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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Introduction: ‘a little flu’ As the outbreak of the novel Coronavirus, COVID-19, forces governments around the world to enact social distancing measures, Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro has consistently downplayed the pandemic. Brazil’s coronavirus response will not only leave many people dead who could have been saved, but it also severely threatens Brazil’s Indigenous population of […]
Introduction A teenage member of the Yanomami Indigenous Nation, from deep in the Amazon rainforest, died of COVID-19 this week. Many news outlets reported that this demonstrates how widespread the Coronavirus has become, but few have connected the dots from this tragic death to the forces of capitalism, the Brazilian government’s genocidal policy and attitude toward Indigenous […]