As part of Indigenous Sovereignty Week and building resistance to the Olympic Torch Relay, join us in an evening of powerful films, dignified food, inspiring speakers, and rebel performers.

Thursday Oct 29. Doors and food @ 6 pm. Event begins @ 6:30 pm. 706 Clarke Drive (3 blocks south of Hastings). Bus route #22, 10, 16, 20. Child-friendly. Bus tickets available

Defenders of the Land, a cross-Canada network of First Nations in land struggle and fighting for Indigenous rights, has issued a call to organize a cross-Canada week of educational events on Indigenous Rights and Indigenous struggles from October 25-31, 2009. The purpose of this week is to disseminate ideas of Indigenism and to contribute to building a cross-Canada movement for Indigenous rights, sovereignty, and justice that is led by Indigenous communities with a broad base of informed support.

* Coast Salish Opening by Kat Norris: founder of Indigenous Action Movement and survivor of the Kuper Island Residential School. Kat joined the American Indian Movement and has been a social activist since. Most recently, she has been organizing against police abuses and her biggest success is the Frank Paul Inquiry.

* Carol Martin: Nisga’a/Gitanyow and member of Downtown Eastside Elders Council, Sweetgrass All Nations Healing Centre, and Feb 14th Memorial March Committee. Carol is a long-time advocate and grassroots voice for Indigenous peoples and for women and men in the DTES, especially in the lead up to the Olympic Games.

* Dustin Rivers: a young and outspoken Skwxwú7mesh-Kwakwaka’wakw activist, artist, and writer.He’s had an obsession with history from a early age, but also raised in a time of cultural re-generation, he uses his ancestors legacy of political uprising to accomplish his vision of decolonization.

* Cease Wyss: Cease Wyss/T’Uy’Tanat is an artist, educator, patron of the arts, activist, mother hailing from the Sko-Mish-Ul7h Nation. She coordinates the Good Food Box, a program to make fresh fruits and vegetables available to the community. She is also a traditional healer and herbalist.

* ‘Writing the Land’ (7 mins, Kevin Lee Burton): This 2007 film meticulously combines film language with Hunkamenum words to recreate Musqueam elder Larry Grant’s experience of rediscovering his language and cultural traditions.

* ”Resist 2010′ (15 mins, Burning Fist Media with no2010): A short, fast-paced documentary focusing on the negative impacts of the 2010 Games and the ongoing resistance by Indigenous & other social movements.

As non-native multiracial supporters, we are allies of frontline Indigenous communities who organize in defense of their land, freedom, and autonomy. As a grassroots anti-racist and anti-imperialist migrant justice group rising to liberation, No One Is Illegal strongly believes that our movement must always be in active solidarity with self-determination struggles of Indigenous communities who struggle across Turtle Island against centuries of imposed racist, sexist, criminalizing, impoverishing, and genocidal policies.

Our event is organized in this spirit of respect with the diverse realities of Indigenous peoples to survive and resist, especially in the face of our society’s apathy, the normalization of colonialism, and increasing state repression. We hope you will join us and we encourage others to organize additional events and actions during Indigenous Sovereignty Week. No Justice on Stolen Land!

Organized by No One Is Illegal-Vancouver, Coast Salish Territories. For more information, email noii-van@resist.ca or call 778-833-4484
Visit https://noii-van.resist.ca

To read details about launching actions against the Olympic Torch Relay on October 30th, including Vancouver transport to Victoria:
http://no2010victoria.net or http://olympicresistance.net

To read the full callout for Indigenous Sovereignty Week:
http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/living/56724027.html

To read the basis of Unity for Defenders of the Land Network:
http://www.defendersoftheland.org/content/who_we_are

To read an article about the first Defenders of the Land gathering:
http://www.rabble.ca/news/defenders-land-take-action-across-country