| | _ Wow ( _FEATURE 1 Part 2 of a 2 part series By PAUL OGRESKO Hitting out at the hypocrisy of the Olympic Organizing Committee (OCO) Organizing the Glenbow exhibit the ubicon Cree called for a world-wide boycott of the Native exhibition. The Majority of Canadian Native artifacts being Sought by the Glenbc w exhibit are jM museums in Europe and the United States, While Glenbow director Duncan ameron sent letters to the major Museusm of the U.S. and Europe solicit- Ing items for the now renamed The Spirit Ings exhibition, the Lubicon Cree con- ducted their own boycott campaign. Minayak travelled to Europe to raise awareness of the Lubicon issue. The Ubicon received support from the As- Sembly of First Nations, the European arliament and the World Council of Churches, Support groups were set up across Western Europe and plans laid for he picketing of Canadian embassies. Despite the efforts of the OCO to Counter the international boycott as of June, 1987 20 museums had announced Repression and the - Olympic Games — Canadian style and a youth conference. Sykes Powder- face was hired as ‘‘Native Liaison Co- ordinator’ but despite his efforts only one of five area Chiefs attended the in- augural press conference. The plans for the trade show sounded remarkably familiar to a similar event held in Toronto: two years ago. That trade show, organized by the Depart- ment of Indian Affairs, and without the support of the Assembly of First Na- tions, was an attempt to instill the Native ‘‘entrepreneural spirit’’, a Tory alter- native to self-government. The attitude of the organizers of the Games towards Native people was perhaps best exemplified in their plans for the opening ceremonies. The grand finale to be seen by anestimated 1.5 billion people around the world, was to be torch-bearing, war-painted Indians who attack a peaceful chuckwagon train, set it ablaze and then conclude with a war dance. However security problems involved with the use of fire and gunshots pre- cluded the plan. ‘‘It’s too bad, because it would make a heck of a finale,’’ Bill datum 2nd March 1987 Mr. Duncan F. Cameron, 130, 9th Avenue S.E. Calgary, Alberta 126 OP3 ‘anada Dear Mr. Cameron, the embassy. its supporters once more. Yours 4 rely, i Felix Valk, director MUSEUM VOOR VULKENKUNUE KUIIEKUAM Willemskede 25 9016 OM teletoon 010. 4111085 Postbus $61 3000 AJ Rotterdam > Director of the Glenbow Museum Since the moment {t became known that we would contribute to the ‘Fo ny world’ exhibition, we received an impressive number of letters of protest and concern, which all had to do with the case of the people of Lubicon Lake. As 1 do believe sincerely that collections of museums should be used to Communicate and to underline the unique value of the culture from which a certain object originates, we did not immediately decide to withdraw the loan we were asked for. Instead I expressed my concern for the Lubican Lake Band to the Embassador of Canada. In this letter I did also point out the risk for Such an exhibition to be regarded as a kind of cover-up, a nice facade hiding the real world of today's native peoples. Up to now there was no reply from In the meantime letters from supporters of the Lubicon Lake Band kept on Coming, and a discussion was started between the European museums. The matter was to be brought up at the ICOM-convention in Buenos Aires, and together with my colleagues in Leiden, the Netherlands, we decided to follow the outcome of this convention. Well, I suppose you are aware of its point of view by now. Therefore I have to notify you that the Museum voor Volkenkunde will withhold the Salish rattle from the Glenbow Exhibition. Until this moment I hoped for a reasonable compromise, a@ way out of this matter, a solution with which the exhibition could take place and with which the people about whom the exhibition is dealing would be satisfied. Unfortunately not even a sign of such a change of course was ever heard of; a situation which only seems to justify the protest of the Lubican Lake Band and Hopefully the time will come that the Canadian and European museums wil) contribute to an exhibition which will not give reason to the Indian people in Canada for objections, but for pride about their past, and for feeling that their righteous cause is supported and brought to international attention. cc. Canadian Embassy, The Hague Mr. B. Ominayak, Lubican Lake Band ne Ba/pm betreft brufkleen rget not se Calendsicaat 7.3016 CA Aotterdal ; ee Documents obtained under the Access to Information Act reveal a concerted plan by the Canadian government and the OCO to counter the boycott and any effect it may have on the Calgary Games. ‘eeneneees, Nother 15 had yet to decide. he growing momentum of the Lubi- on boycott had not gone unnoticed in tawa. Documents obtained under the federal Access to Information Act re- vealed a concerted plan by the federal 80vernment and the OCO to counter the Ubicon boycott and any effects it may ave on the Calgary games. The memos eveal that in addition to the OCO pre- _ Paring briefing notes for Canadian em- ssies to counter adverse publicity, the Xternal Affairs office was alerted and, nally, the OCO was instructed to de- a “a program strategy to try to gain me native friends.”’ nowt APril, 1987 the OCO proudly an- Sunced the ‘all out involvement” of Toe People in the Calgary games. at “involvement’’ consisted of a pow traditional dancing) competition, fi Vv arts and crafts sale, a ‘‘trade”’ show, ¥ ian government does nothing, Community to die out. they would support the boycott while | ‘ “il ial proble he community as socia bling speculation the feds are Stinchcombe, Stampede/Olympics co- ordinator said. One Native leader in Alberta quipped, ‘‘the only way we would have taken part is if they told us the Olympic organizers were in those wagons.”’ A resolution to the 50 year battle of the Lubicon for justice now seems as far " away as ever. Returning from the First Minister’s Conference on aboriginal rights. in March, Alberta Premier Don Getty stated that if Alberta had been forced to accept entrenchment of Native rights in the constitution, separatism would have been seriously considered. Speaking to high school students in Calgary recently, External Affairs Minister Joe Clark said the Lubicon boycott would not, harm Canada’s international reputation. In May, 1985 Indian Affairs Minister Bill McKnight, after a three month delay, re- sponded to a letter from Ominayak offer- simply waiting Photocopy of a letter from the Museum Voor Volkenkunde in Rotterdam sent to Calgary supporting the Lubicon boycott. The ICOM (General Assembly of Museums) convention, referred to in the letter, passed a resolution in 1986 saying that ethnic artifacts should not be used against the interests of the ethnic groups that produce them. As of June, 1987, 20 museums had announced they would support the international boycott while another 15. pe had yet to decide. > ing the resumption of negotiations with the unreleased Fulton paper as a basis of discussion, by refusing to release the Fulton paper. In his letter McKnight wrote ‘‘I regret that I am not prepared to release the paper to the general public. An important factor in my adopting this position rests with my firm belief that your Band’s land claim must be resolved solely on its merits.” But while the intransigence of the Department of Indian Affairs continues there is growing concern, as documents have shown, in Ottawa and among the OCO about the effectiveness of the Lubicon boycott. Events in the past few weeks have not been, from the govern- ment’s perspective, conducive to ignor- ing a boycott campaign. The United Na- tions Human Rights Commission, based in Geneva, Switzerland, has just ruled that the Lubicon case is admissible under Article 27 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Canada is a signatory to the Cove- nant. The UN went on to instruct Canada, under Provisional Rule 86, to insure no further damage is done to Lubicon society. This decision may lead to a resolution at the UN condemning Canada’s treatment of the Lubicon Cree. For a country that has been quick to point an often selective accusing finger at human rights abuses around the world, Canada may soon find itself at the receiv- ing end of such accusations. Time is running out for the Lubicon Cree. The social problems are mounting. In the past year the first suicides in the Band’s history have taken place, six young people have been killed in a car crash, a woman who had been drinking died when her house burnt down. “It’s hard to determine if we have reached the stage where even if we win — we lose.’ Ominayak said. ‘‘Canada has always claimed to play a leading role in pointing out violations of human rights around the world yet here we are on their doorstep and they’re ignoring us al- together.”’ For the Canadian government the po- tential damage the Lubicon situation may cause to Canada’s international reputation should be coming apparent. Lubicon supporters in Europe have launched a letter writing campaign and made plans for Thanksgiving Day demonstrations outside of Canadian em- bassies and should the situation remain unresolved it is likely there will be more to the Winter Games in Calgary than simply skiing and ice hockey. The sight of demonstrators protesting a_half- century of genocide may tell a world- wide audience just how ‘‘sporting’’ the organizers of the Calgary Games have been. Bay, AVER Drig > Signs point the way to drill sites on what was once the Lubicon’s untouched, aboriginal hunting territory. PACIFIC TRIBUNE, AUGUST 19, 1987 5