Indigenous Sovereignty Week: October 25th to November 1st

Toronto: Forums, art, performances and discussions supporting and celebrating the Indigenous struggle for land and sovereignty on Turtle Island

Full Schedule Follows

Children welcome at all events! Childcare also provided!

To check the website regularly for updates, click here

ISW TORONTO is seeking contributions to the fundraising drive: to provide speakers travel costs, serve a free traditional feast, book space to hold events, support people with TTC tokens to improve accessibility to events, etc!

Please send cheques payable to Calatyst Centre (earmarked for Indigenous Sovereignty Week) and send to:
Barbara Barker
106 Geoffrey St.
Toronto, ON
M6R 1P3
or send money online at Paypal (using VISA or MASTERCARD or AMEX)

*Please help us meet the fundraising goals to pull off this event! Please specify the money for ISW TORONTO when "reviewing" your donation towards the end [in the box: "add special instructions to seller"]:

Full Schedule:

SUNDAY OCTOBER 25TH
Prequel - Colonialism 101: Dear Harper, A Primer on Canadian Colonialism
Time: 3pm – 6pm
Place: Rogers Communication Centre 204, on the northeast corner of Church and Gould

• RUSSELL DIABO, Mohawk from Kahnawake First Nation

• LEE MARACLE, Stó:lō Nation

MONDAY OCTOBER 26TH
Opening ceremonies
Time: Evening, Exact time TBA – Check ISW website
Place: TBA

• Elder’s Welcome, Joanne Kakekayash, Pottawatami Nation

• Men's Big Drum Circle
• Keynote Speaker: ARTHUR MANUEL, Neskonlith Indian Band of the Secwepemc Nation - "On Renewing Indigenous Resistance"

TUESDAY OCTOBER 27TH
Redefining Restorative Justice
Redefining Restorative Justice will focus on Indigenous Peoples and the law. Panellists include Indigenous and non-Indigenous speakers with first-hand experience of the legal and criminal justice system, including activists, legal service providers and front-line social service providers.

People in attendance can expect to participate in a talking-circle and learn about Indigenous legal traditions, colonial history, and the contemporary challenges of the legacy of colonialism. Discussions will end with an exploration of the potential in the concept of restorative justice, and the possibilities for societal renewal through solidarity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities.

Time: 5:30-7:30pm
Place: The Law Society of Upper Canada, Osgoode Hall, 130 Queen Street West (map)

Speakers:

• HON. JUSTICE REBECCA SHAMAI, Gladue Court Judge at Old City Hall
• MICHAEL GLADUE, Papaschase Cree First Nation
• DAWNIS KENNDY, Rousseau River First Nation
• SARAH DOVER, Brantford Lawyer & SKYLER WILLIAMS, Six Nations of Grand River (Mohawk, Wolf)
• WANDA WHITEBIRD, Mi'kmaq Nation, Bear Clan, Afton Nova Scotia, Ontario Aboriginal HIV Aids strategy of Ontario, also works with incarcerated Aboriginal women

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 28TH
Struggles for land, Stories of community

This panel attempts to highlight community stories of struggle against dispossession and loss of land and culture. Government policies have long pushed Indigenous peoples to the margins of Canadian society in reservations and urban ghettos. However, Indigenous peoples have long histories of organizing to resist the loss of culture, land and livelihood both on the land and in the city. This occurs in both the fight to maintain traditional territories and the fight against homelessness. In presenting stories of community organizing, we want to recognize the work of Indigenous peoples in various places and the relationships between them.

Time: 7pm – 9pm
Venue: Ryerson University, Lib 72, 350 Victoria Street, north of Gould (map)

Speakers:

• MARYLYNN POUCACHICHE, Algonquins of Barriere Lake
• VICKI MONAGUE, Beausoleil First Nation, Site 41 Struggle
• HARVEY MANNING, Na-Me-Res (Native Men’s Residence, Toronto)
• TAHANEE JADE KAHSENNIYO WILSON – Y.O.U. (Young. Onkwehowe. United.) from the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory
• Plus: SLAM POETRY by Y.O.U. member…

THURSDAY OCTOBER 29TH
In Our Language- Haudenosaunee Storytelling

TIME: 7-9pm
VENUE: First Nations House, University of Toronto, Borden Building North
563 Spadina Avenue, 3rd floor (map)

• GRAFTON ANTONE, Oneida First Nation
• DAWN ANTONE, Oneida First Nation

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30TH
Indigenous Toronto: Stories of Resistance

Toronto is home to a large urban Indigenous community, with close relations to neighbouring Haudenosaunee and Nishnaabe communities, hosting indigenous representation from communities across Turtle Island. Toronto also has a long history of creative Indigenous organizing, resistance, and cultural expression. We'll hear from activists who led some of these struggles over the last few decades, including the occupation of Revenue Canada office called "Revenue Rez", the Native Peoples’ History Project and the Great Indian Bus Tour, and various other groundswell initiatives made by Indigenous organizers.*

TIME: 7pm – 9pm
VENUE:* *Ryerson University, Engineering Building, ENG 103, 245 Church
Street (map)

• SHAWN BRANT, Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory
• HEATHER HOWARD-BOBIWASH, Research Faculty Assistant Professor, Centre for Aboriginal, Initiatives, University of Toronto
• Other speakers to be confirmed soon, check website regularly for updates…

SATURDAY OCTOBER 31ST
The Great Indian Bus Tour of Toronto: The Trick or Treaty Edition!

Get on the bus! A real tour of the Indigenous history of Toronto!

HOSTED BY: THE TORONTO NATIVE HISTORY PROJECT

The Toronto Native History Project at The Native Canadian Centre in partnership with Indigenous Solidarity Week is proud to present:

1:00pm to 4:00pm (Arrive 10 minutes early to get seated)

Embrace past ghosts and ancestors while re-imagining Toronto as the original Gathering Place!

Play SPOOKY bus BINGO and win some tasty treats!

The Bus tour will depart from and return to The Native Canadian Centre (NCC) on Saturday Oct. 31 located at 16 Spadina ROAD.

Seating must be reserved and paid in advance by contacting Tannis Nielson at the NCC 416-964-9087 ext. 326. We recommend booking and paying for your seat early to guarantee your spot. Payment must be made to Tannis no later than Thursday Oct. 29th

Ticket cost is based on a sliding scale

Adults: $15-$25

Youth and Elders: $5-$15

Cash payment only

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 1st
Building the Circle Stronger- Traditional feast, Sharing Circle and Next Steps Meeting

Reflect on your experiences of the week. Meet and talk with other participants, share a free meal, and bring your visions for how we can continue to build relationships and fight together for Indigenous Sovereignty on Turtle Island.

Time: 12pm – 4pm
Venue TBA at events throughout the week.

Closing Circle facilitated by REBEKA TABOBONDUNG & ZAINAB AMADAHY

This event has been endorsed by:

• Native Students Association, University of Toronto (NSA)
• Ontario Public Interest Research Group, University of Toronto (OPIRG)
• Indigenous Education Network (IEN), OISE
• Native Canadian Centre of Toronto (NCCT)
• Aboriginal Rights Working Group, Bathurst United - Trinity-St. Paul's United
• Graduate Geography and Planning Students Society (GGAPSS), University of Toronto
• No One Is Illegal (NOII) – Toronto
• CUPE 3903 First Nations Solidarity Working Group (CUPE 3909 FNSWG)
• Coalition Against Israeli Aparthied (CAIA)
• Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP)
• NaMeRes Toronto

Email iswtoronto@gmail.com for more information or to volunteer during the week…