City should bring back the bear clan

JEFF DE BOOY / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Enlarge Image

City police enjoy one of their more social moments with members of the Main Street community.

I watched a police officer park his car a few streets in front of me. I knew what he was up to right away: He was setting up a speed trap. Just as I was walking past the police car, I crossed paths with a woman pushing a stroller and with two little boys in tow.

"Hi, cop!" said one little boy to the officer as he got out of his car.

The kid was probably four years old, if that. I held my breath, and waited for a reply. Then the kid asked the officer what he had in his hands.

"It's my laser," said the officer in a voice just as friendly as the kid's was.

It was just a snippet of a conversation but it stayed with me for days.

There's been some distrust between "us" and "them" over the years, so it's good to see a little aboriginal kid chatting up a police officer who is just as interested in him. Things like this make a day in the hood a little bit brighter.

It'd be great if all interactions between cops and aboriginal people were just as friendly.

What if we work on things when kids -- and cops -- are just starting out?

In Ojibwa communities long ago, we had our own cops based on our clan system. In fact, everyone's job was determined by the clan they were born into. It was the bear clan who patrolled our communities, and if people or kids got out of line, it was they who dealt with it.

The bear clan had a brief resurgence in Winnipeg back in the 1990s, but after a few years volunteers waned and members scattered like fallen leaves. The bear-clan patrol ended.

Now if the Winnipeg Police Service, which has an aboriginal advisory committee, and the Winnipeg School Division got together, they could bring back the bear-clan system for everyone's benefit.

The school board could create and teach an Ojibwa clan-system class so grade-school kids could learn about the clan system.

Teach kids which jobs fit into each of the clans back in the old days. Then teach them which modern jobs fit into the clan system today.

I'm not even close to an expert on the complex clan system, but according to Ojibwa leader Edward Benton Benai, here's a brief look at the clan system. There are seven clans and many animal totems are categorized under these clans.

Police officers fit into the bear clan, as well as medicine people such as doctors, nurses and dentists.

The hoof clan were the poets, the gentle people who made sure their community had good homes and were taken care of. Teachers and scholars are part of the fish clan and are also good at settling disputes.

The bird clan were the deep-thinking folks and the spiritual leaders of the community.

The martin clan were the traditional hunters, gatherers and strategists in the defence of their territory. The loon and crane clans shared in leadership, or in modern-day language, government.

Once the kids learn about the Ojibwa clan system, they could guess which clan they fit in and what job they'd like in the future.

After the kids are taught about the clan system, it's time to bring in the police officers.

Teachers and kids would work with the officers to teach them the clan system, too. Kids would then team up with cops for some hands-on activities to really embed those clan teachings.

Teams could have a race to match modern jobs to the clan it belongs to.

Afterwards, there could be a sharing circle.

Officers could talk to the kids about some of the things they do at work, some good and some difficult. They could even talk about why they became cops in the first place. Kids could talk to the police about the officers they've encountered in their lives.

At the end of the day, there would be a feast for all participants, and both kids and cops would be awarded a small bear-clan badge. It doesn't have to be ornate or costly.

Have a contest and get schoolkids to come up with a design for a bear-clan badge.

Little kids and their parents would recognize the bear-clan badge on police officers when they see them in both positive and somewhat negative circumstances.

It could serve both sides well to have an instant connection as well as mutual respect.

Critics will argue it's pandering to a small demographic in our city, but when you've got generations of high rates of incarceration to break within that demographic, then it's not pandering at all. It's called trying to make things better for everyone.

Besides, kids from all backgrounds could take the program and benefit from it. As well, police officers spending half a day with a bunch of kids would gain insights, trust and knowledge as well.

Colleen Simard is a Winnipeg writer.

colleen.simard@gmail.com

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition August 27, 2011 J6