Category: Indigenous rights

Witness the reconciliation that Canada has in store for Indigenous people

The following video showing the CIRG (Community-Industry Response Group) is very disturbing. All signs indicate yet another invasion of Wet’suwet’en lands.

yintah_access

RCMP ENTER COYOTE CAMP

The CIRG (Community-Industry Response Group) have been into Coyote Camp everyday. Yesterday they came in and were violent towards our Yintah security, joked about genocide and that they can’t wait to see it on social media.

We also have reports from the ground that the officers are hiding their identities, not showing or giving badge numbers and from the video we can see are not wearing masks or practicing social distancing.

They are blatantly threatening violence against our people and clearly do not care who sees or knows. They relish it. This is what these CIRG officers live for. Remember they applied to be a part of this group specifically designed to remove Indigenous people out of the way of industry. The same group that are invading at Fairy Creek and Tiny House Warriors frontlines.

Tomorrow is day one of the call out for a week of Solidarity Action! Please organize where you are, come to camp, make noise and raise hell!

Go to yintahaccess.com for more info.

#RCMPOfftheYintah#AllOutForWedzinKwa

Gidimt’en Occupation of CGL Drill Site Continues! Callout for Week of Action 10/9-10/15

Cas Yikh of the Gidimt’en Clan are counting on supporters to go ALL OUT in a mobilization for the biggest battle yet to protect our sacred headwaters, Wedzin Kwa. We have remained steadfast in our fight for self-determination, and we are still unceded, undefeated, sovereign and victorious.

We are humbled by the power of our allies, friends and supporters. We have love, respect, and gratitude for those that stood their ground beside us on the yintah to defend Wedzin Kwa. We vow to reciprocate the solidarity from everyone that followed, all our allies/relatives and supporters that put their feet in the street defending Indigenous sovereignty.

Now, we need you to rise up again.

October 9th-15th 2021, go #AllOutForWedzinKwa.

Full action callout
Full Summary of Recent Events
Take Action Resource Page

⭐ Come to the land: https://www.yintahaccess.com/come-to-camp
⭐ Find or host a solidarity rally near you: https://fb.me/e/1fv4oHsfv
⭐ Pressure the government : call the BC Oil and Gas Commission, the Ministry of Forests and the Environmental Assessment office. Numbers to call below.
⭐ Donate: https://go.rallyup.com/wetsuwetenstrong/Campaign/Details
⭐ PayPal yintahaccess@gmail.com
⭐ Share our posts: Use the hashtag #AllOutForWedzinKwa to spread the word! 
⭐ Check out our TAKE ACTION page for resources and previous actions
The time is NOW to recognize Indigenous sovereignty around the world. 



Update from Chief Woos posted on Yintah Access Instagram Yesterday

“Dinï ze’ Woos ceremonially welcomes supporters at “Coyote Camp” and speaks of the history of this territory.
Our people have been protecting our territory and children for thousands of years. We are stronger than CGL and the RCMP. We have our ancestors with us, the yintah, and Wedzin Kwa support us.
“There might be momements where you will be feeling a lot of fear because these people will be coming with guns pointed at you. But always remember our ancestors will be standing right beside you.” -Dini ze’ Woos
We are ready. We ask you to join us. For more info go to yintahaccess.com
Organize. Resist. Win.
#AllOutForWedzinKwa

We Fight for Our Children 

Wedzin Kwa belongs to our children.

For over 50 years, Wet’suwet’en children were taken from the land, from their families, and from Wedzin Kwa to attend residential schools. These “schools” were not to empower us, but to take the Indian, to take the Wet’suwet’en, out of the child. Many did not return and those who survived have fought for our right to all that we had been robbed of – land, language, culture, pride. Today, we continue to face state violence from governments and industry who still want our land to themselves. Their plans to eradicate us however, have failed and we are still here!

Every day we remember. We carry that pain, that strength, and we work to rebuild our pride, to rebuild our nations and reconnect with our lands.

On September 30th, we came together in a day of remembrance to honour the children, to remind ourselves that we will never give up/be defeated.”

https://twitter.com/quakers_seekers/status/1444992452906082308?s=20

Worst case scenario

New or worsening catastrophes seem to be coming at us daily. Worse things than we can imagine are yet to come. When I say “we” in most cases I mean white people since many things below are race related.

I often think of what Albert Einstein said, “problems cannot be solved with the same mind set that created them.”

There are several reasons I’ve been praying, thinking, and writing about the precarious place we are at now. We need to build alternatives to the systems of capitalism, materialism, militarism, incarceration, racism, and white supremacy. Systems rooted in stolen lands and stolen labor. Not only because they are founded on injustice, but because these systems are failing now. (See: Time for a reset)

Any chance we have to address these injustices and mitigate these dangers requires changing our mind set. Looking back over my life it seems like an endless struggle to try to change people’s mind set, with no success.

What is different now is changes are being forced upon us.

Deepening environmental chaos is one of the main drivers of change. Millions of people have lost their homes and communities because of fires and storms. Lack of water will increasingly force many to relocate. Drought will decimate food production.

Our political and social systems are breaking down with the rise of authoritarianism and the police state.

Violence is increasing dramatically in the face of these dangers. Civil discourse is often impossible. Who could have imagined violence at school board meetings? Of children being yelled at for wearing masks? School shootings? An insurrection at the US Capitol?

However much we continue to try to avoid dealing with these threats to the society we grew up in, we are being forced to deal with these changes and what they portend.

What might be some worst-case scenarios?

  • Clean water becomes increasingly scarce. Many industries result in significant water pollution including runoff of agricultural fertilizers and pesticides, and massive amounts of sewage from concentrated farming practices. Fossil fuel mining such as fracking and tar sands pollute vast quantities of water.
  • Food insecurity will increase as drought spreads or fires destroy farmland and communities. Continued warming will decrease crop yields.
  • Electricity will increasingly be interrupted or cease as energy systems and electrical grids fail or cannot meet demands, resulting in problems with
    • refrigeration, heating, and air conditioning
    • operation of people’s myriad electrical devices including phones and computers. Social media will disappear.
    • computer systems involved in every aspect of modern life
      • physical plants
      • communication networks
      • water sanitation and sewage systems
      • coordinating purchasing and shipping
      • hospital and pharmacy systems
      • energy systems
      • educational institutions
      • manufacturing
      • air traffic and flight control
      • military systems
      • judicial systems, including police dispatch and legal documents.
      • operation of carceral systems
  • Some political systems will become increasingly authoritarian as many citizens demand protection from “others”.
  • Social disorder will preclude political order.

There are other things to add to the list.

To reiterate, these systems are beginning to fail now. And will continue to do so. We will not be able to continue to avoid thinking and doing something about them.

Think about the related problems from just one of these: no functioning cell phones, tablets or computers. What might happen when there are no longer any social media platforms? How will young people who have never known a time before there were cell phones going to react?

I’ve been thinking of these things in the context of justice work. Lobbying our legislatures to support peace and justice issues will no longer be relevant (or possible). The injustices we often work on as distinct issues will be drowned out by increasing chaos.

Our work for justice should be to engage with systems that are replacing our broken ones. This would actually be returning to systems such as LANDBACK, Abolition, and Mutual Aid.

This diagram I’ve been working on shows some of the ways people are building ways to adapt as old systems collapse.

More information about LANDBACK, Abolition, and Mutual Aid can be found with the following links.

LANDBACKhttps://landbackfriends.com/?s=landback
Abolitionhttps://landbackfriends.com/?s=abolition
Mutual Aidhttps://landbackfriends.com/?s=Mutual+AID

The future is now

I know now cannot be the future. What I’m saying is there are so many crises that urgently need action now. How long can we keep procrastinating? (That’s a rhetorical question.)

The list of crises is long and new ones continue to appear.

Despite all we are being confronted with now, we will look back on these days in the future and wish we could return to what we have now. Instead, we will increasingly be affected by worsening consequences of these crises.

It is increasingly difficult to make sense of all that is going on today. All the bad things I had anticipated for the future are suddenly happening now. And things I never imagined, like the assaults on truth, science, governance, health, and safety come at a time when they are desperately needed. It is difficult to make sense of it all.

If these things can confound and divide us both within and between cultures, then we have little hope of generating the coherent dialogue, let alone the collective resolve, that is required to overcome the formidable global-scale problems converging before us.

James Allen

sensemaking–the action or process of making sense of or giving meaning to something, especially new developments and experiences.

At the collective level, a loss of sensemaking erodes shared cultural and value structures and renders us incapable of generating the collective wisdom necessary to solve complex societal problems like those described above. When that happens the centre cannot hold.

Threats to sensemaking are manifold. Among the most readily observable sources are the excesses of identity politics, the rapid polarisation of the long-running culture war, the steep and widespread decline in trust in mainstream media and other public institutions, and the rise of mass disinformation technologies, e.g. fake news working in tandem with social media algorithms designed to hijack our limbic systems and erode our cognitive capacities. If these things can confound and divide us both within and between cultures, then we have little hope of generating the coherent dialogue, let alone the collective resolve, that is required to overcome the formidable global-scale problems converging before us.

Pontoon Archipelago or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Collapse. By James Allen, originally published by Medium, June 18, 2019

Following is a diagram I’ve been working on to help me make sense of where things are now, and ways to build a better future.

Where things stand now is represented by the path beneath the WHITE heading. Capitalism is outline in red because it represents the injustices capitalism is based on and indicates remaining on this path will continue to result in environmental chaos. See: Rejecting Capitalism https://landbackfriends.com/2021/10/06/rejecting-capitalism/

The BLACK column represents the stolen labor of those who were enslaved and continues today with all the aspects of systemic economic, judicial system, and environmental racism.

The INDIGENOUS column represents the theft of native lands, genocide and forced assimilation. Includes the consequences of destroying the land and widespread pollution of water. And the epidemic of violence against native peoples, specifically missing and murdered Indigenous relatives.

Many people have been working on alternatives, some for years, others more recently. Some of these alternatives are listed in the green box labeled Green New Deal and Red Deal (which is an Indigenous led green new deal).

The website I recently created, LANDBACK Friends, contains more information about these topics.

LANDBACKhttps://landbackfriends.com/?s=landback
Abolitionhttps://landbackfriends.com/?s=abolition
Mutual Aidhttps://landbackfriends.com/?s=Mutual+AID

As sometimes happens, I spend so much time writing background information that I don’t get to the subject I’d planned to write about. What I had intended to write was why I believe we need to think and work “outside the box”. The box in this case represented by columns Black, White and Indigenous, which is a sketch of the current situation. We should not waste more time and effort trying to make incremental changes to those existing systems. And instead work for LANDBACK, Abolition and Mutual Aid. Which my good friend Ronnie James expresses more eloquently here:

I’m of the firm opinion that a system that was built by stolen bodies on stolen land for the benefit of a few is a system that is not repairable. It is operating as designed, and small changes (which are the result of huge efforts) to lessen the blow on those it was not designed for are merely half measures that can’t ever fully succeed.

So the question is now, where do we go from here? Do we continue to make incremental changes while the wealthy hoard more wealth and the climate crisis deepens, or do we do something drastic that has never been done before? Can we envision and create a world where a class war from above isn’t a reality anymore?”

Ronnie James

Wet’suwet’en update 10.6.2021

#AllOutForWedzinKwa

Coastal Gaslink is preparing to drill under the Wedzin Kwa to construct their 670km fracked gas pipeline. We know this would be disastrous, not only for Wet’suwet’en people, but for all living beings supported by the Wedzin Kwa, and for the communities living downstream. Wedzin Kwa is a spawning ground for salmon and a critical source of pristine drinking water on the territory.

Wet’suwet’en members, including Freda Huson of Unist’ot’en, have been tirelessly working to maintain their access and jurisdiction to their territories for the last decade. The fight to save this river has been long and nuanced, with many wins and losses over the years. Many pipeline companies have sought to drill under these waters, and have used many colonial tactics of intimidation and violence against Wet’suwet’en people and supporters to wear us down. Yet the river still runs clean, and Wet’suwet’en still remain strong. This fight is far from over.

On the morning of September 25th, 2021, the access road to CGL’s drill site was destroyed. Blockades were set up and the site has been occupied to stop the drilling of these sacred headwaters that nourish the Yintah and all those within its catchment areas. Cas Yikh and supporters have taken control of the area and refuse to allow this destruction to continue.

#AllOutForWedzinKwa: Call For A Week Of Action October 9th-15th, Its Going Down, Oct 6, 2021

You can support the Wet’suwet’en by holding vigils or spreading the news via social media. Photos from past vigils can be found below.

INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY WITH WET’SUWET’EN!

#AllOutForWedzinKwa
For the past 11 days, Wet’suwet’en members of Cas Yikh and their supporters have taken control of a Coastal GasLink drill site on unceded Cas Yikh (Grizzly House) territory belonging to the Gidimt’en clan of the Wet’suwet’en people. We are defending culturally significant archeological sites and the sacred headwaters of the Wedzin Kwa from destruction.

In response, the RCMP has utilized excessive use of force and torturous pain compliance on land defenders, and more RCMP enforcement is expected

THIS WEEK.RECAP WITH VIDEOS: https://www.yintahaccess.com/…/wetsuweten-resistance-to…

Now, Cas Yikh of the Gidimt’en Clan are counting on supporters to go ALL OUT in a mobilization for the biggest battle yet to protect our sacred headwaters, Wedzin Kwa. We have remained steadfast in our fight for self-determination, and we are still unceded, undefeated, sovereign and victorious.

From October 9th-15th 2021, go #AllOutForWedzinKwa

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SOLIDARITY ACTIONS: Don’t see one where you are? Organize one and post the link in the discussion, we will add it here.
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__________________________

In January 2019, when Gidimt’en Checkpoint was raided by the RCMP, enforcing an injunction for Coastal GasLink fracked gas pipeline, your communities rose up in solidarity!

You organized rallies and marches. You published Solidarity Statements. You wrote your representatives. You put on fundraisers and donated to the legal fund. You pledged to stand by the Wet’suwet’en. The pressure worked to keep Wet’suwet’en land defenders and supporters safe as they navigated the colonial court system. All charges were dropped.

In January 2020, you answered the call to #SHUTDOWNCANADA with over 200 actions and rallies! The world watched as the RCMP violently confronted unarmed Wet’suwet’en land defenders, on behalf of CGL, in an intense 6-day struggle for control over the territory, following industry’s eviction by Hereditary Chiefs.

This invasion ignited a storm of solidarity! The Wet’suwet’en were embraced in beautiful and powerful actions coast to coast and overseas. From January to March 2020, thousands of people rose up in hundreds of demonstrations in solidarity with Indigenous sovereignty and environmental protection against the fracked gas industry.

During a wave of international uprisings, Canada came under fire for its refusal to engage in meaningful Free, Prior and Informed Consent with Indigenous Nations across Turtle Island. Canada’s denial of responsibility and failure to implement the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples resulted in the fight for #LANDBACK.

We are humbled by the power of our allies, friends and supporters. We have love, respect, and gratitude for those that stood their ground beside us on the yintah to defend Wedzin Kwa. We vow to reciprocate the solidarity from everyone that followed, all our allies/relatives and supporters that put their feet in the street defending Indigenous sovereignty.

Now, we need you to rise up again.
October 9th-15th 2021, go #AllOutForWedzinKwa

⭐ Come to the land: https://www.yintahaccess.com/come-to-camp

⭐ Find or host a solidarity rally near you.

⭐ Pressure the government :

call the BC Oil and Gas Commission, the Ministry of Forests and the Environmental Assessment office:

BC Oil and Gas Commission (2950 Jutland Rd, Floor 6, Victoria BC):
https://www.bcogc.ca/what…/major-projects/coastal-gaslink/

Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer BC Oil & Gas Commsion: Paul Jeakins; (250 419 4411), paul.jeakins@bcogc.ca

Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations & Rural Development Contacts:
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/…/forests…/ministry-contacts

Katrine Conroy; (250 381 6240), flnr.minister@gov.bc.caEnviromental Assement Office: https://projects.eao.gov.bc.ca/…/588511…/project-details

Project Lead: Meaghan Hoyle; (778 974-336), meaghan.hoyle@gov.bc.caExecutive

Project Director: Fern Stockman; (778 698-9313), Fern.Stockman@gov.bc.ca
Compliance & Enforcement Lead: Compliance & Enforcement Branch (250-387-0131), eao.compliance@gov.bc.ca

⭐ Donate: https://go.rallyup.com/wetsuwetenstrong/Campaign/Details

⭐ Share our posts: Use the hashtag #AllOutForWedzinKwa to spread the word!

⭐ Check out our TAKE ACTION page for resources and previous actions

The time is NOW to recognize Indigenous sovereignty around the world.

It is up to the Gidimt’en, Wet’suwet’en, and our supporters to determine the fate of future generations. #ALLOUTFORWEDZINKWA

#AllOutForWedzinKwa

I first heard of the Wet’suwet’en peoples and their struggle to prevent the construction of the Coastal GasLink (CGL) pipeline through their pristine land in January 2020. What caught my attention was the following video, “Coastal Gaslink Evicted from Unist’ot’en territory.” Having been engaged with protecting water from the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines for years, I was amazed at the peaceful eviction of CGL workers from Wet’suwet’en territories, temporary as it turned out to be.

https://twitter.com/quakers_seekers/status/1445378656138842112?s=20

Unfortunately, the interactions between the Wet’suwet’en and the Canadian government have not been peaceful. There have been many conflicts and arrests of Wet’suwet’en people by militarized Royal Canadian Mounted Police. There are heightened tensions now as construction of CGL has reached the point of drilling under the sacred headwaters of the Wedzin Kwa river.

Under ‘Anuc niwh’it’en (Wet’suwet’en law) all Hereditary Chiefs of the five clans of the Wet’suwet’en have unanimously opposed all pipeline proposals and have not provided free, prior, and informed consent to Coastal Gaslink to drill on Wet’suwet’en lands.

Over the past week, as Wet’suwet’en members of Cas Yikh and their supporters maintain control of a Coastal GasLink drill site that threatens their unceded territories, the RCMP has utilized excessive use of force and torturous pain compliance on land defenders. 

Gidimt’en chiefs and supporters have been defending a number of culturally significant archeological sites and the sacred headwaters of the Wedzin Kwa from destruction on unceded Cas Yikh (Grizzly House) territory belonging to the Gidimt’en clan of the Wet’suwet’en people. 

#AllOutForWedzinKwa

The following tweet provides a detail summary of the recent actions at the Wet’suwet’en territory.
Wet’suwet’en Resistance to CGL Pipeline Occupation 2021: What Is Happening at Gidimt’en Checkpoint? A Recap of Events from Wet’suwet’en Territory This Week, Oct 4, 2021

What can I do?

Last year, the Wet’suwet’en and our allies saw a massive resurgence of solidarity and support in the #SHUTDOWNCANADA movement. Inspired by the recognition and belief in Indigenous Sovereignty and jurisdiction over their territories, many people rose up together and demonstrated a serious rejection to Canada’s agenda of land theft and genocide against Indigenous Peoples. 

This year, we must go #AllOutForWedzinKwa !  

The time is now to return our energy to this movement after the long slow pain of the past few isolating years. The river is imminently under threat, and the people on the ground in this remote community need your engagement, action and support.

Ways to support: 

⭐ Come to the land: https://www.yintahaccess.com/come-to-camp

⭐ Find or host a solidarity rally near you. Consider hosting a rally at the site of a regulating, insurance or investment office to send a direct message to those permitting and backing this project that Coastal Gaslink for trespassing on Wet’suwet’en lands and will not go through.

⭐ Pressure the government : call the BC Oil and Gas Commission,, the Ministry of Forests,and the Environmental Assessment office

BC Oil and Gas Commission (2950 Jutland Rd, Floor 6, Victoria BC): https://www.bcogc.ca/what-we-regulate/major-projects/coastal-gaslink/

  • Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer BC Oil & Gas Commission: Paul Jeakins; (250 419 4411), paul.jeakins@bcogc.ca

Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations & Rural Development Contacts:

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/organizational-structure/ministries-organizations/ministries/forests-lands-natural-resource-operations-and-rural-development/ministry-contacts

  • Katrine Conroy; (250 381 6240), flnr.minister@gov.bc.ca

Enviromental Assement Office: https://projects.eao.gov.bc.ca/p/588511c4aaecd9001b825604/project-details

  • Project Lead: Meaghan Hoyle; (778 974-336), meaghan.hoyle@gov.bc.ca
  • Executive Project Director: Fern Stockman; (778 698-9313), Fern.Stockman@gov.bc.ca
  • Compliance & Enforcement Lead: Compliance & Enforcement Branch (250-387-0131), eao.compliance@gov.bc.ca

⭐ Donate: https://go.rallyup.com/wetsuwetenstrong/Campaign/Details

⭐ Share our posts: Use the hashtag #AllOutForWedzinKwa to spread the word! 

#AllOutForWedzinKwa

We fight for our children

I avoid too many quotations and media from other sources in these blog posts. But there are stories that need to be told by those most affected, those doing the work for truth and justice. The stories here are by and about the Wet’suwet’en peoples who have been working for years to protect their lands in British Columbia from the Coastal GasLink pipeline. Who continue to face harassment and arrest by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

This is a clear example of the struggle for LANDBACK. “Many did not return and those who survived have fought for our right to all that we had been robbed of – land, language, culture, pride.“

I wrote this case study to give an example of the implementation of the ideas related to LANDBACK. This is a link to the PDF version of the LANDBACK case study, Wet’suwet’en and Quakers.

A healing center has been built. And in the last few days the newest addition of homes in Lhudis Bin yintah is now set up at the drill pad site near Wedzin Kwa. (Video below).

We Fight for Our Children
Wedzin Kwa belongs to our children.
For over 50 years, Wet’suwet’en children were taken from the land, from their families, and from Wedzin Kwa to attend residential schools. These “schools” were not to empower us, but to take the Indian, to take the Wet’suwet’en, out of the child. Many did not return and those who survived have fought for our right to all that we had been robbed of – land, language, culture, pride. Today, we continue to face state violence from governments and industry who still want our land to themselves. Their plans to eradicate us however, have failed and we are still here!
Every day we remember. We carry that pain, that strength, and we work to rebuild our pride, to rebuild our nations and reconnect with our lands.
On September 30th, we came together in a day of remembrance to honour the children, to remind ourselves that we will never give up/be defeated.

https://twitter.com/quakers_seekers/status/1444992452906082308?s=20

Many did not return and those who survived have fought for our right to all that we had been robbed of – land, language, culture, pride.

https://twitter.com/quakers_seekers/status/1445007787226972171?s=20

“I’ve always said there are two types of people on Sept. 30,” said Métis NDP MP Blake Desjarlais. “Those who’ve been robbed of their children, their culture, their language, and those who’ve been robbed of the truth. Sometimes you’re both.

“We can’t truly have reconciliation until we have that truth,” he said.

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation coincides with Orange Shirt Day, which honours the story of Phyllis Webstad, a young girl whose new orange shirt was stripped from her on her first day at St. Joseph’s Residential School in 1973. On Sept. 30, 2013, Webstad spoke publicly about her experience, and Orange Shirt Day was born.

The federal statutory holiday was established after ground-penetrating radar uncovered the remains of 215 children at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, confirming what Indigenous people have known for decades.

“The amount of pain in the Indigenous community is massive, we’re only scratching the surface,” said Desjarlais, the newly elected MP for Edmonton-Greisbach and the first two-spirit person to sit in the House of Commons.

We can’t truly have reconciliation until we have that truth By Natasha Bulowski, National Observer, October 4th, 2021

Orange Shirts and Wet’suwet’en Arrests

It is good that the land called Canada went through years of work related to the Indigenous residential schools. Passed legislation and budgeted funds. Has designated September 30th as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, celebrated for the first time a few days ago. Many wore orange shirts that symbolize the children who were forced to go to those schools.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission ran from 2008 to 2015 and provided those directly or indirectly affected by the legacy of the Indian Residential Schools policy with an opportunity to share their stories and experiences. The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation has become the permanent archive for the statements, documents and other materials the Commission gathered, and its library and collections are the foundation for ongoing learning and research.

The Commission released its final report detailing 94 calls to action. The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a direct response to Call to Action 80, which called for a federal statutory day of commemoration. https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/national-day-truth-reconciliation.html

And yet, the Canadian government and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police continue to harass and arrest Wet’suwet’en land defenders.

As Wet’suwet’en members of Cas Yikh and their supporters maintain control of a Coastal GasLink drill site that threatens their unceded territories, the RCMP has utilized excessive use of force and torturous pain compliance for an hour on a land defender. This is happening as the “National Day of Truth and Reconciliation” takes place across Canada today, putting on full display the ongoing colonialism that Indigenous peoples are facing. Gidimt’en Checkpoint

The world is on the brink of climate catastrophe and all people must rise up to protect what little is left for future generations.

Sleydo’


GIDIMT’EN CHECKPOINT CONDEMNS VIOLENT ARRESTS OF LAND DEFENDERS ON THE FIRST “NATIONAL DAY OF TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION”

September 30, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SMITHERS, BC: As Wet’suwet’en members of Cas Yikh and their supporters maintain control of a Coastal GasLink drill site that threatens their unceded territories, the RCMP has utilized excessive use of force and torturous pain compliance for an hour on a land defender. This is happening as the “National Day of Truth and Reconciliation” takes place across Canada today, putting on full display the ongoing colonialism that Indigenous peoples are facing.

These actions follow an earlier arrest on the morning on September 25, a supporter was tasered and arrested on the road to the drill pad site where CGL plans to drill under Wedzin Kwa river. In a video, the supporter’s screams for help are audible during the violent arrest.

In addition, Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs were denied access to their own lands and threatened with arrest, but they held their ground. Cas Yikh members of the Wet’suwet’en nation and their supporters are still holding strong in opposition to this destruction and violence.

Sleydo’, Gidimt’en Checkpoint Spokesperson, states “On the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, reconciliation is dead. The government, industry, and police are still invading our yintah. The authority of the Wet’suwet’en hereditary house and clan system was verified in the historic Delgamuukw and Red Top court decisions, but our hereditary system continues to be disrespected by BC and Canada.”

Under ‘Anuc niwh’it’en (Wet’suwet’en law) all Hereditary Chiefs of the five clans of the Wet’suwet’en have unanimously opposed all pipeline proposals and have not provided free, prior, and informed consent to Coastal Gaslink to drill on Wet’suwet’en lands.

Sleydo’ further states, “Coastal GasLink (CGL) is the one trespassing on our yintah with their plans for a 670-kilometer fracked gas pipeline. They are trying to drill under the Wedzin Kwa river, the sacred headwaters that feeds all of Wet’suwet’en territory and gives life to our nation. Days ago, CGL destroyed our ancient village and cultural heritage site, Ts’elkay Kwe. We refuse to allow this destruction to continue and are now blockading CGL. Our Chiefs – not CGL or Canada – have full jurisdiction on our yintah.”

If any true reconciliation is to be achieved all levels of government must honour the authority of Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs. The public must be made aware of the lengths to which the government and industry will go to suppress our rights and title. This has always been a fight for access to resources, as brought to light by the Narwhal last year. We have always known this to be the case, and through the exposure there is proof of the provincial governments’ plan to use federal money meant for Residential School Survivors, because they know how strong that decision was.

According to Sleydo’: “The world is on the brink of climate catastrophe and all people must rise up to protect what little is left for future generations. We invite supporters to come to Cas Yikh territory and stand with us. We raise our hands to the brave people at Ada’itsx (Fairy Creek), who have just defeated Teal Cedar Products Ltd.’s injunction. The RCMP are using the same violent tactics to intimidate and criminalize peaceful land defenders here. We are united in the struggle to defend our lands, our waters, our homes.”

Over 1,100 people were arrested at Fairy Creek, all for the immoral enforcement of an injunction to allow a company to log old-growth forests. Justice Douglas Thompson found that RCMP enforcement, through the use of the specially formed Community Industry Response Group (CIRG), led to “serious and substantial infringement of civil liberties”. It is concerning that CIRG, who had previously been unlawfully occupying Wet’suwet’en territory and harassing Wet’suwet’en people, may now turn its sights from Ada’itsx back to Wet’suwet’en territories.

As the rest of the nation wears orange shirts the Wet’suwet’en people will be upholding our laws and enacting our title and rights out on the yintah, protecting Wedzin Kwa.

Follow Gidimt’en Checkpoint
For further information please go to: yintahaccess.com

Orange Shirt Day

I’m saddened by the disconnect between Canada’s years of work on truth and reconciliation related to institutions of forced assimilation of Indigenous children and the ongoing militarized response by the government against the Wet’suwet’en peoples (see the tweets at the end for updates).

The investigation related to the remains of Indigenous children on the grounds of residential schools in the US is beginning. And yet, as in Canada, multiple fossil fuel projects continue to be approved. There is increasing resistance to the construction of these pipelines. And a new class of pipelines related to carbon capture are proposed.

Orange Shirt Day will also be observed tomorrow in Canada.

The Orange Shirt Story began in May 2013 during the Truth and Reconciliation Hearings in Williams Lake BC. At that time Kukpi7 Fred Robbins of the Esketemc enlisted the support of the local School District, Regional Government and the Municipalities of the Cariboo, to both honour the survivors of Residential Schools and raise awareness of the Residential School system among the people of the Cariboo. This is the story of Kukpi7 Fred Robbins time at Residential School, the Commemoration events that were organized, and the hopes for the future that Kukpi7 Fred Robbins envisioned. – WARNING Sensitive Content

https://www.orangeshirtday.org/
https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/national-day-truth-reconciliation.html
Leading up to September 30, the “National Day of Truth and Reconciliation” we need to send the message that things have to change and they have to change NOW.

#WetsuwetenStrong #NoTrespass #WedzinKwa #CGLofftheYintah #Sovereignty #Solidarity #DefendTheYintah #WeAreAllOne #IndigenousSovereignty #TraditionalGovernance

Defending Wedzin Kwa

Over the past several days there has been escalating conflict between the Wet’suwet’en peoples and the Coastal Gaslink pipeline company, which is supported by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Coastal GasLink is trying to drill under the sacred headwaters, Wedzin Kwa.

The last tweet below talks about the most recent attempts of armed invasion of Wet’suwet’en lands by the RCMP that began in 2019.

This is a glaring example of the fossil fuel industry forcing its way against the will of the people, of Indigenous peoples, enforced by the government (of Canada in this case). Go to https://www.yintahaccess.com/ for ways you can help.

This is especially dispiriting as the first National Day of Truth and Reconciliation in Canada, September 30, approaches.

On the morning of September 26th, the access road to Coastal GasLink’s drill site was destroyed. A series of blockades were put into place and the site was occupied. When the chiefs arrived onsite, they were threatened with arrest and denied access to their territory. One person was arrested during the occupation. Wet’suwet’en chiefs are trying to protect the sacred head waters of Wedzin Kwa. We cannot let them drill under this river.

Drill Site Occupied As Wet’suwet’en Chiefs Call For Support, It’s Going Down, Sept 26, 2021

Now, CGL is ready to begin drilling beneath our sacred headwaters, Wedzin Kwa. We know that this would be disastrous, not only for Wet’suwet’en people, but for all living beings supported by the Wedzin Kwa, and for the communities living downstream. Wedzin Kwa is a spawning ground for salmon and a critical source of pristine drinking water. States Sleydo’, Gidimt’en Checkpoint Spokesperson: 

“Our way of life is at risk. […] Wedzin Kwa [is the] the river that feeds all of Wet’suwet’en territory and gives life to our nation.”

Wet’suwet’en Blockades Erected To Stop Coastal Gaslink Drilling Under Sacred Headwaters, Indigenous Environmental Network, September 27, 2021

News Release
Indigenous Environmental Network

On the morning of September 25, 2021, the access road to Coastal GasLink’s (CGL’s) drill site at the Wedzin Kwa river was destroyed. Blockades have been set up and sites have been occupied, to stop the drilling under the sacred headwaters that nourish the Wet’suwet’en Yintah and all those within its catchment area. Cas Yikh and supporters have gained control of the area and refuse to allow this destruction to continue.

Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs were denied access to their own lands, and there has been one arrest confirmed. The Hereditary Chiefs were read the injunction and threatened with arrest, but they held their ground. Despite heavy machinery and heavy Royal Canadian Mounted Police presence, our relatives and supporters are standing strong holding the line, and so far no more arrests have been confirmed. As of Sunday, September 26, the individual arrested has been released and the chiefs and supporters continue to hold the line and successfully hold off any work by Coastal GasLink.

Days ago, Coastal GasLink destroyed our ancient village site, Ts’elkay Kwe. When Gidimt’en Checkpoint spokesperson Sleydo’ attempted to monitor the Coastal GasLink archaeological team and contest the destruction of Wet’suwet’en cultural heritage, she was aggressively intimidated by Coastal GasLink security guards. Tensions have continued to rise on the Yintah as Coastal GasLink pushes a reckless and destructive construction schedule with the support of private security and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Now, Coastal GasLink is ready to begin drilling beneath our sacred headwaters, Wedzin Kwa. We know that this would be disastrous, not only for Wet’suwet’en people, but for all living beings supported by the Wedzin Kwa, and for the communities living downstream. Wedzin Kwa is a spawning ground for salmon and a critical source of pristine drinking water.

Indian Country Today

Our warrior spirits are stronger than they’ll ever be

Gidimt’en Checkpoint spokesperson Sleydo’
https://twitter.com/Gidimten/status/1442698309651427328/photo/1

This is a PDF of the history of the involvement of some of us in Iowa related to the Wet’suwet’en peoples’ struggles. https://designrr.s3.amazonaws.com/jakislin_at_outlook.com_52440/n-a_615326c8.pdf

Police Violence at Gidimt’en Checkpoint

The Wet’suwet’en vs. RCMP and Coastal GasLink situation is escalating.

#WetsuwetenStrong #NoTrespass #WedzinKwa #CGLofftheYintah #WeAreAllOne #TraditionalGovernance #StandUpFightBack