“Columbus and Other Cannibals” by Jack D. Forbes
The importance of this book cannot be understated by Home Planet Fund’s Dahr Jamail. The history of terrorism, genocide, and ecocide told from a Native American point of view has inspired America’s most influential activists for decades. Forbes’ radical critique of the modern “civilized” lifestyle is now more relevant now than ever before.
We did not think of the great open plains, the beautiful rolling hills, and the winding streams with tangled growth as "wild". Only to the White man was nature a "wilderness" and only to him was the land infested by "wild" animals and "savage" people. To us it was tame. Earth was bountiful and we were surrounded with the blessings of the Great Mystery.Luther Standing Bear, a Native American thinker as quoted in "Columbus And Other Cannibals"
Nisso
Nisso is a very important film for Pamiri communities, especially as it was made when Tajikistan was under the Soviet regime. It was directed by a Pamiri director, Davlat Khudonazar, based on the real life of a Pamiri woman. The actors are Pamiri, it is shot in Pamir, and the dialgue is also in one of the Pamiri languages. It shows Pamiri life and customs, from celebrations to funerals, in the late 1800s. Even though it’s 50 years old, it’s as powerful today.
NDN Collective’s List Of Winter Solstice To-Do’s
Our friends at NDN Collective have thoughtfully put together this list of 14 different ways that you and your loved ones can spend the winter solstice in observance of a natural phenomena that comes only once a year. NDN Collective author, Sarah Sunshine Manning, explains “The winter solstice is an event that has been observed for millenia by many of our Indigenous ancestors. While some Tribal Nations have traditionally held special ceremonies during celestial events like the winter and summer solstices, others may have simpler ways of observing these moments. Some Tribal Nations have maintained teachings around solstice time, while others may be seeking to revive the teachings, practices and ceremonies that were forcibly taken from us.”
In its period of darkness, the winter solstice is an opportunity to go inward with deep intention, to care for our spiritual selves, our bodies and minds, our loved ones and families, and to prepare for the longer days ahead.