I have been thinking about the First Nations issues more by being in NZ where the Maori culture and issues are much more in the pubic spot light. I guess it has made me realize just how ignorant I am not only of the history but of the current struggles of the First Nations. A friend who works for an organization in Edmonton training and educating the Nations on environmental concerns focusing on rivers, and who recently visited us, has also brought many of the current struggles to mind.

It seems to me that the current way of dealing with things has not worked either for the nations or for the general public who are still ignorant of so much, and only see the negative in the media and through limited exposure to mainly urban natives who are in rough situations. There seems to be very real systemic issues in how the government is dealing with current challenges, and the reactive nature of policies are probably not the best long term solutions.

I am just beginning to come to an understanding of these issues, but I ask myself and I suppose my country: what is a concerned white boy’s role in helping?