The Red Deal: Indigenous Action to Save Our Earth
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- Author：The Red Nation
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Summary
One-part visionary platform， one-part practical toolkit， the Red Deal is a platform that encompasses everyone， including non-Indigenous comrades and relatives who live on Indigenous land。 We—Indigenous， Black and people of color， women and trans folks， migrants， and working people—did not create this disaster， but we have inherited it。 We have barely a decade to turn back the tide of climate disaster。 It is time to reclaim the life and destiny that has been stolen from us and rise up together to confront this challenge and build a world where all life can thrive。 Only mass movements can do what the moment demands。 Politicians may or may not follow--it is up to them--but we will design， build， and lead this movement with or without them。
The Red Deal is a call for action beyond the scope of the US colonial state。 It’s a program for Indigenous liberation， life， and land—an affirmation that colonialism and capitalism must be overturned for this planet to be habitable for human and other-than-human relatives to live dignified lives。 The Red Deal is not a response to the Green New Deal， or a “bargain” with the elite and powerful。 It’s a deal with the humble people of the earth; a pact that we shall strive for peace and justice and a declaration that movements for justice must come from below and to the left。
The Red Deal is a call for action beyond the scope of the US colonial state。 It’s a program for Indigenous liberation， life， and land—an affirmation that colonialism and capitalism must be overturned for this planet to be habitable for human and other-than-human relatives to live dignified lives。 The Red Deal is not a response to the Green New Deal， or a “bargain” with the elite and powerful。 It’s a deal with the humble people of the earth; a pact that we shall strive for peace and justice and a declaration that movements for justice must come from below and to the left。
Reviews
Graham Cifelli
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One of the best and most relevant books I've read all year， I don't know how to review this but all I can say is that it inspired me in a way unlike anything else One of the best and most relevant books I've read all year， I don't know how to review this but all I can say is that it inspired me in a way unlike anything else 。。。more
Clare
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Our Ecosocialism Working Group is hosting a reading group on The Red Nation’s The Red Deal: Indigenous Action to Save Our Earth， and while I missed the first three sessions， I think I can make the fourth one and I do have the book， so I read it。 While the book group is split into multiple sessions， presumably for the purpose of maximally in-depth discussion， the book itself is pretty short and can be read in one sitting if you’re not too fidgety。 This is solidly a manifesto （although with a si Our Ecosocialism Working Group is hosting a reading group on The Red Nation’s The Red Deal: Indigenous Action to Save Our Earth， and while I missed the first three sessions， I think I can make the fourth one and I do have the book， so I read it。 While the book group is split into multiple sessions， presumably for the purpose of maximally in-depth discussion， the book itself is pretty short and can be read in one sitting if you’re not too fidgety。 This is solidly a manifesto （although with a side of “how to get started” advice）， and as such it lays out reasonably plainly where the authors stand and what they think we should do， but it does assume that the reader is already familiar with the basics of the political context the piece was written in， i。e。， it is not a baby’s first introduction to the general concept of ecosocialism， or Indigenous people existing， or what happened at Standing Rock。 This is fine; I figure they are probably correct that， even if a reader is new to organizing， they wouldn’t be reading this book if they didn’t already have minimal familiarity with the news。 That said it is a good 102-level introduction to Native issues here on Turtle Island and it does a really good job illustrating the links between decolonization and nearly every other major issue on the Left。 It was especially interesting to read in light of having just read Seeing Like a State， which goes into a lot of depth about the ways modern industrial agriculture and general capitalist land use has been economically disastrous， which paired perfectly with the discussions about capitalist extractivism vs。 Indigenous approaches to land stewardship。 Anyway as manifestos go it is a very good one; it’s got some clearly laid out demands， some history and analysis， and some practical organizing advice。 Definitely worth a read for anyone who wants to think seriously about climate change。Originally posted at Decolonization or extinction。 。。。more
Charlotte Piwowar
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Powerful， unapologetic， and inspiring
Simon Butler
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“It is our view that Indigenous people do not write enough。 And when we do， others rarely listen。 Why else would we be on the precipice of mass extinction？ If humanity were already following the guidance of Indigenous people， we would be in a much different situation and we would not have to write yet another program for liberation。” Part anti-capitalist manifesto and part practical call for action， The Red Deal is a call to ensure that the goals of decolonisation and Indigenous liberation ar “It is our view that Indigenous people do not write enough。 And when we do， others rarely listen。 Why else would we be on the precipice of mass extinction？ If humanity were already following the guidance of Indigenous people， we would be in a much different situation and we would not have to write yet another program for liberation。” Part anti-capitalist manifesto and part practical call for action， The Red Deal is a call to ensure that the goals of decolonisation and Indigenous liberation are fully incorporated into the radical campaigns to fight climate change and ecological breakdown。 Its authors state that it's not intended to be a counterproposal to the Green New Deal （which exists in various versions） but rather it's a program that goes beyond what has been offered so far。 Several times， The Red Deal points out that it also builds upon many of the political proposals for climate justice proposed in the critically important Cochabamba Peoples Agreement on Climate Change of 2010。 The Red Deal is a significant theoretical and practical contribution towards a safe ecological future。 “What we seek is a world premised on Indigenous values of interspecies responsibility and balance。 We seek to uplift knowledges， technologies， governance structures， and economic strategies that will make these values possible， in the immediate future and in the long term， and which always have the future health of the land at the centre of their design and implementation， Indigenous or not。 In this sense， decolonisation is for， and benefits， everyone。 It also needs our collective cooperation to succeed。” 。。。more
Joe
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A brief， potent program and rationale to save the planet that centers Indigenous sovereignty。 A necessary read to understand the limits of the Green New Deal and to sure as hell hammer home the potentially catastrophic insufficiencies of Biden-era quarter-measures。 "What if we created a system where the funds spent on imperialism in the form of defense and bank bailouts were redirected to heal the Earth by decolonizing the atmosphere and building a dignified future for our relatives in the Globa A brief， potent program and rationale to save the planet that centers Indigenous sovereignty。 A necessary read to understand the limits of the Green New Deal and to sure as hell hammer home the potentially catastrophic insufficiencies of Biden-era quarter-measures。 "What if we created a system where the funds spent on imperialism in the form of defense and bank bailouts were redirected to heal the Earth by decolonizing the atmosphere and building a dignified future for our relatives in the Global South？" （66）"Rather than allying with revolutionary movements in the Global South to overturn US imperialism once and for all， we argue on social media and academic panels about injury: who is more injured and who injures more。 This is entirely a First World discourse。 Movements outside the United States rarely traffic in the language of trauma and injury to develop political positions or tactics of organizing。 / What does it mean to take up healing as a revolutionary concept， one that transcends the neoliberal realm of individual trauma and allows us to imagine a world that prioritizes collective well-being and healthy relationships？" （111） 。。。more
Tiffany
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Decolonization or extinction。 Land back。 Capitalism and imperialism must die。 As The Red Nation says themselves， there are no "new" ideas in this book， but they are incredibly clear on the Indigenous demands that have been made for decades and centuries that we must follow if we are to restabilize our relationship to the planet。 That means for non-Native people like me to really think about what we are willing to （and have to） give up to make that happen， and what we must to fight behind and alo Decolonization or extinction。 Land back。 Capitalism and imperialism must die。 As The Red Nation says themselves， there are no "new" ideas in this book， but they are incredibly clear on the Indigenous demands that have been made for decades and centuries that we must follow if we are to restabilize our relationship to the planet。 That means for non-Native people like me to really think about what we are willing to （and have to） give up to make that happen， and what we must to fight behind and alongside Native people for decolonization。 。。。more
Warren Wagner
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this was a great primer on Native issues from a left & anti colonial perspective ！ it's written manifesto-style， so it's short， real easy to read and has lots of section demarcations。 it got kinda weird when it would discuss tactics because they obviously aren't anarchist but they didn't make clear what the specific relationship with the state should be while pursuing decolonization，， but that's partially beyond the scope of this book so i get it。 some parts i found most compelling and new to me this was a great primer on Native issues from a left & anti colonial perspective ！ it's written manifesto-style， so it's short， real easy to read and has lots of section demarcations。 it got kinda weird when it would discuss tactics because they obviously aren't anarchist but they didn't make clear what the specific relationship with the state should be while pursuing decolonization，， but that's partially beyond the scope of this book so i get it。 some parts i found most compelling and new to me were these sections:anti-imperialism — they beautifully connect how amerikan and canadian increases in oil production through fracking and new pipelines on Native land just drive down the price of oil which Indigenous-led socialist states like venezuela rely on to provide for their people。 it also talks about how even under the current progressive plans to pivot to green energy， the capitalist and imperial foundations mean that places like bolivia and the democratic republic of the congo would be plundered for metals like lithium and cobalt to build new solar tech while seeing almost no benefit。 they make the links between settler colonialism and imperialism very tangible and clearenforcement of treaty rights — they briefly describe the independent Native histories of diplomacy in north america， and how often， communities of animal life or bodies of water would be provided for as parties to treaties。 treaties between tribes were not as confrontational in nature as colonial treaties are， and as such would often provide for overlapping tribal jurisdictions of land and in general sharing instead of exclusivity thru borders and citizenship。 this gives context for existing treaties and how movements can use Native history to enforce a more expansive and liberatory program than the narrow ways in which settler states and courts view the treatiesbordertown violence — they talk a lot about how bordertowns （towns near/on the border of reservations with high Native and non-Native populations， often with non-Native being white oil or mine workers） are sites of increased policing， surveillance， cultural exploitation， and interpersonal settler violence against Native people。 they connect it to the history of violence on the amerikan 'frontier，' and show how new pipelines and other extractive economic developments inherently bring bordertowns， and the accompanying rampant sexual， interpersonal， state， and cultural violenceno more suicides — "[high rates of Native suicide] is not an issue that can be fixed through better services or suicide-prevention campaigns。 Studies show that suicide rates are lower in Native communities that have strong self-determination over land， education， health， and governance 。。。 [we know what works:] restore dignity and Indigenous values。 The only way this will happen is if everyone promotes decolonization， the return of Indigenous lands， and true self-determination for Indigenous people。" （pg 93） 。。。more
Siobhan
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EVERY。 PAGE。 IS。 BRILLIANT！！！！！！！！
Mary
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Eye-opening and timely， given how our current government is going to hell in a handbasket。 I like how this account offers not only suggestions on how to fix society’s ills （read: capitalism） but also practices that have actually worked with Natives， such as the People’s Tribunal。 This is a great alternative to prisons and cops， and as the book has argued time and again， carceral justice doesn’t solve the root of the problem。 In fact， it isn’t even justice at all。 For people wanting to learn more Eye-opening and timely， given how our current government is going to hell in a handbasket。 I like how this account offers not only suggestions on how to fix society’s ills （read: capitalism） but also practices that have actually worked with Natives， such as the People’s Tribunal。 This is a great alternative to prisons and cops， and as the book has argued time and again， carceral justice doesn’t solve the root of the problem。 In fact， it isn’t even justice at all。 For people wanting to learn more about abolishing the prison industrial complex， this is another good source。Then there is the Land Back movement。 It’s funny how Native practices in taking care of the land （among other things） were criminalized， like their burning practices， and now that California’s fire seasons have progressively gotten worse， government officials and scientists are now turning to Natives。 Almost as if Natives knew what they were doing the whole time。 😒One line that stuck with me: “What creates crisis cannot solve it。” 。。。more
Hayden Kesterson
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Clarified and established a lot of connections between different peoples' struggles and the actions of colonizers around the world。 I was also pleasantly surprised by how specific many sections got， and it gave me a lot to seek out and research， both as far as thinkers and organizations。 I did find that it didn't cite sources as rigorously as I would like and it was difficult for me to get used to the polyvocal style， where often paragraphs or sections didn't seem as clear or concise to me as ot Clarified and established a lot of connections between different peoples' struggles and the actions of colonizers around the world。 I was also pleasantly surprised by how specific many sections got， and it gave me a lot to seek out and research， both as far as thinkers and organizations。 I did find that it didn't cite sources as rigorously as I would like and it was difficult for me to get used to the polyvocal style， where often paragraphs or sections didn't seem as clear or concise to me as others。 Also， the multifaceted nature of a struggle for Indigenous liberation made the list of potential avenues for action and the different levels for struggle potentially contradictory （calling for revolution and for states to uphold UN agreements; denouncing police action as 'not good enough' while simultaneously pointing out the inherently colonial nature of the police and the need for their abolishment）。 Those minor critiques/confusions aside， this book is very important and I hope to lend it to many people as I follow the threads it has opened up for me！ 。。。more
Annie MacKillican
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This was a super quick read but mostly because I’m obsessed with it。 This book is a perfect example of how theory can be used an applied to tangible grassroots movements and how academic writing does not need to be full of jargon and inaccessible to the reader。 Broadly leftist work is only valuable if it seeks to serve the community， and this book does just that。 The Red Deal presents us with a problem; that we as human beings face either total extinction in the next 30 years， or else we must de This was a super quick read but mostly because I’m obsessed with it。 This book is a perfect example of how theory can be used an applied to tangible grassroots movements and how academic writing does not need to be full of jargon and inaccessible to the reader。 Broadly leftist work is only valuable if it seeks to serve the community， and this book does just that。 The Red Deal presents us with a problem; that we as human beings face either total extinction in the next 30 years， or else we must decolonize and put an end to US imperialism。 What follows is 150 pages outlining exactly what needs to happen in order for us to save the planet and save ourselves。 The Red Deal frames every social issue as a climate issue; prison abolition， housing justice， food sovereignty， and more。 By framing these discussions in the context of climate destruction， it places the responsibility on all of us， not just the marginalized communities who bear the brunt of the effects。 This is a fantastic read that I seriously recommend to everyone， whether you are a science person， a community organizer， or just someone who likes to read。 I would teach a class on this book。 That’s how important I feel it is。 But of course， it’s only as important as the movements that follow this book。 Channel your energy into supporting decolonizing efforts， and put the theory to work。 。。。more
Zach Carter
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A great and accessible introduction to the principles of decolonization and how it relates to the crucial and urgent task of saving the planet。 This wasn't an abstract theory about climate change--they gave very specific and important policies and actions that we have to take， relying on centuries of indigenous knowledge， relations to the earth， and opposition to capitalism and imperialism。 I wish there was more in the last section， Heal our Planet， because it was the most clear connection betwe A great and accessible introduction to the principles of decolonization and how it relates to the crucial and urgent task of saving the planet。 This wasn't an abstract theory about climate change--they gave very specific and important policies and actions that we have to take， relying on centuries of indigenous knowledge， relations to the earth， and opposition to capitalism and imperialism。 I wish there was more in the last section， Heal our Planet， because it was the most clear connection between the need for decolonization and combatting climate change， but it was the smallest of the three sections。 Otherwise a very valuable， short book that I recommend everyone buy and pass around their communities。 。。。more
Viola
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https://roarmag。org/essays/the-red-de。。。The Red Deal is a manifesto and movement — borne of Indigenous resistance and decolonial struggle — to liberate all peoples and save our planet。 The Red Nation（This is an abridged excerpt of the introduction to The Red Deal: Indigenous Action to Save Our Earth by The Red Nation， originally published at the Progressive International’s Wire。Photo: Rena Schild / Shutterstock。com）Colonialism has deprived Indigenous people， and all people who are affected by it https://roarmag。org/essays/the-red-de。。。The Red Deal is a manifesto and movement — borne of Indigenous resistance and decolonial struggle — to liberate all peoples and save our planet。 The Red Nation（This is an abridged excerpt of the introduction to The Red Deal: Indigenous Action to Save Our Earth by The Red Nation， originally published at the Progressive International’s Wire。Photo: Rena Schild / Shutterstock。com）Colonialism has deprived Indigenous people， and all people who are affected by it， of the means to develop according to our needs， principles and values。 It begins with the land。 We have been made “Indians” only because we have the most precious commodity to the settler states: land。 Vigilante， cop and soldier often stand between us， our connections to the land and justice。 “Land back” strikes fear in the heart of the settler。 But as we show here， it’s the soundest environmental policy for a planet teetering on the brink of total ecological collapse。 The path forward is simple: it’s decolonization or extinction。 And that starts with land back。In 2019， the mainstream environmental movement — largely dominated by middle- and upper-class liberals of the Global North — adopted as its symbolic leader a teenage Swedish girl who crossed the Atlantic in a boat to the Americas。 But we have our own heroes。 Water protectors at Standing Rock ushered in a new era of militant land defense。 They are the bellwethers of our generation。 The Year of the Water Protector， 2016， was also the hottest year on record and sparked a different kind of climate justice movement。Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez， herself a water protector， began her successful bid for Congress while in the prayer camps at Standing Rock。 With Senator Ed Markey， she proposed a Green New Deal in 2019。 Standing Rock， however， was part of a constellation of Indigenous-led uprisings across North America and the US-occupied Pacific: Dooda Desert Rock （2006）， Unist’ot’en Camp （2010）， Keystone XL （2011）， Idle No More （2012）， Trans Mountain （2013）， Enbridge Line 3 （2014）， Protect Mauna Kea （2014）， Save Oak Flat （2015）， Nihígaal Bee Iiná （2015）， Bayou Bridge （2017）， O’odham Anti-Border Collective （2019）， Kumeyaay Defense Against the Wall （2020）， and 1492 Land Back Lane （2020）， among many more。Each movement rises against colonial and corporate extractive projects。 But what’s often downplayed is the revolutionary potency of what Indigenous resistance stands for: caretaking and creating just relations between human and other-than-human worlds on a planet thoroughly devastated by capitalism。 The image of the water protector and the slogan “Water is Life！” are catalysts of this generation’s climate justice movement。 Both are political positions grounded in decolonization—a project that isn’t exclusively about the Indigenous。 Anyone who walked through the gates of prayer camps at Standing Rock， regardless of whether they were Indigenous or not， became a water protector。 Each carried the embers of that revolutionary potential back to their home communities。Water protectors were on the frontlines of distributing mutual aid to communities in need throughout the pandemic。 Water protectors were in the streets of Seattle， Portland， Minneapolis， Albuquerque and many other cities in the summer of 2020 as police stations burned and monuments to genocide collapsed。 The state responds to water protectors — those who care for and defend life — with an endless barrage of batons， felonies， shackles and chemical weapons。 If they weren’t before， our eyes are now open: the police and the military， driven by settler and imperialist rage， are holding back the climate justice movement。THE RED DEALThe Green New Deal （GND）， which looks and sounds like ecosocialism， offers a real chance at galvanizing popular support for both。 While anticapitalist in spirit and paying lip service to decolonization， it must go further — and so too must the movements that support it。That’s why The Red Nation initiated the Red Deal in 2019， focusing on Indigenous treaty rights， land restoration， sovereignty， self-determination， decolonization and liberation。 We don’t envision it as a counterprogram to the GND， but rather going beyond it。 It is “red” because it prioritizes Indigenous liberation and a revolutionary left position。 As we show in the following pages， this platform isn’t just for Indigenous people。The GND has the potential to connect every social justice struggle — free housing， free health care， free education， green jobs — to climate change。 Likewise， the Red Deal places anticapitalism and decolonization as central to each social justice struggle， as well as climate change。 The necessity of such a program is grounded in both the history and future of this land， and it entails the radical transformation of all social relations between humans and the Earth。What follows is a plan of collective climate action based on four principles that we developed after extensive conversation， dialogue and feedback from Indigenous and non-Indigenous community members， comrades， relatives and fellow travelers:1。 What Creates Crisis Cannot Solve ItDivestment was a popular strategy during the #NoDAPL uprising in 2016。 Water protectors called upon the masses to divest from the financial institutions subsidizing the pipeline。 The Red Deal continues this call for divestment from fossil fuel industries， but we go one step further。 We draw from Black abolitionist traditions to call for divestment from carceral institutions like police， prisons， the military and border imperialism in addition to divestment from fossil fuels。2。 Change from Below and to the LeftIt is important to remember that the GND was possible only because its main proponent， Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez， became politicized by the #NoDAPL uprising。 Indigenous people are， and have always been， at the forefront of the struggle for climate justice。 We will not back down from the GND’s demands for a dignified life， nor will we back down from centering the leadership of Indigenous people in this fight。 In fact， we must go further。 We must throw the full weight of people power behind these demands for a dignified life。 People power is the organized force of the masses — a movement to reclaim our humanity and rightful relations with the Earth。 People power will not only topple empire， but it will build a new world from the ashes; a world where many worlds fit。3。 Politicians Can’t Do What Only Mass Movements DoStates protect capital and its caretakers: the ruling class。 They do not protect the people。 Reformists who appeal to the state for change compromise our future by aligning with the interests of the ruling class。 We refuse to compromise。 But we do believe in reform — just a different kind， a non-reformist reform that doesn’t limit the possibility of what the status quo offers， but which fundamentally challenges the existing structure of power by prioritizing， organizing and elevating the needs and demands of the masses。We don’t want to improve the system by implementing policies from the top down， we want to destroy it — either by fire or a million small cuts — in order to replace it。 Our philosophy of reform is thus to reallocate social wealth back to those who actually produce it: workers， the poor， Indigenous peoples， women， migrants， caretakers of the land， and the land itself。 The restoration of social wealth means the empowerment of those who have been dispossessed。 Social wealth can be restored by building a mass movement that has the power and leverage to reclaim resources from the ruling class and redistribute them to the dispossessed。4。 From Theory to ActionFrom the White House to CEOs of multinational corporations， bosses run the world and plunder without challenge。 Given the staggering amount of destruction and death just a few individuals inflict on billions， it is strange that no unified left has emerged in the Global North to pose a real threat to the bosses。 We have witnessed in the last handful of years massive grassroots rebellions against the fossil fuel industry， police violence， racist immigration policies and labor exploitation， yet nothing has coalesced into a unified mass movement。 We believe that struggling for non-reformist reforms to restore the health of our bodies and the Earth will serve as the most powerful vehicle for building a mass movement — fast — that can take on the bosses。 But we cannot simply be against something — we must be for something。We will construct our own policies out of grassroots action that seeks to caretake and support one another。 Through organizing around non-reformist reforms for housing， food security and sovereignty， domestic and gender violence justice， suicide prevention， land restoration and more， we can and will build infrastructures of liberation。 As the Black Panther Party decided at a certain juncture in its history， The Red Nation realizes we must undertake realistic and principled actions now that will help build our cumulative capacity for revolution in the future。 We must not turn away from the truth: we do not yet possess the capacity for revolution， otherwise we would have seen a unified mass movement come out of the remarkable revolutionary energy of the past decade。 And yet， we have very little time to get there。 This is the contradiction and the duty of our generation: decolonization or extinction。Liberation isn’t a theory， it’s a necessity and a right that belongs to the humble people of the Earth。 How will we make it happen？ We will not turn away from opportunities to organize， agitate and build people power in spaces of state surveillance like prisons， child services， hospitals and classrooms that are designed to dehumanize and disempower the people。 The state sets its targets on poor and working-class people because it knows they pose the greatest threat to its existence。 We will not let the state steal our relatives or gut our power any longer。 We must swarm the state， inside and out， multiplying the threat by millions until it crumbles。Our non-reformist reforms will come in many forms。 They will look like grassroots Indigenous seed bank networks where thousands of sustainable farmers share， trade and feed their communities。 They will look like successful runs for city council elections where left candidates implement a people’s platform for climate and social justice at city and municipal levels。 They will look like land back camps or tribal council resolutions that reject colonial water settlements by banding with other Indigenous nations to blockade all government and corporate efforts to commodify water。 Whatever form they take， we must simply get to work。The Red Nation++++++The Red Nation is dedicated to the liberation of Native peoples from capitalism and colonialism and centers Native political agendas and struggles through direct action， advocacy and education。 We are a coalition of Native and non-Native activists， educators， students and community organizers advocating Native liberation。 We formed to address the marginalization and invisibility of Native struggles within mainstream social justice organizing， and to foreground the targeted destruction and violence towards Native life and land。 。。。more
Peter
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A collectively authored pierce that is mandatory reading。 Pick it up， read it， pass it around， discuss and act。
Jollene
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