Bree!

I went down to Occupy Boston. My intention was to see what was going on, and hold my sign.

So, my sign “Occupied since 1492″ was a mixed reaction, one reporter asked me about it and 2 other First Nations people (both Vetrans), and a Unitarian Minister. Everyone else looked and took pictures of the signs on either side of me, but quickly read and then averted thier eyes when they saw/read my sign. Over 200 people in the second group, 4 in the first group. I think I pissed off the occupiers.

Then again they pissed me off too, with drum circles and sage burning.

Approprating from Native cultures is one thing, but it is another to use it in a movement that is so wrongly named.

Yes, I hear “that was a long time ago, why don’t you just get over it.” A lot. I mean A LOT. Well I can tell you that it wasn’t that long ago. The systemic genocide, yes, genocide of Native people is continuing even to today. After the Indian wars where declared over by America, the US government went on to Residential Boarding schools, to the relocation act, to the reoganization act, to the involuntary sterilaxtion program that existed into the 1980s, to the 550 treaties that where signed that are not acknolwdged, to The landmark case of Johnson v. McIntosh (1823) that is still used to justify the taking of land from Native peoples. It wasn’t until 5 years ago that Boston took the law off the books to shoot an unescorted Indian on sight. Its not over. We are still here. We have been occupied for over 500 years.

Racialicous: Decolonization and Occupy Wall Street
Racialicous: Occupy Wall Street: The Game of Colonialism (Jessica Yee’s article)
John Paul Montano: An Open Letter to the Occupy Wall Street Protesters
Unsettling America: Decolonize Wall Street
Indian Country Today: Indians Counter Occupy Wall Street Movement with Decolonize Wall Street
Indian Country Today: Why I’m Occupying Wall Street
Press TV: Indigenizing Occupy Wall Street (about Occupy Denver)
Occupy Denver: An Indigenous Platform for Occupy Denver (AIM’s 10 Points)

So, long long long time readers may recall that I go through cycles of restlessness. The big cycles have manifested themselves into, complete and total social circle breakdowns, Going back to finish undergrad, moving to North carolina, and going to grad school. Im currently in a down cycle. I dont want to get stuck. I was thinking for a while that I should get a film fest going here in Boston for the Native American community, but with the Board elections, and basically the Native American community center going to hell in a handbasket, Ive kind of lost my ambition for that… it might pick up steam again. I am emailing a few people about it in the morning.

I had a fantastic lazy holiday, where I put together a desk for my mom, got an ICE package made up, got her hooked up on wifi, set up netflix on her wii, helped my parents navigate legal and government forms, read 2 novels, Cleaned off bookccases, had a wandering adventure with my sister, got 2 stamps on my National park service passport, saw the fighter with my dad, played card with the neighbors, and finished lego indiana jones for the wii and season 8 – 10.5 of top gear. Ok maybe I wasnt as lazy as I thought, no, I was, I should have done more for my parents while I was down. I feel bad about that. ugh. Less time watching TV, more time getting shit done for my parents. *head desk*

V picked me up at the airport. I really liked that.
New years eve I spent up in New Hampshire with Jonia and thier friends. It was good, even if I felt a bit like an outsider. It was really pretty up there… thats for sure.

Tomorrow I have to come up with a plan on how to reshape my job. Ugh. more on that later.

My new years resolution is to have as many real entries in this blog as I Do FB updates.

Canada is a Huron word. It means Village. Cultrual appropriation from Native reight from the start. Yes I have problems with the Olympics trotting out Native peoples trying to show the world how “great canada is to its first nations” No marketing imagery ever could erase these ongoing legacies of a history of colonial …genocide in Canada (and elsewhere). As this article points out, there are significant political issuse in Indigenous Canada that the games are glassing over and the games are marketing Native culture as homogenous and interchangeable. Why else would they be using an artic cultures symbol for a logo, totem poles ( Pac NW) and grass dancers (Plains). Fuck you Canada, and Fuck you olympic committee for being the same old colonizers in a glossy new package.

http://contexts.org/socimages/2010/02/15/guest-post-an-indigenous-olympics/