Resurgence

Stories of Resilience Update

March 9, 2021 by Pacific Peoples' Partnership

Stories of Resilience was initially conceived in the summer of 2020 but began in January of this year. A cohort of 7 talented Indigenous and South Pacific youth were selected to participate in our novel arts and culture training program. This program was inspired by the current challenges presenting themselves as a result of the Covid-19 Pandemic and is intended to inspire and restore links between individuals and communities. The program is designed to help elevate and highlight the connection between Indigenous communities and traditional knowledge and cultural teachings through invigorating art and multimedia work. The team is now in the final editing stages of a documentary that will be available soon – so stay tuned to our channels!

Here are some words from our participants:

The Stories of Resilience program has most importantly given me the chance and confidence to create on my own terms. Having the resources and support to explore what is important is a rare opportunity for any group, let alone Indigenous peoples, so to be able to freely work with the support of PPP is incredible. As I’m working with the medium of film largely for the first time, I’ve been learning a great deal about the process, something I hope will be realized in full in our final film project.

Benjamin Mulchinock

Working with the Stories of Resilience project has been a very eye-opening experience. It’s a delicate protocol to be a part of a platform that’s created to share other people’s stories. It’s always been, and always will be a sacred time when our people share a part of their story, especially the survivors of intergenerational trauma. When we ask questions like “what has kept you strong through difficult times?” It could be triggering, as well as grounding. We’ve always been so careful with our words, as our teachings have always been orally passed down. Thank you Pacific Peoples’ Partnership for creating such a meaningful project for Indigenous youth to be a part of.

Tana Thomas

Starting the project with interviewing elders of the community has shed some colorful experiences. I wasn’t confident but with the positive energy of the group, my mind has been opened to trying new things such as building upon my people and computer skills which are big steps. Interviewing elders was such a great experience. I will hold those great memories such as seeing them smile and laugh. My objective for the project is to bring honour and to keep the stories of the past going.
Edward George Jr.

Pacific Peoples’ Partnership Continues to #GoForTheGoals

February 9, 2021 by Pacific Peoples' Partnership

International Development Week (IDW) provides the Canadian community an opportunity to engage with global issues and acknowledge the contributions Canadian organizations make in poverty reduction and international development work. Pacific Peoples’ Partnership is proud to continue to support the aspirations of Indigenous and South Pacific Peoples’ and to contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We firmly believe that our work in elevating and empowering Indigenous voices and traditions, building resiliency at the community-level, and advocating for human rights is fundamentally linked with the global goals and we are honoured to build on this work.

2020 brought about unprecedented challenges that pushed all of us to slow down and to think creatively. Even high-income countries such as Canada experienced considerable impacts as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic which ranged from nationwide economic recessions to individual mental health challenges. The pandemic has also exacerbated many problems in Indigenous communities in Canada, as remote nations especially struggle to provide their people with employment while safeguarding their health. We continue to work and support these communities, particularly when it comes to advocating for their right t0 self-determined development and territorial rights.

Alongside the impacts of the current pandemic, our partners, friends, brothers, and sisters in the South Pacific continue to face the challenges of climate change with South Pacific countries bearing the brunt of global warming’s associated impacts such as the devastating cyclone ‘Yasa’ which landed in Fiji, Vanuatu and Tonga just a few short months ago leaving many without homes and millions of dollars in damage across the island. For many of these countries, the notion of ‘building back better’ is daunting, and achieving the SDGs has proven to be exceedingly difficult. Many of these communities have the capacity to adapt to climate change using their own knowledge and capacities but have been systematically prevented from doing so. Our Pacific Resilience Fund is transforming into an Indigenous-led fund with the intention of moving away from a charity-based model and toward providing communities with decision making power to utilize funds in ways that they see best. The PRF is intended to build resilience in Pacific Island communities as they define it, while ultimately supporting the livelihoods and adaptation measures of Pacific communities facing the dual challenges of climate change and covid-19, which in turn will catalyze empowerment, self-determination, and fit-for-purpose projects. The fund is currently working with communities in Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Vanuatu, Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia. You can learn more about the PRF and donate here.

We also continue to work in partnership with local Indigenous communities by providing innovative programming, leadership opportunities, and exhibitions of the arts and cultural work. Our annual OneWave Gathering was held this year in partnership with Songhees and Esquimalt Nations and despite the challenges presented by the Pandemic, PPP was able to deliver some truly inspiring and empowering programs. We were also successful in attaining government funding for a novel program titled ‘Stories of Resilience’ which is ongoing. Stories of Resilience is providing 8 Indigenous and South Pacific youth the opportunity to create and curate a series of multimedia pieces that will explore the lived realities of Indigenous communities. We are tremendously excited to see what they will create – so stay tuned here.

As part of our strategy to #GoForTheGoals we will be holding two virtual summits, one in early March that will focus on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and our related programming, as well as another with the date TBA on West Papua and the ongoing human rights violations in the region.

While we are not holding any events during IDW, our longtime partners and friends at the Victoria International Development Education Association (VIDEA) and the British Columbia Council for International Cooperation (BCCIC) are both hosting a range of virtual events. Please take a look at their great offerings in the next few weeks.

One Wave Gathering: Hereditary Resurgence of Reforming Safe Circles

July 29, 2020 by Pacific Peoples' Partnership

Prepared by Tana Thomas, Arts and Culture Coordinator, Pacific Peoples’ Partnership

ÍY SȻÁĆEL (Good day) to the city of Victoria that resides on the traditional unceded territory of the Lekwungen People. In our own canoes, we’ve all had to adapt to a new way of paddling through this global pandemic. After several waves of the triggers that come with the unknown, the spirit of the Pacific Ocean continues to bring unity amongst nations.

Songhees Canoe family asking hereditary leadership permission to come ashore in Victoria, B.C. (2018)

This September, Pacific Peoples’ Partnership (PPP) is delighted to once again deliver One Wave Gathering, an annual celebration of Pacific and Indigenous Cultures. At One Wave, artists, speakers, and leaders share stories through song, dance, carving, weaving, traditional foods and art. This year, we will offer events within the safe constructs of social distancing or delivered online to you in the comfort of your own home. Offerings you may enjoy this year include digital media, pop-up performances, youth arts, and maybe even a drive-in theatre! We also have planned broadcasts of the youth opera “Flight of the Hummingbird” youth opera, Roy Henry Vickers’ “Peace Dancer,” and the unveiling of the Pacific Peace Post, the culmination of a two-year collaboration between Carvers Bradley Dick and Ake Lianga.

As delegated guests arrive from near and far to participate in a sacred cultural exchange, they are traditionally welcomed by the hereditary caretakers of this land. Wherever you may travel in this world, Indigenous people have followed their ancestral protocols of welcoming visitors into their territory. Historically, the ancestors of Pacific Islanders and coastal First Nations have voyaged these waters and shared stories with one another since time Immemorial.

Since 2008, the One Wave Gathering has been held on the unceded traditional territory of the Lekwungen people, which consists of the Songhees and Esquimalt nations. Lekwungen traditionally means “A place to smoke herring”. As told by many elders, our teachings stem from the roots in our territory. Every spectrum of the land and ocean explored has a language in which it speaks. Learning the language of the land gives us insight into how to coexist with one another and provides a deeper understanding that isn’t perceived in the English language.

One Wave Gathering is a historical and transformative opportunity for guests of all ages to learn and interact with Pacific knowledge keepers and artists. It’s a true honour to witness the stories being told and gain insight on the deep-rooted connection between our lands and peoples. As communal people, It’s a vital responsibility to our spirit to reform connections and participate in meaningful circles of dialogue.

For many years it’s been a delicate time to publicly share Indigenous cultural protocols and ceremonies outside of our communities. Globally, Indigenous people are survivors of urbanization, colonial institutions, and cultural genocide. Visitors that join the circles must educate themselves about the historical traumas Indigenous people have faced due to the loss of territory, the loss of the children, and the loss of language. Many of our teachings have gone underground. Certain songs and dances were not always accessible. Many ceremonies and teachings were ultimately protected by those who were told to keep them sacred while remaining a secret to the outside world. It has been a long and resilient journey back to feeling safe enough to learn about and share our true identity.

Nuu-chah-nulth dancers at One Wave Gathering in Victoria, B.C. (2017)

To gather and culturally share with one another is a vigorous act of resilience. The One Wave Gathering wouldn’t be possible without the courageous act of each individual artist sharing their story. Our hands go up to all of you!

When healing takes place in our communities and our intergenerational shame has been acknowledged as something, not ours to carry, we are able to share in a good way. It is up to each individual that’s joining the circle to create a safe place for cultural exchange. When we are sharing teachings with one another, we understand that there are many threads of life that add to the lesson as a whole.

As a previous attendee of this beautiful event, I have left with the feelings of being surged with hope and pride. I stood alongside many allies as a firsthand witness to the transformation that’s happening within and through our nations. The One Wave Gathering has created a safe place in which Indigenous-led dialogue is highly valued and respected. Pacific Peoples’ Partnership has done an extraordinary job collaborating with the local nations to strengthen the collective vision of constructive steps towards unity.

We hope to see familiar and new faces join the canoe at One Wave this year as we ride the next wave into resurgence!

Forty-five Years and Counting: A Reflection on the Many Accomplishments of the Pacific Peoples’ Partnership

April 30, 2020 by Pacific Peoples' Partnership

Victoria Peace Walk-Nuclear Free Pacific by ©Belau-Jurgen Pokrandt

By Art Holbrook with grateful input by Jim Boutilier, PPP’s President Emeritus and Founder of SPPF

Seventy-five years ago in August 1945, the United States Air Force dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Those bombs unleashed a race to build ever more destructive weapons. Several nations turned to the vast Pacific Ocean for these tests. However, vast as it is, the Pacific is far from uninhabited.

The United States began post-war tests starting in 1946 at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands of Micronesia with the residents of the atoll moved to Rongerik Atoll ahead of the first tests. They were left alone there for over a year before an anthropologist from the University of Hawaii found them starving on the barren landscape, and they were moved again. Even today, Marshall Islanders from islands near Bikini have elevated levels of many cancers; the female population has a cervical cancer mortality rate that has been reported to be 60 times higher than comparable mainland U.S. populations.[i] The people of the Marshall Islands have filed many lawsuits in an effort to compensate them for the desecration of their homelands and the damage to their health.

The United States was not alone in nuclear testing in the Pacific. The British, beginning in 1952, tested nuclear weapons in the Gilbert and Ellice Island archipelago which in 1976 became the independent nations of Kiribati and Tuvalu. Amid mounting protests from Pacific Island nations and anti-nuclear activists from many countries at the increasing evidence of nuclear fallout around the world, atmospheric and underwater testing was forbidden under the Partial Test Ban Treaty of 1963. Despite this ban, nuclear testing continued. The French conducted aerial nuclear tests on Mururoa and Fangataufa in the Tuamotu archipelago of French Polynesia starting in 1966 and underground tests up to 1996.

The remote and seemingly peaceful islands of Micronesia, Polynesia and Melanesia, the three regions that contain so many small island nations of the Pacific Ocean, have remained to this day part of the on-going great power struggle for dominance of the region. With the Japanese pushed out of the islands during World War II, the island nations soon became part of the Cold War as Russia attempted to build influence in Micronesia and later competition between the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the People’s Republic of China as they sought friends and allies in Oceania as each of those nations sought votes in the United Nations. Today, China is active in the region, principally in Polynesia and Melanesia, as they fund major building projects and seek to influence island state governments. Their activity, and their aggressive approach in the region, have generated increasing concern in western capitals.

What does this brief history have to do with the 45^th anniversary of Pacific Peoples’ Partnership (PPP)? The Pacific Peoples’ Partnership, or the South Pacific Peoples’ Foundation (SPPF) as it was known from 1975 to 2000, was founded in Canada as an adjunct of a U.S.-based organization, the Foundation for the Peoples of the South Pacific whose main goal was to protest the nuclear tests. The U.S. link brought suspicion on SPPF because of the American nuclear testing. Recognizing this challenge to SPPF’s identity and desiring more autonomy, the organization soon broke away from its U.S. parent and became an independent organization.

Even as social justice and environmental issues grew in importance in SPPF’s early years, the foundation remained responsive to military issues. It lobbied against Canadian military participation in naval exercises targeting a Hawaiian island sacred to the indigenous people there. It also became a partner with Pacific Islanders in the Pacific Campaign Against Sea-Launched Cruise Missiles. SPPF’s role in that campaign was to alert global peace committees that, while land-based cruise missiles were being curtailed in Europe, those missiles were making their way to Pacific testing sites.

But the early members of SPPF had a more ambitious agenda on their minds than just military testing. From the beginning SPPF’s vision was clear: to increase awareness among Canadians of development issues in the Pacific Islands, and to attempt to connect knowledge of input-and-response networks with the Pacific Islands. As well, the organization developed efforts to connect knowledge and cultural sharing among Indigenous peoples both in Canada and the Pacific with a goal of building solidarity. And, of course, we needed to develop a membership and funding base to support our activities both in Canada and in the Pacific.

SPPF/PPP’s First Executives, (l to r) Phil Esmonde, Randall Garrison, Stuart Wulff and Margaret Argue.

In the early days, SPPF was fortunate to have substantial funding from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and took full advantage of those funds to carry out ambitious projects in the South Pacific. However, government funding is a double-edge sword. It gave us the wherewithal to carry out programs but we always had to be sure we were within the guidelines set out by the government of the day. Early boards and directors recognized this challenge and began diversifying PPP’s revenue sources, a fortunate piece of advance planning as CIDA funding dried up in the 1990’s. As Stuart Wulff, former PPP executive director from 1991-2000, said, “In a way, the lost CIDA funding liberated us to follow our vision. PPP is now more engaged directly on the ground.”

What has PPP accomplished in our forty-five years?

Andy Nystrom, PPP’s invaluable archivist and research assistant, has compiled a fascinating selection of 45 projects and events highlighted in back issues of Tok Blong Pasifik, the foundation’s news magazine. These initiatives, ranging from artist exchanges to cyclone relief to HIV/AIDS prevention to youth and programs to combat violence against women, demonstrate PPP’s wide-ranging activities and relevance in the South Pacific. Long-time PPP members may celebrate anew our organization’s rich history while new members can learn what a dynamic and richly-rewarding experience being part of PPP can be. We hope you enjoy these glimpses into our archives; it is our goal to make those archives even more accessible in the future. Here are a couple of samples of what you will find there:

Vanuatu, We Are With You! (2015)

On March 13, 2015, category 5 Cyclone Pam devastated the southern region of Vanuatu. By virtue of ties that run deep between Victoria, Canada and Vanuatu, the shock of this event quickly became very personal for Victoria, British Columbia residents that have family, friends or colleagues in the region. Reports from the country lent compelling urgency to mobilizing support focusing on this unprecedented natural disaster during which access to safe drinking water, food and housing became an immediate priority.

Vanuatu Member of Parliament, Ralph Regenvanu reported at the time, “The total population of Vanuatu is affected, as the cyclone travelled north to south, with the eye going over Shepherds, Efate, Erromango and Tanna. Cyclone Pam has damaged or destroyed 90 per cent of the infrastructure in Port Vila, Vanuatu’s capital and largest town, and damage to the more remote islands and communities is equally devastating.”

In very short order, Pacific People’s Partnership (PPP) flew into action connecting with Canadian government officials, key organizations and individuals in Canada and in the South Pacific. A hallmark fund-raising event, “Vanuatu, We Are With You!”, did much to raise the disaster’s profile, bringing together PPP’s staunch supporters and many new friends of the organization to raise over $11,000. Half the funds were put towards a shipping container filled with much needed supplies for disaster relief and the remainder for rebuilding of schools and hospitals.

Enterprising West Papuan Women Initiative (2013-2015)

WATINI Indigenous Women’s Collective, Wefiani Village, West Papua.

Enterprising West Papuan Women was funded through Development & Peace, LUSH Canada, and other donors between 2013 and 2015. It was facilitated in partnership with the Manokwari-based Institute for Research, Analysis, and Development of Legal Aid (LP3BH) to support livelihood opportunities for women in West Papua and promote gender equality. Under this program, PPP constructed several women’s cooperative centres within Arowi and Mansinam, both in the Bird’s Head Peninsula of West Papua. The centres function as small-scale, co-operative stalls for livelihood development and related skill-building activities such as financial management, strategic planning, proposal writing, and community organizing.

It has been no small feat for PPP just to stay alive for forty-five years … indeed, many NGOs don’t last that long. However, PPP has met many challenges to accomplish that feat. Even more, it has been an achievement to have produced so many significant programs and events for the people of the South Pacific and the Indigenous peoples of Canada in those forty-five years. We look back proudly at our past and with eager anticipation we look forward to what comes next.

I believe it can be said with confidence that PPP has demonstrated its resilience and enduring relevance over the years. We remain Canada’s only non-governmental organizational devoted to the people of the South Pacific and, as such, have a voice of authority that is acknowledged by out federal and provincial governments and by the people of many countries throughout the South Pacific region. In recent years PPP has sent First Nations youth to the islands as part of an expanded mandate that recognizes the historical parallels between Canada’s Indigenous peoples and the peoples of the South Pacific as they work to overcome the challenges of their colonial pasts. While the Covid-19 pandemic has delayed some new developments, we are on the cusp of new and exciting programs that will add more chapters to PPP’s legacy as we look to our 50^th anniversary.

Canadian Cabinet Minister Maryam Monsef, Squamish Council Members and PPP Executive Director April Ingham at a PPP/BCCIC Side Event The Longhouse Dialogues as part of a Women Deliver Conference, June 2019.

Prepared by Art Holbrook, PPP Board Member and Chair of the Communications Committee. Art has been a board member at PPP for the last three years. He has traveled to Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu and has developed an affinity for the people of the South Pacific island nations.

Pasifik Currents – Spring Edition 2020

March 9, 2020 by April Ingham

April Ingham and Greta Thunberg in Swedish Lapland

Talofa Lava Friends,

Happy International Women’s Day! Spring is starting to show itself here on Vancouver Island. The days are getting longer, blossoms are slowly revealing themselves and a buzz of excitement is in the air as Pacific Peoples’ Partnership (PPP) grows ever nearer to our 45^th Anniversary on April 8! This is a special time of celebration and reflection for PPP, and we are thrilled to mark this milestone by embarking on a Wayfinding 2020 mission.

With the support of funder Tamalpais Trust, a San Francisco-based organization supporting Indigenous-led projects, PPP will connect with former, current and potential future partners throughout the South Pacific in a deep listening and learning mission. Ironically this mission recently began with a trip to Sápmi Territories (Swedish Lapland, Arctic Circle) where we witnessed Pawanka Fund’s transformative approach to philanthropy through global Indigenous solidarity and self-determination. This incredible initiative is highlighted in the enclosed article.

Findings and inputs from Wayfinding 2020 will inform PPP’s strategic plans for 2020-2025 to ensure they support South Pacific Islanders’ stated priorities and self determined solutions. It is anticipated this will lead to strengthened partnerships, more impactful programming and the transformation of our Pacific Resilience Fund (PRF) into an Indigenous led fund. So, watch for our continued updates on social media and through Pasifik Currents.

These have been busy and productive days here at PPP with lots of exciting programs in the works or just completed. Want to learn more? Check out our 2018-19 Annual Report and Audited Statements and our recent articles about our activities including the Climate Connect Indigenous Youth Workshop in November 2019, plus check out the touching outcomes of our recent PRF Samoa Campaign as experienced first hand by our President Muavae Va’a in December 2019. You will also see our recent solidarity statement for Wet’suwet’en; and our newest feature Pacific Pulse, a curated and synthesized selection of emergent Pacific news, plus lots of other great updates!

Our Board, Volunteers and small team of Staff are working hard to be of service to the Peoples of the South Pacific. To this end, we also work in solidarity with Indigenous peoples worldwide alongside many strong allies. As we near our 45^th Anniversary we urge your continued engagement and expanded charitable support of our mandate – Please donate today! We look forward to celebrating this amazing milestone with you throughout 2020!

Yours in Solidarity for Peace,

April Ingham

Executive Director

Climate Connect Workshop for Indigenous Youth

March 9, 2020 by Pacific Peoples' Partnership

By Kori Stene

In November 2019, not-for-profit organization ECO Canada, had the honour to partner with the Pacific Peoples’ Partnership (PPP) through an exciting 3-day climate action workshop, delivered to 80+ Indigenous youth of the Tsawout, Tsartlip, Tseycum and Pauquachin First Nations Groups near Victoria, British Columbia. Youth learned from Indigenous Knowledge Holders, Elders, Leadership and Climate experts from across the province and the country, while they engaged in activities and discussions that increased climate literacy, taught the importance of protecting our water and oceans, and instilled environmental stewardship among the younger generations.

Climate Connect educational workshop for Indigenous youth at the LÁU, WELṈEW̱ Tribal School in Brentwood Bay near Victoria.

It was rewarding to work alongside such a passionate group (PPP), connected through a common motive: protection of this planet Earth. The curriculum content for the Climate Connect Youth Workshop was built with the inspiring words of Elder Albert Marshall’s in mind: Etuaptmumk: Two Eyed-Seeing – “learning to see from your one eye with the best of the strengths in the Indigenous knowledge and ways of knowing … and learning to see from your other eye with the best or the strengths in the mainstream (Western or Eurocentric) knowledge and ways of knowing … but most importantly, learning to see with both these eyes together, for the benefit of all”.

Being a non-Indigenous woman myself, it is beautiful to observe and learn from Indigenous ways of knowing; to harmonize my own Western science approach to climate change with the cultural, interconnections of traditional ways of viewing the world. Western science brings in the art of external observation, monitoring, and interpreting change through understanding impacts and looking at those impacts upon the human race. The Indigenous approach to climate change shines light on the impacts from within; to understand our relationship with Mother Earth and how taking care of the planet is so deeply aligned with the art of self-care.

The Medicine Wheel was used as a traditional teaching tool.

This beautiful, balanced perspective of inter-cultural collaboration of Etuaptmumk encourages us to work together and to learn from each other. To remind us to bring our Traditional Medicine Wheel along with a geographical compass, when navigating solutions to positive environmental action. This workshop braided those two strengths together, inspiring 80+ youth to become ‘two-eyed seeing’ environmental stewards of their land.

One lesson that truly resonated with me from the workshop was simple, yet powerful, demonstrating the power of collective action. Imagine a room of 100+ people where they all clap at different times. The sounds are mild and sporadic. Now imagine those same 100+ people all clapping their hands at the exact same time. The sound is magnified, harmonized, and 100x louder than the previous. It sent the message to the youth that when our individual actions are combined together, we can make a larger positive impact.

These young Climate Connect participants took the pledge to plant and care for ceremonial cedars

Climate change is something we are all a part of we all contribute-to it, and we all feel the repercussions of it. The youth are the future. The future is now. It is essential that younger generations understand, relate to and take action for a cleaner and more regenerative future … regenerative in that it continues to provide abundance for future generations as Mother Nature always has, instead of leaving less behind.

Dealing with climate change requires coming together as a collective, finding strength in our differences, seeing the world through multiple perspectives, instead of only our own. Climate change is a many-layered issue that will take a unified, yet mosaic-like, systems-thinking approach to come up with a seven-generational solution. The change lies in our ‘two eyed seeing’ youth.

The workshop’s powerful message to youth participants is:

You are stronger than you know and braver than you believe. Think big!
You’re never too young to make a difference, so don’t wait until you’re older.

Kori Stene is the main Lead for ECO Canada’s Building Environmental Aboriginal Human Resources (BEAHR) program, www.eco.ca/beahr, having delivered 40+ training workshops across Canada. She has project managed many initiatives within ECO Canada including curriculum development for Indigenous Leadership in Energy Management and Climate Change Adaptation Training for Indigenous Leadership. Kori has carried out multiple environmental field studies in Canada, Ireland and Australia.

PPP would like to thank our friends at ECO Canada for their partnership and additional in-kind contributions. We also want to acknowledge RBC Royal Bank Blue Water Fund for their funding support of this program.

Statement of Pacific Peoples’ Partnership Solidarity with Wet’suwet’en Nation

March 8, 2020 by Pacific Peoples' Partnership

Pacific Peoples Partnership (PPP) stands in solidarity with the people and the Hereditary Chiefs of the Wet’suwet’en Nation and supports the right to Indigenous self-determination and governance on Wet’suwet’en ancestral territories. For over forty years, PPP has supported the self-determination of South Pacific Islanders and Indigenous peoples in their struggles for peace, environmental sustainability, social justice and community development.

The United Nations’ Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2007. Although Canada initially voted against the Declaration, it reversed its position and removed its permanent objector status in 2016. On November 26, 2019, the province of BC unanimously passed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (UNDRIPA). UNDRIPA states, along with several other articulated rights, that Indigenous peoples shall not be forcibly removed from their lands.

We call on the federal and provincial governments of Canada to implement UNDRIP on the unceded lands of the Wet’suwet’en nation. The actions of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the provincial government are not reflective of their stated commitment to the UNDRIPA and we call for the RCMP and Coastal GasLink to leave Wet’suwet’en lands immediately so that free, prior and informed consent can take place. In solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en Nation, PPP calls for the provincial and federal governments to:

Respect Indigenous land title and engage in true Nation-to-Nation relationships with Indigenous Peoples, which entails meeting with the Wet’suwet’en hereditary leadership;
Cease construction of the Coastal GasLink Pipeline project immediately and suspend all permits in accordance with the self-determining authority of the Wet’suwet’en hereditary leadership;
Implement UNDRIP and recognize the Wet’suwet’en right to self-determination, including the right to free, prior and informed consent;
Withdraw the RCMP from Wet’suwet’en lands, in compliance with the December 2019 calls to action of UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination’s (CERD);
Respect Wet’suwet’en laws and governance systems and prohibit the use of any force to access their lands or their people.

We urge the Province of B.C. to change their current course of action and to respect UNDRIP and Wet’suwet’en laws in order to promote free, prior and informed consent on Indigenous lands and waters. Additionally, we recognize the complex political, social, and cultural contexts in which Wet’suwet’en peoples are navigating and strive to be sensitive to these complexities. In doing so, we commit to upholding and prioritizing Indigenous peoples’ self-determining authority, nationhood, laws, and commitments to promoting a healthy, just and sustainable future.

Pasifik Currents – Winter 2019

December 4, 2019 by April Ingham

*One Wave Gathering 2019 Delegation spends time with Chris Paul on Studio Tour*

Talofa Lava PPP Friends and Members,

Please remember Pacific Peoples’ Partnership (PPP) with your donation today! You can do so securely HERE. Every dollar donated makes a huge difference to PPP. We leverage your donation to secure resources critical to our sustainability and solidarity building programs like the recent One Wave Gathering in Victoria, and knowledge sharing programs like RedTide 2020: International Indigenous Climate Action Summit. Plus this supports our work with HELP Resources, to transform the informal economy in Papua New Guinea.

Enclosed in this edition of Pasifik Currents you will find a treasure trove of impact stories made possible with your support. We hope you enjoy these articles that make tribute to our President Emeritus Dr. Boutilier; acknowledge our many One Wave Gathering collaborators; introduce new climate program partnerships such as with CAYAC; showcase the power of Indigenous solidarity with Maunaukea; and shed light on the escalating human rights crisis faced by our friends and partners in West Papua. It is also a time of commemoration, join us if you can for our 44^th Annual General Meeting on December 10^thas we mark International Human Rights Day.

As the only Canadian organization dedicated to the South Pacific, we are honoured to be your partner in ensuring Indigenous and South Pacific peoples are leading the way to a resilient future. Exiting times are coming as we mark our 45^th Anniversary with a series of new programs and initiatives. We thank you for all your support, as we have so much more to accomplish together!

Yours in Pacific solidarity,

Mua Va’a, President

April Ingham, Executive Director

Indigenous Knowledge Climate Action Preschool Coming In 2020

December 4, 2019 by Pacific Peoples' Partnership

Written by the IISAAK OLAM Foundation

What would pre-school programs look like if they were centred around climate action, reconciliation and place-based learning? Thanks to a grant from TD Friends of the Environment Foundation and a partnership between the IISAAK OLAM Foundation, Pacific Peoples’ Partnership, and Saanich Parks, we’re about to find out!

Climate Action Youth Ambassador Canada (CAYAC) is an existing solutions-focused youth initiative that mobilizes knowledge about Indigenous innovations for climate action. Although CAYAC has been focused primarily on youth ages 16-30, the IISAAK OLAM Foundation wondered what it would look like to immerse even younger children in leadership programs that highlight connections between nature and culture. From this, the seeds of the CAYAC Preschool program were sewn. The life of this program will grow in a purposeful environment that mobilizes knowledge and builds capacity for the conservation of biological and cultural diversity through: conservation, climate action, and reconciliation- the mission of the IISAAK OLAM Foundation.

Starting in January of 2020, four to five kids will be a part of the first cohort of wee ones to join CAYAC Coordinators and Indigenous Elders/knowledge holders in a part-time experiential learning program that involves immersion in nature, Indigenous languages and teachings about the land, and activities based in the natural law of IISAAK: ‘To observe, appreciate, and act accordingly.’ Recent studies show that “children experience profound and diverse benefits through regular contact with nature. Contact with the wild improves children’s wellbeing, motivation and confidence” (Horton, 2019).

CAYAC Preschool will help foster a relationship between young children and nature, encourage intergenerational learning, celebrate cultural diversity, and provide opportunities for parents to explore alternative community-focused education models. CAYAC Preschool will also coincide with Saanich Parks’ ‘Natural Intelligence’ movement which aims to “strengthen the knowledge of nature, parks, and on how to improve the community’s environment” (Saanich Parks). “Natural Intelligence means understanding how to; interpret the natural environment, interact with the natural environment, and integrate our lives with the natural environment” (Saanich Parks). Still curious about the movement? Learn more here!

The program will also connect to other programs such as RedTide Indigenous Youth Climate Connect, coordinated by the Pacific Peoples’ Partnership. The goal of RedTide is to increase climate literacy and inspire agency for Indigenous youth to become the next wave of change makers through clean technology, green entrepreneurship, creative arts, and cultural practice. “The opportunity to support the synergies between RedTide and CAYAC Toddlers is exciting. We are allies working together on a collective vision for the future generations of leaders,” stated April Ingham, Executive Director of the Pacific Peoples’ Partnership.

A ceremonial launch of the program is scheduled for early January, date TBD. More details to come!

Special thanks to our lead donor:

Maunakea as a Kipuka of Hawaiian Resurgence

December 4, 2019 by Pacific Peoples' Partnership

Maunakea as viewed from a Hawaiian Ahu (altar), where visitors make offerings to the mauna (J. Corntassel, 2019)

By Dr. Jeff Corntassel

Standing at 33,000 feet when measured from its underwater base, Maunakea is the highest mountain in the world. It is also the piko (umbilical cord, center) for Kanaka Maoli / Native Hawaiians as the sacred meeting place of Earth Mother, Papahānaumoku, and Sky Father, Wākea. As one Kūpuna (Elder) explained to me during my visit, you only go to the summit of Maunakea if you have a spiritual need to do so. This place of reverence is currently the site of the largest Hawaiian mobilization in over one hundred years.

The protocols of kapu aloha practiced at Pu’uhonua o Pu’uhuluhulu at the base of Maunakea

Following a July 10th, 2019 announcement that construction of a Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) at the summit of Maunakea would begin the following week, Hawaiian kia‘i (guardians or protectors) began to gather at the base of Maunakea to protect it from scheduled construction. The TMT, which is a 1.4 billion dollar project, would be 18 stories high and 5 acres wide, and threatens the integrity and sacred nature of the Maunakea ecosystem. While there are already 13 telescopes constructed on the summit of Maunakea, most of these were built without proper permits and without the consent of Kanaka Maoli people. Acting under a protocol of kapu aloha (governed by love, respect and discipline in accordance with Kanaka Maoli teachings and spiritual practices), Kia’i stood their ground at the base of Maunakea as 38 Kūpuna were arrested on July 17, 2019, by police as construction vehicles were blocked from going onto the mauna.

Kūpuna, some with walkers and wheelchairs, were led one-by-one to police vans as kia’i witnessing the arrests sang and chanted to support the Kūpuna protectors. With the ensuing media coverage of the Kūpuna arrests, over three thousand Kanaka Maoli traveled to Maunakea to demonstrate their support and Pu’uhonua o Pu’uhuluhulu was created by kia’i as a sanctuary for supporters to protect Maunakea.

Hula on the Ala (road or path) at Pu’uhonua o Pu’uhuluhulu as part of the daily protcols (J. Corntassel 2019)

In September 2019 I traveled to Pu’uhonua o Pu’uhuluhulu to express my solidarity as a Cherokee citizen with Kanaka Maoli kia’i. I met some Kanaka Maoli as well as supporters who had lived here since July 15, 2019 and they expressed their Aloha ʻĀina (love of the land) by contributing their talents to make Pu’uhonua o Pu’uhuluhulu a liveable and safe place grounded in Kapu Aloha. Since the beginning of the struggle, kia’i have followed protocols for the mauna three times per day (8am, 12pm, and 5:30pm), which includes chants, hula, presenting ho’okupu, a mele and finally a recitation of the protocols for living at Pu’uhonua o Pu’uhuluhulu. This kept our focus on Maunakea and forms the spiritual core of this movement.

In addition to the intake tent, the medic tent, the food tent, the recycling tent, and the arts and crafts center, there is a university. This is not just any university – this is the land-based Pu’uhuluhulu University described as “an actual place of Native Hawaiian learning” and is a Kanaka Maoli innovation. Classes are held on the lava fields and are free of charge. I taught a short course on Indigenous sustainability and it was an amazing discussion and experience. Presley Ke’alaanuhea is the Chancellor of Pu’uhuluhulu University and is also a kumu (teacher) at the University of Hawai’i, Mānoa. As Chancellor, Presley schedules new classes, recruits kumu to teach them and designs the spaces where the teaching takes place. It’s truly a space for ʻĀina-based education and has inspired other grassroots educational opportunities, including the new Hūnānāniho University in Waimanalo. Overall, Pu’uhonua o Pu’uhuluhulu can be described as a kipuka (an “island” of land or new growth surrounded by one or more younger lava flows) of Hawaiian resurgence. Kanaka Maoli are exercising their self-determining authority to honor and nurture their relational responsibilities to Maunakea and are doing this following protocols of kapu aloha. As one kia’i told me, “we are learning to live in community again.”

Kahala Johnson, one of the kumu at Pu’uhuluhulu University (J. Corntassel, 2019)

Byline: Dr. Jeff Corntassel is Associate Director at the Centre for Indigenous Research and Community Led Engagement (CIRCLE) at University of Victoria, he is also a PPP Board Member and contributing partner to RedTide: International Indigenous Climate Action.