Red Power in a Red Nation-State

The Native People's Friendship Delegation Goes to China, 1975

Abstract

In June 1975, a group of Indigenous youth known as the Native Study Group, organized out of Vancouver, undertook a three-week tour of the People's Republic of China. This trip, often neglected in the history of Indigenous travellers in the global sixties, is a reminder of how Indigenous activists sought international attention and support for their political goals at home. Furthermore, it showcases the different political philosophies which were considered as part of the road towards self-determination.This article situates the Native People’s Friendship Delegation within this history of Indigenous internationalism and its eruption in the global sixties. It then moves to a discussion of the NSG and their Red Power rhetoric as a means of understanding their interest in Third World theories such as Maoism. Finally, it traces the delegates’ experiences in China and how they felt about the trip once they returned to Canada, as well as its impact on their political thinking. This article is primarily concerned with situating the Native People’s Friendship Delegation within the context of Indigenous internationalism and the delegation’s interest in Maoism as a philosophy with possible applications to the Indigenous Rights Movement in Canada.