This is the World I Want to Live In
Not a single person apprehensive about any other person
Boozhoo, indinawemaaganidog! Aaniin! That is to say hello, all of my relatives! Welcome to another edition of An Irritable Métis. We are careening toward the first big event related to IndigiPalooza MT (or IPFEST, because spelling it all out is hit and miss for me every time), the festival two friends and I are organizing in Missoula this coming August 1st and 2nd. So I am going to begin this newsletter with some information related to that, and close with something else, a brief mention that focuses on this simple statement:
Why would I want to cede any kind of emotional sovereignty to anyone in the ceremony of my everyday life?
– James Vukelich Kaagegaabaw
I’m grateful to any of you who read all the way to the bottom!
Finally, as always, as Irritable Activities ramp up your paid subscriptions are very helpful to ensure my freedom to be on the ground doing stuff like this, but never a requirement for any of the stuff I post here. Miigwech!
Friends, of course the “first big event” I mentioned above is this Native American Studies for Everyone course. Response has been tremendous and that means, given all proceeds are being donated to IPFEST, it has been a massive contributor to our fundraising efforts. The story of its imminent unfolding has been picked up in various outlets and some organizations have even chosen to sponsor attendees from within their organizations. That is huge! As someone who believes that learning about the shared history of Indigenous people and Settlers is key to any kind of mutually beneficial future for us and all of our relatives, I am stoked. I think people in every aspect of our community – citizens, public employees, politicians, legal folks, everyone – have a stake in learning this stuff and I am very grateful this opportunity exists and I am very excited about how it looks for the future.
The three of us coordinating IPFEST are truly blown away by the response.
Now I have to tell you that if you’ve been on the fence about signing up, time is running out! The deadline is this Friday to make it happen, quite possibly the day you are reading this newsletter if you jumped on it within the first 18 hours or so of me posting it, or maybe even (*gasp*) too late! I hope not. So let me show you a couple things you can look at if you’re still stroking your beard/braids/witch-hair/whatever and considering.
First, Nora Mabie rose to the occasion again and wrote a piece about the class for the Missoulian, paywalled of course, but conveniently printed to a PDF so you may view it HERE.
Second, Anna at Chickadee, who built the entire damn thing, put together a kind of FAQ to answer questions that folks have had, or may have, about how the whole thing will play out. For folks uncertain about how the class will unfold, I urge you to check it out. Again, a PDF is viewable HERE.
Friday, February 7th is the deadline for signing up. Not that I think this is the last time it will happen; I’m certain this is just the beginning. But if you want to be someone who can say, “I was there when….” then you best get with it.
As someone who believes that learning about the shared history of Indigenous people and Settlers is key to any kind of mutually beneficial future for us and all of our relatives, I am stoked.
General IPFEST Information
A couple hundred of you have signed up so far to receive updates via email as news unfolds about festival details. That first email went out just a couple days ago! You may view its contents HERE. Yeah, it’s still a little primitive because I did it and I tend to half-ass such things. It’s the information that is important, after all, and surprising to no one involved I already messed up one thing that will be corrected in the next edition. But if you want to be in the know, feel free to enter your email in the form provided at the IPFEST LANDING PAGE1 and you’ll be among the first to receive updates.
Super Book Sunday in Missoula!
Our friends at Fact & Fiction are holding their Super Book Sunday this week, February 9, and they are donating proceeds to IPFEST! Isn’t that awesome?! It should also be noted that the profits from the bit TURTLE ISLAND TOUR2 shirts they did to celebrate Becoming Little Shell have also been devoted to the festival. Indie bookstores, man, I’m telling you….
Here’s the info from the F&F website:
It's as the graphic says; buy a tote bag, fill it with books and support Indigipalooza!
We have all of our unsellable books from 2024 so please come splurge on them. We'll be at Draught Works from 12pm-4pm.
Event date:
Sunday, February 9, 2025 - 12:00pm to 4:00pm
Draught Works Brewery
915 Toole Ave
Missoula, MT 59802-4435
If you show up for the event, and you really ought to consider it, keep your eyes open for this poster. Feel free to chug a couple brewskies, grab a tote full of books, then hit that QR Code in the lower right….
Not Everything is Lost
I’ll probably have more to say about this in a future newsletter but for now, I want to share at least this much. For the last few weeks, it seems every email or interaction has begun with a comment to the tune of, “I hope you’re holding up/hanging in there/doing okay/et al with all the….” etc. Folks, I know some of you are struggling but honestly, I felt worse in the weeks leading up to the election for many reasons. What we are seeing unfold on a national level has been unfolding in Montana for a few years now. Yeah, the stakes are higher nationally but the targets are the same and the cruelty is the same and the cluelessness is the same and it sucks. Maybe I’m just conditioned to the constant threat and I’m over moping about it. I often feel invigorated. This is a time to rise up as much as we are able to and act in whatever way each of us is comfortable with. Not least importantly, and perhaps most, do you really want to give these a-holes rent free space in your brain? As my friend and relative James Vukelich Kaagegaabaw3 says in this Instagram reel, “Why would I want to cede any kind of emotional sovereignty to anyone in the ceremony of my everyday life?” Why indeed? What a thought to lean into. I love and am often inspired by this man, and I hope these simple words will maybe help you maintain your own day-to-day emotional sovereignty in your own ceremony of life. Do whatever you need to. Just don’t despair. We’re just getting started.
And Finally….
I also love this poem, from the mighty Naomi Shihab Nye via her book Honeybee:
Miigwech for hanging in there. Don’t forget we are all in this together. Draw strength from the courage of our multitude of comrades.
Also soon to be updated.
There’s discussion of another run of these when the paperback comes out this summer, so if you’re bummed you missed out, let me know in the comments as encouragement to do this….
Someone who has agreed to come to IPFEST, I might add.
Everything you wrote and shared affirms what I've been experiencing. I take heart, refusing to live in fear, doing what I can, knowing I am not alone and never was.
I was pretty stressed about the rise of White Supremacy again, but have calmed down some and making plans for battle. We protested here, testified at the county commissioners meeting (our "representatives" failed to consult us before offering the Metra for an internment camp!). I had to remind myself of my Freedom of Youth on the Blackfeet Rez. I didn't pay attention to politics then - few did. We were poor, but happy, with most of our needs met. It was FREEDOM! Unfortunately, now I know we can't ignore it, we have to fight back, but I won't let them have any time my life nor worry about their sick actions. I've been around enough to be good friends with Karma and she's a little pissed too. Interesting times! I refuse to live in fear, rather I will work to change minds and hearts and continue to build a loving community.