Positive Indigenous Story

Finally, something worth celebrating!
A positive indigenous story!
Especially these days which seem to be filled with blockades across the country.

A family-run indigenous winery in West Kelowna (formerly Westbank) is attracting international attention, according to Denise Ryan's story in The Province on February 24, 2020 (can't find the pertinent link).

Indigenous World Winery is the brainchild of Robert and Bernice Louie.

Sixty-eight year old Robert was the elected chief of the Westbank First Nation for 24 years.  His wife, Bernice is 48.  The two are the force behind the winery brand.  Descendants of the Syilx, the Indigenous first peoples of the Okanagan and Similkameen valleys, the couple have five children, two of whom work with them in the winery.

"I wanted to create a legacy for my family and for my people that promoted Indigenous culture, and honoured our ancestral stewardship of the land," said Louie.

They purchased their acreage eight years ago, started growing grapes and building the winery a year later.

They named their first signature Bordeaux varietal blend Simo -- and the 2014 vintage has won multiple awards, including double gold at the 2019 All Canadian Wine Championships, according to Denise Ryan's story.

The name "Simo" was given to Louie by his stemtema, or maternal grandmother.

Louie, who was born on the Westbank First Nation reserve in the Okanagan, started working in the fruit-picking industry at age five, and by the time he was a young teenager he was working with grapes.

Their wines are listed here.

He took time to earn a law degree at the University of Victoria, where he was the first Indigenous graduate of their law program and first Okanagan Syilx member to be called to the bar, and later served as councillor and elected chief, all the while "toying" with the dream of the Indigenous winery.

Louie's winemaker is Jason Parkes, whom he calls "the best in the industry".

Louie said he's been questioned by youth over his choice to go into the alcohol industry.

"They say 'why are you in it?' or 'how come you make booze and sell it to the people?'  My response is that booze is not bad if you take care with it and honour it:  this industry employs people, provides a livelihood, and helps the local economy."

The Indigenous World Winery welcomes visitors daily to their vineyards, where they also run the Red Fox club restaurant, featuring native cuisine and wine tastings.


Congratulations Robert and Bernice!

Parenting Skills Need Bolstering

This blog post is a follow-up to this post in June (article from a Calgary newspaper).

And this blog post will no doubt offend many people, most of whom appear to have a penchant for (a) being politically 'correct', and (b) invariably resisting stating the most obvious reason for any dilemma lest they be labelled racist.  Prime Minister Justin Trudeau--who ridiculously and erroneously called the issue's history 'genocide'--and his minions would be outraged, so it's not a big deal to me that they'll never read it.

Here goes...

A story in The Vancouver Province, dated Sunday July 7th, 2019, is entitled Report Warns Indigenous Women Vulnerable to 'Man Camps', with the sub-head "So what's at stake now that Trans Mountain (pipeline) is a go?"

Rather than talk about the pipeline itself though, this blog post responds to statements made therein relating to  MMIWG (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls), in particular from 'Indigenous Advocate' Connie Greyeyes.

First an intro from page 17 of The Province story:

  "The MMIWG report calls on industries to consider the safety of Indigenous women during the planning and construction of resource projects.  It encourages companies, governments and service providers to work together to expand social infrastructure in communities, which includes 'ensuring that policing, social services and health services are adequately staffed and resourced'."

Then we'll jump to comments from Connie Greyeyes:

"...but she has also had so many interactions with women who are assaulted by people who(sic) they didn't know, who were here as workers."  This could be curtailed, she argued, if industry, government and communities provided more resources to vulnerable women.

"While I understand that progress happens, there have to be solutions to lessen the impacts on women and girls," Greyeyes said.  "This was never an attack on people or an industry, but it's about raising awareness that there are things that need to change.  We need to make sure that communities are protected."

Okay, okay.
Chock-full of cliches.
More resources?

Nobody in government or industry has the intestinal fortitude to state one of THE most important problems:  lack of parenting skills.  That alone has made women and girls vulnerable.

I ask: 
What makes women and girls vulnerable?
Racism?  Yes, certainly in the past, and probably still today to some degree.

But my point is why are these women and girls 'out there?' 
Presumably the dangers mostly occur at night;  and when combined with drugs and alcohol, it's virtually assured the situation will lead to extreme danger.

Why aren't parents teaching their young girls/young women skills at home, as well as to stay at home during evenings, and avoid precarious situations and facilities after dark?


For those teenagers who work after school as servers as restaurants and clerks at gas stations and malls, I know of NO parents who do NOT pick up their child after work.  I'm sure that some teenagers/young women must take the bus home, and I know the warnings taught our children from a very young age focused on NEVER accepting a ride from a stranger, and always staying in contact with their family member via cellphone (which everyone seems to possess these days).

Most importantly, parents need to be role models for their children...it isn't always easy.

What do your children see at night at home?

Are you routinely home at night? 

Are drug and/or alcohol abuse a frequent occurrence

 within the home?

Are your children safe at home?

Before you scream 'RACIST' or 'BIGOT' in the Comments section, let's look at an indigenous role model:  Robert Louie, former Chief of the Westbank First Nation of West Kelowna.
 


There are no doubt many more fine role models than Mr. Robert Louie.
Perhaps even Connie Greyeyes.

But one thing's for sure, and that is that NOTHING communities or governments do--or create--will eliminate the risks we face in our modern lives WITHOUT a parent--or two at home--being on the same page and constantly reinforcing the fundamentals of safety.

 If parenting isn't "positive", it's likely to be "negative".

A sad state of affairs that no amount of government resources or improved infrastructure will improve.




Maybe a few more newspapers (kudos to the Calgary Sun) will address issues more honestly than they have in the past.