Pacific Peoples' Partnership

Connecting Indigenous and Pacific Peoples

Black Lives Matter: Local Focus

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Prepared by Zachary Fenn, Development Coordinator, Pacific Peoples’ Partnership

Pacific Peoples’ Partnerships (PPP) will not stay silent in the face of systemic injustice. We must act and speak in solidarity with the Black and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour) communities. Our mission of supporting the aspirations of Canadian and South Pacific Indigenous peoples for peace, justice, and environmental sustainability includes speaking out against the unjust, racist, and systemic violence Black and Indigenous people face every day in Canada and worldwide.

Black Lives Matter Protest in Washington D.C, USA. May 31st, 2020. Photograph by Koshu Kunii

The Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement has shed light on the ongoing violence and systemic racism that people in the black community have faced for generations. The death of George Floyd on May 25th has sparked a long-overdue conversation. Now we see perhaps the biggest movement in recent history, with as many as 15-26 million Americans – and many more in Canada and across the world – demanding system change. Systemic injustices, white supremacy, and police brutality are not new realities for black communities, and unrooting capitalist colonial systems is imperative for BIPOC communities.

The movement has made progress in beginning to address years of wrongdoings. George Floyd’s murderer was convicted of 2nd-degree murder, and the other officers present were charged with aiding and abetting the murder. Around the United States, numerous cities have defunded their police departments or are reviewing budget cuts and tearing down colonial statues. In Canada too there are pressures on cities to defund their police budgets; Surrey is being criticized for its superficial approach to police reform, and an open letter is circulating to the Vancouver police board and the provincial government to ban street checks, which have been shown to be harmful and discriminatory against Indigenous, Black, and low-income communities.

While focalizing Black lives and Black rights, the BLM movement in Canada has also seen Indigenous involvement and a broader focus on Indigenous rights and struggles. Many in the movement have pointed out the connections between Black and Indigenous experiences of systemic racism and violence and the intersectionality needed to fully dismantle the colonial racist structures that are still in place today. Canada has a long history of injustices toward Indigenous peoples, including colonization, residential schools, the sixties scoop, and police abuses such as the starlight tours. Often Canada prides itself on being a multicultural country while placing European settler culture at the centre and other cultures as an add on – including First Nations peoples. As Moussa Magassa, human rights educator at the University of Victoria, explained in an interview with Douglas Magazine, “Multiculturalism for many Canadians is white culture and its tolerance of other cultures, with the condition that the latter play by its rules and so-called Canadian values.”’

PPP President Mua Va’a and family on June 7 BLM rally. Photo by Johanna Buermans

Rallies in support of BLM are ongoing across Canada. PPP’s President Muavae Va’a was proud to stand in solidarity in one of the Victoria BLM rallies, where peaceful and powerful dialogue was established from Indigenous and black organizers to thousands of supporters. One of the organizers, Asiyah Robinson, shared the aim of the rally with Chek News: “We’re trying to bring people together. We’re trying to make sure our community knows that they have a platform and they have a voice. We’re trying to make sure that people try and see the varied ranges of ages, of direction, of just histories that all of our black people have and to just honour their voices, give them their space. And also talk to our allies about what we’re looking for and what our next steps will be because this is just the first.”

Black Lives Matter Protest in Washington D.C, USA. May 31st, 2020. Photograph by Koshu Kunii

Tackling systemic racism in our own communities is crucial. The BLM movement exhorts all of us to listen to people of colour and other marginalized communities. It demands that we do the work to learn about our histories of racism, recognize our own biases and privileges, examine ongoing systems of oppression, and demand change. For ways you can help support this work in Canada, please check out the resources below:

Ways to help In Canada

(from GreenPeace.org)

    • Justice For Regis Korchinski-Paquet: Get Mayor John Tory, MPP Bhutila Karpoche, and Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders to commit to a transparent investigation and to hold the officers involved accountable in the death of Regis Korchinski-Paquet through firing and filing charges

Indigenous Businesses to support in Canada

You can search this database by location or type of business:

https://shopfirstnations.com/

Black-owned Businesses to support in Victoria 

(List from @urvoicematters_ on Instagram)

    • Blue Nile East African restaurant
    • Carribean Village Cafe 
    • Zucchini Wives Food & beverage 
    • House of Boateng cafe 
    • Le Petit Dakar 
    • Trini to D bone 
    • Nallaju Cuisine 
    • Messob Ethiopian Cuisine 
    • Stir It Up Victoria 
    • Lulu’s apron 
    • Elk & The Tide Catering 
    • C-lashes 
    • Lashes by Randeel 
    • MK- Beauty – Face, Beauty, & Hair 
    • Who Dyd your hair 
    • Now I look Good 
    • Kande Global Hair Couturiere
    • GX Barbers 
    • Status Barber Shop 
    • Mocutz 
    • Dre Searles tattoos and illustrations 
    • Strictly roots events 
    • N8 images
    • Victoria Africa fest 
    • Bask Arts Home Decor 
    • Udamma Fashion 
    • Tribe Asani Fashion 
    • Island afrikan supermarket 
    • Mount Tolmie market
    • Shea butter market 
    • CREAN Society Youth Empowerment 
    • Maureen Washington vocal coach 
    • Purity clean victoria 
    • SW creations 
    • I dream in decor 
    • Doula Jay Duncan 
    • Storm fit nation 
    • Merge combat and fitness 
    • Flight basketball 

Papuan Lives Matter: Oppression in West Papua Continues

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Prepared by Peter Boldt, Multimedia Coordinator, Pacific Peoples’ Partnership

Just as the old proverb goes, history, unfortunately, tends to repeat itself. Corporate impunity, top-down development and violent dispossession are just but a few characteristics which describe everyday life for many Indigenous Peoples throughout the world who continue to fight for their survival. These painful realities have existed since the establishment of colonialism but oppression and systematic racism continue to occur on a global scale in the present. The Indigenous Peoples of West Papua who make up around 50% of the population of the region referred to in Indonesian as “Papua Barat”, are often victims of this continued oppression, and face acts of intense police brutality, land dispossession and persecution perpetrated by the Indonesian government.

Children in West Papua. (Photo by Leslie Butt, featured in Tok Blong Pasifik Vol. 55 No. 2)

The territory of West Papua is situated within an intersection of complex histories of colonization and competing geopolitical interests. Some 2 million Papuans call the land of West Papua their ancestral home and are ethnic Melanesians who share close connections with the peoples of Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. West Papua had been under the colonial rule of the Dutch since the 16th century and was poised for independence in the mid-1960s. Unfortunately, at the behest of the United States, control over the territory was handed to Indonesia as part of the now-infamous New York Agreement. A few years later, in 1969, the “Act of Free Choice” would ostensibly provide West Papuans with an opportunity to vote for their independence. The referendum however was a sham, and would later be mockingly referred to as the “Act of no-choice”. Only 1,025 citizens participated in the vote and were hand-selected by the Indonesian military. Some were even allegedly forced to cast their ballot at gunpoint, resulting in an unsurprising unanimous vote in favour of Indonesian control. Countless advocacy groups and democratic organizations have since protested the results of the referendum and continue to call on the United Nations and the rest of the international community to support West Papuan independence.

Despite its large resource endowments including one of the largest gold mines in the world (Grasberg Mine) and recent focus of corporate development, West Papua possesses the lowest Human Development score (HDI) in Indonesia at 60.1 (compared to the Indonesian average of 70.1). Poverty affects around 25% of the population compounded by high rates of maternal mortality, illiteracy, unemployment and HIV. These issues have been exacerbated by indiscriminate discrimination, restrictions of political expression, and police violence. To illustrate, in February 2020 an investigation by the Indonesian National Human Rights Commission determined that a 2014 shooting committed by the military, which saw the death of four Papuan students and injured 21 others, was a gross violation of human rights. Sadly, just a few days after the judgement, another shooting transpired killing one Papuan and injuring several others.

(Source: Tok Blong Pasifik Archives)

These kinds of killings, beatings and torture are part of everyday life for many Papuans. It is unsurprising then that the murder of George Floyd in May of this year and the momentum of the #BlackLivesMatter movement resonated strongly with Papuans who also face similar injustices in their daily lives. In response, Papuans and allies rallied around the hashtag #PapuanLivesMatter in an effort to bring international attention to their struggle. Lamentably, foreign journalists are rarely permitted entry to West Papua and domestic journalists are tightly controlled through harsh anti-defamation laws. Because of this, the Indonesian military is rarely held accountable for their oppressive actions. In addition to militarization and land dispossession, Papuans who study and work elsewhere in Indonesia are often victims of racial abuse and discrimination. The Papuan identity is thus under a siege that spans economic, cultural, and social dimensions.

(Source: Tok Blong Pasifik Archives)

 History need not repeat itself and the #PapuanLivesMatter movement together with #BlackLivesMatter speaks to the critical juncture global society finds itself precariously situated within. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic has compounded on these tensions and injustices and exacerbated hardships for Papuans and African-Americans alike. Now is the time to act in favour of democracy, racial equality and human rights. Pacific Peoples’ Partnership continues to stand in solidarity with both the #PapuanLivesMatter and #BlackLivesMatter movements and in favour of decolonization, self-determination and social justice. 

Pacific Peoples’ Partnership has been involved in raising awareness about the West Papuan crisis for over 30 years. Through our Tok-Blong Journals and various advocacy campaigns, we have worked hard to shed light on the human rights and political abuses suffered to this day in West Papua. In October of last year (2019), amidst mounting state-led violence in West Papua, Pacific Peoples’ Partnership called on the Global Affairs Canada to pressure the Indonesian government to end the political and cultural persecution of West Papuans. Five months later, Minister of Foreign Affairs, The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, returned correspondence indicating that Canada hoped for “a peaceful resolution to the ongoing situation in Papua…” whilst “recognizing and supporting the territorial integrity of Indonesia.” Pacific Peoples’ Partnerships was disappointed in the content of the response and hope Canada will take a stronger stance in favour of human rights and West Papuan independence.

Tourism and COVID-19: BC Indigenous Peoples and South Pacific Islands defend the right to health amid mounting pressure

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Prepared by Peter Boldt, Multimedia Coordinator, Pacific Peoples’ Partnership

For many, the choice between health and financial security is not mutually exclusive. Working remotely has provided many metro residents the privilege of a stable paycheck while safeguarding them from the coronavirus pandemic. The same cannot be said for remote Indigenous communities in British Columbia and South Pacific Island nations that rely on tourism for economic well-being. 

In late June, Public Health officials in British Columbia announced Phase 3, which allows non-essential travel within BC. This has led to an increase in intra-province travel and put many remote Indigenous communities at risk of coming into contact with COVID-19. Businesses reliant on tourism, such as retreats and fishing lodges, have begun re-opening, leading to a flood of tourists. Many businesses have opened their doors without proper consultation or discussion with Indigenous nations whose land they operate on.

Indigenous communities in Haida Gwaii have been hit particularly hard by COVID-19 outbreaks. (Image by Murray Foubister)

The Haida community in particular has taken a strong stance against the re-opening of tourist businesses, namely large-scale fishing lodges. Haida matriarchs are leading a resistance movement against non-essential travellers entering the territory unless the provincial government provides rapid testing kits, culturally-sensitive contact tracing teams, and tourist screening measures. Remote Indigenous communities such as those on Haida Gwaii have limited access to health resources and could be devastated by a COVID-19 outbreak. Haida Gwaii has only two ventilators for its population of about 4500. Moreover, for many Indigenous peoples, the protection of elders is tied to their cultural survival, as many are the last speakers of endangered languages and keepers of oral histories. And so, despite the economic implications, Indigenous leaders are exercising their sovereign right in protecting their lands and people.

Small island nations in the South Pacific have had a similar struggle with COVID-19, with governments closing borders to non-essential travel for fear of exposure. The tourism sector has taken a massive hit, causing huge economic shocks and prompting many to call coronavirus “the job-killer of the century. To put things in perspective, tourism makes up 20-30% of economic activity in countries like Samoa and Tonga, according to the IMF. Many island nations hoped to create a summer “travel bubble” to admit tourists from countries with low caseloads, only to determine the risks still too high. With massive job loss as well as food shortages affecting many Pacific Islands, public policymakers and citizens are grappling with the dichotomy between tourism dollars and health.

Both Indigenous communities and South Pacific island nations face unique circumstances in this pandemic. Many of these communities are vulnerable to a COVID-19 outbreak due to limited health resources, remoteness from larger facilities, and reliance on tourism. At the time of writing this article, B.C. Health officials have declared a COVID-19 outbreak on Haida Gwaii that has infected at least 13 individuals. 

At Pacific Peoples’ Partnership, we believe that communities come first.  We call on the provincial government and international community to respect the rights of Indigenous and South Pacific nations and prioritize health and safety over tourism dollars. We also call on B.C. tourist businesses to engage with, cooperate with, and respect the demands of the Haida Nation and all Indigenous nations.

One Wave Gathering: Hereditary Resurgence of Reforming Safe Circles

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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!

The Indigenous Climate Action Preschool Program

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

Photo credit to IISAAK OLAM Foundation

We would like to honour and celebrate the IISAAK OLAM Foundation in the success of an educational pilot program (ICAP) that began in early January 2020. The Program was offered in the traditional territories of the Lekwungen People, specifically Marigold and South Valley Parks in South Saanich BC. 

The intent of the program was to introduce a traditional way of learning into today’s westernized public school system, specifically early childhood development and education. ICAP instructors led Indigenous and non-Indigenous children in learning about the hereditary role we have as a collective. The ICAP program focused on the core values of respect, responsibility and unity rooted in the teachings that come with environmental stewardship. The curriculum involved mindfully observing, identifying, and interacting with local plants, insects, and animals. Traditional stories were shared, and students took part in sustainable harvesting and restoration projects. Relationships were strengthened within the community as a deeper understanding of connection was received by participants of all ages. 

The IISAAK OLAM Foundation was thrilled to be able to create and deliver an alternative education model for young children that encourages place-based learning and cross-cultural literacy. We’re grateful to TD Friends of the Environment Foundation, Pacific Peoples’ Partnership, and Saanich Parks for supporting this special initiative. 

 Monica Shore, Co-founder, IISAAK OLAM Foundation

www.iisaakolam.ca

It is empowering to see programs focused on the prosperity of future generations. The ultimate law of our people is to protect our offspring. This includes creating a safe place to learn cultural teachings, such as environmental stewardship. As long as we protect and preserve our natural surroundings, our teachings will never be lost. Our teachings originally come from the land, the ocean, and observing all the beings within it! On behalf of Pacifc Peoples’ Partnership, our hands go up to the visionaries and leaders behind this initiative, and to the children for paving a new path for the wellbeing of all humanity.

Photo credit to IISAAK OLAM Foundation

A phase two COVID-19 friendly virtual program has been envisioned and we are now actively fundraising to support this incredible program led by IISAAK OLAM Foundation, in collaboration with Pacific Peoples’ Partnership and Saanich Parks, with support of a grant from the TD Friends of the Environment Foundation. 

Check out the final report by IISAAK OLAM to learn more about the program.

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For 45 years, Pacific Peoples’ Partnership has supported the aspirations of South Pacific Islanders and Indigenous peoples for peace, environmental sustainability, social justice and community development.

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