Lyonel Doherty, Times-Chronicle
Let’s get something out of the way: Osoyoos Indian Band Chief Clarence Louie is not Indigenous or aboriginal, he’s an “Indian.”
And don’t offend him by acknowledging that you’re on his “unceded” territory unless you change that word to “stolen.” In fact, any politician who has the courage to say this earns his utmost respect.
Politically incorrect?
You bet.
But that’s Clarence.
“I’m gonna talk the way I talk on the Rez,” he said to a packed crowd at Okanagan College’s Penticton campus while promoting his new book Rez Rules on March 24.
“I’m not politically correct. I don’t believe in that nonsense,” he said to applause. “Even my mom doesn’t like what I say sometimes.”
He noted there is too much “dumb shit” on social media today. “I don’t Tweet, I’m old school,” he added.
Louie said his single mother raised him with her own set of “rez rules” at home.
“Go to school, get a job, or get out.”
He pointed to Nk’Mip Cellars’ winemaker Justin Hall who became the world’s first, First Nations winemaker last year, according to Louie.
“He told me that’s what happened to him; his dad kicked him out. Thought he was a smart-ass teenager who didn’t need to work and didn’t want to go to school (so he quit).”
Fast forward, Hall buckled down and developed a work ethic after seeing other people succeed.
“I’ve often said that anyone . . . you’ll only go so far as your work ethic carries you. I don’t care if you’re native or non-native.”
Louie said he doesn’t believe in welfare, saying it has its place, but it should only be a stepping stone to “get your butt back to work.”
The chief said there are too many safety nets in today’s society. He pointed out that people have to watch what they say or else face charges of bullying and harassment.
“I was telling a labour guy the other day, I said, ‘what, we can’t even argue with each other anymore?’ That’s bullshit.”
He said adults in the workplace have differences and should be able to argue with each other.
“I told my council I’ll never run to HR. I don’t care if you swear at me or what you say. We’ll have it out the old school way and within a few hours we should be shaking hands again.”
Louie made reference to a previous speech he made in Fort McMurray where a writer titled the article “Indian Time.” When he started his presentation, Louie recalled that “half the Indians didn’t show up” but all the white people were there on time.
“You see these chiefs walking in late and I thought, that’s why I don’t go to chiefs’ meetings.”
Louie said he hangs around business people and rarely goes to Union of BC Chiefs meetings.
“I can’t stand people who don’t show up on time. You can’t run a business if you don’t show up on time.”
Chief Louie signs a copy of his book for Penticton city councillor Katie Robinson after his talk in Penticton on March 24.
(Photo by Lyonel Doherty)
Louie said he didn’t know anything about writing a book, but he thought at his age it’s now or never. One of his favourite books is called “Chief,” a story about Quebec Cree Billy Diamond, written by Roy MacGregor.
Louie said he initially asked MacGregor to write his book, but after the author sent him a draft of the introduction, the chief said, “Roy, I don’t talk like that. You’re talking like some white guy from Ottawa.”
Louie then decided to write the book himself, a book about his indictment of Canada’s and America’s systemic racism against Indigenous people.
Ironically, the chief said he doesn’t use the term Indigenous or aboriginal.
“My mom actually hates the word Indigenous; she can’t say the word. When that first came out she came into my office giving me shit. ‘You go and tell Trudeau to quit changing our name. You also tell him we’re not aboriginal; we’re not from Australia!’”
Speaking of societal changes, Louie said they need to go back to the old way of doing things. For example, he said his high school got rid of coloured shorts, which represented your athletic ability. Gold shorts was the top colour.
“Some parents whined that it affected the self-esteem of their kid. Nowadays everybody just wears the same colours and nobody can achieve the gold shorts anymore.”
The chief questioned what is wrong with having competition in life? “Because once you get out of high school that’s what business is.”
Louie said First Nations people were very competitive once, but colonization, the Indian Act and residential schools changed that.
“That’s why a lot of our people walk around with their head down. I always remind my people back home that you look people in the eye, don’t be shy and don’t be afraid.”
Louie said trade and commerce was a tradition among his people as far back as 1,500 years ago.
“So, I remind First Nations, we were the first entrepreneurs in this country. We were the first tradespeople . . . archeological evidence proves that.”
On the back of his book is a photograph of a five dollar bill, which Louie alluded to during his talk. He expressed his disbelief that the government handed out treaty payments (five-dollar bills) to Indians in Manitoba. He questioned if this makes Canada proud, handing out five-dollar bills for a treaty that non-native people have made billions of dollars on.
He said when people make land acknowledgements at the start of their meetings, it reminds him of this: “Having a piece of property, your guest comes in and kicks you out of your house, puts you in the backyard, then once in a while invites you in for dinner or some sort of acknowledgment.”
“To me the word unceded, there’s a good word. To me that’s just a nicer way, the politically right way, that means stolen.”
Louie said people should just say this. “I would respect that mayor of council whoever said that.”
The chief stated the real image he wants to create is natives and non-natives working side by side . . . no dependencies, no one walking ahead of someone else, no one better than the other.
Louie said a lot of people never thought they would be collecting their paycheque from the Osoyoos Indian Band.
“I firmly believe in race but I’m not racist . . . we should all be proud of our skin colour, we should all acknowledge our skin colour.”
Louie said there is nothing wrong with calling someone a black fellow or somebody else a white fellow.
“It’s not going to be sensitive. Nobody’s going to get all stressed out about it or jump all over Facebook and say, ‘oh, shit, you know what he called me?’”
As far a reconciliation is concerned, the chief said there is a lot of unfinished business in Canada.
“We told the NDP government we don’t want your money, we want some of our land back, we want some of our reserves back.”
Louie said their land in Okanagan Falls was taken away with the swipe of a pen, so why can’t it be returned with the swipe of a pen?
“To me reconciliation has to start with the land, not with simple land acknowledgement which is a nice gesture for a few seconds.”
(Photo contributed)
