Current News Articles on Indigenous Movements
Grassroots movements can grow and change rapidly. Following news and social media are good ways to keep informed of movements as they develop. We have selected some news articles surrounding current Indigenous movements and protests on this page. For an alternative news source, check out the Media Indigena podcast, available on Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.
For a historical view of how Indigenous people have been covered in news, Seeing Red: a History of Natives in Canadian Newspapers by Mark Cronlund Anderson and Carmen L. Robertson would give context from 1869-2005.
If you are interested in journalism coverage in general of social movement, UBC Library has Reckoning: Journalism's Limits and Possibilities by UBC Professor Candis Callison and Mary Lynn Young as an ebook.
- First Nations launch new court challenge to Trans Mountain pipelineSix First Nations that have filed another legal challenge against the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion say Canada's ownership of the corporation behind the project created a bias that prevented full consultations as ordered by the Federal Court of Appeal.
- The Invisible VictimsTwo years ago, Ashley Heavy Runner Loring vanished without a trace, like thousands of other Native American women who go missing at alarming rates every year. Around the country, a remarkable movement, driven by Native women themselves, is leading the charge to find them.
- Native American Women Are Rape Targets Because of a Legislative LoopholeTribal courts can't try non-Native individuals, which means white people can commit crimes on Native American land—including sexual assault—with virtually zero repercussions
- A Pipeline Offers a Stark Reminder of Canada’s Ongoing ColonialismAn opinion piece by author Alicia Elliott on the connections between the current Wet'suwet'en pipeline and Canada's governmental policies towards Indigenous Peoples.
- Why Are Native Hawaiians Protesting Against a Telescope?Demonstrators blocking construction of a major scientific project on Hawaii’s highest mountain have started to attract support across the country. Here’s what you need to know.
Coastal Gaslink Pipeline & Wet'suwet'en Demonstrations Current News & Media
Many students have questions on the ongoing demonstrations across Canada surrounding the Coastal Gaslink Pipeline on tradtional Wet'suwet'en land. We have included some resources from news media. On our Books & Media page, we have a selection of resources from the library on land title and use in Canada. Two media sources to view for coverage of the Coastal Gaslink Pipeline demonstrations, check out the Tyee (based in Vancouver, BC) and the Narwhal.
As many of the following articles are not from an academic perspective, we encourage students who would like to use these resources in their papers and studies to go to the primary source the news article is quoting. Need help learning how to do this? Email us or come into the library to speak with a librarian for more help!
Last Updated: April 24, 2020
- 'We Still Have Title': How a Landmark B.C. Court Case Set the Stage for Wet'suwet'en Protests"Amid the backdrop of nationwide protests, blockades and arrests, Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs on the front lines of the fight to stop a pipeline in their traditional territories are pointing to a Supreme Court case from the 1990s that underscores their authority over the land."
- 20 Years Ago, This Court Case Changed the Way Canadians Understood Indigenous RightsA CBC overview of the Delgamuukw v. British Columbia decision.
- B.C. Failed to Consider Links Between ‘Man Camps,’ Violence Against Indigenous Women, Wet’suwet’en Argue"A formal request for judicial review submitted with the B.C. Supreme Court argues B.C.’s Environmental Assessment Office extended permit for Coastal GasLink pipeline without considering the findings of the National Inquiry on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women."
- Canadian Court Ruling Broadens Indian Land Claims1997 New York Times article from when Delgamuukw vs. British Columbia was decided, which is the basis for much of the land rights of Indigenous Peoples in BC today.
- Coronavirus Forces Wet’suwet’en to Explore Online Talks on Rights and Title AgreementIn-person meetings on unprecedented title agreement postponed as communities prepare for COVID-19 pandemic and Coastal GasLink construction continues
- Government Structure of the Wet'suwet'en Nation"The Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs have maintained their use and occupancy of their lands and hereditary governance system. Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs are the Title Holders and maintain the authority and jurisdiction to make decisions on unceded lands. The 22,000 square km of Wet’suwet’en Territory is divided into 5 clans and 13 house groups. Each clan within the Wet’suwet’en Nation has full jurisdiction under their law to control access to their territory."
- 'The Nation Has Stood Up’: Indigenous Clans in Canada Battle Pipeline ProjectA New York Times overview of how the demonstrations came about. Multiple photos from Houston, British Columbia.
- Wet'suwet'en Demonstrations to Continue Outside Vancouver Alongside Women's Memorial MarchThis year's annual MMIWG march in Vancouver takes place amidst the ongoing demonstrations in solidarity with Wet'suwet'en.
- Wet’suwet’en: Why B.C. is a Battleground for Indigenous Land RightsA CBC podcast: "It’s been a week of nationwide protests, blockades and arrests over the Coastal GasLink pipeline, a section of which would pass through traditional Wet’suwet’en territory in northwestern British Columbia. At the core of this conflict is a long-running dispute over who has authority over the land where the pipeline would be contructed. Today on Front Burner, CBC’s Duncan McCue offers a close look at the pivotal 1997 court case that set the stage for this dispute: Delgamuukw vs. British Columbia."
- What We Mean When We Say Indigenous Land is 'Unceded'"In the case of the Wet’suwet’en and Coastal GasLink, at issue is a divide between the traditional Wet’suwet’en legal system, Canada’s legal system, those who have stood to protect the land in question and those who want to see the pipeline built."
The Halluci Nation would like to dedicate this song in support of the Wet’suwet’en nation and to the Indigenous lead movements across Turtle Island and beyond.
- April 9, 2020 Wet’suwet’en Virtual Teach-In at UBCDuring a time of separation and social distancing, join us for an opportunity to gather together for a virtual teach-in on the legal foundations of Wet’suwet’en Title and Rights and the treatment of the Wet’suwet’en land defenders and supporters in the media as a result of recent state actions taken against them. The resources mentioned in this Teach In, as well as others, are included below
News
The following is a list of news sources to refer to for current information:
Twitter Hashtags & Lists
Twitter is a popular microblogging service that can be use in academia to:
- Follow colleagues or research projects;
- Post links to research papers;
- Solicit advice on works-in-progress, ideas, or problems;
- Create and follow custom newspapers out of Twitter content using paper.li
Hashtags used on Twitter, and other social networks sites, allow you to use a word or phrase preceded by a hash or pound sign (#) to identify messages on a specific topic. To learn the different parts of a "tweet", review the Anatomy of a Tweet image.
Twitter Lists are a way to curate groups of users into thematic lists. You can create your own lists or subscribe to lists created by others. Viewing a list timeline will show you a stream of Tweets from only the users on that list.
How to Use Hashtags & Lists
Examples of Academic Hashtag Use
Hashtags
Hashtags (#) are one way people use social media to share and stay up to date on current events. They serve as ways for movements to communicate, discuss, and broadcast ongoing situations and share decisions.
The following examples are from Twitter, but can also be on various other social media platforms (e.g. Instagram).
The following hashtags have become popular on Twitter and Instagram to help communicate with supporters of the Wet'suwet'en protests in January and February of 2020.
- #reconcilationisdead
- #StandWithWetsuweten
- #WetsuwetenSolidarity
- #unistoten
- #unisotencamp
- #wetsuwetenstrong
- #ShutCanadaDown
The following hashtags were created to help "redirect racist attacks on Twitter" (from CBC):
The following hashtags are used to communicate news and events surrounding Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls. There is a more extensive list of current news and media on the Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls research guide.
The following hashtags were used surrounding the movement against the Mauna Kea telescope in the summer of 2019