The self as we know it is a Western construct - a white invention. Self-help, self-love and ascribing value to the self couldn't be more white, because it all amps up to the idea that people have quantifiable values and that value is directly related to meaning.

From the get go, commentators have cautioned that Indigenous peoples would be wise to play their cards right lest they squander what little patience and benevolence the Canadian public has left for Indigenous issues. Those who hold this view seem curiously unaware of how movements such as Idle No More work. Like the Civil Rights movement, these are not public relations battles; they are Constitutional struggles. And so we can expect general bewilderment and frustration from the public as Idle No More pushes through in 2013.