Native Concerns/Aboriginal Neighbours

Title: Native Concerns/Aboriginal Neighbours Program fonds

Dates of creation: 1976-2006
Note: Further accruals are expected

Physical description: 68 cm of textual records

Administrative history:
Program formation
By 1964, Mennonite Central Committee Canada was engaging in projects in Indigenous communities in Canada. In 1974, MCC Canada made working with Indigenous peoples and issues a program priority. Menno Wiebe was appointed as the first full time Director of Native Concerns.

As early as 1976, MCC Ontario identified "native concerns" as a priority program area. Before 1983, the Community Services Committee provided direction to these efforts. In 1982 and 1983, a newly formed Native Concerns Committee held consultations to determine how to broaden the program. MCC Ontario Native Concerns directed programs east of Thunder Bay; programs to the west were administered by MCC Manitoba.

Staffing
In 1980, MCC Ontario began a joint program with the Mennonite Mission Board of Ontario and the Inter-Mennonite Mission and Service Board. Ron Lofthouse served as coordinator of this early program, placing voluntary service (VS) workers in Indigenous communities. In 1981, Harold Sherk, a pastor at Hunta Mennonite Church, was hired as one-quarter time service coordinator for northern Ontario. In 1984, Harold Sherk and Ron Lofthouse both resigned. Neil Reimer took over from Lofthouse as VS coordinator.  In 1986, the Committee hired a half-time staff person, Evan Heise. In 1991, Heise was replaced by Lisa Schirch-Elias, the first full-time Native Concerns staff person. Subsequently, Rick Cober Bauman held the post from 1992-2001, followed by Marly Penner.

Native Concerns in southern Ontario
In 1979, MCC Ontario sent Howard and Elva Fretz as summer VSers to initiate a market garden, greenhouse, and beef farming ("cow-calf") project in cooperation with the Band Economic Development Committee at Cape Croker.  Ken and Gwen Schlicting arrived to help facilitate the management of the Community Farm Project. A committee of local farmers provided assistance. While direct MCC Ontario involvement with the project ended in the mid 1980s, the relationship continued into the coming decades. Cape Croker hosted MCC Ontario constituency awareness events, and Native Concerns supported the efforts of the local Indigenous population to pursue land claims and fishing rights. 

In 1983, the new Native Concerns Committee reported that their general areas of involvement were to be "community development projects, advocacy on significant issues, dialogue with native groups and promoting awareness within the constituency.” In addition to working with reserves, Native Concerns supported urban Indigenous community development projects in Kitchener-Waterloo, Toronto, Cochrane, Kirkland Lake and Hamilton.

Advocacy and education grew to become dominant features of the Native Concerns program. Native Concerns organized constituency visits to Indigenous communities and arranged for Indigenous speakers in churches. Advocacy efforts included placing land claims researchers with Indigenous communities. Native Concerns responded to the death of protestor Dudley George at Ipperwash in 1995 by placing observer teams at the conflict site and advocating for just solutions to the conflict. Native Concerns was the Ontario Support Group Representative for Project North (later known as the Aboriginal Rights Coalition), a national justice and advocacy group of Canadian churches. Native Concerns was subsequently involved with the ARC's regional affiliate group, KW Aboriginal Rights Circle.

MCC Ontario North
MCC Ontario's involvement in northern Ontario began after Mennonite Disaster Service volunteers spent the summer of 1976 assisting Kashechewan flood victims. As a result, Annie Weier of MCC Ontario travelled to Timmins in 1977 to attend a conference on issues facing Indigenous peoples in the north. By 1979, summer gardening projects (a program of MCC Canada) were underway in northern Ontario. These projects placed volunteers in isolated northern communities, such as Attawapitskat and Moosonee/Moose Factory, to encourage the reestablishment of vegetable gardening.

In 1983, VS workers Laurence and Margaret Peters began assignments in Attawapiskat in curriculum development and nursing. In 1985, their positions were filled by local personnel, and MCC Ontario ended direct involvement in the community about this time. In the 1980s, summer gardening projects continued in Peawanuk, Winisk, and Wahgoshig. One northern urban VS posting was a position at the Kirkland Lake Friendship Centre, beginning in 1987. MCC Ontario began organizing learning trips to Indigenous communities in the north for the Mennonite constituency in the late 1980s.

MCC Ontario's program in northern Ontario was enhanced when Job and Lyndsay Mollins Koene began a Native Concerns assignment in Timmins. Their work was to be primarily with Indigenous organizations in Timmins, but also with reserves in the area and communities on the James Bay coast. In addition, they were charged with encouraging connections between Indigenous communities and MCC Ontario constituents. Over time, they developed a distinctive "Northern Neighbours" MCC Ontario program.

Native Concerns to Aboriginal Neighbours
In 1997, the program name changed from Native Concerns to Aboriginal Neighbours. The Native Concerns Committee was replaced with two reference groups, in northern and southern Ontario.

Custodial history: Files were transferred from the offices of Mennonite Central Committee Ontario in Kitchener to the Archives in 2014.

Scope and content: Contains the minutes, correspondence and program files of MCC Ontario Native Concerns/Aboriginal Neighbours.

Notes: See the MCC Ontario annual report books for Native Concerns/Aboriginal Neighbours annual reports.
Newsletters of this program are located in the Milton Good Library.
Administrative history research contributed 2018 by Joseph Iyengar.
Original archival description created 2018 by Laureen Harder-Gissing.

File list:

Series 1: Minutes, reports and correspondence

1. Consultation on Native Ministry. 1982; Native Concerns consultation, 1983
2. MCC Ontario Native Concerns Committee minutes, 1983-Jun 1997
3. MCC Ontario Neighbours in a Circle Reference Group, 1997-1998, 2000
4. MCC Canada Native Concerns Advisory Committee, 1989-1992, 1995-1997
5. MCC Canada Aboriginal Neighbours national gathering, 1998-2001; Aboriginal Neighbours Network, 2002-2003, 2006
6. MCC Ontario/MCC Canada Native Concerns/Aboriginal Neighbours history, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1990, [2004?]
7. MCC Ontario Native Concerns/Aboriginal Neighbours program priorities and plans, 1982-1983, 1988, 1991, 1997-2006
8. MCC Ontario Native Concerns staff reports, 1980-1998
9. MCC Ontario/MCC Canada Native Concerns/Aboriginal Neighbours miscellaneous reports and presentations, 1977-1997
10. Presentations by Lisa Schirch-Elias, 1991-1992
11. General correspondence, 1980-1998, 2000-2003
12. MCC Ontario Native Concerns advocacy to government, minutes and correspondence, 1981-1983
13. MCC Ontario Native Concerns relationship to Mennonite Church Eastern Canada and Mennonite Church Canada Native Ministries, minutes and correspondence, 1990-1993, 1997, 2000
14. MCC Ontario Native Concerns/Aboriginal Neighbours newsletters
    Note: File consists of some article submissions, a portion of a newsletter [1995?], and the May 2003 issue of All Our Neighbours containing original photographs. For published issues of Native Issues (1991-1996), All Our Neighbours (1997-2005) and Aboriginal Neighbours (2007) see the Milton Good Library catalogue.

Series 2: MCC Ontario North

1. Staff reports, 1993-1998, 2004
2. Various minutes (Northern Advisory Group, MCCO North Reference Group, MCC Aboriginal Neighbours Table), [199-], 1996-1999, 2004
3. General correspondence, 1992-2000, 2004
4. "When the Geese fly" Rockway Mennonite Collegiate exchange, 1998-1999
5. "In All That We Share" visits to Mattagami First Nation, 1996, 1998-1999, 2002

Series 3: Program files

1. Project North, 1976, 1978, 1986, 1988
2. Cape Croker
   1. Cow-calf program, greenhouse and farm projects at Cape Croker, 1979-1981, 1984
   2. Cape Croker general correspondence and trip reports, 1979-1981, 1983-1986, 1988, 1996, 1999, 2001-2002
   3. "Meet your native neighbours" event, 1994-1996
   4. Saugeen Ojibwe land claims (Chippewas of Nawash First Nation, Chippewas of Saugeen First Nation), 1996-1999
   5. Witness for Non-Violence training at Cape Croker, 1997
   6. Ojibwe fishing rights, 1992-1994, 1996, 2004-2005
   7. Ecumenical Fish Network (Ecufish), 1993, 1995-1996
3. Native Gardening Program
   1. General correspondence, 1980-1989
   2. Reports and correspondence, 1991-1993, 1997-1999, 2000
   3. Gardening scrapbook, Indigenous Foods of the Americas and Mennonite Central Committee, 1998
   4. From These Roots gardening program newsletter, Jun 2000-Aug 2000
   5. Aboriginal Neighbours summer exchange program, 1998, 2001
   Note: A portion of this file consisting of correspondence about volunteers has been designated restricted by the Archives.
4. Voluntary Service teachers in native communities, 1980
5. Reports and position papers on northern development (wild rice, oil and gas pipelines, Churchill-Nelson River diversion project), 1977, 1980-1983
6. Hamilton Indian Centre, 1982-1986
7. Mistassini Lake Reserve trip reports, 1983-1984
8. Indian Act amendment, 1985
9. MCC in Attawapiskat, 1983-1984, 1986
   Note: Includes 38 photographs
10. Cochrane Ministerial and Threshold Coffee House, 1982-1985
11. MCC Canada Community Development in Native Communities workshop, 1987
12. Geewaedin Friendship Centre, Kirkland Lake, 1987-1990
13. Correspondence re events at Oka, Quebec, 1990
14. Reports and correspondence re MCC Canada's response to confrontation, 1990-1991
15. Correspondence with Christian Peacemaker Teams, 1989, 1997-2000
16. Correspondence re Aboriginal justice and restorative justice issues, 1992-1993, 1997
17. KW Aboriginal Rights Circle, 1990-2005
    Note: Includes minutes the "1992 Ad Hoc Planning Committee," formed to respond to the 500th anniversary of the arrival of Columbus. Also includes a pamphlet "Tour of Kitchener, Ont. featuring sites of aboriginal historical interest," 1992; map by T.A. Edge; text by Reginald Good, 1992  1 folded page. Former name of the parent organization is "Aboriginal Rights Coalition (Project North)." Former name of the local organization is "Aboriginal Rights Coalition (Waterloo Region)."
18. "A Long Walk for Home" Stoney Point to Ottawa Walk, 1993-1994
19. Canadian Alliance in Solidarity with the Native Peoples, 1986-1987, 1992-1997
20. High School trips, 1986, 1989-1993
    Note: Predominant in the file is the Rockway Mennonite Collegiate trip to Davis Inlet, Labrador, 1993. File includes 16 photographs of the Rockway trip.
21. Occupation of Revenue Canada offices, 1994-1995
22. Reform Party of Canada Aboriginal Affairs Task Force, correspondence, 1995
23. Sacred Assembly, Hull, Quebec, 1995
24. Mnaddendmowin Assembly of Respect, Cape Croker, 1996-1997
25. Housing and Habitat for Humanity, 1990-1991, 1995
26. Haudenosaunee (Six Nations of the Grand River)
    1. Grand Valley Animator, 1998
    2. Jake Thomas Learning Centre, 2004-2005
    3. Newspaper articles, correspondence and statements re events at Caledonia, 2006
    4. Six Nations, miscellaneous
27. Dudley George shooting and Ipperwash inquiry
    1. Mennonite peace witness at Ipperwash, 1995-1996
    2. Dudley George shooting, 1999
    Note: The shooting occurred in 1995
    3. Ipperwash inquiry, 2003-2005
    4. MCC Ontario Ipperwash consultation, 2004-2005
28. Citizens for Public Justice "Aboriginal rights for Christians" project consultation, 1997
29. Adoption of Aboriginal children, 1991-1998
30. "One Journey, Many Paths: First Peoples and Us" study materials, 1997
31. Native studies university course proposal, 1997-1999
32. Ontario Provincial Police correspondence, 1997-1998
33. Bear hunting, 1998
34. Terry Widrick tour of Ontario, 1998-1999
35. Caldwell First Nation correspondence, 2001
36. Correspondence re events at Burnt Church, New Brunswick, 1999-2002
37. KW Urban Native Wigwam project, 2002, 2004
38. Emmanuel Bible College expedition program, 2005