SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Protesters raised a teepee in front of Parliament Hill to call attention to Indigenous people's rights. (Photo:
Forcing Canada to Confront Past, First Nations Erect Symbolic Teepee in Nation's Capitol
Protest meant to draw attention to historical mistreatment of Indigenous peoples by nation's government
Jun 29, 2017
Widespread applause greeted a large teepee in front of Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario on Thursday morning. First Nations protesters erected the teepee as a reminder of the mistreatment of their ancestors amid celebrations in Canada for the country's 150th anniversary.
Though the demonstrators' first attempt to raise the teepee was blocked by police the previous evening, the effort was part of a four-day "reoccupation ceremony" ahead of Canada Day next week. Organizers say Indigenous tribes have little cause to celebrate the holiday, as their ancestors were driven from their land by Europeans who colonized what is now Canada.
Ten protesters were briefly detained during the first action, and were ordered to stay away from Parliament Hill in Canada's capitol city. Supporters chanted "Let our people go!" as at least one protester was dragged away.
But a group of 150 protesters were finally able to erect the teepee, drawing support from onlookers.
\u201cbeautiful https://t.co/nzBQ8HjFRp\u201d— deep breath (@deep breath) 1498741415
Jessica Bolduc, an organizer with the Bawating Water Protectors said the protest is meant to draw attention to how First Nations members have been historically mistreated by the Canadian government, and the need to acknowledge that in many ways, the privileges of living in one of the world's wealthiest nation's haven't been extended to Indigenous people.
"I think Canada has one sort of view and way in which they engage with the world around them and then there is the Indigenous experience," said Bolduc. "We talk about this smart and caring nation, but don't acknowledge that those privileges aren't afforded to indigenous peoples in the same way that they are to folks who have settled here."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Widespread applause greeted a large teepee in front of Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario on Thursday morning. First Nations protesters erected the teepee as a reminder of the mistreatment of their ancestors amid celebrations in Canada for the country's 150th anniversary.
Though the demonstrators' first attempt to raise the teepee was blocked by police the previous evening, the effort was part of a four-day "reoccupation ceremony" ahead of Canada Day next week. Organizers say Indigenous tribes have little cause to celebrate the holiday, as their ancestors were driven from their land by Europeans who colonized what is now Canada.
Ten protesters were briefly detained during the first action, and were ordered to stay away from Parliament Hill in Canada's capitol city. Supporters chanted "Let our people go!" as at least one protester was dragged away.
But a group of 150 protesters were finally able to erect the teepee, drawing support from onlookers.
\u201cbeautiful https://t.co/nzBQ8HjFRp\u201d— deep breath (@deep breath) 1498741415
Jessica Bolduc, an organizer with the Bawating Water Protectors said the protest is meant to draw attention to how First Nations members have been historically mistreated by the Canadian government, and the need to acknowledge that in many ways, the privileges of living in one of the world's wealthiest nation's haven't been extended to Indigenous people.
"I think Canada has one sort of view and way in which they engage with the world around them and then there is the Indigenous experience," said Bolduc. "We talk about this smart and caring nation, but don't acknowledge that those privileges aren't afforded to indigenous peoples in the same way that they are to folks who have settled here."
Widespread applause greeted a large teepee in front of Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario on Thursday morning. First Nations protesters erected the teepee as a reminder of the mistreatment of their ancestors amid celebrations in Canada for the country's 150th anniversary.
Though the demonstrators' first attempt to raise the teepee was blocked by police the previous evening, the effort was part of a four-day "reoccupation ceremony" ahead of Canada Day next week. Organizers say Indigenous tribes have little cause to celebrate the holiday, as their ancestors were driven from their land by Europeans who colonized what is now Canada.
Ten protesters were briefly detained during the first action, and were ordered to stay away from Parliament Hill in Canada's capitol city. Supporters chanted "Let our people go!" as at least one protester was dragged away.
But a group of 150 protesters were finally able to erect the teepee, drawing support from onlookers.
\u201cbeautiful https://t.co/nzBQ8HjFRp\u201d— deep breath (@deep breath) 1498741415
Jessica Bolduc, an organizer with the Bawating Water Protectors said the protest is meant to draw attention to how First Nations members have been historically mistreated by the Canadian government, and the need to acknowledge that in many ways, the privileges of living in one of the world's wealthiest nation's haven't been extended to Indigenous people.
"I think Canada has one sort of view and way in which they engage with the world around them and then there is the Indigenous experience," said Bolduc. "We talk about this smart and caring nation, but don't acknowledge that those privileges aren't afforded to indigenous peoples in the same way that they are to folks who have settled here."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.