1. Nationhood: We signed treaties as independant Nations, allowing use of specific sections of land, and keeping the rez to ourselves. Compensation (think of it like rent) are those treaty rights...such as education etc that so many canadians complain about. Under international law a treaty is an agreement signed between 2 Nations without negating the independance of either Nation. Canada has broken the treaties on many levels (land treaty rights and nationhood) which by all rights should give us the option of terminating the treaties and reposesing the lands. Since the treaties don't actually give up ownership, but rather define shared lands the resources should be ours. The Mohawk treaties even clearly state that they will be 2 Nations walking side by side without interfering with each other. Canada won't even recognize our Nationhood, let alone the legal definitions and spirit of a treaty. Land theft, self determination and idependant legal structure, hunting, fishing etc...it all stems from this issue 2. Culture: We are many cultures. Each Native Nation has it's own although we share similarities. Canadas programms of assimilation such as the residential schools (which canadians are just learning of) the 60's scoop 1960 - 1980 (where Native children were forcibly and sometimes illegally removed from thier homes to be raised in white homes) and other local policies where boys were farmed out as free child labour on farms (I think this is usually called slavery) during the 1900 - 1950. These have had a strong impact on us and will continue to be an issue until canada admits to it, apologizes and educates their children about these wrongs. Racism also continues to be a big issue. The fact that our holy people are not recognized by the government as religious leaders, which means Native weddings (like mine) unrecognized by the government. It's all of this and more. Some of it can only be coreccted at the political level, other aspects can be corrected by the individual. It is impossible to answer all of it here, but I hope this helps
