Bringing this economy to its knees, then raising it back to its human feet

We might be the ones most qualified for that raising up. Haven’t we had that bended knee experience happen to our oikos/economy twice already - once by visitors and more recently by ourselves?

Thomas Paine and others who experienced our indigenous economic culture unsullied were amazed at its lack of rich and poor based in individual or class privilege. They took that back to Europe which sparked an age of enlightenment.

They however have never been able to fully translate that to the societal level we achieved.
It is interesting that the essential ingredients of our sacred duty to land and water is what is most mentioned by Idle No More (INM) on placards and in spoken transmissions.

Little mention is made to the First Nations Financial Transparency Act and the proposed First Nations Property Ownership Act.

To me, it is amazing how generous and patient INM is with those aspects. Like the majority of us grassroots we continue to await our sharing ways to be strengthened and implemented by elected leaders who instead seem to move us further and further away.

What we have allowed to go on, may sacrifice our collective essence, this generations’ responsibility to leave intact for those yet unborn.

In the maelstrom of toxic changes that befell us it is understandable that our grip on what we are got loosened.

Oikos is a long ago Greek word meaning household apparently. Neimin, - to manage - got added to the word Oikos to form the word ‘economy.’

What the Europeans encountered on Turtle Island was a means of societal providing that collectively put the interests of every single wigwamin and the people in them always…

It hurts me deeply as an Anishinabe to be culturally corrupted enough to abide poverty within my own small lodge and extended family…that money road we pave by our patience is the only one running through our economic communities today.

We have, however, ways and means to bring this false economy to its knees.

George Erasmus, described as a moderate, as head of AFN once warned Canadians we could do that nationally. This was back in the mid 80’s. So we know that already.

Not that it needs us to do it. That oikos neimin is on its knees already - in fearful prayerful pose of shooniah/money at all costs.

On its knees morally - as it kneels on a permanent and growing underclass of poverty globally.
The real challenge is how to raise it up off its knees - to walk in upright human dignity.
Is the demographic tsunami economists speak of this spiritual portal?

The Canadian baby boomer labour force is fast retiring. Who will replace them? The youthful population of Aboriginal people are the only internal source numerical enough to do that.

That leverage will vault us into a position as an absolute critical force we have not enjoyed since the fur trade and military alliance stages of our relationship with non-Turtle Islanders.

Will that opportunity however simply turn our young people into middle class wage slaves?
Will those youth instead remember their sacred duty and help steer this country away from its death road of climate change?

To me, unless we also address the poverty rampant amongst us first, immediately today like our nearby relatives already do in actions like the White Earth Land Recovery, we will likely just end up eating protest for sustenance. From Graumeen banks, to perma culture, to earth ships the ways and means to provide our own necessities without ransoming our essence already exists.

A study once done of oil rich reserves concluded that it would take more than money to repair ourselves.

Instead of Gross National Product let us at least consider the Happy Planet Index.

In 2006 the Happy Planet Index listed the south sea island, Vanuatu, as the happiest country in the world. Living according to tradition, the Vanuatu have a unique relationship to the land. Their strong sense of culture and community played a significant role in putting them at the top of the index.

GDP hypnotized countries with high rates of resource consumption rated as sad and rich comparatively.

Could INM be a tipping point?

Or will it instead fall prey to those interests who need so desperately to co-opt it?
Will its prayers and songs be appeased by adding to the 10 billion already spent annually and relatively fruitlessly in convincing us capitalism is the only choice there is?

There is a book called, “Accounting for Genocide, Canada’s Administrative Assault on Indigenous People.’

We are presently writing the last chapter voluntarily ourselves, daily, in our communities with the corporate partnership culture we have adopted.

To me, this is what INM senses profoundly.

It is breath taking the threshold you may have round danced us towards… To bring this economy to its knees, to raise it up to what human nature is also so capable of walking as.. and in…and always.