Have you heard rumblings from up north of the border about Idle No More?  If you live on the northern Great Plains, perhaps you witnessed a Native drum circle protest at a local mall last year.  Or, perhaps you haven’t heard anything about it.  Long story short, First Nations groups are mounting an impressive series of protests and pushes for reform – loosely termed as the “Idle No More” movement.

Now – go visit BlogWest for a brief and very well-done overview of the movement by Kent Blansett.

The New Manifest Destiny: A Brief Political History of the Idle No More Movement,
by Kent Blansett

Even if you live nowhere near Canada, nowhere near an Indian reservation here in the U.S. or don’t even know a single person with indigenous heritage (I doubt that, though), these are issues with broad reach and impact.  Here, legacies of North America’s colonial past – unresolved and messy as ever – are playing out with contemporary struggles over the environment, economic development and prosperity, sovereignty, and identity.

Thanks Kent.

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