Native American Flash Mob Round Dance Takes Over Mall of America
The flash mob was part of a series of actions to call attention to a recent bill (C45) passed by the Canadian Parliament.
Jorge Rivas Jan 2, 2013 1:44PM EST
Organizers from Idle No More held a flash mob round dance early Saturday evening at the Mall of America to raise awareness of their movement that calls on all people "to join in a revolution which honors and fulfills Indigenous sovereignty which protects the land and water."
The flash mob was part of a series of actions to call attention to a recent bill (C45) passed by the Canadian Parliament that Idle No More says rescinds environmental protections across Canada, including the land base of First Nations.
"More than a thousand Native American people filled the eastern rotunda at the Mall of America, dancing in a circle as the sound of drums filled the area," Sheila Regan reported for the Twin Cities Daily Planet.
The flash mob round dance was also organized in support of Attawapiskat First Nation Chief Theresa Spence who's currently on a hunger strike.
Her hunger strike stretched into Day 23 on Wednesday, with Spence vowing to survive on nothing more than fish broth and herbal tea until the Canadian Prime Minister meets with her and other Indigenous leaders.
In attendance at the Mall of America flash dance was the founder and international director of the American Indian Movement (AIM), Clyde Bellecourt.
"We have to look out for our own — what happens in Canada happens here and what happens here happens in Canada," Bellecourt told the local CBS affiliate.
Canadian tribes have shut down two highways and closed a railroad going through a reservation in order to bring attention to Harper's policies, according to CBS News.
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