Big Boss Briala

In case you haven't yet heard what's been evolving here on the east coast...

The NL government told Sheshatshiu Innu First Nation that they were not allowed to publicly state that Innu history in Labrador goes back further than 300 years, in the prepared cultural exhibit for Indigenous Peoples Day. Jodie Ashini, the cultural guardian behind the exhibit, refused to bow down to this colonial rewrite of history.

Subsequently, after a series of protests, NL Premier Tony Wakeham and Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation Minister Lela Evans released a half-assed apology, instead of meeting the very simple demand from the Innu leaders: A written commitment to stop prompting a false colonial narrative. The Innu Nation rejected these "apologies", and officially closed the exhibit.

Miawpukek Mi'kmaq have already released an official statement of support. It is my personal hope that more First Nations on the Atlantic do the same. (The news is only just starting to spread here in NS.)

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Innu Nation rejects apology from N.L. government that doesn’t mention 300-year history cap

Another 2021 repaint