Peace, power, righteousness

Description

Peace, Power, Righteousness is a political manifesto - a timely and inspiring essay that calls on the indigenous peoples of North America to move beyond their 500-year history of pain, loss, and colonization and make self-determination a reality. Taiaiake Alfred, a leading Kanien kehaka (Mohawk) scholar and activist, urges Native communities to return to their traditional political values to educate a new generation of leaders committed to preserving indigenous nationhood. Only a solid grounding in traditional values and the principles of consensus-based governance will enable Native communities to heal their present divisions, resist assimilation, and forge new relationships of respect and equality with the mainstream society. Familiar with Western as well as indigenous traditions of thought the author presents a powerful critique of the intellectual framework that until now has structured not only relations between indigenous nations and the state, but the internal politics of colonized communities. Yet he does not condemn non-indigenous people: instead, he invites them to transcend historical prejudices and join in the struggle for justice, freedom, and peace.

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