And we think we underfund Treaty claims!

[labellementeuse]

paintmarks sent me snowflakes! Thanks hon :)

So today I started my new job, reference checker & proofreader at the Waitangi Tribunal. Because they planned for me to start actually doing my job on Wednesday, and before that basically had a bunch of style guides and one or two articles for me to read, by 1pm today I was like "doo doo doo... nothing to do!" (I mean, really.) So my boss got me started on reading this book on the Waitangi Tribunal called, um, The Waitangi Tribunal: Te Roopu Whakamana i te Tiriti o Waitangi. (Ed. J Hayward and N Wheen for anyone who wants to go look this up, which I don't know why you would want to do, but whatever.) It's basically a bunch of chapters on a bunch of different aspects of the Tribunal - history, procedure, etc. A couple of chapters compare it to other nations' methods of dealing with indigenous peoples' land rights, and one chapter was on Canada. Want to hear something really, really horrifying?

So British Columbia has been pretty slack on acknowledging that First Peoples have any land rights at all. They finally got around to it a while ago, like maybe 15 years or so, and established the BCTC - BC Treaty Commission, which is a tiny bit like the Waitangi Tribunal in, like, a few ways. Not very many. But you want to hear the best difference, and by best, I mean worst? So the BCTC is funded 8% by the federal gvt of Canada, 12% by BC itself, and 80% by... a loan to the First Peoples of BC. In fact these various tribes etc now owe CDN$177 MILLION, over about 50 claims, and NONE of the claims have been resolved - only one of them is CLOSE to being finished. The BCTC is only authorised to give out CDN$7 million per claim. Do you see what's happening here? Hi, guys... we took your land and left you impoverished and for a couple of hundred years we refused to acknowledge that you might deserve or need any kind of compensation at all, and now, hey, you can have it! But any money that we give you you're going to have to give right back to pay off the costs of us admitting that we did something wrong! Neat, huh?

-- this is all current to when my book was written, about 2003-4, I think. But even if they've fixed it since then - and I note via Wiki that it's now the British Columbia Treaty Process, but other than that nothing particularly encouraging - how does that kind of thing even happen?

Also, because I feel like it, a meme via deutscheami (of whose hints I didn't get a single answer, but never mind.)
1. Put your iPod on shuffle
2. DO NOT write down the lyrics of the first 15-20 songs to come up.
3. Describe what the song is about. Be creative.
4. Cross out the songs when your friends guess them in the comments.

1. Ambiguous quasi-religious references and resignation.
2. LOLOL omg um, polyphony, sex, automobiles, and hair gel.
3. It's an anthem to slash fandom and textual poaching. Or, alternatively, Russia post-Soviet Union.
4. I'll totally be faithful to you when I'm away at college/drafted/somewhere else for ages and ages! So we should screw now.
5. Never tell children about astronomical events because they're already difficult enough to get to sleep at night.
6. I've fallen in love unexpectedly, which you'd think would be a good thing but I've inexplicably sung this song in a minor key, just like the rest of this damn depressing album that I wrote to get over my father's death! (Note: This comment may not be quite in the spirit of the meme.)
7. When I was a little girl I really wanted to be one of the Twelve Dancing Princesses!11!eleventy!
8. Your luuurve makes me feel like we can fly in an antisocial manner!
9. My title is totally inexplicable, but I'm basically about the "singer" charater in Sk8r Boi, grown-up and at college.
10. I'm a depressing B-side about someone with no self-esteem!
11. The life lived in an historical region in Europe - sort of.
12. I'm the same artist as 6. and 11. but I'm in a good mood for a change - I still have no self-esteem but I feel good about the rest of the world, so let's give romance a go, shall we? Also, I have an awesome music video.
13. You're just enchanting. Are you sure you're not a witch?
14. I have the courage to accept myself and my sexuality completely, which means I also have the courage to leave you for someone who does the same. (Note: I fucking love this song and it kills me I can't find a less lame way to describe it!)
15. Aren't you just the cutest little vulpine on the block? And you know it. Jimi Hendrix - Foxy Lady, guessed by eavanmoore
16. Let's exchange backrubs. I mean the sexy kind.
17. Life is deterministic! Be proud of it!
18. I'm in an abusive relationship but I'm going to sing like it's awesome.
19. I'm three cryptic slices of life about entropy in relationships. (Note: I really have no idea what this song is about!)
20. I'm about god. Or possibly space exploration? Human nature? The natural impulse to worship? I'm so conflicted!

Songs skipped: three that are new on my ipod and I can't describe them (One off the new Mika album that I haven't listened to much - One Foot Boy; I like several other songs on the album a lot, though, two off the new Seven Worlds Collide), one other song by 6, 11, and 12 that I skipped because it was getting ridiculous even though I love this person.

I have my interview for the publishing course at Whitireia tomorrow morning. Advice and well-wishes gratefully appreciated!

Comments

[amarynth.livejournal.com]

Funny, I heard a paper by an American phD candidate last week that compared Canada's approach to New Zealand's on indigenous rights issues and argued that Canada came out way ahead. He pointed out that in Canada the obligation to protect the rights of indigenous peoples was enshrined at a constitutional level, whereas in New Zealand it is 'merely' (his words) a political obligation.

[labellementeuse.livejournal.com]

Without knowing very much at all about Canada's approach, and not being as familiar as I should be with our own, I nevertheless would be happy to say that we both have good and bad points and I would estimate that the two nations would come out equal-ish. It also seems like BC has been extremely reluctant to make any concessions but that's only one state. However, I think it's an astonishing example but I wasn't attempting to draw any kind of conclusion about Canada's policies as a whole.

I'm not sure I'd disagree with the candidate that it's better to enshrine our obligations constitutionally, but actually we don't have human righ

[labellementeuse.livejournal.com]

fuck, sorry.

... human rights aren't enshrined constitutionally either, because we don't have one. In essence, "deeds, not tenuous legal positions" would be my position.

[amarynth.livejournal.com]

Well, it could be argued that insofar as we have an unwritten constitution indigenous rights are enshrined in it, because the Treaty of Waitangi is probably unanimously regarded as part of that constitution... but it wouldn't have been forty years ago and might not in forty years time, so even if one believes that an unwritten constitution has equal force to a written one (something that I'm pretty sure our Canadian friends would scoff politely at) that's problematic.

I agree that there are probably good and bad points when comparing the Canadian and New Zealand situations, and possibly similar good and bad points when comparing either to the USA or Australia. (Well, maybe not Australia) I was talking to a Canadian friend on Saturday and he said that, while he felt that the New Zealand probably had a better indigenous rights policy than any other comparable nation, that focusing on that would likely just lead to complacency - it's not exactly a highly competitive field.

Still, it's good to see there's a willingness among people involved in indigenous rights theory to look overseas for information and not convince themselves that the New Zealand situation is somehow unique.

[labellementeuse.livejournal.com]

I was talking to a Canadian friend on Saturday and he said that, while he felt that the New Zealand probably had a better indigenous rights policy than any other comparable nation, that focusing on that would likely just lead to complacency - it's not exactly a highly competitive field.

I couldn't agree more.

[amarynth.livejournal.com]

I guess we can proceed on this assumption, then!

(And actually I believe in Canada they're Provinces, not States... a bit of a quibble, but it wouldn't do to offend our Canadian friends, would it?)

[dazyndara.livejournal.com]

Ok, so this is a joint answer from me and Amanda...enjoy ;p
1: Javert's suicide/soliloquy (tho that's possibly a little overtly religious)
2: Grease (is the word)
3: TaTu- All the things she said
4: Green Day - When September Ends
5: Monty Python - Galaxy Song
6: High School Musical - Start of Something New
7: Linkin Park - In the end
8: Michael Jordan's version of "I believe I can fly"...or...Nelly Furtado "I'm like a bird"
9: Beatles - Ob la do ob la dah...or...the Hoedown Throwdown.
10: The entire Twilight and New Moon soundtracks.
11: Nena - 99 Luftballoons
12: Goodshirt - Sophie (yeah, ok, but it has an awesome music video. And why do you say that Nena and HSM are the same artist???)
13: Wicked - March of the Witch Hunters
14: Katy Perry - I kissed a girl
15: Sisqo - The Thong Song
16: Justin Timberlake - Sexy Back
17: Tom Lehrer - Existential Blues
18: Letters to Cleo - Cruel to be Kind (or anything from the Twilight/New Moon soundtracks)
19: Hairspray - Mama I'm a Big Girl Now
20: Sam Sparro - Black and Gold


Yeah, y'know, we could comment intelligently on the Treaty and such...or we could not, and just post nonsensical answers. Guess which we decided? :p


And Graham helped too.

[labellementeuse.livejournal.com]

LOLOL so far, and yet... so far! ilu guise but sadly, all wrong!

1. No, and kind of far off.
2. No but SO SO SO CLOSE and you guys are the only ones that will get this one, so hint: think BROADLY.
3. No, and wtf?
4. Heh. No.
5. Sadly no.
6. I actually don't have any HSM songs on my ipod or, indeed, my computer.
7. Or any Linkin Park either (seriously, who listens to Linkin Park anymore?)
8. No, but you guys would never get that one anyway.
9. What?
10. AHAHAHAHAHA but no. But since no-one will get this one WHO CARES, awesome guess! And this song would totally have been a GREAT themesong for Bella.
11. No! But you guys can guess this one!
12. Nope, but by the way I mistyped and it should have been 6. and 10. as being by the same artist. You have got the country of origin right for this one though!
13. Nah.
14. Um. NO. 1. I HATE that song. 2. NOTHING about it has ANYTHING positive to say about sexuality, especially bisexuality. 3. That you guys think that I might think that song is awesome makes me want to throw up in my mouth a little.
15. Heeeeeee. No.
16. Haha, no, but you have identified a really bad/unintentionally misleading description!
17. I don't know that Tom Lehrer song but now I want to!
18. No, but it has a similar *message* to that song (totally different musical style, tho.)
19. Nope!
20. Never heard of them!

<333 except for 14.

[dazyndara.livejournal.com]

Re: no. 14...
Surely you know us and our lack of seriousness by now. Also, we do know you. And thus may have taken some liberties with what we actually thought you might conceivably have on your iPod/computer. And by that, we mean made up compelete opposites. Just maybe :p

Also, shortly Liz's journal will post her version of this meme, tho sadly with lack of the 25 Harry Potter audio book clips that have shown up as we've gone through all these. Wheeee.

[chattycheese.livejournal.com]

2) Something from Hairspray or Jersey Boys?
4) Opshop: One Day
6) Bic Runga: No Crying No More (Ugh that album. So depressing.)
7) Please dear god let this not be from the Barbie movie.
8) Sinatra: Come Fly With Me
10) Bic Runga: Take it Out Sometimes (?)
11) The Decemberists: Legionnaire's Lament
12) Bic Runga: Sway
15) Fergie: Glamorous
16) Marvin Gaye: Let's Get it On
18) Red Jumpsuit Apparatus: Uninvited
19) Kanye West: Golddigger
20) Fat Freddy's: Hope


Why yes, world, I'd much rather do this than my research presentation. Schoolwork? Pah.

[chattycheese.livejournal.com]

PS I love the blame canada tag. Beauty :)

[eavanmoore.livejournal.com]

15: Foxy Lady, Jimi Hendrix

Also 18 *could* be a Joan Armatrading song, but probably isn't.

[labellementeuse.livejournal.com]

15: YES! I thought that one was so obvious! :D

18: I've never heard of her. What's she like?

[eavanmoore.livejournal.com]

Joan Armatrading is great. British singer-songwriter, famous in 1970s/80s. Back then her "Down to Zero" was a hit single, I think -- Mom remembers hearing it on the radio:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9pFpWIJgQs&feature=related

But the song I'm thinking of is this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xc_WJFp6fRs

[cabaiste84.livejournal.com]

I'm going to say that 18 is Luca (I think that's what it's called) by Suzanne Vega. I'll have a go at some of the others a bit later!

[duskshadows.livejournal.com]

are 6. 10. and 12., all being the same artist, all Taylor Swift? because that true love song has a pretty good Pride and Prejudice video, even if it irritates me that she's singing about romeo and juliet during it XD
also, 13: Voodoo Child? Hendrix again? OR the Willow/Tara song from OMWF? :P

also, well wishes! :)