Eastern Door Volume 7 Number 11

Volume 7 Number 11

April 10, 1998

UPS Delivers The Goods
By: Tom Dearhouse

The Kahnawake Youth Center was the recipient of $25,000 in sports equipment, part of a donation from United Parcel Services (UPS) Canada, which is assisting several Aboriginal communities nationwide.

"With the amount they have given us, we are set for a couple of years in regards to equipment. We will save money which we can put into other areas of the Youth Center," said Davey Diabo, Director of the Kahnawake Youth Center.

"Teams like the Paddling Club, the wrestlers, lacrosse players and others will really benefit from weight training equipment we have been given," said Diabo.

The UPS Olympic Sports Legacy program is an Olympic initiative providing new sports equipment to children through youth recreation organizations on four continents.

In each country, UPS collaborates with local organizing committee. In Canada, UPS has partnered with the Aboriginal Sport Circle (ASC), an organization supporting grassroots sports and recreation programs promoting healthy and active lifestyles for Native youth.

Alwyn Morris of Kahnawake is a director on the board of the Aboriginal Sport Circle, considered Canada's voice for Aboriginal sports.

In the Youth Center gym Friday, April 3, there was a short ceremony with Youth Center officials and UPS representatives. The new equipment was displayed with children ready to pounce on it after the speeches were given.

Twenty five thousand dollars can buy a lot of equipment. The KYC received badminton birds and rackets; both ball and ice hockey sticks and helmets with full cages; baseball bats, balls, gloves, batting gloves and bases; volleyballs; indoor lacrosse sticks; broomball sticks and balls; basketballs and footballs. They also received miscellaneous equipment like a referee stand for volleyball and other net games, a new timers clock, electric air pumps, whistles, basketball carriers, storage equipment, a megaphone and other equipment.

In fitness equipment, their weight room was improved with the addition of; a calf-raise machine, incline bench press, decline bench press, power rack, abdominal crunch board, free weights and racks, stationary bike, gym mats, and other equipment.

On top of all that, camping equipment such as tents, stoves, lanterns, and camping tables.

"We're very grateful to the UPS and the Aboriginal Sports Circle for giving us the equipment," said Diabo. Certainly our youngsters are grateful as well.

U.S. Sports Legacy Program

This program is a far-reaching philanthropic effort for the UPS company, distributing half a million pieces of equipment worldwide.

The UPS company, with a 90-year history, initially launched the program in these seven countries: Canada, United States, Taiwan, Germany, France, Australia and Mexico.

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Confederacy Sing
By: Kenneth Deer

For the first time in 13 years, Singing Societies from across the Six Nations will be coming to Kahnawake. The last time a Confederacy Sing was held here was in 1985 and they will be back this Saturday, April 11, at the Kahnawake Survival School Gym.

The Sing is a non-political event where, despite any differences in the Confederacy, people come to hear and enjoy the drums, rattles and voices of our singers. It is also a time to socialize, meet old friends and make new ones.

All three Longhouses in Kahnawake are participating in the Sing.

The Sing will begin at Noon with a traditional opening. The first singers will be those that have travelled the farthest, in this case probably the Senecas, followed by the next farthest until there is only the host singers left and they will sing last.

The Singing Societies will sing only one song and that is the Woman's Dance. Each Society must sing five new verses that they learned since the last Sing. The verses could be borrowed from another Singing Society or they could be new verses that they wrote.

The Sing is open to Native people only unless special permission is granted. It is treated like a ceremony in the Longhouse. However, people are free to take pictures and record the songs.

In the keening, there will be a Social Dance where everyone can participate. The Social will begin at 7:00 p.m. until who-knows-when. The Singing Societies will each take turns singing different songs.

Meals

Lunch will be served from 12:00 until 2:00 in the cafeteria by Kahnawake's Sweetgrass Singers and the Kahnawake Young Women's Singing Society. And supper will be served from approximately 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. Remember to let the Elders eat first.

Although there have been many donations of food, people coming to the Sing are asked to bring something for our guests in case the kitchen runs short.

Volunteers are still needed in the kitchen from 2:00 to 4:00, 4:00 to 6:00, and 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Anyone interested can call Fran Beauvais, Merit Cross, Jennifer Jacobs or Iris Stacey.

Everyone is welcome to come and enjoy the singing, the socializing and the food.

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Editorial

Say No To Pot
By: Kenneth Deer, Eastern Door

The recent raid by the Peacekeepers on two residences resulting in drug charges has boosted the morale of the community and the morale of the Peacekeepers themselves.

For many years now, community members have been asking for some action in the war against drugs. Finally the community has seen some results. Whether the accused are found guilty will be up to the courts to determine, but in the meantime, notice has been given to the other pushers and users that they are being watched and that they can't take it for granted that they are safe from arrest and prosecution.

Drug enforcement is a difficult and complicated exercise. In order to make charges stick in a court of law, evidence must be carefully gathered and an airtight case must be developed, otherwise the accused will walk free and back on the streets again. Even when they are arrested and charged, users and pushers are out on bail in no time.

In large cities, released drug users and pushers just seem to melt into the background but in a small community like Kahnawake, that is a lot harder to do. And that can be an advantage. Peer pressure works both ways. On the negative side, it can make people turn to drugs from pressure from their friends. But on the positive side, peer pressure can straighten-out a wayward individual.

Once a person is arrested for drugs in a small community, everyone knows who is involved. And when they are released, the stigma will be there. This can be an important element in the rehabilitation of the offender. The community can exercise a lot of pressure so that drug users and pushers are straightened out.

However, there are some in the community who find fault with the Peacekeeper's activities. Some believe that pot is okay. They say that it is not as bad as crack or cocaine and therefore pot smokers should be left alone.

Of course, these statements probably come from users themselves. People who try to justify their use of pot as a harmless activity that hurts no one. But marijuana is not harmless. It's abuse could affect both your immune and hormonal system.

For example it slows sperm production in males, resulting in fewer, less healthy sperm cells. It produces a short term drop in the hormones that direct sexual growth and development.

Pot upsets the balance of hormones that control the menstrual cycles in girls and women.

Marijuana smoking triggers major lung diseases such as emphysema and bronchitis. It disrupts the lung's pumping and filtering action so that less oxygen gets where it's needed. And contains up to fifty percent more tars and cancer-causing chemicals than ordinary cigarettes.

Remember the classic movies featuring pot smoking Cheech and Chong? Well, pot can cause poor concentration, disrupting the processes in the brain that facilitate learning and memorization. Heavy use of pot reduces the brain cell responses from other cells, and after time, people suffer from memory loss, as well as slow movement and speech.

Pot is harmless? It's not. And many pot users graduate to crack and cocaine to get a bigger high.

The crackdown on drug pushers and users in Kahnawake is just not the responsibility of the Peacekeepers. It is everybody's responsibility: children, teenagers, parents and grand parents. It can be done.

Community pressure can go a long way in reducing the drug problem in Kahnawake. All we have to do is do it.

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