RE: July 11 Prince George Citizen article "We own all this land" (37th BC Elders Gathering in Prince George)

Chief Ed John "Let them know we own all this land, not just little parts of it [reserves]. We are willing to share it, but what happened was, the people we shared it with took over and seemed to think it was theirs," he said.

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"Now we have to fight to turn around that thinking, to straighten out the record."

Athabaskan speaking people migrated from Northwest Canada to the southern states in 900 A.D., settling on Anasazi Indian "traditional" homeland. These northern people, now Apache and Navajo, forced them off their traditional lands and disrupted the Anasazi's well-established communities, forcing their migration into Mexico.

The Anasazi's fascinating cliff pueblos, now vacant, were built partially for defense.

Defense from what, from whom? Why do modern First Nations people act as if their genocidal tendencies were just family squabbles, not to be spoke of in public?

Hiding one group of traditional-people's abusive acts, which were thrust upon another traditional-people, while condemning the Europeans, is a double standard. The Anasazi chief was probably one of the first to say "we are willing to share, but."

Loose Navajo translation of Anasazi: enemy ancestor.

Europe's violent history parallels early American.

Paleo Indians (First Nations) occupied the Americas starting 40,000 years ago but vanished. The Second Nations (Archaic Indians) vanished around 1,000 BC. What caused their extinctions? Maybe new diseases, brought by each new nation, annihilated the existing one. Possibly better weapons and war experiences resulted in the extermination of the existing Nation.

A 9,200-year-old Kennewick Man found near Kennewick Washington appears more Caucasoid than Indian. A federal court ruled 'the tribes of Washington, Oregon and Idaho failed to prove the remains were those of an American Indian.'

Where did Kennewick Man come from?

Anthropologists say the remains are part of an expanding body of evidence showing that American Indians may not be the first people to live on the continents. It appears today's people are neither First nor Third, but Fourth Nations, making today's second group of Europeans the Fifth.

Rephrasing Chief Ed John: "Canadians must, Canadians have to fight to turn around wrong thinking, to straighten out the record."

If either side truly wishes to solve problems, they must make a bouquet of the truth and use that bouquet as the negotiating table's centre piece.

Peoples cannot solve problems while supporting double standards. Ignoring truth cripples progress

Bill Barnes

Prince George