Entewatatha:wi begins governance code survey

Entewatatha:wi – We Will Govern has begun canvassing the community as part of their governance code survey this past Monday. As part of this process, surveyors will be going door-to-door to see if community members will participate in the survey. Another alternative is to participate in their online survey that can be accessed at the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne webpage at http://www.akwesasne.ca.

The MCA Nation Building Program has contracted with Crane Aboriginal Management Services (CAMS) to assist in the development and implementation of this community survey instrument. The survey focuses on aspects pertaining to governance and justice matters. The results of this survey will represent the community’s input and direction into the development of a Governance Code.

The completion of this survey is the first step towards the development of an MCA Governance Code, an essential element to the Final Self-Governance Agreement currently being negotiated with Canada. The overall goals of the Nation Building Program in developing the Self-Governance Agreement would mean that Akwesasne has jurisdiction over their own lands and be able to govern itself independently of the Federal Government.

To date, the Nation Building Program has been offering to meet with families in order to answer any questions they might have regarding this process that has been many years in the making. They have also developed two videos to help convey the process, the first titled Indian Act & You. The second film produced by the Nation Building Program was recently released and is titled Entewatatha:wi & You. For a copy of either of these films, contact members of the Nation Building Program, or you can access them online at the MCA website listed above.

The survey that is currently being implemented within the community takes approximately 30-50 minutes to complete. Once you have successfully completed the survey you will then be automatically entered into a raffle for either an Apple iPad, one of five (5) fifty dollar gift certificates, or one of ten (10) radio bingo packages. The drawing for these items will take place in July 2011.

The Nation Building Program has been actively trying to connect with the community of Akwesasne through different forums. This past spring a multi-day workshop was held at the Office for the Aging center focusing around the topic, Envisioning Our Future By Examining Our Past. This workshop targeted an older audience while other members of staff organized youth related workshops to obtain the opinions of the youth within the territory. Through this outreach to the youth by hosting conferences during school breaks, another initiative of beginning a Youth Council here in Akwesasne has begun.

It is an exciting time in Akwesasne as headway is made towards self-governance. As esteemed teacher and leader Ernest Benedict has been quoted, “In order to govern themselves well, they must know their own history, laws, court cases and decisions. If you cannot govern yourselves to your own satisfaction, there are always those who are willing to govern to their satisfaction.”

To contact the Nation Building Program regarding these initiatives call MCA at 613-575-2250 and ask to speak with the Coordinator Wendy Adams. If your questions pertain to the survey tool the contact at Crane Aboriginal Management Services is Melanie Jacobs and she can be reached at 705-875-7705.