I found the letter from Robert Neely in the November 30th Journal, regarding the legitimacy of claims to Indigeneity in our land, an interesting read. I also appreciated the comments by the publisher, offering some clarification on the subject. I have no expertise in the matter and comment only to say that history shows we have never respected Indigenous peoples in this country, and it is time we do.
My reply to his last line, “You might as well acknowledge the trees and animals because they have been around for 160,000 years; that is 100% of the time.” is the same. It is all about respect. We are not owners of this land. We are all caretakers, regardless of where we came from or when we arrived. When will we respect all peoples and take our shared stewardship seriously?
Dale Shutt
L’Île-du-Grand-Calumet
