Indian Time - A Voice from the Eastern Door

Let me start by saying thank you for all of the amazing donations that we have received for the Thompson Foundation! It shows hope and courage to give your support. We are still in the beginning stages. Anyone who wishes to engage in fundraising to contribute to our cause we greatly encourage, be it private or public. Here is one of my life experiences I wish for you to learn from.

I began working for a fish and seafood processor in Montreal. Great people, and amazing work. I was asked to work in the manual fish cutting room where you had to hand cut every kind of fish seen on the market today. I had no idea about the complexity and discipline needed to work it. I only knew how to fillet fish by learning at home, but it was enough for the supervisor to notice and take me under his wing to teach me everything he knew about cutting fish. He saw my potential, he saw my skill. He told me "if you see something you want to learn always ask yourself one question, can I do that? and it will be so". He had a system that he followed for filleting. It was passed down to him from an old man who used to work there before. The old man told him not to change the system because it was the easiest way to fillet and it is just the way it's done. He told me the same. I became so skilled that I learned all of my mentor's teachings and became equal in skill. I started to look for ways to entertain myself by trying to beat myself in skill, this made me exceed my teachers skill considerably. Customers became my number one concern. I developed new methods that provided greater yields. It excited me and my methods made it more cost effective for the customers. This in turn generated more customers by word of mouth. It got to the point where customers had to preorder months in advance just for me to cut it, they wanted my methods of processing so badly because, it gave them an advantage in the market. Realizing the potential in my methods the company took pictures of my fillets and had other companies replicate my style of processing with great success. They had to meet the demand and the demand was enormous. My processing methods caught fire and are now demanded around the world by all major fish processors today. I gave something to the world because I knew I could change something for people. I taught them how to look at things in a different light.

Many of the things I do seem to have an effect that are very dramatic and positive. Even people who oppose me in my journeys get pulled into the effect, whether they realize it or not, it benefits them. When it benefits others it excites me to watch their success. That is what brought me home to Akwesasne. I feel there is something pushing me to create something for my people, something great and positive for the world to admire and say I want that for my people. The one thing I have learned is to not let anybody tell you that you cannot do something. Challenging the system is how you bring about change. If you feel it's the right thing to do then nobody has the authority to take it from you and tell you no.

I understand that the people of the longhouse have views and must retain sovereignty. I understand that the warriors follow this same principle. Openly and clearly and not behind closed doors I wish to say that this is not a competition. Our planet needs to be taken care of whether we want to acknowledge it or not. We are killing our Mother Earth and it's time to come together to help her before it's too late. My door will always be open for you. I hope you can find the courage to do the same.

Collen Loft-Thompson, Aronhia:a

To donate go to the website thompsonfoundationdonate.com