Roly, I grew up living 3 miles from an Indian Reservation in Central Sask.. I'll tell you what nobody else will; and that is that there will be problems - if you come here looking for them. I was once at a dinner put on by a group from East Central Sask, trying to sell land there. Someone asked the question, "What's it like to have Indians as neighbors?" The Mayor of Yorkton gave the best response that I've heard. He said, "Do you have good neighbors now? If you do, you'll have good neighbors when you move. If you don't now, you won't when you move."
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roly, one thing that will help you is to gain an understanding of native ways, the legislation they are bound by etc.
Many natives live lifestyles very similar to the rest of us, while doing all they can to adhere to their traditions and their native heritage.
Many natives on reserves are very well educated and take a back seat to no-one when it comes to being articulate. The elders of the reserve are wise in the native ways and certainly one can learn a lot from them if you make an effort.
Like sleepingcowboy said, you will need to be a good neighbour to have good neighbours. This, for the most part means that you will have a much easier time being accepted in a community if you don't come with preconceived ideas about any sector of the population.
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We live near one reservation, my wife's parents live near another. I'd say they have about the same percentage of decent people as any other population, however, the few who DO cause trouble cause a lot more than your normal troublemakers around here. Case in point, my inlaws have a lot of deer around their house and barns and were awoken one morning by several shots outside their window. Went out to find 5 young natives dressing 3 deer on their front lawn. They knew from prior experience that there was nothing they could do, the police and MNR rarely bother responding to native hunting calls and the others in the band, although disgusted, refuse to do anything about their fellow natives. Out of about Also there's a problem with natives going off of the reservation and stealing construction equipment on construction sites then taking it on the reserve and parting it out. The police have been led on several low-speed chases but call it off at the reservation border and the band police aren't interested. Out of about 2000 on the reserve here, there are probably 12-15 involved in this but they're cutting a wide swath because they know they can play the race card and get away with it.
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I know of one farmer who had Natives come and help him load up his canola...just put the wrong name on the cheque.
Just east of town of High Level sits a field (aprox 2400 acres) that has a fence around it and is all in grass. I asked some people why don't they rent it out if they don't want to farm it!!! They just laughed an said your cows would be lunch. I used to farm just north of Edmonton where land sell for $200,000 plus a quarter and everyone tries to clear the sloughs I just shake my head everytime I drive by. I guess years ago they did crop it.
Your best bet it to go drive into your future neighbours driveways and talk to them. Some Natives I have over for coffee some I wouldn't turn my back on.
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Went to a meeting once where they were pushing the east central Sask. thing and the speaker had a farm there, where he leased land from an Indian band. He said it was a very good relationship that worked for everyone involved.
The Indians had lots of land bought up with land claims money but were not interested in doing much with it. He needed cheap grass...the perfect match!
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Beware. Freedom of speech is not alive and well in Canada. Different Reservations are extremely different. Many would make great neighbours and don't think that I am 100% Anti Native but there are some very dangerous parts of Sask. There are areas that I would not raise my family.
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roly: I wouldn't get all bent out of shape over it. Sure there might be some bad ones around(like any group of people) and without a doubt boys will be boys, but generally I doubt you will have much of a problem.
I don't live anywhere near an Indian reserve but as a boy there were three families living near us on the farm of this old English gent and they were good people despite being desperately poor. This old English guy took care of them as they were not "treaty" Indians and the local farmers used to hire them to do fencing, haying, stooking, cutting brush etc. When this old fellow died they drifted away and we never heard what happened to them for years.
One of the younger guys stopped in probably thirty years later and he had done very well for himself with a large farm at Meadow Lake Saskatchewan!
If Indians get a chance to get off the government tit and can leave the booze alone they turn out very well.
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