Once the world was perfect, and we were happy in that world. Then we took it for granted. Discontent began a small rumble in the earthly mind. Then Doubt pushed through with its spiked head. And once Doubt ruptured the web, All manner of demon thoughts Jumped through— We destroyed the world we had been given For inspiration, for life— Each stone of jealousy, each stone Of fear, greed, envy, and hatred, put out the light. No one was without a stone in his or her hand. There we were, Right back where we had started. We were bumping into each other In the dark. And now we had no place to live, since we didn’t know How to live with each other. Then one of the stumbling ones took pity on another And shared a blanket. A spark of kindness made a light. The light made an opening in the darkness. Everyone worked together to make a ladder. A Wind Clan person climbed out first into the next world, And then the other clans, the children of those clans, their children, And their children, all the way through time— To now, into this morning light to you.
Harjo, Joy. Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings: Poems (pp. 14-15). W. W. Norton & Company. Kindle Edition.
It’s difficult to think of anything other than the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. But as I began to research today’s topic I was reminded of the poem above.
For those of us who have been living privileged lives, the world we thought was perfect, is no longer. Those who aren’t privileged say welcome to my world. “And now we had no place to live, since we didn’t know how to live with each other.”
Many of us are doing everything we can to convince ourselves our perfect world will return. But we know in our heart that isn’t true.
Fear is a natural reaction when facing the unknown. But fear will not help, indeed is an impediment, to moving forward. Many are writing and more importantly acting, finding ways to move ahead today. “Then one of the stumbling ones took pity on anotherAnd shared a blanket.A spark of kindness made a light.The light made an opening in the darkness.“
Now is a time to create and share stories. Actions and stories of kindness that make a light, an opening in this darkness. “We change the world one story at a time.“
ALL THAT WE ARE IS STORY.
From the moment we are born to the time we continue on our spirit journey, we are involved in the creation of the story of our time here. It is what we arrive with. It is all we leave behind. We are not the things we accumulate. We are not the things we deem important. We are story. All of us. What comes to matter then is the creation of the best possible story we can while we’re here; you, me, us, together. When we can do that and we take the time to share those stories with each other, we get bigger inside, we see each other, we recognize our kinship — we change the world one story at a time.
Richard Wagamese (October 14, 1955-March 10, 2017) Ojibwe from Wabeseemoong Independent Nations, Canada
Yesterday I wrote about children as sacred beings. And how moved I have been by the eloquence of Indigenous youth. Below is an example, where Kolin Sutherland-Wilson discusses the history of colonialism and the struggle of the Gitxsan and Wet’suwet’en.
Kolin often speaks of his worry about what is happening on the Wet’suwet’en territory. At one point the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) had sniper rifles aimed at his younger brother Denzel, who was not shot. But the Wet’suwet’en knew the RCMP had discussed using lethal force during their raid a year ago.
WARNING: This video contains graphic images of an armed threat on the lives of land defenders Denzel Sutherland-Wilson (Gitxsan) and Anne Spice (Tlingit).
The public actions of the Indigenous Youth for Wet’suwet’en have been courageous in the face of multiple threats. There were threats against Kolin and the other Indigenous Youth for Wet’suwet’en during the time they were sitting-in on the steps of the British Columbia Legislature.
A tragic aspect of the lives of Indigenous youth is the epidemic of suicides. The following was recently shared in the Instagram post below.
On Feb 5 I got the news that my cousin and childhood best friend had committed suicide. I just want to stress to you how intrinsically tied these issues are. These are not separate things. When you stand here you are standing against the epidemic of indigenous youth suicides. It’s not just a pipeline. It’s all completely interdependent. I say this when I think about my cousin who committed suicide two weeks ago because it helps me process; it helps me understand the depth of colonization. My cousin committee suicide, but he might as well have been shot by the RCMP. When you stand against a pipeline you are standing against the centuries-old practice of infringing on indigenous rights.
We’ve had to fight for over a hundred years. And despite the residential schools despite the epidemics of smallpox, tuberculosis. Despite the enfranchisement. Despite the reserve. Despite all the assimilatory policies of Canada that have existed up until the modern day, our system of governance and the Wet’suwet’en system of governance has persevered and they have remained strong as is demonstrated by the five clans of the Wet’suwet’en when they evicted Coastal GasLink from their territories.
They have made it clear that they have never consented to that project on their territories and they have fought for too long to make that voice recognized within a system that is inherently racist. Within a system that inherently tries to erase the voice of indigenous peoples, of traditional indigenous governments while replacing us with imposed Indian Act models of governance. Because the band councils are accountable to the federal government but the hereditary Chiefs, the Laksilyu and the ___ of the Wet’suwet’en are accountable to the people. They are accountable to their house groups. They’re accountable to the land the territories on which they have resided for thousands of years and it is not the place of British Columbia to come in and say you know this means nothing. It’s not the place for the Supreme Court of British Columbia to come in and say that indigenous law is not effectual within Canadian law.
It is not their place to come in and say that we can assault you with RCMP, that we can displace you from your lands, we could set up exclusion zones to limit you from going on to your own territories, that we can impose our law which has been oppressing you, which has been impressing oppressing indigenous peoples for over a hundred years. It’s not the place of British Columbia to do that and especially in light of the recent United Nations Declaration on the Rights of indigenous peoples that they’ve adopted.
It is shameful. It is shameful that Horgan to say it is not retroactive. Because in this country we have over 500 years of colonialism, 500 years of baggage, 500 years of oppression and he thinks he can wipe that all clean and only look towards the future. That is shameful and clearly after what we’ve seen tonight and our worries about what might happen on our Unist’ot’en Yenta with another RCMP raid.
It is clear that they have not learned from the past. It is clear that they are pushing forward blindly. It is irresponsible. It is dangerous and is putting our lives on the line because the Premier has refused to meet with the Wet’suwet’en and hereditary Chiefs. The Wet’suwet’en and hereditary Chiefs have been patient. They have been patient for over a hundred years. The Wet’suwet’en and hereditary Chiefs they made it clear they want to talk leader to leader face to face in a respectful manner. Between the Wet’suwet’en people’s, Canada and British Columbia. They don’t want the middleman. They don’t want random ministers being sent their way. They have made it very clear that they are the decision-makers on their territory. They are the title holders on their territory. they even fought for this in the Supreme Court of Canada in Delgamuukw decision.
After 11 Indigenous youth were arrested in a Wet’suwet’en solidarity action on Jan 22 in Victoria BC, Kolin D. Sutherland-Wilson of the Gitxsan Nation discusses the history of colonialism and the struggle of the Gitxsan and Wet’suwet’en. #WetsuwetenStrong#bcpoli#Wetsuweten
We see you out you there participating in mutual aid and keeping your communities, your Elders and your immunocompromised loved ones fed and safe. We know that we cannot rely on the state to keep us safe. We know the roots of the crisis lie in colonialism, displacement, and exploitation; a lack of housing and resource distribution. Our solidarity in this moment, our fight for our most vulnerable and targeted members is an extension of the struggle for Indigenous Sovereignty.
With mass gatherings being shut down to keep people safe during this viral outbreak we need to adjust our tactics, but we are not backing down! The demands of the hereditary chiefs for CGL and RCMP to leave the territory remain in place and we need to keep up the pressure in ways that are creative and appropriate.
A week of online action is being organized with daily actions to keep up the pressure that we will share here as daily actions are announced!
Today’s action is to make calls, emails, and tweets to support the demand that Mike Farnsworth resign due to his organizing of the raid on Wet’suwet’en territory (phone numbers below).
There are many ways to take action that keep the pressure on and keep our friends and neighbors safe:
-Pressuring officials with phone calls, emails, letters and social media posts
-Postering and wheat pasting to get information in public spaces
-Using this time while many people are home to share educational resources and inform our communities about the ongoing struggle on Wet’suwet’en territories.
Have other tactics you’re employing that others can replicate? Send us an email so we can share them. GOODMORNING! Today is a great day to bolster the UBCIC call for Mike Farnworth to resign. Farnworth misled the public on his ability to deploy the RCMP after authorizing the redeployment of police on Wet’suwet’en territory. ALL the info and links you will need including a script for calls and emails, access to the letters calling for his resignation, and his authorization to deploy the RCMP are in my bio #mikefarnworthresign #IndigenousSolidarity #FTP#WetsuwetenStrong#TyendinagaStrong Use this link to find sample tweets, emails, and phone scripts! Onward! -Unist’ot’en Solidarity Brigade
Use this link to find sample tweets, emails, and phone scripts!
One thing I’ve learned from these years of writing is I never know what I’m going to say when I center myself before the computer. I’ve heard people say they could not not do…. I can not not write. It was this compulsion to write that made me decide to retire from work I love to do, so I would have more time to listen for what the Spirit is asking me to say and do. Being raised in the Quaker faith, in Quaker communities, I was taught to listen for the Inner Light or Spirit or God. This idea is common to religions, but Quakers focus on and practice listening for this spiritual guidance as much, as often as possible.
This morning I’m sensing a focus on children and youth. I came across this graphic:
And I was struck by what I had recently read from Sitting Bull
For us, warriors are not what you think of as warriors. The warrior is not someone who fights, because no one has the right to take another’s life. The warrior, for us, is one who sacrifices himself for the good of others. His task is to take care of the elderly, the defenseless, those who cannot provide for themselves and above all, the children, the future of humanity.
Sitting Bull
This is a powerful circle–adults concerned for the children, and youth for their elders.
One of the things I’ve been learning about Indigenous peoples is that they consider children to be sacred beings, a concept I deeply related to for a number of reasons, one being my work, that I just mentioned retiring from, at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis. From the time I graduated from school, I wanted to work with children, and am so thankful that happened. Specifically, related to the quote below, “At birth through their newborn cries the children sing a song to their parents and the world.” I worked in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for a number of years. I don’t think any of us, no matter how many deliveries we attended, ever lost the feeling of witnessing a miracle.
Me in the NCU. Permission was obtained when this photo was published in a journal.
In almost every indigenous language of what is now known as the Americas there is a word for children that translates to English as sacred beings. Acknowledging in thoughts, words and actions that our children are sacred beings provides not only the necessary healthy intention and consciousness that will benefit our children; this acknowledgement reminds us as parents to once again be open with our own hearts.
For parents who struggle to see themselves as sacred beings, simply allow your children to remind you of what you’ve forgotten. At birth through their newborn cries the children sing a song to their parents and the world. At this very moment hundreds of sacred beings, answered prayers, messengers of light are manifesting in all cultures and languages. They’re all entering this world singing a song of a sacred contract that can never be broken, only temporarily forgotten. The children’s song is reminding us. Listen…
You cannot be entrusted with something you’re not It’s alright if you’ve forgot I’m here to remind you so that we remember together And bring others with us on the most important endeavor ~ On Earth as it is in Heaven
I am the holy being of my mother’s prayer and my father’s song.
—NORMAN PATRICK BROWN, DINEH POET AND SPEAKER
I was entranced by the idea of Holy Beings when I read the title of Joy Harjo’s book, Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings.
1 . SET CONFLICT RESOLUTION GROUND RULES:
Recognize whose lands these are on which we stand. Ask the deer, turtle, and the crane. Make sure the spirits of these lands are respected and treated with goodwill. The land is a being who remembers everything. You will have to answer to your children, and their children, and theirs— The red shimmer of remembering will compel you up the night to walk the perimeter of truth for understanding. As I brushed my hair over the hotel sink to get ready I heard: By listening we will understand who we are in this holy realm of words. Do not parade, pleased with yourself. You must speak in the language of justice.
Kolin Sutherland-Wilson speaks eloquently at British Columbia Legislature
One of the main reasons I’ve been thinking a lot about youth is because of the inspiring ways Indigenous Youth are the leaders in what is happening with the Wet’suwet’en territories and their work to protect the land, and keep pipelines from being built on it..
The Wet’suwet’en started the preliminary work on the affirmation of our traditional territories, in 1974 – for Delgamuukw & Gisday’wa v the Queen.
23 years later, the Supreme Court of Canada finalized the decision that our kungax (oral history) was valid, and that we had never ceded or surrendered our territories… that the lands that are currently under destruction, have always been ours.
Yet, today, the colonial federal Justin Trudeau & provincial John Horgan governments are continuing to ignore this ruling. They continue to ignore the hereditary chiefs clear demand that CGL stop work, and the BC RCMP remove themselves from the territories.
When we stand and affirm our position, we are faced with mass armed forces – and the forcible removal from our unceded, sovereign territories. This is why it’s important that others continue to stand with us.
The current discussions are not regarding cgl – and are not being done in good faith by the government… or there would be a stoppage of the work while they happen.
We ask you to continue to be heard, and assert that those demands are met.
Holding space and amplifying the message here on the frontlines in 6… still standing strong and proud with the fam.
Community love and support is always needed and appreciated… if you have the time and capacity to do so come join us… it would be so awesome if you could offer support to the frontlines in the following ways but not limited to:
☆ Bodies to be able to switch out and still maintain coverage as we still have to exist within this monetary colonial system… if you can only offer a few hours out of your day it would be so helpful and a way for others to take a break from all the pressure that is involved with being on the frontlines
● Fire wood ● Propane for heating up food ● Gas or Gas Cards for generators ● Cots ● Flood lights ● ATV on loan x2 for scouting purposes as we have a lot of land to cover ● Axe Sharpener ● Storage Bins
All monetary consideration can be applied through the following email for etransfers: SNSTANDS@protonmail.com
Nahko Bear wrote “we’re being tested. Within each survivor is a warrior.” He named his upcoming album “Take Your Power Back”. The song he sings in the video below, which will be on that album, is “Slow Down.”
The consequences of the coronavirus pandemic are forcing us all to slow down. Forcing many businesses to come to a halt. Corporations are losing their power over us. Do you feel a power realignment? Do you feel like you are getting some of your power back even in the face of this adversity?
My friend Ronnie James recently wrote:
I’m of the firm opinion that a system that was built by stolen bodies on stolen land for the benefit of a few is a system that is not repairable. It is operating as designed, and small changes (which are the result of huge efforts) to lessen the blow on those it was not designed for are merely half measures that can’t ever fully succeed.
So the question is now, where do we go from here? Do we continue to make incremental changes while the wealthy hoard more wealth and the climate crisis deepens, or do we do something drastic that has never been done before? Can we envision and create a world where a class war from above isn’t a reality anymore? Ronnie James
This time of crisis is an unexpected opportunity to “do something drastic that has never been done before.” As Nahko says, “within each survivor is a warrior.”
Peter Clay, Linda Lemons, and Ronnie James
The great Lakota Chief and Holy Man Sitting Bull described the meaning of a warrior by pointing to the inherent responsibilities such a position held:
For us, warriors are not what you think of as warriors. The warrior is not someone who fights, because no one has the right to take another’s life. The warrior, for us, is one who sacrifices himself for the good of others. His task is to take care of the elderly, the defenseless, those who cannot provide for themselves and above all, the children, the future of humanity.
Sitting Bull
The Spiritual Warrior is a person who challenges the dreams of fear, lies, false beliefs, and judgments that create suffering and unhappiness in his or her life. It is a war that takes place in the heart and mind of a man or woman. The quest of the Spiritual Warrior is the same as spiritual seekers around the world.
Each Warrior of the Light contains within him the spark of God. His destiny is to be with other Warriors , but sometimes he will need to practice the art of the sword alone; this is why, when he is apart from his companions, he behaves like a star. He lights up his allotted part of the Universe and tries to point out galaxies and worlds to all those who gaze up at the sky. The Warrior’s persistence will soon be rewarded. Gradually, other Warriors approach , and they join together to form constellations, each with their own symbols and mysteries.
Coelho, Paulo. Warrior of the Light: A Manual (p. 89). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.
Greetings Relatives,
Spring is in full swing and before Thanos can snap his fingers, it’ll be summer on Turtle Island. Our country is primed for an overthrow of power within rapidly shifting currents. The land has seen devastation over the winter’s long night, but now sings songs of rebirth inside the blossoms of the cherry tree. At least in this hemisphere. The people…well, we’re all a little worn out thanks to a heavy hitting astrological and planetary realignment. Does anyone else feel like they’ve hardly had a moment to process and catch a breath before Mercury went Gatorade? Again? We’re being tested. Within each survivor is a warrior. Can we captain this ship through unknown waters? Are we braver than our fears? Will we earn a seat at the table, our place as a future ancestor? Oh, hell yes.
I, for one, was running on empty for too many years. I masked it with subtle addictions and destructive personalities that served my escapism. The songs became a shield. The Tribe became an enabler. I had become overwhelmed with anxiety and unconscious depression. In order to not lose myself, I had to rediscover ( the hard way, per usual) what it means to love myself, love the little boy spirit within me. This is something we all must do, in time. These are rites of passage. This is a step in taking your power back.
As a storyteller, I turn experience into something shared. This trick can play itself in a manipulative way on the teller, as well, if you’re not careful. Many times over I have lost myself in the falsities of some of the stories I have circulated within my psyche. Multiple personalities creating art and chaos and war and peace. Who’s really in charge? What is reality and what is a narrative my mind made up? I began to envision a whole version of me, the bear and the cub, working in tandem to ascend the inner heavens, traverse the endless forests. Taking the power back, beginning at conception, the source level, and working from there. The songs in this new body of work encapsulate so much of what I have been carrying on my shoulders, on my heart, in my bones. Thousands of years of karma and the scars of so many people I never knew. Every single one of those ancestors went through stages of awakening, fulfilling their own version of answering that fateful call to action. I like to think they learned to wade through what was theirs and what was inherited. It gives me hope.
The songs came to me in waves. I think land has a lot to do with what comes through you, in writing. Being back in Cascadia, the Mt. Hood National Forest, has been really grounding for a guy without any Earth in his chart. For the first time, I wrote to a record. I doubted myself. The songs. The process. The melody. The message. There’s so much weird math and science in song writing. Naturally, the nerd in me found courage in the folds of that mystical tapestry. This fall, I’m going to wrap you all up in those nurturing wisdoms, offerings in a woven basket, filled with sweetgrass and cedar.
It won’t be long now till we are taking to that great road again to bring our praise and worship to you… Naming this tour the ‘Take Your Power Back Tour’ felt entirely appropriate given the state of the planet and all Her creatures great and small…given the state of your loyal narrator.
We’re rounding the bend to 20/20, ya’ll. Arrive at our gathering this fall with whatever shape your heart is in. Full, broken, in pieces, strong, hopeful, hurting, overflowing, all of it. We’ll help best we can. The more time we spend together in this way, the more whole we can become. The Medicine Tribe is a community, a village, a movement of human beings and becomings. We are many colors and creeds, sharing that breath of life. We are the music, a common language. It’s our way out of the maze. It’s that missing puzzle piece. It’s us. Together.
So here’s to expanding beyond our initial beliefs. To opening our minds to higher reasoning, to fields of toroidal blossoms where we can lay in stacks of dimensional light and turn off the oppressive broadcasting station of the patriarch and tune our dials to the matriarchal podcast within nature, human and non-human. Here’s to taking our power back.
In love and service, Bear
Profits from this video are donated to the Lakota Way Healing Center. The Denver-based nonprofit promotes spiritual connection and human wellness through programs, events and workshops that share the traditional Lakota Way of prayer and healing. Learn more and support the mission at https://www.lakotaway.org/.
#Repost @leapuoft ・・・ STARTING NOW UNTIL 3PM TOMORROW: Physical isolation does not–and cannot–mean we let up the pressure to get the RCMP OFF Wet’swet’en land! NOW, and sometime over the next 24 hours, post a photo of yourself one or all of the calls below (e.g. dialling the number) to the Facebook event and share it on your page with one or all of the following hashtags. If you do not feel comfortable posting in the public event, you can also send Leap UofT a private message. Find a sample call script at the bottom! #Alleyesonwetsuweten#Wetsuweten#DefendtheYintah#Unistoten#Gidimten#climatejustice#NoPipelines#NoAccessWithoutConsent#ReconciliationisDead
If you post before 3pm tomorrow (SUNDAY), you will be entered into a draw to win pieces from land defenders Somer Johnston’s Indigi.Arts and Keitha Tobias (up to five prizes!)! Be sure to share widely and signal-boost #AllEyesOnWetsuweten
These are perilous times for many reasons. The health and economic dangers of the coronavirus pandemic have upended our societies and our lives. As the message below from Sovereign Likhts’amisyu warns, “during disasters, colonial and imperialist states use the chaos as momentum to go through with plans which would otherwise get widespread push-back and oppositional organizing.”
I remember the hasty passage of the “Patriot Act” after the September 11, 2001, attacks. Many legislators said they hadn’t even read the act, which contained numerous infringements on our civil rights.
Those opposing the law have criticized its authorization of indefinite detentions of immigrants; the permission given to law enforcement to search a home or business without the owner’s or the occupant’s consent or knowledge; the expanded use of National Security Letters, which allows the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to search telephone, e-mail, and financial records without a court order; and the expanded access of law enforcement agencies to business records, including library and financial records. Since its passage, several legal challenges have been brought against the act, and federal courts have ruled that a number of provisions are unconstitutional.
Similar concerns are expressed by the Wet’suwet’en peoples and their supporters. That the Canadian response to the coronavirus will include suppression of Indigenous rights and justifications to allow construction of the Coastal GasLink (CGL) pipeline. Bill-1 in Alberta, criminalizes protesting “critical infrastructure”. We’ve seen numerous states pass, or are considering passage of similar legislation in the United States.
Sovereign Likhts’amisyu 17 hrs · March 13, 2020 Masih cyoh @abolishicesf #Repost
Bill-1 in Alberta, criminalizes protesting “critical infrastructure”. 7 states have passed similar legislation. BC has now banned mass gatherings (due to c19)… however – we watch as these things have been normalized in the past, and there is less resistance to it when the bill is presented. Stay safe out there, but keep your eyes open at all times. . During disasters, colonial and imperialist states use the chaos as momentum to go through with plans which would otherwise get widespread push-back and oppositional organizing. These tactics move under the cover of the disaster shock, or even as a “solution” to it. . During this COVID19 situation, every frontline is at much higher risk of violence and unprecedented repression. While taking precautions to protect our communities at risk of contracting COVID19, we can’t let ourselves be so persuaded and entranced by the chaos that we take our eyes off the frontlines. . The Wet’suwet’en frontlines haven’t gone away. Wet’suwet’en and Indigenous land defenders of all nations are at the highest risk of these shadowy state movements. Our solidarity work is both most essential and most sparse at this moment. We can NOT stop organizing for our relatives now. . The state will use this crisis and chaos to their advantage. Pay attention to their “solutions” of shuttling our community members who sleep outside into isolated camps. Pay attention to detention centers where illness is already a life and death crisis. Pay attention to evictions, rent strike repression, and rapid property purchase. Pay attention to dead of night ICE raids. Pay attention to pipeline development. . All eyes on the frontlines. If they wont stop, we can’t either. #WetsuwetenStrong #TogetherWeRise #OnlineProtest #ShutDownKKR
“There’s only so many lands that we can go on that’s pristine and we really, really need to fight hard to protect those things because they’re under attack for profit, and for industry and for colonialism.” –Victoria Redsun
Victoria Redsun says it is difficult to be a young, Indigenous person in an urban environment right now. “We see our people on the streets and hurting,” says Redsun who adds that residential schools are still fresh in her memory and the issues around violence and genocide against Indigenous women is still happening. The 20 year old Denesuline poet, performer, filmmaker and activist is based in Winnipeg. She says you only have to walk down the streets of Winnipeg to see the ongoing effects of colonialism. But Redsun says she felt safe and accepted during her time at the Unist’ot’en healing centre in British Columbia. It’s where Redsun spent most of the winter up until her arrest during an RCMP raid on Wet’suwet’en territory in early February. The RCMP cleared out the road leading to the healing camp after a Dec. 31 injunction was granted against supporters of the Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs who are fighting against construction of the Coastal Gaslink (CGL) pipeline on their territory. The arrest of Redsun and others at the camps in Wet’suwet’en territory spawned solidarity actions and blockades all over the country. “I’m really happy to see everybody rising up after all the arrests as well after that week of invasion on Wet’suwet’en land,” says Redsun who adds that it was traumatizing to be arrested off the territory that has and continues to heal her. During her time at the Unist’ot’en Healing Centre, Redsun says she learned about traditional foods, who she is as a person and how to break toxic cycles of trauma and colonialism. While Redsun was at the camp to heal, she was also there to help stop the CGL pipeline. “People can say its about a pipeline but there’s so many pipelines that are trying to go through native lands right now. So, it’s much more than a single pipeline,” says Redsun. “It’s about the land and it’s about our rights as humans,” she said. “And I think we’re all recognizing and waking up as a people together to fight for those things because there’s only so much fresh water in the world right now because its all being polluted. “There’s only so many lands that we can go on that’s pristine and we really, really need to fight hard to protect those things because they’re under attack for profit, and for industry and for colonialism.” Redsun says it’s been hurtful to see the racism brought out over the issue from people saying they want to run people over with trains and trucks to bomb threats.
Although several of us were able to attend the vigil in solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en last month, we decided not to get together today in support of the International Solidarity Actions as a precaution related to the spread of coronavirus. So I had a ‘solitary’ solidarity action here in Indianola, Iowa.
As it says below, “we have one voice, whether alone or as a collective.”
Under ‘Anuc Niwh’it’en, all five clans of the Wet’suwet’en have unanimously opposed all pipeline proposals. Yet, there it is – 48” pipe invading our territories.
CGL has been escorted in by BC RCMP every day to destroy our unceded territories. The necessary permits have NOT been approved. Our matriarchs were removed at gunpoint to make way for industry to bring in these pipes. This is a blatant act of genocide.
Our tradition is to conduct ourselves with absolute respect -wiggus- while business is being conducted. The Hereditary chiefs have been doing just that. These violations make it clear that Justin Trudeau and John Horgan have ZERO intention of doing the same.
When we protect our land, militarized forces are brought in and guns are pointed at us. There is little to no communication, and we have seen the campaign of misinformation being released by the oil and gas industry and corrupt politicians to confuse the public.
We ask you to take ACTION in solidarity with us!
As we resist further destruction, the world is launching full speed ahead into a Climate Crisis. We ask our supporters around the world for your continued solidarity against the human rights violations occurring, and the corrupt system pitting people against each other.
While discussions have begun, they are far from over, and this Friday March 13th is being declared a national day for solidarity action. Here is an update about the discussions from the Wet’suwet’en Access Point on Gidimt’en Territory page: “This is not over. We want the RCMP and CGL off our lands. This proposal from BC and Canada is long overdue, following decades of denial of Wet’suwet’en rights and title after the 1997 Delgamuukw-Gisday’wa court case. Our ancestors proved what we have always known – that these lands belong to the Wet’suwet’en – and thanks to thousands rising up across so-called Canada, the government is forced to acknowledge this.
We need to keep the pressure on.
The proposal will be reviewed by our clans, and decided upon by our nation in our bahtlats (feast hall) in accordance with Anuk nu’at’en (Wet’suwet’en law) in the coming weeks. Stay strong. #Wetsuwetenstrong#ShutDownCanada#ReconciliationIsDead
We are gathering in front of the parking lot that is directly across the street from the Kootenay Market Plaza (which is located at 635 Columbia Avenue) to stand with the Wet’suwet’en Nation and to tell the Canadian government that Indigenous Rights and Title need to be respected and honored before the rights of corporations.
This event is a solidarity event to show our support for the Wet’suwet’en, so proper protocols will be followed, and this will be a peaceful gathering.
CALL TO ACTION. Call for ALL work to stop – as the Hereditary Chiefs have said “NO PIPELINES”. Yet, there it is: 48” pipe.
The permits are NOT approved. They were supposed to only do “preliminary work”… however, CGL has been escorted in by @bcrcmp every day. Escorted in to destroy our unceded territories.
Our tradition is to conduct ourselves with absolute respect #wiggus while business is being conducted… and the Hereditary chiefs have been doing just that. It’s clear that @justinpjtrudeau & @johnhorgan4bc have ZERO intention of doing the same.
When we stand up – mass forces are brought in, and guns pointed at us. There is little to no communication – and we have seen the misinformation being released.
We ask you to stand with us… As we stand against further destruction, and full speed into this #ClimateCrisis… We ask you to stand against the #HumanRights violations occuring – and the corrupt systems pitting people against each other. Stand together – because #TogetherWeAreStronger#WetsuwetenStrong
Much has happened this week as actions have continued through the week supporting the demands of the Wet’suwet’en Hereditary chiefs that Coastal GasLink and RCMP leave the territory and people are gearing up to mobilize further.
The callout for solidarity action is ongoing! Organize an action in your community!
The Unist’ot’en Village is also calling for supporters who can stay for at least two weeks. Spread the word and apply here!
Supporters on the bridge over Wedzin Kwah.
While the demands have not yet been met, this movement is powerful and growing. The nationwide rail blockades and protests already led one major investor to pull out of a Quebec LNG project cutting off half the capital for that project, and that was before oil prices tanked this week making the already dubious economics of new LNG projects much worse.
Justin Trudeau plans to meets with Premieres from across Canada in Ottawa this Friday and in response people are organizing a mass demonstration outside of Parliament.
Rail actions have continued and In Montreal people briefly shut down traffic into the port earlier this week.
Yesterday high schoolers walked out of class and marched to support the demands of the Wet’suwet’en Hereditary chiefs.
The rail blockade in Khanawake has moved to the side of the road next to the Mercier bridge and land defenders have stated they are continuing to stand with the Wet’swuwet’en and may change their tactics if need be.
Construction of the village in Tyendinaga Mohawk territory continues, and fundraisers and educational events that are building organizing capacity are happening all over the country.
Real Peoples Media· Follow March 10 at 5:15 AM · ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM THE AKWESASNE UNITY FIRE!!!! An announcement from Akwesasne Unity Fire. .ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Event date: March 14th and 15th 2020 Everyday this week the people will be meeting at 6pm at the Unity Fire. Fire is located at the cross roads on Cornwall Island, Akwesasne Ont. We hope to attract any food or arts and craft vendor for the weekend event. Looking for speakers, singers, and anyone else who has something positive to add. Please DM if anyone has any questions or if you can make it to 6pm meeting at the Unity Fire. We will be updating a contact number by tonight
Outside of Canada people have begun a campaign to get Chase and KKR to stop funding Coastal Gas Link beginning with a mass petition. Sign the petition to protect Indigenous Sovereignty: Demand fossil fuel profiteers JPMorgan Chase and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. defund the Coastal GasLink pipeline. you can sign and share here.
Post from @MikeGraeme Here at the Tofino/Ucuelet Junction roadside rally I had the privilege of speaking with Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ Hereditary Chief Tyee Ha’wiih Wilson Jack, who shared his thoughts on the current affairs. “Look what the Canadian government has done. They put us on reserves. They limit us. They don’t want us to better ourselves. They don’t want us to self-determine our futures. They say, ‘This is your land but you can only do this and not that. “As for whats happening up in Wet’suwet’en territory, it applies to all Indigenous communities. Canada and B.C. shouldn’t be going to the elected councils of the Nations before the hereditary governments. It’s the hereditary system that truly belongs to us. We should have the right to consultation first if they want to have a meeting about the land.” “So I stand 110% behind the Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs. I’m tired of all this B.S. going on, where Canada and B.C. say, ‘We’re going to put extractive projects right through your community.’ I’m against that. It’s greed. They’re just there for the greed. They don’t worry about the land.”
Port Blockade in Montreal
Rail Blockade in London Ontario earlier this week
Iorì:wase· Follow March 5 at 12:46 PM · Statement by Kahnawake land defenders
GOODMORNING! Today is a great day to bolster the UBCIC call for Mike Farnworth to resign. Farnworth misled the public on his ability to deploy the RCMP after authorizing the redeployment of police on Wet’suwet’en territory. ALL the info and links you will need including a script for calls and emails, access to the letters calling for his resignation, and his authorization to deploy the RCMP are in my bio 
Use 
Quakers, social justice and revolution 