Independent news from the Indigenous Media Freedom Alliance

Andrea Landry: IdleNoMore is Maori, We are INM

An exhibit including a display of the tribal flags from the Cheyenne River, Crow Creek, Oglala, Rosebud, Sisseton Wahpeton, Standing Rock and Yankton Sioux Tribes. (Rapid City Journal File photo)

BY ANDREA LANDRY

Stepping into a country with a distinctly diverse history from one’s own, different Indigenous knowledge, and a separate oral tradition can seem quite daunting. Yet, one thing remains certain; ceremony dissolves those fears of judgement, those uncertainties of incorrectly following traditional protocol, and the ideologies of self-doubt. Because the reality is, things will unfold the way Creator wants it to.

Being in New Zealand, on Maori territory, to discuss the Idle No More movement and the assimilative legislation that has affected Indigenous peoples in Canada was nerve-wracking to say the least. Yet, seeing the solidarity, support, and knowledge of the movement within New Zealand provided a sense of how integral this movement is to Indigenous peoples globally. This movement has formulated a connection that grasps ceremonial roots and redefines the Indigenization of colonial tactics on the global stage.

The settings with the teach-ins which occurred in New Zealand had the familial atmosphere that I felt within the rallies in Canada of 30 people and rallies of up to 8000 people. The smiles around the room demonstrated the true, heartfelt, support that thrived within our Maori brothers and sisters. Most importantly, the understanding of how integral it is for the people of New Zealand to support the movement showed how united we truly are, even though we live on opposite sides of the globe.

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Jodi Rave Spotted Bear

Jodi Rave Spotted Bear is the founder and director of the Indigenous Media Freedom Alliance, a 501-C-3 nonprofit organization with offices in Bismarck, N.D. and the Fort Berthold Reservation. Jodi spent 15 years reporting for the mainstream press. She's been awarded prestigious Nieman and John S. Knight journalism fellowships at Harvard and Stanford, respectively. She also an MIT Knight Science Journalism Project fellow. Her writing is featured in "The Authentic Voice: The Best Reporting on Race and Ethnicity," published by Columbia University Press. Jodi currently serves as a Society of Professional Journalists at-large board member, an SPJ Foundation board member, and she chairs the SPJ Freedom of Information Committee. Jodi has won top journalism awards from mainstream and Native press organizations. She earned her journalism degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder.

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