Nations, National Minorities and Genocide

["Craven, Jim" <jcraven@xxxxxxxxx>]

By any test, basic international law or the writings of Lenin et al on the
national question, Blackfoot have constituted and still constitute a nation
despite a long history of genocidal attempts to wipe out not only a
Blackfoot nation, as a nation, but to wipe out Blackfoot individuals as
individuals conscious of their "Blackfootness" (Wipe out a sovereign nation
that is a party to a treaty and/or any descendants of the nation that was a
party to a treaty and you wipe out the treaty--and any associated
obligations under it--itself. Blackfoot, to this day, occupy common
territory (even contiguous lands but far less than what was once recognized
as Blackfoot even by those intent on exterminating Blackfoot), still have a
common language and culture, still have a common economic life, still have
common traditional institutions of governance (although not recognized by
those intent on exterminating Blackfoot), have a common history etc.

But in many cases, and increasingly with Blackfoot and a large and
increasing Blackfoot Diaspora, many Indian Nations were dispersed from
traditional lands, languages and cultures destroyed, populations decimated,
traditional economies destroyed and/or harnessed/dominated by capitalism etc
such that anything that remains of Indian nations, and the defining elements
that made/certified them as nations are dispersed remnants. Nevertheless,
many Indian nations, or the remnants of what were nations, still demand the
right to national recognition, independence, sovereignty and
self-determination. Problem: if we mechanically apply some of the
definitions and tests of what is or isn't a nation, and if we say that
certain Indigenous Peoples are no longer viable nations or indeed "nations"
at all, then the call for assimilation (sometimes even the call for unity
with non-Indigenous workers and oppressed strata/elements can have the
effect of a call for assimilation) or the refusal to support national
self-determination of certain oppressed Indigenous Peoples, materially aids
and ratifies the genocide of the oppressors and the intended effects/goals
of that genocide--wiping out whole nations, their traditional lands,
cultures, languages, economies and traditional institutions of governance
(which in many cases are actually more progressive than anything capitalist
imposed upon them). Leftists, then, mechanically applying definitions and
notions of what is or isn't a nation versus "national minority" and
therefore worthy of the right of self-determination, sovereignty,
independence of national status in a multi-nation State may be and often
are, seen as tacitly ratifying and accepting the intended effects/goals of
the genocidal capitalist oppressors.

This is a serious issue in terms of building coalitions and unity
between/among Indigenous Peoples (anti-imperialist, anti-colonialist,
anti-racist and even anti-capitalist) and various non-Indigenous forces of
the left.

Jim C.


James Craven
(Blackfoot Name: "Omahkohkiaayo-i'poyi-inaa")
Professor/Consultant Economics; Division (Business) Chairman;
Clark College, 1800 E. McLoughlin Blvd.
Vancouver, WA. 98663
(360) 992-2283; Fax: (360) 992-2863
blkfoot5@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.home.earthlink.net/~blkfoot5
*My Employer Has No Association With My Private/Protected
Opinion*



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