Police & Military Attack Oceti Sakowin Treaty Camp from Unicorn Riot on Vimeo.
(Source: https://player.vimeo.com/)
https://www.voicesfrontlines.com/police-military-attack-oceti-sakowin-treaty-camp/
Voices shot an update for the wonderful Christine Jack on our last visit. Christine Jack is a St’at’imc Life-Giver, Two-Spirit Land Defender and Spiritual Leader. She lives on a territory called Ulluisc which is the location of ancestral villages, diverse wildlife and medicines. Christine was asked by her Elders to defend Ulluisc and now that is what she does. From Standing Rock to Ulluisc Defend the Lands and Waters.
(Source: https://www.facebook.com/)
https://www.voicesfrontlines.com/voices-shot-an-update-for-the-wonderful-christine/
Three hundred and thirty million juvenile salmon come out of
that river, through the estuary and you know that’s a victory right there,
that’s a victory… I know one day our future generations will talk about what we
have all done together no matter how it turns out that will be a victory.
–Goot-Ges
About three years ago I had a dream that I was in a long
house. I was sitting around thirteen grandmothers and they were all speaking to
me in all the west coast languages. I
could hear a little bit of Sm’algyax, a little bit of
Nisg’a and Haida and then all up the line I could here there was one
grandmother from each different nation.
They were talking to me and I couldn’t understand everyone but I think
my spirit knew. They said, “you know we’re going to be losing our salmon and
we’re asking you to go find the salmon warriors and to bring the people back to
the land to protect the waters because if we lose our salmon we are not going
to be who we are supposed to be anymore.”
-Goot-Ges
Goot-Ges is a Haida, Nisga’a and Tsimshian woman from the
village of skulls, Gingolx, in the Nisga’a Nation whose clan is Raven from the
house of T’tanihaulk. She is a
land defender, freelance writer, radio producer and independent mother of
three. In August of 2015 in
collaboration with four other Indigenous women Goot-Ges began an occupation at
Lax U’u’la, which continues to protect the island and surrounding waters from
destruction to this day. Her work is
rooted in cultural practice: prayer, story telling and medicine as healing and
an integral aspect of resistance to ongoing colonization. She has founded and supported countless
projects assisting her people in healing inter-generational trauma and ending
gender based violence.
Check out
Goot-Ges’ most recent project Yakguudan, which means ‘to respect all life’ in Haida.
https://www.voicesfrontlines.com/three-hundred-and-thirty-million-juvenile-salmon/
Imperial Metals AGM
On May 27th the Corporate Scum behind the Mount Polley disaster, where a four kilometer tailings pond emptied into Polley Lake, Hazeltine Creek and Quesnel Lake, met on unceded Musqueam territory for their annual shareholders meeting.
Secwepemc Warrior, Kanahus Manuel, and supporters were there to greet them and remind the decisions makers of the company that they do not have permission to be on unceded Neskonlith Secwepemc territory and in fact have been told to leave.
Although Kanahus had the legal documentation to enter the AGM as a Proxy Voting member dozens of the Colonial Corporation of Canada’s hired guns blocked her way.
Imperial Metals is responsible for one of the most horrific acts of terror in this region since agents of the Hudson Bay company committed acts of violence through biological warfare, known as smallpox. The destruction of the land upon which the Secwepemc people live and contamination of their food sources is part of a legacy of colonial violence and genocide committed by the Corporation of Canada and the Corporations they partner with.
Sovereign Indigenous communities living on their unceded territories, who are not a part of the so called Canadian State, all over the region are resisting the invasive and destructive actions of Imperial Metals. The Tahltan people have been fighting hard against Imperial Metal’s Red Chris Mine, which has recently been given the ‘permits’ to operate at full capacity despite the opposition of the people responsible for the lands.
Members of Ancestral Pride, an Indigenous resistance organization from the village of Ahousaht on Nuu-chah-nulth territory have been organizing against Imperial Metal’s plans to open pit mine the sacred Chitaapii Mountain located directly across from the village.
On unceded Wet’suwe’ten territories Imperial Metals has been illegally operating an open pit copper mine without permission of the hereditary peoples responsible for protection of the lands there. Although the mine is currently not in operations due to low copper costs, it must not be permitted to open again.
We support the Talhtan, Secwepemc, Nuu-chah-nulth, Wet’suwe’ten and all sovereign Indigenous peoples and their protection of the lands we all rely on to live.
We’re also looking forward to visiting with Kanahus and Sacheen of Ancestral Pride in August and to be including them in Voices.
If you want to know more about how you can support these rad women led movements get at us and shoot us an email!
xox