A First Nation in northern Manitoba is demanding action from a fishing lodge after it emerged that a visitors' guide contained racist language about indigenous people.
The brochure for Laurie River Lodge near Lynn Lake, Man., stated that First Nations "have a basic intolerance for alcohol," CBC News reported. Amid outrage over the language, co-owners Brent and Erin Fleck attempted to say sorry. But the Mathias Colomb Cree Nation says their apology doesn't go far enough.
The Lodge's 2014 trip planning guide, which no longer appears on the lodge's website, reads as follows, according to an excerpt taken by Yahoo! News:
"We take care when hiring our staff; however the subject of Native Guides must be touched upon. We use Cree Indian guides from the town of Pukatawagon (sic) in northern Manitoba. They are wonderful people and fun to fish with however, like all Native North Americans, they have a basic intolerance for alcohol. Please do not give my guides alcohol under any circumstances. This is rarely a problem and by telling you in advance I hope to avoid it altogether."
The language promotes the stereotype of a "drunken Indian," said a Thursday news release from the Mathias Colomb Cree Nation, and Chief Arlen Dumas has written the Flecks to say there is "no scientific evidence to support such racist claims."
He also received an apology from Brent Fleck, according to the news release:
"I wish to convey my most sincere apologizes (sic) for the wording of the section that covers alcohol to our staff members. It was written MANY, MANY years ago and should have been updated … When I originally wrote that paragraph my intention was to ensure that there was no pressure put on our guides to consume alcohol with their guests when they were in fact responsible for the health and safety of the fishermen in their boat.
"After reading the paragraph in my trip planning guide I have to agree that, despite the fact that it was not intended to offend anyone, it could be taken in that context. I am in the process of removing the offending paragraph from my literature. I also would like to sincerely apologize to anyone that it may have offended."
Dumas called the apology a "list of excuses and defenses" and demanded that the lodge's owners write personal letters to all their Cree employees and find a way to make amends with the First Nation.
Brent told The Canadian Press that the guide has been used for around 15 years and that he "had no idea" the language was even in there.
"It's certainly not our opinion and not something that we want to forward in any way, shape or form," he told the news service.
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