Masked Avengers©Linda Dawn Hammond 2001

The Quebec Summit... It Was a Gas, Then a Disappearing Act.

Report: Linda Dawn Hammond
The People's Summit (Photos of other speakers to come...)

9:30am -12:30pm Saturday, April 21, 2001

THE BIG TOP

WHERE WAS Raphaël???

The night before, Friday, April 20th at around 11:30 pm, I was in the CMAQ (Indy media) press office with Raphaël Thierrin, the International Secretary of the Green Party of Canada, writing a joint report to the Greens. He disappeared that night, leaving all of his personal belongings such as camera, clothing and papers in the CMAQ office. As he had planned to stay at my place that night, when he didn't return I suspected that he'd been caught in a police sweep. I waited until 4:30 am, then headed home after informing the CMAQ people of his possible arrest.

Sat., April 21th, 8:30 am. I phoned the legal collective office to inquire after Raphaël's suspected arrest. I had no trouble getting through to the number. I was told that no calls had yet arrived from those arrested on Friday after midnight. They told me that they expected this to begin at 10am and to call back later.

At 9:30 am I went to hear and photograph the scheduled guest speakers at the People's Summit, in what I now refer to as the Big Top!


José Bové©Linda Dawn Hammond 2001


José Bové©Linda Dawn Hammond 2001

Brief Background on Bove


Jean-Claude Amara©Linda Dawn Hammond 2001
Jean-Claude Amara, de l'association Droits Devants, France
In many people's opinion, the most dynamic and impassioned speaker at the People's Summit!

 

Native elder Eleanor Tecumseh Sioui, who opened the event, was recently named Companion of the Order of Canada, in March of 2001. Eleanor Tecumseh Sioui's middle name reveals a shared ancestry with the famed Native warrior and Chief, TECUMSEH, and so it was absolutely fitting that she should open this alternative Summit meeting, considering that the rights and land claims of indigenous peoples throughout the Americas are threatened by the proposed expansion of the Free Trade agreement. Her ancestor Tecumseh had pursued a vision of uniting 50,000 Indians from all Nations, in order to protect their ancestral homes and way of life. He was later instrumental in saving Canada from American invaders during the War of 1812. According to some historic accounts, grievances which led to the War of 1812 had been brewing since the end of the American Revolution. The US had been angered by the failure of the British to relinquish territory along the Great Lakes, their backing of the Indians on America's frontiers and (!) their unwillingness to sign commercial agreements favourable to the United States. We can only hope that with a change of government, history will repeat itself!


Eleanor Tecumseh Sioui©Linda Dawn Hammond 2001

Chief Tecumseh was born a member of the Shawnee tribe (Ohio region) in 1768. In May 1808, he and his brother, Shawnee Prophet, left for Illinois' Wabash River Valley and founded Prophet's Town. It was located on the site of a former Native trading post, Keth-tip-pe-can-nunk, or Tippecanoe, which had been destroyed in 1791 to make room for European settlers. The village, Prophet's Town, become the capitol of a great Native confederacy, intended to unite all the tribes against western settlers who were encroaching upon their ancestral lands. Prophet's Town was a center of diplomacy and also a training center for over a thousand warriors. Its success brought it to the attention of the US government which, 3 years later under the order of General Harrison, sent in an army in Tecumseh's absence. By the time Tecumseh returned from his recruitment drive, the tribes had disbanded and his confederacy lay in ruins. Rather than rebuild, he and his remaining followers aligned themselves with the British and successfully fought off the Americans in the War of 1812. Tecumseh was made brigadier general and died on October 5, 1813, in the Battle of the Thames at Chatham, Ontario.

NOTE: 50,000 Indians from all Nations will gather in Southern Illinois Oct.11- 14, 2001 for a common goal... to fufill Tecumseh's dream of a Native alliance of all tribes. INFO: Tecumseh's Dream

TECUMSEH allegedly placed an interesting curse of Death on General Harrison, which he extended to include every President elected in a year with a "0" in it. Harrison died one month after his election, followed by Lincoln (1860), Garfield (1880), McKinley (1900), Harding (1920), F.D. Roosevelt (1940), and Kennedy (1960), who all died in office. Ronald Reagan broke Tecumseh's curse when he was shot but survived, although it could be disputed that he also died, albeit intellectually, while still in office. Now, how many 0's are there in 2001?

There were many wonderful speakers in the Big Tent. Powerful orators, also with shared visions of unity and dreams of protecting our environment and establishing human values. They communicated messages far beyond those of greed and domination, which were emanating from behind the Closed Summit doors. The words and visions of Tecumseh resounded throughout the People's tent that morning, and so it is right that they should be remembered now.

WORDS OF TECUMSEH

"The way, the only way to stop this evil is for the red man to unite in claiming a common and equal right in the land, as it was first, and should be now, for it was never divided. We gave them forest-clad mountains and valleys full of game, and in return what did they give our warriors and our women? Rum, trinkets and a grave. Brothers-- My people wish for peace; the red men all wish for peace; but where the white people are, there is no peace for them, except it be on the bosom of our mother. Where today are the Peoquot? Where today are the Narrangansett,the Mohican, the Pakanoket, and many other once powerful tribes of our people? They have vanished before the avarice and the oppression of the White Man, as snow before a summer sun."

"So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart. Trouble no one about their religion; respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours. Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life. Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people. Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide. Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, even a stranger, when in a lonely place. Show respect to all people and grovel to none. When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself. Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools and robs the spirit of its vision. When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song and die like a hero going home."

Chief Tecumseh, Shawnee Nation, quoted in Lee Sulzman, "Shawnee History"


Jean-Claude Amara©Linda Dawn Hammond 2001


Art Manuel©Linda Dawn Hammond 2001


Blanca Chancoso©Linda Dawn Hammond 2001


Art Manuel(l.)&Nicole Turmel(r.)©Linda Dawn Hammond 2001


Blanca Chancoso(l.)&Maude Barlow(r.)©Linda Dawn Hammond 2001


(L-R) Maude Barlow, José Bové and Tony Clarke
©Linda Dawn Hammond 2001


After the BIG TOP,
A PARADE!


Masked Avengers©Linda Dawn Hammond 2001


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