[E-rundbrief] Info 1859 - Mother Earth - COVID-19 IEN-Statement

[Matthias Reichl]

E-Rundbrief Info 1859 - Indigenous Environmental Network: IEN COVID-19 
Statement. IEN COVID-19 spreads across Mother Earth - Tough challenges 
for Indigenous nations and communities...

Bad Ischl, 28.3.2020

Begegnungszentrum für aktive Gewaltlosigkeit

www.begegnungszentrum.at

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Indigenous Environmental Network

IEN COVID-19 Statement

https://www.ienearth.org/ien-covid-19-statement/

We are in a unique and unexpected moment. As the pandemic known as 
COVID-19 spreads across Mother Earth, many of our Indigenous nations 
and communities are being faced with some tough challenges.  As the 
staff of the Indigenous Environmental Network, we wish to encourage 
our network members, native nations and communities to stand strong to 
their teachings and prepare for this global issue that is COVID-19.

In line with this point our leadership team and executive director 
have declared all non-essential travel for IEN employees and 
contractors to be restricted, until at least April 30th. This travel 
restriction may be extended based on the discretion of the IEN 
Leadership Team and Executive Director. During these times of 
uncertainty, IEN has also postponed our Protecting Mother Earth 
Conference to a later date. Despite employee travel restrictions, IEN 
will remain open and our employees will continue to work remotely to 
serve our network and work with our allies.

To put it bluntly, this is a new strain of coronavirus that is very 
infectious and needs to be taken seriously. But it does not need to 
cause panic.

Best Up-to-Date Sources for COVID-19 Information:

     Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/
     World Health Organization: https://www.who.int/
     Indian Health Service: https://www.ihs.gov

For more local information please seek out your area Tribal, local and 
state health departments

As for you, our friends and relatives, members and affiliates, 
accomplices and allies, we wish to share the following thoughts:

How we center our Indigenous Knowledge in the response to COVID-19 is 
as important as where we get our information about COVID-19.

While we are concerned about how Indigenous nations and communities 
are going to continue their way of life, utilizing their respective 
values based upon Indigenous Knowledge, we also recognize and honor 
the extreme resiliency that our peoples have always demonstrated 
during times of crisis. With that in mind, we at the Indigenous 
Environmental Network offer the following four principles:

Ceremony: There are many stories and prophecies in our respective 
traditions and spiritual ways that can give guidance in difficult 
times.  We encourage the utilization of Ceremony and the teachings 
associated with them to provide guidance and comfort. Stress is a 
known cause of weakened immune systems, and this in turn makes people 
more vulnerable to getting COVID-19 in a way that is more severe. 
Panic is a form of stress.

Caution: Standard practices for preventing the transmission of viruses 
  such as social distancing and personal hygiene have been well 
communicated by health care experts, and we urge you to take all 
recommended precautions and to be very careful in taking care of 
yourselves and your family members, and to also seek help if the 
COVID-19 symptoms become present.   To be clear, as a new virus 
amongst humans, there is no natural immunity, so if a person comes 
into contact with it, they will get COVID-19. Some in their early 
adulthood have become critically ill, and those over 60 and with 
pre-existing underlying conditions are particularly vulnerable. In 
consideration of others it is important that proper respect is given 
to those most vulnerable and that caution is exercised.  Indigenous 
Peoples have a higher proportion of our population with underlying 
conditions, stress levels, and other factors to take into account, due 
to colonization and present societal marginalization. Being 
considerate of others even if not in a high-risk category is an 
important step in slowing the spread of COVID-19.

The purpose of social distancing is to slow its advance into 
communities so as not to overwhelm the healthcare system and cause its 
collapse.  This is especially true of remote rural communities where 
many of our Peoples live.

Community: Despite the fact that we must heed warnings of social 
distancing,  this does not mean people should be fearful of all 
interactions. In many Indigenous communities, this is not even 
possible. Those who come into contact with the COVID-19 virus will 
become ill or and can become a carrier, but this doesn’t mean we 
cannot maintain our connection to our communities.   The need for 
social distancing should not be taken lightly, but the importance of 
checking on our families and elders in creative ways is important. We 
have built a movement of resilience and strength and we cannot lose 
our sense of connection to each other in this moment. It’s time to 
call your elders to hear those stories you miss or to video chat your 
auntie for that wojapi recipe you have been meaning to make.

Compassion: It is easy to blame others for this.  It is easy to only 
think of ourselves in this pandemic.  It is easy to panic, buy and 
hoard. It is easy to think that everyone for themselves is the way 
forward.  We reject these colonized behaviors. In times of crisis, it 
is important that we act with compassion, putting the needs of the 
most vulnerable first, caring for those who are sick or might become 
sick, and ensuring that we look after one another.  Make sure everyone 
in the community has someone to check in on them and that they have 
enough to eat and to keep warm. Be compassionate. Reject fear, hatred, 
and racial profiling. Organize and advocate for protections and 
safeguards for our frontline health and community workers, our 
undocumented relatives, our houseless and our incarcerated brothers 
and sisters, and for the less physically or mentally able members of 
our human family.

We are also mindful of the economic hardships that are now even worse 
for our lower income and working class relatives and we demand that 
our governments and community leaders pass and uphold laws for free 
access to healthcare and testing, paid sick leave, job and eviction 
protection, unemployment benefits, economic relief resources with 
local leadership at the helm, and other demands that our social 
justice movement alliances have articulated.

We hope these four “C”s can be of help.  We encourage Indigenous 
nations and communities to develop Emergency Preparedness plans.  Some 
have them and many do not. In the coming days please go to the IEN 
website where we will have links to some of the planning tools.

IEN was born of hope, courage and common vision.  During this time of 
great upheaval and hardship we remain optimistic in the face of fear 
and we remain committed to justice in the face of new threats.  We 
also continue to hold in our collective hearts and minds a beautiful 
vision for the health and wellbeing of our Indigenous peoples, our 
Mother Earth, and the full Circle of Life.


-- 

     Matthias Reichl, Pressesprecher/ press speaker,
     Begegnungszentrum fuer aktive Gewaltlosigkeit
     Center for Encounter and active Non-Violence
     Wolfgangerstr. 26, 4820 Bad Ischl, Austria,
     fon: +43 6132 24590, Informationen/ informations,
     Impressum in: http://www.begegnungszentrum.at