by Daniel N. Paul, CM, ONS, Mi’kmaw Elder and Historian

In 1970 the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development decided to spread out administrative responsibilities from the Regional Office in Amherst by opening District Offices in Halifax, Nova Scotia and Fredericton, New Brunswick. This was to coincide with a new policy that was initiated by it to Indianize the Department.

By early 1971, office accommodations had been acquired at the Federal Ralston Building on Hollis Street in Halifax. By May I had received several calls from an old friend, Rod Brown, who was Indian Affair’s Regional Director in Amherst, enticing me to leave my position as Chief Bookkeeper for Non Public Funds at Stadacona and come to work at the new District Office in Halifax, which he indicated would enable me to help my People.

At first, because of my failed employment experience at the old Shubenacadie Indian Agency in 1961, I refused to give it any consideration. However, Rod, being quite persuasive, finally talked me into it and I applied and was hired. Thus, I joined Barbara Brooks, Stella Paul and Adrian Morris, who worked out of the Sydney Sub Office, in what I thought were to be the first hires in the Indianizing process.
It didn’t take very long for disillusionment to set in. I soon discovered that there wasn’t even a position for me to occupy, that I was there more for show and tell than anything else. To get a measure of what I had got myself into I didn’t say anything for the first six weeks, I just sat ar ...