#Indigenous voices matter

[harmonyhealinghub]

The Power of Accurate Representation: Advocating for Indigenous People in the Media

Shaina Tranquilino

October 7, 2023

In a world that thrives on media and entertainment, accurate representation is crucial for fostering understanding, breaking stereotypes, and promoting equality. Unfortunately, Indigenous people have historically been misrepresented or underrepresented in the media. However, as society evolves and becomes more inclusive, it is time to turn the spotlight onto their rich cultures, histories, and contemporary issues. In this blog post, we will explore how Indigenous people are currently portrayed in the media and discuss effective strategies to advocate for accurate representation.

1. Understanding the Current Misrepresentation:

Indigenous communities often face harmful stereotypes perpetuated by mainstream media. They are frequently depicted as primitive, exoticized caricatures or reduced to historical figures rather than acknowledging their vibrant existence today. This misrepresentation not only reinforces negative biases but also erases their contributions to society.

2. Amplifying Authentic Voices:

The first step towards accurate representation lies in amplifying authentic Indigenous voices within the media industry. By diversifying decision-making roles and leadership positions in film production companies, newsrooms, and advertising agencies, we can ensure that stories are told from an insider's perspective with cultural sensitivity.

3. Collaborative Storytelling:

Collaboration between Indigenous communities and media professionals is key to portraying accurate narratives. Encouraging partnerships and co-production models allows for shared ownership of stories while respecting cultural protocols and ensuring accuracy.

4. Challenge Stereotypes:

Advocacy begins by challenging stereotypes head-on through public discourse and education initiatives. Engage with social media campaigns calling out harmful portrayals while highlighting positive examples of authentic representation. Grassroots movements like #NotYourMascot challenge appropriation in sports imagery.

5. Support Independent Indigenous Media:

Independent platforms dedicated to showcasing diverse Indigenous voices exist around the world; supporting them financially and sharing their content helps break down barriers imposed by mainstream media gatekeepers.

6. Advocacy Through Education:

Promoting accurate representation requires educating both media professionals and the general public. Encourage media literacy programs that teach critical thinking skills to analyze stereotypes, biases, and the importance of authentic representation.

7. Cultural Competency Training:

Media organizations should prioritize cultural competency training for their employees to foster a deeper understanding of Indigenous cultures, histories, and contemporary issues. This will lead to more informed storytelling and prevent harmful misrepresentations.

The media has an immense influence on society's perception of Indigenous people. By advocating for accurate representation through collaboration, challenging stereotypes, supporting independent platforms, promoting education, and implementing cultural competency training, we can ensure that Indigenous communities are portrayed in a respectful and authentic manner. It is our collective responsibility to advocate for accurate representation in the media to create a world where diverse voices are celebrated and embraced.

[bossymarmalade]

CBC video: Stolen Children | Residential School Survivors Speak Out

Since their first arrival in the “new world” of North America, a number of religious entities began the project of converting Indigenous Peoples to Christianity. This undertaking grew in structure and purpose, especially between 1831 and 1969, when the governing officials of early Canada joined with Roman Catholic, Anglican, Methodist, United, and Presbyterian churches to create and operate the residential school system. The last federally-run residential school, Gordon Indian residential School in Saskatchewan, closed in 1996. One common objective defined this period: the aggressive assimilation of Aboriginal peoples.

[ legacy of hope ]

[violottie]

And she spoke FACTS! Because its so clear what this is all about. if you "cant see it" you're refusing to look.

from Wear The Peace, 14/Mar/2024:

[runalongprincevaliant]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Fernando DeVeras (@fernando.deveras)

[mannyblacque]

Reservation Dogs S3 E10 "Dig"

[walterdoodles]

Today is Red dress day. Remember and Honour all of the Native Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two spirits that have gone missing and have been murdered. Most of these cases are never heard in the public and they are sadly forgotten. Today I want to spread awareness for all Indigenous people, I want to share my culture and help others understand the importance of sharing stories from these victims.

I will be donating as well on this day to several sites that support native women and girls. And also a few sites that want to protect ICWA. I suggest you do the same but if you are not financially able to then spread awareness respectfully.🧡🧡

(I’m doing Donation commission 50% of the profits go to NICWA! this post-> https://www.tumblr.com/walterdoodles/719214714265255936/im-opening-up-some-donation-commissions-if-you )

No more stolen sisters

[reflectionsofgalaxies]

god, grief hits you at the weirdest fucking times

[thepeopleinpower]

(source) (link)

Well…it’s a step in the right direction.

[nando161mando]

Aboriginal elder and advocates fear lack of information about the Voice to Parliament

A Noongar Elder is urging Australians to learn more about the proposed Indigenous Voice to Parliament, as he fears a lack of understanding may sink the looming referendum.

The growing concern is shared by others, on both sides of the Voice debate, including advocates, and Former Australian of the year, Fiona Stanley.

[55555-555-5]

Participant in the DTES Women’s Memorial March

“NO JUSTICE NO PEACE”

The RCMP is a GANG funded by the government

Demand systemic change.

[beemovieerotica]

struggling with how to word this, but putting it out there anyway:

i can fully understand the posts on here from a lot of americans being tired of "vote blue no matter who" posts when the #1 thing that people are constantly (and sometimes only?) addressing is how the republican party is going treat trans/queer people if elected.

it's part of an unfortunate pattern of prioritizing the effects on a demographic that includes white + upper class people, when people of color and those in the global south are actively and currently being killed or relegated to circumstances in which their survival is very unlikely

it is genuinely exhausting to witness this, and i was also on the fence about even participating in voting because i a) felt like it didn't matter and b) every time i voiced being frustrated with the current state of the country, white queer people would immediately step in with "but what about trans people!" -> (i am mixed race trans man)

and i say this with unending patience toward people who do this, because i know that it's not something they actively think about. but everyone already knows how the republican party is going to treat queer people. you are probably talking to another queer person when you bring up project 2025. the issue is that, for those of us who aren't white, or for those of us who are but who are conscious of ongoing struggles for people of color worldwide, the safety of people around the world feels more urgent than our own. that is the calculation that's being made.

you're not going to win votes for the democratic party by dismissing or minimizing these realities and by continually centering (white) queer people.

very few people on here and twitter are actually talking about issues beyond queer rights that concern people of color, or how the two administrations differ on these issues instead of constantly circling back to single-issue politics. this isn't an exhaustive list. but these are the issues that have actually altered my perspective and motivated me to the point of committing to casting a vote

the biden administration has been engaged in a years-long fight to allow new applicants to DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, the program that allows undocumented individuals who arrived as children to remain in the country) after the Trump administration attempted to terminate it. the program is in limbo currently because of the actions of Trump-backed judges, with those who applied before the ruling being allowed to stay, but no new applications are being processed. Trump has repeatedly toyed with the idea of just deporting the 1.8 million people, but he continues to change his mind depending on whatever the fuck goes on in his head. he cannot be relied on to be sympathetic toward people of hispanic descent or to guarantee that DREAMers will be allowed stay in the country. biden + a democratic controlled congress will allow legal challenges to the DACA moratorium to gain ground.

the biden administration is open to returning and protecting portions of culturally important indigenous land in a way that the trump administration absolutely does not give a fuck. as of may 2024, they have established seven national monuments with plans to expand the San Gabriel Monument where the Gabrielino, Kizh / Tongva, the Chumash, Kitanemuk, Serrano, and Tataviam reside. the Berryessa Snow Mountain is also on the list, as a sacred region to the Patwin.

i'm recognizing that the US's plans for clean energy have often come into conflict with tribal sovereignty, and the biden administration could absolutely do better in navigating this. but the unfortunate dichotomy is that there would be zero commitment or investment in clean energy under a trump-led government, which poses an astounding existential threat and destabilizing force to the global south beyond any human-to-human conflict. climate change has caused and will continue to cause resource shortages, greater natural disasters, and near-lethal living conditions for those in the tropics - and the actions of the highest energy consumers (US) are to blame. biden has funneled billions of dollars into climate change mitigation and clean energy generation - trump does not believe that any of it matters.

i may circle back to this and add more as it comes up, but i'm hoping that those who are skeptical / discouraged / tired of the white queer-centric discourse on tumblr and twitter can at least process some of this. please feel free to add more articles + points but i'm asking for the sake of this post to please focus on issues that affect people of color.

[lukah-o]

SAVE ICWA (Indian Child Welfare Act)

Monday, April 3rd

Call or email your local news or anyone with a large enough platform!!! Native American/Indigenous voices NEED to be HEARD!!!

This could be the next possible genocide of indigenous and Native American people.

PLEASE share across other platforms. This needs attention!!

[mannyblacque]

Glad to see Reservation Dogs getting the recognition it deserves.

via TV Guide

[fandom]

Things We Care About

Well, Tumblr, 2022 was another big year for speaking up and supporting each other. In the past year, you took action, turned art into activism, and made your voices heard, often in support of others. We’ve analyzed your top tags and posts to determine what mattered to you in the last year.

When Ukraine was invaded, you showed your support. You continue to #stand with Ukraine, create for Ukraine, and honor Ukrainian artists caught in the crossfires.

Throughout the year, you shared many messages of body positivity and encouragement, held 5,879,971 private exchanges with @kokobot (yes, you and kokobot rlly r bestiez), and sent an inconceivable amount of anonymous, personalized messages of reassurance to each other.

You celebrated Pride with plenty of wholesome artistic offerings and showed solidarity with your peers all over the world. You stood up against the Don’t Say Gay bill in Florida and informed each other on how to vote against trans-exclusionary policies across America. When Rebel Wilson and Kit Conner were both pressured into coming out, you supported them, commiserated with them, and came to the defense of anyone who's ever been pressured to do so.

When Mahsa Amini was killed, you spoke out and posted in support of protests in Iran, learning about and spreading awareness of what women, girls, and protestors endure in the name of tradition in Iran. 

When Roe v. Wade was overturned, you shared countless resources for those affected by reproductive rights infringement in the US, again turning to art as a means to share stories and ignite action. You commemorated the victims of the Uvalde shooting, saying enough is enough when it comes to gun-related violence in America. You turned your rage into art that inspires and nudged others to make their voices heard at the US polls. 

You reminded users that the “civil rights movement isn’t as “ancient” as we’re taught in class,” that Black lives still matter, and always will matter. You celebrated Black Joy and Black Excellence, illuminating stories of resilience in the face of racial injustice. 

You celebrated your Indigenous culture and took a stand for the preservation of Indigenous lands.

You continued to be planet-conscious by sharing ideas, resources, and knowledge of mending and making, and celebrated conservation efforts along the way. 

And finally, under the continued stresses of COVID, you looked to the future with resilience, turning pain and uncertainty into hope and connection.

And that’s definitely something to be proud of. What will you stand for in 2023?

[spaghettificationandpretzels]

Aussie Update

Hello dear friends,

For those of you who don't know, Australia had a historic referendum today for "The Voice to Parliament." This referendum was needed to change the Australian constitution so that an advisory body could give the federal government their opinion on matters affecting Indigenous Australians.

For the voice to pass, we need 51% of the country and 4 out of six states, and it's important to know that most referendums fail. The counting started at 6:00PM in every state, with one to go due to daylight savings. However, it has already failed.

This is not the outcome I wanted, but it is the outcome I expected. This referendum failure points to what POC have always known, we have a problem with racism in this country. We also have a huge problem with apathy and ignorance, the main slogan of the no side was "If you don't know, vote no," and people didn't take the time to educate themselves. I had many conversations with people who had no idea about The Voice or what it meant and all their fears were unfounded because of the missinfo campaign.

This didn't happen in a vacuum, the cost of living is insane, rent is unaffordable, and investors are buying up all our houses. This horrible outcome is just another log in a pile that disproportionately affects Indigenous Australians.

All we can do now is acknowledge the hard work and efforts of the Yes campaigners and thank them for what they did for the country. Hug your friends, give some a call if you think they're having a hard time.

13yarn 13 92 76 the Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander crisis support line.

13 11 14 lifeline.

These services may be very busy right now but there are people who are there for you. If someone is at immediate risk, please call 000.

[dreamgirledward]

literally begging all the annoying people in my notes going "what stereotypes 🤔" "what's racist about avatar🤔🤨" to 1. read 👁 the above quote and 2. google ✍️ "white saviour complex", "noble savage trope" and "mystical indian trope" and to please for the love of fucking god use some critical thinking skills. indigenous people are not the only negative statistic you know about them [that's directly correlated with colonialism and targeted genocide], and indigenous people are NOT just one giant amalgamation of every single stereotype or assumption you have of them!!!! there are over FIFTY indigenous nations within canada (where i live) alone. there are indigenous peoples on EVERY SINGLE CONTINENT that human beings have lived on. that's a LOT of ethnically diverse people!!! which means they probably don't all have the EXACT same customs, traditions, histories, or languages!!!! THIS is why it's so harmful to lump them all together and mysticize them. it's hard to think of one specific example to prove avatar's racism because the premise ALONE is racist. representing 'indigenous people' (or what cameron thinks indigenous people are like) as a fictional race of blue aliens who are distinct from HUMAN BEINGS literally dehumanizes them and further perpetrates the longstanding notion that indigenous people are 'savage-like', spiritual, mystical beings that are difficult to understand and removed from the rest of 'humanity'.

and it's important to note that i am NOT indigenous. im also not an expert, and don't claim to know everything. im simply a woman of colour that's listened to my local indigenous communities' frustrations and tried very hard to do my own research, but dont worry, you can do it too :) it's not that hard :)

in case anyone was wondering: yes, avatar is racist and anti-indigenous. no, you shouldn't go see it if you care at all about these issues :)