Feb. 3, 2013 — It is good to see First Nations in Canada carrying out their mandate to change our government's mind about the environment and about the rights of aboriginal people in Canada.
Idle No More began in the area of Alberta where our Blackfoot sundance chief lives and works to provide more content in our school curriculums that is based on an indigenous point of view.
Last month my husband attended both the local Council of Canadians Idle No More support circle in Bridgewater and the circle in Halifax that I attended with him; we joined the Mi'qmaq people with hundreds of others on the Parade Grounds to add our drumming to the dance.
The Dalhousie Gazette reported that day from the feminist perspective and you can find the link here.
The Feminine Fist Raised; Women leading Idle No More, DalGazette.com, Jan. 18, 2013
I wanted to add to their information about the organizers. The Native woman in the photo with the red in her short hair, Eleanor Michael, was the main speaker that day. Her father, Stephen, was our long time friend and was part of our wedding ceremony on Aboriginal Day/Summer Solstice, 1998. He died suddenly in August, 2012, and I want to remember him, as a leader in his community and as the first person who shared a native ceremony with us and invited us into the circle. Eleanor called his spirit in during her speech and an eagle that shrunk the size of the office towers in its magnificence, flew over us a few times, hailing the gathering.
Many people around the world have been called to this movement of activism, including Greenpeace, Sierra Club and Occupy. I was part of a long distance drumming that took place in Devon because people there are so inspired by the example of First Nations in Canada.
Steve told us years ago, "We need to lead this and you can support us, but this is our job to do as earth protectors." In reclaiming their responsibility, the First Nations bring our attention to our collective responsibility for the environment.
It is not just a "native issue", " a "feminist issue" or an issue only for members of an environmental club, it is THE ISSUE for us now on the planet.
I personally think the view that all life is sacred is the only one that will unite our spirits with the land and ground environmental activism.
In the Gazette photo, I am the woman in the red hat with the drum, holding space with the intention to join with others in rising to this occasion to support the Idle No More, and to keep the benefit of all beings in my heart as I visualize and help actualize our future together.
What a time for all of us to think about what matters.
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