Today we’re bringing you an excerpt from a panel of speakers recorded at the World Social Forum in Montreal in early August. It was called “Indigenous Peoples’ Struggles and Resistance: Building Solidarity for Land, Self Determination and Justice.”
What you’ll hear is a variety of perspectives on one common theme: the need to protect the earth from the ravages of corporate greed and environmental devastation, and the right of Indigenous people to control their lands, their territories and their way of life.
Speakers (in order they appear in the podcast):
- Tom Goldtooth – Environmental, climate, and economic justice activist, speaker, film producer, and Indigenous rights leader from Minnesota.
- Joseph Wawatie, a traditional Algonquin from Barriere Lake in western Quebec. In 2012, he was arrested for protesting logging on his traditional territory — land which remains unceded territory. He speaks of his traditional life in the bush, and the challenges his nation faces.
- Jacob Wawatie, Algonquin elder and native studies educator at University of Ottawa. He’s also founder of Kokomville Academy, an organization which seeks to integrate Indigenous and settler approaches towards nature, development, and overall ways of life.
- Romeo Saganash, MP and NDP Critic for Intergovernmental Indigenous Affairs. He has tabled a private members bill — Bill C262 — to ensure that the laws of Canada respect the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
