[antiwar-van] Indigenous WG not participating in WPF

[harsha at resist.ca]

---------------------------- Original Message ----------------------------
Subject: Indigenous Working group will not participate in the World Peace
Forum. From:    "Mariwenio"
Date:    Mon, December 19, 2005 10:06 am
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Dear friends and supporters,

As of Monday December the 12th the World Peace forum which is to be held
in Vancouver in June of 2006 will not have have an indigenous working
group.

After months of struggle with the completely non-indigenous World Peace
forum society , the indigenous working group of the forum has announced
it's official boycott of the forum and will request that other
indigenous groups and participants also be aware of the situation. From
the beginning the indigenous working group was determined to work to
create programme for the forum based on exposing the policy of
colonization and imperialism as one of the root causes for the lack of
world Peace, putting the issues of colonization and occupation on the
forefront.

The indigenous group presented a series of demands and, since the forum
itself was being conducted on the occupied territories of aboriginal
peoples, and since the forum was using a peace symbol designed in the
indigenous West Coast style,  it was only logical that indigenous issues
be front and centre.

There is no need to explain the ravages of colonial warfare against the
original nations of this continent.  From biological warfare in the form
of infected blankets, to the systemic calculated destruction of nations
through the residential schools, to the most basic form of war---the out
right murder of our people.  War need not be a matter of high
powered artillery and F-18 fighter jets.  The warfare against the people
has been clear for hundreds of years. Something the society has refused to
acknowledge.

Lamentably the World Peace forum has also openly refused to ackowledge
colonialism and imperialism as one of the root causes of peace.

One of the most basic requests was control of our own programming.   Yet
even this was denied as you can read in their last letter.  Furthermore we
were not even attemping to change the theme of the conference but merely
to put our issues on the forefront even requesting that one or two days of
the conference be dedicated to the issue of indigenous peoples and
imperialism around the world which we were denied.

To make my position clear the indigenous group has NOT demanded a
boycott yet although if it were, I would be inclined to support it and
would encourage you to think twice about becoming involved.

 We are waiting to see what happens now.  I'll keep everybody posted.


Thank you for your understanding

Jair Machado




One does not sell the land upon which the people walk- Tashunka Witko,
(Crazy Horse)