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This is what anti-Indigenous racism looks like: white backlash (& violence) towards Indigenous people — in this case Mi'kmaq — for asserting their established rights. For reporting on this, follow @APTNNews, for more context on anti-Indigeneity, thread: https://twitter.com/APTNNews/status/1317513627121889280
Anti-Indigeneity is world-wide, but has common themes: that Indigenous nations are unable to govern or manage land/wildlife, and that their sovereignty/treaty rights amount to “special rights” that should be taken away to be “equal” with everyone else. https://www.hcn.org/articles/indigenous-affairs-across-the-globe-how-anti-indigeneity-proliferates-around-the-west-and-the-world
That concept essentially weaponizes civil rights language, and often works because of how few non-Natives actually understand things like treaty rights and tribal sovereignty. That ignorance is exploited and combined with stereotypes & racism. https://www.hcn.org/issues/50.20/tribal-affairs-why-dont-anti-indian-groups-count-as-hate-groups
And of course there is also *systemic* anti-Indigenous racism, combined with above points. Here, @brittany_guyot shows how anti-Indigenous racism runs deep in the RCMP, particularly relevant to the conflict over Mi’kmaq rights. https://www.hcn.org/articles/indigenous-affairs-across-the-globe-how-anti-indigeneity-proliferates-around-the-west-and-the-world
It also appears as “conservation,” keeping Indigenous people out of ancestral lands. The myth that tribal nations are bad at governing connects with accusations of overfishing/overhunting when it’s actually non-Native commercial enterprises. By @Tahtone: https://www.hcn.org/articles/tribal-affairs-conservation-provides-a-cover-for-anti-indigenous-sentiments-stolen-land
Anti-Indigeneity spans the political spectrum and range of activist causes. Here, @KalenGoodluck & I on animal rights activists working to undermine the Makah Tribe’s right to whale hunt: https://www.hcn.org/articles/indigenous-affairs-across-the-globe-how-anti-indigeneity-proliferates-around-the-west-and-the-world
Another story on a similar note, on the online harassment and death threats made by animal activists when a teenager named Chris Apassingok (Yupik) caught a whale, by @julia_omalley: https://www.hcn.org/issues/49.12/tribal-affairs-a-teenage-whaler-pride-of-his-alaska-village-is-haunted-by-trolls
There's a lot more to be said, but I hope that's useful context for anyone unfamiliar about something that has been ongoing for a long, long time. For more on the Mi'kmaq rights story, follow: @TrinaRoache, @AngelaSterritt, @connie_walker & @CBCIndigenous https://twitter.com/TrinaRoache/status/1316394968903278592
