First Nations say ceremonies held at Ottawa anti-restriction rally break protocols, need to stop

While pipe ceremonies, smudging and sharing circles are all part of ceremonies practised by many Indigenous people across the country, the way they're being conducted at the Ottawa protest against vaccine mandates and COVID-19 restrictions breaks protocols, according to some First Nations leaders.

"It's very important for the First Nation community, the host community to give acceptance to any type of invite, any type of event," said Chief Dylan Whiteduck of Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg, near Ottawa.

ChiefWhiteduckis one of the area First Nations leaders who is tasked by his people to protect the protocols of his traditional territory.

Apipe ceremony at the Ottawa protest was brought to his attention last week, and he says the people behind it were wrong to conductthe ceremony without permission.

"It's similar to the other treaty communities across Canada, where you don't see one treaty nation going to another, treaty nation just hosting an event and just taking control of their lands and their territory," said Chief Whiteduck.

A news release from last week signed by Chief Whiteduck, among others, calls actions at the protest "unacceptable."

"The Algonquin Nation did not give consent for these ceremonial practices," it says. "First Nations and Non-Indigenous people should always remember protocol and that permission from us [is] needed to proceed."

Some of thoseshown conducting and participating in these ceremonies in a video posted to Facebook last week have been identified aspeople from First Nations in Manitoba.

Grand Chief Jerry Daniels of the Southern Chiefs' Organization in Manitoba says he doesn't want to question why they are choosing to participate in rallies.

But he does wonder if they know what they're doing when they conduct ceremonies and why it's important to follow traditional protocols of the territories they're in.

"Many of our people need to understand, or should understand, that First Nations ceremonies and protocols are a science," he said.

"Our Indigenous elders and knowledge keepers have based it on learned experience and learned protocols.Not things made up."

He also said it's concerning to see First Nations people involved in the protests, given the effects COVID-19 has had in First Nations communities.

During previous waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, many First Nations in Manitoba imposed lockdowns themselves to control who entered or left their communities as a way to prevent the spread of the coronavirus among theirpeople.

Prevention measures helped to keep cases of the illnesslow in the communities during the first two pandemic waves,according to the FirstNations Health and SocialSecretariat of Manitoba.

However, it has since broken throughthe safety measures andthe numbers of cases started to rise.

Arecent study conducted by two University of Manitoba professorssuggests COVID-19 rates in First Nations are linked to housing and infrastructure issues that increase the odds of exposure to infectious diseases, and found some First Nations communities had infection rates 10 times higher than the Manitoba average.

Grand Chief Daniels says it's also concerning to see Indigenous people at the anti-COVID-19 restrictionrallies, giventhat there have been racist gestures, Confederate flags andswastikas seen at protests.

"It's way off for the citizens of our nations to support a movement that doesn't have the interest and health and well-being of Indigenous people at heart," he said.

Chief Whiteduck said he has beenin touch with some Manitoba chiefs, hoping to address concerns his people have with the ceremonies being held at the Ottawa rallies.

First Nations say ceremonies held at Ottawa anti-restriction rally break protocols, need to stop

3 years ago

Duration 2:07

Some Manitobans participating in the vaccine mandate protests across Canada are also conducting Indigenous ceremonies at the rally sites including in Ottawa. Some First Nations leaders and elders are warning against that. CBC's Sheila North shows you why.