I don’t care about statues. I don’t feel that tearing down
statues of John A. Mcdonald is going to do anything for me as an Indigenous
person or for my rights as a Metis Person. It isn't going to do anything in the communities and out on the land and the water. We don't have a big problem with John. A. statues we got a lot more important things to deal with.
There are a few statues that matter to me.
The statue of Louis Riel that was erected at the Manitoba Legislature in the 1970's. That
statue, a twisted naked abstract of a man, raised controversy. I knew my parents were upset. "They are making him look crazy". My mom said referencing the twisted metal body as the state of his mind.
This was so important to my parents. They had to push back against that assault. The mainstream narrative, "that he was not a great man, that he was crazy". It was in the statue, it was in the movie and in the books. My parents had to stand strong in that onslaught. Statues in the hurricane.
I walked those legislative grounds a hundred times. My father worked in the legislature and for years before that I had friends that lived in an apartment building overlooking the grounds.
I camped on those
grounds for almost a week when my parents, Nellie and John Morrisseau, were protesting the devastating losses to Metis during the building of the Grand Rapids Hydroelectric Project. They
camped on those grounds for 47 days and received no support except from family a few friends and dozens of non-Native youth. I walked the
grounds many times during the day and during the night and passed many statues and I don’t remember one of them.
My parents and their last few
supporters left the legislative grounds with a tear stained letter from then Minister
Responsible for Manitoba Hydro Dave Chomiak. He got them off the property and did nothing after that perhaps his tears turned him to stone.
The other big one for me has always been the Goose at Lundar. I would be upset if they took down the Goose at Lundar. Even though Canadian geese are starting to be a problem.
I also remember the Bull in the town of Ste. Rose Du Lac
near our home in the historic Metis community of Crane River. Every year the
graduating class in the small town would paint the Bull’s balls blue. That would be the highlight of the 45 mile gravel road ride to town.
I lived in Ottawa for about 5 years and I walked all over
that town and there are statues everywhere and the only piece I can remember is
the one for Indigenous veterans by Cree artist Lloyd Pinay. We took pictures in front of it. I remembers walking in slowly and respectfully on a few occasions thinking about the sacrifices of my Metis Uncles in World War II.
The dozens and
dozens of other statues that I walked by in those year have no place in my memory.
But to get back to John A. What does the A stand for?
This business of tearing down statues and acting like this
is something for me as an Indigenous person is not accepted.
I never heard
anyone. Ever. Say. Tear down this statue.
I feel like someone has taken capital earned from the hard work and
sacrifices of our ancestors, parents and grandparents and pissed it away on this action that will only build animosity towards
Indigenous Peoples and little else.
The story line that is coming across the media is that John A. Mcdonald’s
statue is being taken down because of his role in setting up the Indian
Residential School System and this has something to do with reconciliation. I am not aware of Mcdonald having a leadership
role in creating that system. In fact, Indian Residential Schools existed before there was a Canada.
If anyone asked me why Mcdonald’s statue should be taken down. It would be for his persecution
of the Metis and for the hanging of Louis
Riel, the Father of Manitoba and a Father of Canadian Confederation. Nobody asked me.
They say it's for reconciliation, but there is no reference to tearing down statues in the TRC's 94 calls to action.
Perhaps some people in these institutions didn't like looking at old John A. because he made them think about themselves and not us.
Most of those academic institutions need to hire some living breathing Native people and let them teach instead of worrying about a statue to another dead white man.
