A few years back, CWIS fellow and Yakama Nation elder Russell Jim told of his youth and his rescue by his aunt from government run Indian boarding schools in the United States. Describing the humiliating experience designed to denigrate his indigenous heritage and longhouse spiritual traditions, Russell recalled his aunt’s determination to protect him, even if that meant living in the mountains as outlaws.
In this issue of Upside Down World, Jessica Davies reports on the Zapatista Autonomous Education Project in Chiapas, Mexico. As a collective experience in education for the public good, the project reflects the cultural and intellectual practices of the indigenous peoples of the region.
As a rejection of state-sponsored education as domination, the Zapatista education project has endured horrendous abuse by local, state and federal authorities. Yet, despite violence and deprivations by these authorities, the Zapatistas remain steadfast in pursuing free education for free minds.
The library is dedicated to the memory of Secwepemc Chief George Manuel (1921-1989), to the nations of the Fourth World and to the elders and generations to come.
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