Nations and Identities
Fall 2008



Canada    -    India    -    Mexico


























Mexico- Letter Home
Fall 2008

After the pace of India, and the 50 hours in transit, arriving in Oaxaca with the knowledge that we were largely going to stay put for the whole five weeks was met with relief. A smiling Gustavo Esteva, the program director and main country coordinator of Mexico, met us at the airport, along with the bubbly Luisa Hermàndez who was to be our compañera for the trip.

We were introduced to our host families whom we were to live with for most of our next five-week stay. This was another interested linguistic experience, as at least half of us had little to no Spanish speaking abilities. Frustrating, funny and a fantastic learning experience – it is amazing how much can be said with just a few simple words and some inventive acting. We conveniently arrived on the Festival de Muertos (Festival of the Dead). This is probably the most significant annual religious celebration for Mexicans. It is a time when people remember the dead, visit their graves and create elaborate shrines with all their deceased loved ones favorite foods and possessions. It was also a cultural extravaganza, involving markets, street art and performances and Guelaguetza.

In the last letter home we finished with the question that was left in our minds after the India program: How do we engage with imagining another way of the world, here and now, given all these issues? and the hope that we would engage with this question in Mexico. Well, we were not disappointed. There was no shortage of challenging, inspiring, and sometimes frightening (but mostly hopeful) ideas in the Mexico program.

The very ideological ground on which we stood was shaken by the multiple earthquakes of critiques, and then piece by piece we began to rebuild these foundations with the building blocks of alternatives. Therefore most of this letter will be comprised of the amazing ideas that we encountered and explored.

Most our time was spent at the Universidad de la Tierra (also the office of the CEDI), which was hosting us on our stay here in Oaxaca. The Unitierra is an open learning centre where people come to learn whatever they want to learn, and is based on an apprenticeship system. There are no formal obligations (i.e. exams) but there are obligations to the communities from which the students come. This learning system turns the traditional university education on its head, and is producing brilliant results.

Our first week was a mixture of seminars and discussions at the Unitierra, as well as various field trips. We were also introduced to the rest of the lovely folks that would be assisting us on this learning experience – most importantly Oliver Froehling and Sergio Beltràn. We were given introductory lectures on Mexico, its history and the current situation.

In amongst the week’s seminars we had two field trips with Sergio Beltràn. The first was a tour of the city to get our bearings and understand some of its history. The second was to a lovely nearby village called Teotitlan del Valle. We spent the day with a women’s weaving cooperative, where we learnt about traditional weaving, from combing and spinning the wool to the dying methods using natural resources. Whilst we enjoyed the activities, we also learnt about the relationship of this cooperative to the processes of migration of the males from the village, the search for self-reliance, and the amazing achievements they have made in cleaning the village and participating in the local governance system. On our return to the city we visited the Arbol del Tule, one of the oldest known trees in the world (2,000 years old), and a particularly significant spot for Gustavo, for without it he would not exist. His parents first met under the great expanse of this tree, with a diameter of 14m (46ft).

One of the reasons why Oaxaca was an important location was in order to study social movements, in particular the APPO movement (Asamblea Popular de los Pueblos de Oaxaca- Popular Assembly of the People of Oaxaca). The catalyst for the creation of APPO was the state’s attempted violent repression of an annual teachers’ strike on June 14th 2006. In a public show of solidarity, the people drove the police out of the city and began to organize themselves and take control of streets. On October 29th, the Federal government sent in 5000 militarized police to “pacify” the city. Hundreds were arrested, many disappeared, and 24 died. While APPO’s presence has quieted down somewhat, its support is still strong, as we witnessed in the march of the anniversary of APPO’s creation. It is strange to be in a place where you are more wary of the police – who are supposed to protect you – than of the supposed criminals they are patrolling for.

Another important contribution of Mexico for studying social movements is because of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation. Since 1994, they have declared war against the Mexican state due to the oppression and impoverished condition of the peasants and indigenous communities. Though the group is armed, they practice non-violence and use their words as their weapons. This is a struggle to emancipate the whole of Mexico, and even considers its message applicable to other groups globally if they share in the same struggle against neo-liberalism, the negative effects of globalization. One of the overarching motives is to create a world in which many worlds can be embraced, where people can gather around the one ‘no’ against market neo-liberalism and oppression, and still maintain many ‘yeses’ to encourage diversity. Many Zapatista communities have now regained autonomy over their lands, governance and justice systems.

On Tuesday the 4th of November, we were glued to the TV, like the rest of the USA (and a lot of the world) for the US election. We were joined in solidarity and Obamarama fervor, and were overjoyed by the result. It was a timely event to explore what this means for the US. Will Obama be able to single handedly sort out the mess? Not likely, but he is a symbol of hope and an opportunity to review our supposed democracy and our role in governance.

Winston Churchill once said “Democracy is the worst system we could have, with the exception of all the alternatives”. Should our obligations towards governance end at voting once every few years? We had an interesting case study in Mexico to study our form of democracy through the cargo system. In this governance system, the community decides who will comprise of the local authority, which is based on a system of service and obligations rather than on the basis of ‘rights’. The community decides the agenda, and can remove the members at any time. This is a form of democracy, not representative and majority-rules like the one we operate, but based on the idea of service. It is interesting to contrast this system of obligations and community participation with our own system of democracy where our idea of participation is limited to the ‘right’ to vote every now and then.

Another interesting lecture we had from Gustavo Esteva was on the theme of formal education, or more specifically, how to ‘escape education’. This idea is controversial, given that education is something that we have been chasing for most of our lives (and spending a fair amount of money while doing so). However, Gustavo explained his sentiment that education is premised on equality, but is the main source of inequality. If everyone is in ‘need’ of this education, it is impossible that this need can be met for all, thereby creating a system of inequity and scarcity between the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’. At the end of this education, there are often not even available jobs – only 8% of Mexican university graduates will find jobs in their fields. Learning from the world has been degraded in value, and instead we learn through abstractions in a classroom. People around the world are resisting this and reclaiming their education (or perhaps a better word is “learning”).

Gustavo also inspired us to rethink our ideas of human rights and helping, and the effect that these have had on a country like Mexico. Our understanding of universal human rights is deeply embedded in the western value system (particularly individualism) and can therefore be very damaging when forcing these values upon other cultures. We learnt how because of human rights activists, people in some villages are no longer able to enact traditional justice systems. While helping per se is not bad, it is the form in which that help comes. First we must ask ourselves, do they want our help, what are we in a position to offer, and what are our motives in helping? As Oliver reminded us, never try to help categories; help must be on the basis of the personal, on dialogue so that people can defend themselves against our helping. And why don’t we look in our own backyard, which may be in dire need of assistance, before we jump in a plane to help others.

We looked deeper into the human-corn relationship and its importance to identity and livelihood. We learnt about the Milpa technique of poly cropping where plots include corn, beans and squash as a symbiotic growing system. Over a long leisurely lunch at a great restaurant called Itotoni, we learnt about the movement against genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and to preserve the diversity of corn. The restaurant sells organic corn tortillas and they are reengaging with traditional recipes and methods of food preparation. Each plot of corn has its own unique identity that is different from another, even if it is the same species of corn (like people). And the food was delicious!

We also made a trip in the weekend to the largest pre-Hispanic city in Oaxaca, which was occupied for more than 13 centuries. It is said to be the birth place of light, and when you are up there exploring the ruins, overlooking the valley, you can see why. The beautiful diffused yet intense light gives the place a magical quality. The majority of us also spent a long weekend in Juchitan and the Playa Cangrejo, where we had blustery weather, hammocks, music, sand castles, mosquitoes and swimming (more like being tossed around in a washing machine).

We spent our third week in a small Zapotec (indigenous) village called Yavesia, about a five hour windy bus ride up to an elevation of 2000m (6600ft). Apart from the dramatic temperature drop, we had a lovely time exploring the village and learning about issues of community, governance, health and identity. We preserved fruit with the local women, visited the recently closed water treatment plant (set up as a community economic activity), took a full day walk in the surrounding forest, and talked with the nurse from the Community Health Centre. The centre has a holistic view of health that goes beyond curing bodily illnesses – they have been involved in the cleaning of streams and streets, dealing with domestic violence, alcoholism, and providing self-sufficiency activities and gardening workshops. They have had dramatic successes and have been recognized by the government as being an ideal model. Yavesia is walking the path of development, taking what they want and rejecting what they don’t, while still maintaining their roots.

On our last day of official classes, we took a field trip to Gustavo and Nicole’s beautiful casa in a village 40 minutes out of the city. We all had a disbelieving chuckle to learn that they technically live in ‘poverty’. Gustavo explained that his home presents seven of the eight signs of poverty, including no sewerage (they deal with their own waste using an ecological dry toilet), no running water (they use the pure water from a crying rock), and live in an adobe building (a sustainable material that regulates the temperature, and is gorgeous). It revealed to us the absolute absurdity of labeling with such overarching value judgments. Simplicity in living does not equate to poverty. We feasted on amazing food fresh from their garden, walked in the surrounding mountains and enjoyed their lovely grounds.

One of the students commented that they feel they have been given the ‘recipe for life’, jokingly of course, but in some senses this is what the Mexico program has offered us – a very flexible recipe including ways in which we can create change in our own contexts. The ideas of the Zapatistas are applicable to the world – do we want to live in a homogenous world, where everyone shares universal values, dresses the same and speaks the same language, or do we want to respect, nurture and rejoice in the diversity that flourishes on this planet (and not just the human diversity). Do we want a monocultural world, or an intercultural world?

So what is this magic recipe? Well, there isn’t really one, but there are many. One of the overarching necessities is redefining the ‘good life’. It is clear that we have been living far beyond our means (the financial meltdown) and even worse, on the means of others, mostly those in the underdeveloped countries who are paying the price for our unquenchable thirst for consumption. So instead of ending this letter on the note of what we are doing wrong, let us share with you some of our thoughts of what we will be doing when we return home:

• Not spending our money ‘rationally’ as a homoeconomicus: buying local and organic


• Gaining and spending as little as possible: more money = more problems


• Learning to grow food and to cook it: preferably with others


• Getting to know our neighborhoods


• Knowing where our water comes from, where our waste goes, and what effect it has on the environment


• Start rebuilding community through cooperatives with our friends: doing things together, sharing the workload and having lots of laughs


• Spending time with our elders: they are a wealth of knowledge and wisdom

Being creative

• Not being afraid, especially in these uncertain times: this is a great opportunity to begin to create a new world.

India- Letter Home
Fall 2008

Apparently you have to live at least two lifetimes to understand India- and even then you will most likely only scratch the surface of this vast, complex and ancient civilization. The awareness that we had transcended into a different world, or perhaps universe, was evident as soon as we stepped out of the Delhi airport and onto Indian soil. A grinning P.T. George met us, and carried us away to be united with Smitu Kothari (both our brilliant Indian coordinators). An apt comparison of Smitu and George is that of Batman and Robin (in that order): fighters of the crimes against humanity created by the forces of globalization, where masks are replaced by beards and fists with brilliantly articulated ideas.

Our time in India was spent in the North of India, moving between Delhi, Varanasi (Banaras) and the Northern states of Sikkim and Manipur. Even though we saw only a slice of India in the six weeks we had in this sub-continent, what we learnt, saw, smelt and felt was truly extraordinary.

During our five day stay in Delhi, we were accommodated and fed at the Indian Social Institute (IIS). On our first day in Delhi we threw ourselves into the deep-end and headed into the Connaught market, where we had a taste of the sensation overload that India was to provide, as well as an awareness of just how visible (some of us more than others) we were. We were introduced to the India leg of the program by George and Smitu, as well as a very useful, very long list of how to navigate ourselves in this radically different cultural context.

We also received foundational lectures by various academics on topics such as Women and Identity Politics, Nation, Identity and the Periphery, as well as Hinduism and Christianity and the Politics of Conversion. India is a land of contrast, contradiction and cultural diversity. It has had a history of contact with various cultures throughout its long civilization background, based on acceptance for cultural and religious diversity, which has created the multi-ethnic, religious and cultural picture that is seen today. However as mentioned India is full of contradictions, and exists both as a ‘home’ of pluralism (seven of the world’s religions thrive here, three of which had their genesis in India) while the State simultaneously engages in a homogenization process, of which we were to witness the effects in Sikkim and Manipur. India is also a land of inequities; while it has experienced 9% growth for nearly 10 years, over 70% of the population earns less than 20R a day.

The situation cannot be separated from India’s colonial history. With the arrival of the British under the banner of the East India Trading Company, the usual colonial story was played out, resulting in over a hundred years of economic, cultural, social domination until, through a long and famous struggle involving the infamous M.K. Gandhi, independence was gained in 1947.

Despite the proliferation of billboards and shops selling western consumer items, and the obvious influence of western popular culture particularly on the youth, scratch the surface of this façade and you will see vastly different cultural roots. Many of us had difficulty wrapping our heads around the cultural gulf that exists between India and our own cultures. However, this experience was invaluable as it held up a mirror for us to look deeper into our own values and assumptions, particularly when our first reaction was to judge other cultural norms and values. As one of our lecturers later warned us, you will get only a superficial understanding of India if you put it into your western categories – you need to understand India on its own terms.

For example the Caste system initially affronted our egalitarian values, however on closer examination we realized that we too have our own unspoken Western caste system based on economic positioning, and even racial lines. Arranged marriage is another example which confronted our ideals around love and free-choice. Around 80% of marriages are arranged by their families in India, and most couples have never have met before the wedding day. This complex process of choosing the suitable partner involves more than just job prospects and fair skin (which is considered a fashionable necessity), but involves caste and sub-caste considerations, and is described as a contributor to stability, and to keep the spirit of your ancestors alive by staying in the same lineage. When you look at the West, where around half of all marriages end in divorce, perhaps having your parents decide your future partner is not such a bad thing!

After these intense five days of introductory lectures in Delhi intermixed with a field trip to the beautiful Bahai Lotus temple, we took our first (of several) night trains to our next destination. Now this is an experience in itself – people stacked three beds high, constant merchants parading down the narrow aisles selling their wacky wares, with frequent calls of ‘Chai, Chai’ (tea mostly served with milk that is, depending on who you ask, deliciously/sickeningly sweet). We arrived in Varanasi (also known as Banaras) where we would spend the next ten days. Vishwanath Pandey, who was to be our coordinator met us at the station and took us to the Little Flower House School where half the students were to have their homestays, and where we were to have most of our classes. Vishwanath Pandey has a background as a sociology professor, and now has a position as the Public Relations Officer at the Banaras Hindu University, and so was able to provide a program with top BHU (mostly from the top Brahmanic caste) academics.

Varanasi is one of the most sacred places in India for Hindus – it is believed that if you die here, you gain instant salvation from the constant karmic cycle of rebirth. Its significance is centered on the fact that the Ganga (Ganges River) flows through the city, which is a source of spiritual wellbeing and sustenance. Varanasi is the oldest living city in the world, and a walk down the Ghats of the Ganga gives you an uncanny sense that you could easily be in the year 2AD.

The first night of our arrival, we were the guests of honor at a banquet and traditional musical and dancing extravaganza. Our two days off were spent exploring the city, being lavished in silk scarves, and catching up on much needed rest. The academic program involved extensive lectures on religion, particularly focusing on Hinduism, as well as Islam. We learnt that Hinduism cannot be really defined as a religion, but is more a way of life, including an intricate web of religions, philosophical, social, economic and artistic elements which infiltrates every part of a Hindu’s life. The current tensions within Islam and the historical reasons were addressed, including the marginalization of Muslims and the clash between modern and Islamic concepts of knowledge. We also looked extensively at the issues around democracy in India. Three key problems exist: 1) India is an old society within a new Nation-State; 2) there is a lack of partnership between the different cultural groups; and 3) there exists uneven development and wealth distribution. Two of the more provocative questions that arose include: Can democracy survive in a ‘castocratic’ society; and is democracy is a luxury ill-afforded by developing societies?

We also had the fortune of spending Gandhi’s birthday in Varanasi and were invited to attend a formal celebration (the only down-point being that it was all in Hindi). We spent the evening at the Theosophical Society having an inspiring lecture on the life of Gandhi and attaining the Gandhi consciousness.

One of the high points of our Varanasi stay was the boat trip down the Ganga where the scent of ghee (clarified butter), wood and human bodies intermingled during the constant cremation ceremonies. The Ganga is both a source of life and sustenance, as well as a site of transition into the next realm. You could see people bathing, worshiping, and making a living all along this sacred waterway. The visit to Sarnath, a sacred Buddhist location, was another fascinating trip. Sarnath has many archeological Buddhist sites, but perhaps the most significant is the sapling of the Bodhi tree, where Buddha gave his first sermon. We spent a night in a Tibetan centre, and had two lectures with Monk academics, learning about the importance of letting go of the ‘self’, and releasing our attachments, even from our own ideals.

Being the guests of honor at a musical concert of traditional classical Indian music was another interesting experience. The artists of international reputation traveled far for our entertainment. Their voices and instruments took our minds to other realms, and we even made it into the ‘Who’s Who’ pages of the Banaras Times newspaper. After our final Varanasi farewell soiree, we embarked on another epic night train journey and went our separate ways for our eight day vacation.

After vacation was over, we regrouped in Gangtok, the capital of one of India’s smallest states, Sikkim. Sikkim, as with many North-eastern states, has an interesting history. Described as a ‘Shangri-la’, it was immediately evident that it earns this title through its natural beauty. However, its bounty and geographical location has in fact been its curse, as the Indian state decided to ‘forcibly merge’ Sikkim into its folds in 1975, coercing the Sikkimese King to abdicate.

Tseten Lepcha was our organizer for Sikkim, who along with his lovely students, made our trip more than enjoyable. One of the key reasons Sikkim was included in the program was in order to see the destructive policies of the Indian Nation-State, in order to utilize the bountiful hydro resources of Sikkim to produce power. The whole of the Teesta River system is under plans to be diverted and used for hydro power. However, 90% of the power currently generated in Sikkim is exported out of the state, and a proportion even out of the nation. This leads to the question, who is benefiting and who is paying the bill? We were soon to find out the grim details as to who was paying the enormous bill, as we witnessed first hand the ecological destruction, and heard through some of the Indigenous Lepcha activists the socio-cultural devastation that was occurring. In order for this development project to succeed, many indigenous communities have been persuaded into giving their lands and livelihoods for financial compensation, which quickly disappears. The large scale dams, with a lifespan of no more than 70 years are destroying the sacred abodes of the deities of Sikkim, not to mention creating havoc for the ecological systems. Through state policy the indigenous Lepcha tribes have been gradually marginalized (who now comprise only 7% of the population) in their own lands, and they have been given reservations to ‘protect’ their interests while migration by Hindus and Nepalese takes place.

One thing that needs to be mentioned about Sikkim is the roads. Even the strongest and bravest of hearts will skip a beat or two when winding around single land roads, with sheer drops in to the abyss below, crossing swing bridges in a jeep: step down, roller coasters – we have a new winner! We went on one such day trip to visit sacred Buddhist and natural sites, as well as a covert mission past a dam where we witnessed the stagnant reservoir, the scarring of the hills, and parts of the community that were now in the submergence zone.

While our three-day stay in Sikkim was only brief (except for those who had spent their vacation in this beautiful state), we were able to fit a lot in. We spoke with Mr Rye, the Deputy Chairman of the Sikkim Planning Committee who gave us an interesting governmental perspective of the planning and development issues facing Sikkim. We also spoke with an anthropologist who had moved to Sikkim from Quebec and dedicated her life to studying the amiable coexistence between Shamanism and Buddhism. We were fortunate enough to see an amazing historical photographic exhibition, and hear her speak on the central importance of rituals of the village and the practices that maintain social cohesion. We had an inspiring lecture from Dawa Lepcha, who is an anti-dam activist. He spoke of the Gandhian technique of non-violent protest through hunger strikes, and he personally undertook a hunger strike which lasted 92 days.

The government is using political propaganda to get public support for the dams, promising increased economical prosperity; however, as Dawa Lepcha said, we ‘would not mind forsaking the comforts of development to maintain basic identity as human beings and the right to practice our way of life’. It appears that to be against large scale hydro-dams is to be ‘anti-development’, and to be ‘anti-development’ is to commit the worst kind of sin, which is to be ‘anti-nation.'

Our next move was to Manipur – after more than 24 hours of travel involving a jeep ride, a train ride and a plane ride, we arrived in the capital of Manipur, Imphal. After walking out of the airport we realized that something was seriously different – it was not only the trucks filled with army personnel, but the sense of tension in the air. It was clear we had officially entered a militarized zone. Ram and Anita, our Manipur hosts, met us at the airport and their calmness and confidence quickly reassured us as they rushed us off to the office where we meet all the lovely people that were to guide us throughout the program. We were greeted with a beautiful ceremony of traditional music and food, and the students were taken to their lovely homestay families around Imphal.

Manipur is described as a ‘Little Paradise’; however, the effects of the militarization for nearly half a century have resulted in a ‘Paradise in Chains’. The Indian army has been present ever since the forced cessation of the princely state in 1947, with an increasingly strong presence for the last 30 years. Like Sikkim, Manipur is also cursed by its strategic geographical location, bordering Myanmar and being rich in natural resources.

Manipur has existed as a kingdom from at least 33AD. In 1767, an agreement was signed between the British and Manipur in order to contain the rising ‘threat’ of Burma (Myanmar). However, tensions erupted in 1891 and an Anglo-Manipuri war ensued, resulting in enforced colonial divisions. With the coming of independence to India, Manipur lost theirs as the newly formed federal government decided to forcibly absorb the princely autonomous state into its vast folds.

Manipur is a multi ethnic milieu, where nearly all ethnic groups are fighting for independence and the hill tribes particularly do not consider themselves to be a part of the nation-state of India. The response of the government to the insurgencies has been to deny there is an armed rebellion, as it would mean the Geneva Convention would need to be applied (in which case the thousands of cases of human rights abuses would have to be examined), as well as to prop up counter insurgency groups to fight against the rebel groups. The government is currently using the Arms Forces Special Powers Act, where anyone can be detained, imprisoned and even killed without reason or judicial rights.

Dr Bimol Akoijam, an eminent academic, gave us several lectures on identity politics and the Manipur situation (as well as a preview of his emotive film on these issues). Bimol describes Nation-building as a ‘brutal homogenization process’, involving in Manipur a pacification project, creating an atmosphere of distrust and fear, where a parent’s greatest wish is for their child to be able to leave Manipur.

It was pointed out that wider India does not even ‘know’ Manipur, therefore how can they respect the culture and their issues? The battalions that are stationed in Manipur are purposefully composed to be separated and ignorant of the issues, so as to have no understanding or empathy with the people.

We also heard from Wungshim Angkang on the identity of the Tangkhul people, including the cultural practices, systems of village governance, relationships with nature, impacts of conversion to Christianity, and ancient practices of head hunting. This lecture was very useful for our later stay with a Tangkhul village.

We made a field trip to Loktak lake, where we floated down the stagnant and weed-choked waterway in dug out canoes. The purpose of this visit was to once again witness the devastating effects of large-scale hydro-dams. The land was previously rice paddy fields, which were now in the submergence reservoir zone. The resilience of the people was evident in the dwellings they had made, where they created ‘land’ through a laborious process of pulling together reeds and weeds to create a relatively solid platform on which to build light bamboo homes. The people now survive on fishing, and we were lucky enough to spend an hour on one of the platforms with a young family.

After this watery ride, we were invited for a traditional lunch with a village whose lands were about to be acquired by the state for the expansion of the airport. We were served a delicious meal on a banana leaf, where at least ten different dishes were ceremoniously delivered to us. After this, we were given a rather sobering talk from the village elders and women on the current eviction issue they were facing. It was inspiring to hear how the women had decided to put themselves on the line for the cause, literally, by establishing blockades under the pretense that the army will not touch women. These people have decided to make a stand, as they have sacrificed too much already in the name of development for the nation. The airport expansion is unjustified, and it is also suspected it is for increased militarization in the area.

The group then split in two. The first group went to a Tangkhul (Indigenous tribe of Naga people) village named Hungpung. The Hunpung village stay included a meeting with the Chief of the village, where he showed us the collection of skulls gathered during the practice of head hunting (which ended suddenly with the occurrence of Christianity), as well as a display of youths dressed in the traditional clothing. We also learnt about the village court system (Hangashim) based on oral customary laws, which has been so successful that not a single criminal case has made it to the state criminal system. Our discussion with Mingthing of the Theosophical society gave us insights into the effects of Christianity on traditions, and the plight of the organization to ‘indigenize’ the Baptist form of Christianity now practiced by most if not all of the Tangkhul’s.

The other group stayed in Imphal and made day excursions to the surrounding areas including a nearby village named Andoro. They visited a tribal museum, constructing model traditional homes and costumes, as well visiting a very sacred location – the home of the everlasting flame said to have been there from the dawn of mankind. They also learnt about the very inspiring women’s movement and struggle within Manipur.

On the third night, the second group joined the Hunpung group for one night, where we had one of the main highlights of the India program – traditional rice paddy fishing! At the end of the harvest, people take small circular nets to the rice paddy fields and catch fish for the festival. We were fortunate enough to take part in this activity, and most of us got down and dirty in the mud catching fish (one of the students with their bare hands!). Let’s just say that more than a few mud patties were thrown, and those who did not get in the water had some good laughs watching us stalk the fish, leaping on them, or screaming when they swam through our legs. That night the group participated in a young people’s social event known as the ‘dormitory’ where single males and females gather to sing songs, play games, eat and drink, and make eyes at each other from across the room.

We reluctantly fare-welled Hungpung and made our way back to Imphal, where the run up to the assignment deadlines ensued. During our last days in Manipur we saw the women’s markets and were treated to a final soiree featuring internationally renowned cultural drummers, sword fighters (including women), and singers (including our group).

Our last days in India were spent largely in transit, between Manipur and Kolkata (where we spent our final night amidst the celebrations of the Diwali Hindu festival). Our final farewells were said to George, Smitu and Peter, as we were sent off on our teary but merry way to Mexico.

One of the key questions we were left with after the India program was how do we engage with imagining another way of the world, here and now, given all these issues? We left with this pertinent question in our minds in anticipation that Mexico will begin to provide some answers or alternatives for us. I will leave you with a beautiful quote from M. K Gandhi, on his vision of this new world:

Let us build our homes, with our doors and windows open,so the wind can blow through and not topple our houses down

Canada- Letter Home
Fall 2008

It was not until we landed in India, and set foot outside of the airport, until it hit us that the first part of our ‘Nations and Identities’ journey was over, and that we have now entered into a totally different universe.

Finding the words to describe our experience in Canada is difficult – but we will try our best here to give you a small window into our magnificent learning experience. A quote came to mind when thinking about how to best articulate what it is guiding this program – one of our most prominent western thinkers, Albert Einstein said:

“No problem can be solved by the same thinking that created it”.

We congregated at the Intercultural Institute of Montreal (IIM) to have an introductory meal to meet the students (Betsy, Estefi, Dory, Julz, Meredith, Rayla, Rochelle, Tina) and the facilitators and co-coordinators (Peter, Monique, Kalpana, Robert, Augusti), as well as the team at IIM (Jocelyne, Real, Thu, Melanie) and the Program Director (Gustavo Esteva). ‘Gus’is an incredibly wise and passionate man who touched us forever. He challenged us, but at the same time he inspired us to discover and recognize the many worlds within the world we all live. Kalpana Das was the main country coordinator, it was her incredible attention to detail and tireless organization that made this portion of our journey such an enriching experience. Kalpana is a true pioneer, leaving her home country of India at the age of twenty-three and moving to Quebec in order to join Robert Vachon in establishing the Intercultural Institute of Montreal, to which she has dedicated the last forty years of her life.

She was assisted by Agusti (originally from Catalonia and bequeathed with a thick accent, Agusti Nicolai Coll has worked at the Intercultural Institute of Montreal for many years. He organized many lectures and field visits, provided transportation, and attended our classroom sessions. He always added his thoughtful insights at key moments, and was the author of an article in our Canada country reader).

Robert Vachon is one of the founders of the IIM. In our group discussions, his signature tilted head, aimed at the one who was speaking, let us know he was listening intently. Complete with whitish gray strands atop his densely freckled head, he came to class each day in a collared shirt, clean slacks and a bright pink eighties jacket for when it rained. Robert spoke as eloquently as a novelist as we were graced with his wisdom on intercultural dialogue.

Peter Horsley is the senior traveling faculty on the program. He would never admit his own profound knowledge, but he is a walking nodding encyclopedia of insight, ideas and rich experience. Proudly hailing from the South Sea Islands of New Zealand, he has an academic background in law and is a top scholar on Maori issues. He was with us from the beginning in Montreal and will travel with us until the end of the India program. He continues to support our endeavors, incite our passions in the world, inform our minds, and enrich our experiences everyday. Monique Badham is the only faculty member who will remain with us through the entirety of our semester. Monique functions more as an older sister and liaison than as a “professor”. Notable for her sparkly sense of humor and popularity amongst students and faculty alike, Monique has been critical in the process of knitting together all of our diverse experiences throughout this program into a cohesive whole.

After meeting each other at the IIM, we made a quick get away to our retreat location; the Manoir D’Youville. This idyllic retreat centre was set in amongst an apple orchard surrounded by the Saint Lauren river (where a handful braved the autumnal water), and is run by the ‘grey nuns’ – a quirky bunch of catholic nuns that live out their lives in peace and tranquility. While we nourished our minds, the nuns nourished our stomachs to the point of overflowing, topped up by regular tea breaks.

This first week was dedicated to Orientation activities, introducing the foundation lectures, and most importantly, bonding as a group. Our first session really set the scene for the whole program, as we sat in a circle and introduced ourselves, told our stories, and really took the time to share our histories and identities. It was exciting to see the diversity, and also the common threads that would keep us bound as a group. Perhaps one of the most inspiring thoughts/messages that came out of this week was from Gustavo (quoting Paul Goodman):

“Imagine the society you want to live in, then start living it now."

During this week, we had to learn a new vocabulary, or at least redefine so many of the words we use everyday without thought, such as culture, nation-state, nations, trans-disciplinary, and exploring the idea and practice of Interculturality. If we had an extra 20 pages we might be able to tell you some of the thoughts that emerged, suffice to say our understandings were simultaneously affirmed and challenged to various degrees. One of the key phrases that came out of these sessions, and perhaps best describes what we were trying to do in this first week, is the following piece of profound philosophy offered by Robert Vachon (from his mentor Raimon Panikkar):

“The only thing worth saying is that which cannot be said, and for that very reason, it is worth trying to say."

The retreat provided a safe space with which to explore often complex academic ideas, while also getting to know each other as a group, and having plenty of laughs along the way. After a peaceful and stimulating week at the Manoir, we moved back to the hustle and bustle of Montreal.

During the second week, we were housed in various homestays across the city, where we were all placed with a diverse range of lovely families who treated us as their own. We spent a significant amount of time navigating the Metro, and pounding the tree-lined pavements of the rather picturesque city of Montreal. On our arrival we had two free days, and the first day in the city we were taken on a walking tour of multi-ethnic Montreal by our umbrella-carrying guide Ivan. This was a great introduction, as we explored the different areas: Old Montreal, China Town, Little Italy, the Village and the lovely sites and smells of the Jean-Talon markets. The next day was spent exploring various parts of the city in twos or threes, such as picnicking at Mount Royal and listening to the tam tams (drums), cycling, apple-picking and art in the park. For many of us, this was one of the first experiences of being in a country where English was not the dominant language, and we had to get by with the small dregs of French we knew (although most people were kind enough to speak to us in English).

We were soon to learn the importance language has played in the Québécois identity, and the struggles this province has had in order to protect the language, as the vehicle of culture. The setting was at the Chair of Pluralism, Islam and Globalization at the University of Montreal where our lovely host Patrice who was an incredibly kind, open and genuine individual. Patrice remained a constant source of insight throughout his time with us. His easy smile and sense of humor helped us feel right at home in the Chair, and his mastery of numerous languages (most pertinently French and English) greatly minimized the language barriers that could have been.

The classes focused on the history, Québécoise identity, minority politics, immigration politics and diversity. These were dispersed amongst site visits to compliment the theory, these consisted of; the Saint Jean Baptiste Society, EQUITA (fair trade organisation), CRICS (community action group working with immigrant community), RRASMQ (alternative mental health resource centre), Table for Immigrants and Refugees (a training organisation for supporting refugees).

Our third week involved another radical setting shift to Kahna:wàke (said ganawaage). While this Mohawk reserve was only a 30 minute drive out of Montreal city and a five minute drive from the Manoir D’Youville where we began our program, it felt completely removed from Québécois society. The fact that you had to enter the reservation under a bridge and through a tunnel (known as the hole-in-the-wall) was symbolic of both the struggles and of the entry into a different cultural universe. As we drove through the streets of the neighborhood that looked like most other suburban communities, we noticed there were no street signs (which we were to later learn was a political statement that they were not a municipality, also that it was such a close knit community that everyone seemed to know where everyone else lived without needing numbers and signs).

We made our way to the Karonhianonhnha school, which was a Mohawk immersion learning environment. It was here that we met Kevin Deer, who was to be the central guiding figure in our stay in Kahna:wàke. Kevin, our incredibly gracious and kind host, is the principal of the local language immersion school. Kevin inspired us with his stories and enriched us with his experiences. We were taken to the Mohawk Trail longhouse (a traditional meeting house where gatherings and ceremonies take place), and welcomed through a traditional welcoming ceremony with the elders Fred (Kevin’s father), Joe and Kevin. This ceremony was designed to soothe and cleanse our minds, hearts and voices so that we could engage openly in this part of our journey. We were also introduced to Amelia (who became known as Mama Amelia). It took no time at all for us all to feel at home with this Mohawk mother. Amelia provided dinner and plenty of laughter and love every day. She has long, grey braided hair with a smile on her face and open arms. We also spent time with Amelia’s husband Joe. Despite Joes Irish descent, he really looks like a Mohawk. His long, sometimes braided dark hair seems to be missing feathers, and dozens of silver loops running up and down both ears. His voice is soft and raspy and always conveys great depth—especially as he has worked as a seer and a healer. We each received at least two kisses on the cheek from Joe—once upon our initial meeting at the Longhouse and once more when we parted from each other.

The group was divided into homestays where we were all fortunate enough to be again placed with lovely families who provided a welcoming environment, and were treated like their own children or grandchildren. Each lunch and dinner was spent at the longhouse having communal meals, involving various cultural foods (such as corn soup, corn bread, squash soup, pigs tail boil up, and fresh corn on the cob, spaghetti squash, strawberry drink and fresh raspberries picked from the longhouse garden). The following day we were taken to a Pow Wow, where various dancers of all ages (from ‘tiny tots’ to the ‘golden years’) came to participate in this traditional dancing festival. The costumes, food, crafts and drumming were colorful and breathtaking.

Back in Kahna:wàke, each morning the school bus (a giant white van driven by Monique) would pick up the students and take us to the longhouse, or various site visits within the reservation. In terms of all of these talks and visits, every topic from history, politics, culture, spirituality, health, colonization, healing and hope were woven through everything. Many of our speakers, including Chad Diabo, Darrol Thomas, Tom Deer, Charlie Patton and Tom Porter shared their stories of their individual journeys within the realities of their context and history, while also giving profound insights into the broader cultural and historical dimensions of their people.

Tom Porter spent the weekend speaking with us at the long house. Tom Porter is a natural storyteller, and he paced around the Mohawk longhouse as he spoke…tugging at our heartstrings and tear ducts for the two days we spent with him. With an evident strong connection to his family and Mohawk heritage, he has become a local activist. Tommy has an animated smile of a cartoon Santa, shining cheeks and an infectious laugh. Some of the themes we covered included the government structure- both the traditional longhouse approach and the imposed band council approach (and the tensions between the two), concepts of peace (Guswenta) and the ‘two row Wompon belt’ (co-existence), language and cultural regeneration/revival, the Indian Act and the issues it has and continues to create for the Mohawk people, the struggles for recognition of the Iroquois Nation (including the creation of a Mohawk passport), health and healing (through the medicine wheel approach where the mind, body, emotions and spirit are seen as interdependent), and the stories of trans-generational trauma created by both blatant and more subtle forms of colonization.

On our last night we were treated to a feast, and an introduction to Mohawk social dance where we learnt the alligator and duck dance (which were both very cute and fun) with Fred and Annie (Fred and Annie were Kevin’s parents and one of our homestay families. They became our grandparents on our trip, and provided much welcomed morning hugs and smiles). We said our final farewells to Kahna:wàke through another moving ceremony, and headed off back to the city.

The last week in Montreal was spent at the YWCA hostel, completing assignments, researching at the IIM, participating in synthesis sessions, and having fun and delicious group dinners. The week went by in a flash, and before we knew it, we were getting ready for our final farewell soiree hosted by the IIM. We were all deeply humbled and excited to see that most of the people who had been a part of our stay in Québec and Kahna:wàke joined us – our Montreal home stay families, Patrice, Mamamelia, Joe and Fred, and all of the lovely hosts from the IIM.

When most of us mentioned we were studying abroad, and told that our first port of call was Canada, many of us were confronted with the response – ‘Canada isn’t abroad’. While the prevailing opinion might be that Canada is just the ‘little brother’ of the United States, we learned just how wrong proponents of this view are. We learned that it is crucial to explore these issues in a western context, and that the journey of Interculturality and coexistence is not just one to be achieved in and with other ‘exotic’ cultures, but within our own communities.

We would like to extend our utmost gratitude to the Intercultural Institute of Montreal, and most of all to Kalpana and Robert for hosting us, and providing an excellent introduction to our program.