Clearing The Path – Idle No More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: (Turtle Island, July 26, 2013)
Clearing the Path | To the many supporters, organizers, and people in the struggle for Indigenous justice: We extend an invitation to you to participate in an important conversation about the future of our work together…
Our purpose is simple and important: to heal and repair relationships.
We wish to recognize these things and offer a space to listen to each other, learn from each other, and see if we can repair the bonds between us to continue the work we all believe in.
Where there is agreement, we can move forward. Where there is difference we can seek understanding, common ground, and workable compromise.
We need (and want) your deep engagement in the issues surrounding the intentions, actions, and dynamics of our movement.
Differences of opinion do exist. Critiques of the movement are there. Conflict and ill feeling sit in front of us.
We have much to learn from this and this need not continue to be a problem to mutually supportive actions among us.
We are seeking open dialogue about these issues from the people who are interested in finding resolution to the issues which have arisen between those who are most active in the movement. This is with the hope that we can come to a place of mutual support.
We are at different levels of experience, awareness, and agency and we have diverse points of resistance we engage in. These need not be points of division but points of strategic collaboration. It is with this in mind we must clear the path behind us for those who are following and seriously assess where we are at and how we wish to proceed in this struggle
Respect for the time, effort, and commitment of organizers who continually work towards the goals of fighting colonialism, exercising sovereignty, protecting the land, and motivating people to join the fight is essential for collaborative efforts. This will only improve our abilities to mobilize enough people to present serious challenges to state conduct, industry incursions, and inertia of the masses. We cannot indulge in the luxury of ignoring the problems which have surfaced and the divisions which have resulted from those problems. We must talk this through.
We recognize there are issues, concerns, or problems with particular actions or dynamics of the movement. Questions exist about the intentions, decisions, and motivations that the Idle No More founders have made and we see a need to find clarity and restore relationships. We believe the lack of these things create barriers for others who would join the movement. With that, our desire is to host a series of dialogues to address the factors causing divisions among organizers. Our hope is to clear space so that we will be able to move together to work toward achieving our collective goals in a respectful and mutually supportive way.
Our plan is simple and important. We will initiate discussion threads on the Facebook site https://www.facebook.com/ClearingThePath. We invite all involved in the movement to bring forward feedback, critiques, and your ideas on how we can address what exists. Furthermore — we seek to identify those who are passionate and committed to this work to be a part of live streamed round tables. We will invite all to participate in open and transparent live streamed dialogue to access these discussions. The conversations and insight gathered will be documented and published through creative means and posted on the internet.
Respectfully,
Ian Ki’laas Caplette, Gisbutwaada House of Gamiyaam, Gitendau Tsimshian
Daniel-Léo Richard, Two-Spirit of Mi’kmaq, Huron, French & Norwegian Descent
Jessica Gordon, Cree/Anishnabe. Treaty 4 Territory Pasqua First Nation
Khelsilem Rivers, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh/Kwakwa̱ka̱’wakw
Nina Wilson, Nakota/Dakota/Cree
We extend an invitation to you to participate in an important conversation about the future of our work together… Our purpose is simple and important: to heal and repair relationships.