by Taiaiake Alfred, Edited by Ann Rogers
Aveo Utp
9/12/2023, paperback
SKU: 9781487552831
Illuminating the First Nations struggles against the Canadian state, It's All about the Land exposes how racism underpins and shapes Indigenous-settler relationships. Renowned Kahnawà ke Mohawk activist and scholar Taiaiake Alfred explains how the Canadian government's reconciliation agenda is a new form of colonization that is guaranteed to fail.
Bringing together Alfred's speeches and interviews from over the past two decades, the book shows that Indigenous peoples across the world face a stark choice: reconnect with their authentic cultures and values or continue following a slow road to annihilation.
Rooted in ancestral spirit, knowledge, and law, It's All about the Land presents a passionate argument for Indigenous Resurgence as the pathway toward justice for Indigenous peoples.
With a foreword by Pamela Palmater.
Reviews:
"Taiaiake Alfred is a thought shifter who builds fires with his words. Anyone who cares about Indigenous issues and craves to be jolted into action should read this book - a real counternarrative to the status quo." -- Chelsey Luger, Lakota and Anishinaabe, author of The Seven Circles: Indigenous Teachings for Living Well
"Outstanding! Taiaiake Alfred provides critical elements of decolonization visioning in It's All about the Land, directly confronting the hegemonic power of the Canadian colonial paradigm. He frames this from an Indigenous perspective as the 'colonial problem, ' resulting in a radical shift in developing the authentic Indigenous strategic goals of reclaiming identity, cultural resurgence, and nation building - and at the center of all of that is land recovery." -- Sakej Ward, survival expert and Mi'kmaw warrior
"It's All about the Land takes mainstream (often, good faith) assumptions and beliefs about reconciliation as seen and processed through a colonial filter and turns them on their head. Insightful, informative, and deeply thoughtful, this collection of essays will have you thinking differently about decolonization and what reconciliation - as currently advocated by the government - really stands for, within the limiting framework of contemporary colonialism. Ultimately, it asks all of us to do and be more." -- Toula Drimonis, writer, columnist, and author of We, the Others: Allophones, Immigrants, and Belonging in Canada
About the Contributors:
Taiaiake Alfred is a Kahnawà ke Mohawk philosopher and political strategist with more than three decades of experience in First Nations governance, political activism, and cultural restoration. After twenty-five years as a university professor, he now works directly with Indigenous nations to help breathe life into their visions of self-determination. He has been awarded a Canada Research Chair, a National Aboriginal Achievement/Indspire Award, and the Native American Journalists Association award for best column writing. He is the author of three highly acclaimed books: Heeding the Voices of Our Ancestors: Kahnawake Mohawk Politics and the Rise of Native Nationalism; Peace, Power, Righteousness: An Indigenous Manifesto; and Wasáse: Indigenous Pathways of Action and Freedom.
Ann Rogers is a fourth-generation settler on Stz'uminus territory and the author of Secrecy and Power in the British State: A History of the Official Secrets Act.
Pamela Palmater is a Mi'kmaw professor of Indigenous governance at Toronto Metropolitan University and an Indigenous rights activist.