[Indigsol] Sat - Niigaan symposium

[ipsmo at riseup.net]

NIIGAAN: IN CONVERSATION

Saturday March 9th, 1:00pm - 8:00pm
National Arts Centre, Ottawa (Panorama Room)


Niigaan is a symposium representing an opportunity to change the current
relationship in Canada between Indigenous Peoples and Settler society.

Participants include Chief Gilbert Whiteduck, Claudette Commanda, Leanne
Betasamosake Simpson, Bonita Lawrence, Victoria Freeman, and host
Niigaanwewidam James Sinclair.


The proposed agenda for the day is as follows:
1:00 pm Hosts introduce Prayer, Drummers, Dancers and agenda
1:30 pm Indigenous History of Colonial Canada and Resistance
2:15 pm The Constitution; section 35 and Bill C-45
3:00 pm Algonquin Land Claim Agreement
3:45 pm Reconstruction of Settler and Indigenous Relations
4:30 pm closing remarks prayer and song
5:00 pm Dinner, discussion and film screening


TO REGISTER: http://niigaan.eventbrite.ca/
or email niigaan at gmail.com


Niigaan is an Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe) word that can be translated to
mean ‘at the front’ or ‘leading’; it can also mean ‘future’.


Anishinaabe prophecy declares that now is the time for Indigenous peoples
and the settler community to come together and build the 'Eighth Fire' of
justice and harmony; Idle No More represents the moment for real, open and
honest dialogue between the different segments of modern Canadian society.
The potential held in this moment in history, now that the eighth fire has
been lit, is immense. Justice based on ancient teachings and rooted in the
land can happen with everyone’s participation and cooperation.

For the first time in this country, an open discussion regarding
democracy, Indigenous rights, decolonization, and Canadian history has
exploded onto the national stage. However, the Idle No More movement is
not just about Indigenous peoples: It is about everyone living in Canada
because we are all treaty nations.

Niigaan: In conversation is a symposium held in Ottawa on Saturday, March
9, 2013 at the National Arts Centre. Local community organizers, students
and professors, business owners and residents will join here on unceded
Algonquin territory in an opportunity to learn, share and discuss the
growing, global Indigenous Nations Movement and how it affects and
involves all Canadians. This will be a chance to re-examine the current
issues that Indigenous peoples face and to encourage a rehabilitation of
the relationship between all signatories to the treaties.