Novel take on Indigenous Studies with Sons of Tecumseh

By Kelly Anne Smith

NORTH BAY—Maurice Switzer intended to educate people through his new novel, Sons of Tecumseh, which was released September 12.

“The best teachers in our classrooms know that you have to [be] a bit of an entertainer. You can’t be dry and boring. They understand that learning has to be, to a certain extent, entertaining.”

Switzer is a clever communicator, having been a publisher of the Winnipeg Free Press, Communications Director for the Assembly of First Nations and Anishinabek Nation, respectively, on the Ontario Human Rights Commission, and as adjunct professor of Indigenous Studies and Communications at Laurentian University.

While created to be a recreational read, Switzer sees Sons of Tecumseh as a text book.

“I’m always very conscience that Indigenous peoples are subject to a lot of racism and discrimination and criticism. We have people who are denying our rights, Treaty rights, and denying Residential Schools happened. One way I can hopefully address that is to write a lengthy foreword that says exactly where I stand, regardless of the fiction that follows.”

The first North American Indigenous leader to try to unify tribes to stave off colonial settlement was Tecumseh. He died betrayed by allies, both non-Indigenous and Indigenous. Switzer chose Tecumseh as a strong force in Sons of Tecumseh.

“The biggest challenge from Tecumseh’s time right until today is trying to create unity. Unity is the big word among the tribes or the nations, as they call themselves. If you ask most Indigenous peoples, the phrases that are embedded in their minds is divide and conquer. They understand that the governments, whether federal or provincial, have always found ways to try to keep us with separate voices because they know, even though we’re only five per cent of Canada’s population, that we’re a mighty force. When we speak as one, we’re listened to. Whether it’s on the environment or other important issues.”

Switzer says there is a growing groundswell of people who are starting to understand that Indigenous knowledge and values are really important.

“Sometimes, you get the impression governments are tiptoeing around, doing what they can to avoid those values to avoid them becoming too commonplace,” he explains. “Our ancestors were willing to share the lands, but they wanted some guarantees. And that’s why, even today, so many of these treaties, like the Robinson Huron Treaty, have stood the test of time. Like 200 years later, they’re being upheld by the Supreme Court of Canada. Those are legal agreements that are reinforced by Canada’s Constitution.”

When Switzer speaks and writes, he enlightens the listener and reader to the reality for First Nations people.

“I knew that my story, at times, was going to involve some learning for the readers. Because most Canadians know nothing about Indigenous people. The kids in school are learning it now, but for most of Canada’s history, there was nothing in school [curricula]. That was my goal exactly, was for there to be some recreational reading, hopefully fast-paced, but also some learning in there.”

Switzer gives examples of Indigenous stereotyping.

“Most Canadians still have these ideas that Indigenous people don’t pay taxes. Gosh, I pay all kinds of taxes: taxes on my house, when I go to the store, taxes on gasoline, and taxes I’m not even aware of. There is also an unfortunate stereotype that exists on campus. I’ve talked to kids that get teased and taunted about this. It’s this idea that all Indigenous kids get free university and college education. Well, I wish that were the case for me and for many others, even though we had Treaty rights.”

Switzer encounters a lot of students who are taking law or politics, who are taught the theory of current First Nation politics.

“Each of 634 communities has a Chief and Council. And then they have regional representation like the Chiefs of Ontario. And then there is an Assembly of First Nations. They are taught that theory, but they are not taught usually about how poorly it works. For example, at the band level, at the local community level, the Indian Act requires that all Band Council Resolutions have to be officially approved by the Department of Indian Affairs in Ottawa (now Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada and Indigenous Services Canada),” he explains. “Our regional organizations, they’ve all been set-up based on the provinces instead of traditional treaty lands or true nation lands. Like the Anishinabek, we have people outside of this province into Manitoba. That’s convenient for the federal government or provincial government. It’s not particularly representative of our traditions and cultures.”

At the national level, a lot of people think the Assembly of the First Nation is a government, says Switzer.

“Well, they’re not. You know, the National Chief is not voted on by one million status Indians. The Chiefs of those 634 communities that call themselves First Nations, they vote on who is going to be the National Chief. It’s not really representative government in the true test of the word. So, what is being taught is maybe what someone thinks is ideal even though it isn’t, but it’s not how it works in practice. And that primary organization, the Assembly of First Nations, it relies on the federal government for almost all of the funding. So, if its leaders do something that the federal government—the funder—doesn’t like, it’s not uncommon that a lot of that funding disappears.”

Switzer talks about Matthew Coon Come being the National Chief from 2000 to 2003 and attending an international conference in South Africa on racism.

“When he came out, reporters asked him, ‘Why are you here?’. He said because my government is very racist. Within a month to two months, almost half of the Assembly of First Nations funding was cut by the Harper government,” he recounts. “Those are things, I don’t think, are taught in the political science courses or in the law courses. When I speak to law students, I say Canada breaks its own law every single day with regard to Indigenous peoples and our rights. And we regard ourselves as a hallmark of democracy. Make no mistake, this is the best country in the world that I would want to live in right now.”

Switzer calls his novel a communication product that’s designed to inform people, saying his investment in the book is his contribution to the debate about Indigenous peoples in Canada.

“I hope that it shows that my motives are really constructive.”

The author has several hundred copies of Sons of Tecumseh in his garage that have all been spoken for by First Nation, Inuit, and Métis educators at different school boards.

“They see this as an educational tool,” says Switzer.

Sons of Tecumseh book launch events are planned in North Bay at Nipissing University, the North Bay Public Library, and the North Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre, where Switzer is the president of the Board. A meet the author event will be held at the Powassan and District Union Public Library as well.

Switzer calls for optimism and unity.

“We’ve started doing a lot of good things with regard to the relationship with First Peoples, but we have a way to go. As the late Murray Sinclair[-baa] said, it took 150 years to get this way and it’s not going to be fixed by next week.”

Maurice Switzer’s newest work is now available to order on the Sons of Tecumseh website.