Dennis K. Monague

Congratulations to Rama! We have chosen and as a democratic process our voices have been heard!! Congratulations to the new Chief and Council! Rama has chosen you to serve for the next 4 years. You have your mandate. Make Rama proud! To all of us who ran I say good job! I am proud to have my name on that ballot with you all. Remember you were nominated for a reason. Our work is not done, our supporters votes were given to us because they thought we had good points. ...Let's keep that up and push those ideas! And thank you to every one of my supporters. The ideas you shared and the things you felt I could accomplish are still very relevant.

Tomorrow is the big day! As a Community, all of us who call Rama home will mark our X's. As a Community we will have our say. As a Community we will give our mandate to a new council. I have a few ideas that I hope the new council will keep front and centre as they go about the business of serving our Community for the next 4 years: 1. We are all in this together, no matter who sits in council chambers. 2. Be respectful and kind to one another. Every councilor who ha...s the honour of sitting this term is there by the mandate of the community. Whether you disagree with them or not, honour that fact. 3. Engaging our Community in governance of our home requires transparency. You can not overshare .... 4. All matters, all decisions will have a personal effect on each of us, including those that come next. Please keep that in mind as you make your decisions, as you exercise your mandate. 5. Transparency requires that ALL information is shared with the community. Accessing our information should not be hard, it should be simple and straightforward and be easily accessible for each person. The tools to meet these needs are in our hands. 6. Everything you have learned through your campaign is important. Each concern raised by each member should be acted on, no matter what your personal beliefs are. This is your mandate. 7. Ask for help! We all have skills, many of us want to be put to use to the betterment of our Community. We are happy to roll up our sleeves if given the chance! 8. As a councilor your job is to be in the Community, talking with the membership on a one to one basis, listening to the concerns of your fellow members and bringing those concerns forward so they can become actions ... your mandate is not given at election time, but every day in every conversation that you have with our Community. It is your personal job to ensure that the lines of communication are open and accessible for every member. Lastly ... 9. You are a servant of the Community. You are not a leader, you are the sum total of the individual voices of your Community. You are a conduit to the will of the people. See more

As we enter the final stretch to election night, I was thinking about everyone who came before. All the people who had hopes, ideas, and aspirations about what they wanted for our Community. I think about all those who were successful in their campaigns, and had the honor to become a councilors. All the work they put in to get us to this point in history. We have made great strides since the humble beginnings of Rama, certainly from the time when I was a little boy, spending endless summer days swimming at the Marina, wandering the fields and bushes and playing with my friends. I am reminded that we are here because they were there. "If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." Isaac Newton, 1675.

I was doing some research and I ran across a page by David "Aamoo" Snake. Lots of great pictures and interesting posts here. Have a look, its worth it. https://www.pinterest.ca/dsn/chippewa-of-rama-first-nation/

As we close in on the 22nd of August I would like to ask everyone to please vote. Whether I'm your choice or not, please remember to vote. It matters. Also, remember that the 22nd is for early voting. The actual vote date is the 28th of August. Mark your calendars! Have a fantastic day and don't forget to vote!

Today I've been thinking about the history of all of our people, from coast to coast to coast. The shape of our lives is started in our past. A big part of that past is the relationship we have with Canada and before that the Crown. This relationship was governed first, by the treaties, and second, by the consititution of Canada and the modern treaties. There is so much more to it than that, and I am oversimplifying alot here, but today I focus on the treaties. I found c...opies of the 3 volume set of books that was published by Canada way back in the day. These books are supposed to be one of the definitive collections (outside of museums and lock and key originals) of the Canadian Treaties. They are: Treaties and Surrenders from 1680 to 1890 in two Volumes, Volume 1, 2 and Treaties and Surrenders from No. 281 to No. 483 Volume 3 (I think this was supposed to be the 3rd book in a 2 book series??) I've added them to the growing folder I've been sharing here. Thought I'd share the direct link to the spot I saved these books. https://drive.google.com/open