What everyone can learn from First Nations
Last week I pointed to the Sliammon treaty office website. There are more and more fantastic First Nations websites out there, all putting out the story of how communities and nations are trying to meet the challenges of living in a colonial context while expressing their own identity and striving towards a relationship with themselves and their neighbours that results in freedom.
I thought I’d point you to some of these sites on a somewhat regular basis. A First Nations Monday kind of thing.
Even if you aren’t especially interested in the struggles of First Nations in Canada, there are some good reasons why you might be interested in these sites.
These communities represent the very coal face of democracy. In looking at these communities are handling their affairs, people can learn a great deal about what it means to do nation building, community development, citizen engagement and institutional support. First Nations are dealing with these issues all the time, while they also struggle to meet the needs of a population that suffers from tremendous stresses in health, social and economic indicators. The project of decolonization that is happening all around me here in British Columbia can be a lab for people who are working with leadership, citizenship and community in a whole variety of institutions around the world.
The reason for this is quite simple. I have discovered that in doing organizational development and facilitation, nearly everyone is after improving their lives. Making an organization more effective cannot happen without also making that place one where people are free and feel invited to work with passion and responsibility. In First Nations communities, tapping the passion and responsibility of citizens is what is leading the way towards a post-colonial reconiliation with mainstream society. But, in my experience, it is the same forces, both within individuals and within groups that ensure this whether the project is decolonization and liberation or leadership and organizational effectiveness.
So when you are reading through these sites that I’ll bring to your attention, think about the implications of what these groups are doing, not only for themselves, but in terms of your own life, whether you are working to improve organizations or communities or the lives of your own family. There is a broader pattern that connects all of this work. And you are a part of it.
So on to this site, which is the home of the Office of the Wet’suwet’en in Northern British Columbia. You can browse through a lot of their intentions on this site, starting with a statement of interests and then seeing how the Wet’suwet’en want these interests implemented in a treaty with Canada:
1.2 The treaty will be an affirmation of Wet’suwet’en title and rights of the Wet’suwet’en relationship to the land and all of the beings and things it contains.
1.3 The treaty will be founded on mutual respect, recognition and reconciliation.
1.4 The treaty will recognize and celebrate the existence of the Wet’suwet’en.
1.5 The treaty will provide certainly regarding the foundations of the relationship between the Wet’suwet’en and the Crown. The Crown wants certainly and we do also. This is one of many goals which we share.
1.6 The treaty will define the relationship and mutual responsibility of the Wet’suwet’en and the Crown. It will focus on how we can live together rather then how we each want each other to live.
1.7 The treaty will be an expression of Inuk Nu’at’en. The treaty will have a full constitutional status of Canadian law. it also will have full status as a treaty under international law. “
Such a positive and assertive and respectful position. It represents a strong grounding in culture and identity and a strong need for reconciliation with present realities and future opportuinities. It is uncompromising while being flexible and adaptive. What do you think?
