[013] "Everything Is Changeable."
Encampment residents in Toronto, v4: On the Indigenous youth reclaiming land, and the "powerful stranger" called "Here"
Hello, Tired Ones,
Another week, another sign of life, another reason that showing up’s still worth it.
In my work as a writer and designer for culture change, I come across important stories about progress that’s actually working for people.
They help us to remember: before there was bureaucratic care, or self-care, there was simply… care.
So come on in, sit down. For the next few minutes at least, there’s no rush. It’s a new week, after all.
December’s care workers: Encampment residents (and their neighbours) in Toronto
“Stand still. The trees and bushes beside you/ are not lost…”
Sourcing notes: Photo posted by the Facebook page of Project Land Back - Wiigwaasikaa. December 9, 2020.
—
The time between Boxing Day and New Year’s has always been a special for me. It’s usually sandwiched between two big bouts of togetherness. It’s a time of rest and solitude, surrounded by others.
Some years, I get sick, or just plain sad. Usually, I listen to lots of music, and watch plenty of whateverwhatever. (This year, it’s tired, ambient, and anime, respectively.)
Lately, I would create some space to take stock of my commitments, and recommit to what matters next. That process of committing feels different this year, naturally. So I’m reflecting on my oldest commitments: treaties. To a new chance at peace, friendship, and self-determination for all peoples.
[And, I might add, a new chance to ask for what I need: If you’ve enjoyed my newsletter this year, please share it with one person you think would appreciate it.]
A song, for pairing
"Anuri" by Terry Uyarak (featuring Riit), from the album Nunarjua Isulinginniani [Inuktitut for Before the World Ends]. (2020).
At the urging of his friends, an Inuk singer-songwriter records his first album, after putting his music aside in 2012. That was the year his friend Soloman Uyarasuk died in police custody, under mysterious circumstances. (The cause was ruled ‘undetermined’ by the coroner.) It was Uyarasuk who had introduced him to the guitar. And it was Uyarasuk who wrote the song Anuri, which his friend performs and dedicates to him. Listen to more.
"I'm super Inuk, living in the modern era. I have always been proud of our ancestors, how they lived a very extreme lifestyle, but took the time to laugh at night when they settled after long hours of hunting.
"[Inuit] went through so much change with our parents and our grandparents, especially with being completely nomadic to our lifestyle now. If I could send a message to people, it would be that we go back a bit to our roots and tell each other that we can overcome any situation.”
Sourcing notes: via Nunavut singer Terry Uyarak releases songs in Inuktitut, Emma Trantor for CBC North. November 15, 2020.
A healthy idea, to chew on
Indigenous Youth Have Reclaimed Land in Toronto, by Luke Ottenhof for VICE World News. December 12, 2020.
On the Indigenous youth who are reclaiming land at Taylor-Massey Park in East Toronto, and their efforts to share resources with others in the neighbourhood:
For over four months, a small community of Indigenous youth have reclaimed land in Toronto’s east end, turning it into an outdoor living and learning space.
Wiigwaasikaa is mostly a collection of tents nestled among trees on land alongside Taylor-Massey Creek, which Indigenous youth have been holding since July 2. One tent acts as a community kitchen, while a small wooden structure houses lessons. Some people come and go (to shower or get a warm sleep, or as their needs change) but people, usually between five and 10 of them, are there 24/7—and are largely left alone.
The goal of Wiigwaasikaa—an Aanishnaabemowin word that means “there are many birch trees”—is to permanently reclaim the land from colonial control. It’s focused on four pillars: housing, assisting youth transitioning out of care, food sovereignty, and self-governance, said Sue Lynn Manone, an Indigenous sovereignty advocate who spearheaded the project.
“We are proposing the idea to the city (of Toronto) and Ontario government that if they are truly serious about this truth and reconciliation, if they’re still down to back all of that work, then this is where we can start, in live time,” said Manone, who has ties to Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory and has lived in the neighbourhood for the past four years. Manone made clear she doesn’t claim leadership over the community but acts as a steward for the Indigenous youth.
The Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, which submitted an official claim on the land in 2015 and support Wiigwaasikaa’s struggle for sovereignty, claim unextinguished title over the land under the Rouge Tract Claim. As such, Wiigwaasikaa is not part of the city of Toronto, nor should it be subject to the city’s bylaws, said Manone.
The land is also subject to the Dish With One Spoon agreement, and the two-row wampum agreement, contracts signed by the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe in 1701 that stipulate land sharing principles in Ontario and Quebec. […]
Going forward, Manone is hopeful that Wiigwaasikaa and other land back movements will force more equitable conditions for Indigenous communities.
“Everything is changeable,” she said. “It’s just a matter of time.”
A good practice, to freeze for later
Everything Is Changeable—This Is Where We Can Start, In Live Time.
On a November 26th post to Wiigwaasikaa’s Facebook page, the group describes the space as a “land base learning healing teaching lodge.” To that end, they’ve surpassed their $6000 target for purchasing tipis, with any additional funds going towards camping equipment for the cold winter. They’ve also made periodic call-outs for supplies and in-kind donations, as recently as December 1st.) In addition to contributing funds and sharing the campaign among your networks, the group has asked for the following support:
good positive love light energy thoughts and prayer that they recieve this support as they have been holding space and working hard to establish something of their own, OUTSIDE OF THE EXISTING SYSTEM THAT DOES NOT SUPPORT THEM AT ALL
Having raised enough to meet their own needs, they went on “the very first Wiigwaasikaa Youth Walk” on December 18th. As described on their page:
they will be going out tonight around 8pm to do some outreach and connect with the community around them by handing out and sharing with those on the street, some of the abundance that they have so gratefully recieved from such a loving, caring, giving and supportive, extended circle of care and allies... this is how we do and who we are... WE ARE THE FIRST NATIONS
Meanwhile, the City has so far expressed support for the goals and actions of Wiigwaasikaa—despite regular visits from bylaw enforcement officers and at least one from police, as reported by VICE. In an email, Toronto spokesperson Alex Burke committed to scheduling a circle meeting with Wiigwaasikaa and the Mississauga of the Credit First Nation, and anticipates involvement from provincial and federal representatives. Burke also said that:
The City supports such initiatives and recognizes the rights of the members of Wiigwaasikaa and others to gather and participate in peaceful protests and acts of political expression… The City also appreciates that Wiigwaasikaa's mandate is relevant to current political issues and ongoing efforts to advance reconciliation.
Solidarity groups like Climate Justice Toronto are echoing Wiigwaasikaa’s analysis of the problems that urban Indigenous youth are facing, what causes them, and their capacity to come up with their own solutions. (Children’s Peace Theatre, a nonprofit whose office is adjoining the park, released their own statement raising up Indigenous voice and sovereignty.) Climate Justice Toronto lays out detailed statistics on their donation page that affirm what youth have been saying about homelessness, colonial foster care systems, and over-policing. What’s most notable to me is their prescription, which is distinct from the passive niceties from the City:
These problems are symptoms of the colonial occupation of Indigenous lands and will only be solved by autonomous action led by Indigenous people themselves. By participating in this fundraiser, settlers can pay reparations that support Wiigwaasikaa’s crucial assertion of Indigenous sovereignty, and their resistance to ongoing processes of forced assimilation and genocide.
Treaties are all around us, layered beneath us in time. I’ve already written about the inviolable nature of treaties like the One Dish One Spoon agreement in the area surrounding Toronto. The land surrounding Taylor-Massey Creek Park is also subject to the Rouge Tract Claim, while simultaneously governed by the Two Row Wampum agreement. That was made between the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and the Dutch in 1613. The Onondaga Nation, one member of the Haudenosaunee, describe the principled imagery of the wampum belt in this way:
As the Haudenosaunee and Dutch discovered much about each other, an agreement was made as to how they were to treat each other and live together. Each of their ways would be shown in the [two] purple rows running the length of a wampum belt. “In one row is a ship with our White Brothers’ ways; in the other a canoe with our ways. Each will travel down the river of life side by side. Neither will attempt to steer the other’s vessel.”
“Everything is changeable. It’s just a matter of time.”
A poem, to cleanse the palate
“Lost” by David Wagoner, from his Collected Poems 1956-1976.
It begins:
Stand still. The trees ahead and bushes beside you
Are not lost. Wherever you are is called Here,
On an internal orientation that the poet makes to place, and the “powerful stranger” called “Here”:
And you must treat it as a powerful stranger,
Must ask permission to know it and be known.
The forest breathes. Listen. It answers,
I have made this place around you.
If you leave it, you may come back again, saying Here.
No two trees are the same to Raven.
No two branches are the same to Wren.
If what a tree or a bush does is lost on you,
You are surely lost. Stand still. The forest knows
Where you are. You must let it find you.
Something sweet, for the road
And now, a very happy baby—scheming for what’s to come.
That's all for this week.
Remember: Drink when you're thirsty, nap when you can.
Kind regards,
Chris Connolly
Manager, Personalized Care
(Acting Director, Standardized Care)
Humane Resources Division
The Dept. of Emotional Labour