Dialogue Between Nations

The Summit of the Americas in Quebec City occurred from April 20-22 2001. DBN webcast key parts of the Summit as well as hosting dialogues in Vancouver with Woodrow "Woody" Morrison, Jr., Haida Historian, with a law degree. Oscar Gonzalez, Director, Mexican Academy of Human Rights and former Ambassador to a number of UN Commissions, co-hosted Summit events with Kenneth Deer, Mohawk, Kahnawake, Past Coordinator of the Indigenous Caucus at the United Nations in Geneva, Publisher/Editor of the newspaper The Eastern Door, Kanien' Keha:Ka Na'Kon:Ke Rontehnhohanonhnha.

Below are some of the speeches and discussions pertaining to the Summit Agenda and its impact on Indigenous Peoples.

You'll need the realplayer to view these video clips.

DIALOGUE BETWEEN NATIONS

Date/ Media	Third Summit of the Americas
April 20, 2001 10:00am EST Click Here to Play Running Time: 1m15s	Kenneth Deer, Mohawk, Kahnawake, Past Coordinator of the Indigenous Caucus at the United Nations in Geneva. Publisher/Editor of the newspaper The Eastern Door, Kanien' Keha:Ka Na'Kon:Ke Rontehnhohanonhnha, http://www.easterndoor.com. Introduction to the Third Summit of the Americas.
April 20, 2001 9:30am Click Here to Play Running Time: 3m41s	Woodrow "Woody" Morrison, Jr., Haida Historian, with a law degree. http://www.oldraven.com. Introductory Remarks: Woody's intro deals with the 3 main stated objectives of FTAA: Looking at strengthening democracy Creating prosperity Realising human potential
Click Here to Play Running Time:2m58s	Official Opening Ceremony of the Third Summit of the Americas
April 20, 2001 12:10pm Audio Clip Click Here to Play Running Time: 45m	Woodrow "Woody" Morrison in a phone-conference with special guest Daniel Drache, Director, Robarts Centre, York University http://www.robarts.yorku.ca/ This dialogue focuses on integration and exclusion: What's in it for Canada? Negotiations in secret... any takers in the hemisphere? Or done deal? Is FTAA continuation of "American Manifest Destiny?" Corporations versus Persons Rights and responsibilities "We have the best government money can buy!"
April 20, 2001 12:10pm Video Clip Click Here to Play Running Time: 45m	Protests in Québec at the Third Summit of the Americas.
April 20, 2001 3:00pm Click Here to Play Running Time: 3m41s	Woodrow "Woody" Morrison talks about the Quebec City Protests and "What is a Corporation? How do they affect us?" Reactions on Quebec City Protests. Voting versus extending "mandate" to politicians. "Checks and balances" - today, the company that can write the cheques dictate the rules. Modify existing corporate system... break down inter-locking Board structures. Set up to benefit the status quo. How do these corporations affect - you?
	AmericasCanada.org: Screening Room Videos of Heads of State, Ministers and members of official delegations to the Third Summit of the Americas 2001 AmericasCanada.org: Press Releases and Speeches
April 20, 2001 3:20pm EST Click Here to Play Running Time: 2m35s	Jean Chrétien, Prime Minister of Canada, opening remarks with reference to Indigenous Peoples.
April 21, 2001 4:00pm EST Click Here to Play Running Time: 3m45s	Matthew Coon Come, National Chief, Assembly of First Nations, talking in Civil Society Round Table.
April 20, 2001 4:00pm EST Click Here to Play Running Time: 2m58s	Matthew Coon Come, National Chief, Assembly of First Nations, talking to Jean Chrétien, Prime Minister of Canada, at the Sumit Press Conference.
April 20, 2001 5:00pm EST Click Here to Play Running Time: 2m40s	Kenneth Deer's interview with Matthew Coon Come, National Chief, Assembly of First Nations.
April 20, 2001 3:20pm EST Click Here to Play Running Time: 5m21s	Oscar Gonzalez's interview with Matthew Coon Come, National Chief, Assembly of First Nations.
April 20, 2001 3:20pm EST Click Here to Play Running Time: 5m28s	Oscar Gonzalez, Director of the Mexican Academy of Human Rights participates in the Civil Society Roundtable.
April 20, 2001 3:20pm EST Click Here to Play Running Time: 18m35s	The Second Peoples Summit of the Americas in conjunction with the Third Summit of the Americas. For the first time inside and outside of the conference there is a strong, important presence of civil society. This side conference gives a voice to indigenous peoples and leaders, complementing the The Third Summit of the Americas agenda. A release of the draft of the declaration and plan of action gives opportunity for media and NGO's to comment and discuss the content. The main international NGO's are present, as well as corporate organizations -- where are other important NGO's? Were other indigenous organizations invited aside from Canada? If not, why? What can we expect following this Second Peoples Summit?
April 21, 2001 10:15am Click Here to Play Running Time: 37m	Woodrow "Woody" Morrison, Jr. talks with Lix Lopez, Maya, international Program Coordinator, Institute of Indigenous Government, http://www.indigenous.bc.ca . Mr. Lopez teaches on Indigenous Peoples and, among the international issues addressed in his courses, he provides his students with information on the FTAA and its potential impact on them. Here are some of the points to be considered: Important for students to understand what is happening with indigenous peoples other parts of the world Oppression and colonization common experience in all indigenous cultures Reawakening of people in various places, Cuba, Puerto Rico, etc. Important for students to understand what is happening with indigenous peoples other parts of the world Right of consultation... what is the practical aspect? Grassroots and international pressure - critical for all indigenous peoples
April 21, 2001 2:15pm Click Here to Play Running Time: 48m	Woodrow "Woody" Morrison talks with John and Mary Williams of the Lil'wat Nation. Looking for our space in the new world community - dominated by rule of law and international law - derived from Europe. Occupying our land - how long will it take to redress? "How do we trust? Can't even go to International Court... laws are made by the people with vested interests in the status quo Treaties are agreements between governments and themselves (Band Councils are arms of the Government)
April 22, 2001 2:45pm Click Here to Play Running Time: 39m	Woodrow "Woody" Morrison talks with Sol Maya about the FTAA, Globalization and the need for greater spiritual balance. urge peoples from Central, South and North America - to find unity Not the time for violence - prayer and voice stronger than the gun Pres. of El Salvador only one who talked about spiritual connection with the land - inspired by the recent earthquake Corporation heads, immune from law-suits Traditional medicines versus patent drugs... Issue of globalization a dark issue - we need to bring light to it. Governments and corporations - must think about what they are doing... If they are doing something bad, they are doing it to their own children.
	AmericasCanada.org: Final Declarations Third Summit of the Americas 2001
April 21, 2001 5:00pm EST Click Here to Play Running Time: 2m33s	Prime Minister Jean Chrétien presents his first statement to the international press from the Summit of the Americas on the Democratic Clause.
April 22, 2001 3:35pm Click Here to Play Running Time: 5m	Woodrow "Woody" Morrison Summit closes our (DBN) Summit coverage with his thoughts on what has been achieved and what has not. Concern re the focus on "connectivity" ... what this might mean is additional resources for: Corporations and already well connected institutions. Pacification through "educational" programs and media saturation. Accelerated resource extraction - will effectively stop the process of land claims on the part of indigenous peoples.
April 22, 2001 6:00pm Click Here to Play Running Time: 5m	Oscar Gonzalez and Kenneth Deer share their conclusions.

The great failure of the Summit:

Kenneth Deer, The Eastern Door

For friends and colleagues who do not have access to the Internet,
we hope you will invite them to sit with you and experience the magic of connectivity.

JOIN US FOR AN ONGOING DIALOGUE
HEMISPHERIC ALLIANCES:INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
AND
THE THIRD SUMMIT OF THE AMERICAS
BASED UPON OUR LIVE WEBCAST

Send EMail To:
Subject Line: Alliances
Your comments will be posted.

kevin burton (kevvek_AT_hotmail.com)
from vancouver wrote

Say Hi! to Natalie Drache for me, and I would also like a bit more info as to the location for the summit happening in vancouver, for I would like to sit in. Thank you and hope to hear from you.

Woody Morrison (haidaman@integrate.ca )
from Vancouver wrote

Does "connectivity" mean further repression, or assimilation of culture, for indigenous peoples?

Kenneth Deer (easterndoor@axess.com) from Kahnawake wrote

Does "connectivity" mean further repression, or assimilation of culture, for indigenous peoples? Yes, there's a danger. Connectivity could continue to assimilate indigenous people into the mainstream. That's why it's important that indigenous people carve out their own space within the new media to protect their identity, culture, languages...and to use modern technology to its own advantage.

Kenneth Deer (easterndoor@axess.com) from Kahanawake wrote

Q.When leaders discuss free trade in the Americas (especially Canada),where do indigenous land claims fit into this process? A. I don't think land claims are considered in the Free Trade process. We are very worried that any rights that we negotiate, with canada for instance, may be undermined by the conditions under which Canada joins the FTAA. An examples is NAFTA which states that all land must be available for purchase and development. The Zapatistas revolted on Jan. 1st 1994 because Mayan land is held in common which the Maya use to cultivate their crops. Under NAFTA that land may be privatized and purchased by multinationals to develop their own agricultural projects leaving indigenous peoples without their own land. In land claim processes, when large sections of lands are set aside for a particular indigenous nation, the use of that land may be restricted by clauses in NAFTA or FTAA. A very, very close study of the agreements must be made to really evaluate the impact.

Woody Morrison (haidaman@intergate.bc.ca) from Vancouver wrote

Woody: Carving our own niche could in itself be self-defeating in that we do not have the resources to be able to counter the repressive responses to our participation. Sol Maya: It is possible that the niche is already carved; they have taken it away from us and the only way to regain it is by regaining our spirituality by going back to our culture to conquer the evil of alcoholism, to let go of the pain of the past so we now walk around with invisible wounds that anyone can throw salt at us and hurt us again. Q.When leaders discuss free trade in the Americas (especially Canada),where do indigenous land claims fit into this process?

Woody Morrison (haidaman@intergate.bc.ca) from Vancouver wrote

Thank you for your reply. Q.Several leaders have mentioned there are many benefits from free trade, but we have also seen many problems - esp. concerning environment, political power and social inequality. Did the summit address any of these issues?

Kenneth Deer (easterndoor@axess.com) from Kahanawake wrote

Yes. If you look at the declaration of Quebec City which was released a few hours ago, there is considerable text devoted to social equality and environmental protection. This is quite a departure from the original Summit of the Americas in Miami (see www.canadasamerica.org). However, like anything else, it's just words. Now civil society, which this document is supposed to be responding to, will have to put pressure on the national governments to make sure that they look up to these promises in this document. In terms of the rights of indigenous peoples, the Quebec declaration fails to recognize indigenous peoples as peoples. It qualifies its use of the term "indigenous peoples" to not "be construed as having any implications as to the rights that attach to the term under international law and that the rights associated with the term "indigenous peoples..." This is a fundamental failure of the declaration to recognize indigenous peoples as equals.

Casa Nativa Tampa Allqo (tampallqo@peru.com) from Sicaya-Huancayo-Peru wrote

Somos una institucion la cual desea estar enterada de lo concerniente de nuestra problematica como indigenas, por lo tanto esperamos nos mantengan informados de los avances en relacion a los derechos humanos y libre determinacion de los pueblos indigenas. Esperando su pronta respuesta Carlos Merlo G. Director. Casa Nativa Tampa Allqo Calle Huancayo 896 Sicaya - Huancayo Peru

jose tolo guerra (ceremoniasindigenas@hotmail.com) from santiago de chile wrote

Favor de contactar ya que trabajamos en un proyecto de comunidad de minorias etnicas,nos gustaria participar activamente en estas cumbres, favor de indicarnos el camino... se despide hermanandonos en el sentimiento jose tolo guerra asesor de la corporacion nacional de desarrollo indigena de chile