Voices

Indigenous Women on the Front Lines Speak

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Wulfgang and a bunch of our loves are going to be at this 3 day skill share event on Coast Salish Territory.  Click the headers to get the full info.  Maybe see you there!! xo

Voices from the Sacred Fire: Indigenous Land Defenders Speak

~~~ With Freda Huson (Unist’ot’en) ~~~ Ladonna Brave Bull Allard
(Standing Rock Sioux) ~~~ Richard Wright (Madii Lii)  ~~~ Brandon
Gabriel (Kwantlen)~~~Kachina Bige (Lutsel’ke Dené) ~~~~ Sakej Ward
(Mi’kmaw) ~~~ Kanahus Pelkey (Secwepemc)

Stoking the Sacred Fire: Mobilization for Indigenous Land Defense

Saturday March 25 and Sunday March 26, 2017
From 9 am to 5 pm
Location: The Hall at 1739 Venables Street (at Commercial Drive) Vancouver, Coast Salish Territories

https://www.voicesfrontlines.com/wulfgang-and-a-bunch-of-our-loves-are-going-to-be/

My friend Destiny Michell speaking on Lkwungen Territory about her experiences as a Youth doing protocol and hiking on her Yintah (territory) Talbits Kwa.  Destiny is in grade 7 this year and preparing to be a Hereditary Chief of the Unist’ot’en Clan of the Wet’suwet’en Nation.  She is protecting the land now for herself and her future generations.

<3 Such a pleasure to interview Destiny last summer and always such a gift to spend time with her, Destiny you bring nourishment to the hearth of my heart! 

http://unistoten.camp/

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)

https://www.voicesfrontlines.com/my-friend-destiny-michell-speaking-on-lkwungen/

The Hereditary Chief’s of the Unist’ot’en, Freda
Huson, spokesperson of the Unist’ot’en, and Freda’s niece Destiny,
future Hereditary Chief stopped on Lkwungen Territories during their
speaking tour.

http://unistoten.camp/

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)

https://www.voicesfrontlines.com/the-hereditary-chiefs-of-the-unistoten-freda/

finally an update! <3

Hello Lovelies,

As autumn settles in deep and we approach the darkest day and longest night of the year we’re happy to have found time to share with you all. 

Amidst the cold the fires of resistance are burning bright and fucking hot all over Turtle Island.

We continue to feed those fires.

About two weeks ago deer beyon traveled south and east to bring supporters to Standing Rock.  Beyon has joined water protectors and is throwing down and supporting the fight for water, land and life in solidarity with the Sioux Nation. After, she is on her way to their other home in so called Massachusetts to work on the illustrations for the book.

Here on Lekwungen Territory, Wulfie, has been fighting the eventual demoviction from their home, and is joining with a growing movement in the city against displacement connecting processes of ongoing colonialism, homelessness and gentrification.  Work continues here to support front lines through raising funds, care work and solidarity actions.

If you are not able to make it to Standing Rock yourself and are wondering how you can support Indigenous Land Defenders here’s an update on what some of our friends, the incredible Women and Two-Spirit Land Defenders we are working with on the Voices Project, are up to.

Queen Sacheen and her partner Crow have been holding it down with the Red Warrior Camp for well over a month now… going on two!  If you are able to send this Grandma, Medicine Maker, Media Ninja and Front Line Warrior a little love this December it would be hugely appreciated.  Best gift idea we can think of 🙂 

You can sign up to support Sacheen with a monthly donation here!

Our deer love Goot-Ges is gathering resources for spring time land defense while continuing her work protecting the Oceans from Fracked Gas export, raising babies and finishing a book.

You can support her work by purchasing any photography print or purchasing any art by Goot-Ges from our storenvy.

We’ll update y’all on more ways to support Indigenous Resistance and the Protection of Land and Waters in the coming days.  And encourage your fams and friends to give big because warriors on the front lines are throwing down for all of us and our future generations!

Lots of love darlings.

Wulfie and beyon.

xoxo

This is the incredible print, Dandelion, by
beyon wren moor that we are giving away as a back patch free with any
purchase from our online store.  The $$ from all sales goes directly to
supporting the Voices project or directly to Indigenous Women and
Two-Spirit Land Defenders.  Offer ends December 5th <3

Check out our store here: www.voicesbook.storenvy.com

https://www.voicesfrontlines.com/this-is-the-incredible-print-dandelion-by-beyon/

UNBC Livestream | University of Northern British Columbia

UNBC Livestream | University of Northern British Columbia

Watch the live stream of a panel discussion with Freda Huson, Helen Knot and Goot-Ges!  2pm today!

Decoloneyes

Our deer friend Goot-Ges has just launched her first book of stories.  
The e-book is available here and we hope to have hard copies available
on our Voices Store soon!

***

Goot-Ges is a Tsimshian, Haida and Nisga’a woman from the house of Txaatk’anlaxhatkw, of the Village of skulls.  Out of a dream she collaborated with five other Indigenous Women to begin the occupation of Lax U’u’la, also called Lelu Island.  A mother of 3 babies Goot-Ges is a powerful force against the Colonial State, defending waters and land along the North West Coast.  In this book you can read stories spun from the fabrics of dreams, from the places where Ancestors speak, from a deep being of the land.

So please, support Indigenous Land Defense and drop some fliff for a good read.

<3 <3 <3

Have you heard about these 3 Land Defenders Potentially Facing Life?

image

Re-posted from line9shutdown.ca.

On the morning of December 21st 2015 Vanessa Gray, a young woman from
Aamjiwnaang First Nation, with the support of Stone Stewart and Sarah
Scanlon, shut down Enbridge’s Line 9 on Anishnaabe Territory just
outside of Aamjiwnaang and Sarnia.

At approximately 7:30am the three arrived at the valve site and
called Enbridge Inc. to inform them of the action and requested that the
pipeline, and its flow of oil, be turned off. At this point, the three
shut down the pipeline’s manual hand wheel and bike locked their necks
to the valve in an act of civil disobedience to prevent the operation of
the pipeline.

The Charges

They were arrested, held overnight and released with minimal
conditions. All three were charged with counts of Mischief Over $5,000
(maximum sentence of 10 years in prison) and Mischief Endangering Life
(maximum sentence of life in prison). Stone Stewart was also charged
with Resisting Arrest.

There are no known prior accounts of activists being charged for
Mischief Endangering Life, which leads us to believe it is a scare
tactic to discourage land defense and resistance against the fossil fuel
industry.

Vanessa, Stone and Sarah are currently awaiting trial to fight these charges.

image
  • Stone Stewart is arrested. Photo: Mike Roy

Line 9 is a highly contested tar sands pipeline that began shipping
diluted bitumen in December 2015 between Sarnia and Montreal. Those
involved in this action assert that the operation of Line 9 is a
violation of Indigenous sovereignty and treaty rights.

“The crown is failing in their obligation to consult with first
nations about pipelines,” said Sarah Scanlon. “As settlers it’s our
responsibility to respect Indigenous land rights and support those
protecting the land and water on the front-lines.”

Line 9 has faced opposition from several of the 18 First Nations
along its route. Chippewas of the Thames First Nation is currently
challenging the pipeline in Supreme Court, on the basis of
non-consultation. Aamjiwnaang First Nation, among others, testified to
the National Energy Board that they were never consulted with when Line 9 was built.

“The fact that line 9 is currently in operation really just adds to
the urgency for people to act. I’m here because the negative impacts of
the oil industry are taking place right now, every day,” says Stone
Stewart.

The tar sands are known to be the second leading cause of
de-forestation in the world and permanently contaminate over 7 million
barrels of water every day.

Locally, Aamjiwnaang First Nation experiences skewed sex ratios and
high rates of cancer, respiratory illness, and developmental disorders
as a result of pollution from nearby petrochemical refineries.

“It’s clear that tar sands projects represent an ongoing cultural and
environmental genocide,” Vanessa Gray asserts. “I defend the land and
water because it is sacred. I have the right to defend anything that
threatens my traditions and culture.”

  • Vanessa Gray with Elder Mike Plain at a 2015 protest near Aamjiwnaang First Nation. Photo: Michael Toledano.

Line 9 Shut Down In Sarnia – Ricochet Media:

Activists Shut Down Enbridge’s Line 9 in Canada Again! – The Indignants

Courthouse Rally: Line 9 is Scarier than Prison – Submedia.tv

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/