“I am so proud to be indigenous.
I know we have an innate spiritual sense,
a great reverence for Mother Earth,
and this keeps us in the arms of our Creator.”
Aho Mitakuye Oyasin – we are all related!
~ Carmen Baraka Spirit Warrior – an Intentional Creativity Art Ancestor and Teacher
Today, October 11th 2021, is Indigenous Peoples’ Day. This holiday is being federally recognized and observed today for the first time in the United States and is an opportunity to acknowledge our Indigenous sisters and brothers and take action on their behalf – whether or not you are a US citizen. This is a call to pause and join the MUSEA Collective in focused-action towards a purpose that is at the heart of who we are and what we believe as a community.
If you are a US Citizen, we invite you to sign the Good Relations Pledge – a United States Citizens Acknowledgment of Indigenous Peoples’ Right to Freedom, Territory, and Self-Determination. This pledge was created in honor of Native American Community Elder, Carmen Baraka.
When you visit the Pledge Page, you will find a video from Shiloh Sophia where she talks about the pledge and why we are calling for your attention and action now.
In the words of Curator, Shiloh Sophia:
“Our Intentional Creativity Foundation 501(c)3 founders and leadership are committed to the work of decolonization, reparations, and continued actions of repair and healing that truly lead to good relations with Indigenous Peoples. We know this is likely step ZERO in the process, but Carmen believed that it was this step of healing that could begin further work.
This isn’t an “I am sorry” by itself, nor is it a full process of reparation. It is ONE thing you can do in the next few days to ACKNOWLEDGE that you get it. The genocidal behavior continues to this day, my Native Elders weep with anger and despair at the lack of awareness. They can’t believe it, what the majority of our history books and leaders preach about Native peoples is filled with intentional lies.
We invite you to sign the petition and stand with us in the spirit of healing. Then please share the petition with your own emails and posts. This only takes a few minutes, what if you took one hour in the next few days to FOCUS on being a part of healing? Will you?”
Ways you can share and get the word out:
1. If you are a non-US citizen, consider sharing the petition with your friends in the United States. Send them to this URL or text it to them, as this gets a lot of response: https://www.change.org/p/citizens-of-the-united-states-good-relations-pledge
2. Create a post to share the pledge on Social Media or prepare an email to your mailing list and share why this matters to you with a link to the pledge.
3. Share this video on Youtube with Shiloh Sophia introducing the Good Relations Pledge.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9Zu6tGNPdU&t=14s
Or you can share this video with Native American Elder and Intentional Creativity Art Ancestor, Carmen Baraka, speaking during the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in 2019.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KU0gqMPG6LM&t=20s
4. Share a longer post and letter from Curator, Shiloh Sophia on her Artist FB page and leave a comment letting us know you shared and stand with us on this very important topic.
https://www.facebook.com/Artist…/posts/4997392576941680
To learn more about Indigenous Peoples’ Day, you can read this article from BIONEERS: Stolen Land, Stolen Lives: Indigenous People and the Legacy of Colonialism.
https://bioneers.org/stolen-land-stolen-lives-indigenous…/
To learn more about Native America Elder Carmen Baraka, we invite you to visit her Exhibit Page linked in the image below.
with gratitude,
~ MUSEA Collective with Curator, Shiloh Sophia
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