Liberare (Liberate)

I can only speak in the context of Treaty 6 Territory and the newiyawak consciousness. What is Liberation? To each being Liberation can mean many different things, but to myself it means to free ourselves from the grips of colonialism and the shackles of oppression. To return to the original newiyawak consciousness. One of the greatest ways to liberate yourself would be through learning and practicing traditional teachings and customs. Everyone is colonized to a degree, we must become aware to what is colonial and man-made in our mindset and lives. The first step to freedom is awareness, you must first realize there is a problem before you can fix it. People fail to notice and become aware to what is colonial at its core because they themselves do not have a solid grasp of their identity. An identity is your foundation, and a foundation based on the cultural and traditional consciousness of their nation and lands is immovable when challenged by the cancerous colonial mindset. There are newiyawak who are aware of the colonial mindset and oppressive tactics, because those people have a strong foundation/identity, a strong understanding of their history as a nation, territory and culture. It is these people who are leading the way in Liberation. The goal of the liberator is to carry the light of truth, to shine brightly upon the darkness we have created in our own lives. People often wonder “what is wrong with the colonial mindset?”. It is the values that exist within the colonial mindset at its core. Many are based on individualism and the illusion of control, there are many contradictions within that mindset compared to the land-based knowledge and values of newiyawak people. The question is, how do you spot the colonial mindset?. You must first understand yourself, your identity, your foundation before you can understand what is colonial. The colonial mindset is a man-made belief system based on an individual’s ideology, but the newiyawak consciousness is based on the land practices and teachings of the Nation. Long ago the newiyawak people learned everything from the land, how to survive, how to do ceremony, it was all given to us from the land. This is why they are land-based practices and knowledge. For example if you look at the parliamentary system of the colonial government of Canada, that in itself is colonial at its core, based on the fact man made that system, man designed the parliamentary system. The systems used by the newiyawak people were given to them to use by the land, by nature. The woman is considered the final decision maker, based on the fact she holds power over life and death of the Nation. The woman was given the gift of life giving by the Creator. With no women there would be no man. You can observe this in all of living nature. This is why it is vital to understand who you are, to understand who you are you must know where you come from. I come from the land. The knowledge I shared with you comes from the land, that is our teacher.