{"id":3613,"date":"2021-10-08T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-10-08T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www-prod.greenpeace.org\/usa\/campaign-updates\/3613\/10-ways-to-be-ally-indigenous-peoples\/"},"modified":"2024-11-22T05:03:36","modified_gmt":"2024-11-22T05:03:36","slug":"10-ways-to-be-ally-indigenous-peoples","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/10-ways-to-be-ally-indigenous-peoples\/","title":{"rendered":"Honor With Action: 10 Ways to be an Ally to Indigenous Peoples"},"content":{"rendered":"

To be an ally to Indigenous Peoples, we must follow their lead, acknowledge the immense damage of capitalism, and work tirelessly to heal our planet.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thousands Rally in Support of Native Nation in Washington, D.C.
The marchers head down Pennsylvania Avenue with the U.S. Capitol in the background. Native Nations March. Native nations gather this week to stand up for indigenous rights. Thousands march from the Army Corps of Engineers to Lafayette Park, in front of the White House, where a rally is held.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the US, Indigenous Peoples\u2019 Day began as a counter-celebration to Columbus Day, and it has grown in both popularity and adoption in recent years. But the holiday is simply performative without year-round action by non-Indigenous settlers<\/b> to honor the critical role Indigenous Peoples play in protecting our climate, water, and lands\u2014both today and in the centuries prior to colonization. Being an ally to Indigenous Peoples requires a steadfast commitment to learning, unlearning, and demanding change.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is especially critical to uplift their voices. We know that climate change impacts fall disproportionately on Black, Latinx, Indigenous, Asian, and poor communities<\/a>. There is no climate justice without environmental justice<\/a><\/strong>\u2014and environmental justice requires that we respect the knowledge and wisdom of Indigenous Peoples.<\/p>\n

How non-Native people can work to be an active ally to Indigenous Peoples:<\/h2>\n

1. Learn about the people native to where you live and visit.<\/h3>\n

Beyond learning their names<\/a>, seek out their histories and who they are today. How did they live in harmony with the land? Which promises did the US government make\u2014and then break? Land acknowledgments in your meetings or introductions is merely a starting point. Make a plan to support Indigenous communities in your area by donating money to local Indigenous organizations, supporting their movements and campaigns, or committing to returning land. Being an ally to Indigenous Peoples means grappling with the fact that you live on stolen land.<\/p>\n

2. Remove harmful stereotypes and Indigenous erasure language<\/a> from your lexicon.<\/h3>\n

Pow-wow<\/i> is not a word to substitute for meetings. Spirit animal<\/i><\/a> is not your term to use. If you are not Indigenous, you are not a native Chicagoan<\/i>; you are a Chicago local<\/i> or born and raised Chicagoan<\/i>. He isn\u2019t the<\/i> low man on the totem pole<\/i>; he\u2019s the new hire<\/i>. These terms may seem harmless, but they are not. Language has power. Being an ally to Indigenous Peoples means showing Native people respect by changing your language.<\/p>\n

3. Educate yourself about the structural discrimination towards and intentional elimination of Native tribes<\/a>.<\/h3>\n

The violent acts of genocide towards Indigenous Peoples directly led to systemic health<\/a> and wealth disparities<\/a> that exist today. Though you didn\u2019t learn about it in school, North American colonial history includes the horrors of forced residential schooling and assimilation of Indigenous children\u2014and the widespread abuse and murder of Indigenous Peoples.<\/p>\n

As a starting point, Megan Tipler offers this collection of resources about residential schools.<\/p>\n

\n
\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

A post shared by Megan Tipler (@tiplerteaches)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n