By Johnny Hawke
This week online many have stood up for Annie Mae Aquash after the announcement regarding Leonard Peltier. Yet I see many supporters of Annie Mae in our Circles that engage in the same behaviour that led to her Murder. The Discrediting of someone based on "Influencers", Gossip, Hearsay, Rumours, Snitchjacketing, taking Sides, not knowing all Sides of the Truth, which is rampant in our Circles and Community which can lead to Ppl getting Hurt.
Yes Misogyny exists in our Circles but so does outright Toxic behaviour that is not limited just to a specific Gender. There are “Man Haters”, Women against other Women and even Family against Family.
A snippet of my own experience in our Circles..
A “Warrior” Woman who has reached the status of “celebrity” amongst our Indigenous Resistance community, who travels the world off of the people in poverty's financial support and NGO financing has been called out throughout the years by her former supporters, own family and community members and ppl from her Nation who once stood beside her. They’ve called her out for toxic behaviour, physical violence, gaslighting, embezzling funds of the fight, allowing abusers around vulnerable allies and youth. Such friends, family and allies attempt to seek accountability through proper ways in community but denied only left em to call this individual out publicly with "receipts" to warn others. This person’s mass following, supporters and fan clubs defend her and gives her a pass for her shitty toxic behaviour and become a blood thirsty mob who revictimize her victims when they stand in their truth and seek accountability by speaking out.
In 2013 I called out my own Cousin who treated this older “Auntie” from our community real shitty and demanded her to take down her Teaching Lodge at a “LandBack Camp” in a Provincial Park this Auntie set up. My Cousin was hosting a concert to fundraise for a separate Idle No More issue, piggybacking on the efforts of this Aunties LandBack Camp. She claimed the lodge might cause authorities to shut down her concert. I called her out how she treated that Auntie whose Camp/effort this was. The Camp was not an Idle no More thing nor was funds for the concert going towards this Camp.
A few years later in 2019, I set up a blockade of a Provincial Park and set up Camp. My Cousin being vindictive from when I questioned her then went on her Idle No More FB page she admins by herself and made her own statement using "We" and made it appear her lone statement was coming from a collective of Women and engaged in an outright Smear Campaign on me where it was stated I beat Women, am a Womanizer, beat up Elders, am a Drunk and encourage ppl not to support my cause.
This went viral in which People who did not know me, the truth especially Women across Canada wanted Bad things to happen to me and see me Hurt. I have had 2 bad break-ups in my whole life that ended in ill feelings which is not uncommon but no violence, I have had harsh vulgar words in debates and calling out sellouts and nepotism in community with others and even to an elder or two but own up to my own shit, Yes I have struggled with booze at times and own up to any of my shit but this Smear Campaign was outright based on lies and abuse of a platform where my cousin is seen as a Leader in INM, where an angry mob was formed based on personal bias.
Recently I even stood up for the Character of a Grandmother whose name was being bashed online in First Nations Transparency Facebook Group again by a lone Female Administrator and her White Ally. Ppl on that Page are co-signing this behaviour for not questioning her. I did, Again stood up for an Elder Female, Now they are discrediting my name in this Group.
Yes! Misogyny and Patriarchy exists in our Circles and I acknowledge how I have some these learned flaws that I am working through but Toxic Shitty Colonial Behaviour also exists in our Circles which is not limited to the one Gender and get's ppl hurt.
I feel these Cool Kids Clubs of Activism and "Resistance" are circles that are supposed to be spaces of Humility but are filled of Toxicity and Ego's and unaccountability. I feel I have outgrown the "Movement" which social media narcissism now governs. Our Circles need to evolve. Reemergence of our Inherent forms of Governance and Law and Clan Mothers in which accountability exists.
In the Spirit of Annie Mae
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