07/01/2021
Canceling Canada Day is NOT cancel culture. It is a day of MOURNING with our indigenous brothers and sisters for the 1505 grave sites of children at canadian residential schools that have been found so far, and this is only the beginning. It is a day of LISTENING, true listening, listening to understand the pain they went through and the subsequent generational trauma that has resulted. It is a day for REFLECTION about what the meaning of Canada day really is and to stand in SOLIDARITY with our indigenous people. đ§Ą
We have had several requests for suggestions as to what to do on July 1 if you are looking for alternatives to celebrating a history founded on colonialism and the intentional and organized destruction of Indigenous Peoples and their cultures. Here are several suggestions:
1. Go to the water. As Marilyn James, elder and smum iem Sinixt matriarch, often says: âWe are all just big bags of water walking around. When we connect with water, we are connecting with ourselvesâ. The water is red on the Sinixt map of the tÉmxÊ·ĂșlaÊxÊ· because water is the blood of all life. Thank the water, spend time with the water, think about the importance of water in sustaining all life and what you can do to protect it for future generations.
2. Spend some time on decolonization. There are multiple lists of materials out there on decolonization. One recommendation: https://www.nahaneecreative.com/products/decolonize-first-a-liberating-guide-and-workbook-for-peeling-back-the-layers-of-neocolonialism. Read, Whose Land is it Anyway? A Manual for Decolonization https://fpse.ca/decolonization_manual_whose_land_is_it_anyway (free & online).
3. Do nothing to celebrate colonialism. Instead, contemplate what actions you can take to come into right relationship with Sinixt tÉmxÊ·ĂșlaÊxÊ· (territory), water, and other beings in the tÉmxÊ·ĂșlaÊxÊ·. Spend time with family. Spend time being in gratitude; there is always something to be grateful for. One suggestion is to fill 1 pocket with small items (perhaps those pennies you donât know what else to do with). Then, every time you feel dissatisfied, move one penny from your pocket. Notice how many times you think about dissatisfaction over gratitude. Decolonization is tough work. Everyone has been colonized, settler and Indigenous alike, so we need to focus on things we can feel grateful for, even while doing the hard work of decolonization.
4. Learn more about Sinixt. Sinixt elder Eva Orr tells an important story of gratitude and Sinixt survival; you can listen to it here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FnFH6K4o3s, in the language birthed from this land. Read and listen to the stories in Not Extinct and learn more about the land in which you live. It is alive with stories that have meaning for all of us in the tÉmxÊ·ĂșlaÊxÊ·. Visit the Blood of Life Collective webpage www.bloodoflifecollective.org. Check out some of the resources on the www.SinixtNation.org website. Check out the map of Sinixt tÉmxÊ·ĂșlaÊxÊ· and learn more about where you live. Read Paula Pryceâs Keeping the Lakesâ Way (available in most local libraries).
5. Have conversations with friends and family about actions you can take to work towards reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples.
Lim limpt (thank-you)
Autonomous Sinixt
