Here in Canada, November 11 is the day we remember soldiers who died fighting in the wars in which Canada has fought. Increasingly over the years, Aboriginal veterans are getting their due. Back in the twentieth century, Indians who went to war for Canada lost their rights when they returned. This meant that they were no longer considered Indians, could no longer live in their communities or receive treaty and other benefits. This was called “enfranchisment” and was a sore point in Canada-First Nations relations for decades. Despite that, Aboriginal veterans are proud of their service and the sacrifice that …
On the Open Space list, we’ve been discussing the merits of planning vs. muddling through. My two cents: I actually think that muddling through is not a correction to the conventional wisdom that stretegy and planning is the way to go. Muddling through has always been the way. The evidence is actually overwhelming. Show me something in the world, a finished process, project, thing or event, that was not the result of muddling through. Strategy is figuring out which way to muddle. Good strategists are great muddlers. They seem to muddle in the direction of the resources or of the …
Satsan Back in 1999 when I began my consulting practice, one of the first contracts I landed was with the British Columbia Vice-Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, Satsan (Herb George). He was assembling a team to undertake a national process to educate and activate communities with respect to the exercise of Aboriginal title. One of the results of that work isan astounding collection of legal research papers hosted at the Delgamuukw/Gisday’wa National Process website. You will also find there a plain language guide on Aboriginal title which I wrote. Satsan took the view that Aboriginal title was there …
In one of the more poignant observations on last week’s American election, I read a recent letter to the Globe and Mail which pointed out that if the election were about values then the decision means that it’s okay for one man to kill another man, but not to hold his hand.