In neon vests and hardhats, the biologists and archaeologists who march resolutely towards hulking piledrivers almost resemble the workers operating them. But blood red letters spell ECOCIDE on the long canvas banner that these protesters carry like a cross through stripped-bare stretches of what used to be jungle. In Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, two-thirds of all […]
Indigenous Sovereignty
Holistic Counterinsurgency: Allan Savory and the Golden Calf of Rhodesian Land Management
By Yahya Apánii & Thomas Harun. This article is Part 1 of 5 of the original Branch Out Series, “Greenwashing Counterinsurgency.” In the introduction to this series, Branch Out illustrated how the billionaire Murdoch dynasty behind climate-denying NewsCorp is diversifying its tactics with unprecedented sales of soil carbon credits based on “holistic management.” The man […]
The Living Forest Declaration and the Carbon Market Shell Game
In July of 2018, the Kichwa Nation of Sarayaku came forth with a bold and visionary proposal for protecting their Amazonian homeland and other rainforests across the world. Their proposal – the Kawsak Sacha (Living Forest) Declaration – was issued by the Amazon Rainforest itself. According to the Sarayaku, it was communicated to their community […]
Murders of Bruno Pereira, Dom Phillips spotlight Amazon deforestation ahead of Brazil election
On June 5, 2022, Indigenous rights advocate Bruno Pereira and British journalist Dom Phillips ventured to the heart of the Amazon Rainforest and never were seen again. The search for Phillips and Pereira gained considerable attention in Brazil and around the world, where Phillips’ reporting in The Guardian about Brazil and the Amazon was widely […]
Yaqui Water Defenders Violently Targeted For Resisting Pipeline Expansion
Over the last year, at least three Water Defenders of the Yaqui Tribal Nation in Northern Mexico have been murdered or disappeared due to their spirited efforts to prevent the ongoing theft of water by the Sonoran Government which is devastating their community’s health, livelihoods and ecosystems. The murder of Luis Urbano Dominguez Mendoza and Agustin […]
Opening Words for 4th Annual Indigenous Hemp Conference with Winona LaDuke and Alex White Plume [Video + Transcript]
On March 5th, 2021, the Anishinaabe Agriculture Institute sponsored the 4th Annual Indigenous Hemp Conference. The theme of the conference was Giigikendamowin Bagami-ayaa Wiinibwaakaawin, “Let the Knowledge of Our Past Become the Wisdom of Our Future.” This article is the first of a series of transcriptions composed by Branch Out of the videos of the […]
Growing Sovereignty (#2): Decolonization & Regenerating Sacred Water
Introduction In Part One of Growing Sovereignty, I drew upon conversations I had with four individuals Indigenous to various areas across Turtle Island. During these discussions, I felt very grateful to be given the opportunity to not only learn from them but to also be in a unique position to amplify their voices while simultaneously […]
Growing Sovereignty: Turtle Island and the Future of Food
Introduction I had the great privilege of interviewing four amazing people who are Indigenous to various areas across Turtle Island (North America). I wrote different sets of questions specific to each person and worked to create an open flow of dialogue and communication. The conversations that ensued informed and guided me as I began the […]
Spirit of the Buffalo: An Interview with Geraldine McManus from the Frontlines of Resistance to the Enbridge Line 3 Pipeline
Introduction The Spirit of the Buffalo Facebook Page states the following: “Indigenous resistance to Enbridge’s Line 3 pipeline expansion set up a prayer camp in Treaty 1 territory near Gretna, Manitoba, meters away from the Canadian/United States border. Spirit of the Buffalo Camp was established by lighting a sacred fire and conducting a sunrise ceremony, and is […]
Revolution is Alive: Wet’suwet’en Land Defenders Resist Canadian Invasion as Pipeline Projects Threaten Future Generations with Climate Collapse
For Canada, Genocide is “Essential Business” Introduction Following the outbreak of COVID-19, Coastal Gaslink pipeline workers have continued to work on unceded Wet’suwet’en Territory without the consent of the Nation’s Hereditary Chiefs. Even after COVID-19 was identified in the CGL workers’ “man camp”, Wet’suwet’en Land Defenders have recorded pipeline workers failing to practice social distancing […]