Border Issues

September 28, 2006 Listen to the Show

Skull Valley Goshute Tribal Member Blasts New Election Process; Indigenous Nations Hold Summit on U.S.- Mexico Border; The Amistad 2006 Sets Sail: A Commemoration of Slavery and Broken Treaties; Author of “Native New Yorkers” on Algonquin History

Skull Valley Goshute Tribal Member Blasts New Election Process
The Skull Valley Goshute Tribe in Utah recently got the unexpected news that the nuclear waste dump proposal for their reservation had been rejected by the Interior Department. Tribal Chairman Leon Bear reportedly said he felt betrayed by the abrupt change in plans. But other tribal member are celebrating the decision, especially those like Margene Bullcreek who has been speaking out against nuclear waste dump projects for the last 15 years. But now the tribe is dealing with a new controversy – their upcoming tribal elections. The Bureau of Indian Affairs is going to oversee the elections and has made significant changes to the election process. Some tribal members are afraid their votes won’t count.
Margene Bullcreek, a member of the Skull Valley Band of Goshutes.

Indigenous Nations Hold Summit on U.S.- Mexico Border Policies
The militarization of the U.S. – Mexico border has had many tragic outcomes – one example is the more than doubling of the number of people dying in the harsh Arizona desert who were trying to cross the border. And a number of U.S. citizens have had their civil and human rights violated by the conduct of the Border Patrol and vigilante groups along the border. Eight Indian nations are directly impacted by border policies, and they say their political, civil, economic, social and cultural rights are being continuously violated. Tohono O’odham communities are now gathering together in southern Arizona along with Derechos Humanos Coalition, American Indian Movement, International Indian Treaty Council and others for an urgent Border Summit of the Americas.
Tony Gonzales, with the International Indian Treaty Council.
You can listen to the live web cast of the summit at www.earthcycles.net

The Amistad 2006 Sets Sail: A Commemoration of Slavery and Broken Treaties.
Wayne Bartow, racial and social justice worker for the Coalition for Undoing Racism in Rockland, NY, and Fredrica Gray, Vice Chair of Amistad America.

Author of “Native New Yorkers” on Algonquin History in Manhattan.
Evan Pritchard, author of “Native New Yorkers” and “No Word For Time: The Way of the Algonquin People.”

September 21, 2006 Listen to the Show

Global Warming Takes a Toll in Alaska, Faith Gemmill Describes the Indigenous Fight Against Big Oil; Taking on the Doctrine of Discovery: Tonya Gonnella Frichner Sets the Record Straight

Indigenous News Roundup

Traditional and tribal activists are organizing a Border Summit of the Americas in Tucson, Arizona for the end of the month. Derechos Humanos Coalition, the American Indian Movement and the International Indian Treaty Council are making the urgent call for the summit. They plan to develop recommendations for border tribal governments to communicate with local, state, national and international governing bodies. They say it’s being held in response to the Bush administration’s immigration policies and ever-increasing militarization of the border. There are currently at least eight tribes/nations on the U.S./Mexico border directly affected by migrations across their reservation lands; these are the Kumeyaay, Cocopah, Tohono O”odham, Yaqui, Gila River, Pima, Yavapai, Ysleta del Sur (Tigua) and Kickapoo nations.

Courts across Canada are reviewing the $1.9 billion settlement for Native victims of residential school abuse. The government of Canada, churches and former students reached the deal last November. It applies to roughly 80,000 people who attended the residential schools. Judges in several provinces must approve the deal before it is finalized. They are holding public hearings to determine whether the payout is fair. Over the past two decades, there have been thousands of lawsuits against the government and churches alleging sexual, physical and other kinds of abuse. Under the proposed deal, claimants will receive $10,000 for the first year they attended a school, plus $3,000 for subsequent years. People who were sexually or physically abused or suffered psychological damage can receive additional settlements of between $5,000 and $275,000. Other funds are set aside for a healing fund, a truth and reconciliation process and commemorative projects.

A District court in Illinois ruled 2-1 on Tuesday that dances performed by the University of Illinois' controversial mascot do not violate the state's discrimination law. The mascot is Chief Illiniwek, a barefoot student in a buckskin costume and a feather headdress who performs at athletic events. The Illinois Native American Bar Association said the mascot's performances humiliate Native students and create a hostile environment. But the court cited a state law that recognized the chief as an "honored symbol." The NCAA still considers the mascot to be hostile and abusive. The school is said to be dropping the use of the chief in order to continue hosting post-season tournaments.

In Navajo country, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a lawsuit last week charging the Sage Memorial Hospital in Ganado, Arizona with discrimination in its pay to doctors. The lawsuit claims the hospital paid white doctors more than it paid seven non-white doctors. This includes individuals of Native American, Asian, African and Hispanic heritage, and East Indian, Pakistani, Nigerian and Puerto Rican national origins. The lawsuit also claims that when the seven complainants and the former medical director complained about the wage difference and filed discrimination charges with the EEOC, hospital officials threatened them with termination and changes to the terms and conditions of their contracts. The hospital’s attorney said the Hospital and the Navajo Health Foundation, which oversees its operations, deny all charges. The hospital is fighting the charges on jurisdiction grounds since it is technically a tribal organization. While federal law prohibits employers from engaging in discriminatory practices, Congress exempted Indian tribes to enable them to give preferential hiring to Native Americans. But the EEOC said the hospital is not exempt from their regulations. One EEOC attorney said, “All American employers must abide by federal civil rights law.”

And in Australia, A federal judge surprised the nation by recognizing Native title to the entire metropolitan area of Perth. It’s the first decision in which a large metropolitan area in Australia has been determined to belong to the indigenous people who lived there before white settlers arrived. It sent lawyers, homeowners and officials scurrying to assess the impact. Lawyer Christine Lovitt, who is a specialist in native land titles, said the ruling could lead to similar claims over other cities like Sydney and Melbourne. Prime Minister John Howard told reporters on Wednesday that the federal government would consider joining an appeal against the ruling. The judge's decision does not turn over any land to Aborigines. But it would require the government to ensure the Noongar people have access to the land and can continue to hunt, fish and maintain sacred sites.

Neets’aii Gwich’in Describes Global Warming’s Impact in Alaska
We look at the interrelated issues of big oil and climate change and how Native people are rallying to combat these things…Faith Gemmill is a Pit River/Wintu and Neets’aii Gwich’in Athabascan from Arctic Village, Alaska. She is also the outreach coordinator of the organization REDOIL – Resisting Environmental Destruction on Indigenous Lands. Faith Gemmill was a part of a national speaking tour on Oil and Global Warming that visited New York City this week. Tuesday night she spoke at the Judson Memorial Church in Washington Square Park.
Faith Gemmill, (Pit River/Wintu, Neets’aii Gwich’in Athabascan), she is outreach coordinator for REDOIL – Resisting Environmental Destruction on Indigenous Lands.

Taking on the Doctrine of Discovery: Tonya Gonnella Frichner Sets the Record Straight
We play a speech by Tonya Gonnella Frichner, who was at the United Nations for the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues 2006
Tonya Gonnella Frichner, Esq. (Snipe Clan, Onondaga Nation, Haudenosaunee) is President and founder of the American Indian Law Alliance, a lawyer and activist, whose academic and professional life has been devoted to the pursuit of human rights for Indigenous peoples.

August 24, 2006 Listen to the Show

Yaqui Man Defies Tribe and U.S. Border Guard, Provides Aid to Migrants Crossing Border; Former Chief of Neetsaii Gwichi'in Details How Big Oil in Alaska Threatens Sustainability

Saving Lives at the Border: Yaqui Man Aids Migrants Crossing From Mexico
"Tribal Police were confiscating my water stations." Along a 75 mile stretch of the US-Mexico border lies the Tohono O’odham nation. It’s one of the most arid and remote regions of the country. It’s also the site of tens of thousands of border crossings from Mexico each year. Undocumented immigrants face not only searing temperatures and rugged terrain, but also the threat of capture by US border patrol, vigilantes and even tribal police. The Tohono O’odham nation said it is spending $3 million annually on monitoring the border. The tribal government is calling for the Department of Homeland Security to provide more funds. The tribal police department, with 65 officers, spends 60% of its time on border security. U.S. Border Patrol agents reportedly scour the tribe’s land, and the tribe recently approved allowing the National Guard onto its reservation. Well, there are some tribal members who are more concerned with the human cost of US border policy. Rather than merely focusing on the financial toll, they are more concerned about the death toll, and are doing something about it.
Mike Wilson, a member of the traditional O’odham nation and has been providing humanitarian aid to those stranded in his territory. He is on the line from Phoenix, Arizona. Related Link: www.humaneborders.org

Gwichi'in Nation Takes on Big Oil, Struggles to Combat U.S. Oil Dependency
Oil giant BP suffered another blow this week when it admitted that oil was still leaking from one of its wells that was damaged by Hurricane Katrina a year ago. BP said the leak was dormant for four months before starting again in late May. In the past 2 years, BP was responsible for a massive oil spill in Alaska and a refinery explosion in Texas that killed 15 people. Earlier this month, BP discovered oil leaks caused by corrosion in its Alaskan Prudhoe Bay pipeline system. This forced a partial shutdown of the largest oil-producing field in the United States.
Evon Peter, Chairman and Executive Director of the Native Movement. He is Neetsaii Gwichi'in and former Chief of the Neetsaii Gwichi'in from Arctic Village in northeastern Alaska. He has served as the Co-Chair of the Gwich’in Council International and on the Executive Board of the Alaska Inter-Tribal Council. Related Link: IEN Web site