1971 SAW A GREAT rise in the struggle of the Native Peoples
of Canada for their rights. That struggle, which has not received
sufficient attention in the people’s press, including our own paper,
took many forms, from resistance to continuing discrimination
and encroachment on the lands of the Indians (they despise that
term, but we use it for want of a better) to assertion of their
human dignity and rights as specific peoples.

This is often presented as a demand to respect their sovereignty
on the basis of original treaty rights. For example, the Six Nations
Iroquois Confederacy has presented federal minister Jean Chretien
and the Department of Indian Affairs with an “Iroquois Declara-
iton of Independence.” He was compelled to reply and he made
a poor job of it by claiming that ‘it is impossible to have a nation
within a nation” and “the sovereignty of Canada precludes the
sovereignty of the Iroquois Confederacy.”

This is the same position which the government proclaims in
order to deny national rights to Quebec and in fact pushes the
French Canadian people towards separatism by saying it is im-
possible for them to have statehood, sovereignty, within a multi-
national sovereign Canada.

The Soviet Union and other socialist countries have proven that
not only is this possible, but that it is the only real way for
nations to live together in firm unity within an overall state.

THIS IS NOT to say that the Native Peoples in Canada could
form national states, but a truly democratic Canada would undo
as much of the wrongs and robbery they have suffered as possible
and provide for regional self-government — not a a “gift” but as
their inalienable right.

WITH CAUSTIC satire the spokesmen of the Native Peoples
tear the mask from the face of the despoilers and politicians. One
of the most telling ways to present their status is to put the shoe
on the other foot, so to say, as this WHITE POLICY PROPOSAL
does in a recent issue of the Iroquois Longhouse News:

“It is hereby suggested that we create a Department of
White Affairs for a trial period of 100 years. This depart-
ment will be run strictly by Indians selected on the basis
of their political affiliations and their incompetence in
the business world.

“White people will be looked upon as savages unless they
adopt the Indian religion and the Indian way of life. White
religious holidays such as Easter and Christmas will be
outlawed and all-religious statues, medals, and musical
instruments shall be confiscated by a newly created In-
dian Mounted Police Force. It will be unlawful to wear a
shamrock, eat haggis, fish and chips, pea soup or weiners
and sauerkraut.

“If a white man wants to sell, lease or bequeath property,
the Department of White Affairs will make the final deci-
sion. At no time will a white be able to develop his land
without the consent of the Department of White Affairs.
“From time to time advisors will be brought in from the
Congo, Indonesia and India to fill top civil service jobs
and teach the white religion and culture.

“It is quite conceivable that white lands will be expropri-
ated for Indian interests in conserving the environment.
It is recommended that a series of treaties be undertaken
with the white nations for the ceding of their interests in
crown lands. They may keep the cities.”

DO YOU LIKE IT? That’s not joshing, that’s a bitter “turned

round” description of what is being done—not in the past, but -

today—to the Red Man in Canada. And that’s only half of it. In
battling against the many injustices of capitalism the Canadian
working class movement has the burden duty to support the strug-
gle of the Native Peoples for their rights. :

“SOMEHOW | JUST KNOW WE'RE ON AN INDIAN RESERVE ROAD”

CARTOON: MANITOBA INDIAN NEWS
PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 1972—PAGE 8

The story of Dr. Norman Bethunt

THE SCALPEL, THE SWORD;
the Story by Doctor Norman
Bethune by Ted Allan and
Sydney Gordon. Revised Edi-
tion. Toronto, McClelland and
Stewart Ltd., 1971. $3.95.

“Not in all China... no,
not in all the world will
there be enough tears” to
mourn Bethune’s death,
grieved a Chinese comrade.

Pai Chu En, Bethune’s name,
is what the fighting guerrillas
of People’s China chanted as
they marched to battle when
they knew Bethune was amongst
them to care for their wounds.

The printing in paperback

this year of a revised edition of:

The Scalpel, the Sword; the
Story of Doctor Norman Bethune
puts within the reach of every-
one the inspiring account of a

famous Canadian Communist
revolutionary.
Bethune’s personal struggle

to overcome tuberculosis shortly
after he had become a doctor
led him to specialize in thoracic
surgery. The plight of the poor
was brought to him forcefully
— they were the main suffer-
ers of TB and other sicknesses.
He grew aware that the social
ills of the society were the main
cause of physical illness. Along
with his personal work (he in-
vented numerous instruments
and methods for fighting lung
diseases) he began the battle for
state responsibility for the sick.
He was among the early fighters
for socialized medicine and his
political philosophy already at
this time embraced socialism as

the ultimate solution to most
social and medical problems.

As a man of the world, the
fight of the Spanish against
Franco’s fascism was the next
logical step in Bethune’s battle
for a better world. At the front
he devised ways (including the
now famous mobile blood bank)
of saving soldiers’ lives. Be-
thune communicated to the
world by his letters, news re-
ports and speaking engage-
ments the ruthless destruction
and wanton crimes of fascism.
He appealed for all kinds of aid
in the fight against these op-
pressors.

In his journal on the Malaga
road in Spain he writes:

“In the center of the city I
came to a silent circle of men
and women. Inside the circle
was a great bomb crater.
Inside the crater were twisted
drain pipes, torn clothing, a
splattered mass of what had
once been human beings . . .
My body felt as heavy as the
dead themselves. But empty
and hollow. And in my brain
there burned a bright flame of
hate...”

“In the memory of Almeria,
he vowed he would have to
change himself, to crush all
weakness and vanities, to live
as the soldier. lives, to make
himself a man of steel for only
men of steel would be able to
defend the world struggling to
be born.”

Bethune saw this “world
struggling to be born” in the
Chinese people’s fight against

Spanish people continue
struggle for democracy

Three hundred delegates, rep-
resenting all the peoples of this
northern part of Spain who
struggle for an end to the Span-
ish dictatorship, met recently in
Barcelona and issued a declara-
tion published in the Communist
paper Mundo Obrero, which
stated in part: :

We Catalonians holding many
different viewpoints, members
and non-members of political
organizations and groups, from
diverse sections of the popula-
tion—workers, peasants,  stu-
dents, intellectuals, professionals
and citizens in general of Bar-
celona and other regions meet-
ing here, though conscious that
the circumstances in our coun-
try prevent full representation,
declare the following:

The present crisis of the re-
gime, of which the Burgos Trial
was a clear manifestation, the
heightened consciousness and
mobilization of the popular
forces and the neéd for firm op-
position to the continuing man-
eouvre to install Juan Carlos as
King of Spain and heir to the
dictatorship, demand the united
adoption of a democratic alter-
native. This must be based on
a minimum program acceptable
to the forces and sectors repre-
sented in the Assembly, many
of which hold different long-
range objectives but who are
united on the immediate aim of
overthrowing Franco’s regime.

The points of agreement are
as follows:

1. A general amnesty for all
political prisoners and
exiles,

2. Implementation of the fun-

damental democratic liber-
ties: Freedom of assembly,
expression and association,
including the right to form
trade unions; the right to
strike and. demonstrate;
guarantee of effective ac-
cess of the people to eco-
nomic and political power.

3. The provisional re-estab-
lishment of the institutions
and principles in accord
with the Statute of 1932 as
a. concrete expression of
these freedoms in Cata-
lonia and as the way to
arrive at the full exercise
of the right of self-deter-
mination.

4. Coordination of action of
all people on the Peninsula
in the struggle for demo-
cracy.

As an immediate objective we
call on all Catalonian people —
all those who live and work in
Catalonia — to incorporate the
world-wide perspective for
democratic change with each of
their concrete struggles and to

increase their efforts for a rapid.

attainment of:

A. The united action of all
democratic forces.

B. Solidarity with all those
who are oppressed by the
regime.

C. An end to repression and
winning of amnesty.

To work for the achievement’

of the aims of this Assembly a
permanent Commission has
‘been elected which will initiate
actions to mobilize the people

and work for the calling of a_

larger and more representative
Assembly.

Japan and Chiang Kai-shek #
soon left for China. }
Against insurmountable ob! 2

— few doctors, little medit#
and equipment, Bethune heli
form the medical units of © |
Chinese People’s Eighth Rol
Army. “Doctors! Go to ©
wounded! Don’t wait for
wounded to come to you” ¥
his slogan. This he did hims*
covering hundreds of miles
mountainous country, in #4,
and cold, through enemy tf, |
tory, into the battle Zom
Upon arrival, he immediat *
treated the wounded. After Ba
battle, Bethune operated ye
hours in a stretch on 115 Cc) 7
alties.

The People’s Army had @ |
pointed him their medical adW
er and in addition to treat
the wounded, Bethune worke |
tirelessly training medical WOM,
ers, planning and inspect,
hospitals, mobile units, esp
lishing blood donor clinics, gS
vising instruments and equi;
ment, writing medical manu@,
He sent reports back home
their plight and their lack . ;
even the most elementary eqUy
ment and personnel, appealll
for aid. :

“I have no money or the 1%);
for it. I have the inestimal, t
good fortune to be among ® .
to work among people ‘),
whom Communism is a W);
of life, not merely a way |
talking and _ thinking. r
Communism is simple 5;
profound, reflex as a

jerk, unconscious as i
movement of their lungs, ih
tomatic as the beating of ifr
heart. They are implacable ©
their hate; world-embracii®
in their love.” . . . so wel
Bethune’s journal at this tim

Bethune died of septicem! :
caused from operating with?
rubber gloves. No drugs we
available to halt the ensuing #
fection. In “Wounds,” his 18,
writing, we see the end-produ®@
of the education of a Commu
ist.

‘

pur

‘... what is the cause of th
cruelty, this stupidity? A mi e
lion workmen came from Jaf,
an to kill or mutilate a m!
lion Chinese workmen . °}
Who will profit from it?

‘Is it possible that a fe
Tich reactionary men, a smé4
class of men, have persuad'
a million men to attack af
attempt to destroy anoth
million men as poor as the
So that these rich may be rich
er stiH? Terrible thought! . -
“Are wars of aggression, wa!”
for the conquest of colonié
then just big business? Yé
it would seem so, howev®
much the perpetrators °
such national crimes seek
hide their true purpose und
the banner of high-sounditl
abstractions and ideals. Thé

-by murder;
rape. They find it cheaper
steal than to exchange; easi©
to butcher than to buy. }
“Behind all this stands th
terrible implacable god 2%
business and blood whose
name is profit. Money, like #
insatiable moloch, deman
its interest, its return, am
will stop at nothing, not ev@
the murder of millions

t0
satisfy its greed. Behind the
army, stand the militarist®
Behind the militarists, stat
finance capital and the capital
ists. Brothers in blood; com

”

panions in crime. .
—Harriet Sangé!