Idle No More Solidarity Action 1/11/13

[OB Everyone]

DO NOT BRING YOUR DRUM

Decolonize is in close dialogue with Idle No More. They have expressed  deep
concern about Occupy - around the country their events are being co-opted
by Occupy, and they are not happy and feel disrespected.

They very specifically asked that no non-native person bring a drum to the
State House rally, and, if you bring a sign, keep it hidden until the rally
starts.




PLEASE READ   (sent to Decolonize by Idle No More)

Please read this whole thing when you get a chance. I copied and
pasted some important parts. Thanks!!!

http://briarpatchmagazine.com/articles/view/decolonizing-together

"Non-natives must be able to position ourselves as active and integral
participants in a decolonization movement for political liberation,
social transformation, renewed cultural kinships and the development
of an economic system that serves rather than threatens our collective
life on this planet. Decolonization is as much a process as a goal. It
requires a profound recentring on Indigenous worldviews. Syed Hussan,
a Toronto-based activist, states: "Decolonization is a dramatic
reimagining of relationships with land, people and the state. Much of
this requires study. It requires conversation. It is a practice; it is
an unlearning.""  <--CONVERSATION, did you read that?

"Incorporating Indigenous self-determination into these movements can,
however, subordinate and compartmentalize Indigenous struggle within
the machinery of existing Leftist narratives. Anarchists point to the
antiauthoritarian tendencies within Indigenous communities,
environmentalists highlight the connection to land that Indigenous
communities have, anti-racists subsume Indigenous people into the
broader discourse about systemic oppression in Canada, and women's
organizations point to the relentless violence inflicted on Indigenous
women in discussions about patriarchy."

"We have to be cautious not to replicate the Canadian state's
assimilationist model of liberal pluralism, forcing Indigenous
identities to fit within our existing groups and narratives. The
inherent right to traditional lands and to self-determination is
expressed collectively and should not be subsumed within the discourse
of individual or human rights. Furthermore, it is imperative to
understand that being Indigenous is not just an identity but a way of
life, which is intricately connected to Indigenous peoples'
relationship to the land and all its inhabitants. Indigenous struggle
cannot simply be accommodated within other struggles; it demands
solidarity on its own terms.

"Building intentional alliances should also avoid devolution into
tokenization. Non-natives often choose which Indigenous voices to
privilege by defaulting to Indigenous activists they determine to be
better known, easier-to-contact or "less hostile." This selectivity
distorts the diversity present in Indigenous communities and can
exacerbate tensions and colonially imposed divisions between
Indigenous peoples. In opposing the colonialism of the state and
settler society, non-natives must recognize our own role in
perpetuating colonialism within our solidarity efforts. We can
actively counter this by theorizing about and discussing the nuanced
issues of solidarity, leadership, strategy and analysis – not in
abstraction, but within our real and informed and sustained
relationships with Indigenous peoples."