Theory and Practice

Many indigenous scholars have diagnosed the reality. “Colonialism”,“settler colonialism”, “sovereignty” are just theories. Theories’ role is to recognize the reality accurately. Sometime, individuals feel frustrated because he/she don’t know what to do.  

According to Toward Sustainable Self-Determination: Rethinking the Contemporary Indigenous-Rights Discourse, Jeff Corntassel argues we “focus on individual, family and community responsibilities, regenerating local and regional indigenous economies, and recognizing the interconnection of social, spiritual, environmental and political aspects of self-determination.”

He proposes the concept of “sustainable self-determination.”

“ Rather than seeking recognition of our "human rights" from colonial institutions, our focus can be redirected towards local, indigenous-centered, responsibility-based movements. A responsibility-based movement enacts powers (versus rights) of sustainable self-determination and emphasizes diplomatic and trade relationships with other indigenous nations.” (Corntassel , p.122)

He take an example of Kanaka Maoli activists case.

“Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) activists challenged the patenting of three varieties of taro (Palehua, Paakala, and Pauakea) by the University of Hawai'i (UH) in January 2006. Kalo (taro) is a sacred plant and is considered an elder brother to the Kanaka Maoli people. After much pressure from students and taro farmers, the University of Hawai'i relinquished their patents for the three varieties of kalo on June 20, 2006. At a news conference, the UH interim chancellor, Denise Konan, handed copies of the three patents to a kalo farmer, Chris Kobayashi; the director of the Center for Hawaiian Studies, Jon Osorio; and Kanaka Maoli activist, Walter Ritte. "In unison, the three tore them in half."( Ibid., p.123).

Land and foods are the most important elements for indigenous people.

Noelani Goodyear-Ka‘ōpua also raises the questions about what to do.

“How can we build upon existing spaces of indigenous resurgence and autonomy? In what ways can we push the boundaries of the academy? How do we evolve protocols for interaction and solidarity across differences of race, gender, sexuality, class, nationality, and other forms of identification? How do we unsettle settler state authorities, without replicating the violences and exclusions we aim to stop? How can international conversations around “anarcha-indigenism” bring useful ideas and alliances to Kānaka engaged in movements for self-determination?” (Kuleana Lāhui: Collective Responsibility for Hawaiian Nationhood in

Activists’ Praxis, p.132)

In Wasase, Taiaiake Alfred is interested in “anarcho-indigenism”

“The two elements that come to my mind are indigenous, evoking cultural and spiritual rootedness in this land and the Onkwehonwe struggle for justice and freedom, and the political philosophy and movement that is fundamentally anti-institutional, radically democratic, and committed to taking action to force change: anarchism” (Wasase , p.45).

Why do they pay attention to anarchism? Is “anarcho-indigenism” an alternative to “post-imperialism”?

Taiaiake Alfred argues philosophical connection between indigenous and anarchist are “spirit of freedom” and “ideal of good society.” (Ibid., p.46).

In addition, “There are also important strategic commonalities between indigenous and anarchist ways of seeing and being in the world: a rejection of alliances with legalized systems of oppression, non-participation in the institutions that structure the colonial relationship, and a belief in bringing about change through direct action, physical resistance , and confrontations with state power.” (Ibid., p.46).

Anarchism is unrestricted theoretically, but strategic and concrete practically. Philosophical ideas are prerequisite of good planning practices. The ideas are as a guide of practice. Theory without practice will serve for nothing.

Indigenous Politics and Climate Change

Waziyatawin’s Indigenous Survival in the Coming Collapse offers an honest look at the state of environment politics within indigenous communities. Environmental politics is an issue that represents the challenges faced by indigenous communities surrounding the effects of colonialism, the influences of capitalism, and best paths to offer resistance. Changes due to colonialism have been so complete that as Waziyatawin states, the immobilization of communities in responding to development and other environmental forces is significant. The ubiquity of fossil fuels and the integration of capitalism has so strongly changed perceptions and daily habits that the impact of peak oil will be significant. Currently the heavy use of fossil fuels has generated such a precipitous buildup of waste products that the disastrous effects are happening now and may result in catastrophic effects in the future. If either one of these outcomes is likely, it means, that “the world as we know it is coming to an end” (11). Waziyatawin argues that indigenous peoples need to renew their role as land defenders, and this means not only confronting environmental destruction but also confronting the changes wrought by colonialism on indigenous peoples with regard to their view of the environment. For example the discussion: “What will be your legacy? What will you leave behind?...Will your legacy be a world who is healthier, stronger, more resilient, more diverse, than had you never lived?” When they pose these questions, they do not mean in a cultural, spiritual, or intellectual sense. In other words, they are not asking us if we have positively affected the lives of other human beings, through our love, kindness, charity, or whether we have made significant contributions to humankind through our benevolent actions. Rather, they are asking us, in a very physical sense, if we have left the world in a better condition because we lived. “If not,” they tell us, “then the world would have been better off without you. If not, then the world would have been better off had you never been born.” (19) Waziyatawin discuses means of resistance including building “lifeboats” to prepare for environmental collapse (clean water, seeds, food, preserving habitats, etc), instilling revolution among themselves, building a sufficient land base, dismantling existing structures, and other means of resistance. In short Waziyatawin states that “we must now live the meaning of indigeneity. We need no longer exist as if we are separate from the land, as if our fates are not intertwined” (38). Cheyfitz’s Balancing the Earth: Native American Philosophies and the Environmental Crisis focuses on deconstructing the formulations of colonialism including the development of the ethos infusing capitalism (control and limitation), and religious traditions fostering individualism and an alienation from nature. Contrasting these epistemologies with indigenous developed ones, Cheyfitz uses the relation of indigenous peoples as part of nature to reformulate the perception of the environment. When humans are as an integral part of nature and not separate from it, the “Native way of knowing” of nature is “as ceremonial, intended to strengthen kinship ties through the maintenance of balance” (151). Aligning indigenous critiques of capitalism to a degree with Marxist, Cheyfitz uses the example of the effects of NAFTA on Mexican farmers, seed corn, agricultural practices, and Zapatista resistance to show how capitalism has destabilized people and nature. In order to change the destruction of nature, Cheyfitz argues one must confront the true costs of individualism, capitalism, and the human/nature divide. Many of the authors this week have described how indigenous peoples can refocus and reshape conceptions of nature and resistance to environmental destruction. What are the benefits and costs of aligning indigenous resistance to other environmental movements? Many authors also advocated resistance using violence and arming oneself. Are these methods too polarizing to have effect or has non-violence been essentially disrupted by the structures and methods of environmental exploiters to be effective? Are there other means for indigenous people to reframe the minds of the non-indigenous to disrupt the human/nature dichotomy?

Final mappings and committee assignments

Everyone needs to submit a near final draft of your mappings to me and to your two committee members (listed below) by email no later than Monday, Dec 10 at 8am. This will give us time to review before your formal presentation on Dec 12.

As committee members, you are expected to: 1) review the document(s) in advance; 2) listen carefully to the presentations and take notes; and 3) give your colleague constructive feedback. Tell your colleague what you think is strong about his/her mapping, then ask at least one question that is meant to push her/him and help develop the mapping further. What are the blind spots? What analyses might s/he consider that s/he is not already? What texts have we read that fit in with his/her mapping but are not included in it? Are there connections you see that s/he is not seeing? Are there points that are unclear, or where more elaboration is necessary?

COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS

For Aaron: Sammy & Niko
For Kameha'iku: Derek & Aaron
For Ku'ulei: Hilina (and I am working on bringing one more in from outside our class)
For Derek: Chris & Hilina
For Nioi: Megumi & Niko
For Sammy: Kameha'iku & Aaron
For Chris: Woongbae, Ku'ulei & Derek
For Uili: Heather & Ku'ulei
For Niko: Uili & Chris
For Woongbae: Uili & Nioi
For Hilina: Kameha'iku & Megumi
For Heather: Sammy & Woongbae
For Megumi: Nioi & Heather

Cheyfitz, Goodyear-Kaopua Baker, and a little bit of Waziyatwin

Cheyfitz
While reading the Cheyfitz article I felt immediately depressed because natural democracy, as embraced by indigenous peoples, I can't help but feel, will be gone because of neoliberal capitalism.  I don't know how natural democracy can continue far into the future.

I appreciated the use of Silko's story excerpts from Ceremony of Rocky trending toward slowly disassociating himself from his tribe and their cultural and traditional values.  This moving away was linked to his apparently off-reservation education where he developed a taste for individual victory and competition for profit.  This excerpt really allowed us an opportunity to observe a few topics such as the role of education in either maintaining cultural traditions or ending these traditions.

It was fascinating to the see dichotomy of traditional indigenous values and western values embodied in a single person and see that person's struggle with two conflicting value sets.  It was very relatable.

Having never read Ceremony however, the only one potential flaw I found with the story is that Rocky is still only a teenager.  Adolescence is such an awkward period for generally everyone.  This is the time when people are often forging their own identity.  But, finding one's self is a rather long experience, and it wouldn't surprise me if Rocky eventually returned to this traditional indigenous values.

The emphasis and description of kinship is what made me sad about this the most.  I see us, not just indigenous people, but everyone losing this sense of kinship.

On another some-what related note, the discussion on the relationship of people with the Earth and animals reminded me of what we saw in Avatar.  Referring to my earlier post, Jake Sully participated in a hunting ceremony/ritual also after he killed that space animal on Pandora.

Goodyear-Kaopua and Baker

Lehua Kauhane

I was excited to see the reference to Lehua Kauhane, who "has made renewable energy policy recommendations that include shifting the state's focus from large-scale industrial energy 'farms' to locally controlled small-scale renewable energy projects."  Lehua is one of our Post-J.D. Fellows this year and she's been awesome to work with.

Reading about Moloka'i's community based planning was also awesome and I was reminded about the awesome resources we have available to us.  At Ka Huli Ao Center for Excellence in Native Hawaiian Law where I work, we hired Malia Akutagawa this past summer.  Malia is from Moloka'i and has played an integral role in Moloka'i's community based planning.

The connection between Hawaiian well-being and oil independence is clear, but I've never really thought about it much before this article.  Recognizing the themes in the Cheyfitz article and its relevance to Goodyear-Kaopua and Baker's article, it was even more so depressing.  Neoliberal capitalism seems to be like a steam-roller that is likely to result in Native Hawaiian people ceasing to actively see themselves as part of a collective identity/community.

Waziyatwin
Although I generally enjoyed reading the Waziyatwin article, the references to violence was a little disturbing to me.  In particular was, "[o]bviously, everyone who decides to act will need to make the moral decision about whether they are willing to take human lives directly or put human lives at risk in our efforts to facilitate the break-up of colonial society." (35).  I understand that this extreme may be within the context of the collapse, but it just seems disturbing to me that the above quoted phrase wasn't worded differently.

As the video in one the posts below shows, this type of violence is taken very well by others.  When collapse happens, the last thing any indigenous community needs is an unnecessarily paranoid surrounding community.  I think the suggestions offered, in preparation for a future collapse where indigenous communities are under physical threat for their resources, are the types of confidential suggestions given to tribal councils.

Peak Oil and Collapse

 

“Indigenous Survival in the Coming Collapse” Waziyatawin

“The Great Shift: Moving a Fossil Fueled-Based Economy” Noelani Goodyear-Ka’opua and Mary Tuti Baker

                Both articles talk about a collapse scenario involving “peak oil” and how indigenous peoples and communities should revive and practice some of their traditional ways of caring for the land. They also highlight the need to break away from the neo-liberal capitalist way of thinking; otherwise it is only a continuation of the exploitive capitalist system at work under a new name like “clean renewable energy”.

Goodyear-Ka’opua and Baker suggest a Plurality of economies and futures, not just a singular economy or future and balancing of three economies: natural, sustenance, and market. They also emphasize a more community and indigenous based approach to issues like renewable energy that has power relations behind it. They highlight this by showing the tensions GUOCO Group Limited, a transnational corporation and MEC a community based organization. They also raise important questions about how community groups can and should approach this Shift.

                Waziyatawin takes a more revolutionary but effective approach in his article. However, it poses a lot of questions about one’s indigeneity and responsibilities and invokes activism among the indigenous communities and allows them to start thinking about regaining and defending their lands in the event of global collapse.

                Here’s a video of a collapse scenario I remember watching for a futures class, I think it portrays a collapse scenario but with a neo-liberal capitalist context. It would be interesting to create an indigenous one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmUlAQ8rIC0

Waziyatawin

Waziyatawin Speaks to Occupy Oakland

 Bio from her website (http://waziyatawin.net/commentary/):

"Waziyatawin is a Dakota writer, teacher, and activist from the Pezihutazizi Otunwe (Yellow Medicine Village) in southwestern Minnesota. After receiving her Ph.D. in American history from Cornell University in 2000, she earned tenure and an associate professorship in the history department at Arizona State University where she taught for seven years. Waziyatawin currently holds the Indigenous Peoples Research Chair in the Indigenous Governance Program at the University of Victoria in British Columbia. Her interests include projects centering on Indigenous decolonization strategies such as truth-telling and reparative justice, Indigenous women and resistance, the recovery of Indigenous knowledge, and the development of liberation ideology in Indigenous communities. "

Here are a couple other video examples of her activism and scholarship:

You can also see and here more of her work on a number of sites, including:

Unsettling america

Goodyear/Baker & Waziyatawin

"Outside of massive repentance and a society turned completely around, there appears to be no solution to modern problems" (Vine Deloria, Jr.,  Indigenous Survival, pg. 8).

"The American way of life is not negotiable" (Bush, George H.W. at the Earth Summit in 1992, Indigenous Survival, pg.11).

"Solar electric and wind power therefore might be viewed as accessories of the fossil fuel economy" (James Kuntsler, Indigenous Survival, pg. 13).

"There is no technological fix the will allow industrialized civilization to continue. We haved been a part of the mos rapacious and destructive human era in history." (Waziyatawin, Indigenous Survival, pg.14).

What are Kanaka `Oiwi obligations in the malama of the `aina? Waziyatawin tells us to prepare by anchoring our ancestral, spiritual, and cultural foundations not only within our families, but within the communities we live in. Even further, to prepare for armed resistance upon the oncoming collapse of industrialized captialism, defending the land at all costs. Taking the quotes above, the ramifications of "Omega Point" or downturn of the peak oil crisis, has far reaching implications that must be wrested from the comfortable complacency, or belief in the indestructable monolith called the empire. His activity worksheets provide a valuable tool in assessing the survivability of your own family/community, and the most difficult prospect would be in the acceptance that such preparations are necessary, inspite of what is going on in the Middle East.

Goodyear & Baker show us what happens in a contentious community where self-sustainability is not just a practice but a critical means of provision of food for one's family. In spite of what appears to be benefits for the community, those benefits are derived through a industrialized capatalistic agenda, hence violence to the land no matter what the benefit to the community. If we were to take Waziyatawin's premise, cmmunity meetings would not have occured simply because violence would be done to the land (development, resource depletion, etc.) in exchange for benefits (no matter how much needed, i.e. cash/job) `aina.  We keep saying our kupuna did not do that, but collective, firm, strong voices and presence is needed. We saw that Moloka`i was successsful, but ruptures occured in the community. Are those part of the process of malama `aina as a collective obligation to the `aina? To self-determined reclamation of our ancestress...Papahanaumoku. If we are the land and the land is us...what is our individual and collective obligation to the `aina and community as we look toward the future?

I like the idea of a collective community. While serious consideration of Waziyatawin's preparations for the collapse of the contemporary industrialized system in which we live, should be given, there are projects happening now in the return to the aina for the planting of food. Perhaps what Cuba did when all of their acces to imported oil stopped, is a very good example of what can be done now, BEFORE major events occur. We need to plant food and medicine plants. We need to reclaim our survival kits, the means and ways in which the provision of food, water, medicine are self-sustained. This requires skill and knowledge...those must be learned.

As LaDuke (Indigenous Survival, pg. 25), points out, a inventory of resources in the community, food, la`au lapa`au or grown medicines, water sources, and building self-sufficiency and capacity, is a very good idea. Getting to know your immediate community.  Everyone at this point should begin to grow food where ever you can. As to land base, that is more complicated, but not impossible. The maka`ainana need to realize the prophecy of rising when everthing else shall fall, it is inevitable and is what our ancestral wisdom provides for us as that time approaches...the means to survival
 that require a natural or land based reciprocal relationship with that land.

I suppose in the end of my mana`o, it sounds like those Doomsday prepper shows, but the reality is...we know its coming so...are we going to stand in the way of the wave or ride it in?

Kamehaiku