Indian Consolate Vancouver

Wixaritari form alliances in northwest to halt mining on sacred land in Mexico

The Wixaritari of Mexico gained support from the Frank's Landing Indian Community in Washington State and a tour of the northwest, in their struggle to halt a Canadian mining company from destroying their sacred mountains.

The Frank's Landing Indian Community, located in Washington State near the Nisqually River, formed an alliance with Wixaritari, also known as Huicholes, in solidarity with their struggle to retain and exercise Indigenous sovereignty. “This was an Indian community to Indian community effort. It was Indian to Indian, with great results,” the Frank's Landing Indian Community said.

“Canada's companies are the largest extractors of mineral wealth on the planet. The devastation on Indigenous lands and peoples requires a strong alliance focusing on their role.”

Frank's Landing Indian Community organized a delegation of Wixaritari from Mexico to Washington State and Canada for the month of May, at their request. The purpose was to confront the global headquarters of the Real Majestic Silver Mining Company’s annual share holders meeting held in Vancouver BC.

During this time, the Wixaritari took their struggle to the governments of Mexican and Canada, pressing the issues of the North American Free Trade Agreement, environmental destruction and the protection of sacred places.

“Their sacred site -- where the sun was born and the annual prayers for the earth are conducted -- is paramount to the Wixaritari. The siphoning off of the water by the mining company is crucial to the valleys, where 90 percent of their sacred medicine Hikuri comes from,” Frank's Landing Community said.

During the tour, Wixaritari met with Native American leaders and councils to build solidarity, provide education and explore options. The delegates and talking sticks were received according to tribal protocols, with permission to speak in the territories of Coast Salish lands.

Wixaritari and northwest Indian leaders conducted three protest marches in Seattle and Vancouver, at Majestic World Headquarters, the Canadian Consulate and the Mexican Consulate.

“Wixaritari delegate Jesus Lara Chivarra was taken to northern Saskatchewan where he was adopted, given a name and presented with a pipe made for the occasion with a butterfly noting the transformation of alliance between the north and south,” Frank's Landing Indian Community said.

During the Wixaritari tour, two conferences were held in Vancouver, composed of several Indian Nations and anti-mining alliances. There was also a press conference with the Union of BC Chiefs and national television interviews, including a special with the ATPN Aboriginal Peoples Television Network.

Indian Summer festival during SFU Woodward's boasts different ...

- Indian Summer, an general festival of Indian humanities and ideas, Jul 7-17 during SFU Woodward’s. Box office: 604-873-3311. To perspective a full schedule, revisit indiansummerfestival.ca.

ANOSH Irani couldn’t trust what he was hearing.

In Toronto, Ont., recently for auditions for his play My Granny a Goldfish, as good as to take in a International Indian Film Academy Awards, a North Vancouver writer’s cab motorist astounded him with his believe of Indian cinema.

“The cab motorist was Nigerian and we were articulate and he seemed to know all a Bollywood stars – a aged timers as well,” says Irani. “Apparently in Nigeria, they used to watch a lot of Indian films. . . . It’s unequivocally engaging to see how these cinema have trafficked all over a world.”

With 2011 admitted a Year of India in Canada, a accumulation of events dictated to applaud India’s informative richness, that is stability to make waves internationally, are being presented opposite a country. Vancouver is among a cities personification horde and Indian Summer, a 10-day general festival of Indian humanities and ideas formed during SFU Woodward’s, kicked off yesterday.

“We are a vital celebrations here in Vancouver and we are operative in partnership with a Consulate General of India (Vancouver),” says artistic executive Sirish Rao. An instructor during Simon Fraser University, Rao has a credentials in edition and is a author of 20 books.

Both Consul General Ashok Das and Shashishekhar Gavai, High Commissioner for India, Ottawa, were in assemblage during yesterday’s opening gala, that was co-hosted by Das.

The initial festival boasts a different choice of music, film, literary, dance, food, and yoga and ayurveda events. Irani is among a featured authors, set to seem twice: Jul 14 with Hari Kunzru during 6 p.m. during SFU Woodward’s; and Jul 16 during 4 p.m. during Defining Diaspora during SFU Woodward’s.

Indian Summer is a brainchild of Rao and his mother Laura Byspalko, a festival’s handling director, by a Vancouver-based non-profit Indian Summer Arts Society. Byspalko, an Ontario native, and Rao, innate in Bangalore, separate their time between Vancouver, and Mysore, India.

“We unequivocally wanted to boost a informative trade and share any other’s enlightenment with multitude during large,” says Rao.

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