Natives, First Nations, Aboriginals, Metis, Inuits, Indians.

We are called a lot of names. What images come to mind when you hear these words? Savages, heathens, wagon burners, or maybe scalpers? Perhaps the images invoked now are of drunken, high, or pitiful bums and freeloaders who inconvenience you with their protests and blockades? Maybe it's the uncomfortable emotions that arise as you hear us always speaking of the Residential Schools or our Treaty Rights. Maybe it's the righteous anger that simmer beneath as you are reminded that we don't pay taxes, nor seemingly work towards gainful employment, or when you hear on the news about those chiefs who make huge salaries while their community continues to live in extreme poverty.

i wonder if anyone ever really thinks about from where and from whom these images and negative feelings have been generated? Or to what motive or gain is behind the creation of these images?

i often wonder about these things when people feel they have the right to accost me and demand answers, or to inflict their privileged and narrow views on me. i wonder too what they are so afraid of.

These images are not who or what we are. We are a proud people who know through many centuries of teachings that the Earth is our Mother, the Sky is our Father, the Moon is our Grandmother, and the Sun is our Grandfather. We know that all life, from the smallest grains of sand to the Eagles that fly high above us, to those that dwell under the earth as well as in the rivers and oceans, they are our Sisters and Brothers. We know that we are neither more, nor less important than they. And we know that it has always been, and always will be our responsibility to be caretakers of this land and its many life sources.

We know that for generations we have been lied to, cheated, slaughtered, illegally forced from our lands and onto reservations, survived attempted genocides, had our children stolen from us and violated, were marginalized and kept in poverty. And all the while, we were the ones who were villainized and called the savages. Why?

Simply put, they wanted our land and resources. They turned us into the bad guys in the eyes of their own people in order to distract from their own actions and to legitimize their theft and other atrocities.

But that is not what this is about.

This is about our present and future. This is about our people standing up, not only for ourselves, but for our children and generations of our grandchildren. We stand up for our Mother the Earth and All who dwell on her. We do not seek the land that you live on, or your homes. We are asking only to be treated respectfully. To be given the right to have a say about our own lands. To have our Treaties honoured - Treaties that were created and agreed to by both of our Ancestors.

i have heard many say that they have done nothing to us personally, so why do they have to be bothered by this?

That may be true. It was indeed your ancestors and not you personally who did these things. i say to you now, however, that you have benefitted from your Ancestors' actions and you continue to benefit from them, while we still do not.

To those people i ask, What have you personally done for us to undo the harms and to share in the benefits?

The time for change is here. We are standing up now for what is right and fair, for both our People and for our Mother the Earth. Thanks to you all who stand together with us at this time. Let us be "Idle No More" and may we all have a brighter today and tomorrow, with all of us benefitting in this land and all of working to protect it. Tahoe.

All my Relations.