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MORNING STAR
Tony Night Eagle Angastiniotis

 

Afrika (Cyprus Newspaper)   12/17/07 

 

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     Morning Star is the name of my friend from Canada who recently visited the island. Many of you have come to know her through the coverage of the media and from the events organized during her stay in Cyprus.

     Morning Star is one of the many victims of the silent genocide perpetrated by the governments of Canada and USA. Only a few decades ago, more than 70 percent of the Native children of Canada were forcefully removed from their families and transported to religious boarding schools or to the homes of white families for a proper upbringing. The objective was to assimilate the Indians to white society by purging the "Indianess" of the Indian. By prohibiting these children from speaking their native language and by foiling any contact with their own culture the eradication of their identity thus pursued.

     Morning Star was hardly two and a half years old when one day she watched social workers enter her house to take her and her brother to a farm with 11 other children. She was forced to stay there until she reached the age of 18. She discovered her real mother after many years when she became a mother herself. In the farm Morning Star never learned her mother language and lost all contact with her culture. She was forced to go to church every Sunday. Christianity was pressed on her conscience as the only true and acceptable religion.

     Morning Star can be considered one of the lucky children since she was taken to a small farm of a relatively good family. Most children ended up in religious residential schools where the treatment of children made the Nazis look feeble: Sexual abuse, abortions, beatings, electroshocks, medical experiments and tortures that a normal human mind cannot apprehend. In these Residential Schools, closed down only in 1984, 50,000 children perished. Testimony recorded in a documentary recently produced by Kevin Annett (http://www.hiddenfromhistory.org/) reveals that in the courtyards of these schools lay buried the bones of children. Although the government of Canada was forced to acknowledge the disappearance of these children, it refuses to provide information that will lead to the unearthing of these mass graves.

     For a year now Kevin and I have been trying to screen his documentary in Europe to raise the awareness of European citizens and politicians to what constitutes one the biggest genocides of the past century. Our aim is to show Kevins documentary in Rome, the seat of the Catholic Church, in Strasburg, where the European Parliament headquarters are located, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Turkey and Cyprus. Unfortunately we have met with many difficulties in finding sponsors. Canada is economically quite powerful and all wish to keep their good bilateral relations intact But nothing is unachievable.

     For the past year I have given my heart to the fight Kevin Annett (has launched to bring justice to the victims of the Indian genocide in Canada. I was as deeply shaken by this crime as I was with *Maratha, Sandalar and Aloa (Murataga, Sandalar, Atlilar) here in Cyprus. Perhaps I became so restless and disturbed because once again the victims were children. The same old indifference is here also at play for a crime of such enormity.

For some months now I have on my web page (http://fcms.emu.edu.tr/tony/) a petition for those that want to sign so that the testimonies can be sent again to the United Nations for an inquiry to be launched. The signatures have not exceeded the100 mark. I find it difficult to comprehend how people can go on whistling indifferently before such a crime. Many seem to have forfeited their fundamental humanity in the name of their narrow national affiliation. Whatever happens outside the small confines of their national group, is of no consequence Until a disaster strikes at their door

Thank you Morning Star for the great values you have shared with us during your short stay on the island The importance of sharing cannot be measured in time units but by its sheer intensity; moments cherished, things inexplicable, unique Now we know for a fact: The cursed boarding schools of Canada never achieved to uproot the wild Indian!



*Maratha, Sandalar and Aloa (Murataga, Sandalar, Atlilar) These are 3 villages in Cyprus where 126 villagers were executed by fascist groups the writer did a documentary about it

Tony Night Eagle Angastiniotis -from his website http://fcms.emu.edu.tr/tony/  Email:

Peace activist, journalist and documentarist. Turning point to his career was in 2004 when he produced the controversial documentary Voice of Blood exposing crimes committed by his own community, Greek Cypriot, against the Turkish Cypriots in 1974. What was for some an act of acknowledgment and apology to promote reconciliation, for others was an act of treason.

His book Trapped in the Green Line has become one of the most popular books in the north side of the island for the encouragement of peace. Circulation of the book in the south side was not possible through main stream distributors and bookshops. Tony often slandered by local media without given the equal opportunity to defend himself. His documentary was never shown by any TV station in the South and he has been a recipient of many death threats by Greek nationalists. Today he is teaching Peace Journalism at Eastern Mediterranean University in Famagusta and is a writer in Afrika newspaper.

His Work today is more focused on bringing awareness about the Genocide of 50,000 native children murdered in the Residential schools of Canada. Tony demands the opening of the mass graves and a reasonable compensation to be given to all survivors of the Residential Schools.

Tony is a member of the United Cherokee Nation and was appointed Clan Chief by the Elders on the 10th of October 2007, and considers this position the greatest honor a person can receive, but also a great responsibility not to be taken lightly. His spiritual believes are rooted in the Cherokee spiritual ways known as the White Path. His native name, Night Eagle, was given to him by his spiritual mother and elder of the Cree nation, Morning Star.

      If you like what you read above, visit this Website from Cyprus to read more from Tony Night Eagle Angastiniotis. ~ Stone Woman

Other articles by Tony Night Eagle Angastiniotis- Like the Rainbow ] Trail of Tears ] [ Morning Star ]

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