Decolonization: Chief Seathl's Letter, Dum Diversas, UNDRIP and DRME

There is the storyteller and poet form of "call and response". This is such a post, a collaboration of two people, one living in Lebanon, and the other Turtle Island. These are not just "stories", these posts contain educational reading FACTS, of human his-her-story, and the  results those facts have on the environment, our lifestyles, beliefs, and our relationships.

Nada Amine Awar

Environmental degradation began long time ago. It was the scientific fact that global environmentalists tried to face with no success. The environmental awareness famous slogan was and still is “think globally and act locally”.
Politicians, money tycoons and decision makers were never motivated by continuous environmental losses. They actually thought locally and even individually to act globally and make more money. Their industry polluted the soil, the water resources, the rain, the oceans, and the air. Step by step their products and supplies caused the contemporary global warming threat.

Pope Nicholas V issued the Dum Diversas papal decree on 18 June 1452 to bless colonization and slavery stating the following:
"We grant you [Kings of Spain and Portugal] by these present documents, with our Apostolic Authority, full and free permission to invade, search out, capture, and subjugate the Saracens and pagans and any other unbelievers and enemies of Christ wherever they may be, as well as their kingdoms, duchies, counties, principalities, and other property [...] and to reduce their persons into perpetual slavery.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dum_Diversas)

Religious and sectarian hierarchies who were always urging believers to wait for a savior that is sure to appear never took any environmental friendly stands. Religious feasts are becoming mere occasions to widen the markets one year after the other. Consumption of unneeded extra food, drinks, clothes, fireworks, toys, decoration items, gadgets, greeting items, Christmas trees, shoes, bags, etc…. leaves piles of garbage to be stuffed in plastic bags….

In 1855 President Franklin of what we call today The United States of America made a “request” to Chief Seathl of the Suwamish tribe of Indians to “sell” his land to the government. In reply Chief Seathl declared the wisest environmental friendly manifesto titled “Message to the modern world” which was sent to the president. Chief Seathl peacefully tried to raise the environmental awareness of “civilized” aggressive preachers, colonizers, decision makers, money seekers, and their followers with no success.

“You may think that you own God as you wish to own our land” the wise chief stated and clarified that earth can be neither owned nor traded in order for life to flourish and sustain. Extinction of species, deforestation, noise pollution, sight pollution, self harassment, greed, etc… was mentioned to declare the beginning of a new era: the beginning of survival. “Continue to contaminate your bed and you will one night suffocate in your own waste” the message clarified.
Sea level is now rising one moment after the other. This is a global fact. Is it the start of a serious flood that will lead us to reach extinction of the human race? Time is definitely going to tell.

~ Nada Amine Awar

Read Chief Seathl's letter: http://www.csun.edu/~vcpsy00h/seattle.htm

Alis~Itlatol

The Decolonize movement is in part about education. The current form of the "Colonial Construct" we are living today was born from Papal Bulls. The Colonial Construct reaches into our lives, beyond politics, broken Treaties and "business".  It was intended from it's inception, to enslave, indoctrinate and domesticate People's minds and hearts. The language was used to create belief systems built on driving a wedge between dualities, and split the inner and interconnection between mind and heart, masculine and feminine, dark and light, us and them...and on it goes in the his-her-story of willingly adopting or un-willingly imposed notions of what is "good or bad". One that has been most detrimental, is the notion that a person needs someone between themselves and the Source of All Life for them to have a relationship with this Great Mystery, which every People around the world has a name for: Massau, Gitchi Manitou, Wakan Tanka, Allah, Buddha, God...  and results in a very schizophrenic culture that can be manipulated to the extremes and for the continuation of genocide and terra-cide. Wars can be fought over Religion, yet Peace is always realized in a Spiritual Life, for there is only one language of the Source of All Life, and everyone can speak it, this language is the Beauty from the Heart.

Another example of the Colonial Construct is the demonizing or making less than, everything feminine. The demonization of the feminine includes our Mother Earth, as she was reduced to a "thing, a resource" to exploit for the Colonial Patriarchal Construct's ideas of what "civilization" is, in being made in "His image". She is in fact a Living Being. Today we are enslaved to the lifestyles, governments, ways of doing business which are threatening our ability to live as a species, and without a healthy relationship with our Mother Earth, and the Elements of Creation: Water, Earth, Air, and Fire, we will perish. We need to no longer acquiesce our cultural-spiritual sovereignty in thinking that something or someone else is going to save us or change the culture of the Colonial Construct. To continue lifestyles that are suicidal to our own lives and All Life, can only mean that the world of the Colonial Construct at it's core foundation, is not-truth. We as a species need to re-learn harmonious relations, for every "dis-ease" is a result of our relationship with Mother Earth, the feminine, and Her marriage with our Father Sun. 

The Colonial Ivory Tower of Education in the "Colonial western industrialized" world, has intensionally omitted the wisdom, knowledge, and voice of who they label as "Indigenous, First People's, Aboriginal". All People's, Red, Black, Yellow, White are "indigenous", and have roots in Universal Natural Laws. It is unfortunate that most "white" people in the United States and Canada, do not know their own colonial history well enough, to know that the Colonial Construct indoctrinated them first, and thus we have a population who forgot an original instruction which is to caregive right relationship with the Element of Fire and Father Sun and thus, exploited the Fire of the Heart of Mother Earth. However our Elders after generations of oppression and genocide, have written Declarations to speak to the Colonial Construct and re-educate our Peoples. Our Elders ask that every man, woman and child learn both UNDRIP:

United Nations Declaration of Indigenous Peoples:  http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/documents/DRIPS_en.pdf

and the

Declaration of Rights for Mother Earth  

http://therightsofnature.org/tag/universal-declaration-for-rights-of-mother-earth/.

The voting record for countries who recognize UNDRIP can be found here. Yet remember recognition does not necessarily mean that the government-corporations are upholding and operating by UNDRIP. As you will see, the US and Canada, have voted No.  http://unbisnet.un.org:8080/ipac20/ipac.jsp?

Chief Seathl's Letter, the Dum Diversas and these Declarations are only a small portion of the not-truths, Wisdom and knowledge that is needed to be learned and understood personally and collectively. Please share and talk with your children, your family and friends...about the Colonial Construct and the Wisdom and knowledge that will help us heal. There may be times that in piercing the "veils of illusions", learning to live and integrate this wisdom/knowledge within our lives that anger, fear, and pain will surface. This is to be expected, have courage and do not turn away because Repressing = Depression.  Rather choose to recognize these emotions as opportunities to nurture and energize the compassion, love and forgiveness necessary to heal. If we do not have the truth and wisdom, we will continue to proliferate the Colonial Construct, or may repeat it again. So it is time to listen to the voices, that have gone unheard for far too long, which includes Mother Earth's and the feminine. ~ Decolonize !

With gratitude for listening,

Alis-Itlatol