Chris Sankey: 'Neo-colonial' environmental activists are tearing First Nations apart - "Canadians need to be made aware of the ways in which non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are interfering in Indigenous participation in Canada’s natural resource sector. These organizations — which are almost all foreign entities with Canadian branches — hire activists and promote misleading commentary about Canada’s oil and gas sector and First Nations’ interest in development. These organizations, which include the Sierra Club, Stand Earth, World Wildlife Federation and Tides Foundation, have garnered a great deal of sympathetic attention from the national and international media. But in my experience in northern British Columbia, there are dozens of NGOs funded by both government and interest groups that actively befriend Indigenous communities, groups and urban organizations with the goal of using the community’s political capital to block and stall the development of Canada’s natural resources, particularly the oil and gas sector. Canada’s unwillingness and inability to prevent interest groups from interfering in and blocking natural resource development harms Canada’s international standing among our energy starved democratic allies and stops us from opening new markets for our energy products. These campaigns, which extend to our mining, fishing and forestry sectors, have undermined the livelihoods of thousands of everyday Canadians. Locally, the turmoil caused by these interventions has ripped apart relationships within and between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. When the projects are halted, these intruders leave the north and return to their comfortable lives in the southern cities, leaving Indigenous communities to deal with the lasting damage. These biased NGOs have torn apart countless families and friendships in order to impose their views on communities... Non-government activists and organizations have influenced our municipalities, provinces and civil elections. Pro-development Indigenous communities are intentionally ignored but the activists love showboating, wearing cedar hats and attire for photo-ops from nations that might be opposed to oil and gas development. They befriend young people within pro-development nations and pay them to protest oil and gas and then assert, usually incorrectly, that the vast majority of community members oppose these life changing opportunities... I say this to these organizations and activists: the gig is up. While you pay small sums to our youth to join protests, most of our people continue to suffer economically and socially. Indigenous leaders are now questioning these ecological protesters and they will be calling you out more often. These activists’ actions have not helped First Nations. They damage Indigenous unity. I have personally received numerous requests calling on me to help them “shut down” Canada. It is appalling. I am furious about the audacity of a handful Indigenous and non-Indigenous people claiming to love our people and communities who then sit back and watch as we tear each other apart. These activists, in this regard, are little different than the old Indian agents who, believing that they knew what was best for us, brought pain, despair and shame to our people. These neo-colonial activists must be stopped. First Nations people did not elect or select these NGOs or the individuals who now try to dictate their policy. I feel misled by the sheer number of individuals associated with environmental groups, all of whom claim to be there “for us,” while they merely use us to push their own agenda. We do not need outsiders, once more, telling First Nations people what to do."
The liberals who keep going on about "foreign interference" don't care when the interference helps their causes
Kelly McParland: Turning a blind eye to Pierre Trudeau's unseemly Indigenous assimilation plan - "There is almost exactly a century separating the governments of Sir John A. Macdonald and Pierre E. Trudeau, but not much difference in their approach to Indigenous issues... The view taken by Trudeau, he of the “Just Society” and later the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, was that “equality” meant everyone should be governed by the same laws. Canada was no place for one set of rules for some people, and another set for others"
Of course, in the 21st century, equality is racist
N.B. government employees ordered to stop making Indigenous land acknowledgments - "New Brunswick government employees have been ordered to stop making territorial or title acknowledgments in reference to Indigenous lands, because the province is involved in a series of legal actions and land claims initiated by First Nations."
First Nations lay claim to all critical minerals and rare earth elements in Saskatchewan - "First Nations are laying claim to all critical minerals and rare earth elements in Saskatchewan in light of the province announcing its new critical mineral strategy on Monday... Some 35 First Nation communities in Ontario currently have resource sharing agreements with the province. They receive 45 per cent of annual revenue from contributing forest management units, 40 per cent of the annual mining tax and royalties and 45 per cent from future mines covered by the agreements... "First and foremost it's about resource revenue sharing, sharing the wealth and the bounty that comes from our land."... Saskatchewan's Premier Scott Moe said Thursday that resource revenue is shared with everyone in the province. He added that the province engages Indigenous-owned businesses and has Indigenous people working in resource extraction industries."
When the virtue signalling birds come home to roost
Portland Art Museum changes policy after Karuk mother speaks out - "Indigenous people have used cradle baskets to hold and transport babies since time immemorial. Sophie Weinstein comes from a long line of master basket weavers who take pride in keeping the tradition alive. Last week, museum staff told the young mother to remove the traditional willow basket holding her son — even as she visited the museum’s exhibit showcasing a Native American artist. The incident reignited long-simmering discussion about the complex relationship Indigenous peoples have with museums, which Weinstein said have often functioned as a muscle of colonization and forced assimilation. The incident also prompted the Portland Art Museum (PAM) to revisit and revise its policies and cultural sensitivity training... At the front desk, museum staff told Weinstein that backpacks aren’t allowed in the exhibits. Weinstein says her cousin, Geena Talley, assured them the basket was neither a “backpack” nor a “bag,” and shared how many Indigenous Nations have carried their babies in baskets like the one she wore for generations... Shortly after placing him in the basket, another PAM employee approached and told her to remove the basket from her back because it violated museum policy. The employee offered Weinstein a stroller instead.”I was pretty upset and pointed out that the policies and their rigid enforcement have caused lots of harm in this country, and are the premise for not only racism, but the attempted genocide of our people,” Weinstein said... “Like many museums we had a ‘Nothing on the back of policy,’” he said. “We have updated that to explicitly allow baby carriers of all types.” The updated policy now reads: ”We kindly request that bags, backpacks, or items larger than 11″ x 17″ x 6″ be left outside the Museum. Babies in carriers are permitted. Other bags should be carried at your side or in front, and not worn on one’s back.""
Why You Shouldn’t Bring A Backpack To The Museum – Museum Of African American History And Culture - "Most museums do not allow visitors to wear backpacks for several reasons. Backpacks can be bulky and cumbersome, making it difficult to move around and see exhibits. They can also be easily dropped or left behind, which can damage exhibits or cause disruptions. Additionally, backpacks can be used to smuggle in contraband or other items that could be used to damage exhibits. For these reasons, it is best to leave your backpack at home when visiting a museum."
In the NPR comments, some people were saying even if all baby carriers were not allowed, this was not acceptable because of equity and that people who disagreed were racist. Ahh... the racism of anti-racism!
One person said they were displaying indigenous items while not allowing indigenous items to be used which was "the epitome of colonial cultural genocide". I guess museums need to allow scalping on premises now otherwise it's genocide
Good luck to their collections now that they've been forced to allow baby carriers worn on the back. The next time a non-indigenous person damages an indigenous artefact because of the new policy, this will be held up as proof of "genocide"
University president on paid leave amid questions over Indigenous identity - "Memorial University President Vianne Timmons decided to go on voluntary paid leave after she became engulfed in a scandal surrounding her claimed Indigenous heritage. In a statement released Monday, Timmons apologized for any pain her disputed claims to Indigenous ancestry have caused. Memorial University is an academic institution located in Newfoundland and Labrador, a Canadian province. The controversy stems from Timmons claiming she has never benefited from her Indigenous ancestry, which she maintains is different from Indigenous identity... There have been several high-profile cases of individuals claiming Native American ancestry for their own professional advancement in recent years. During the 2020 campaign, President Donald Trump blasted Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) as “Fauxcahontas” after it was reported that she claimed Native American heritage at various points throughout her life; she later admitted she was wrong to do so. More recently, Dylan Whiteduck, chief of Kitigan Zibi Anishinābeg, accused a purported Native American social justice organization of not actually being run by Native Americans and distributing fake ID cards to people who are not Native American."
Damn White Privilege!
Native American producer Heather Rae is a fake, activists claim - "One of Hollywood’s leading Native American figures is being accused of faking her claims of Cherokee heritage... Award-winning Heather Rae, 56, serves on the Academy of Motion Pictures’ Indigenous Alliance, previously headed up the Sundance Institute’s Native American program and claims “my mother was Indian and my father was a cowboy.” Multiple prior news reports have also cited her as having a Cherokee mother. But a watchdog group called the Tribal Alliance Against Frauds is now demanding the Academy and the producer drop her “false claims” while activists insist she’s at best 1/2048th Cherokee. The group accuses her of profiting from usurping “real American Indian voices and perspectives” and being a fraudulent so-called “Pretendian.”... Ironically, Rae was already caught up in the highest-profile “Pretendian” scandal to hit Hollywood. The producer was thanked by the Academy last year for brokering an apology to Sacheen Littlefeather. Littlefeather was blacklisted in Hollywood for appearing on Marlon Brando’s behalf to decline his 1973 Best Actor Oscar and jeered as she spoke up for Native Americans, claiming she was Apache. But after her death in October, Littlefeather’s sister revealed she was a liar, who had faked her identity all along. Rae is the latest target for Native American campaigners against people appropriating their ancestry."
CRHRT pushes against federal government welfare offer - "The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (CHRT) has rejected the federal government’s $40-billion child welfare offer, saying it did not meet the promised $40,000 compensation for each First Nations child and caregiver harmed by discrimination and institutionalized mistreatment."
Tax money is unlimited
Angel Eduardo on Twitter - "Here’s a land acknowledgment for you: There isn’t a single patch of dirt on this Earth that hasn’t been soaked in blood—and it’s either on all of our hands, or none. Let’s all be humbled and heartened by that fact, and try moving forward together."
Indigenous perspectives in mathematics education - "To see and understand an Indigenous perspective of mathematics, you must accept the premise that mathematics is intrinsically connected to culture and, consequently, has many different cultural expressions."
I'm sure this will help aborigines learn maths better
Opinion: I’m an Indigenous woman who works in Alberta’s oil sands – and I can speak for myself - "To hear it from oil sands critics, politicians and activists, Indigenous people in the oil sands are a contradiction. Surely, they cannot exist. Or if they do, they are surely victims of a predatory resource industry, or are colonized sellouts.So I thought I’d share my own story... People who don’t understand the oil sands may hold perceptions that resource-industry workers are crude, uneducated and dirty people who don’t care about the environment, but from what I’ve seen, none of that is true.There’s been growing concern about the violence faced by Indigenous women in this country, and that’s a good thing. But when people try to focus their energy to separate Indigenous women from the resource industry, that’s a mistake. I’ve never once felt unsafe while working here. For me, the best way to protect myself and to be independent is to give my family and myself the privilege of options in life – and for me, that has come from working in this industry... I’m tired of politicians and activists speaking about Indigenous people as if we only have one voice, one culture, one worldview. Everyone has the right to speak up for what they believe in. But we must stop speaking about Indigenous people as if we all fit one stereotype... I have broken the cycle of government dependency, violence and poverty. I have my own voice. I refuse to be a victim of my circumstances. Most of all, I have choices, and I choose to declare that I’m a proud Indigenous woman working in the oil sands."
Urban Indigenous people in Ontario now eligible for 2nd COVID-19 shot 3-4 weeks after 1st dose - "All Indigenous adults, whether on-reserve, off-reserve, in urban or remote communities, were prioritized in the first phase of Ontario's vaccine roll-out plan, following national guidelines... Smylie said the province's announcement of prioritizing urban Indigenous people for second doses is good news, but overdue. "I don't think we ever should have had a policy in Ontario where First Nations people on reserve got a second dose on time, and those off reserves didn't, because there's no science basis for that""
Apparently "science" (which, as we know, is always followed) says that some animals are more equal than others
Black and Indigenous riders are ‘grossly overrepresented’ in TTC transit enforcement data, report finds | The Star - "They found that while Black residents make up less than nine per cent of Toronto’s population, they were involved in more than 19 per cent of all enforcement incidents over the 11-year period. Similarly, Indigenous people, who make up 0.8 per cent of the population, accounted for three per cent of incidents. The enforcement rate of Black residents was 1.95 times greater than that of white passengers, while the rate for Indigenous residents was 3.1 times greater. The prevalence of white customers in the enforcement data approximated their presence in the general population, while Asians, South Asians and all other minority groups were under-represented."
The fact that the "racist" inspectors "target" Asians, South Asians and other minority groups less than their proportion of the population is suggestive
Using the law to mandate who can claim Indigenous ancestry is a slippery slope - The Globe and Mail - "there was a call for federal legislation making it illegal to claim Indigenous ancestry that would allow individuals access to certain grants, awards and jobs intended specifically for Indigenous people. Haida filmmaker Tamara Bell, a 20-year industry veteran, wants to prevent appropriation of the Indigenous spotlight, as in the situations of filmmaker Michelle Latimer recently and author Joseph Boyden a few years back. Bell is calling for the creation of an Indigenous Identity Act, hoping it will prevent “Pretendians” from getting backstage passes to the Indigenous concert of life – under penalty of jail terms and fines... there is talk of setting up a way of verifying Indigenous identities. I thought there already was one – called the Indian Act. There are very clear, specific definitions of who is what and can be what. Cards were even issued. If you missed the news since 1876, it’s pretty much accepted that did not turn out so well. What a better solution is, I admit I don’t know. Many Indigenous cultures of Canada have always been ones of inclusion, not exclusion. Some nations in the East argue there is no such thing as the Eastern Métis because historically, anybody with mixed blood was automatically welcomed into their communities. They were not considered separate."
Everyone wants free stuff, if they can get it
I saw people complaining about non-indigenous people questioning if an alleged indigenous person really was one - but since indigenous people complain about that too...
Indigenous identity fraud law would be ‘a dividing line in the sand,’ says filmmaker - "Bell was spurred to act when award-winning Ontario filmmaker and actor Latimer’s two-decade-old claims to be Indigenous came into question in a CBC investigation in December, which found no recent genealogical evidence of Indigenous ancestry, but only two distant First Nations ancestors in the 1600s. “She rose, continuing her false identity, and ended up winning awards and profiteering, making what I estimate to be $1 million since she began to say she was Indigenous,” Bell alleges. “Money that was specifically meant to encourage and create a level playing field for Indigenous people.”... “Since the 70s white people have been searching for ways to escape whiteness”"
"White privilege" means white people don't want to be white
'Box-tickers' who pretend to be Aboriginal are taking over universities - "Dr Grieve-Williams says the woman is one of growing number of Australians who claim to be Indigenous when they have no such ancestry. These people are sometimes called 'box-tickers' - because they literally tick a box to say they are Aboriginal - but are known in Canada as Pretendians and in the United States as race-shifters. Dr Grieve-Williams describes what they do as 'Indigenous identify fraud'... There is no way of knowing how many box-tickers there are in Australia but the practice seems particularly prevalent in academia and sectors of the public service where Aboriginality is sought and sometimes rewarded... There are particular benefits for box-tickers within academia who falsely claim to be Aboriginal. 'The benefits are to do with status, you have a certain status when you're a recognised Aboriginal person,' Dr Grieve-Williams said. 'But the main benefit is material. 'People get promoted very quickly. The interesting thing is box-tickers, or those committing identity fraud, seem to get the big jobs. 'They're promoted over other Aboriginal people. We joke and we say they're better at being Aboriginal people than we are.'... 'The voices in Australia in defence of Indigenous identity fraud are very shrill, they're very damaging. You can be absolutely cancelled out because a lot of people have something to protect. 'One of the things that's been established in the United States and Canada is that the Pretendians support each other and it's the same thing in Australia. 'They will give each other jobs, they will give each other references, and they will often be quite aggressive and ostrasising of real Aboriginal people.' Dr Grieve-Williams said non-Aboriginal people taking public service jobs meant for Aboriginal applicants were known as 'nine-to-five blacks' and caused resentment... Another term, 'black cladding', refers to a non-Indigenous business masquerading as an Indigenous business by deceptive marketing which invents or exaggerates Aboriginal involvement in the enterprise... It is indisputable the number of Australians who say they are Aboriginal has been increasing for decades at a rate far faster than the broader population, or that can be explained by births... at least some of these box-tickers are likely to be moved by a belief that to be white in modern Australia is to accept being part of a dark colonial history deeply associated with guilt. Anecdotes suggest there is a mindset that identifying as Aboriginal seems more exotic, or might somehow afford claimants some spiritual connection with the land that doesn't exist... The suggestion Aboriginal Australians build and maintain their own lists of groups - Wiradjuri people, Warraimaay people, and so forth - has been resisted. 'It was howled down by not only the Aboriginal people but the identity fraud people and white people as something akin to Nazism,' Dr Grieve-Williams said. 'Can you believe that? They were saying this is what the Nazis did - "We won't have any lists, we won't agree with lists".'"
When you have affirmative action, people will act accordingly
Of course we only get an admission that affirmative action means minorities are judged by lower standards when the system is "abused" by non-favoured groups. Otherwise, we are always told that it's to ensure that minorities get the same chance as the "majority" and that opposing it means you're racist since you think minorities aren't as good as the "majority"
Duluth pushes to remove 'chief' from job titles, calling it offensive to Indigenous people - "City leaders are making a push to remove the word "chief" from job titles, calling the term offensive to Indigenous people"
Kisha James on Twitter - "Not so friendly reminder that the Bering Strait Theory is racist, wrong and disproven. It implies that Natives were settlers, whereas modern science indicates we were here long before the land bridge, and traditional knowledge says we've been here forever."
Science is racist after all
'Beyond shocked': Video shows security guard's violent attempt to arrest Indigenous woman outside Saskatoon store - "Brian Pfefferle, a Saskatoon-based criminal lawyer, said it’s unlikely the security guard will face charges. He says the Criminal Code allows people to use “reasonable” force when making a citizen’s arrest within a reasonable amount of time after a crime has been committed... Acikahte said she heard the security guard tell the woman he thought she was stealing and that he needed to look in her purse. Acikahte saw the woman empty her purse and explain she didn’t have her receipt. When the woman said she would not go back into the store with the guard to look at surveillance footage, the guard blocked the woman from leaving, the woman resisted and the guard “threw her to the ground with her arms still behind her back so she couldn’t brace herself for the fall.”... Acikahte said she emailed the video to police after telling officers the guard “assaulted the woman first,” and that the woman was calm until violence was used. “To have evidence of everything that happened so that the victim has a chance to be believed, I think that’s extremely important”"
It is racist to catch indigenous people for shoplifting
'We do not welcome interference': When First Nations break with environmentalists - "It’s been dubbed the new “War in the Woods”: A growing Vancouver Island protest encampment aimed at disrupting planned logging in Fairy Creek, an expanse of old-growth rainforest located just north of the British Columbia capital of Victoria. “We do not welcome or support unsolicited involvement or interference by others in our Territory, including third-party activism,” read an April 12 letter drafted by the Pacheedaht First Nation, whose traditional territory encompasses the Fairy Creek watershed. The letter was posted to Twitter by Nathan Cullen, B.C.’s Minister of State for Natural Resource Operations... It’s a phenomenon that is becoming not all that uncommon in British Columbia which, unlike much of Canada, sits largely on untreatied land. As the province’s Indigenous communities acquire greater control of development and natural resources, they are increasingly butting up against environmentalist groups who claim to represent them. In early 2020, southern Vancouver Island’s Scia’new First Nation denounced Extinction Rebellion Vancouver Island after the group blockaded the home of B.C. Premier John Horgan, ostensibly in defence of the recognition of Indigenous rights... a different Vancouver Island faction of Extinction Rebellion was also denounced by K’òmoks First Nation for an illegal highway blockade that activists asserted was devoted towards “defending our home in the K’omoks Territory.”... The last major B.C. resource battle to galvanize Canadian public opinion came just before the onset of COVID-19. The country saw nationwide rail blockades put up in support of Wet’suwet’en opposition to the Coastal GasLink project, a 700-km pipeline to carry natural gas from around Dawson Creek to the port of Kitimat. Coastal GasLink had the support of elected band governments along its route. But anti-pipeline activists backed a dissenting faction of hereditary chiefs, asserting that they represented a more legitimate form of Indigenous governance as opposed to elected band councils established by the Indian Act. Lost in the resulting national controversy — ginned up by both environmentalist and gas industry influence — was an intra-community fight over power and legitimacy. Elected chiefs accused hereditary chiefs of going rogue, as did female subchiefs who accused the all-male anti-pipeline chiefs of acting outside of their nation’s matriarchal traditions. “To ignore their clan members and Elected Councils, something is terribly amiss”"
What is more important? "Anti-racism" or "protecting the environment"?
Avoid seeking jail time for Indigenous offenders, B.C. prosecutors told - The Globe and Mail - "Custodial sentences for Indigenous offenders convicted of crimes that bring penalties of less than two years in prison should be recommended only as a last resort, a new directive for B.C. prosecutors says. The policy announced on Friday is part of an effort to reduce the over-representation of Indigenous people in the province’s justice system"
What "equality" looks like
How "Indigenous Ways of Knowing" Works In Venezuela - "Members of the Bari tribe believe that the semen of multiple men can contribute to the formation of the embryo. Should this be respected as an “indigenous way of knowing”?... For years, governments in the region have promoted multicultural education, on account of Latin America’s traumatic colonial history. The argument is straight forward: colonialism has inflicted massive damage on the psyche of indigenous peoples, and that needs to change. Justice must be done, and this needs to be reflected in education. This implies decolonizing the curriculum, by focusing less on the Western canon, and giving more educational space to indigenous oral literature, arts, and so on. This is all great. But, the push to decolonize the curriculum goes much further than that. Just as Canada, Australia, and other Western nations are now doing, this decolonizing of the curriculum also implies the acceptance and recognition of so-called “indigenous ways of knowing.” Such efforts would serve the purpose of doing what postcolonialist scholar Vish Visvanathan calls “cognitive justice”, i.e., the recognition of the right for different forms of knowledge to co-exist... As far as I can see, in countries such as Canada, this movement in favor of “indigenous ways of knowing” still remains on a more abstract level. As Josh Dehaas describes it, there may be some veneer of magical thinking and new spirituality in Canadian universities as a result of this push to decolonize the curriculum. But so far, in the North American educational scene, there has been no real clash on the ground between science and “indigenous ways of knowing.” In Venezuela, I have encountered this clash on a far more concrete level. A few Bari students have protested my “stubborn” adherence to the conventional theory of human reproduction, and school administrators are now feeling the heat of bureaucrats who want educators to accommodate indigenous religious beliefs, even if they directly clash with science. This implies giving marks to Bari students who answer in exams that two or more men can contribute semen to the formation of an embryo. It is one thing to enact religious rituals in class so as to make indigenous students feel welcome in seminars (as some Canadian universities now do); it is quite another to accept that folk theories of reproduction are as valid as scientific theories. The concept of “cognitive justice” flies in the face of a fundamental principle of logic: Aristotle’s law of non-contradiction. Two contradictory statements cannot both be true at the same time. And yet, this is what “cognitive justice” amounts to. The Bari and the scientific theories of reproduction contradict each other; therefore, it is logically impossible to accept both of them as true. On an epistemological level, they cannot coexist, but somehow, school administrators want them to coexist... So far, my colleagues and I have been able to resist, but I do not know if educators in Venezuela (and Latin America at large) will be able to do so for much longer. Ever more, populist politicians in the region appeal to indigenismo, and we have to come to feel the heat of this in classrooms. The same politicians who once laughed at the gringos for having even considered allowing religious fanatics teach that the Earth is 6,000 years old and humans coexisted with dinosaurs, now toy with the idea that, all in the name of postcolonialism, educators ought to accept indigenous beliefs as epistemologically on par with scientific theories. This should be a cautionary tale for North American educators. Few school administrators have actually given enough thought to what the push for “indigenous ways of knowing” really implies"
The same people who claim to follow "science" also promote anti-racist post-modernism
