Quaker Committee for Native Concerns Newsletter
Periodical profile published 1978

Adamson, Lyn

Year Published:  1978   First Published:  1978
Resource Type:  Serial Publication (Periodical)
Cx Number:  CX857

Abstract: 
The Quaker Committee for Native Concerns (QCNC) is a subcommittee of the Canadian Friends Service Committee. As expressed in a letter from editor Lyn Anderson the purpose of QCNC is "to show that we care for the concerns native people have, for a lifestyle that is more human for all of us, and for the preservation of the natural environment which sustains us all." The Newsletter is intended as a vehicle to "keep Friends and friends across the country informed of QCNC activities and other news and events related to native concerns. We'd like this to be a forum, too, for the issues behind the events."
Although the bulk of material in this initial issue is Ontario based, news and submissions from all parts of the country are requested. One article reaches beyond Canadian borders to northern Guatemala with an account of the resistance of members of the Kekchi Mayan Nation to exploitation of their land and themselves. The area has been found to be rich in resources including petroleum and nickel and the people are seen as a cheap labour supply through the system of debt bondage which largely amounts to a system of legal slavery. On May 29, in the town of Panzos, over a hundred men. women, and children were killed by troops after having been invited by the mayor to a truce.
Both the article on Guatemala and another on self-rule detail the agreement on autonomy for Greenland which has a population of 50,000 Inuit and 4,000 whites, in the area of internal affairs. Denmark retains control of defense and foreign affairs. Decisions regarding natural resources will be made jointly, with each government having veto power.

The Newsletter also includes information on various available resources, suggestions for involvement regarding various groups and issues, and personal accounts.