'Patriarchal nonsense': Indigenous Manitobans denounce province's plan to rename lands

A Cree writer and filmmaker, an Ojibway grandmother and an MLA say the province's decision to rename eight wildlife management areas after "prominent Manitobans" is disrespectful and colonialist.

On Monday, Agriculture and Resource Development Minister Blaine Pedersen announced new names for the wildlife management areas, which are designated parcels of land for the "better management of the wildlife resource." Those given the honour were all menand none of them are Indigenous.

"For me it's another colonial tactic by governments to erase our connection to the land and to erase our histories and erase what our people have been doing for so long to protect the land and water," said Kevin Settee,whose family is from Fisher River Cree Nation.

Settee spoke to the CBC on Tuesday morning before travelling to fish on WashowBay, a region about an hour south of his First Nation, and one of the renamed areas. In a statement, a provincial spokesperson wrote that the eight prominent Manitobans chosen provided lifelong dedication to the improvement of Manitoba's wildlife and wildlife habitat.

"To me it's disrespectful to our people, to our traditional territories and to our ancestors who have been protecting these lands for centuries," said Settee.

The nerve of this guy to be doing this on our traditional territories.- Kevin Settee, on the announcement by Agriculture and Resource Development Minister Blaine Pedersen

"Putting the names of people on these lands to try to commemorate the work that people have done our people have been doing this work for centuries, protecting the land and the water. It's just a bit upsetting to know that there's a bunch of men that are going to be place names of our traditional territories."

The Deerwood, Lake Francis, Little Saskatchewan, Parkland, Thalberg Bush and Washow Bay wildlife management areas, as well as portions of Pierson and Whitemud,have all been given new names.

Settee says the government should have consulted with Indigenous people near Matheson Island, Hollow Water and Pine Dock before choosing any names for the land.

"That's just patriarchal nonsense. The nerve of this guyto be doing this on our traditional territories, on the land our people have used for such a long time and to not include women?

"That's a big no-no," said Settee.

"I didn't see any Indigenous names on the list. I didn't see any Indigenous women'snames on the list," said Ojibway grandmother Geraldine Shingoose.

"It's almost like we're going backwards. Like we're going back to 1867."

The wildlife management areas are all within Treaty 1 and Treaty 2 territories. A spokesperson for the province did not respond to questions about whether Indigenous people were consulted before the areas were renamed.

"It's history repeating itself. Our women are very critical because we're the caretakers of Mother Earth. We've always been," said Shingoose, notingthere are also many Mtis on the land in question.

She said Pedersen should have chosen people who live in the areas rather than those who were "influential in the colonial structure of Manitoba."

More names to be announced, province says

A provincial spokesperson said wildlife management areas are named to memorialize Manitobans who have made notable contributions to conservation, and the names revealed this week are the first of many to be announced as part of the initiative.

Recommendations can be brought forward to the department of Agriculture and Resource Development for consideration, the spokesperson added.

Shingoose wants to see the list retracted and redone to reflect the province's diversity, and both she and Settee want the province to consult with Indigenous people before renaming the land.

NDP MLA Nahanni Fontainesaid the move is a reflection of whom theProgressive Conservative government of Premier BrianPallister government prioritizes as prominent.

"I would imagine that most folks in 2021 would recognize that there are phenomenal Manitoba women that these areas could have been named after, or in an era of reconciliation, we could've had these areas renamed in the traditional language and territory and understanding of Indigenous peoples," Fontaine said.

"These rivers, these bays, these places along Lake Winnipeg have always been the home of Annishanaabe, Cree, Dakota people. I think it's important that the Conservative government remembers that and knows our people are still there," said Settee.

"These place names have meaning, they have stories. You know, these stories need to be respected and honoured."

Indigenous Manitobans denounce province's plan to rename lands

3 years ago

Duration 2:38

An Indigenous writer and film maker says renaming wildlife management areas in Manitoba is another colonial tactic by government. Kevin Settee, whose family is from Fisher River Cree Nation, says it's like the government is trying to erase Indigenous history.