembering Harriett Nahanee - Reclaiming our Sacred Space and Holding the
Criminals Accountable

by Kevin Annett / Eagle Strong Voice

One of my proudest moments with Harriett Nahanee happened on a Sunday
morning in Vancouver's downtown eastside, on November 16, 2003. On that
day, Harriett led a score of aboriginal youth into an Anglican mass and
took over that worship service, raising general hell among the shocked
stuffed shirts who run St. James Anglican Church.

At the time, it seemed that the issue that led us to occupy that church for
awhile was the dead and disappeared children of the Indian Residential
Schools: the 100,000 souls whose fate and remains have never been accounted
for by either the Anglicans or the Catholics or United Church. But later,
it became clearer to me that Harriett was really reclaiming a place stolen
by my culture, and reasserting the sacredness of her peoples' way in the
face of the very state religion that had tried to stamp it out.

It all started innocuously enough. A few of us thought it was time to
confront the churches that had run the residential schools on their own
turf, and Harriett happened to be within earshot. And so, in her usual
manner, she dispensed with debate and took direct action: she began walking
up and down east hastings street on that Sunday morning, collecting our
people in the ones and twos. Soon, we were a small army: uncertain, wary of
what might happen, but led by Harriett's firm steps.

It's great when you catch the Beast napping, and occasionally you can
surprise It by doing the unexpected. Unlike nowadays, there were no
security guards at the door of St. James Anglican Church that morning, and
the twenty six of us poured into the sanctuary in the midst of the morning
mass. Fanning out into the throng of hymn singers, our group instinctively
headed to the front of the church, where two robed priests were so
engrossed in leading their multitude that they didn't seem to notice the
bunch of scruffy Indians and assorted poor folks who took up position
around the pulpit and communion table.

They were completely shocked. One of the priests actually stood with his
mouth open, gaping at Harriett as she approached the pulpit. His colleague
quickly motioned to the organist to continue playing, and the confused
congregation kept singing the same final verse over and over. The clerical
machine started to hiss and sputter.

I stood at the back of the church, recording all that happened, and from
there I saw the older priest whispering something to Harriett, who kept
shaking her head. Later, she told me that the priest had said that we could
all go to jail for two years for disrupting their service. (That's no lie,
either: check out Section 176 of the Criminal Code of Canada). But Harriett
ignored the threat and literally seized the pulpit.

Reverting to the soft cop approach, the priest announced to the
congregation with a saccharine tone,

"We have some new friends with us today. They have something they'd like to
say to us."

But no amount of patronizing could have prevented, or predicted, what came
out of Harriett's mouth after that.

"This is the place from where your people conquered mine, and destroyed our
religion. So now I'm going to use this place to take back our religion and
our land.

"You're always telling us how we're the ones who need healing. But you're
the people who are sick and who need healing, not us. You are the ones who
murdered innocent children and who still refuse to say where you buried
them. You need real healing, and we're the only people who can give it to
you, because you tried to destroy us. But we're still here, and so I've
come to offer you that healing."

That kind of turning-of-the-tables was too much for the head priest, who
quickly interrupted Harriett by declaring,

"The Anglican Church has acknowledged the wrongs it did towards First
Nations people and has begun a comprehensive healing program. We have
apologized for the residential schools and have ..."

A sudden cry arose from the back of the church, close to me:

"How do you apologize to a corpse?" yelled one of the non-native
protestors. "How do you say sorry to a murdered child?"

And then all hell broke loose. A general outcry arose from the white folks
in the pews, who began to call us all sorts of nasty names. A guy at the
door started screaming into a cell phone,

"Code Red! Code Red! Call the police!"

None of that fazed Harriett. With great dignity, she stayed put in the
pulpit and kept trying to speak. But the older priest, tired of civility,
started shoving her away, and a few of the younger native men moved to her
defense. Some of the others in our group kept leaning non-chalantly against
the front altar, smiling at all the chaos.

Suddenly, Harriett emerged from the maelstrom, gathering all of us in her
wake, and leading our army out of the church as the insults and screams
rained down on us. We left the building before the cop cars arrived - all
four of them - and our triumphant throng marched down east hastings street
together. We were elated. We had made our statement, reclaimed what had
been stolen, and turned the tables on the criminals. And it was mostly due
to Harriett.

A triumph like that can never be re-created. It's true that since then,
we've basked in the knowledge that after our protest,  the Anglicans hired
a regular batch of security guards to monitor everyone coming into their
churches in Vancouver. The sense of finally being noticed, of having an
impact on the normally dead order of things, has always stayed with us
since that beautiful day when people with so little made a powerful church
become very afraid. And that seed will continue to grow and bear even
stronger fruit.

But what I mostly carry with me from that day is the memory of a completely
unafraid woman, tortured as a child by the very people she offered healing
to, and thereby showing the official Christians what Jesus really meant,
and lived. Harriett was Christ for me that day, and Buddha, and the Great
Spirit: the voice of truth ringing in ears clogged by corruption and
babble. It's a voice that still speaks to me today, and to anyone who will
listen.

They haven't killed Harriett Nahanee at all. Don't believe that judicial
murder, or pneumonia, or a cross, ever silences the just souls among us.
May they, and may Harriett, continue to make us restless, and move us to
act.
.............................

Author's Note: You can see Harriett Nahanee in our new, award-winning
documentary film on Genocide in Canada entitled UNREPENTANT. Information on
this film can be found at: www.hiddenfromhistory.org .

5 March, 2007 Occupied Coast Salish Territory

Read and Hear the truth of Genocide in Canada, past and present, at this
website: www.hiddenfromhistory.org ... ... and on this radio program:
"Hidden from History", every Monday from 1-2 pm (PST) on CFRO 102.7 FM
(www.coopradio.org) (Vancouver) Mobile Live Tour:  Win a trip for four to a
concert anywhere in the world!

--- Macdonald Stainsby <mstainsby at resist.ca> wrote:

> Hi Jim, if you haven't seen it...for you.
> 
> There is always a future.
> 
> yftr
> 
> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: In Honour of Harriet- Olympic Flag Taken by Native Warriors
> Date: Thu, 8 Mar 2007 18:04:18 -0800 (PST)
> From: Harsha <harsha at resist.ca>
> 
> Fwd:
> 
> Native warriors claim responsibility for taking Olympic Flag.
> Action claimed in honour of elder-warrior Harriet Nahanee.
> No Olympics on Stolen Native Land.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Macdonald Stainsby
> http://independentmedia.ca/survivingcanada
> http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/rad-green
> In the contradiction lies the hope
>     --Bertholt Brecht.
> 

____________________________________________________________________________________
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-- 
Macdonald Stainsby
http://independentmedia.ca/survivingcanada
http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/rad-green
In the contradiction lies the hope
    --Bertholt Brecht.