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i *really* like the sounds of this conversation and would like to have some similar discussions at Feral this year:

"The goal of this event is to create more connections of solidarity between sober folks, non-sober folks and self-identified addicts. Let’s start exploring ways we can support each other in the communities we are a part of and combat the isolation common with both sobriety and addiction."

vancouver.mediacoop.ca/events/20595

Giibwanisi Dizhnikaaz of the Oshkimaadziig Unity Camp on Sobriety, Reclamation and Healing
thefruitlands.com/post/48365951224/interview-giibwanisi-dizhnikaaz-of-the-oshkimaadziig

One thing I dream of is compiling the stories and interviews of organizers who are introducing radical ideas of sobriety and community healing and publishing it. It was a no brainer to reach out to Giibwanisi Dizhnikaaz (Richard Peters) to talk about the issue as the Oshkimaadziig Unity Camp is based around this idea and presents an amazing vision of strength, unity and joy - all while confronting some extremely serious and horrific things; genocide, settler colonialism, environmental degredation, etc.

I hope this interview adds to and continues a dialogue around what community healing looks like, across various communities, and also adds to a dialogue around what it looks like to be an ally to some of those communities. I encourage folks to get up to Oshkimaadziig and/or send some support and love their way.

When you set out to plan around Oshkimaadziig how important was a sober policy?

When we set out to plan Oshkimaadziig, the first thing that I asked Kaikaikons (aka Johnny Hawk) was if this was going to be a sober thing or not. If it wasn’t, then I had no interest in partaking in it. I have been sober for almost 2 years now, and a sober policy was instrumental to my involvement. You have to remember also, that when we first set out to do Oshkimaadziig, we moved onto a museum property in a town called Coldwater. If folks had been drinking and partying, it would have negated any credibility we would have had and most likely we would have been dismissed as “drunken, indians” and the police would have promptly removed us for ‘open alcohol’. When we moved into Awenda Provincial Park, the sober policy stayed.

Sober policies at reclamation sites are pretty common, especially at the beginning of reclamations or at times of heightened repression. It seems harder to enforce these policies the long reclamations continue. I wonder about your thoughts on that and how to organize against it in the long term.

This was the first time that I have ever been involved with a land reclamation, so I can’t comment on how others have gone down in the past. My personal relationship with Oshkimaadziig and my own sobriety go hand in hand. I first made a reclamation on my life, and that was to rise above the alcohol and drugs, and to focus on the cultural side side of my identity. From my perspective, and that of the Elders I seek out, drugs and alcohol have no business in our way of life. Oshkimaadziig to me, is a way of life. It is road to everything that we have lost due to colonization. In my opinion we can not try to decolonize ourselves, while still using the tools of oppression which were used as weapon against us. On the land reclamation site we have a no drug no alcohol policy. Meaning we don’t want people deliberately bringing these things on to our Sacred grounds. However, having been down the long hard road to recovery, I would be loathe to turn someone away who was under the influence who was looking for help.

I am wondering if you see the process of reclamation as part of an attempt at community healing? As in, the hope that through the process of being involved folks will begin to heal.

I definitely see the process of the reclamation as a deliberate attempt at community healing. Our word for decolonization is “biiskaabiiyang” which loosely translates to “we are returning”. We are returning to the good way of life in which was lost. The land reclamation is resounding and emphatic reclamation of the warrior spirit. But its much more than just being warriors. It more about the way of life, the warriors are protecting. We are protecting a way of life, that the oppressors have always sought out to destroy. When we come together on the reclamation site, and walk the “biiskaabiiyang”, we are actually building community. Just that very act alone, is healing.

As someone who has done solidarity organizing I have been told by other ally organizers and also Onkwehonwe folks that I should use drugs or alcohol as a way to build relationships with other people and that it is rude to decline. What would you say to that?

I don’t agree with the use of drug/alcohol use, endorsed by both allies or Onkwehonwe, as a way of building relationships. As an Anishinabek/Onkwehonwe person, I have seen the disastrous effects of drugs/alcohol on both myself, and my people. Alcoholism is a symptom of colonialism. Whether Onkwehonwe people know it or not, the continued use of drugs/alcohol, is continuing the genocide of our people. I heard an elder say, “What has alcohol done for our people? It has destroyed our people, it has destroyed our lives, relationships with each others, it has destroyed entire nations. Alcohol has done nothing but destroy our people. There is no place for it in our way of life.” As an ally, this concept must be fully and fundamentally understood and practiced. As an Ally doing solidarity work, that work should be about assisting in the decolonization process, and not the continued genocide of our people. If an ally wants to build relationship using drugs and alcohol with Onkwehonwe, perhaps they might want to try the local pubs or bars. Having said that, It is not really my place to tell allies how to conduct themselves in their boat, or to tell Onkwehonwe people what to do, in their canoes, in their own territory. I am merely reflecting on what I think and feel with my One Good Mind, and One Good Heart.

So much of the use of social media that I have seen around Oshkimaadziig has been focused on using humor to convey a message and a critique. This is something that I really enjoyed because sober policies are usually related to sternness and seriousness and typical not seen as something that can be “joyful.” I am wondering how much of that is intentional and how much of that is just the personalities of the people involved.

Most of the humor that is used by Oshkimaadziig is both intentional and natural. Anishinabek peoples have longs since employed humor as a teaching tool. I remember listening to an elder once and he said that it was the way we learn. People will always remember what made them laugh. Kaikaikons identifies himself as being a “Windigokaan”, which in our culture are the “backwards” people, or even the “clown” people. Some of their responsibilities were to do the opposite of the norm. They might be required to bust a gut laughing at a funeral or something. But mostly is about bringing balance. Kaikaikons stresses “Its about bringing the dark to the light, the light to the dark.” Myself, I have always been some sort of a comedian. Its just my nature. But in actuality I think its just being Anishinabek or Onkwehonwe. One does not simply last 500 years of genocide with out having some sort of humorous side. Its what has sustained us for so long. Life is short, we have to enjoy it. All peoples enjoy laughing. What is the point of life without enjoyment?

What about cannabis? I smoke it for my ptsd symptoms..is it allowed anywhere? And what is the response to someone like me who finds it necessary to take cannabis?

Often our situation with water filtration has been somewhat precarious. Backpacking filters simply don't have the capacity for a gathering like this one, unless of course we have many of them. We ask folks to come prepared to take care of their own water filtration needs, but of course few actually do. We usually end up collectively using however many backpacking filters folks are willing to let be used, in which case they get over-used and need maintenance more often. We still have the hanging bag one, and maybe if we had a good amount of those it would work, but better yet we should try to get our hands on a high-capacity one like the ones outfitters and rafters sometimes use.

If anyone who is coming has any good water filtration gear we can use, please let us know! And of course, we always scout for a site with a spring, but that can be hard to come by.

Oh yeah, and just to note: some people at Wild Roots Feral Futures take their own risks by drinking "live", wild water. This is *not* recommended. If you are not experienced in the woods and don't know what sorts of things you can catch, please ask an event organizer and they'll either fill you in or point you to someone who can. Giardia, Cryptosporidium, and Amoebic Dysentary are NO FUN! Drinking wild water is something that should be done with extreme caution and good knowledge of the risks, and is better done very slowly while developing a larger relationship with a wild landscape. Just because you see someone at Feral drinking straight from the stream doesn't mean you should. We'll talk about water safety at morning circles, so this will all be gone over vocally in the woods!

But What About Beer?

diyconspiracy.net/but-what-about-beer/

A FAQ on drug consumption at common activist spaces—camps, events, social centers etc.
Introduction

This zine was written because we felt that it might be important for people who have not encountered these issues before to have the opportunity to read through some of the common topics raised, so they can feel more informed and confident when discussing in a larger group. It is as well an act of solidarity with all the people negatively affected who don’t want or can’t get involved. We hope that by introducing these topics outside the discussion it will give people the option to read and reflect on what is written in their own time and space. We are not calling for total abstinence or for a drug-free world. We would be happy if this zine provokes some thoughts on the use of drugs at political events, common activist spaces etc. and how this might affect everyone.

Since these types of events are relatively anonymous, temporary and often include a large amount of people that have not met or lived together previously, it is unlikely that people feel safe to express their feelings on this topic. For this reason it is safer to expect that there are people that are affected. This also takes off the pressure from the individual affected to have to speak up.

Below you will find some of the main questions and arguments in favor of drug use in common spaces and a basic response to them based on our own and other’s experiences from activist/political camps and events.
FAQ

For clarification, we don’t see a difference between legal and illegal drugs since this is a State (institutionalized) definition. We also consider alcohol a drug. Whilst throughout this zine many of the examples we have included refer to alcohol or drinking, this can be easily substituted with any other substance. One of the reasons that we highlighted alcohol is that it’s one of the most common drugs, and often its usage and affect on society and individuals isn’t viewed as critically as other drugs.

Q/ But I’m an anarchist/this is an anarchist site, why do we have rules?
A/ Anarchy, as we understand it, is not simply about no rules, it’s about not having authorities and oppression, about not having leadership from people or over people. It’s about creating an environment where everyone can feel and act free, without having anyone telling you what you can or can’t do. In order to act more freely and push towards a different world one must feel safe. People who feel unsafe can’t feel and act free.

This creates the necessity for drug free spaces, especially spaces where one needs their full concentration and energy to complete common goals because if people are traumatized, scared or feel uncomfortable by the actions of comrades, then how do we work together?

Q/ It’s my right to have a beer if I want to.
A/ It’s your right to do whatever you want until it starts to negatively affect others.

At that point, you should consider the fact that using your freedom can, in some cases, limit the freedom of someone else. If you restrict someone’s freedom by making them stay at home because of unsafe feelings around drugs, then you put yourself in a power position and effectively set rules for the other person.

Q/ We’re all reasonable people here, I think it’s safe to say nothing will get out of hand.
A/ We don’t know if everyone is reasonable, but also different people have different ideas about what reasonable is.

For some it might be unreasonable to break things or get in fights. For others it might be unreasonable to be loud, tripping on people’s tents or accidentally unzipping the wrong tent at night.

Generally people under the influence of drugs get less sensitive for others boundaries. This can be part of the reason why people have traumatic experiences with people under drug influence crossing their boundaries. So even if you are able to control your behaviour after drinking and don’t actively cross someones boundaries, you can still affect people by reminding them of traumatic experiences they have experienced in the past.

It is also important to remember that everyone may be reasonable now, but different people are affected differently by substances. For some, one or two beers may drastically alter their behavior, for others, it could have no change in their behavior. There is no universal level of what is „acceptable‟ or „safe‟.

Q/ But what if I don’t want to get drunk but just have a beer?
A/ Some people have a problem with people getting drunk. Others have a problem with just seeing alcohol. This means that even one drink is not okay.

People seeing you drink don’t know if it’s your first beer, or if it’s your tenth. People who themselves have a problem with alcohol, or are ex-alcoholics can find it very hard to see alcohol.

Q/ What if I drink offsite?
A/ By leaving the bottle outside you still bring the alcohol back with you in your body. It’s not about hiding your alcohol use, it’s about being considerate that your actions may negatively affect others.

Even if you don’t drink in the common space but in a designated drug tent or offsite, you will eventually need to return to your tent in the common camping space. By entering this “safer space” under the influence of drugs, you are already crossing someone’s boundaries who may feel unwell with the knowledge that someone is under the influence in the area that they are sleeping.

Q/ Some people need to drink
A/ Firstly it’s good to consider what need really means. People who need to drink for medical reasons, should speak with the onsite medic or onsite support group if there is one, to set up a way in which everyone on site feels comfortable. It is important to treat medical issues such as chronic alcoholism as sensitively and with respect as we would other drug addictions. If people who don’t need to drink would not drink on camps it would be much easier to create an environment where drinking for people with medical issues would be possible without making others feel unsafe.

Q/ But we encounter drug use all the time in society, people must have learn to deal with it?
A/ It is not up to you to make this kind of assumption. Some people may have found ways to deal with it, others never do. It can be especially difficult for some people who see spaces like this as safer to encounter the recreation of patterns seen in wider society.

Q/ Shouldn’t we be focusing on political issues and not meetings about drug use?
A/ Political camps are an opportunity to create a space where we get the chance to put our political ideas in practice, while focusing on a specific goal. It is important for people who are politically active to feel safe as feeling comfortable is a requirement to be able to concentrate, communicate well, work effectively and, if applicable, take risks. To involve as many people as possible we need to have an inclusive environment as possible. It is also important to remember that drug use is considered by many to be a highly political issue.

We would be happy to receive any feedback on aboutbeer@gmx.ch
Contact us if you need an online version for printing/editing/translating.

diyconspiracy.net/but-what-about-beer/

Also seeking feedback on the anti-oppression language here: feralfutures.blogspot.ca/p/blog-page.html