On the stepe of the Chugach Mountains north of Anchorage.
I’m still trying to figure out Alaska. When i was here in 2002 I was up in Fairbanks, working largely with non-Native people doing peacemaking work in the school system. Fairbanks struck me as an interesting place, one in which you defintely had to have a deep intention to live in. I enjoyed the people and the land – which is incredible – and I liked the feel of the town, which in all of its glory and ugliness, felt like northern towns everywhere.
Anchorage is a different beast. There is very little beauty in it. It’s a pretty utilitarian place, especially once you leave the small core of downtown, which is actually full of little treasures like restaurants Orso and Ginger. Other than some ice sculptures and snow sculptures in a cool town square, it is mostly a city designed to huddle against the elements and get you from one place to another on four or more wheels. What pieces of interesteing difference there are – the Namaste Shangri-la curry house for example, or Ray’s Vietnamese – lie hidden away in cold suburban plazas surrounded by divided roads, equipment dealerships and super stores. There is community here for sure, and its a darn interesting one, but the physical look of the city leaves much to be desired.
But the land around here, the Chugak Mountains rising up behind us and the moose languidly traipsing across the frozen golf course in front of us, the majestic mud flats of Cook Inlet…all of that is very magical, very wild, very much a landscape that does not tolerate mindless interaction. It is important not to make mistakes here or do things that are out of alignment with what the land wants.
That is an art of course, and that is what we are learning here nrunning an Art of Hosting with 25 emerging Native leaers from all over the state, from the Arctic north slope, to the remote west coast on the Bering Strait, to the storm battered Aluetian Islands in the south, the rainsforests and glaciers of the south east panhandle and the little towns and villages on the braided rivers and folded mountains of the interior. The multiplicity of landscape here is reflected in the people, in the cultures that are in this room, in the questions that are among us and the gifts we are uncovering.
And I’m learning something about the state of Native life in Alaska too. Since 1971 when the Alaska Native Claims Settlement was reached, people have lived not so much as citizens of a community or members of a nation of Tribe, but as shareholders of a corporation. And as shareholders, the wealth of the land is reflected in the economic activity that is generated on that land. This has resulted in a number of swirling dynamics including accelerated prosperity of some Native communities while at the same time, degradation of the land and subsistence lifestyles are changing, and traditional cultural values meet wealth and the easy money of corporate dividends, with the dividends winning out. One of our participants is active in the middle of a massive project between local communities and the proponent of a gold/copper.molybdenum mine called the Pebble Prospect that would combine an open pit and a shaft system in the lake country above Bristol Bay, which is home to one of the most prolific and diverse wild salmon runs left on the planet. People are largely lined up against the proposal which stands to affect the salmon and the water and land to the worse, and already jewlers from the UK, the USA and Europe are pledging not to use gold from that mine, but it is not so easy to be black and white when you are a local person whose communities could benefit for a long time from the wealth created from a mine like that. Being shareholders of corporations brings people into a very different relationship with their land. Better vs. worse, good vs. bad, becomes a slippery polarity. Even when it seems obvious what to do.
I have long been suspicious of the benefits of easy and steady money schemes in Native communities like casinos and, here in Alaska, the corporate structure. There is no denying that they provide money and resources to people who would otherwise be victims and marginal to the massive development taking place around them, but at what price? When your citizenship becomes tied to a dividend paying share, what is the incentive to work for democratic participation? In Alaska the power lies with structures that pay the people. Even the state government does it, with benefits paid to Alaska citizens from the royalties from oil and gas and mineral development. How does a government compete with a corporation when both take on the characteristics of each other? What does it mean to be a citizen? Who guards the culture? Who guards the past and the connection to the land? Does it even matter anymore? To the young emerging leaders I am working with, and to their families and children, it matters a lot.
Big questions alive in this big country. Taking my cue from Africa, where truth is not scarificed at the alter of a happy ending, I notice that finding the truth in all of this is that perhaps what Native people are trying to here is find the best bad ending to deal with, and as the long term evolves, sustain what is needed so that when it all goes away, there is still abundance left.
From a man I have long loved and admired, Chief Robert Joseph, who spoke these words on receiving an honorary doctorate of laws from the University of British Columbia in 2003. He is a leader in advocating for the rights and dignity of residential school survivors and a deep and passionate advocate of the work many many people are doing to decolonize the child welfare system here in British Columbia. Here is some very good advice from him:
I have traveled far and climbed many mountains in my life’s journey. I have seen the darkness of my own abyss. From the depths of my utter despair and hopelessness I saw a miraculous vision. Through this vision I have seen the universe, one whole, one connectedness, one balance!
As I stood in awe of the wonder in my own supernatural moment, I came to know my place and part in this timeless symphony of life and creation. Before that, I was forced to relinquish my own reality for a while. I was taught to dismiss all that was prior to the coming of the first settlers. It was too high a price to exact for my education, for anyone’s education.
I say to all you graduates beware that the price of your education does not become too high. Be true to yourselves. Maintain that balance between heart and soul and do not give away to intelligence only. Do not ever lose sight of who you are, for it is a gift from the creator that will lead you to your higher purpose. Do not give way to racism and intolerance. Do not give way to ignorance and apathy. Hold true to the creed that all persons are born equal and deserve dignity and respect. The quality of life for many may depend on you. Go and make a difference. The whole world waits for you.
via Chief Robert Joseph Indian Residential Schools Survivors Society.
In BC we are blessed to have Elders whose message, teachings and ability to hold compassion and promote peace rivals the Dalai Lama. So few British Columbians know about these Elders but they are national treasures. Bobby Joseph is one of these people.
[Working today and yesterday with a group of indigenous political leaders on reducing Aboriginal child poverty in British Columbia. In a little strategy session today we were talking about the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, the fact that Canada has refused to ratify it, and how, with the world coming to play here next month during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, that this is a good opportunity to let the world know that a global agenda item remains unratified in this country. So here is is my letter to global visitors joining us for the Games…]
A message to all global travellers visiting British Columbia during the upcoming Winter Olympic Games:
Welcome to British Columbia and Canada! While you are here for the 2010 Winter Olympics and other events you will notice the incredible land and sea, the deep multicultural integration that Canada is famous for and the presence of First Nations and indigenous arts and culture.
While you are here you might notice some noise about indigenous rights. You see, in British Columbia, unlike most of the rest of North America, most of the land and sea has never been subjected to a treaty between the colonizing powers and the indigenous Nations that have dwelt here for at least 9000 years. That’s before the time of the pyramids, to give you a sense of scale.
You might here messages about the unresolved grievances of indigenous communities and you might wonder if any of this is your business. After all, isn’t getting involved in a country’s internal political disputes a little rude and presumptuous?
Well, I’m hear to tell you that it is not. One of the great things that happened in the last decade was the creation and ratification of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. After more than 500 years of colonization of the Americas and elsewhere, the world finally declared that indigenous people have human rights that are distinct and important to preserve.
So thank you for that citizens of the world. And know this: Canada has refused to ratify this. So in addition to being climate change pariahs we are also pariahs on the recognition of indigensou rights, such as the right to consent to public policy that affects our communities. That sort of thing.
So, world, welcome to Canada and BC, where some of the fundamentally decent things that are being done by the global human family fail to garner respect or support of our federal government. While you’re here, I think many of us would be happy if you mentioned this to federal government representatives and, if you an athlete and have influence with your own government, perhaps remind them that Canada needs help getting its priorities straight, as a member of the UN’s family of nations. As a member of the global family of peoples who have declared that it is desirable that these rights are recognized, it is your business and I for one welcome your thoughts and support.
Enjoy your time in our indigenous territories!
Today, the new moon rises, a time of aupicious beginnings, especially coming so close to the winter solstice. These are important moments in Nuu-Cha-Nulth culture, and the times are important in Nuu-Chah-Nulth history. Last month, five Nuu-Chah-Nulth tribes won a landmark court case that gave them the right to sell the fish that they catch. Not on an industrial scale mind you, but on a scale big enough to create small local commercially viable fisheries for communities that desperately need both the work and the reconnection to the sea. Moreover, the courta case declared this as an Aboriginal right, a significant ruling for coastal First Nations in general but for the Nuu-Chah-Nulth in particular.
All of this leads to a time when participatory leadership is needed to seize the opportunity of building culture and community back and doing real, powerful and grounded marine use planning. So today was a good day to get to work.
We begun with 20 minutes of Warrior of the Heart practice, introducing the concept of irime, entering in, joining energies with an attacker and helping them lead a situation to peace. This check in this morning was a powerful reminder to some about the way their work as hosts needs to change, to be able to stand in the fire of aggressive energy and work with it. Fisheries and marine use planning is full of passion and the work these folks will be doing will not be easy. But the passion that drives the aggressive fight for rights and allocations can be used also to build and heal community, and if we enter into that space well, grounded and ready and knowing a little bit, we can do something with that energy.
So today we heard a little about the court case and then we spent some time learning about the seven helpers with this harvest as a result:
From this morning’s sessionshort piece on designing meetings: Four groups of questions to ask before conducting any meeting, to help you choose a good way to get what you need:
BE PRESENT* How will we bring people together in a way that invites them to be present? * How do we make people comfortable to share from their heart and listen together for wisdom and learning?
KNOW YOUR HARVEST * What do we want to take away from this meeting? In what form? (notes? graphics? photos? video? audio?) * How will we use what we gather from the meeting?
HAVE A GOOD QUESTION * What question(s) could we ask that would invite contributions from everyone?
LISTENING PIECE * What is a listening tool that helps us have enough time for people to make their contributions and hear each other? * What kinds of activities and exercises can we use for people to explore content together and provide their own thoughts on our question?
If you use this checklist as a way of organizing your thoughts before a meeting, it will help you to stay focused and to ensure that everything you do is tied to the purpose of the meeting.
Nice…a basic set of planning guidelines for any conversation that keeps us focused on the harvest, and keeps us conscious about process.
After lunch we took the advice of our Elder Levi and the participants went out on the land to think about their work going into the community. This was the time to do a little oosumich, connecting with themselves and presencing the future that starts next week when they return to their communities. When they returned, we went into a really beautiful World Cafe around two questions that Laura and Norinne cracked. The first question was an appreciative question about a time when community was truly engaged. The second question, which we did two rounds on, was on question we could ask to bring community together around marine use planning.
The harvest from this was great, a real set of tools and ideas for them to use when they go home to start the conversation.
And sweet practice this evening. Bruce Lucas put on a potlatch DVD and some of us played Scrabble while Nuu-chah-Nulth tunes echoed through our dining space. Two or three kids played while we feasted on chicken, salmon and some great vegetable dishes prepared by our local caterer. This groups is really gelling, and becoming fast friends. They are tooling up on facebook and Skype to stay together as they move into this work seperately.
Tonight I can hear some geese flying overhead, moving south on the warm winds that have come in. The rain has stopped and the surf still pounds, the ever present sound of sae and land meeting, creating one another out of their shared conversation.
Tsawalk indeed.