“It is time to quit being loyal Canadians, we don’t need the white man’s money. We need a share of our own wealth.” “There’s only two ways to deal with the white man. Either you pick up a gun or you stand between him and his money.”  Terrance Nelson Chief, Roseau River Anishinabe First Nation, Manitoba   CTV National News, May 15, 2007

Terrance Nelson, Vice-Chairman of the American Indian Movement, Spokesman for the Okiijida Warrior Society, former Chief of Roseau River Anishinabe First Nation, elected five terms in a row as Chief. Nelson settled a land claim that had been rejected 3 times prior to his election as Chief. On July 29th 2011, Roseau River was paid over $80 million for 8,000 acres, it remains the largest payment per acre for agricultural lands in Canadian history. At $10,064 per acre, Roseau River set precedent, 2 ½ times larger per acre than the previous largest settlement.

Author of numerous books, studies and booklets including “Genocide in Canada” 1997, “Okiijida, the Warrior Society” 1997, “Anishinabe Aki” Sovereignty and Sovereign Immunity in Treaty One, 1995, “The New Buffalo”, Gaming in Manitoba 2000, The New Reality, An article on the economics of the United States, May 2005, “The Ojibway Moccasin Game” 1999, etc. Nelson wrote numerous articles and papers on economics and First Nation sovereignty, he has accomplished his goals by bringing in Treaty Land Entitlement, Gaming, Tobacco Tax Rebates, Urban Reserves, Health Centers, and numerous businesses. Today Chief and Council of Roseau River is financially independent of Government funding for Governance, earning over 8 million per year more in own source revenue as a result of Chief Nelson’s plan of action.

When the Conservatives Attorney General blocked conversion of a Roseau River urban reserve in Winnipeg in 2006, Chief Nelson organized the June 29th 2007 National Day of Action. He made a deal with Minister of Indian Affairs Jim Prentice getting a commitment to convert 600,000 acres of TLE lands in Manitoba, a 74.8 acre urban reserve for his First Nation and the announcement of the Tribunal on land claims. Nelson promised not to block railway lines for five years if the Conservatives were sincere on the conversions of TLE lands. The promise ends June 12th 2012.

Nelson travelled to Iraq in April 1998 at the invitation of the Hussein Government to document the effects of United Nations economic sanctions, and will go to Tehran Iran at the invitation of the Iran Parliament.