Decolonize: No DAPL. Photo by Joe Brusky
Indian Country is looking at a hard four years under the administration of Republican president-elect Donald Trump. Steven Newcomb (Shawnee / Lenape) of the Indigenous Law Institute has some ideas on how the decolonization effort can move forward:
The United States has devised a U.S. federal Indian “law” system of domination. It is an idea-system comprised of concepts and arguments meticulously designed to empower and benefit the United States of America, while disempowering and robbing our Nations. America—Ame (love) Rica (riches and wealth). The American dream is the dream of Riches and Wealth based on overrunning the lands and taking the resources of our Original Nations. The U.S. intellectual elite, working on behalf of a love of riches and wealth agenda, have spent more than two centuries of time, effort, energy, and money designing ideas and arguments to dis-empower and rob our Original Free Nations. The U.S. Federal Indian “Law” Domination System is comprised of ideas. Ideas are products of the mind and mental activities (thought). This is why the liberation of our Nations requires a great amount of mental energy and mental skill. Decolonization begins in the mind, with skillful thinking, and a passion for building powerful counterarguments. Because our Original Nations have been colonized (invaded, oppressed, and robbed), we must gain mastery over the invaders’ language system. We must then gain mastery over their system of ideas and argumentation. Then we have to devise our own unique set of counterarguments. This can take decades of patient and intensive activity to accomplish. A massive amount of research, writing, and mental activity is required to accomplish all this. In this Trump era in which we now find ourselves, which is also an era of short attention spans, "reality" tv, and hectic schedules, how many of our people have the time to devote to the massive task at hand?Read More:
Steven Newcomb: Decolonization Begins in the Mind (Indian Country Today 12/1)
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