The Red Nation is dedicated to the liberation of Native peoples from capitalism and colonialism. We center Native political agendas and struggles through direct action, advocacy, mobilization, and education.
Who we are
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.
Areas of struggle
Indigeneity: We struggle for the defense and livelihood of Native peoples and lands. Indigeneity is a political condition that challenges the existence and domination of colonial nation-states.
Liberation: We struggle for the repatriation of Native lives and land. Liberation is not about ‘healing’ or ‘getting-over-it.’ It is a struggle for material and structural transformation.
Resistance: We continue the long history of Native anti-colonial resistance by reviving active resistance as fundamental to liberation.
Coalition: We mobilize for widespread action and community engagement for Native struggles for liberation.
Principles of Unity
This is the Preamble to The Red Nation’s Principles of Unity ratified by the first General Assembly of Freedom Councils in Albuquerque, New Mexico on August 10, 2018 (Pueblo Revolt Day). In the spirit of Popay!
We are Indigenous revolutionaries. We are comrades and relatives first and foremost. We practice radical democracy and compassion for all relatives. Despite differences in organizational role or affiliation, we are equals in struggle.
We are anti-capitalist and anti-colonial. We are Indigenous feminists who believe in radical relationality. We do not seek a milder form of capitalism or colonialism—we demand an entirely new system premised on peace, cooperation, and justice. For our Earth and relatives to live, capitalism and colonialism must die.
We belong to long traditions of Indigenous resistance. We claim our rightful place among all freedom fighters around the world. We are not the first, nor will we be the last. We are the ancestors from the before and the before and the already forthcoming. By carrying this history forward, we actively create the world in which we want to live.
We seek to not just challenge power, but to build power. We are not simply a negation of the nightmarish colonial present—colonialism, capitalism, heteropatriarchy, imperialism, and white supremacy—we are the embodiment and affirmation of a coming Indigenous future, a future in which many worlds fit.
We believe that all oppressed nations have the right to self-determination—to decide their own destinies. We, The Red Nation, are self-determining peoples. We enact the principles of freedom and integrity in how we seek to live as good people of the earth.
We organize through education and agitation for revolutionary change. We encourage our relatives and comrades to believe in revolutionary change. We advocate for global decolonization. We agitate among the poor, the working classes, the colonized, and the dispossessed to instill the confidence to fight back and take control of our destinies.
We believe in pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will. We remain accountable to our people and our nations. We do not have “perfect” politics. We do not believe in factionalism or rigid ideology. We can die having had the “correct positions” but having accomplished nothing and freed no one. The desire to be “right” or “perfect” is the highest form of cynicism. Our role as revolutionaries is to cheerlead the movement at all turns. Above all else, we desire to be free and believe we will win. Optimism will thrive so long as we struggle for freedom.
We believe in correct ideas, which only come through revolutionary praxis and struggle. Our power and judgement comes from the labor of our struggle.
We are not “above” the people. When the people move, we move with them. We are the “permanent persuaders” who believe revolutionary change is not only possible but inevitable. Like our hearts, our politics are down and to the left. And because we are the “five-fingered ones,” our fists are the size of our hearts. We raise our fists to lift the hearts of our people. We give everything and take nothing for ourselves.
We uphold personal and organizational integrity at all turns of the movement. Change is dialectical and full of contradictions. It often comes without notice or without being noticed. Reactionary tendencies and contradictions will seek to destroy our momentum, diminish our optimism, and test our integrity. They will come in many, and oftentimes unexpected, forms. Even when in doubt, we pledge to remain faithful to our political principles and steadfast in our commitment to revolutionary struggle and optimism.
We are The Red Nation.
The Red Nation Logo
The Red Nation proudly announces the creation of our new logo! Years in the making, this design was drafted by multiple comrades and finalized by Marcus Trujillo at Haatzee Designs. The multitude of meanings and symbolism in the design signifies the solidarity and strength needed for Indigenous liberation.
There are several tribes represented in TRN. The symbolism used is interpreted differently in each tribe, yet are equally powerful and form a more complete vision.
The hummingbird is a warrior in Tewa culture. In Diné culture, it symbolizes blessings that come from prayer. They affirm that we’re living the corn pollen path.
Mountains in Diné culture are leaders, they are where the holy ones reside. In essence, mountains pave the way forward. They symbolize leadership, which is at the heart of what TRN represents to our people. Mountains remind us that we need guidance from the people to do revolutionary work.
Rainbows are bridges that holy ones and ancestors travel on, they appear when our ancestors and spirits are present. Rainbows affirm that we are on the right path. We are protected and guided by the rainbow, and blessed with abundance. They represent the hope and spiritual affirmation that TRN is guided by.
Rain is an essential part of all life, it waters our sacred crops and medicines, and signals the presence of spirits and relatives who have passed on but still watch over us. The rain in the TRN logo represents the blessings that Indigenous organizing brings to us all.
The thunder bolts are depicted down and to the left, just like our politics. Thunder signifies power, growth, and blessings. Lighting and thunder represents the power of Indigenous revolution.
All that is and ever will be comes from stars. The seven stars represent the star nation, the seven directions, and the seven generations. The stars are the past and the future, this is the way TRN sees Indigenous revolution.
The design represents our aspirations to be powerful medicine for the people. We carry the teachings of our people with us everywhere we go. The revolutionary spirit of our ancestors lives within us and the masses, for a future of dignity and abundance for all.