In which I drop the silly title thing since I've realized I'm updating this thing too often and it's getting annoying. Sorry folx.

So (how often do I start sentences with the word "so"? I can't really come up with an alternative!) I am super in love with my living situation right now. My punk rock apartment, The Orphanage, has always been super-rad, but lately it's really outdoing itself. We have two new room mates (one lives in a fort in the living room, the other lives in Ryley's closet) and a near constant supply of guests. Our kitties are adorable, our land lord is practically non-existent, and we live maybe 100 paces from the library in one direction, and a delicious brewery in the other. At the bottom of our street you can see the harbour (and it's wealth of naval vessels...) and at the top of our street is the North Common, which is pretty much what we have instead of a yard. The Orphans (or, Roarphans as we've started to call ourselves since 5 out of the 7 inhabitants now have names that start with "R") have a close relationship with the Commons, and we've spent many a sunny day lounging around on the grass, drinking well concealed and yet refreshing beer, playing "who's that skid?" and "laugh at the bro".

This morning, while having breakfast, I noticed a little green flier on the fridge about events happening on the Commons this summer.

I don't want to talk about the Kid Rock concert. Not even a little bit.

I also don't want to talk about the Relay for Life which just took place, although I honestly think they should re-name their event since I spent a very long time resenting them, thinking they were anti-abortion activists (turns out they raise money to fight cancer...).

The thing that really caught my attention was the Mawio'mi Grand Chief Membertou 400 Pow-Wow 2010 (the tag line is "A Culture to Celebrate, A Time to Share"). At first glance I was like "Oh cool! There's going to be a pow wow on the commons, I'm really glad!", then I read the description. Special event, blah blah blah, end of June, blah blah blah, marking the 400th anniversary of the baptism of Grand Chief Henri Membertou. Baptism, eh? I hope they don't mean what I think they mean....

THEY FUCKING DO! THEY MEAN BAPTIZED CATHOLIC!

Halifax, which was founded by genocidal maniac Edward Cornwallis (who actually put a bounty on the heads of the Mi'kmaq people) is hosting a pow wow to celebrate the first steps the European settlers took to wholly oppress and dominate the indigenous communities of Turtle Island. This is fucking backwards! Why aren't they having their big celebration in St. Mary's fucking Basilica? In a Catholic church?

The write up of the event says that Mebertou's baptism "signalled the Mi'kmaq's desire for peaceful relations with the European nations and helped shape the course of our country's history." So, from my perspective, this country was shaped rather well as here I am, sitting on Cornwallis street (yeah, named after the aforementioned grand asshole founder of this fair city) paying relatively low-rent and enjoying a life essentially free of hardships and oppression. Because I'm a descendant of those fucking European nations! Do you know how "our country" was shaped for the Mi'kmaq?

Genocide.

Residential schools (which were only officially apologized for 2 years ago).

The continued effort by the colonialists to wipe out any sort of indigenous culture or religion, and to white-wash everything and spread the plague of Christianity (and other infectious diseases).

Systematic oppression and racism.

Sub-standard living conditions (this is a total understatement, some canadian reserves don't have doctors or running water).

Cultural appropriation.

Aboriginal women are exponentially more likely to become victims of sexual assault, and aboriginal youth are growing up in a world that has been taught to belittle and abuse them, and many turn to substance abuse to cope.

Well bra-fucking-vo, Samuel de Champlain. What a delightful ball you got rolling there.

As I've mentioned several times, I'm a white kid. I have Scottish and English ancestry. I cannot speak of behalf of the Mi'kmaq community in Halifax. But I am seriously so fucking disgusted. I honestly do not understand how something like this could possibly go unchallenged.

If anyone has any insight, please let me know, cause right now this is just too baffling, and too upsetting.