A new movement in Canada, Idle No More, is worth taking a look at; it is bringing forth a greater participation than both Occupy Canada and the Quebec student movement. In addition, its focus is on First Nations people and their rights.
My first experience with the Idle No More phenomenon came on Dec. 21, 2012, at Toronto’s Yonge and Dundas Square. The sight of round dances and the sound of drum circles offered a stark contrast to the flashing lights and billboards that surround the city’s commercial epicenter. (Think Times Square.) While the action that day — marking the end of the ancient Mayan calendar — was one of the more publicized INM events to date, it represents only one of literally hundreds of mobilizations by this growing movement, which has produced rallies, teach-ins, sacred fires, blockades, hunger strikes and occupations since its humble beginning among four aboriginal women from Saskatoon early in October of last year.
Original article posted in Waging Nonviolence on January 8, 2013 and written by Matt Sheedy.
Leave a Reply