The form below is for Settlers who are interested in participating in the Creation of the 2RowFlow Cultural Commons. Currently, we are seeking Settlers to participate in User Research that can be used to build this cultural commons. This user research will be utilized in the design of the commons. If are willing to give some of your time and attention to answering questions relevant to this cultural commons and to give suggestions and feedback on designs it would be appreciated. This research will help us build a prototype that will serve the needs of the Settlers, who will make up half of the equation on this site. Once we feel confident that Settlers are ready to engage with First Peoples we will reach out to individuals in their communities and ask for their participation which will be conducted in a similar process in order to support the design of the First Peoples experience on this commons.
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This commons will be designed to facilitate a dialogue between Settlers and First Peoples so that we can better understand each others Laws, Customs and Ways. We begin with research on the Settler users as their dominant way of being is anchored in RACISM. No Settler can escape this fact, this is the history of White People and this fact must be acknowledged before we can participate in honest conversations with First People. We do not want First Peoples who join this commons to be subjected to more of the same trauma that we see and hear on Facebook or Twitter and in the comment sections of media sites on a daily basis. Ignorance and white fragility are not going to work here. While we know that working to update our consciousness about our Racist Laws, Customs and Ways is hard and is a life long process, we desire that you be prepared to listen to issues of racial injustice and not melt down. After a century and a half of White Colonial Rule in Canada the foundation of racism is hard to escape. However, we feel that it would be a REVOLUTIONARY act to simply work at changing that dynamic over time. By doing so begin to be better Treaty People and to settle our Collective Karmic Debt: our failure to uphold our obligations as treaty people and defend Indigenous Rights.
The definition of a Settler is those whose family were early immigrants in western Canada or Rupert’s Land or in eastern Canada. For example: "Those who were French, Scots, and English Adventurers & Explorers. British immigration to Canada was high from 1815 to 1850. By 1900, there were 150,000 German pioneer settlers in western Canada. Between 1870 and 1880 several thousand Mennonites came from Russia. It is believed by many that individual Ukrainian families may have settled in southern Manitoba in the 1870s alongside blocks of Mennonites and other Germans from the Russian Empire."
This nation was founded in The Royal Proclamation and First Peoples Law. The Treaties were signed by both Settlers & First Peoples, it is our duty to uphold them. That was then. This is NOW. The other element that is key in engaging in and building real relationships with First Peoples is the understanding that since the first treaty was broken until today the system of RACISM designed and engineered by White Settler Colonial cultures of South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, USA and Canada are in full effect and we, as Settlers and citizens of Canada are fully socialized and programmed by them. This system of racism, of separation and of hatred (Apartheid) is baked into all our laws, customs and ways. First Peoples know this. Few Settlers will acknowledge this but unless you are prepared to do so you are not a good candidate for this commons. Word. This commons is an opportunity for First People to educate us on their Laws, Customs and Ways and for those Settlers who have dealt with the TRUTH of a white history based on the social construct of White Supremacy to listen and learn to be good allies. If you are still interested in participating please fill out the form below. Note that we will not share your data and are compliant with Canadian Data Privacy.