Manifesto or Wasás-Eh?

The manifesto I present is no where near the impact or extent of The United States Declaration of Independence (1776), Declaration of Rights of Man and Ciztizen (1789), or one of my favorites The Communist Manifesto (1848). It does however have common ground as manifestos recognized social, economical and political problems which needs to be addressed to the general public in order for change. Change took a variety of forms either with words or weapons or in most instances both.

The Communist Manifesto examines the present and future of a society as tearing into two, and inevitably coming into conflict with each other as it states “our epoch, the epoch of the bourgeoisie, possesses, however, this distinct feature: it has simplified class antagonisms. Society as a whole is more and more splitting up into two great hostile camps, into two great classes directly facing each other — Bourgeoisie and Proletariat” (Ch. 1). A manifesto would be the western conceptualization of injecting revolt against the status quo. Fitting the word manifesto first emerges in the 1600s during the introduction of the enlightenment. The ability to think freely within society with it’s many structures also entails the ability to reject those structures and implement new ones. (I will disseminate some enlightenment thinkers at a later date.)

Coming from an Indigenous perspective Taiaiake Alfred explains the importance of the Wasáse for the Onkwehonwe people in the current turmoil Indigenous cultures face against the status quo here in Canada. For Taiaiake Alfred the Wasáse “is symbolic of the social and cultural force alive among Onkwehonwe dedicated to altering the balance of political and economic power to recreate some social and physical space for freedom to re-emerge. Wasáse is an ethical and political vision, the real demonstration of our resolve to survive as Onkwehonwe and to do what we must to force the Settlers to acknowledge our existence and the integrity of our connection to the land” (Para. 2). The Wasáse for Alfred gives empowerment to the people in relation to their spiritual and culture needs rather than adopting western beliefs. The purpose of revolt stays the same but the Wasáse conceptualization of revolt gives perspective to the Onkwehonwe in which they have a cultural connection.

At the heart of the Communist Manifesto is the equality of man with superseded need obtain resources to sustain life. In the manifestos ten points the acquisition and distribution of wealth through governmental agencies denies the connection between man and land (Ch. 2). Land and resources under the manifesto become owned and control by the state. The assertion of power over nature is not an Indigenous way of interpreting the world.  Indigenous culture has a connection to the land rooted deep into their beliefs.  As well, the land plays an integral role regarding all aspects life for Indigenous people which is very much real. Keith Smith suggests the coercive power man implements under a western worldview such as Marxism “is not to engage in the debate concerning the extent to which Marxism offers, or at least implies, a universal program for liberation, but to suggest that Marxism’s complicity with modernist thought and its acceptance of the inevitability and value of industrial progress serves to depreciate Indigenous life ways and visions for the future”(P. 3).

The concept of conflicting worldview is not new and will continually occur. However, understanding the circumstances to why worldviews dominate a particular society and conflict with others is tantamount in seeking resolutions. If avoided only conflict will surface, a revolt, with both sides utilizing words and weapons. A Canadian does not have to venture far to see the consequences - just google Oka. For a nation which highly regards liberal epistemology how quickly rights seem to disappear when the separation of the classes is distant and the two classes stand up to face each other.

Migewtch
and
Thank you.

-Adam.

The Manifesto of the Communist Party (1848). Marx/Engels Selected Works, Vol. One, Progress Publishers, Moscow, 1969, pp. 98-137;

Taiaiake Alfred, Wasáse: indigenous pathways of action and freedom, Peterborough: Broadview Press, (2005).

Keith D. Smith, Liberalism, Surveillance, and Resistance: Indigenous Communities in Western Canada, 1877-1927. Athabasca University, AU Press. (2009).