A message regarding our calendar:
Warm Greetings to you all during this remarkable time. Needless to say, the world has changed, and as a result there are no live events happening just now. However we are happy to let you know of the following actions, on-line events and educational offerings that are available. In addition, MIAG is continuing to offer small ZOOM reading groups. If you would like to be included on a mailing list for these, please write us at info.miag@gmail.com.
WANT TO VIEW THESE VIA GOOGLE CALENDAR? FOLLOW THIS LINK!
https://calendar.google.com/calendar?cid=ZXM0dDI1bW80YmpiazliZ2g3ampuNXFsMjRAZ3JvdXAuY2FsZW5kYXIuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbQ
NEWS ALERT
Visit our News page to learn how you can get involved in the Wabanaki Alliance. Also, you can read about food sovereignty and food security during times of crisis.
THE GREAT UPHEAVAL OF 1675-1725: HOW WARS, REBELLIONS AND REFUGEE CRISES SHAPED EARLY AMERICA
August 1, 10 am-1 pm on Zoom
Join historians collaborating to develop a new book as they examine a long-overlooked era of colonial American history -- wars, rebellions, and forced migrations during 1675 - 1725. This "Great Upheaval" of immense violence and suffering produced profound changes across North America and the Atlantic World including: the rise of the British Empire, the peak of international slave trade, and the ascendance of Indigenous powers enabled by the spread of horses. What can we learn by placing this Great Upheaval at the center of North American history? How does our understanding of the most violent period in Maine's history change when we examine it as part of this wider phenomenon? Register here
LAND JUSTICE AND REMATRIATION
July 29, 5 p.m. on Zoom
Land Justice and Rematriation. Learn about Wabanaki food system rematriation efforts and explore an Indigenous perspective on land justice with Alivia Moore, cofounder of Eastern Woodlands Rematriation. We'll discuss reparation strategies of land return, cultivation/harvest agreements and cultural use agreements. Register here.
https://78270.blackbaudhosting.com/78270/Land-Justice-and-Rematriation
RECORDING FOR VIEWING ONLINE: THE AGE OF CORONAVIRUS: USING THIS TIME TO DECOLONIZE OUR MINDS
An interview with Sherri Mitchell (Weh'na Ha'mu Kwasset)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxVRvgrUTpI&feature=youtu.be&mc_cid=db1b8f33c1&mc_eid=8232c672bb
RECORDINGS FOR VIEWING ONLINE FROM HEALING TURTLE ISLAND, 2020
https://www.facebook.com/sacredinstructions/videos/570920660452276/
RECORDING FOR VIEWING ONLINE: TRIBAL SOVEREIGNTY LEGISLATION UPDATE
Recorded on June 19, 2020
Available for viewing at: https://www.maineconservation.org/lunchnlearn?emci=a56ae5e4-5cb2-ea11-9b05-00155d039e74&emdi=a215fd2b-68b2-ea11-9b05-00155d039e74&ceid=756028
"Corey Hinton and John Banks will join us to present on the Fish & Game and Environmental components of LD 2094, An Act To Implement the Recommendations of the Task Force on Changes to the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Implementing Act. Michael-Corey (Corey) F. Hinton is a citizen of the Passamaquoddy Tribe enrolled at Pleasant Point and an attorney with Drummond Woodsum & MacMahon whose practice focuses on the representation of Tribal Nations and their enterprises on a wide range of issues, including tribal governance, natural resources and the environment, economic development, and employment law. John Banks is the Director of the Department of Natural Resources for the Penobscot Indian Nation."
ONLINE WEBINAR SERIES: MOTHER EARTH'S PANDEMIC: THE DOCTRINE OF DISCOVERY
Thursday 6, 13 and 20 August 2020, 6-8 PM EST followed each day by small group discussions.
Webinar variable registration rate of $10-$30-$50 for all three days
https://indigenousvalues.org/mother-earths-pandemic/
Mother Earth’s Pandemic: The Doctrine of Discovery – Indigenous Values Initiative
“Peace can only be attained when human beings live in proper relationship to the natural world” ~Tadodaho of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, Sid Hill “The pandemic gives us all an opportunity to be at home and reflect on what we have done and where we are going. It is an opportunity for Mother Earth to breath,…
indigenousvalues.org
“Peace can only be attained when human beings live in proper relationship to the natural world”
…Tadodaho of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, Sid Hill
“The pandemic gives us all an opportunity to be at home and reflect on what we have done and where we are going. It is an opportunity for Mother Earth to breathe, rest and recover.”
…Jake Haiwhagai'i Edwards, Onondaga Nation citizen
The “Doctrine of Discovery,” better described as the “Doctrine of Christian Discovery and World Domination,” established the worldview that not only brought devastation to the natural world, but also impaired the ability for human beings to live in proper relationship with the Earth. 15th century Papal Bulls, issued by the Vatican, justified the assault upon Indigenous Peoples as an artificial justification to take possession of their bodies, lands and resources in order to finance their New World Order. This worldview advanced the Age of Discovery as an extension of the Crusades, and was the conceptual framework behind the Protestant Reformation, the establishment of Nation States around the world, and later secularized to define colonialism, white supremacy and global capitalism.
Essentially, what defines Indigenous Peoples is their relationship with a living landscape that includes the soil, water, air, and all other non-human being co-inhabitants. This orientation to land is distinctly opposed to the European concept of owning land and the process of colonization. Indigenous scholars have discussed these two opposing orientations as being one of habitation and the other, of occupation. Although the violent seizure of Indigenous lands was initiated with “discovery,” corporations today, continue exploiting Indigenous Peoples and their land all over the world. The Doctrine of Discovery is the root of the problem, and the reason that it is discussed at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
This current pandemic and the escalating climate chaos clarify to everyone that there are consequences to the devastation humans have perpetrated upon the environment. As Oren Lyons has pointed out, Natural Law will reestablish balance, and these climate changes will not destroy the Earth, but will most likely destroy the human beings who abuse her. The earth will rebound in its own time. If we are to survive as a species, we must reorient to an Indigenous worldview acknowledging that we are first and foremost, co-inhabitants with this Earth—not in charge of it. These Indigenous values, along with the acceptance of traditional ecological knowledge, will transform future technological innovations possibly resulting in a viable future for our species. Religious concepts of imperial thinking urgently need to be re-imagined; messages from Indigenous Peoples need to be heeded; and environmental justice needs to be restored. Racist ideologies of conquest and domination are directly connected with domination of the Earth and other non-human beings.
This conference will connect the dots between our current pandemic, environmental devastation, the Doctrine of Discovery, and a way forward. Too often these are thought of as unrelated concepts, rather than being the core impediment in working towards social justice in an ecologically balanced Earth. Our speakers have been working in these areas for many decades. Participants will hear the wisdom from the traditions of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois), as well as other Indigenous Peoples. Through virtual discussion groups, you will be able to interact on how best to implement these values of respect, thanksgiving, and peace into your lives.
Please join us in August 2020 for conversations about the Doctrine of Discovery, so we can begin the process of decolonization back to understanding our proper relationship to the natural world and peace.
Thursday 6 August, 6-8 PM (EST)
- 6-6:10 Opening, Tadodaho Sid Hill, water ceremony video
- 6:15-7:00 Orienting the conference (panel discussion)
- Phil Arnold, Sandy Bigtree, Betty Lyons, Jake Edwards
Thursday 13 August, 6-8 PM (EST)
- 6-7 PM Legal dimensions of the Doctrine of Discovery (panel-presentations)
- Joe Heath, Dana Lloyd, Steve Newcomb, Makayla Loeb
Thursday 20 August, 6-9 PM (EST)
- 6-7 PM International work and the Doctrine of Discovery (panel-presentations)
- Betty Lyons, Evie Reyes-Aguirre, Tupac Enrique Acosta, Beverly Jacobs
- Jake Edwards, Tink Tinker
BLOG TO READ: VOICES OF DECOLONIZATION
http://www.mainewabanakireach.org/blog?utm_campaign=july_email_blast&utm_medium=email&utm_source=mainewabanakireach
PODCAST TO LISTEN TO: INTERVIEW WITH DR. ROBIN WALL KIMMERER
https://www.alieward.com/ologies/bryology?fbclid=IwAR3OUj4FaQPwjRSEZPF1CmEGikMPEga70DsuOGIJb8gpXfQ-J88oe8Lqrw4
ARTICLE TO READ: WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE BLACK AND NATIVE IN 2020?
https://indiancountrytoday.com/news/what-does-it-mean-to-be-black-and-native-in-2020-T8eoAtse606ZYCTODPX1og?fbclid=IwAR10BWrTutdYhcyxtqp_yIzNDn3CBJgWI2MvT1Z99m4zG1prhMRZpddvfM0
Online Exhibit: State of Mind: Becoming Maine
Available Online at https://www.mainememory.net/sitebuilder/site/3012/page/4753/display?use_mmn=1&fbclid=IwAR06pk_J-QjVUbmdsc65kPf_fMetttNJ8C_mwgEPfC8icrlvbjhO06Rx-zo
State of Mind: Becoming Maine explores Maine's Bicentennial. Installed March 13, 2020 through January 31, 2021 at Maine Historical Society in Portland. This online component expands content with Maine Memory Network items, and differs slightly from the physical installation. Please visit Holding up the Sky: Wabanaki People, Culture, History & Art, a companion exhibition examining 13,000 years of Maine history.
Curated by Tilly Laskey, Maine Historical Society. Advised by Anne Chamberland, Archives Acadiennes, University of Maine, Fort Kent; Brittany Cook, Bicentennial Education Fellow, Maine Historical Society; Deborah Cummings Khadraoui, Abyssinian Meeting House; James E. Francis Sr. (Penobscot) Director of Cultural and Historic Preservation, Penobscot Nation; Bob Greene, Author, Portland, Maine; John Johnson, Portland, Maine; Daniel Minter, Indigo Arts Alliance; Kathleen Neumann, Manager of Education, Maine Historical Society; Lise Pelletier, Director, Archives Acadiennes, University of Maine, Fort Kent; Darren Ranco (Penobscot), Professor of Anthropology and Coordinator of Native American Programs, University of Maine; Jamie Rice, Director of Collections & Research, Maine Historical Society; Donald Soctomah (Passamaquoddy) Director, Passamaquoddy Cultural Heritage Center and Passamaquoddy Tribal Historic Preservation Officer; Elaine Tselikis, Communications & Grants Manager, Maine Historical Society.
Nibezun Weekly Online Offerings
Join them on Instagram and Facebook to connect!
Website to Explore- Sunlight Media Collective Website
sunlightmediacollective.org
The Sunlight Media Collective is an organization of indigenous and non-indigenous media makers and activists, including Wabanaki tribal members, working to document and present stories affecting Wabanaki people and highlighting Wabanaki perspectives, with a particular emphasis on the intersection between environmental issues and tribal rights. We have found that current media representations often offer problematic narratives, rife with mistruths, prejudice, fear mongering and misunderstanding. This lack of understanding is a detriment to the Wabanaki Tribes' environmental health, cultural survival and sovereignty, and to Tribal-State relations. The goal of our work is to facilitate understanding, analysis and historical context, and to create and organize educational opportunities and events for alliance building and social change.
Recorded and Live Teaching Offerings from Sherri Mitchell - Wena'hamu'gwasit
Podcast interviews, upcoming live teachings, and more is available via Sherri's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/sacredinstructions/
Direct links to some of her recent recorded teachings are available below, and we will update this site to include new ones as they are available for people who cannot access Facebook.
Topic: Acknowledging Our Collective Grief with Chief Arvol Looking Horse, Rev Lennox Yearwood, and Elder and Clan Mother Shelley Mandakwe Charles
Conversation took place on 6/11/2020. Recording available for listening anytime at the link below:
https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/78YrfuCqqDg3SdDE5gSDUaMtW9S-J6ms0HQWr6VYyRyzVnYBMVfwZbMTNucwuw5jYX4hQwdkjqZBJBLV?continueMode=true&_x_zm_rtaid=USjU5yQ9RjicYnszGwZ-gg.1592610512891.7b5fdbfaba832e8b0ea306bce1efcd42&_x_zm_rhtaid=638
Topic: Ethical Leadership with DJ Vanas
Conversation took place: May 14, 2020. Recording available for listening anytime at the link below:
https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/tJd4JuuhqW03SYCc4wSDUaN5W429Jqis0ylN_PEOnUy3U3YHZlGvbrJHY-oLIrFr-gvfnPYLK-FHLIEk?continueMode=true&_x_zm_rtaid=wND-vO3VRfmNeynFuzKnCw.1590173409442.9002c7bdf0f867c0592098bb36d73d6c&_x_zm_rhtaid=689
Topic: Embracing the Journey-Facing Yourself with Heather Mizeur
Conversation took place Apr 23, 2020. Recording available for listening anytime at the link below:
https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/75wsJL-vqW43HNyc4gSDCvF8W9XrKv2s0ykeqPMFzR7mAnkCMwCgMOASMOJVon_D8Xv3QhbhHQTWZ4g2?continueMode=true&_x_zm_rtaid=q2-mxzUtTMq7zD9JMqo5gA.1588117543193.c5dbdb5e7b0520fdce5cbdd92088010d&_x_zm_rhtaid=288
Topic: Visioning The New with Tim DeChristopher and Rivera Sun
Conversation took place April 16, 2020. Recording available for listening anytime at the link below:
https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/xed5BIOg02ZIQNb2tFDTS7UvPt68eaa81CUc-_MIykZmUec5tzoyAsJpqbWCwroy
Access Password: t0%8#vL%
Topic: Changing the Way We Live
Conversation took place Apr. 1, 2020. Recording available for listening anytime at the link below:
https://us04web.zoom.us/rec/play/v50odb2oqWg3TNLAswSDUfUvW42_KvmshCBN8vsNnR21AXBXO1L0YbBGZuf2ghSykOFYjyjaUrF6TS1D?continueMode=true&_x_zm_rtaid=q2-mxzUtTMq7zD9JMqo5gA.1588117543193.c5dbdb5e7b0520fdce5cbdd92088010d&_x_zm_rhtaid=288
Ongoing Showings of Documentary Film "Dawnland" on WERU
WERU at weru.org has Dawnland Signals on the third Thursday of each Month at 4:00 with host Esther Anne and Maria Girouard. Past shows are archived.
Ongoing Truth and Reconciliation Commission Videos from the Capacity Building Center for Tribes
The Capacity Building Center for Tribes videos on the TRC https://tribalinformationexchange.org/?s=&category_name=resource-library
sunlightmediacollective.org
The Sunlight Media Collective is an organization of indigenous and non-indigenous media makers and activists, including Wabanaki tribal members, working to document and present stories affecting Wabanaki people and highlighting Wabanaki perspectives, with a particular emphasis on the intersection between environmental issues and tribal rights. We have found that current media representations often offer problematic narratives, rife with mistruths, prejudice, fear mongering and misunderstanding. This lack of understanding is a detriment to the Wabanaki Tribes' environmental health, cultural survival and sovereignty, and to Tribal-State relations. The goal of our work is to facilitate understanding, analysis and historical context, and to create and organize educational opportunities and events for alliance building and social change.
Recorded and Live Teaching Offerings from Sherri Mitchell - Wena'hamu'gwasit
Podcast interviews, upcoming live teachings, and more is available via Sherri's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/sacredinstructions/
Direct links to some of her recent recorded teachings are available below, and we will update this site to include new ones as they are available for people who cannot access Facebook.
Topic: Acknowledging Our Collective Grief with Chief Arvol Looking Horse, Rev Lennox Yearwood, and Elder and Clan Mother Shelley Mandakwe Charles
Conversation took place on 6/11/2020. Recording available for listening anytime at the link below:
https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/78YrfuCqqDg3SdDE5gSDUaMtW9S-J6ms0HQWr6VYyRyzVnYBMVfwZbMTNucwuw5jYX4hQwdkjqZBJBLV?continueMode=true&_x_zm_rtaid=USjU5yQ9RjicYnszGwZ-gg.1592610512891.7b5fdbfaba832e8b0ea306bce1efcd42&_x_zm_rhtaid=638
Topic: Ethical Leadership with DJ Vanas
Conversation took place: May 14, 2020. Recording available for listening anytime at the link below:
https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/tJd4JuuhqW03SYCc4wSDUaN5W429Jqis0ylN_PEOnUy3U3YHZlGvbrJHY-oLIrFr-gvfnPYLK-FHLIEk?continueMode=true&_x_zm_rtaid=wND-vO3VRfmNeynFuzKnCw.1590173409442.9002c7bdf0f867c0592098bb36d73d6c&_x_zm_rhtaid=689
Topic: Embracing the Journey-Facing Yourself with Heather Mizeur
Conversation took place Apr 23, 2020. Recording available for listening anytime at the link below:
https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/75wsJL-vqW43HNyc4gSDCvF8W9XrKv2s0ykeqPMFzR7mAnkCMwCgMOASMOJVon_D8Xv3QhbhHQTWZ4g2?continueMode=true&_x_zm_rtaid=q2-mxzUtTMq7zD9JMqo5gA.1588117543193.c5dbdb5e7b0520fdce5cbdd92088010d&_x_zm_rhtaid=288
Topic: Visioning The New with Tim DeChristopher and Rivera Sun
Conversation took place April 16, 2020. Recording available for listening anytime at the link below:
https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/xed5BIOg02ZIQNb2tFDTS7UvPt68eaa81CUc-_MIykZmUec5tzoyAsJpqbWCwroy
Access Password: t0%8#vL%
Topic: Changing the Way We Live
Conversation took place Apr. 1, 2020. Recording available for listening anytime at the link below:
https://us04web.zoom.us/rec/play/v50odb2oqWg3TNLAswSDUfUvW42_KvmshCBN8vsNnR21AXBXO1L0YbBGZuf2ghSykOFYjyjaUrF6TS1D?continueMode=true&_x_zm_rtaid=q2-mxzUtTMq7zD9JMqo5gA.1588117543193.c5dbdb5e7b0520fdce5cbdd92088010d&_x_zm_rhtaid=288
Ongoing Showings of Documentary Film "Dawnland" on WERU
WERU at weru.org has Dawnland Signals on the third Thursday of each Month at 4:00 with host Esther Anne and Maria Girouard. Past shows are archived.
Ongoing Truth and Reconciliation Commission Videos from the Capacity Building Center for Tribes
The Capacity Building Center for Tribes videos on the TRC https://tribalinformationexchange.org/?s=&category_name=resource-library
