Over 100 Indigenous artists raise $60,000 for Palestinians

Quill Christie-Peters said she hopedthe Turtle Island Indigenous Artists for Palestine art raffle fundraiser she organized would raise $20,000, andin the first hour $15,000 was raised.

Christie-Peters is an Anishinaabeartist fromLac des Mille Lacs First Nation on Lake Superiorandone of many Indigenous artists and activistssupporting Palestinians.

"I put the call out for only 24 hours for Indigenous artists to donate their work and got over 100 people wanting to do so," she said.

In total, Turtle Island Indigenous Artists for Palestine raised $60,000 to put toward aid for peoplein Gaza.

Of the money,$25,000is going to Glia International, a medical equipment company that is3D printing medical supplies for Gaza, $2,500 to the Palestinian Youth Movement in Canadaand funds were donated tocommunity-led aidefforts, Christie-Peters said.

"It's important to witness and carry those realities in our hearts and funnel them so that we can take action and have the courage," Christie-Peters said.

She said support for Israel shown by Canada and the United Statesis demonstrative of "how much our struggles are intertwined."

"We made a difference and also made a really bold statement, too'This is how much we care,'" said Christie-Peters.

"You know, our people often don't come from the richest of people, but we are generous."

A 'misconstrual of history'

Chris Sankey,a former elected band councillor and businessman from Lax Kw'alaams Band inBritish Columbia, recently wrote hedoesn't think it's "our place to project our own politics onto a conflict half a world away."

In a column for the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, a national public policy think tank,Sankey wrotethatcalls to actionby Indigenous people in support of Palestinians brought "shame to their respective communities and embarrassed all Indigenous Canadians" by undermining the progressmade toward reconciliation.

He wrote that any comparison between Indigenous peoplein Canada and Palestinians is a "misconstrual of history."

Inspired by Palestinian artist

Autumn Smith, an Anishnaabe artist, said she read about the death of artist Heba Zagoutand two of her childrenin an Israeli air strike on Gaza on Oct. 13. Zagout's husband and two other children survived.

Smith, from Magnetawan First Nation just south of Sudbury, Ont., said Zagout's art resonated with her, half a world away.

Although she was not part of the Turtle Island Indigenous Artists for Palestine fundraiser, Smith said she wanted to express her support for Palestinians and was inspired by Zagout's artwork.

"I recognized that love for the land she came from and for her people, and I felt really sad," Smith said.

Zagout was known for her vibrant acrylic paintings of Palestinian villages and towns.

"All people deserve to be free," Smith said.