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EESTI ELU reedel, 10. detsembril 2021 — Friday, December 10, 2021
Nr. 49
A recap of Dr. Laara Fitznor’s VEMU lecture on Indigenous stories Vincent Teetsov English-language supplement to the Estonian weekly “EESTI ELU” Tartu College Publications Founding Chairman: Elmar Tampõld Editor: Laas Leivat 3 Madison Avenue, Toronto, ON M5R 2S2 T: 416-733-4550 • F: 416-733-0944 • E-mail: editor@eestielu.ca Digital: www.eestielu.ca
Where is Europe’s far right as Russia rattles its sabers? As of this writing, Russia is predicted to amass at least 175,000 troops alongside its border with Ukraine. Obser vers haven’t yet concluded whether this is just the Kremlin’s usual intimidation tactic, harassment, threat, bullying, a testing of the West’s reaction, posturing, or a serious military deployment to invade and annex part of Eastern Ukraine. Russia’s military actions a few short years ago against Georgia and Crimea make the current confrontation more than just worrisome. And yet the most recent meeting of leaders of Europe’s far right parties, the “Warsaw Summit” failed to make any public statement regarding Russia’s increasingly menacing presence targeting Ukraine. (Note: The far-left is equally as duplicitous as the far-right in emboldening Moscow’s aggressiveness towards the West. This is a topic for a future issue.) Amongst others, attending the “Warsaw Summit” was Mateusz Morawiecki of Poland, who has on numerous occasions opposed any sanctions penalizing Russia for annexing Crimea; and France’s Marine Le Pen, who is known for her financial dealings with Russian entities. One may recall Nigel Farage, a prominent British politician, not one identified as part of the fringe right, but the most vo ciferous voice against the EU in the UK and totally committed to Brexit, who was among the most enthusiastic applauders of Russia’s takeover of Crimea. Farage was not at the “Sum mit”, but is a good example of how anti-EU proponents also admire the recklessness of the Kremlin. Participating at the “Sum mit”, as on other occasions in the past, were prominent members of EKRE, who posted on the news website, Uued Uudised, pictures of the occasion and a brief report. But no information about the “Sum mit’s” position, if any, on the most critical international confrontation for Europe in many decades. EKRE has not been accused of being pro-Kremlin, but an old saying goes something like
this: “Show me who your friends are and I’ll show you who you are.” It’s bewildering to witness EKRE’s close relations with groups who do not deny their affinity with Moscow. The far-right movement in Europe is certainly not homogenous. A diverse range of political traits, from anti-immigration, ultra-nationalism to antisemitism characterize the parties. This fringe also praised the insurrectionists as heroes who stormed the U.S. congress last January 6. They are not mirror images of one another, but they seem to have one commonality – a rabid anti-European Union stance. An observation made by an EKRE spokesman years ago – “The Soviet occupation has been replaced by the EU occupation” – fits their collective persona appropriately. In fact this political attribute offers Putin an attractive, exploitable advantage. It’s an attractive opening for Moscow in addition to the far-right’s pro-Russian rhetoric and signs of corruption. (The far-right political landscape in Ukraine itself contains two diametrically different orientations: those groups that are pro-Russia and those aligned with the West.) The Kremlin’s goals in Europe are universally understood. It intends to keep the continent, including the West in general, divided and weak, so as to blunt any Western effort to threaten Russian security or oppose its interests. Moscow is particularly obsessed with its ability and its right to maintain hegemony over post-Soviet countries – those 15, now independent republics, formerly occupied by communist Russia. For Russia, the European far-right in this endeavor is a superb “ally” and this love- affair with euroskeptics makes sense. By befriending and empowering the anti-European Union populism, Russia has the obvious additional benefit of eroding European institutions, long perceived by Moscow to be insidious enemies. The far-right, for the most part, see Putin as a primeval folk-hero patriot who chooses national heritage with its tradi-
VEMU and the Estonian Studies Centre’s programming for autumn 2021 was dedicated to Indigenous p eoples in North America and FinnoUgric peoples. Thus, on November 24th, a virtual lecture was given by Dr. Laara Fitznor (available on VEMU’s YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/watch?v=DI3GCCr1_r4&ab_channel=VEMU), a now-retired Senior Scholar of the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba. As was introduced to viewers in the beginning of the lecture, Dr. Fitznor is a member of the Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation in Manitoba. Founded on her life experiences and her career as a scholar, she has stood up against the oppression of Indigenous peoples. She has endeavoured to educate Canadians of all walks of life about all aspects of Indigenous culture, history, and how Indigenous peoples have shaped and continue to shape the nation. The topic of Dr. Fitznor’s lecture was “Indigenous voices speaking back to colonial impacts through the power of story.” And with ongoing news about the victims of the residential school system and the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, it was important to hear her own perspective on colonialism in Canada. Dr. Fitznor’s grand father Nimosoom had prophesied that Laara would be an educator to many, and this she has done, spreading understanding to the Estonian community in Canada. Dr. Fitznor spoke very personally, with a stone held in her hand, “to guide me and keep me grounded, as one of our cultural relatives, as I speak.” She brought us back to her early years as she explained the names given to her: Missisak (Horsefly) is a Cree name given to her by her grandfather as a child. It became significant later on because, as she puts it, she was bugging the institution and whoever would listen about there needing to be more of an
tions. They admire his non-diplomatic tactics and his dislike for nonconfrontational internationalism and a liberal openness – the traits of Western demo cracies. The far-right favours a heavy-handed approach that Putin aptly embodies. While the ultra-right of the political spectrum have contempt for the rights of others and idolize autocratic leadership, upholders of human rights are obliged to protect the freedoms of the very same fringe groups who would not hesitate to trample on democratic prin ciples. A sad paradox. LAAS LEIVAT
Indigenous presence, knowled ge, and perspectives. Her spirit name is Wapiskew Meskanak Eskwew (White Turtle Woman), which was given to her by elder friends of hers when she felt ready to receive a spirit name. She went on to describe the ritual and meaning behind receiving this name. With the meaning of words in mind, viewers were given insight into new terms that help to understand Indigenous perspectives. For example, Anishinaabe literary scholar Gerald Vizenor’s coined word “survivance”; for which an Estonian language translation, “vastupanu”, was suggested by an audience member. Fitznor says that the meaning goes “beyond surviving, but is thriving with our Indigenous imprints, our blood memory of what’s embodied in our bodies and what we remember that’s given to us by our ancestral knowledge, that we carry forward... it’s always embodied in the way we can best make sense of the world today.”
Dr. Laara Fitznor. Photo: David Lipnowski
She told stories of her family to show why this active resistance is upheld. Within the time frame of the lecture, Dr. Fitznor spoke about the Indian Act, enacted in 1876, and its destructive statutes regarding status, including those that made it illegal for her grandmother to return to her First Nations community, and which punished her grandmother for marrying a non-Indigenous man of German background. She also recounted the story of how when veterans came back to Canada after the Second World War, Indigenous veterans like her father were not given the same assistance to transition back into civilian life. At the same time, Dr. Fitznor painted a picture of her family’s traditions, ties to the past, and (Continued on page 9)
Good things come in twos
Good evening Eesti Elu, My name is Melissa Sambla and I’m a resident of Richmond Hill. My boys are Madis Joseph and Jude Ilmar Sambla, who are members of the Estonian Community in Toronto. Today I experienced such a heartwarming ex perience with my kids and I thought I should send it to the local papers to share it with others. COVID has been such a stressful time for everyone. There has been so much conflict and stress over the past year that I think a local feel-good story is just what people need. It was a chilly winter’s day in Richmond Hill. Snow was falling outside and the air nipped at noses. A normal 5-yearold would jump at the chance to try and make snowballs at the first sign of snow, but twin brothers Madis and Jude Sambla had other plans. Jude asked his mother, “mommy, we haven’t been outside in a while. Why don’t we get dressed, go outside and clean up the field behind our house? I saw a lot of garbage there and it’s our job to care for the earth and our neighbourhood.” Delighted at the idea, the brothers strapped on their snow pants and, accompanied by their mom, picked up as many pieces of trash as they could find. Popular items found were coffee cups, chip bags and face masks. Three bags of garbage, and three runny noses later, the Samblas trekked back home for a warm up. “Mommy,” Madis said, “We did a good job!” Yes you did boys! Yes you did!
