Indigenous sovereignty "consists of spiritual ways, culture, language, social and legal systems, political structures, and inherent relationships with lands and waters" that "exist through Indigenous peoples regardless of what a colonial state does or does not do and "arises from each community's Indigenous Traditional Knowledge." -Indigenous Environmental Network [1]
Indigenous sovereignty is recognized by the Canadian government; that both Canada and Indigenous Peoples maintain their own sovereign states. "Sovereign states indicate that they are two separate governing states residing on the same land." [2]
Idle No More is an Indigenous-led movement that calls on all people to join in a peaceful revolution which honours and fulfills Indigenous sovereignty and protects the land, water, and sky; it is the resistance of Indigenous peoples in response to ongoing settler colonialism. - Idle No More [3]
What does sovereignty mean to Indigenous Peoples? [4]
Non-interference
International Law says that Nation states must not interfere with the internal affairs of other Nation States (such as Indigenous Nations). To do so would be a violation of recognized sovereignty.
The Two-Row Wampum covenant demonstrates the principle of non-interference and mutual respect being foundational of every Treaty signed between European (or Canadian) and Indigenous Nations.
Land back
"What must be reconciled is the Crown’s assertion of sovereignty with the pre-contact sovereignty of Indigenous Nations." -Stephen John Ford
Reconciling and reparations, therefore, must include a redistribution of wealth, land and jurisdictional power within the Settler State.
Asserting Indigenous ways of life
Asserting sovereignty can be as simple as exercising an Indigenous right, such as hunting, fishing or gathering.
1. Collective liberation: we all win when we oppose ableism
Disabled people are oppressed by thesame systems of power we are fighting across movements. Ableismdenies people with a physical or mental impairment opportunities to care for themselves. It is deeply rooted in capitalism, colonialism and white supremacy.
Disability justice is anti-capitalist. It opposed the push for productivity, extraction and commodifying our bodies for labour and building wealth.
2. Not actively unlearning and practicing = replicating oppression
We want to fight marginalization, not contribute to it. Within movement spaces, we must actively work to unlearn behaviours that reinforce oppression to fight against it. This includes practicing an access culture and challenging internalized ableism, racism, homophobia etc.
Internalized ableism prompts: do we reward some people over others because they can contribute more time and effort? Do we favour their voices over those who have to care for their health, need to work a second job, have caretaking responsibilities etc.?
Access goes beyond disability. There's a reason primarily white folks are accessing climate activist spaces.
3. Prioritizing and leadership of marginalized people
The needs of those who do not benefit from our current oppressive systems must be prioritized as decision makers for a just world that prioritizes people and the planet.
Those most affected by forms of oppression are best suited to define how we can operate our society more equitably. Disabled, black, brown, trans etc. people live through some of the most challenging consequences of capitalism and the climate crisis.
4. Meeting everyone’s needs = more people power
On a strategic note: We will not mobilize the mass we need without considering disability justice, access needs and building cultures of care that actively challenge internalized oppression.
If people do not see their immediate survival needs being prioritized by your campaign, they will not want to join.
Otherwise, those who would be interested in organizing may be unable to join, or continue, if their access and care needs are not considered.
Putting the planning in today means greater and sustained participation tomorrow. We are all likely to experience chronic or acute disability or access needs in our lives, whether from old age, stress, illness or an accident.
5. Organizers burn out when opposing ableism isn't prioritized
Non-disabled organizers are impacted by ableism too. Oppressive systems have their own way of defining what value and care mean, and who is deserving, and when.
Internalized ableism uses productivity and sameness to define our worth. Doing too much to achieve too much can lead to burnout; a major problem in movement spaces.
Disabled queer and trans communities of colour have already been preparing for the survival of their communitiesthrough disasters. They teach each other skills in resilience-based, care-based organizing to strategically create the changes that we need for our futures. These skills are necessary for other organizers to learn from. [5]
6. Disability justice is intersectionally related to all other fights for justice.
The oppressive conditions we’re living in can be disabling themselves. For example...
Chronic stress can be disabling. Neurodivergent people (ADHD, dyslexia, autism, anxiety) are more likely than neurotypical people to experience physical health problems.
Racism can be disabling (e.g. Ralph Yarl, a 16-year-old black child, experienced a brain injury after being shot by a racist white man).
Colonialism can be disabling (e.g. Aamijiwnaang First Nation has been impacted by settler colonialism, capitalism and environmental racism. Over 60 petrochemical facilities can be found within a 25 km2 area. Community members face high rates of cancer, respiratory illness and reproductive health issues). [6]
Living in poverty can be disabling. It significantly increases the likelihood of developing chronic or acute health problems (e.g. limited access to healthy foods, shelter, clean air and water, chronic stress etc). [7]
If you have any suggested revisions or additional resources to share related to the above content, please email them to kenzie@lehub.ca.
