Expanding Internationalism - A Conference on ... - Mary Jane Jacob
Expanding Internationalism - A Conference on ... - Mary Jane Jacob
Expanding Internationalism - A Conference on ... - Mary Jane Jacob
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operating with devastating effect in their own territory, land over which<br />
they have been involved in a 40-year dispute with the local and federal<br />
government.<br />
"You d<strong>on</strong>'t feel," an interviewer from an Alberta magazine asked<br />
Lubic<strong>on</strong> Cree Chief Bernard Cmniayak, "that the viewer will get an insight<br />
into c<strong>on</strong>terrporary Indian culture through the historical references"<br />
"No," he replied. "There's a great difference between the past and<br />
the presently. What's happening now is that our people are slowly being<br />
killed, I think a lot of times our people would be better off if some<strong>on</strong>e<br />
came up to them and got rid of them instantly. Anything so we wouldn't be<br />
dying a slow death."<br />
"Is this really just a show for white people in the city" the<br />
interviewer asked.<br />
"That's right. And again it's glorified by the same people who are<br />
doing the damage to the Native people in our area. "<br />
In what way is the ec<strong>on</strong>omic power of the oil company associated with<br />
a noti<strong>on</strong> of culture as an ideal space in which the producti<strong>on</strong> of every<br />
people is given its place am<strong>on</strong>g the "masterpieces of world art" In what<br />
way is the Native American resistance associated with a noti<strong>on</strong> of culture<br />
as taking resp<strong>on</strong>sibility for the whole, with refusing the separati<strong>on</strong> of<br />
phenomena<br />
The title "The Spirit Sings," instead of being uplifting,<br />
suddenly becomes sinister, a sign that we are being duped.<br />
When it came to "Magiciens de la Terre," the organizers chose to<br />
ignore all the c<strong>on</strong>siderable body of work by Native Americans which both<br />
stands within the internati<strong>on</strong>al c<strong>on</strong>text of m<strong>on</strong>demism and deals with<br />
"spiritual values" in terms of the historical c<strong>on</strong>flict between Native<br />
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