Blogger, Artist, Social Media, Web Designer, Photographer- I blog about nouns-people, places and things, even when it's negative I try to put a positive spin on it. @tinawinterlikfb https://tinawinterlik.blogspot.com
Today people post beautiful photos of sea otters floating peacefully in kelp forests, holding paws and looking playful and innocent. Most people do not realize how close humans came to wiping them out forever.
Sea otters once lived across the entire North Pacific Rim, from Japan to Alaska, British Columbia, and down the California coast. Then greed entered the story.
During the fur trade of the 1700s and 1800s, sea otter pelts became one of the most valuable commodities in the world. Their incredibly soft and dense fur was highly desired in China, where wealthy buyers paid enormous prices for luxury garments. Russian fur traders, followed by British and American traders, saw massive profits waiting along the Pacific coast.
What followed was not simply “trade.” It was part of a colonial system that reshaped entire ecosystems and Indigenous communities.
Coastal Indigenous nations, including the Haida, Tlingit, Nuu-chah-nulth, and many others, became caught in this expanding global economy. Some traded willingly at first because European goods such as metal tools, weapons, and textiles had become useful and valuable. But the power imbalance was enormous. In Alaska especially, Russian colonizers violently forced Indigenous hunters into dangerous sea otter hunting expeditions.
The story of sea otters is not just about one animal. It is about how colonialism and global markets can turn living beings into commodities.
The demand for luxury fur in another part of the world nearly erased a species from the Pacific Ocean.
By the early 1900s, sea otters had almost disappeared completely. Entire coastlines that once depended on their presence changed dramatically.
Scientists now call sea otters a “keystone species.” That means their existence supports the health of entire ecosystems.
Sea otters eat sea urchins.
Sea urchins eat kelp.
Without otters, sea urchins multiply uncontrollably and destroy kelp forests.
Kelp forests are underwater ecosystems that provide shelter for fish, absorb carbon dioxide, protect coastlines, and support marine biodiversity. When otters disappeared, entire underwater forests vanished with them.
Humans often think we stand above nature, controlling it for profit, but the disappearance of sea otters showed how deeply connected everything really is.
Even today, the story remains complicated.
As sea otters recover in some regions, tensions have emerged around shellfish harvesting because otters also consume clams, crab, and abalone that coastal communities rely on for food and culture. Conservation cannot simply ignore Indigenous food systems and sovereignty. Real solutions require listening, cooperation, and balance rather than repeating old colonial patterns under a new environmental banner.
The sea otter story asks difficult questions.
How many ecosystems have been destroyed for luxury markets?
How many species were pushed toward extinction because humans viewed life as profit?
What lessons are we still refusing to learn?
Sometimes I think the sea otter is a symbol of both human destruction and resilience.
Against all odds, they survived.
Maybe there is still hope for the oceans too — if humans learn humility before it is too late.
10 Hard Questions for Leaders, Policy Makers, and Politicians
If governments and corporations knew species like sea otters were being pushed toward extinction for profit, why was economic gain valued more than ecological survival?
How many ecosystems must collapse before environmental protection becomes more important than short-term economic growth?
Why do governments continue subsidizing industries that damage oceans, forests, and wildlife while ordinary people are told to “do their part” by recycling and conserving energy?
How can leaders claim to support reconciliation with Indigenous peoples while continuing to approve projects that threaten Indigenous lands, waters, and traditional food systems?
Why are luxury industries and corporate profits still prioritized while housing insecurity, food insecurity, and environmental destruction continue rising?
What responsibility do wealthy nations have for repairing environmental damage caused by centuries of colonialism, extraction, and overconsumption?
Why are scientists and environmental advocates often ignored until a crisis becomes impossible to hide?
How can politicians speak about protecting future generations while approving policies that contribute to climate instability, biodiversity loss, and pollution today?
If healthy ecosystems are essential for human survival, why are environmental protections so often treated as obstacles to economic development instead of the foundation of long-term prosperity?
At what point do silence, inaction, and political compromise become forms of participation in environmental destruction?
🧿 The Real Threat Isn’t Indigenous Rights — It’s Fear-Mongering
By Tina Winterlik aka Zipolita
Caroline Elliott’s recent National Post article, titled “The end of Canada is coming and B.C.’s NDP is leading the charge,” is not journalism — it’s ideological propaganda wrapped in alarmist rhetoric. It’s exactly the kind of divisive narrative that stalls reconciliation and misleads the public about the true meaning of Indigenous rights.
Let’s be clear: the so-called “veto” she claims First Nations are getting over Crown land isn’t some hostile takeover. It’s part of a long-overdue effort to recognize Indigenous Peoples as equal partners in decisions that affect their ancestral territories — lands that were taken without consent in the first place.
🪶 What Elliott Gets Wrong
She claims B.C.'s commitment to Indigenous consent undermines democracy. But how can any democracy be whole when it’s built on stolen land? The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA) is about repairing historical harm and moving toward shared governance, not erasing non-Indigenous voices. It's about justice, not domination.
She argues this will lead to the "end of Canada." In reality, what terrifies people like Elliott is not the end of Canada — but the end of unquestioned colonial control.
⚖️ Who Gets to Decide?
What’s truly dangerous is not Indigenous communities having a say in their own lands — it’s white-settler commentators trying to stir public fear that working together means losing something. It’s those with power framing equity as “chaos.” Elliott’s words echo a long history of resistance to Indigenous autonomy — and it needs to stop.
Public land isn’t just for recreation or profit. It is the homeland of Indigenous peoples. They were stewards of this land for thousands of years before a single European ship arrived.
📢 What We Should Be Asking
Instead of fear-mongering, why aren’t we talking about:
How Indigenous-led conservation has protected more land and biodiversity than many government programs?
How true reconciliation means sharing power, not just symbolic land acknowledgements?
Why so many Canadians still feel entitled to land they didn’t inherit or buy — but occupy because of colonial legacy?
✨ A New Vision
Reconciliation is not comfortable. It demands humility, listening, and a shift in who holds power. But it doesn’t mean the end of Canada. It means the beginning of a better one — one built on truth, respect, and shared responsibility.
So no, Caroline. Indigenous consent isn’t a threat — it’s a promise kept.
We Can’t Bomb Our Way to Peace – A Call for Truth, Humanity, and Historical Memory
Originally inspired by a powerful post shared via Films for Action:
"Yes, authoritarianism is bad. But war is a thousand times worse.
If you think bombing a country into submission is a path to peace, you’ve been sold the logic of empire."
Iran: A Case Study in Manufactured Chaos
In 1953, the CIA helped overthrow Iran’s democratically elected Prime Minister, Mohammad Mossadegh, who tried to nationalize Iran's oil. The West replaced him with the Shah, leading to decades of dictatorship, secret police, and repression.
The 1979 Iranian Revolution was not simply religious extremism. It was a direct backlash against decades of foreign interference and Western greed. Today, Iran is demonized without recognizing the role the U.S. and U.K. played in shaping the instability.
Israel and Palestine: Layer Upon Layer of Pain
This conflict isn’t ancient history. It’s ongoing colonialism. The Nakba of 1948 displaced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. Gaza remains under blockade, bombed and impoverished.
Human Rights Watch has condemned Israel’s treatment of Palestinians as apartheid. Condemning Hamas doesn't justify mass punishment of civilians. War crimes do not bring peace.
The U.S.: Empire in Denial
From Vietnam to Iraq, Chile to Afghanistan, the U.S. has destabilized democracies, armed despots, and waged endless war. The logic of empire always serves control and capital.
War Is the Worst Kind of Authoritarianism
War silences dissent. It radicalizes. It turns human beings into targets. True freedom cannot grow where missiles fall.
We don’t fight authoritarianism by becoming authoritarian.
What We Can Do
Educate yourself on real history (and help others do the same).
🕊️ War is not the answer.
🌍 Empire is not peace.
❤️ Humanity must come first.
🇪🇸 Español: No Podemos Bombardear el Camino hacia la Paz
El autoritarismo es terrible. Pero la guerra es mil veces peor.
En Irán, la CIA derrocó a un gobierno elegido democráticamente en 1953 para proteger los intereses petroleros de EE.UU. e Inglaterra. Se instaló una dictadura brutal. En 1979, el pueblo se rebeló, pero Occidente solo ve la parte religiosa, no la historia completa.
Palestina ha sido despojada desde 1948. Gaza es una prisión al aire libre. Condenar a Hamas no justifica los crímenes de guerra contra millones de civiles.
EE.UU. ha sembrado guerras y golpes en el mundo entero, siempre en nombre de la "libertad". Pero la verdadera libertad no nace de las bombas.
🕊️ La guerra no es la respuesta.
🌍 El imperio no es paz.
❤️ Primero la humanidad.
🇫🇷 Français : On ne peut pas bombarder vers la paix
Oui, l’autoritarisme est dangereux. Mais la guerre est mille fois pire.
En Iran, les États-Unis et le Royaume-Uni ont renversé un dirigeant démocratique en 1953 pour le pétrole. Cela a installé une dictature sanglante, préparant le terrain pour la révolution islamique de 1979.
En Palestine, l’oppression se poursuit depuis des décennies. Gaza vit sous blocus. La punition collective n’est jamais justifiable. C’est un crime.
Les guerres américaines ont détruit des régions entières sous prétexte de liberté. Mais la paix n’arrive jamais par les missiles.
🕊️ La guerre n’est pas la solution.
🌍 L’empire n’est pas la paix.
❤️ L’humanité d’abord.
The Indigenous perspective on the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) in British Columbia is deeply rooted in the history of colonialism, displacement, and economic exploitation. While some Indigenous nations engaged in trade with HBC and adapted to new materials and technologies, the long-term impact of the company's presence was largely destructive to Indigenous ways of life, sovereignty, and well-being.
HBC and the Fur Trade: Economic Exploitation
From the late 1700s to the mid-1800s, HBC trading posts in BC—such as Fort Langley (1827), Fort Victoria (1843), and Fort Kamloops (1812)—became central to the fur trade economy. Indigenous communities, including the Coast Salish, Nuu-chah-nulth, and Interior Nations, initially engaged in trade as an extension of their own economies, exchanging furs for metal tools, guns, blankets, and other goods.
However, HBC's monopoly over trade resulted in economic dependency. Traditional Indigenous economies, which had been based on subsistence and sustainable trade networks, were disrupted. Overhunting led to the depletion of beaver and other fur-bearing animals, and by the mid-19th century, Indigenous trappers were forced into wage labor or reliance on HBC stores for survival.
Disease, Smallpox, and Population Collapse
The introduction of European diseases, especially smallpox, had a catastrophic impact on Indigenous nations. The most devastating outbreak in BC occurred in 1862, wiping out an estimated 60–90% of some Indigenous populations. Oral histories and some historical records suggest that HBC traders and settlers were complicit in knowingly spreading disease. While direct evidence of HBC distributing infected blankets is debated, the company benefited from Indigenous depopulation, as it facilitated colonial expansion and land acquisition for British settlers.
Land Theft and Dispossession
HBC was instrumental in facilitating the British Crown's claim over Indigenous lands in BC. The company held immense power, acting not just as a business but as a governing force. When the British government established the Colony of British Columbia in 1858, HBC’s trading posts became colonial administrative centers, reinforcing European land claims. The creation of reserves and the denial of Indigenous land rights can be traced, in part, to the economic and political structures HBC helped establish.
For example, Fort Victoria, originally an HBC outpost, became the center of British colonial rule on Vancouver Island. The Douglas Treaties (1850–1854) were signed with some Indigenous groups under coercive and misleading terms, securing land for settler development while promising hunting and fishing rights that were later ignored.
HBC Blankets: A Symbol of Trade and Trauma
HBC’s multi-stripe wool blanket is an iconic product, but its legacy is deeply tied to Indigenous suffering. While many Indigenous nations traded for these blankets, and they became part of cultural and ceremonial practices, they are also associated with smallpox and colonial trade exploitation. Today, some Indigenous artists and activists reclaim HBC blankets as a form of resistance, incorporating them into art that critiques colonial history.
Modern Indigenous Perspectives and Resistance
Today, many Indigenous scholars and activists view HBC as a symbol of colonial oppression. The sale of the downtown Vancouver HBC store to an Indigenous-led development group was seen as a moment of reclamation, highlighting the resilience of Indigenous governance. However, there is still deep frustration over how HBC and other colonial institutions have profited from Indigenous lands and labor while offering little in return.
The Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) has a complex and often dark history in Canada, particularly in British Columbia. Founded in 1670 as a fur trading enterprise, HBC played a major role in colonization, Indigenous displacement, and economic expansion. While the company was once beloved for its department stores, its legacy is deeply tied to colonial exploitation.
HBC’s Colonial History in BC
Before British Columbia became a province in 1871, HBC controlled vast territories in the Pacific Northwest through its trading posts. Fort Vancouver (1825) and later Fort Langley (1827) were key in the fur trade, bringing European goods to Indigenous communities while extracting furs—mainly beaver pelts—for global markets. HBC essentially acted as a governing body in these regions, shaping early colonial policies and claiming lands without Indigenous consent.
Smallpox and Biological Warfare Allegations
One of the most controversial aspects of HBC’s history is the role it may have played in the spread of smallpox. Some historical accounts suggest that infected blankets were intentionally distributed to Indigenous communities as a form of biological warfare. While definitive proof linking HBC directly to this practice is debated, it is undeniable that European traders, settlers, and officials knowingly facilitated the spread of diseases that devastated Indigenous populations, with smallpox outbreaks in BC killing tens of thousands.
The Transition from Fur Trade to Retail Empire
By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, HBC shifted from fur trading to retail, opening stores across Canada, including in Vancouver and Victoria. These department stores became iconic, selling everything from clothing to home goods. The signature multi-stripe wool blanket, which originated in the 18th century as part of the fur trade, became a beloved Canadian symbol—despite its controversial historical associations.
The Decline of HBC Stores
Over the last few decades, HBC’s retail business struggled due to changing consumer habits, competition from global brands, and economic downturns. Many flagship locations in Canada, including in Vancouver, have closed or are being repurposed. The downtown Vancouver store, a historic landmark, was sold to an Indigenous-led developer in 2022, marking a significant shift in land ownership.
HBC’s Legacy in BC Today
The closure of HBC stores marks the end of an era, yet the company’s legacy continues to spark debate. Some view HBC as a historical institution that shaped Canada’s economy, while others see it as a symbol of colonialism and Indigenous oppression. The renewed interest in HBC blankets—whether for nostalgia or criticism—reflects the ongoing conversation about reconciliation and Canada’s colonial past.
History Repeats Itself: Vancouver’s Displacement of Indigenous People—From the 2010 Olympics to Ken Sim’s Leaked Memo
In 2010, as the world’s eyes turned to Vancouver for the Winter Olympics, the city’s most vulnerable residents—many of them Indigenous—were quietly forced out of sight. Fast forward to 2025, and a leaked memo from Mayor Ken Sim’s office reveals that history is repeating itself. The memo, which proposed relocating Indigenous people from the Downtown Eastside (DTES) back to their "home communities," echoes the same tactics used during the Olympic clean-up.
The 2010 Olympics: A Displacement Blueprint
Leading up to the Olympics, Vancouver underwent a so-called “beautification” process, which in reality meant the forced removal of unhoused people from the DTES. Indigenous residents, who are disproportionately affected by homelessness due to Canada’s ongoing colonial policies, were among the hardest hit.
SRO Evictions: Single-room occupancy (SRO) hotels, one of the last affordable housing options in the city, saw mass evictions as landlords converted units into short-term rentals for tourists.
"Red Zones" and Policing: Law enforcement heavily patrolled public spaces, handing out tickets and making arrests to push vulnerable people out of high-traffic areas.
Broken Housing Promises: Temporary shelters were offered as a short-term solution, but after the Olympics, many of these people were left without permanent housing.
Protests and Resistance: Indigenous groups and anti-poverty activists called out the injustice, arguing that the Olympic spectacle came at the cost of human rights.
The Olympics left a lasting legacy—not of unity, but of displacement and broken promises.
Ken Sim’s Memo: A Repeat of Colonial Policies?
In February 2025, a leaked memo from Ken Sim’s office proposed a "Re-unification roundtable" with Indigenous groups to discuss relocating Indigenous DTES residents to their home communities. The idea was framed as a solution to homelessness, but in reality, it mirrors past efforts to remove Indigenous people from public spaces without addressing the root causes of their displacement.
Indigenous leaders and community advocates immediately pushed back:
BC Assembly of First Nations (BCAFN) condemned the proposal, calling it a “slap in the face” to reconciliation.
Community groups in the DTES warned that this approach would only further marginalize people without providing real solutions.
Critics pointed out that many Indigenous people in Vancouver moved there due to a lack of jobs, education, healthcare, and housing in their home communities—sending them back doesn’t solve anything.
This policy fits into a long history of colonial displacement tactics. From the forced removal of Indigenous children into residential schools to the Sixties Scoop and ongoing land dispossession, Canada has repeatedly tried to erase Indigenous presence from urban spaces.
What Can We Do?
Demand Accountability: The city must be transparent about its policies regarding homelessness and Indigenous residents. There should be no backroom deals on issues affecting people’s lives.
Push for Real Solutions: Indigenous-led housing initiatives, culturally safe services, and long-term support are needed—not forced relocation.
Support Indigenous Advocacy Groups: Organizations fighting for housing rights in Vancouver need public support. Groups like the Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) and the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre (DEWC) are on the frontlines.
Expose Gentrification Tactics: Vancouver’s housing crisis isn’t just about affordability—it’s about who gets pushed out and who profits. We must challenge policies that prioritize real estate interests over people’s rights.
History doesn’t have to repeat itself—unless we let it.
The same city that pushed Indigenous people out for the Olympics is now trying to do it again under the guise of "helping" them. It’s time to call out these colonial tactics and demand justice, housing, and respect for Indigenous people in Vancouver.
Will we allow another Olympic-style displacement, or will we finally say enough?
Do you ever feel really small and think what can I do. Are you tired?
I am. Sometimes I feel like I want to quit this blog but then I read something and I think...this needs a voice. I am small, right now I am poor and at the end of the month homeless, I am single mom of a beautiful 15 year old girl and this fentanyl crisis is freaking me out. I haven't personally lost any friends or family to this crisis but I do know many who have and it's devastating. Any loss of life is devastating. GRIEF! Been there.
I come up with all these cRaZy thoughts and my kids says "what are you on?" Nothing! I just have these ideas that pop into my head. Insights! Right now to me, it feels like this Fentanyl crisis is very similar to the small pox epidemic. Many people don't really know about it, we are just learning more as those enlightened enough delve into the muddy waters of so called "Reconciliation."
We are losing so many lives on the DTES (everywhere) but the stats are showing it's a high percentage of First Nation women. The matriarchs! These poor souls who have suffered so much already from the legacy of the Residential schools, from being in Foster Care, from being pushed aside and forgotten by society..these single moms, these children, homeless, preyed upon by other sick souls and the very government that is supposedly elected to protect used and abused them and just single parents in general. OUR SOCIETY IS REALLY F*KED UP!!
IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE THIS WAY! I could go on a long rant about how we are supposed to be hunters and gatherers and 200 years ago, at this time of year huge amounts of salmon would be arriving and the men would be helping fishing and women would be cleaning, drying the salmon. The women would be harvesting berries, the women would be gathering roots and making cedar clothes. Everyone would be working and getting ready for winter. Everyone had a job, home, and love...NOT LIKE NOW!!
Am I making any sense? Women had women to rely on. They had children but they could find their own food and if you study anthropology- is they provided most of the diet. But in today's women, especially single moms are treated like shit. Either you work yourself to death and have someone else raise your child (i.e. lovely hard working Philipino nanny ) and your kid has her morals, not yours...because you weren't there...or you have to live in precarious oppressive situations or God forbid the government swoops in and steals your child.
Why do you think these women are using drugs. To numb the pain of all that I just mentioned.
Enter Fentanyl. BIG PHARMA!
This is going to be a long rant, you might want to get a coffee and some kind of treat because this is ugly shit and not nice to talk about but I need to vent here and if you want to stick around well, I hope I enlighten you or if you are already maybe you can share.
My arms are already sore from typing...I've got tendonitis, so I can't type to much for to long. It's why I can't take many labour jobs, it's why I should be on disability but disability is as evil and de-humanizing as welfare. It's not enough to live on, proving your poor is humility, proving you can't actually work is even more exhausting and depressing and I refuse to grovel to the government- unknown entities who see you as a number and can dismiss you with a keystroke. So many suffer from this useless system. And Christy Clark, thank god she's gone she help propel this shit to the level it is. And John Horgan, while I love what you have been doing so far, $100 extra month is NOTHING!! NOTHING!! NOTHING!! NOTHING!! NOTHING!! NOTHING!!
WE NEED BASIC INCOME NOW FOR ALL SINGLE PARENTS!!!
(and tiny houses on all the streets, close them, hook the houses up to street facilities, plant gardens everywhere, shut down all the shipping and shit, use local only, clean up the harbour, bring back OUR SALMON, teach our kids how to survive with no F*CKNG electricity, because WHEN THAT SOLAR STORM, earthquake, Tsunami, hurricane, flood, or god forbid MOON misses the U.S. and hits us...help our child have some sort of tools to survive.. even if it's just a few.. DO IT FOR OUR CHILDREN'S CHILDREN)
whew! breathe...1, 2, 3... That feels a little better. I needed to vomit that all up! BLAK!
Last night on the news this lady was saying about all these kids in OTTAWA starting back to school and they were afraid for them. One mom said that when she was young if you smoked a joint it wasn't the end of the world..now maybe it is.
I remember when I was little... 12 ...my sister she gave me this book called GO ASK ALICE, it was supposed to warn me about drugs, because people were doing LSD and jumping off roofs and shit..in honesty ...it made me want to do drugs. Go figure!
DRUGS... WHAT ARE THEY? Let's talk about that for a minute.
My mom had open heart surgery when I was 14, she had all sorts of health issues, she may have had Lupus we don't know, she hurt all the time. She was on meds up the ying yang. She took prenizone, you know that one, it's evil. After she had been on it 10 years we read it caused all sorts of evil things. She died 10 years ago. GRIEF- remember I mentioned it above...hit me really hard. My mom was grieving for years. My dad took his life when I was 11 years old. She had 3 teens to raise, she had 4 kids but the oldest was already married and all that pressure took it's toll on them ...I remember mom saying to me...that she had to get a job or the welfare would take us. When my dad took his life there life insurance was void. My mom was an incredibly strong beautiful loving woman and she survived, she raised us and she got me through school even though I encountered some awful teachers and wanted to quit so bad. She survived another heart attack later on when my child was just 5 months. She hurt all the time and BIG PHARMA was pumping her full of drugs.
I remember near the end. I was so scared. I had had a falling out with my family, I had no money. My kids dad is Mexican, he is lucky he make $20 a day so he can't help...and we are not together, so I get nothing. I am on my own...anyways, I had social assistance when my kid was born up until 3. Then they were kicking me off so I figured out how to get into a Co-op, some really lovely people helped an I managed to move but I didn't want some people to know...I was just scared...scared all the time...just like so many of these single moms/dad, aunties, caring for kids...that the welfare system will come steal our kids and force them into some evil situation where they will be abused, used and preyed upon..(a lovely legacy of the residential school-(sarcasm here...I hope you realize).
Anyways, my mom was in terrible pain, she couldn't take alot of pain killers and she called an asked me could I please get her some medical marijuana...she was ready to try anything...and I was living in Nelson- and green was BC underground ecomony and how we survived the recession if you are clueless to such things. But I told her no. I was scared. I was so scared someone would see me and then I would lose my kid.
Why am I telling you all this? If you are still with me...Hello! Thanks for listening.
Drugs. They are F*KING EVIL. but what kind of drugs. In the sixties parents were afraid of LSD, in the 80's is was cocaine, in the 90's it was crack, in 2000 we were back to heroin (thanks to 9/11) and now it's a FENTANYL CRISIS!
Where's it coming from? I heard it's coming from China, ...the heroin is coming from Iraq, Iran, Afganistan...I don't know...somewhere like that, because of the wars, and it's coming up from Mexico and South America...along with cocaine.. all thanks to the lovely WAR ON DRUGS. War makes wars...just in a different way. NEGATIVE ENERGY FEEDS IT!
So if you looked back in history and at true Indigenous- hunting gathering societies, they all have medicinal herbs that the shamans/medicine man/woman/two-spirits/peoples gave to people who were dealing with GRIEF or some other kind of troubling event.
Did you ever see IN THE HEART OF THE WORLD. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRgTtrQOiR0 they warned us back in 1990's to take care, that we were screwing up the world and we better stop. They use the coca leaf to think well, to find answers to their problems, the shaman guides them.
So what's my point about all this. My point is where is the connection and disconnection.
Do you think that someone who has a home, food to eat, children to raise, is surrounded by loving people is going to turn to "drugs". Maybe is someone they love dies, or many and they are in grief the shaman would help them. But what is happening right now if you STEP BACK and LOOK at the big picture is that women are being thrown aside, their children must suffer the consquences and you have EVIL BIG PHARMA spewing forth it's vomit onto poor suffering souls.
The opiate crisis is at it's peak because doctors- (so called healers.. ya right) have been medicating people with DRUGS to stop chronic pain, to medicate (depression), to zombize (ADHD) our children...
Apparently dealers put a little bit of fentanyl in one packet so someone purposely od's leading users to thing that it's super high quality and they risk getting it because they want the best high. Doctors/BIG PHARMA created this issue by prescribing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxycodone
for pain. https://www.drugs.com/oxycontin.html
Is any of this making sense...it's what they did and our doing to our First Nations, especially our BEAUTIFUL STRONG MATRIARCHS, the women who fought so hard to raise strong young men and women to carry on. It's colonialism, yes, and the legacy of the residential schools and corporate greed, it's today's government and society using and abusing the most vulnerable..the women and children. They are wiping out the women, women who love the earth and wan to protect their mother. They are wiping out the mothers. https://tinawinterlik.blogspot.ca/2017/06/do-it-for-every-child-taken-june-is.html
HOW DO WE RISE? HOW DO WE CHANGE THIS? With art right? We resist, we share?
What else can I do at the moment. So this morning I came across the first article shared and thought what can I do, to give this man a voice, to give a voice to everyone who has lost someone they loved to this evilness. And that's why I made this post. So I am sharing. It's all I can do because I am having a hard time keeping my head above the water...I am trying not to drown...just as the mother, our beautiful mothers, and mother earth is drowning.
Use ART LIKE A DRUG!! Heal yourself, save your friends, RISE UP and let's take back the control. Let's save the mothers, grandmothers, children and let's SAVE MOTHER EARTH. She doesn't need us but I think she still loves us just like all your inhabitants, but if we keep hurting her, hurting each other, hurting ourselves..well she will hurt us..she won't mean to but she will just be protecting herself. Does that makes sense? Are you still here!! THANK YOU!
Thank you! If you have read even some of this page, thank you. I hope that teachers, parents, professors, doctors, everyone will read my page and share it and discuss what I am saying. We need to calm down, but we need to rise in a peace way. We need to reach out support and love one another.
In the video above Deepak Chopra says something about "we think we are outside of nature, we are not, we are part of nature, maybe if we calm down, nature will calm down" (not a direct quote, to tired to go get it)
BUT ISN'T IS OBVIOUS!
With all the awful energy, with the hate being spewed in the world, especially of late, no wonder the storms are getting bigger...yes our ignorance and disrespect of mother earth is causing climate change but you must get to a much higher level and step back and see it for what it is. Energy. We are all energy.. positive and negative energy...it has to go somewhere... how will we use that energy, our energy. One day our energy will go back into the earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust...let's call upon our ancestors, the positive energies of the universe to help us in this hour of need. Let's reach out and love one another, let's help each other. Do it for our children's children.
Sending love and light. I love you all. I love the water, the ocean, the dirt, the birds, the sacred cedar trees, the moon, the sun, I love everything and I ask you to think, eat and pray love like that book says. Be love today. Let's turn things around.
