blake 3:17
6th August 2009, 00:44
Just got this today...
General Callout for Organizing Committees for the first annual Indigenous Sovereignty Week
Defenders of the Land, a cross-Canada network of First Nations in land struggle, fighting for Indigenous rights, is issuing a call to like-minded Indigenous people and groups in communities and cities, as well as non-Native supporters, to cooperate in organizing a cross-Canada week of educational events on Indigenous Rights and Indigenous struggles, from October 25-31, 2009.
We have in mind that this work will reach different audiences: Indigenous people living in communities, urban Indigenous people, and non-Indigenous people living in cities and towns. Events may take place on campuses, in community centres, in schools, or other locations.
The purpose of this week is to build local relationships between groups and individuals, disseminate ideas of Indigenism, and generally, contribute to building a cross-Canada movement for Indigenous rights, self-determination, and justice that is led by Indigenous communities but with a broad base of informed support.
There will be a range of events, including speaking events, cultural or arts events, and ceremony where appropriate. Speakers will include activists and leaders of struggles, elders, Indigenous intellectuals, and supporters.
Based on the direction of the first gathering of Defenders of the Land in Winnipeg last year, the following have been highlighted as questions to bring forward:
Struggles for Indigenous Rights and Self-Determination
Overview of the history of Indigenous organizing
Sharing histories and examples of struggle, successes, and challenges.
Hearing from local struggles
Current legal frameworks - UNDRIP, Section 35, court rulings; the concept of aboriginal title
Who bears Indigenous rights? Who determines who is Indigenous?
What does/would Indigenous sovereignty look like, practically? What would be the relationship to the Canadian state? What are viable models of cohabitation?
What is solidarity? How to do solidarity work in a good way, learning from past successes and mistakes. Hearing from specific experiences.
Indigenous Knowledge, Culture, and Identity
The importance of the relationship to the land, living on the land.
Residential schools and other policies of genocide and their impacts
Oral stories and histories
The status of Indigenous languages
The role of ceremony
Documenting and maintaining traditional knowledge
Indigenous Peoples and the Environment
Environmental racism and environmental justice
Impacts of developments on Indigenous peoples and cultures - specific examples and campaigns
Biodiversity and cultural diversity
Traditional understandings of stewardship
History of Indigenous-Canadian Relations
The period from contact to the historic treaties
The history of the treaties and treaty-making
History and impact of the Indian Act
What's wrong with the poverty and service-dollars approach to Indigenous issues - the horizontal framework of cradle-to-grave dependency
The government's current agenda: extinguishment of title, replacement of collective rights with individual rights, cash payouts, and assimilation. How to name this and resist it.
Other elements to include, where possible and appropriate
Ceremony
Drum + song
Community feast with traditional foods
Indigenous language programming
Arts programming
Youth-focused programming
What does "appropriate" mean in this context? Appropriate means if it is done under the leadership of Indigenous people, for Indigenous people, involving the participation of mostly Indigenous people.
If you are interested in organizing an Indigenous Sovereignty Week in your area
If you are interested in organizing educational events in your community during this week, please contact us by email at [email protected] (http://ca.mc383.mail.yahoo.com/mc/[email protected]). We will establish a list to cooperate on developing and organizing this event. Communities can plan their own programs according to their needs and capacities--the purpose of a joint organizing list is to share resources and coordinate speakers' itineraries for example. You can find out more about Defenders of the Land at our website (which will be up soon).
General Callout for Organizing Committees for the first annual Indigenous Sovereignty Week
Defenders of the Land, a cross-Canada network of First Nations in land struggle, fighting for Indigenous rights, is issuing a call to like-minded Indigenous people and groups in communities and cities, as well as non-Native supporters, to cooperate in organizing a cross-Canada week of educational events on Indigenous Rights and Indigenous struggles, from October 25-31, 2009.
We have in mind that this work will reach different audiences: Indigenous people living in communities, urban Indigenous people, and non-Indigenous people living in cities and towns. Events may take place on campuses, in community centres, in schools, or other locations.
The purpose of this week is to build local relationships between groups and individuals, disseminate ideas of Indigenism, and generally, contribute to building a cross-Canada movement for Indigenous rights, self-determination, and justice that is led by Indigenous communities but with a broad base of informed support.
There will be a range of events, including speaking events, cultural or arts events, and ceremony where appropriate. Speakers will include activists and leaders of struggles, elders, Indigenous intellectuals, and supporters.
Based on the direction of the first gathering of Defenders of the Land in Winnipeg last year, the following have been highlighted as questions to bring forward:
Struggles for Indigenous Rights and Self-Determination
Overview of the history of Indigenous organizing
Sharing histories and examples of struggle, successes, and challenges.
Hearing from local struggles
Current legal frameworks - UNDRIP, Section 35, court rulings; the concept of aboriginal title
Who bears Indigenous rights? Who determines who is Indigenous?
What does/would Indigenous sovereignty look like, practically? What would be the relationship to the Canadian state? What are viable models of cohabitation?
What is solidarity? How to do solidarity work in a good way, learning from past successes and mistakes. Hearing from specific experiences.
Indigenous Knowledge, Culture, and Identity
The importance of the relationship to the land, living on the land.
Residential schools and other policies of genocide and their impacts
Oral stories and histories
The status of Indigenous languages
The role of ceremony
Documenting and maintaining traditional knowledge
Indigenous Peoples and the Environment
Environmental racism and environmental justice
Impacts of developments on Indigenous peoples and cultures - specific examples and campaigns
Biodiversity and cultural diversity
Traditional understandings of stewardship
History of Indigenous-Canadian Relations
The period from contact to the historic treaties
The history of the treaties and treaty-making
History and impact of the Indian Act
What's wrong with the poverty and service-dollars approach to Indigenous issues - the horizontal framework of cradle-to-grave dependency
The government's current agenda: extinguishment of title, replacement of collective rights with individual rights, cash payouts, and assimilation. How to name this and resist it.
Other elements to include, where possible and appropriate
Ceremony
Drum + song
Community feast with traditional foods
Indigenous language programming
Arts programming
Youth-focused programming
What does "appropriate" mean in this context? Appropriate means if it is done under the leadership of Indigenous people, for Indigenous people, involving the participation of mostly Indigenous people.
If you are interested in organizing an Indigenous Sovereignty Week in your area
If you are interested in organizing educational events in your community during this week, please contact us by email at [email protected] (http://ca.mc383.mail.yahoo.com/mc/[email protected]). We will establish a list to cooperate on developing and organizing this event. Communities can plan their own programs according to their needs and capacities--the purpose of a joint organizing list is to share resources and coordinate speakers' itineraries for example. You can find out more about Defenders of the Land at our website (which will be up soon).