Thursday, December 6, 2012

This land is your land, this land is my land

Last week my aunt told me that she'd just been to the National Museum of the American Indian, and I knew I had to find time to go before I left D.C.

Since I've been involved in Palestine solidarity I've witnessed an ever-growing emphasis on joint struggle and coalition-building. We need to join with all movements that seek equality and justice. I was really impressed to see a panel discussion in San Francisco for the World Social Forum that represented the feminist, queer, African-American, Chicano, and Palestinian causes...and for that event those activists were coming together for Palestine.

A few people have asked me why I single out the Israel-Palestinian conflict when I myself belong to a settler-colonial society. Would I be willing to give up my house in the States if it belonged to a tribe? or something?

Well, I don't own a house, or any land. I could try and say I'm too transient to really reap the benefits of my settler colonial society. But I do....reap the benefits.

I don't brush off the accusations that I'm a hypocrite. Even if though the "one ethnic cleansing justifies another" argument makes me sick. But here's no excuse not to know the history of the land you're standing on. So why not take every opportunity to educate yourself? 

And what is our responsibility, once we learn the truth?



Mitsitam Native Foods Cafe...amazing
This story really struck me...it's about a martyr...


 These are the types of guns used by Native Americans to attack American settlements.

On the other side of this wall was a display of bibles written in a hundred different native dialects. A British guy walked past me and said, "this is more impressive than the guns, don't you think?" 


The sun was setting on the Capitol when I got out

I thought I'd zoom out a bit

Teepee in the foreground, Capitol in the background, and a little surprise...

Now at this coffeeshop there's a funky cover of This Land is Your Land playing. Amazing.