On
Monday, October 7, 2013, indigenous nations and their allies held 70
actions throughout the world proclaiming their sovereignty. The call to action was
issued by Idle No more and Defenders of the Land to coincide with the
250th anniversary of the British Royal Proclamation of 1763, which was
the first document in which an imperial nation recognized indigenous
sovereignty and their right to self-determination. As we wrote last week,
treaties with First Nations are not being honored, and even the United
Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples does not
adequately recognize the sovereignty of indigenous peoples.
In Canada, where the Idle No More movement was
founded, an attack is being waged by the Harper government on the
rights of the First Nations. A bill referred to as C-45 weakens laws
that protect the land and allows transnational corporations to extract
resources from First Nations' lands without their consent. Idle No More
was founded on December 10, 2012 (the anniversary of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights), when Chief Theresa Spence began a hunger
strike to protest C-45 on an island across from the Canadian Parliament.
The
Idle No More (INM) movement has grown exponentially during the past
year to become a worldwide movement. At its core, the INM taps into
issues that are essential to all people. INM is a struggle against
transnational corporations that collude with governments to allow the
exploitation of people and the planet for profit, and it is a struggle
for a new economic paradigm. INM is also about facing up to the horrific
history of the way that colonizers have abused and disrespected
indigenous peoples so that there can be reconciliation and justice and
so that the peoples of the world can coexist peacefully. And INM is
about the recognition that indigenous peoples are stewards of the Earth
and must lead the way to protect the Earth and teach others to do the
same.
Throughout the year, there have been teach-ins, round dances,
flash mobs and rallies to raise awareness of the ongoing racist and
exploitative treatment of indigenous nations as well as the continued
decimation of their land to extract resources. There have been long
walks, rides and canoe trips to call for healing of the Earth and for
the recognition of indigenous sovereignty. And there have been blockades
and other nonviolent direct actions to stop further degradation of the
planet. INM has already achieved some successes.
Idle
No More is an indigenous-led movement, but it is not a movement
exclusive to indigenous people. As Clayton Thomas-Muller, an organizer
with Defenders of the Land and
Idle No More, states, "We understand that the rise of the native
rights-based strategic framework as an effective legal strategy
supported by a social movement strategic framework is the last best
effort not just for Indigenous People but for all Canadians and
Americans to protect the commons ... from the for-profit agenda of the
neoliberal free market strategists that have taken over our governments
... and indigenous peoples have been thrust into the forefront of global
social movements not just because of our connection to the sacredness
of Mother Earth and our traditional ecological knowledge and
understanding of how to take care of the Earth as part of that sacred
circle of life but also because our ancestors ... made sure we had the
legal instruments to be able to confront the enemies of today and that
is what Idle No More is doing in the US and Canada and across the world
where Indigenous People continue to live under occupation and
oppression."
Sovereignty is Fundamental in the Struggle for Global Justice
The
United States and Canada are two of the wealthiest nations in the
world. Much of this wealth comes from the extraction of resources on
land that belongs by treaty to Native Indians. Rather than honoring
these treaties, the governments of the US and Canada have a long
history, which continues today, of using laws and even manipulating the
process of creating the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous
Peoples to exterminate indigenous sovereignty.
As
the extraction of resources becomes more extreme through processes such
as hydro-fracking and tar sands excavation and the serious consequences
this has on the health of people and the Earth become more apparent,
indigenous nations have realized that their struggle for sovereignty
must intensify. The INM movement is one manifestation of this effort.
One of the six core demands of
the INM movement is to "Honour the spirit and intent of the historic
Treaties. Officially repudiate the racist Doctrine of Discovery and the
Doctrine of Terra Nullius, and abandon their use to justify the seizure
of Indigenous Nations lands and wealth." This is a particularly
appropriate time to reflect on these doctrines as some in the United
States celebrate Columbus Day.
Columbus used the Doctrine of Conquest to
legitimize seizure of land in the Americas. This doctrine "grants
invaders legal title to the lands they conquer." Additionally, the
Doctrine of Discovery from the early 1800s allowed colonizers to occupy
and claim title to any lands, and their resources, that were not part of
the European Christian monarchy. And the Doctrine of Terra Nullius
similarly permitted colonizers to occupy and claim land that was not
settled according to European standards, such as having an established
township.
These doctrines continue today. The Doctrine of Discovery was codified into law by the Supreme Court decision of Johnson v. McIntosh in
1823, which left Native Indians "with the mere 'right' to occupy their
ancestral lands, subject to U.S. dominion." And so it is that Native
Indians are subjected to policies that continue to allow corporations to
extract resources and poison the air, land and water without their
consent.
Although
the INM movement began in Canada, it has also taken off in the US. And
solidarity between Indian Nations in the US and Canada is developing.
This summer, the Dakota Nation Unity Ride from Manitoba met up with the Two Row Wampum Renewal Campaign canoe trip in Woodstock, New York, to travel together to the United Nations in New York City. Two Row Wampum is
the oldest treaty in North America between an Indian nation, the
Haudenosaunee, and a European nation. This summer marked the 400th
anniversary, which they highlighted with an epic canoe trip down the
Hudson River.
The Two Row Wampum treaty "outlines
a mutual, three-part commitment to friendship, peace between peoples,
and living in parallel forever (as long as the grass is green, as long
as the rivers flow downhill and as long as the sun rises in the east and
sets in the west)." The Two Row Wampum campaign seeks to uphold the
treaty by creating friendship and peace between all peoples and by
working together for a sustainable future, as outlined in their campaign goals.
They seek recognition of their laws, the right to self-determination,
including living in accordance with their culture and laws, and to be
leaders in restoration and stewardship of the Earth.
The Dakota Unity Ride and the Two Row Wampum canoe trip landed in New York City on August 9, which is the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples. They walked together to the United Nations building,
where they met with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, representatives
of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and other officials. The UN press statement describes
the theme of the meeting as "Indigenous peoples building alliances:
honouring treaties, agreements and other constructive arrangements."
This
is a positive step, but the fight for sovereignty continues. Sylvia
Mcadam, a founder of Idle No More and a professor and author, teaches
that sovereignty includes "land, language and culture." It is not just
land that has been taken from indigenous peoples but also their language
and culture through the forced attendance at residential schools and
barriers to access their traditional foods. Mcadam states that her
involvement in Idle No More began when she returned to her traditional
land with her parents to do research for her current book. She was
shocked to see how the land had been developed without consent of the
people.
Mcadam reminds us that the First Nations are not a lawless people but that theCreator's Laws are
"expressed in everything we do." Colonizers have a lot to learn from
Native Indians - not only about caring for the Earth and living in ways
that preserve resources for future generations but also about
governance. Native Indians are matriarchal societies that practice deep
democracy.
While
indigenous people describe themselves as people who follow laws, they
have suffered injustice on their lands. Last week, a panel of judges at the International Peoples Tribunal on Leonard Peltier issued an executive summary and
preliminary findings following three days of testimony from Native
Indians who described abuse inflicted by the US government and FBI
agents. The tribunal concluded that US laws must be changed in order for
FBI agents to be charged for their crimes of assault and murder on Pine
Ridge Indian land in South Dakota and elsewhere. Further, the tribunal
said justice is dependent on the immediate release of Leonard Peltier.
Non-indigenous
groups are working in solidarity with Idle No More and other indigenous
groups. For example, the Two Row Wampum campaign, led by the Onondaga
Nation, works with Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation. This collaboration is particularly evident in the environmental movement.
[Mensaje recortado] Ver todo el mensaje
| 2013.10.15.Water.Is.Life.jpg 90 kb Ver Compartir Descargar |
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario