Text 29586, 67 rader
Skriven 2012-09-14 21:15:00 av JIM WELLER (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av NANCY BACKUS
Ärende: The northern territories
================================
-=> Quoting Nancy Backus to Jim Weller <=-
 
 NB> Is YK considered Native territory?

Not really.

The NWT population is 50% Native (i.e. Indigenous Aboriginal), which
includes the Inuvialuit (western Inuit or "Eskimo"), the Dene (a
group of Athapaskan language speaking "Indian" tribes) and the Metis
(mixed ancestry) and 50% Other. "Other" includes Euro-Canadians from
the south like me, Asian and other immigrants to Canada and their
descendants and even non-Indigenous Aboriginals, such as an American
Cherokee who moved here and even Roslind who is Metis but born in
Alberta, not here.

"Metis" originally met French-Algonquin/Cree but the definition has
now been expanded to all mixed ancestry Euro-Indians who choose to
self-identify as such and should be expanded further as I know
Egyptian, Syrian and Filipina Inuit etc.

The city of Yellowknife is about 25% Native, 75% Other and contains
half the population of the NWT. The smaller communities are up to
75% or more Native, less than 25% Other.

The NWT, like the Yukon and Nunavut are territories rather than full
fledged provinces mostly due to our large size and small population
(and tax) base. We have our own governments but they aren't as
powerful as provincial governments.

To complicate things a large number of Native groups never signed
treaties in the old days and are just now doing land claim
settlements with the federal government. These settlements include
various degrees of self-government and some control over the
relinquished land. Typically the Inuvialuit up near the Arctic
Ocean, the Gwitchen (most northerly "Indian" tribe) and the Tli Cho
(Dogrib) Nations received 640 acres each plus $27,000 per capita and
future control over development on their traditional lands that they
relinquished to the federal government, including land and water
management boards that must approve every mining, pipeline, roadway
construction and railway permit jointly with the federal government
approval. This gives them enough clout to negotiate royalties on top
of the federal royalty regime, job quotas that include academic
upgrading, extensive on the job training and university
scholarships.

Most of that $27,000 was used to invest in viable northern companies
like the Canadian North Airlines. My granddaughter Lexi is
Inuvialuit and Charlee is Tli Cho by birth with the option of
calling herself Inuvialuit by adoption (she would have to switch;
there's no double dipping). They each receive $600 per year in
dividends, free extended medical, drug and dental care and, if the
investment corp. doesn't go bankrupt in the next 15 years, free
university including travel expenses. That's why I once told Michael
to fly Canadian North and not Air Canada, and to go first class, as
both girls plan to do post-grad studies! [g]


Cheers

YK Jim


... I'll close with my auxiliary backup point: little girls sure are cute.

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