We have met the enemy and he is us

As is usually the case, the more deeply I explore a subject, the greater the breadth and depth of the injustices are revealed. This is especially challenging when you come to realize you, as a White person, are the root of the problem.

We have met the enemy and he is us.

Walt Kelly, Pogo

Decolonization requires that White people, such as I, unlearn what we have been taught about the colonial history of this land and globally. We are taught only the colonizer’s view (understatement).

One key to maintaining control in colonized societies is the concept of settler futurity. At its core, settler futurity is the idea that settler colonialism isn’t just about taking land in the present, but also about controlling the very idea of the future. It’s a way of thinking that presents the settler society as the only possible future—as a permanent and natural reality. (See: Decolonial journey 18-Settler futurity)

I invite you to pause and try to imagine a different path through the future, a path of justice. Not a continuation of the current, ugly state of politics and economics of this land today. White people, White Friends, need to be truly open to the Spirit, open to a paradigm shift of consciousness. Especially in these dark and uncertain times. Whatever path forward is revealed by the Spirit, it will not be a continuation of Christian, colonial, capitalist violence.

I need to confront the concept of ‘Whiteness” from the beginning of this journey. From the time white settlers first arrived in this land, they brought with them their culture of supremacy and dominance over the original people. Supported by the Doctrine of Discovery, in which the Church blessed the theft of Indigenous lands. Colonialism is embedded in White society in this country. White people, including myself, must start our decolonial journey here. You cannot work for decolonization until you deal with your Whiteness.

from the first post I wrote on this website, Decolonial Journey 1 – Decolonize myself

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We need to understand and teach how the three systems of colonization: Christian (state), colonial, and capitalist violence are interlinked, supporting each other. Papal decrees from the 1400s were meant to justify the Christian settlers’ taking the land from non-Christians. Displacing Indigenous peoples from their lands is the point of settler-colonialism, and that was carried out ruthlessly in this country. Capitalism is the economic framework that facilitates the transfer of wealth to the wealthy. The state is currently dramatically escalating its crackdown on any activity threatening these interlocking concepts and mechanisms of control in the US today.

This is an unexpected opportunity to build a more just and hopeful society. To be continued…

The first Christian missionaries who proselytized among the Ojibwe in the 17th century found the people willing to listen to priests talk of Jesus and the Bible. In their dispatches home, however, the missionaries complained that the Ojibwe spent far too much time in idle visiting, leaving productive tasks undone. 

Although unrecognized and appreciated by the missionaries, the Ojibwe were engaged in important work. These spans of unstructured shared time allowed people to engage spiritually and grow to understand needs and formulate paths forward. Ojibwe know and value the power of visiting. Unencumbered by agenda points and outcomes, we trust that through prayer and community that we can determine how to honor and care for the environment, each other, and ourselves.

So during the month of the Freezing Over Moon, why not spend time visiting with others especially those whose ethnicity and social class differs from your own? Eat, drink coffee, let silence fall, and wait to find out what needs to be done. At first, it might be just about being human together; decolonization needs these roots to begin.

This November, Try Something New: Decolonize Your Mind by Mary Annette Pember, Yes! Nov 13, 2017

SET CONFLICT RESOLUTION GROUND RULES:

Recognize whose lands these are on which we stand.
Ask the deer, turtle, and the crane.
Make sure the spirits of these lands are respected and treated with goodwill.
The land is a being who remembers everything.
You will have to answer to your children, and their children, and theirs—
The red shimmer of remembering will compel you up the night to walk the perimeter of truth for understanding.

As I brushed my hair over the hotel sink to get ready I heard:
By listening we will understand who we are in this holy realm of words.
Do not parade, pleased with yourself.
You must speak in the language of justice.

Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings, Joy Harjo