Indigenous Sovereignty Week call out - cross-Canada

  1. blake 3:17
    blake 3:17
    [FONT=Georgia]Thought people would be interested and hopefully support this project.[/FONT]

    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]. 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).

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  2. blake 3:17
    blake 3:17
    Indigenous Sovereignty Week - Toronto


    RSVP at our facebook group.

    SUNDAY OCTOBER 25TH
    Prequel - Colonialism 101: Dear Harper, A Primer on Canadian Colonialism
    Time: 3pm – 6pm
    Place: Rogers Communication Centre 204, on the northeast corner of Church and Gould
    RUSSELL DIABO, Mohawk from Kahnawake First Nation
    LEE MARACLE, Stó:lō Nation

    MONDAY OCTOBER 26TH
    Opening ceremonies
    Time: Evening, Exact time TBA – Check out our website regularly for updates
    Place: TBA
    Elder’s Welcome, Joanne Kakekayash, Potawatomi Nation
    Men's Big Drum Circle
    Keynote Speaker:
    ARTHUR MANUEL, Neskonlith Indian Band of the Secwepemc Nation - “On Renewing Indigenous Resistance”
    TUESDAY OCTOBER 27TH
    Redefining Restorative Justice
    Redefining Restorative Justice will focus on Indigenous Peoples and the law. Panellists include Indigenous and non-Indigenous speakers with first-hand experience of the legal and criminal justice system, including activists, legal service providers and front-line social service providers. People in attendance can expect to participate in a talking-circle and learn about Indigenous legal traditions, colonial history, and the contemporary challenges of the legacy of colonialism. Discussions will end with an exploration of the potential in the concept of restorative justice, and the possibilities for societal renewal through solidarity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities.
    Time: 5:30-7:30pm
    Place: The Law Society of Upper Canada, Osgoode Hall, 130 Queen Street West
    http://www.lsuc.on.ca/about/a/contact/
    Speakers:
    HON. JUSTICE REBECCA SHAMAI, Gladue Court Judge at Old City Hall
    MICHAEL GLADUE, Papaschase Cree First Nation
    DAWNIS KENNDY, Roseau River First Nation
    SARAH DOVER, Brantford Lawyer & SKYLER WILLIAMS, Six Nations of Grand River (Mohawk, Wolf)
    WANDA WHITEBIRD, Mi'kmaq Nation, Bear Clan, Afton Nova Scotia, Ontario Aboriginal HIV Aids strategy of Ontario, also works with incarcerated Aboriginal women
    WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 28TH
    Struggles for land, Stories of community
    This panel attempts to highlight community stories of struggle against dispossession and loss of land and culture. Government policies have long pushed Indigenous peoples to the margins of Canadian society in reservations and urban ghettos. However, Indigenous peoples have long histories of organizing to resist the loss of culture, land and livelihood both on the land and in the city. This occurs in both the fight to maintain traditional territories and the fight against homelessness. In presenting stories of community organizing, we want to recognize the work of Indigenous peoples in various places and the relationships between them.
    Time: 7pm – 9pm
    Venue: Ryerson University, Lib 72, 350 Victoria Street, north of Gould (http://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&tab=wl)
    Speakers:
    MARYLYNN POUCACHICHE, Algonquins of Barriere Lake
    VICKI MONAGUE, Beausoleil First Nation, Site 41 Struggle
    HARVEY MANNING, Na-Me-Res (Native Men’s Residence, Toronto)
    TAHANEE JADE KAHSENNIYO WILSON – Y.O.U. (Young. Onkwehowe. United.) from the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory
    + SLAM POETRY by Y.O.U. member…
    THURSDAY OCTOBER 29TH
    In Our Language- Haudenosaunee Storytelling
    TIME: 7-9pm
    VENUE: First Nations House, University of Toronto, Borden Building North
    563 Spadina Avenue, 3rd floor (http://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&tab=wl)
    GRAFTON ANTONE, Oneida First Nation
    DAWN ANTONE, Oneida First Nation
    FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30TH
    Indigenous Toronto: Stories of Resistance
    Toronto is home to a large urban Indigenous community, with close relations to neighbouring Haudenosaunee and Nishnaabe communities, hosting indigenous representation from communities across Turtle Island. Toronto also has a long history of creative Indigenous organizing, resistance, and cultural expression. We'll hear from activists who led some of these struggles over the last few decades, including the occupation of Revenue Canada office called "Revenue Rez", the Native Peoples’ History Project and the Great Indian Bus Tour, and various other groundswell initiatives made by Indigenous organizers.
    TIME: 7pm – 9pm
    VENUE:Ryerson University, Engineering Building, ENG 103, 245 Church Street (http://maps.google.ca/maps?hl=en&tab=wl)
    SHAWN BRANT, Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory
    HEATHER HOWARD-BOBIWASH, Research Faculty Assistant Professor, Centre for Aboriginal, Initiatives, University of Toronto
    Other speakers to be confirmed soon, check website regularly for updates…
    SATURDAY OCTOBER 31ST
    The Great Indian Bus Tour of Toronto: The Trick or Treaty Edition!
    Get on the bus! A real tour of the Indigenous history of Toronto!
    Hosted by the Toronto Native History Project.
    The Toronto Native History Project at The Native Canadian Centre in partnership with Indigenous Solidarity Week is proud to present:
    1:00pm to 4:00pm (Arrive 10 minutes early to get seated)
    Embrace past ghosts and ancestors while re-imagining Toronto as the original Gathering Place!
    Play SPOOKY bus BINGO and win some tasty treats!
    The Bus tour will depart from and return to The Native Canadian Centre (NCC) on Saturday Oct. 31 located at 16 Spadina ROAD.
    Seating must be reserved and paid in advance by contacting Tannis Nielson at the NCC 416-964-9087 ext. 326. We recommend booking and paying for your seat early to guarantee your spot. Payment must be made to Tannis no later than Thursday Oct. 29th
    Ticket cost is based on a sliding scale
    Adults: $15-$25
    Youth and Elders: $5-$15
    Cash payment only
    SUNDAY NOVEMBER 1st
    Building the Circle Stronger- Traditional feast, Sharing Circle and Next Steps Meeting
    Reflect on your experiences of the week. Meet and talk with other participants, share a free meal, and bring your visions for how we can continue to build relationships and fight together for Indigenous Sovereignty on Turtle Island.
    Time: 12pm – 4pm
    Venue TBA at events throughout the week.
    Closing Circle facilitated by REBEKA TABOBONDUNG & ZAINAB AMADAHY
    Indigenous Sovereignty Week has been endorsed by:
    Indigenous Education Network (IEN), OISE
    NaMeRes Toronto
    Native Canadian Centre of Toronto (NCCT)
    Native Students Association, University of Toronto (NSA)
    Toronto Council Fire
    Aboriginal Rights Working Group, Bathurst United - Trinity-St. Paul's United
    Canadian Union of Public Employees
    CAW-Sam Gindin Chair in Social Justice and Democracy, Ryerson University
    Circle of Support
    Coalition Against Israeli Aparthied (CAIA)
    CUPE 3903 First Nations Solidarity Working Group (CUPE 3903 FNSWG)
    Graduate Geography and Planning Students Society (GGAPSS), University of Toronto
    No One Is Illegal (NOII) – Toronto
    Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP)
    Ontario Public Interest Research Group, University of Toronto (OPIRG)
    rabble.ca