ON THE PAPAL ROUTE : Pope Backs Eskimo, Indian Rights in Canada

Yahtita/Zhahtita (the Father of Fathers) blessed the water, fire, air and land on the banks of the Big River in this remote Northwest Territories village Sunday, then powwowed in a giant open tepee with elders of the Four Directions, who sought his help in securing their rights to traditional lands.

Pope John Paul II, whom Fort Simpson’s native Dene people call Father of Fathers in their Slavey language, obliged with a ringing endorsement of their right to self-government “along with a land base and adequate resources necessary for developing a viable economy for present and future generations.”

In a colorful conclusion to his 11-day North American visit, the pontiff flew into this tiny former fur-trading post Sunday morning, making good on his promise to return after inclement weather prevented him from landing here during his 1984 Canadian trip.

The visit was deemed essential not only to satisfy about 5,000 Canadian Indians and Eskimos (Inuit) who turned out to see him in 1984 and again Sunday, but to give their leaders a boost in negotiations with the Canadian government concerning constitutional protection of their rights.

Requested a Visit

“A delegation of the Dene (the dominant native tribal group of Fort Simpson) came to the Vatican last fall and had an audience with the Pope, during which they said they needed a visit,” said Dr. Joaquin Navarro Valls, the Pope’s spokesman, acknowledging the essentially political nature of the tribal request. “The Pope again said he would be here as soon as possible.”

John Paul entered the huge, open-fronted white tepee that had been preserved here since 1984 as an altar platform, and sat in an informal circle of chairs with tribal leaders, talking informally about tribal rights but out of the hearing of the thousands who watched the unusual spectacle while listening to the steady beat of drums and tribal chants.

Navarro said he could not recall the Pope ever holding such an informal and at the same time public audience.

While the pontiff’s remarks were considered politically sensitive among Canadians here, they were not an unusual departure for him. He has often endorsed and even demanded attention to the rights of aboriginal people, most recently in Phoenix, Ariz., but also during his previous visit to Canada and in Australia and New Zealand as well.

Earlier this year, Canada’s 500,000 Indians and Inuit failed at their fourth attempt in five years to win some form of self government. Several Canadian provinces fear losing control of resources worth billions of dollars if Indians and Eskimos win land rights.

The scene at the Fort Simpson campground was like a great native jamboree, with thousands feasting on caribou and fish in a festive mood.

“For us it is a kind of reunion--we come from many nations and families and the Pope has given us a chance to get together,” said George Hookimaw, a Cree from Attawapiskat, Canada, who joined 10 others of his tribal group to charter a small plane for Sunday’s papal visit.

Others, including Inuit from far north of the Arctic Circle, journeyed for days by boat and on foot to reach the campground, where many have been camping out in tents and cars in the subfreezing temperatures.

“We drove 470 miles on gravel roads from Meander River, Alberta,” said Paul Salopree, 36, a Dene tribal official who spent Saturday night with his wife, Deen-na, and two young sons sleeping in the family station wagon. “We did it in 1984, too, and although it was disappointing that he didn’t land, we had a great time. Today we were afraid he might get rained out again.”

“It’s like meeting Jesus Christ on Earth,” said Greg Noltcho, 43, a garage worker from Saskatchewan who shook the pontiff’s hand after John Paul kissed his 4-year-old son, Leroy. “I think he understands our problem about our lands. It’s quite an honor for the Dene nation that he chose us.”

Leonard Nadia, 35, a Fort Simpson oil pipeline worker stood in awe as the pontiff ceremonially thanked the Great Spirit of the native people for the natural elements of fire, water, air and land.

John Paul performed the ceremony while standing on a monument erected for his aborted 1984 visit to honor their ancestors, their legends and “all our brothers and sisters from the Four Directions of Denendeh (all native groups).”

Faces 4 Directions

Solemnly, he turned in each of the four directions, intoning in heavily accented English, “Thanks to the Great Spirit of Life” for each of the elements, as drums rhythmically punctuated native chanting in the background.

Looking refreshed and moving robustly along a slightly muddy pathway through the crowd, John Paul mounted the tepee altar platform for the powwow, then delivered his speech endorsing Indian rights. Noting that the pontiff changed his speech to make the endorsement even stronger than it appeared in the advance text, the Dene leaders mistakenly attributed the alteration to their persuasiveness during the powwow.

But Navarro said the pontiff actually made the addition Saturday while flying from Detroit to Edmonton, where he spent the night before making the side trip to Fort Simpson.

After the four-hour visit, he flew back to Edmonton to change planes for his trip back to Rome, ending an 11-day, 10-stop North American tour.