Ep. 172 : Autonomously and with Conviction

<p>Most of this episode is a talk given at the Decolonizing Thanksgiving Dinner (formally Anti-colonial Thanksgiving Dinner) on October 14th, 2018. I wanted to highlight this conversation on reconciliation when right now, RCMP forces are again actively invading indigenous territories across so-called Canada.</p> <p>Since September 25th, the Gidimt’en Access Point has been holding new blockades and using a variety of tactics to keep Coastal GasLink workers and the RCMP off their territory. Specifically, they have been blocking access to a drill pad, without which CGL will be unable to drill under the Wedzin Kwa, or Morice River.</p> <p>Gidimt’en clan members and supporters have established themselves on the site, which they have named Coyote Camp, building a log cabin complete with a wood stove to support a sustained defense of the camp.</p> <p>The RCMP’s Community-Industry Response Group has been present at the camp, carrying out daily reconnaissance, searching tents, emptying campers’ drinking water supply, and generally harassing the site’s inhabitants.</p> <p>In the words of Sleydo’, spokesperson for Gidimt’en Checkpoint, “Our way of life is at risk. Wedzin Kwa [is the] river that feeds all of Wet’suwet’en territory and gives life to our nation.”</p> <p>While this talk may not represent the values and ideas of the Gidimt’en Checkpoint, or the clan members, I think it highlights the fallacy of the Canadian states narrative of reconciliation while actively trying to remove indigenous land protectors from their ancestral territories.</p> <p><strong>To learn more check these out:</strong></p> <p><a href="https://www.yintahaccess.com/" target="_blank">Yintah Access</a> - website for the Gidimt’en Checkpoint</p> <p><a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/tkxgh-gidimt039en-strong?utm_campaign=p_lico%20share-sheet&amp;utm_medium=copy_link&amp;utm_source=customer" target="_blank">Gidimt’en Strong - Gofundme</a></p> <p><a href="https://rabble.ca/political-action/what-do-we-know-about-the-rcmps-resource-extraction-protection