Decolonizing

A thirty one year old native of the Lumbee tribe, living in a white world. Xb1 gt: aConsc1ousN8tiv " Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself."~Rumi|| depression,anxiety,& PTSD ig@ LUMBEE_LONER

[n8tive-bones]

Can't believe it's been 3 years since I last used tumblr, anyways I'm 31 now feeling old af these days lol. Still living with ptsd, anxiety, and depression. Still learning who this new person I am since my car accident in 2018. Hopefully my mutuals are still active on here and i wish y'all the best.

[8cht]

[thegoodvybe]

[violentwavesofemotion-deactivat]

when james baldwin said “you think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. it was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, who had ever been alive.” I felt that big, big time

[yo-its-matt]

what is it about me sitting in my little corner of the Internet and saying “I actually don’t hate myself as an adult now and I want to be nice to people and that’s my entire thing” that makes these anons start foaming at the mouth

[yo-its-matt]

I’ll be perfectly honest, I’ve spent the better part of a decade wishing I weren’t fucking alive and beating depression off with a caveman’s wooden club. If I get to a point in my adult life after all that shit where I can finally say “I don’t want to see myself dead anymore, I like who I am” and you have the gall to tell me I have too much self confidence now, I’m gonna take the club I killed my depression with and I’m gonna start beating you with it

[yo-its-matt]

Basically,

[tumbrr]

[thetattedstoner]

I don't want to be famous, I just want to be successful to where I can be lowkey and travel the world

[noirsilk-deactivated20200913]

“The older you get, the lonelier you become and the deeper the love you need. Loneliness creates an appetite for deeper love, and the entire predicament deepens. And as a result of suffering, your capacity to love deeply increases.”

—Leonard Cohen

[ithelpstodream]

[programmerhumour]

Repost to spread. (Not really humor)

[knights-vigil]

https://www.forbes.com/sites/zakdoffman/2020/03/14/new-warning-issued-for-all-whatsapp-and-imessage-users-major-threat-to-encryption/

New Warning Issued For All WhatsApp And iMessage Users: ‘Major Threat’ To Encryption

Is this the beginning of the end for secure messaging?

[abpoli]

Shared with permission from lilearthgirl on Instagram

[a-polite-melody]

[A series of ten images that contain black text that is sourced from @lilearthgirl on Instagram, on a pale orange background:

A GUIDE TO WHAT’S HAPPENING TO THE WET’SUWET’EN PEOPLE

#WETSUWETENSTRONG

The Canadian government is infringing on the rights of Indigenous peoples and forcibly removing them off their lands, prioritising profit from a natural gas pipeline over people, and the planet. Mainstream media isn’t covering it, so here’s what’s happening, and why you should give a f*ck, and what you can do.

 WHO ARE THE WET’SUWET’EN PEOPLE?

·        First Nations People living in Northern British Columbia aka “Canada”

·        They own a territory of 22,000 square kilometres

·        This territory is “unceded”, as in, it is not covered by any treaty

·        The Wet’suwet’en people have lived on and governed said lands under their laws for generations

·        BUT the Canadian federal government wants access to their territory to build the Coastal GasLink Pipeline Project, running through Wet’suwet’en territory

·        This pipeline will allow the transportation of natural gas to be exported

 IS THE PROJECT THAT BAD?

·        Yes it is.

·        It cuts through unceded land.

·        The land it cuts through is also culturally and ecologically sensitive.

·        The Wet’suwet’en people suggested an alternative route that would avoid this, but it’s more costly, hence it was rejected.

·        Natural gas is still a fossil fuel.

·        Methane leaks from the natural gas production process. Methane is 120x more powerful than CO2 when it first enters the atmosphere.

·        The process also could contaminate groundwater supplies, cause air pollution, and cause explosions.

 DID THEY CONSENT TO THIS?

·        Short answer, no.

·        Long answer:

·        The company in charge “consulted” with “relevant” authorities. They spoke to the band councils, who have control over small parts of the territory, but not all. The hereditary chiefs have greater say. And guess what? The hereditary chiefs didn’t agree to this.

·        It’s not that there’s disunity within the community, but rather that the company didn’t consult all parties, and the federal & provincial governments & corporations always try to undermine whatever operating system is saying no.

·        + Agreements were signed under duress. Lack of choice is not consent.

·        + It is a recognized right for the Indigenous peoples to withdraw consent whenever they want, and we are supposed to respect their wishes.

·        + Band leaders, though elected by the communities they are part of, do not represent a traditional form of government, unlike hereditary chiefs. The reason why they exist is because the federal government thought the way communities were governing themselves was “backwards”.

·        On February 6, the RCMP (Canadian police) started clearing land defenders from the Wet’suwet’en territory, claiming to “uphold a provincial court order”

·        This “court order” is the expanded court injunction granted to Coastal GasLink by the B.C. Supreme Court to allow the RCMP to access UNCEDED land and FORCIBLY remove anyone in their way

·        Which they did. THIS IS A VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS UNDER THE CANADIAN CONSTITUTION AND THE UN.

·        They also arrested Matriarchs while they were holding a ceremony to call on their ancestors and to honour missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls (which the government has been neglecting) (for a long time)

·        They also set up a media exclusion zone

·        Aka they literally stopped the media from covering this. As in, restricting MEDIA FREEDOM.

 ·        NOTE: The Wet’suwet’en people are PROTECTORS. NOT protestors. @bomgiizhik writes: “they are not protesting or engaging in activism. The media, governments, and police use this terminology on purpose to minimise the fact that Nations are saying NO to development under their enherent [sic] responsibility ro [sic] protect lands and waters. They reduce legit Nationhood positions to mainstream Canada as activism to stunt support. In other words: Propaganda.”

 THE GOVERNMENT RESPONSE SO FAR

·        Canadian transport minister is concerned about the economic consequences and safety issues from the blockades/solidarity protests all across the country

·        PM Justin Trudeau said: “We recognise the important democratic right—and we will always defend it—of peaceful protest. This is an important part of our democracy in Canada. But,” and here’s the kicker, “we are also a country of the rule of law, and we need to make sure those laws are respected.”

·        On Monday, 25 Indigenous and settler youth occupied the office of Carolyn Bennett, the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, who said “I do not have the power to do anything”

 WHAT CAN YOU DO?

The following steps have been adapted from an Instagram post by @seedingsovereignty and the Wet’suwet’en Supporter Toolkit 2020.

·        PHYSICAL: register to be a volunteer

·        But if you’re not anywhere near Canada, or if you are unable to volunteer, you can still do a lot

·        FUNDRAISE/DONATE to the Unist’ot’en 2020 Legal Fund and the Gidimt’en Strong fundraiser

·        EDUCATE. Make sure that everyone keeps their eyes on the Unist’ot’en and Wet’suwet’en

·        BUILD SOLIDARITY.

·        Form a supporter group in your local community, brainstorm what you can do. Protest, occupy government offices, the offices of those financing this project. Pressure the Canadian government through writing and calling them. Or messaging them on social media.

FOLLOW, WITNESS, AMPLIFY:

@seedingsovereignty, @gidimten_checkpoint, @pam_palmater, @smogelgem, @climatejusticeto, @cricket.guest

 ADDITIONAL NOTES (1)

Indigenous rights violations is easily one of the biggest reasons why this matters.

Nyangala Zolho writes: “From Chief Deskaheh of the Cayuga who attempted to speak at the League of Nations in 1923 to the Mapuche flag being raised during Chile’s protests in October 2019—indigenous people today continue to call for rights many of us would assume twenty-first century citizens are assigned from birth.

From Polynesia to the Americas, indigenous peoples—no homogenous group—share a common struggle for rights in and over their traditional lands, often under legal jurisdictions that deny their very existence. Like all movements of oppressed peoples, there is a story of physical occupation, socio-political marginalisation and cultural discrimination over generations.”

These systems of oppression need to stop.

 ADDITIONAL NOTES (2)

Indigenous peoples are environmental stewards. Despite comprising less than 5% of the world’s population, Indigenous people protect a whopping 80% of our global biodiversity. Scientists and conservations have recognised their abilities to protecting biodiversity better than corporations and governments can.

But it’s about much more than that. Anne Spice, a Tlingit land defender, anti-colonial organiser and scholar, and neighbour to the Wet’suwet’en people, writes:

“It is about creating a space of healing, and re-connecting Indigenous people to the land and our other-than-human relations. It is about re-establishing our responsibilities to live in good relation to the land, and animals, and water.

It is about strengthening our collective ability to survive, and thrive, in balance with the “natural world,” which does not exist separate from us. For these reasons, characterizations of the Wet’suwet’en struggle as an “environmental” conflict are false. They fail to account for the interconnection between our Indigenous communities and the non-human communities we care for.”

 YOUR SILENCE FUELS COLOIAL VIOLENCE.

IF YOUR ENVIRONMENTALISM ISN’T INTERSECTIONAL, IF IT ISN’T ANTICOLONIAL, ANTIOPPRESSIVE, ANTIRACIST, IT AIN’T ENVIRONMENTALISM. ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES ARE SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUES. WHAT RCMP AND THE CANADIAN GOVERNMENT ARE DOING NOW IS CRIMINAL. DON’T BE SILENT NOW. IF YOU WERE WILLING TO FLOOD YOUR FEED WITH WHAT HAPPENED IN THE AMAZON, IN AUSTRALIA, THEN YOU SHOULD CARE ABOUT THIS TOO.]

[isthismayberelatable]

FOR THE SAKE OF YOUR DOG, DONT SCROLL PAST THIS

IMPORTANT! Gravy Train Dog Food was had a recall.

The food was tainted with and contains euthanasia. 

Source: (x)

A bunch of dogs, including my own, eat Gravy Train. It’s a very affordable wet canned dog food, so many people buy it. and my dog has to eat it because she’s lost most of her teeth and can’t chew.

Please, SIGNAL BOOST THIS! 

Even if you don’t have a dog, your followers probably do, and plenty of them are at risk. You could save a life.

[the-art-block]

RECONCILIATION IS DEAD.

 Wet'suwet'en never ceded their territory to the colonization attempts of settlers, that land is under the sovereign law of the Wet'suwet'en Chieftains. The Canadian Government and the authorities of British Columbia have no fucking right to walk on that land. They violate laws which predate European colonization.  

Stand with Wet'suwet'en, donate and spread word, whatever you can manage. Be outspoken, even if you have no indigenous ties, people from all around the world are standing behind the good work of Camp Unist'ot'ten. This is about more than the fully justified rage of the First Nations of North America, it is a demonstration that the faceless tyrants present in our governments and business enterprises will not be allowed to bat aside the rights of human beings for the sake of further engorging a fucking profit margin. 

Supporter Toolkit 

Legal Fund

[cyndigenous-deactivated20210204]

“There are no local rallies/I can not physically attend a rally. What can I do to help the Wet’suwet’en?”

Good question! Lots! 

First, keep up to date on what’s going on and share information and updates on your social media. Share with your families and friends. Raise awareness. Check unistoten.camp to keep updated, or their social media accounts. They have been updating really consistently. 

Second, contact people. 

here’s a link that will let you fill in your info and it auto-calls you to connect you to one of the ministers that is relevant to this!

You can also directly call, email, fax or send letters to people involved here: 

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

Contact form with feedback

Phone: [phone]

Email: [email protected]

Fax:  [phone]

Letters:  Office of the Prime Minister                 80 Wellington Street              Ottawa, ON K1A 0A2

or 

            House of Commons *             Ottawa, Ontario,             Canada             K1A 0A6

Federal Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Carolyn Bennett

Phone: [phone]

Email: [email protected]  [email protected]

Fax:  [phone]

Letters:  House of Commons                Ottawa, Ontario,               Canada               K1A 0A6

Federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change Jonathan Wilkinson: 

Phone:  [phone]

Email: [email protected]  [email protected]

Fax:  [phone]

Letters: House of Commons *             Ottawa, Ontario,             Canada             K1A 0A6

BC Premier John Horgan: 

Phone:  [phone]

Email:  [email protected]

Fax:  [phone]

Letters: PO BOX 9041 STN PROV GOVT 

             VICTORIA, BC V8W 9E1

BC Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development Doug Donaldson

Phone: [phone]

Email: [email protected]

Letters:  PO Box 9049, Stn Prov Govt, 

              Victoria, BC V8W 9E2

BC Minister of Indigenous Relations & Reconciliation Scott Fraser 

Phone:  [phone]

Email: [email protected]

Fax: [phone]

Letters: PO Box 9051, Stn Prov Govt, 

            Victoria, BC V8W 9E2

wanna try more people? here are key contacts in BC government. this includes deputy ministers, more offices, communications offices of the above BC officials

[houseboundcentipede]

To contact the RCMP in BC:

14200 Green Timbers Way, Surrey, B.C. V3T 6P3

Phone: [phone]

Email: [email protected]

An email template (taken from act.leadnow.ca but modified):

I’m sending this message to ask that your government uphold your commitment to the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), and respect Wet’suwet’en Law by withdrawing the RCMP from Wet’suwet’en Nation and cancelling Coastal GasLink’s permits. This is unceded land, and the Canadian government has no rights to it.

I was horrified when heavily-armed RCMP officers forcibly removed Wet'suwet'en people from their own territory last year, and again on February 10, 2020, during an important ceremony for missing and murdered indigenous women and two-spirit people.

All five Clans of the Wet’suwet’en have rejected all pipelines. Coastal GasLink’s proposed pipeline does not have free, prior, and informed consent from the Wet’suwet’en. Coastal GasLink and the RCMP are trespassing on sovereign Wet’suwet’en land.

[t4t4t]

Native burial sites blown up for US border wall

"Controlled blasting" for Mr Trump's border wall is taking place at sacred gravesites, tribes and lawmakers say.

[izalen]

Colonialism is not a concept of a bygone era.

[cyndigenous-deactivated20210204]

Feb 6, 2020: Canada launches yet another attack on unceded Wet’swet’en lands in order to push through a pipeline that was approved without consent from the Wet’suwet’en people.

For Gidimt'en's call to action: www.yintahaccess.com

Donate to Gidimt'en camp: https://www.gofundme.com/f/gidimt039en-strong

Unist'ot'en Supporter toolkit: unistoten.camp/supportertoolkit2020/

Unist'ot'en legal fund: https://actionnetwork.org/fundraising/unistoten2020legalfund

[cyndigenous-deactivated20210204]

The camp has now issued an international call for mobilization

Link to Facebook event

[master7mindd]

There's at least one international demonstration at a Canadian embassy already and indigenous led groups within Canada shutting down multiple major ports, highways, and train tracks for lengths of time anywhere between hours and days. The time to act is now

[sushinfood]

To anyone surprised by this at all, please understand the people who’ve named this country Canada have always, always been utterly vile to the indigenous people. Listen to the Podcast Thunder Bay for even just a little insight into this nonsense. Read about the Scoop. It’s always been absolutely horrific.

[supercalispecialinterest-deacti]

I'm Australian and I don't know anything about this (Or those people?) But Australia has been pretty shit to our own indigenous people and if anyone wants to tell me I'm happy to learn about another group that needs help!

[cyndigenous-deactivated20210204]

So a basic/brief rundown:

The Canadian government is backing a company called Coastal GasLink in forcing a pipeline through unceded territory.

What unceded means: There was no treaty, not sale, no surrender of land to Canada, which means Wet’suwet’en territory is sovereign and Canada has no authority there. Under the Indian Act, Canada established band councils with elected chiefs, different from traditional systems of governance here. Some of the elected chiefs agreed to the pipeline but they only have authority on reserves, not over the whole vast territory. The hereditary chiefs who do have authority have not consented.

The Unist’ot’en Camp is a camp that is a base for some of the land defenders. It’s worth noting that there is a healing center there as well. There is also the Gidemt’en camp and Wet’suwet’en camp that have been under siege.

The RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) and the Canadian military launched raids in January of last year to let the company through, but the defenders didn’t give up and the hereditary chiefs evicted CGL.

Feb 6, 2020, the RCMP began militarized raids again, tearing down gates and forcibly removing and arresting Indigenous people at gunpoint. They banned journalists from the area and have been attempting to cut off communication from the camps by removing defenders and witnesses. Across Canada and the world there have been actions in solidarity, including railroad, highway and port blockades.

As if literally like half an hour ago, RCMP were making another advance on the camp.

[tenetke]

i haven’t seen anything on my dash about it so

today is the anniversary of the Wounded Knee Massacre (Dec 29, 1890). The United States in cold blood murdered Lakota men, women, and children. Slaughtered them and have the nerve to call it a “battle” as if there was any fighting done in return. 

Today native people still struggle against the effects of cultural and physical genocide. Our voices are often smothered by others but we are still strong. And we never forget. 

The Truth About the Wounded Knee Massacre (IndianCountryToday)

Lakota accounts of the Massacre at Wounded Knee (PBS)

There are also many native people posting memorials and thoughts on Twitter.