Covid-19 Daily News Digest – September 21, 2020
In Pictures: Mexico’s Indigenous children struggle for education
Children across the country began a new school year last month with remote learning via television, a move aimed at curbing the spread of the disease in a country that has reported 73,000 COVID-19 deaths – the fourth-highest tally in the world. But in the homes of San Miguel Amoltepec Viejo, a windswept village in one of the country’s poorest regions, there are no such modern-day luxuries. “There are no computers, there’s no internet, there’s no television signal and the electricity goes out when it rains,” said teacher Jaime Arriaga.
Arrests made after N.S. protesters confront Indigenous fishermen over right to fish
Some non-Indigenous fishermen say they believe the Indigenous business is illegal because the regular fishing season is now closed. But the Sipekne’katik First Nation says their people have a treaty right to fish at any time.
The Mounties said no one was injured at the wharf in Weymouth and the two suspects were escorted from the scene. They were later released from custody and are expected to appear in court at a later date.
Local MPP Demands Government To Respect Treaty Rights
The MPP for Kiiwetinoong says the government can’t act alone in opening the north as part of COVID-19 recovery plans. The Premier and other high profile Ministers have been vocal about the potential of the north and it’s importance to economic recovery.
“This government must learn to respect the Treaty relationships before it’s damaged beyond repair. I bring this up today because economic recovery from the effects of COVID-19 won’t happen at the expense of our Treaty rights and our lands.”
UPDATED: Three NWO First Nations report COVID-19 cases
Because she is so far asymptomatic, the woman is being re-tested to confirm the results.
Contact tracing by the Sandy Lake First Nation Health Authority and nursing station staff has begun, the chief and council statement said, with any known contacts to be tested, monitored, and required to self-isolate until results are known.
https://www.tbnewswatch.com/local-news/two-nwo-first-nations-report-covid-19-cases-2727745
What you need to know about COVID-19 in Ottawa on Monday, Sept. 21
Ottawa Public Health’s own race-based data continues to confirm people from non-white backgrounds and communities are decidedly more likely to contract COVID-19.
Akwesasne has had 14 confirmed COVID-19 cases, most linked to a gathering on an island in July.
COVID-19 and the decolonization of Indigenous public health
“Anticipating further waves of COVID-19, it is important that the design, implementation and leadership of public health by First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities continue in Canada. At its foundation, Indigenous public health must be self-determined: adapted for the needs of specific nations and grounded in local Indigenous language, culture and ways of knowing; developed, implemented and led by Indigenous Peoples; and informed by ongoing monitoring of data as governed by appropriate data sovereignty agreements.”
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-09/cmaj-cat091520.php
Cree educator teaches students to challenge colonialism
In Kuzio’s class, open conversations are welcome and encouraged. He says he teaches his Indigenous and non-Indigenous students the art of truly listening to each other and, most importantly, how not to conform, and “to not give so much of their power away to authorities around them.”
“When someone asks you to do something or tells you to do something, you’re to ask why, and you keep asking why until you get an acceptable answer,” explains Kuzio. The next week, he says, they had an even harder task: say “no” without feeling the need to provide an explanation. The technique is purposeful in the way that it sets his students up so they aren’t moving through their careers “blindly.” And, he says, so they hold onto their value systems and create healthy boundaries when “their values are opposed to a lot of the systems around us of capitalism, colonization and imperialism.”
Cariboo-made face masks honour missing and murdered Indigenous women
After purchasing two solid-coloured face masks —one for her daughter who is returning to high school and the other for herself, Alphonse created a design of a red hand print across the mouth which has become a symbolic representation of violence affecting Indigenous women. “I’m going to keep selling them because it helps raise awareness for murdered and missing Indigenous women. You see it everywhere across Canada and the statistics are really crazy, and a lot of people don’t know, they just don’t know.”
Indigenous film maker creates short film under COVID-19 restrictions
“This short-film features a queer character named Sebastian who’s mainly kind of lonely in the midst of the pandemic,” he said. “The pandemic isn’t really talked about … but it’s present in some of the scenes where you see masks while the character’s social distancing.”
Barlow plans to release the film sometime between October and November. The series focuses on physical, mental and emotional pain. Barlow went months without filming, but he’s now free to shoot, filming Summertime in August.