Seeds of Change Action Item: Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Illustration from We Are Water Protectors, by Carole Lindstrom and Michaela Goade
Happy Indigenous Peoples’ Day!
Our weekly Seeds of Change meetups are an attempt to work through a study of an accurate history of the United States. But to understand how our country began, this study needed to begin with the history of the hundreds of Indigenous tribes and nations that were in North America before colonizers invaded. (If you are new to our group, please check out the blog posts for our previous classes.) We have spent the previous seven weeks talking about Indigenous cultures across North America in the pre-Columbian era- their wisdom, artistry, and technological achievements. And last week we talked about Columbus, and why we do not believe that he should be celebrated. For this week’s special class- we took a break from our path along the historical timeline and instead focused on the resistance and resilience of Indigenous Peoples in the US today, with a special focus on Indigenous youth leaders. We felt that it was important to use this day to highlight that not only are Indigenous peoples still here, but they’re leading the way on some of the most important issues facing us today.
We read two books during class today. We Are Water Protectors was first, which is about protecting the earth and all its creatures from the black snake (in this story the black snake represents oil pipelines). We thought this book would be a good introduction to the Dakota Access Pipeline and the protests at Standing Rock.
This site does an incredible job of explaining how pipelines work, with great maps of the network of pipelines across the US and sites of oil spills from pipelines.
And our second book was Young Native Activist, which showcases how a young Lipan-Apache boy named Aslan Tudor has been a part of several protests and movements, including in the No DAPL Camps in North Dakota. We liked that this book would show our kids that adults aren’t the only ones who can be a part of this fight- that kids are fighting and leading the way on these issues. Here’s a short video featuring some young Standing Rock activists:
We didn’t have time to watch this video together, but if you have time this week, this video is a great explanation of fracking, which will help kids better understand the story behind why these pipelines exist:
You can read more about the current status of the DAPL here- in spite of a judge’s order for the pipeline to stop operating pending a full environmental impact study, the DAPL is still flowing.
An important aspect of Indigenous Peoples’ Day is listening to the voices of Indigenous peoples in our own communities. The International Indigenous Youth Council of Central Texas and other local groups have been fighting the construction of a pipeline in our own backyard here in Central Texas. It is known as the Permian Highway Pipeline, or phpl for short. The IIYC of Central Texas shared the following image with this caption: “This is a depiction of Chalchiuhtlicue, goddess of all flowing waters; patroness of childbirth and fertility; both giver and taker of life. @ireegnz created this in solidarity with all Indigenous people who have always been at the forefront for Madre Tierra, combating the black snake that is poisoning our source of life. Indigenous rights are reproductive rights are womxn’s rights. Earth is our mother, water is the womb and we are all children. Kinder Morgan has proceeded to drill into Blanco River, spilling fluid into our waters. They are desecrating our ecosystem and while the Stay-Home ordinance is in effect no less, which of course prevents us from physically gathering to protest. There isn’t one of us who won’t be affected by this. I encourage you to check out @no_permianhighwaypipeline for more info on how to get involved and stay informed.”
So please consider joining the fight against the Permian Highway Pipeline. It is an important step for our young Water Protectors to take. Here are some suggested action items for this week:
Visit landback.org, which launched today. This is a “mutli-faceted campaign to get Indigenous lands back into Indigenous hands, and empower Indigenous people across Turtle Island with the tools and strategies to do LANDBACK work in their own communities.”
Check out the We Are Water Protectors Activity Kit. This kit includes the pledge that is included at the end of the book. We will be sending color copies of the pledge to each family that attended class today.
Sign this petition to stop the DAPL, which is continuing to operate even though it has been ordered by a judge to stop pending a full environmental impact study.
Follow Autumn Peltier and other young Indigenous Water Protectors on social media. A short film was recently made about Autumn but so far it’s only available in Canada. I’ll let you know if it becomes available in the states. In the meantime, here is the video of a speech Autumn gave to the UN when she was 13 years old.
Research more about the Permian Highway Pipeline and talk to your kids about ways we can be water protectors and help fight its construction. Can you incorporate any of the protest activities we read about in Young Native Activist?
Additional Resources
Debbie Reese, one of the co-authors of the young people’s version of An Indigenous People’s History of the US, has a Pinterest board for children’s books she recommends.
Debbie Reese also has a website where she shares children’s books she recommends and ones she doesn’t (and why).
If you live in Central Texas, follow the Indigenous Cultures Institute on Facebook and Instagram. They “work to preserve the cultures of the Native Americans indigenous to Texas and northern Mexico while maintaining [their] covenant with sacred sites.”
Check back in with the Sacred Springs Powwow website, which features musicians, dancers, educational videos, and vendors for a virtual Powwow experience and support local Indigenous artists and artisans.
Check out this great list of recommended activities you can do to celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
