statement made at the Mapuche Nation Solidarity event in Toronto on August 3rd

10.9.09

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

This post is submitted by IIN Investigative Blog-Journalist John John: I am hoping that you will support in getting the truth out about the negative impacts development has on our traditional lands. I dedicated my talk to the people who have been effected by the evacuations in so called British Columbia.

Kalhwa7alap nsnekwnukw7a. jANE nskwatsitsa. Tsalalhmeclhkan muta7 Xaxliplhkan. Statimc Nation.

I am here to let you all know about the negative effects the Olympics has on the indigenous people of the surrounding areas of so called Vancouver. Vancouver is hosting the Olympics, but the games will take place within traditional Statimc Territory in so called Whistler. Hosting the Olympics on unceded land shows that canada assumes authority and jurisdiction over traditional indigenous territories.

So called Canada assumes they are improving the situation of our people when they post jobs and begin mass development on our untouched lands. What common everyday citizens may not realize is that, the more people populate and develop on our lands, the less opportunity we have to maintain our traditional ways of life.

The Statimc People as well as hundreds of other tribes have been living in peace with the land for thousands of years. It has only taken Canada 200 years to cause mass devastation to the life forms that have always been here.

When mass construction, logging, mining and power plant projects invade our untouched land base, it forces the original people to live in unfit environments for the sake of money. We depend on the land today for medicine, meat, berries, water and salmon, as we always have. So, when the International Olympic Committee and its sponsors move in to exploit the land and extract resources it causes a huge threat to the indigenous livlihood. Our forests, that have stood for hundreds and hundreds of years are being torn down, and sold worldwide, right in our own backyards. Our creeks are being polluted, privatized and used for "greener" power projects. All of the Olympic Sponsors flock to our territories to sell their products and make millions of dollars. The question I as them now is, where are they when our people need help in situations such as the evacuations? Where are these wealthy busainess owners when we need a helping hand? I do not support a greedy corporation that will not give back to the people in our times of need.

All humans have to take responsibility in supporting the corporations that displace indigenous people; Coca Cola, Mc Donalds, Royal Bank of Canada, Panasonic, Kodak, Visa and many more. Knowingly or not, these wealthy corporations are displacing future generations of indigenous people and encroahing on ancient indigenous lands.

This has nothing bad to say about athleticism or physical activity, or the feeling of being involved in something great, it has to be looked at as the bigger picture. It is our responsibility to help our youth and children feel involved, not thast of the Olympic Commmittee with events such as the torch relay in aboriginal communities. The international Olympic Committee is using these tactics to create an illusion that Canada treats Native people fairly and just. The IOC only wants you to think that this event is about sports when in fact its all about helping the sponsors and realty companies prosper, leaving more of our people behind, while others get ahead. This is not the way of our people. Human rights are violated when we are evicted from our homes, we can no longer walk freely on the land and we are forced onto reserve systems set by the racist Canadian system.

We have to keep in mind that thousands of miles of untouched areas in so called B.C. remain intact because the men, women, children and elders of these tribes have protected it with their lives, prayers and way of life. We honour our mother, the earth and hve no intention of taking part in her destruction for the sake of money and greed. As we speak, contractors are using dynamite to blast mountainsides to expand the sea to sky highway between Vancouver and Whistler. Whistler lies withing the un surrendered territory of the St'at'imc People. This is something I take very personally. With my own eyes, I see the homes of animals destroyed and the landscape's being changed forever. The main issue witht his highway is that it opens up our untouched homelands to tourists, land buyers and developers. These people are not welcome to our home. We are not a tourist attraction and therefore we should not exploit our traditional lifestyle as such. Our sacred art, songs and dance should only be taught to those who genuinely appreciate the significance it holds to the people and our culture. Teaching sama7 people our song and dance will not help them understand the genocide, disease, and alcoholism that plagues our reserves and the pain that has been forced unto us by the residential schools.

Back home, and worldwide, there are indigenous people fighting for their right to live freely on their traditional land base. It is a daily struggle to maintain our identity as original people. Yet, when we stand up and resist the invasion of the oppressors we are criminalized and in Canada, its the RCMP who are used to arrest men, women and elders.

The indigenous people back home have been resisting tirelessly against the propsed and already standing ski resorts, mining and logging companies.

The RCMP will relentlessly continue to harass and imprison our women and elders for only doing what's right. Canada is sending major crime units to intimidate and criminalize our land defenders. Sometimes they use tanks, automatic weapons, and even land mines. Yet, they label us militants and dangerous! They have proved time and time again that they assume jurisdiction of our un surendered lands at such struggles as Gustafson Lake, Skwel'kwek'welt, Sutikalh and Oka. They will do whatever they can to stop the people from defending the land. They will do whatever they can to silence us from exposing the genocide they've done to our people. They don't want you, the poeple to know about the countless amounts of natives who have been killed to create this so called safe place to live. Everyone who remains silent or works for Canada is also part of the genocide. We can live our own way. We can live free and reject their racist laws and policies. The time to resist is now. It's time to minimize our waste , refuse their systems and stop using money as a tool of power.

Women are being exploited as prostitutes worldwide and whenever there is an olympic event, there is a push to legalize brothels and indigenous women from all over the world are brought in for sexual purposes to satisfy tourists and wealthy men for the purposes of partying. Women are the caretakers and the life givers, it's everyone's business when women are being abused.

I'd like to thank all the nations here in the east for their powerful stance against invasion. We stand in solidarity with all resisting nations, from St'at'imc to Mapuche Nation in so called Chile. I speak for those who have no voice and stand in solidarity with all those wrongfully imprisoned under the assumed jurisdiction of fraudulent government systems.

The Olympics represents money, greed and an illegal land grab. We have no treaty with Canada, making their occupation and police force fraudulent.

They say British Columbia is the most beautiful place on earth. What they dont tell you is that they will kill the native people that dont conform to their systems that have been engrained into the people by religious churches and racist school systems. The reason this land is so prestine is that the people have followed their duty to the Creator and defended the land with their lives.

You may be asking how you can help. Any cash donations made will go to camp supplies, bail money, pregnant, nursing mothers and court costs, such as bail, and phone calls. Statements from your organization is always appreciated. You can start your own underground media outlet, because mainstream media has made it a habit to call our struggles stand offs, making us out to be militants and terrorists. I stand before you as a mother, a daughter, a sister and auntie. I love my people and respect my elders. I have chosen to defend my true ways of life at the cost of my blood if necessary.

I send my prayers to all families who have lost someone in this struggle. I pray for those who continue to stand up for the right to exist. I reject the authority of so called Canada and do not acknowledge the jurisdiction of the RCMP or any of its pawns on our unsurrendered land.

I ask you to join us as we boycott invading developers, the International Olympic Committee and its sponsors.

This land was never sold, conquered or surrendered, Canada and its puppets illegally force indigenous people from their homelands all over turtle island. This has to stop. Unity amongst us all will stop them.

FREEDOM FOR ALL MAPUCHE AND INDIGENOUS POLITICAL PRISONERS.
STOP THE TORCH ON ALL NATIVE LANDS


***Please Forward Wideley***


- PUBLIC STATEMENT-

MAPUCHE POLITICAL PRISONERS of Concepción

(So-called Southern Chile) on

INDEFINITE HUNGER STRIKE!



THE MAPUCHE POLITICAL PRISONERS OF THE CHOQUE COMMUNITIES IN PROCESS OF TERRITORIAL RECLAMATION, IMPRISONED IN THE CONCEPCION PENETENTIARY, ANNOUNCE THAT BEGINNING TODAY TUESDAY, AUGUST 18TH, 2009, WE WILL BEGIN AN INDEFINTE HUNGER STRIKE, WHICH WILL HAVE THE FOLLOWING OBJECTIVES:



TO AVOID THE FORCED TRANSFER that is being imposed on us by the CHILEAN GOVERNMENT, through Gendarmerie (National Penitentiary Security), in conjunction with the Civil and Military courts.


With this, WE DENOUNCE that this transfer and isolation to different prisons across the country, from the cities of Rancagua to Puerto Montt, are in violation of our rights as MAPUCHE POLITICAL PRISONERS, since:



- It disables our defense

- It punishes us by separating us from our families and communities

- It provokes psychological/emotional damage to our families, especially our children.



Moreover, we manifest our objection to recur to the Courts, especially before Military Justice.



_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_+_++_+_+_+_+

Labels: British Columbia, Canada, Ethnicity, Human rights, Indigenous People, International Olympic Committee