Honor the Earth, a group that’s comprised of representatives from the Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN) and the Indigenous Women’s Network (IWN) is currently accepting proposals for funding to help Native-led organizations in Canada and the US who work in the areas of: Environmental & Energy Justice, Community Development, and Youth. The grants range from $1,000- $5,000. Proposals are due January 15th, 2007.

Please visit this page for a full explanation of the application procedures.

[PLEASE DISTRIBUTE FAR AND WIDE]

Request for Proposals
Honor the Earth is currently soliciting …

On September 23, there is a rally for Puerto Rican Independence and Self-Determination in New York City. Details can be found below, and you can also go to www.September23.org for more.

Rally for Puerto Rican Independence and Self-Determination
Puerto Rico is the oldest colony on the planet, first invaded by Spain in 1493, then in 1898 by the United States. After 109 years, it continues under U.S. colonial rule.

Within those 500 plus years of invasion and occupation, the Puerto Rican people have been engaged in anti-imperialist/ anti-colonial resistance that continues to …

Coinciding with the launch of the First International Congress of the Anti-imperialist Indigenous Peoples of Latin America (Abya Yala), yesterday, Venezuelan vice-president Jorge Rodriguez handed over eleven communal titles to the lands belonging to the Pume, Yaruro, Karina and Warao peoples of Apure, Anzoategui and Bolivar States. The Vice President also handed over credits to indigenous communities for a series of projects to improve community standard of living.

The congress itself, which took place from August 7 to 9 in San Tome (see image) brought together more than a thousand delegates from 22 different countries…

…

Here’s an excellent “grab-you-by the throat” speech by Ghanaian economist George Ayittey, at a conference put together by TED.

George goes into the details and sources of corruption and economic exploitation in Africa—and moves on to explore Africa’s Traditional Governing systems, which he says are based on the Confederacy Principle: That most Africans view modern governing systems as inherently corrupt, and that they would traditionally take numerous steps to prevent corruption, for instance, create council upon council to ensure any governing authority could not become corrupt… And if they did, against the Peoples’ will, the leaders would be removed or the …

Related to the previous post, here’s some commentary by Julienne Xene Cross—who’s urging Indigenous Nations to Unite, let go of colonial niceties, and become self-sustaining. Survival depends on it.

This was originally posted at Brenda Norrell’s blog

A pen conquered us and a pen can wipe us out as a Nation
by Julienne Xene Cross

We, Indigenous People of North America, “Indian Country”, are inherent speakers for our Mother the Earth. We need to come together with one heart and mind to protect the future of our Great Nation.

When the United States drafted the Constitution, the word conquered written …

Well. For some incomprehensible reason, the AFN has been invited to participate in a gathering next week to work out the details of a “United League of Indigenous Nations” Treaty. There’s only one thing to say about this, and I will emphasize it:

If such a League is to have any kind of legitimacy, it cannot have a Non-Governmental Organization sitting at the table.

That’s really all I have to say, though it’s great to see something like this being put forward. It really needs to come from the people though.

Invitation to Treaty of Indigenous Nation Meeting - Lummi Indian Reservation - …

The Mato Paha Forum is set to begin on August 5th, at the Mother Butler Center in Rapid City, South Dakota. As expressed in the media release below, this is the forum of it’s kind…

The Mato Paha Spiritual Forum: Religious Freedom and Human Rights will be held on Sunday, August 5, 2007 beginning at 1:00pm in the afternoon at the Mother Butler Center in Rapid City, South Dakota.

The Forum will gather Traditional Healers (Medicine Men) and Spiritual Leaders from the Oglala Band, Sicanju Band, Hohwoju Band of the Lakota Nation, …

On the weekend, several social, cultural and environmental organizations met in Chile to draw out an initiative to create a unified movement in Chile, who will explicitly work to change the current system towards one that is respectful to “natural resources, social justice and cultural diversity.”

From Real World Radio - Representatives from the Student Federation of the University of Chile in Santiago, from the National Confederation of Artisanal Fishermen of Chile, from the Confederation of Sea Workers, from the Council in Defense of Valley de Huasco and from …

A couple months ago I promised to post some articles that challenge conventional activism and point to the obvious need for us to do things a bit differently…. I’ve been waiting for the right moment to put them up, and thought now would be a good time.

One thing I would like to contribute (which stixzz reminded me of, on Red Jenny’s blog) is that we have to be careful not to entrap ourselves within absolutes here — insisting that “everyone has to do this”, and that “if we don’t so this exactly as I say, we will fall” …

Indigenous peoples and the politics of recognition - By Glen Coulthard. From Issue 58 of New Socialist Magazine

Over the last 30 years, the self-determination efforts and objectives of indigenous peoples in Canada have increasingly been cast in the language of “recognition.” Consider, for example, the latest policy position on self-determination published by the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) in the spring of 2005. According to the AFN document, “a consensus has emerged […] around a vision of the relationship between First Nations and Canada which would lead to strengthening recognition and implementation of First Nations’ governments.”

This “vision,” the …