Facilitation #2

Indigenous Mexicans at the US Mexican Border - Chapter 5

This chapter offers a glimpse of the resiliency among Mexican migrants and their deep connection to their homeland and is a great representation of Mexican migrants establishing themselves within the United States as proud and supportive of their home country.

FIOB: the Oaxacan Indigenous Binational Front
Post-national citizenship
Challenges widely held stereotypes of Mexican migrants and has transformed the local community and paved the way for immigrant inclusion in social order and to represent diversity.
Organizes activities to celebrate indigenous interests.
Represents peopel who have migrated from the Mexican state of Oaxaca
Although these people have migrated to the states, they are still contributing to the Mexican nation by defending it's political and economic sovereignty.
In 1938 the Mexican's in the US were highly supportive of a movement for oil expropriation by the Mexican government, a gesture that was seen as the ultimate expression of mexican sovereignty. These migrants even sent back financial support.

Immigrants from Oaxaca State who live in Fresno, Calidornia.
Fresno = San Juaquin Valley, the most important agricultural region of the US and home to a large number of Mexican immigrants
Many of these migrants are people who do not represent the normal migration process. They are not fleeing their countries and cultures but are moving north in order to seek employment or to protect their personal safety in times of political change.
Example of Benito Juarez
Had been the governor of Oaxaca and the director of the Oaxaca Institute for Science and Arts. During a political restructure he was banished and exiled to New Orleans without money or knowledge of the English language. While in New Orleans he worked in a cigar factory but kept in contact with a circle of other migrants. Together they worked to improve their living situation in New Orleans
This also draw attention again to the multiple roles that immigrants take on in their daily lives. Not only are they fighting against subordination because of race and class, trying to find employment to support themselves and families and also remain active in the political struggles of their homeland.
Here she questions “How many women and children are in similar situation and struggle daily to improve themselves? How many migrants are forced to carry out multiple and contrasting social roles so as to allow their personal aspiration to coincide with the material needs the must be addressed on a day-to-day basis?


Local Context
Situates us a bit in the Fresno area
·         In 2000 the Fresno area had a population of almost 1,000,000 people.
o   44% were Latino’s
o   37.8% were of Mexican descent
Political involvement has been a contentious topic in these areas for a long time. Consider this.. in the 1970's there was a town just south of Fresno called Parlier. 85% of the population were Latino or Mexican. These people did not have the right to vote and a small population of white farmers controlled the government. This was overthrown in 1972 when students from the Fresno Campus o California State University launched a campaign to take over the government

Lack of political representation effects many areas including Madera. This ack of representation has many implications
Deterioration of public services – expecially education.
The Madera School District continually reported a lack of classrooms and other services with a growing population of predominantly Mexican students.
In 2002 the government issued a $46 million bond for educational projects and as the law states, a commission was created to oversee the use of the funds. This commission was comprised of solely white citizens.
On a more positive note, Political engagement has been more successful in Fresno and has resulted in successful relationships with FIOB to pursue initiatives such as the Casa San Miguel housing project which provided housing for over 50 families.

Another success of FIOB in reaffirming the Oaxaqueno Identity is in their annual guelguetza.
The guelguetza is a oaxacan celebration from pre-Columbian times and now occurs in Oaxaca City as well as regions in the
US with a high population of Oaxacans.
This celebrations is an important elemnt in strengthening their links with their home state.
“The Guelguetza creates an environment in which migrants can leave the concerns and worries behind and, in a pan-thnic collective, unite to enjoy the culture that brings them together”
Civic Participation Project
This project recognizing outstanding activists in the community and brings them into communities and schools to provide training workshops pm the organizationand practice in schools, organization and practice in the local governments and the importance of different forms of civic participation.
For example, one workshopdeals with organization with the schools and the rights one has as a parent.
Pne story that surfaced was of an Oaxacan mother who’s daughter was getting harassed in the school. First the mother told her daughter to talk to the teacher who did nothing. She then suggested that her daughter defend herself. She did and ended up getting harassed. Workshops provided by FIOB equip parents with the tools and resources that they need to properly exercise their rights.
In conclusion I find this chapeter to provide one of the most hopeful outlooks than many other readins that we have done. FIOB is empowering Oaxacan migrants and encouraging them to take part in the politics that ultimately will affect their lives.


Do you think that articles such as this one that show positive views are as effective in creating social change? Or do we need

Climate Justice...

Another example of our northern and mostly indigenous populations experiencing climate change..

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/north/story/2010/11/16/arctic-security-conference-board.html

Hawaiian at Heart

History of Hawai'i

On January 18, 1778, Captain Cook stumbled upon the Hawaiian Islands on his way to discover the Northwest Passage. It was on this trip that he first documented surfing after seeing the natives “riding the ocean's waves on wooden boards.” What he also noticed about the Hawai'i was the prime agricultural area for growing sugar cane. Because of this Americans, Europeans as well as Asians began imigrating to Hawaii and build plantations.

Over the next 50 years people continued to flow into Hawaii. The American missionaries became a strong social group, influencing and reshaping social mores and behaviors of the time. With them they brought Christian and Protestant priests. Christianity increasingly becoming an influential religion in the Hawaiian Islands. The immigration of foreigners also brought diseases that the Hawaiians were not able to fight off. Their population plumetted.

The population of Hawaii continued to grow with many america and europeans building their own lives within the nation. The colonisation of Hawaiian people continued and was not friendly. Hawaiian people fought for their sovereignty. One of the most violent incidences occured in 1843 when Lord Paulet entered the Honolulu Harbour and demanded that King Kamehameha cede teh Hawaiian Islands to the British Crown. Using guns and other weapons the King stepped down. Later that year, Paulet's commanding officer returned to Hawaii and reinstated the Hawaiian monarchy.

Recognizing Hawaiian sovereignty, the American's were paying tariffs on sugar cane that they were exporting. In 1875 the American's and Hawaiian's signed a free-trade treaty allowing the Americans to export as much as they wanted. This of course imposed stress on resources and fueled more violent protest.

In 1887 another rebellion broke out, apparently because of an opium scandal. This opened the doors for other groups living in Hawaii to voice their own unhapiness and through countless political movements the monarchy lost much of its power.

In 1893 Queen Lili`uokalani recieved petitions from her subjects asking to reqrite the constitution and restore the monarchy's power. She did.

Another group, made up of europeans and americans formed the “comittee of safety” and there purpose was to try and find peace among those living in Hawaii. Queen Lili`uokalani yielded her throne, under protest, in order to avoid bloodshed, trusting that the United States government would right the wrong that had been done to her and the Hawaiian people.




Summary
To others, Hawaii seems like a place of whimsical beauty and freedom. We are now able to purchace Hawaiian culture in the form of dress, music and hula, but to some this is not enough, they want to BE Hawaiian. This sparks interest in the Hawaiian language, music and art which is not bad. Imagine how different Canada might be if more of us were interested in Aboriginal languages. However, these people who are interested in Hawaii are because of marketing products. They are not interessted in the land, the oceanography, fishing, farming or other things that define Hawaiian culture.
Taking a step back to the definition of Hawaiians , we have the concept of the Hawaiian geneology. Hawaiian identity lies in relation to “aumakua” (ancestral spirit), “aina” (land) and “kanaka” (other Hawaiians). The people care for the land, and thus the land cares for them. Their relations to others explains where they came from. And they do not understand the notion of “part” whatever or “half” whatever. They are Hawaiians.
She kind of makes fun of the way American's boast that “their grandmother was a Cherokee” and says that statements like that would not fly in Hawaii. If your family is truly Hawaiian there will always be someone who knows you, or your family. People attempt to claim Hawaiian as their identity because they fall in love with the idea of Hawaii that has been sold to them. Many Samoans and Phillipino people seek refuge as Hawaiians because to most, being hawaiian carries no history of pain or loss.



Discussion
What is apparent is that there is a huge disconnect between true-Hawaiians and those who wish to live the Hawaiian dream. These are people who are actively seeking education in Hawaiian language and culture. On page 410 she says “Often Hawaiians are misread as uninterested or resistant to learning when they do not fully participate in Hawaiian education, but the reality is that all contemporary Hawaiians come from a pat where out parents, grandparents or great grandparents use of Hawaiian language and culture was forbidden, legislated against or brutally punished.”
It's almost impossible to compare native-Hawaiians with native-Americans. Hawaiians were not the “first people” on North American land, the Hawaiians were another nation completely unto their own. They were slowly pushed out of their home until it seems the had no choice but to hand it over to the Americans for the sake of peace.
What I see as the difference in Native and American cultures is the disconnect between the definition of land and power. The native Hawaiians were connected to the land and to their relatives. When American's wanted to take power away fromt he monarchy Hawaiians gave in to save their land and people from the violence that they forsaw happening. What happened was an American imposition of tourist culture and an erasure and suppressed notion of true-Hawaii.
In preparing for this seminar I was searching hard for videos, articles and website that could help me to understand the history of colonisation in Hawaii. It was hard. Even on google.

Women & Change at the US Mexico Border

Chapter 1
Women at the US-Mexico border are portayed as active agents in influencing the world around them as apposed to passive participants. This book explores womens experiences and their stories in order to unpack the multitude of cultures, traditions and beliefs of communities on both the American and Mexican side. The political border has many implications in the lives of these communities after the NAFTA agreement was signed and the border became highly important to both nations. It is important to note that those living north of the border are among the lowest-income American's and those living south of the border are at the top of the income scale for Mexicans. Reduced spending on social programs from both countries placed more stress on the impoverished families and created a higher demand for womens unpaid labour.

Chapter 2
Immigration is a stable of globalization and indigenous communities in Mexico are no different from the rest of the world. Maier discusses the positive and negative implications that immigration has had on the lives on Mexican women. Indigenous Mexican women now have higher access to education and greater political rights however the periodic or continuous absence of men in the family structure has resulted in higher responsibilities for women and long, labourous days reducing their ability for political movement.

Chapter 3
As more women are articipating in the work force mobility to and from work has had positive and negative implications. Many women still maintain traditional domestic roles while working in or outside of the home which adds to their physical and emotional stress. Some women give up the benefits of working outside the home as it does notoutweight the negatives for dealing with arranging childcare and ride shares with family and friends. Women who do have access to a vehicle often take on my responsibilities to drive friends and family around and face more time constraints added on to their daily routines.

Chapter 4
Until abortions were legalized in the United States the pattern of migration for abortion was North-South across the border where women were administered abortions in illegal, “clandenstine” establishments. Since then American women has stopped travelling south, however the only Mexican women who are able to take advantage of legalized, safe abortions are women that have the money, information and means to cross the border. This study showed the differences in values between women assimilated in each culture. Those hispanic women on the American side have the highest number of abortions early in life, and less after the age of 30. Women south of the border have the lowest number of young abortions, the number rises after the age of 30.

Chapter 5
The “feminization” of labour can relate to the increasing number of women in the workforce relative to men, but also to the degradation of labour conditions and economy. When introduced, the maquiadora program was intended to creat opportunities for women to enter the workforce but recent trends have shown a shift to hiring women, to the point where omen made up only 48% of the work force. This shift has been attributed to continuing the subortination of women by excluding them from economic opportunities and training.

Chapter 6
“Autonomy and power go hand in hand” and the exclusion of women in the maquiadora trade is one way the state continues to remove womens autonomy. The systems currently in place repress low-income hispanic women through cultural and religious norms that maintain the women's role in housekeeping and child-bearing yet still require them to earn an income. Through interviews with women Bergareche discusses the importance of womens autonomy in resisting violence and how emplyment can offer women support by social and economic means.

Chapter 7
Migration and womens representation in the labour force come together in this chapter where we explore the double standard of women in the workforce with children. The gender division of labour which requires women to work for the socia reproduction of their families does not allow for much support from the state and therefor must look to other sources for help within the household. Higher-income families may be able to hire help, the low-income women must rely on the help of family and friends.

Remember This: Chapter 13

For this synopsis I have chosen to focus on the last chapter.. the final "discussion" in Remember This. Chapter 13 or "A discussion of other things." This text was quite challenging for me to get through as it brought so many aspects of indigenous studies to light.

One thing that I want to bring up before I head into my discussion is of Wilson's research and presentation methods. She goes over them in the beginning of the book but I just want to reiterate the fact that while writing this book she was very conscious of who she was representing and who she was performing the research that she did. The concept of "what good will come out of this?" was always in her mind and all parties of the research.. so herself, Eli Taylor, the elders in the tribe she was discussing.. they all had to discuss the reasons behind the research, how the stories are collected and how the stories are recorded and displayed.

This chapter begins with the notion of the two-spirited people.

As it is described on page 222, the Winkta, of two-spirited people were created by God, of their creator just as he made everyone else. They are in the same category as humans. In RememberThis it is mentioned that two-spirited people appeared biologically male and were either what we would consider "gay" or even hermaphrodites. I watched a few videos on two-spirited people and one video had this description. "They were honoured and revered. They were visionaries, healers, medicine people, caregivers of orphans." As Eli Taylor describes they are "waken", holy, sacred. When they spoke people listened.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMdIZXOXpTQ

She then tells the story of a dakota family who was unable to provide food for themselves.. they needed help so they approached the nearest two-spirited person and it was his responsibility to find and provide food so that the family could survive. To me… it seems that two-spirited people were honoured as an integral part of society. They were not responsible for reproduction or marriage.. they were there to help the success of the tribes. It was only after European contact and the introduction of Christianity that all of a sudden the notion of two-spirit became associated with sinfulness.

In the second half of the chapter Wilson discusses her conversations with Eli and we begin a discussion of language. She compares the Winkta to Berdache, a term that we learnt at the beginning of the class. She notes that A difficulty in defining a term like winkta cross-culturally stems in part, at least, from the insistence in Western culture on linking gender with biological sex. English has no term for this fluidity in gender, only for sex- uality. Interestingly, within the Dakota language there exist no gendered pro- nouns. Thus when referring to a winkta in Dakota, there would be no designa- tion of she or he as there is in English.

At this point I would just like to point out how her research methodologies are coming through in the text when she repeats the definition of Winkta back to Eli and asks if she is correct in her representation.

The next part of the chapter explores the question "What does Dakota mean to you?

Eli says "its not any different, any better than other groups. We are all one people. "But for some reason we have different languages, different ways of life. So therefor I cannot criticize anyone who is not doing things my way, because that is the way they were taught."

What I find very interesting is the in no way does Eli Taylor ever try to push the notion of the Dakota way as the right way He acknowledges that we each have a different way that we have learned and lived the same lessons. This is illustrated in the story of the Mohawk man who is speaking to a group and offering a teaching quite similar to a Dakota teaching. Eli taylor does not believe in the story but believes that that was the way the Mohawk were given to live, just as the Dakota people were given a way to live. A result of residential and boarding schools is that Aboriginals have neglected their responsibility to live the life that they wre given from their ancestors and have adopted a non-indian way of life. At one point they may have senn this as the only way to continue to live in NA because settlers were relentless in taking over their country.

Eli Taylor had one request for the Dakota children and that was to get an education. By educating themselves and gaining access to higher positions they would be able to have more influence in integrating Indigenous stories and ways of life into main stream society. Government policies and funding opportunities however, provide barriers to indigenous people being able to access what we see as a right and not a privilege.

A quote from Wilson says "Furthermore, at this point in time those who really support education are few in number because many still retain the view that a white man’s education means a denial of “Indianness.” Until the reserva- tion communities as a whole embrace education as a means of fighting for Da- kota sovereignty and helping Dakota people, little is likely to change. If more young people and their parents could hear this message of Unkanna’s, per- haps communities could begin to view education as a means of exerting self- determination rather than as a threat to it."

I have a few questions….

Back to the quote from Eli where he says "I cannot criticize anyone who is not doing things my way, because that is not the way they were taught."

Does this have a place in the academy now? Where have you experienced it and do you think it could be applicable?

Do Indigenous studies have a place in our academy? Should it be a separate area of study… as Eli Taylor suggested, to keep Aboriginial children out of the public school system until they have reached grade 12 and can handle the harassment that they might receive.. or shout it be integrated into all disciplines or kept inherently different?

First Nations - First Thoughts

Oral traditions are intrinsic to the intergenerational transmission of indigenous knowledge. The representation of Indigenous knowledge in public education is shaped by Western society and this book seeks to undercover some of these values so that they can be overturned and Indigenous knowledge and methodologies will find a place within our educational institutions.

Part 1

Chapter 1: First Nations Perspectives and Historical Thinking in Canada: Robyn Jarvis Brownlie

Racism exists from one group exerting their dominance over another because of hegemonic assertions of power. Upon European settlement Indigenous tritons were not seen as an alternative lifestyle but outdated and undeveloped. Brownlie discusses the need for early Aboriginal scholars and writer to make alliances with white academics who were sympathetic of the colonial process in order to access an academic audience. The earlier twentieth century saw the emergence of articles fighting against the misrepresentation of Aboriginals in the current literature. It was not until the 1970's that Indigenous literature really took off. This was in part due to more recognition of their place in society with inclusions of Indigenous Studies and Native Studies courses in secondary and post-secondary schools - offering native and non-native peoples a chance to learn the traditions.

Chapter 2:Being Indigenous in the Academy: Creating Space for Indigenous Scholars - Margaret Kovach

Indigenous people have a short history in the academy considering that until 1951 the entrance into post secondary education was giving up your status as a First Nations person. Once located within the academy they are vulnerable as their numbers are low and support to question colonial institution is hard to find. To access education they must enter colonial spaces, a space which may have discriminated against their Aboriginal identity in secondary or elementary school. Kovach outlines four aspects of Indigenaity in the academy as “Mind” – the collection and representation of knowledge; “Body” - the physical presence within adademic spaces; “Heart” - the ability to feel a connection with the indigenous knowledges and traditions being taught; and “Spirit” - the fire within oneself which keeps them motivated and provides guidance when feeling lost.

Part 2

Chapter 3: Respecting First Nations Oral Histories: Copyright Complexities and Archiving Aboriginal Stories: Leslie McCartney

Using the story of Albert Johnson's flee from RCMP across the Northwest and Yukon Territory McCartney illustrates the different forms a narrative can take depending on who reports and records it. The Establish Archival Record accounts for the “Mad Trapper's” adventure throught he Canadian North and includes radio segments, newspaper articles and local notes of the case. The RCMP Versions speak of the “Arctic Circle War” and the way in which RCP persevered through the elements, sticking to their code of conduct and stopping at nothing to get their man. Popular Versions offer differing points of view depending on the cultural and historical elements that locals chose to acknowledge. Throughout all of these ways of presenting and transmitting information we can see how stories can change because of language and cultural differences. Because of the copyright laws Oral Histories are difficult to keep recorded as opposed to literary works.

Remeber This

What I noticed first about Wilsons book is how she introduced her topic and how she made us follow her through the story. I think of myself to be a strong leader and have a hard time following others yet Wilson was so strong with her intentions of Remember This that I had no choice and fell into her story. She clearly situates herself within the indigenous community, she is clear of her intentions, understands her role as a researcher, but not only that, also as a listener and a learner which can be attributed to the role that kin and kinship plays in the Dakota nation.

When I say that she is clear and ambiguous about her intentions - she clearly states these in the first chapter. She identifies who she is, who and what she will be studying and who it will benefit. She is telling the story of Eli Taylor because he wanted to share the story for future generations. She acknowledges this, agrees and then identifies herself as someone who will be able to engage with Eli Taylor and act as a medium for these stories to flow. As she satiates "good minds are useless without good hearts" and I think these are obvious in her the research methods. She suggests that any information on indigenous perspectives that are available should be taken with a grain of salt because they have probably been translated and interpreted by non-indigenous people. Why do you think these would have been altered?

Questions she asked when approaching the reasearch topic..
What are the motivations behind this interest?
How will the information be used, and in what kind of context?
Is enough known about the culture from which the information will be extracted?
Who initiated the topic to be studied, Indigenous people or a scholar interested in a particular aspect of Indigenous history?

I would like to know, because obviously eveyone in here has had experience in the academy.. do you think of these things? Why? Why not? What changed?

She goes on to say that researchers generally attempt to search out stories and provoke responses, memories and motives in order to build their story or case. Just think of a reporter. While this may be perfectly acceptable she suggests that you do not do this with the elders as they know their role within the culture. There role is to tell the stories and yours is to listen. Listen so that you may repeat the story afterwards as it was told to you. Not just the words but the expressions and emotions.. which leads me into the oral history and oral traditions...

Oral history: The stories one generates from their life experiences.

describing the oral tradition as something that is living and ongoing as an individual and communal responsibility. which is reflective as how colonization is the deprivation of experience, Wilson points out how, “not only…personal experiences affect a person’s life, but also how missed experiences equally affect them.” Oral tradition is important than, so that the Dakota people can still pass along messages. Eli Taylor was unable to participate in certain ceremonies but still able to pass down messages and teachings because while they were not party of his oral history, they are imbedded in his oral tradition. While we value the stories of direct personal experience, we also value the stories and teachings that have been passed on and embodied for generations.

Continuing on the notion of missed experiences.. let’s revisit the story of Eli as a young boy playing in the streets. His mother wanted to teach him herself and teach him the traditions and ideals that she had learned growing up. Not truisting the conformist educational system that the province had to offfer. What woudl you do in that situation knowing what you know now.. Would you leave the boy in the care of the mother? Why or why not?

Two-spirit people: Native American gender identity, sexuality, and spirituality By Sue-Ellen Jacobs, Wesley Thomas, Sabine Lang

Key Words:
gender bending, gender blending, gender changing, healer, caregiver, not for reproduction, cultural rules, expected behaviours



Two-spirit is a term which was coined at the third conference for Native American/First Nations Gays and Lesbians in Winnipeg. It came about to replace the term "berdache," a term which was gaining negative connotations and was not representative of the actual Two-Spirit belief. The modern notion of Two-Spirited will include Native American gays and lesbians, those who claim multiple genders, transexuals and transgendered people. Two-Spirit allows Native American's to distance themselves from non-native gays and lesbians.

At one point two-spirited people left the reservations attempting to find those of similar interests. The motivations behind their emigration was to escape negative connotations that came with their gender identity. With rise of HIV and AIDS among the gay communities there was the threat of disease. Two-Sprited people were afraid to be considered to ahve caught the "white gay mans disease." As well, Indigenous communities had been subject to colonization and the introduction of catholicism wherein anything outside of heterosexuality is considered a sin. Traditionally two-spirited people were given the role as helper/healer/caregiver as they were not meant to reproduce.

Two-Spirit People:Native American Gender Identity, Sexuality, and Spirituality.

This compilations of articles on Native American's gender identities begins with the definition of berdache and two-spirited peoples. The goal of these papers is to unpack the way in which we define gender identities and how these can change with time and across cultures. Berdache has been used to refer to special gender roles in Native American cultures including gender variance, or the ability to have multiple genders and to change over a lifetime. When expressed publicly, many of these people were ostracized from their reservations but berdache gave them a unique identity and form of strength in numbers. This became problematic after a while and some chose to drop the term in order to distance themselves from the white, gay community synonymous with the AIDS epidemic at that time. Two-spirited became a way for Native Americans to describe themselves as identifying with one or more gender identities.

Throughout the book we are asked to reflect on how we, as a society, have created definitions for individuals identities and feel the right to use these definitions freely despite whether or not we truly understand the meaning, as the example of the Kaska girl in Guy Goulet's article suggested. Another example is of the Navajo people who have their own gender identities and roles that are unique to the Navajo; these are the reasons, among others, that genders can not be exclusive to any type of sexuality and that we must strive to see past our own socially constructed terminology.

Online Book

This is a pretty good collection of articles for anyone who is interested in a little more reading.. it's not 100% complete but many of the articles are all there for you to read!

http://books.google.ca/books?id=8zvd92WUCmEC&pg=PR4&lpg=PR4&dq=Mill,+John+Stuart.+Excerpt+from+The+Subjection+of+Women.+The+Feminist+Papers:+From+Adams+to+de+Beauvoir,&source=bl&ots=270krAzUSz&sig=NgaY1zIn7mLWGyn3fA6lljrt9qI&hl=en&ei=jQmqTPCcDI-osAPz6rmdDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBQQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

Chapter 3: Your Honors Servants

Aboriginal women played a key role in the Europeans discovery of North America. Their tools and wisdom were unmatched by any settler knowledge and their value was known far and wide. The term "your honours servants" came to describe these women. This term implies that they were slaves - property and resources of the fur traders - however they were valuable partners and were allowed some privileges. The European men had emotional attachments to these women and would go out of their way to care for their safety and well-being, ensuring that they were fed and safe from violent threats.

Aboriginal women had performed many tasks including finding and trapping hares and partridges, which in some instances saved the fur traders from starvation. Not only did the women help travel by canoe, but sat in the back to steer and guide down the rivers. This was stopped by high ranking officers in Europe who saw this as not a role for women and that the men should be more in control. An interesting point was raised in class regarding this: did the men allow the women to sit in the back because they knew how to guide the boat, or did the men stay in front because they thought they were leading the way?

Chapter 4: Women in Between

Because of the aboriginal women's position in society they did not keep record of their existence, therefore the only stories we have are based on the records kept by the European settlers.

The Indian women were instrumental in creating and maintaining relations of the white man and the first nations people that they encountered. In this chapter Van Kirk suggests that the aboriginal women began to see the benefits of marrying into the fur trader society. While they were still involved in many economic tasks such as making moccasins and building snowshoes, they were not burdened with the duties that were involved in the nomadic lifestyle of the first nations. Reports of Indian women pursuing European men were uncovered along with assumptions that the Indian women enjoyed the lifestyles. In some situations they had more privileges and freedoms including tools provided by Europeans which made working with hides much easier, as well as being able to consume better parts of foods which were traditionally reserved for the native males.

Although Indian women were gaining respect and value in the fur traders societies, some moving into higher political roles even, there were certain cultural differences that could not permeate into theEuropean culture. One example of this is the Chinook tradition of head binding. The Europeans found the practice of binding their babies heads to a board in order to flatten it abhorrent and forbade their wives to do this. Instead of having their children grow up with round skulls (a sign of slavery) some women murdered their children. Eventually European dominance was achieved and infanticide ceased.

Remember This!: Dakota Decolonization and the Eli Taylor Stories.

Intro - 3

Angela Cavender Wilson's goal in writing Remember This! is to enlighten us to the stories and histories of the Dakota people that have been lost through the colonization of the Dakota nation and the European collection and recording of the history.

The subject of her book is Eli Taylor, a man adopted as her grandfather. Wilson recognized the importance of oral tradition for the Dakota people and responded when she heard of Eli Taylor's desire to have his stories recorded. Before colonization oral tradition was the way in which Dakota people kept their stories and histories alive. Their God - Dakota - "did not provide us with paper and pens.. We remembered with our minds"

These stories are of particular interest to me because I grew up in Brandon, Manitoba, and attended the high school that students from the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation were bussed. While I was not very concerned with the stories of my fellow classmates while I was in high school it is interesting to reflect back on it now. Most of those stories were absent from our education and even Canadian history. To top it off, our athletes were know as the Crocus Plains Plainsmen and were once represented by a fur trader/settler.

Unsettling Settler Societies: Chapter 6

Approxomately 90% of the Mexica population are considered mestizo, a term used to refer to those who were subject

of the racial and cultural miscegenation which began during the Spanish conquest. Until recently, not much attention was

paid to the causes and effects of this process, but instances of campaigns and organizations of Indigenous communities

to reclaim their cultures and lands have sparked new interest.

What differentiates the colonization of Mexico from other "new lands" is that when the Spaniards arrived on shore the

aboriginals had already formed complex communities and cities. Ethnic diversity increased as me Spanish men arrived with

black slaves. After imposing Catholism the Mexican native population began to homogonize and complex religious systems

were eradicated.

The arrival of Spanish women cause the rates of Spanish men marrying assimilated aboriginal women to decline. The

Spanish women were also instruemental in introducing certain fundamental institutions of colonial society ad catholic values.

These white women were usually confined to the household and had the domestic role to organize and maintain a

monogamous family home. Indian and blackwomen were provided as slaves and were treated as subordinates.

Unsettling Settler Societies:Sylvia Van Kirk

This piece speak directly to the production of knowledge and emergence of the white mans culture during the colonization of North America. As we discussed in class Van Kirk allows the stories of the “Indians” to be told which would otherwise go untold through the white mans narrative of the Fur Trade.
What we are taught in schools and universities even in modern times are a direct reflection of colonization and the knowledge production of the settler societies. What we are taught to accept as the “truth” and history of North America is extremeyl biased by the voices that were telling and collecting the stories.

Colonizing Knowledge’s: Linda Tuhiwai Smith

In this paper we are asked to question the means in which Europeans “discovered” Not hat America and their production of knowledge and truth. It began by establishing the White European as normal and “human” and everyone else as “different.” Other societies were judged on how “near” “almost” and “sub” human. Some of these notions were directly connected to religion as they were judged based on their ability to have souls.
Smith also challenges the notion of “collection” the past and how Europeans collected artifacts, natural resources and even cultures. “Many indigenous people would call this stealing” whereas the collectors themselves thought of it as “rescuing.” Is this to suggest that indigenous peoples were not human enough to care for and preserve their own cultures? That a white man had to be responsible?

Deconstructing Race/ Deconstructing Racism: Jeanette Armstrong and Roxana Ng

In the conference of deconstructing race Armstrong begins by challenging the ways in which individual societies embrace the notion of “differences”
The Okanagan looked at peoples individuality and “differences” as tools and valuable traits. These “differences” allowed each person to contribute to the groups and they were able to “organize themselves for survival reasons.” This society was built on honoring differences between people and acknowledging how their traits will add to the greater good for the group.
“Race,” however, focuses on the power and supremacy of one group holding over the “others” – those who are different - “the idea of someone having more rights than others.” Using slavery as an example she discusses how the differences of race translated into the “supreme” race literally owning another human being simply because of their difference.

Talkin’ up to the White Woman: Aileen Moreton-Rbinson

This paper focuses on the differences between women and discusses the ways in which white women to to see themselves not simply as a woman, but as white woman. While they are engaged in the fight to blur the lines separating the white man and white women, the separation of white women and women of other races is prevalent.
I like how Moreton-Robinson mentions the way in which “difference” becomes a marker of that which is “not the same” – as if to say that white women do no see the difference between all races, simply that other races are not the same as them – they are not white. In their eyes Asian women, black women, indigenous women etc. are not distinct from one another, they are just not white.
After explaining the layout of the book I find it interesting that Moreton-Robinson makes an effort to prepare the (white) reader for possible discomfort as she seeks to upturn some of the deeply set beliefs that are instilled in our culture.

UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, Eighth Session

As the economy changes and natural resources become scarce many Indigenous Peopes are being forcibly removed fromtheir land under Government and Military pursuasion. This migration removes Indigenous Peoples from the ways of life that they have lived for many enerations and have cultural as well a spiritual ties to the lands.
After migrating to other areas Indigenous Women become "cheap unrecognizable labour" and are forced to work without health benefits or protection under labor laws. Many are forced into the sex market and are exposed to sexual, physical, emotional and psychological violence.
This is a statement made by the Global Indigenous Women's Caucus to ask the UN to acknowledge and affirm the rights that Indigenous Peoples have in our society and to state their concern and appallation at the treatment and policies that are aplied in these situations. The Global Indenous Women's Caucus ends with recommendations that call for many changes in policy and attitudes to ensure safe and fair treatment of all humans.

Zapatistas

The Zapatista National Liberation Army appeared in the public sphere in 1994. The Zapatista women came together after years of Indigenous Women in Mexico branching out and joining forces in an effort o overturn the oppression they faced and reorganize their roles within their families and society.
The Zapatista became kep players in the fight for Indigenous Womens rights which includes the right to political participation, to live free of violence and to be treated fairly I the workplace and in their families.
As their numbers grew and Zapatista drew more attention the economy because to turn and push women back into the informal economic sector which associated themselves with under-valued domestic roles. However, tey maintained their connections with the women they had met and continued to refect on society outside of their homes.
In 1997 the National Coordinating Committee of Indigenous Women was formed by approxomatey 20 women representing communities throughout Mexico.

People of the Texas-Mexico Border, Lower Rio Grande River, El Calabz Rancheria, to the US Social Forum (2010) Representatives

This statement by the Lipan Apache Women Defense (LAW-Defense) group is a direct call to those participating in the 2010 US Social Forum to change their policies and attitudes towars indigenous eople along the Texas-Mexico border. These demands are directly erlated to the continuing oppression that these groups face.
Beginning with a physical and tangible demand of the removal of the border wall which runs through Indigenous Peoples lands, the document is mainly asking for these Indigenous groups to be granted the same rights and freedoms that white Americans take for granted everyday. Fighting for the right to secutrity, to have governance over their own communities in a system according to their own procedures among many other things that are invisible to the white eye.
What I find realy interesting is that it calls for processes that do not “privilege any group of Indigenous People” implying that if we are to have a just society everyone must be treated with the same rights and freedoms in an egalitarian manner