Dr. Lynn Gehl is an Algonquin Anishinaabe-kwe from the Ottawa River Valley. She writes often on issues related to the Algonquin Nation from both a gender and historic perspective.
Her latest article, published on Jan 22, 2016, can help settler allies understand the realities of the Algonquin Nation, past and present. This reality informs the assertion of land rights and the call for protection of sacred islands and waters in the Ottawa River by nine Algonquin chiefs in 2015--a call that federal, provincial, and municipal officials continue to ignore.
"Through two federal government policies – the Comprehensive Land Claims Policy and the Inherent Rights Policy – our jurisdiction, land, and land related rights are not protected but rather continue to be denied and placed within the confines of a small box.
"Through these policies, Canada has imposed on us what it thinks we are entitled to: a very small percentage of our traditional territory and a one-time buy-out. This deal was tabled in November 2012. Clearly 117,000 acres which amounts to only 1.3% of our traditional territory and $300 million is a bad deal."
The comprehensive land claim that Dr. Gehl refers to impacts the Algonquin Nation in Ontario and the Algonquin Nation in Quebec, as outlined in this background news report from 2013.
Read Dr. Gehl's recent article online at Real Peoples Media.
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