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First Nations chiefs heading to Middle East

Nelson to visit Iran, Evans will go to Israel

By: Staff Writer

Wednesday, Apr. 25, 2012 at 12:01 PM | Comments: 0

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Chief Terrance Nelson

Two Manitoba First Nation leaders are heading to the Middle East this spring – though with completely separate aims.

The timing of former Roseau River chief Terrance Nelson’s trip to Iran, and Norway House Chief Ron Evans’s trip to Israel, is thoroughly coincidental: the two trips have little in common, save geography.

Evans, a former two-term Grand Chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, will lead 30 Aboriginal youth to Israel at the end of April as part of a youth development mission.

Organized in part by Canada’s Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs and the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg, the trip will see the youth study Israeli society and development and tour the country’s historic sites.

"For Canada’s First Nations, Israel’s story demonstrates how an ancient people can maintain their heritage while embracing the modern world," Evans said in a release.

Evans and the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg hope the annual mission program will continue for a decade. Participating youth helped raise money for the trip with auctions and sport tournaments.

Meanwhile, Terry Nelson – former five-term chief of Roseau River who was ousted last September after a protracted dispute with the band’s Custom Council – announced that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s office recently extended him a letter suggesting an invite to Iran was coming soon.

The purpose of the trip, Nelson said in a release, is to develop associations between First Nations leadership and oil-producing OPEC nations.

Nelson sought Iran’s attention back in February, when he voiced a plan to thank Ahmadinejad for condemning Canada’s treatment of aboriginal people.

Nelson will also seek Iranian guidance on governance issues. ""We will break the Canadian Indian Act," he said in a release.

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