Powerful Panel with Land Defenders and Naomi Klein
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- Published on Sunday, 29 November -0001 16:00
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As we enter a new year in these unprecedented times on the ground struggles for indigenous sovereignty are continuing to build all over so called Canada and the world.
While they may not be in the headlines as much at this current moment, people are on the ground organizing and building for the long haul and doing incredible work.
Please make some time in your day or week to listen to this incredible recent panel with land defenders across so called Canada moderated by Naomi Klein, and read the powerful words recently written by Sleydo (Molly Wickam) shared below.
May these voices kindle the fire within you for the long and beautiful struggle in front of us, and strengthen all of our resolve to fight for a different world.
Before the new year Naomi Klein hosted an incredible discussion with land defenders across so called Canada that should be required listening.The Ransom Economy: What #ShutDownCanada reveals about Indigenous Land Rights
As we head into the new year please take some time to hear from all of these courageous leaders who continue to live on the frontline asserting their sovereignty and resisting colonial projects that threaten all of our futures.
Panelists:
Sleydo (Molly Wickham speaking from Gitemd'en Territory
Kanahus Freedom Manuel with the Tiny House Warriors
Skyler Williams spekaing from 1492 Land Back Lane
Suzanne Patles speaking from Mi'kmaq territory
Anne Spice facilitating the conversation
A plethora of resources were shared in the group chat of the webinar and have been compiled in this doc
January 7th 2019 was the day of the first militarized raids on Wet'suwet'en Territory.
Below are powerful words from Sleydo (Molly Wikham) on the two year anniversary of that day:
January 7th, 2019—raid day at Gidimt’en checkpointThe headlines said “14 people were arrested” that day. But we aren’t just numbers. We are mothers, grandmothers, brothers, sisters, Indigenous people and white settlers—standing side by side in defense of the yintah. It was more than just raid day—our people had seen it before and we saw it again a little more than a year later.
It was the start of something. It was the start of truth telling, like how RCMP show up with the intention to shoot us. It was a rude awakening for our elders and community who were horrified at what played out that day. It was an awakening for many Indigenous people who’d ever felt powerless within the colonial system and stood up to militarized police because it was the right thing to do and we all knew it. It was the right thing to do because our law requires land defense and thousands of people from coast to coast stood up with us, outraged at the injustice.
It was a test of bravery—not that you weren’t scared, because you had to have been, but because people stood there anyway, in the face of the state…down the barrels of guns. Guns that would never be pointed at ‘white protesters’ but always brought to Indigenous conflict zones.
It wasn’t a day about Coastal GasLink and the fact that they don’t care about Wet’suwet’en governance or destroying Wedzin Kwa. It was about Wet’suwet’en governance and how our people always went to war when someone tried to invade our lands. Some people forgot about that---that we are a warring people. But the ones coming up behind us have not forgotten and the people there that day, with ancestors surrounding us, remembered. They stood bravely for freedom, even though it cost them theirs. Many people joined us in recognition that this isn’t just a Wet’suwet’en struggle, this is a struggle for all sovereign Indigenous nations and for all life—the water, the non-human relatives, the land, and the air.
It was just the beginning of two years of conflict and more raids and a resistance that has grown from coast to coast and around the world. The movement is built upon sacrifice. Some people made their sacrifice and moved on. Some people never left. Two years later, we’ve reoccupied more land, supported other front lines, built alliances with other strong nations and moved our struggle for liberation and freedom forward so that our children and grandchildren will know their yintah as intimately as we do.
Snecalyegh to all those who sacrificed, who still do, and who remember January 7th and remain empowered by it.
Love, Sleydo’
#WetsuwetenStrong
#CGLoffTheYintah
#RCMPofftheYintah
#NoTrespass
#Wedzinkwa
#CoasttoCoast
#RespectIndigenousSovereignty May we all carry the struggle into the new year!
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