Nurturing, Economics and Indian Affairs - Harold Gatensby

Harold Gatensby speaks about nurturing and the economics of institutions and bureaucracies.

Harold Gatensby (Dahka T'lingit) was an honored 2006 Buffett Award finalist for his advocacy efforts to protect the Yukon River Watershed and his work within the justice system for better treatment of Native people. Harold Gatensby is one of the co-founders of the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council (YRITWC) and currently serves on its Executive Committee. He has also worked as a community-based justice training facilitator. Gatensby resides in Carcross, Yukon Territory, Canada.
As a co-founder of the YRITWC, Harold advocates for the clean-up of the Yukon River and its tributaries, one of the largest watersheds in North America. The coalition of indigenous governments of the YRITWC are indigenous citizens dependent on the environmental integrity of the Yukon River for survival; they unite on issues related to the environmental and cultural integrity of the entire watershed. Harold traveled to South Africa to represent the YRITWC at the 2002 United Nations Earth Summit.
Harold has been a keynote speaker at numerous events including the Alaska Federation of Natives annual meeting. He served as the Yukon Territory representative on the Advisory Board to the Aboriginal Justice Learning Network in Ottawa, a Canadian federal government-appointed board. He was instrumental in the creation of the Southern Lake Justice Committee in the early 1990s and served on the Committee in various capacities.
In 1995, Harold founded Nares Mountain Wilderness Camp, which he still owns and runs today. At the retreat center, Gatensby facilitates restorative justice and environmental trainings for individuals, community groups, and professionals from around North America. Harold's application of community-based justice (also known as circle sentencing) and indigenous T'ingit cultural traditions helps address the poverty, pain, violence and cycle of loss in his community as a result of residential schools and related institutions that were imposed by the Canadian government on his people.
Harold's personal history informs his community justice work. Memories of boarding schools for many First Nation generations recall pain and mental suffering. Youth incarceration is one symptom of this history. Spending many years of his youth in the prison systems, Harold made a conscious decision to turn his life around and help other people. He is now a respected House Leader of the Kookhittaan clan of the Dakha T'lingit Nation and on the front lines of community and environmental stewardship. Still, Harold regularly returns to correctional facilities to help inmates. He works tirelessly within the justice system for better treatment and cultural respect for Native people, cultural mediation and peace keeping.
In 2000, Harold received a Probation 2000 (three-day international conference) Individual Merit Award for his community justice work, presented by Her Royal Highness Princess Anne of the United Kingdom. This Award brings recognition to individuals who have developed innovative approaches to reducing crime in their communities. In 2004, Harold and his wife, Colleen received the Cultural Volunteers of the Year Award from Carcross Community School. He is the proud parent of thirteen children.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• restorative
• justice
• indian
• crime
• economics
• healing
• love
• native
• first
• nations
• Tlinget
• humanities
• indigenous
• medicine

[fulldoseage]

Harold Gatensby is my dad, yes I am one of his 13 kids. I love and respect him more then he knows, along my unlce Phil. These men are truely knowledgeble and wise beyond their years. I love them and wish someday I can say Iam just like them.

Patricia James

Daughter #5 one of the twins.

Love ya

[Indigence]

Response to foxdefence ...

We don't want taxpayers hard earned money because we know how it is to have something you hold dear taken away from you.

All we want is what is rightfully ours which is our rent for land and resources. Look up the word "usurp".

Canada has consistently violated its own laws,

such as the Royal Proclamation and the Genocide Convention which it signed onto but never included in its own criminal code, at least not in its entirety.

Time to pay the rent!

[krnasty]

Harold is my uncle. I'v never met him but i'm glad he made this video

[qualqui]

@fulldoseage, in traditional nahua(mexica) society your dad would be known as Haroldtzin, meaning Honorable Harold, an inspirtation and an example to the rest of us.

[jaydedance]

my problem is with anishnabek policing, why is there a soveriegn system working within our communities, they shouldn't be on the reserves, when a first nation is not soverign and have this entity that hold so much power, it just becomes a power struggle when a officer comes into a community, i could keep going off but whats the use,,

[witchytwitchy]

hi patricia. I met your dad in south africa when he was there for the summit. Still email him from time to time. He touched our lives unbelievably in the time he was there. A truly amazing man and an inspiration to us all. I watch this video and it just inspires me!

What u said about your dad- i only wish and hope my kids can say about me someday!

[literoad]

Anyone who has worked in the north or regions with high native numbers can tell you that Harold Gatensby speaks a scary truth.

The government seems to want natives to be dependent on welfare and band cheques.

The most effective way to destroy someone is to make them totally dependent.

Every Canadian deserves better than an all-knowing nanny state.

Speak up because or whites & natives will suffer together the consequences of bad bureaucracy dealt by Big Brother!

[Ignotech]

Our people used to be hard working and self -reliant. Now we depend on the big white boys. It's ridiculous. Stop being so stinking dependent. Stop looking for a hand-out from the government. Go out and make your own living, your own way in this world, and stop whining. It's nauseating.

By the grace of God, you can get out of your chronic dependant condition and earn the respect of those around you. It can happen. But it takes hard work.

[marklpelly]

He has a point, the department of the interior and later Indian Affairs was/is a financial and social security system designed to oppress and segregate First Nation people for the benefit white immigrants and their current offspring.

May as well be called the Department of "JIM CROW"! Welcome to Canada where white colonial values use every dirty, vile and nefarious method to steal and brutalize people for land they don't value. Case in point Tar-sands!

[adsabine1]

This guy has some good things to say that are true! The prision system is dominated by natives not because we are being targeted but because we are addicted to drugs and booze! .We have to be good examples to the youth and discourage the angry disrespectful hip hop scene! This disrespectful culture does not reflect how we are to act!