Basic Call to Consciousness

Akwesasne Notes ed.. Basic Call to Consciousness. Tenn: Book Publishing Company, 1993.

In 1977, twenty-one Native American Indian delegates journeyed to Geneva, Switzerland to take part in a conference on the "Discrimination against the Indigenous Populations of the Americas." This book, a Basic Call to Consciousness, contains a collection of position papers that were presented during the conference by the Haudenosaunee delegation. Since this book was compiled after the conference, the book also offers the reader a behind the scenes insight of conversations, strategy, humor, and the stress that can occur when one realizes that each word that is spoken may have a profound impact on the future of one's people.

The main premise of a Basic Call to Consciousness asks people to question what has and is being done to the indigenous people, and the book asks people to realize that Mother Earth is sacred, not a commodity, for man and nature are dependent on one another for survival. Consciousness is awareness. Consciousness is critical thinking and questioning what has and continues to impact indigenous people and the Natural World. This book is a basic call to raising one's attention to the oppression that the Haudenosaunee, the Natural World, and the future generations to come confront as they struggle to survive as Onkwehonwe (the people) with their cultural ways of life intact. The ideas and concerns raised in this book are not only important to the Haudenosaunee and the environment, but to every person who struggles against oppression and seeks justice, which makes this book an important work, for people of all races.

The book's main thesis is illustrated and proved by examining the difference between Western Civilization and the Haudenosaunee Worldview, and by discussing the history of the European's numerous attempts to destroy the Haudenosaunee spiritually, politically, and economically. The book begins by discussing the Great Law of Peace, which is impregnated with the traditional teachings and principles that, along with the Thanksgiving Address, comprise the Haudenosaunee worldview. This worldview is antithetical to the capitalistic worldview of Western Civilization, which places individual profits before the good of the people and the environment. The Haudenosaunee World view understands that human beings and the Natural World are all interrelated and dependent on each other for survival, for they understand that what we do to one strand of the Great Web of Life, we do to ourselves. The Haudenosaunee acknowledge their interdependence by thanking the Natural World for following their original instructions that they were given by offering prayers and doing ceremonies and practicing their traditional teachings on a daily basis.

Since the Haudenosaunee worldview is spiritually, politically, and economically tied together with the Natural World, one can easily understand how Western Civilization's worldview does not have the same connection, understanding, or respect for such a Life Way greatly clashes. One can easily conclude that the destruction of Mother Earth, is destruction of indigenous people.

Ironically, the Europeans who came to Turtle Island seeking freedom from their oppressors became oppressors of the indigenous peoples as they failed to accept or acknowledge indigenous worldviews, such as the Haudenosaunee worldview as legitimate life ways. Instead, as the book adequately illustrates throughout the text, the Europeans became colonizers who attempted to deal with the "Indian problem" through extermination, assimilation, allotment, and termination, which was designed to destroy, and to break up and steal lands, families, religion, and governments. The Europeans imposed their foreign religions to break up the indigenous religions, and they imposed "elective systems" creating tribal governments to break up the traditional political governments that were and still remain governments since time immemorial, and to this day most traditional governments are not recognized by the federal government. These tactics of oppression were attempts to gain land and assimilate Indians so the colonizers would not have to honor the treaties. Unfortunately, in many cases these attempts worked to destroy language, culture, and made many indigenous children ashamed of their ancestors, culture, and religion.

The book asks for all peoples to join together to put an end to the oppression of the indigenous people. Indigenous peoples seek to be acknowledged as Nations. They are reaching out to the international community and international law to assist them in gaining recognition as such Nations, and to stop the oppression and the destruction of Mother Earth before it is too late. The Haudenosaunee realize that Canadian law and the laws of the United States do not adequately protect their interests, so seeking help from the international community, is a good survival strategy.

This book is well written, for it clearly gives the reader an overview of the issues that many indigenous people confront as they struggle to retain their traditional Life Ways. The book, since it is a compilation of position papers presented at the conference, was intended for an international audience. I think in the form it is in now, we are lucky that it was put into writing, for it is a book that all people should read especially those people who seek a further understanding of Haudenosaunee history, philosophy, and worldview. The book uses very few sources, but that is because it is coming from the Haudenosaunee people themselves and their understanding of their own history and traditional teachings. It is good to see such a firsthand presentation of materials. In Conclusion, I thought it fitting to end this critique of The Basic Call to Consciousness with a "power story" that Philip Deer gave to the speakers twenty-one years ago because within it is a power that we can all use. Philip Deer was a Creek Medicine man and one of the twenty-one delegates who traveled to Geneva to present the indigenous peoples' case to the United Nations. Philip Deer's story is as follows:

All you men that are going to be speaking tomorrow, you remind me of something that we do at home. And I'd like to tell you about it. They had a ceremony at home, a fire starting ceremony, in which several men got around in a circle and there would be gathered also some straw or hay or wood chips --something to ignite--and then each man would begin. And all together they would strike flint-- hitting, hitting, trying to make jump that spark. You men that will be speaking, you remind me of those young men striking stone. Your mission is to make that spark jump--your mission is to light the fire, to ignite the hearts of all those people, of the representatives of the various countries, of the NGO's, of the mass-media, You must make the spark fly. But it is not going to be all of you that starts that fire. At home, all of the young men strike stone, over and over. Strike, strike, strike--but only one makes the spark jump. And one spark ignites the fire. So it will be tomorrow. All of you will strike. All of you will speak. And -- one of you --will ignite the fire. I know it.

Philip Deer's message, like the message of this book, is to spark the fire that will educate the people to the plight of the indigenous people and the environment. As such, the fire continues to burn, and each of us has the duty to strike the stone to create positive change that will benefit Mother Earth and the people. Although this book was written twenty-one years ago, the message within this book still needs to be presented, and the consciousness of people still needs to be raised to see the oppression and the tactics of oppression that are still being imposed upon indigenous peoples. Therefore, I highly recommend reading the book, for it speaks volumes, and the words contain great power and offer hope for the Natural World and future generations to come.

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Created December 22, 1999; Updated August 2001