Press release:
Tribal council resolution:
From the press release:
The Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan has planned a Flash Mob Round Dance for Friday, January 11, 2013, at 1 p.m. on the comers of Broadway and Main streets in Downtown Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, in conjunction with peaceful demonstrations entitled Idle No More.
According to this press release from the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations, UN Special Rapporteur James Anaya has been denied a visa by the Canadian government three times.
H/T to C.G.
Here.
An excerpt:
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, James Anaya, urged the Government of Canada and Aboriginal leaders to undertake meaningful dialogue in light of First Nations protests and a month-long hunger strike by Chief Theresa Spence of the Attawapiskat First Nation.
“I am encouraged by reports that Prime Minister Stephen Harper has agreed to meet with First Nations Chiefs and leadership on 11 January 2013 to discuss issues related to Aboriginal and treaty rights as well as economic development,” Mr. Anaya said. “Both the Government of Canada and First Nations representatives must take full advantage of this opportunity to rebuild relationships in a true spirit of good faith and partnership.”
The announcement of the meeting followed weeks of protests carried out by Aboriginal leaders and activists within a movement referred to as ‘Idle no more.’ The movement has been punctuated by Chief Spence’s hunger strike that has been ongoing since 11 December 2012. “I would like to add my voice to the concern expressed by many over the health condition of Chief Spence, who I understand will be joining indigenous leaders at this week’s meeting,” the independent expert said.
The protests and hunger strike are carried in the context of complaints about aspects of the relationships between First Nations in Canada and the Government, including in the context of recent federal legislation and executive decisions affecting Aboriginal peoples.
“Dialogue between the Government and First Nations should proceed in accordance with the standards expressed in the UN Declaration* on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples,” the Special Rapporteur emphasized. Mr. Anaya recalled that the Government affirmed a “commitment to continue working in partnership with Aboriginal peoples and in accordance with a relationship based on good faith, partnership and mutual respect,” in its statement of support for the Declaration on 12 November 2010.
Here is news coverage. Thanks to R.F., one of our Senior Canadian Correspondents.
The 175-page opinion is here. And here:
Much of the IdleNoMore coverage moves even faster than a blog can (fast though we may be). We are trying to use the twitter feed (@ILPCTurtleTalk) more to retweet information as it comes up. Just today it looks like Prime Minister Harper has agreed to meet with First Nations leaders on January 11th, that Chief Spence will continue her hunger strike until the meeting occurs, and that there are border blockades planned at the Blue Water Bridge in Sarnia and the First Bridge at Akwesasne for January 5th. As the inevitable legal developments arise from this activism, we will certainly cover and link to the documents here on TurtleTalk, as always.
Other twitter feeds we’ve found full of great information include @afixedaddress, @WabKinew, @APTNNews, @goodfox, and @NativeApprops. We’re sure there are many, many others, and please feel free to leave them in the comment section for our readers.
Here (“Idle No More and Settler Colonialism: We Are All Treaty People“) and here (“InvisibleNoMore“).
Thanks to Patrick O’Donnell.
News coverage here. Excerpt:
A contempt of court order was issued against the Sarnia CN Rail blockade Tuesday for failing to comply with a previous court injunction to remove it when it began 13 days ago in support of the Idle No More movement.
Named in the court order is Ron Plain, the spokesman for the people mounting the blockade. He is scheduled to be in Sarnia court Wednesday at 11 a.m. according to a statement released by members of the Aamjiwnaang First Nation blockade.
Articles can be found here, here, and here, among other places.
A snippet of one of the articles here:
Approximately 200 people braved the cold to attend a Bill C-45 Prayer Gathering in front of the Saskatchewan Legislature on Sunday. The event was part of a growing opposition from First Nations communities against the second federal omnibus budget implementation bill.
The far-reaching bill includes changes to the Indian Act, the Navigable Waters Protection Act and the Fisheries Act, among others.
According to many First Nations groups these changes will have a drastic and negative affect on their communities and were proposed without proper consultation.
“We hope that Canadian society and the Saskatchewan public will stand with us and not let this happen,” said Chief Barry Kennedy of Carry the Kettle First Nation.
Please consider signing this petition. The government of Belize is ignoring Belize Supreme Court precedent that confirms that this land is the homeland of Maya communities.
The article describes struggles between the Acoma Pueblo, Pueblo of Laguna, Zuni, and Navajo and ranchers regarding whether Mt. Taylor should be protected from mining because of its sacred character.
Turtle Talk 
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