Indigenous Resurgence
New Socialist
Ideas for Radical Change
Issue 58 September-October 2006
A special issue guest-edited by Taiaiake Alfred, Glen Coulthard and Deborah Simmons.
THE ARTICLES AND INTERVIEWS ASSEMBLED FOR THIS SPECIAL edition on the struggles of indigenous peoples in North America demonstrate the myriad and multifaceted ways in which the original people of this continent are fighting against contemporary colonialism in all of its forms. The indigenous peoples of North America, in their cultural, political and intellectual struggles, are redefining what it means to be radical.
The catalyst for this publication was the 2006 Indigenous Leadership Forum that took place on June 5-16 at the University of Victoria. During that gathering, 31 participants committed to building Wasáse, a new radical indigenous movement. As we go to press, the Wasáse network has swelled to 79 people from 26 indigenous nations in North America. Nineteen settlers within the Canadian state have registered solidarity with the movement. All of the authors in this issue are either formal supporters or fellow travelers of the movement. We have joined forces with New Socialist in collecting these voices of the Wasáse movement because we share in common the belief that an essential challenge of indigenous self-determination is the question of how to stop, roll back and dismantle capitalism. Being land-based societies, indigenous peoples have always been the prime targets of capitalist expansion and imperialist objectives. Today they remain at the forefront of contemporary radicalism and the struggle to live with dignity and in harmony with others and the natural environment.
Indigenous peoples are also redefining what it means to resist empire. Contemporary colonialism rarely maintains itself solely through the blunt forces of capitalist exploitation and dispossession. Indeed, in order to achieve so much political control and physical destruction, colonialism has had to solidify its gains by normalizing the injustices it has perpetrated against indigenous people.
This means that resistance must confront not only the illegitimate exercise of state and corporate power, but also the colonial ideas, values and beliefs that have seeped into our cultures and psyches. Our freedom is not only constrained by the overtly structural relations of power that we face on a daily basis – such as capitalism, white supremacy, heteropatriarchy, state domination and environmental destruction; it is also subverted by the reproduction of these forms of power by and within our communities.
These aspects of empire impede our freedom, sabotage our health and destroy the well-being of our communities. Today’s indigenous warriors understand and practice resistance as a means of transcending these forces. In this sense, “resistance” is no longer a sufficient term to describe what is happening among our people; personalities are being reconstructed, lives re-made and communities re-formed in a process more akin to “regeneration.”
Our aim is twofold: to illustrate the elements and dynamics of this movement among indigenous peoples; and to enliven the struggle of all peoples who are confronting capitalism and imperialism by showing the connections that exist between our movements. To this end we have also sought out contributions from non-indigenous allies.
Indigenous peoples are cognizant that we cannot defeat colonial aggression alone. A winning strategy requires that we actively promote solidarity and cooperative action with those who share similar ethical and political commitments. But solidarity is hard work. It requires a great deal of critical self reflection and commitment to action on the part of the settler population. Coming to grips with colonial privilege by acknowledging the role that settlers play in the maintenance of empire must be seen as a necessary aspect of the struggle to decolonize.
Indigenous peoples today are articulating a new vision of a human existence for the 21st century. We are critically rethinking and refashioning the basis of our social and political lives toward the realization of our freedom as the original peoples of this land. We invite readers of this magazine to help build the movement.
[Guest Editors: Taiaiake Alfred (Kanien’kehaka) and Glen Coulthard (Dene); http://www.wasáse.org contact@wasáse.org ]
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THE ONGOING CONFRONTATION AND OVERT RACISM AT SIX Nations is an ugly reminder that the theft of indigenous lands and oppression of indigenous peoples is a cornerstone of the Canadian state and economy. Solidarity with indigenous movements for self-determination is a critical aspect of socialist organising in Canada. This collaboration with members and supporters of Wasáse sheds light on what solidarity and self-determination mean in theory and practice. Many thanks to Taiaiake Alfred, Glen Coulthard, and our other contributors for initiating this important dialogue.
Deborah Simmons (Settler), Guest Editor
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Click here to see the table of contents and read articles from this special issue.
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