Indigenous Land Rights

February 15, 2007 Listen to the Show

Environmental Justice & Indigenous Rights: Battling Climate Change and Protecting Sacred Sites

Native Activists Rally to Protect Sacred Medicine Lake in CA
Native American organizers and allies are fighting to protect Medicine Lake – a sacred place near Mount Shasta in the Highlands of Northern California. The Bureau of Land Management, California Energy Commission and Calpine Energy have been trying to build geothermal power plants in the area since the 1980s. Native peoples who are opposed to the power plants and their supporters are planning a protest next Tuesday, February 20th at the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Office in Alturas, California. The BLM is planning to appeal a 9th Circuit court ruling on Medicine Lake.
Mark Lebeau, a citizen of the Pit River Nation and Co-Chair of Advocates for the Protection of Sacred Sites.
For more Info: www.treatycouncil.org , Video Link: Pit River Nation Fights For Their Land, www.ienearth.org

U.S. Energy Policy and Climate Change – and the Harmful Impacts on Indigenous Peoples
The debate on global warming seems to have finally ended thanks to the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which recently concluded there was a 90 percent chance human actions have been a major contributor to global warming. The panel of 2,500 scientists predicted more drought, heat waves and a slow gain in sea levels, even if greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels used in power plants, factories and cars are capped. So now the question is what do we do? Which is what legislators, government officials and business leaders from the 20 largest energy-consuming countries were asking and discussing yesterday at a Capitol Hill meeting. There were representatives from the G8 – or Group of 8 industrialized nations - Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, the United States, Canada and Japan. There were also representatives from China, India, Mexico, South Africa, and Brazil, which together produce 75% of the world’s greenhouse gases. The world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases is the United States. Yesterday corporate moguls, policy experts and U.S. senators told the world forum the US must take the lead on global warming, especially if it wants to encourage China and India to follow suit. But as world leaders struggle to find ways to collaborate, there are still voices going unheard. Indigenous peoples in Canada, the US and throughout the Americas hold valuable land and water resources that have long been exploited by the provincial, state and federal governments and by corporations trying to meet the energy needs of an industrialized world. Indigenous peoples have disproportionately suffered impacts due to the production and use of energy, yet are among those who benefit least from these energy developments.
Jihan Gearon, Native Energy Organizer for the Indigenous Environmental Network. Jihan is originally from Fort Defiance, AZ, which is on the eastern side of the Navajo Nation. She studied Energy Science and Technology at Stanford University and began her environmental justice career at Redefining Progress as a Program Associate for the Environmental Justice and Climate Change Initiative (EJCC). At the EJCC, she worked with a broad coalition of people of color, low-income, and Indigenous communities and organizations on climate justice issues. For more information: Indigenous Environmental Network – www.ienearth.org

January 11, 2007 Listen to the Show

Navajo Blockaders Gain Support for Resistance While Protesting President's Inauguration

Indigenous News Roundup:

San Barred From Ancestral Land Despite Court Victory
In Botswana, the San rights organization First People of the Kalahari (FPK) has announced the San tribe will make a second attempt on Friday to return to their ancestral home after winning a lengthy court battle against their eviction. Two weeks ago, authorities refused to allow 24 members of the group back in the Central Kgalagadi Game Reserve (CKGR) in the Kalahari Desert despite the court ruling. The San are traditional hunters and gatherers. Several thousand of them were evicted from the Game Reserve in 2002 to make way for a wildlife sanctuary. The government and the De Beers diamond mining company deny allegations that the San were also evicted for diamond mining. Last month, the High Court of Botswana ruled that the San, also known as the Bushmen, had been wrongfully evicted after 244 of their leaders protested in a lawsuit. The court also ruled the San have the right to hunt and gather food in the reserve, and do not need to apply for permits to enter the parks. The advocacy group Survival International said that when the first group tried to return, authorities at the entrance of the reserve said only the people whose names appeared on the court ruling could enter. Fiona Watson said, “Families have been separated because obviously each applicant on the [court] list has their family, their spouse and their children. And the Bushmen said we want to go in with our families. How can it be that the ruling can only apply to certain people and not whole families?" The group is now living at a government resettlement camp outside the game reserve. Activists say conditions in the camps are deplorable and the Bushmen are suffering serious effects from unemployment, alcoholism and the AIDS virus. Survival International says that more than one in 10 of the original 239 Bushmen who signed up to the legal case have since died in the camps.

Sami Win Rights, Gearing up to Fight for More.
In Sweden, the indigenous Sami people in the north have gained full control of reindeer herding for the first time. The 31-member Sami Parliament won control January 1st over such issues as Sami local borders, the distribution of an $18 million fund for fodder subsidies and compensation for losses to predators, and registration of the cuts in reindeers' ears that show herd ownership. Sami rights advocates say now it is time to look into land rights. There are an estimated 70,000 Sami in the northlands of Sweden, Finland, Norway and Russia. The Sami herd 240,000 reindeer in Sweden and need access to large areas in the north to move them and find food. People have struggled to define "traditional" land for the Sami because herders were nomads who followed their animals. Last month, a claim for “tax lands" taken by the Swedish crown during the mid-1800s settlement the country went to the European Court of Human Rights. Sami advocates hope this will force the Swedish government to set out clear guidelines. Sweden's attorney-general, Goran Lambertz, recently told Reuters “there is reason to believe that th[e Sami] may be entitled to their land in the very north.”

Mapuche Indians Meet With Chilean President Bachelet.
In Chile, leaders of the Mapuche indigenous group recently met with President Michelle Bachelet to discuss a new working relationship. The Mapuches presented proposals for greater political participation, the right to self-determination, the recovery of ancestral lands, and for better economic development and education. The proposals were drawn up last November when nearly all Chile’s Mapuche organizations and committees convened and drafted a document addressed to the State of Chile. Indigenous leader Miguel Melin told Inter Press Service after Thursday's meeting with Bachelet, "The president acknowledged the Chilean state's 'historical debt' to the Mapuche people, agreed to appoint a special interlocutor to engage in dialogue, and promised to report in March how the process will be implemented." The Mapuches are asking for the recognition of a national Mapuche parliament able to take binding decisions, modification of the present electoral law so that Mapuches can win seats in the Chilean Congress, and elections by popular vote for regional authorities. They are also calling for the ratification of all international treaties for the protection of indigenous peoples, the release of Mapuche political prisoners, and do not want anti-terrorism laws applied in Mapuche conflicts.

Alaskan Bristol Bay Opened for Drilling.
In Alaska, the Bush administration announced on Tuesday it had lifted a ban on offshore oil and gas leasing in Bristol Bay in southwest Alaska. The decision drew no opposition and some support from Alaska’s state and congressional leaders. The Bush administration has proposed lease sales for 2010 and 2012. The bay waters are home to the world’s largest annual migration of sockeye salmon and is rich with whales, walrus and other marine mammals important to Native subsistence hunters. Critics of offshore drilling point out that the Northern Pacific Right whale, a critically endangered species, will be threatened by noisy seismic testing after the area is leased. In 1988, oil companies paid the federal government $95 million for rights to explore and develop the area. But the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound led the government to buy back the drilling rights in 1995 after the oil spill killed hundreds of thousands of animals. Chief executive of the Bristol Bay Native Association, Ralph Anderson said he was “really disappointed with the President’s decision” to lift the ban. Anderson said the industry has not yet demonstrated it can clean up oil spills in broken ice conditions. University of Alaska professor Rick Steiner said Bristol Bay is "really one of the last, best places in the world that we should subject to the very real risks of oil and gas development…the risks dramatically outweigh the benefits." The Alaska Marine Conservation Council, said it would call on the new Democrat-controlled Congress to restore the leasing ban.

Disparity in Life Expectancy in Australia
Figures recently released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics show that Australians are among the longest-living people in the world, with an average life span of 78.5 years for males and 83.3 years for females born in the country. However not everyone there is quite as fortunate. For indigenous Australians the figures drop by around 17 years, whose average life expectancy in 2001 was 59.4 years for males and 64.8 for females. The disparity in life expectancy is generally attributed to poverty, discrimination, low education, substance abuse and poor access to health services.

Navajo Blockaders Gain Support for Resistance While Protesting President’s Inauguration.
In Burnham, New Mexico, the Doodá Desert Road Blockade is still going strong as it nears the one-month mark. The action has been spearheaded by the Doodá Desert Rock Committee, which is resisting plans for a new coal-fired power plant proposed by the Sithe Global Power company and the Dine Power Authority. The proposed Desert Rock Energy Project would be the third such power plant on the Navajo Nation’s reservation. Many say the pollution they spew cause deadly environmental and health problems. Burnham elders and local residents blockaded the Dine Power Authority or DPA and Sithe from entering the proposed site on December 12th and have been camped out near the site since. On Tuesday, the blockaders demonstrated at Navajo President Joe Shirley’s inauguration for his second term, but were turned away from the ceremony. While they were forced out, they were able to talk to Navajo Nation members about their struggle and concerns, and reported that many people were supportive and wanted to learn more.

Hank Dixon, Doodá Desert Rock Spokesperson.

For more information: The Doodá Desert Rock Committee's web site www.desert-rock-blog.com "MAKING A STAND AT DESERT ROCK", produced by Indigenous Action Media. View the video at www.indigenousaction.org

A Look at Mysterious Phenomena and the U.S. Military: the Real X-Files?
Tiokasin speaks with a former researcher for the U.S. government about the use of natural human gifts and senses for military purposes. - Steve Hammons, journalist and former U.S. government researcher.

December 28, 2006 Listen to the Show

Festival of Resistance: Featuring Indigenous Films, Poetry, Crafts & Music; Tribute to John Mohawk: Seneca Scholar and Indigenous Rights Activist

Indigenous News Roundup

Fiji Military Halts All Meetings of Indigenous Chiefs
In Fiji, the military grip on power continues to tighten. Fiji's military regime took the unprecedented step Wednesday of halting all meetings of the nation's powerful council of indigenous chiefs — accusing it of failing to accept that the military now controls the affairs of the South Pacific nation. Military strongman Commodore Frank Bainimarama said while the indigenous Great Council of Chiefs had been allowed to meet despite the nationwide state of emergency in place, they "failed to understand the reality" on the ground." Bainimarama said, "I have …issued directions that as long as the state of emergency is in place, the GCC will not be allowed to sit unless the military gives it clearance to do so." Bainimarama's move was seen as a further tightening of his grip on power after he took over government on Dec 5th. He disbanded the Cabinet, banished Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase to his home island nearly 200 miles north of the capital, suspended Parliament and dismissed the president and vice president in an armed coup. He has since been embroiled in a struggle with the chiefs, who have challenged his authority to appoint himself as Fiji's president. The council now says it will adopt the role of observer, make no further statements and await further action of the military.

Navajo Nation Update
The Navajo blockade continues into its 17th day, where the Doodá Desert Rock Committee is resisting plans for a new coal-fired power plant proposed by the company Sithe Global Power and the Dine Power Authority. The resistors spent the holiday weekend huddled around a campfire standing their ground. Elouise Brown, President of the Doodá Desert Rock Committee in Burnham NM made an appeal on their web site this weekend.
She wrote: Spending Christmas huddled around a campfire and protecting our land is not something that we, resisters, had originally planned. We are being watched by the police 24 hours/day and every time a vehicle comes by, they charge over and scare the elders and medicine people visiting the Resisters’ Vigil. But feeling the cold wind against our faces at this Doodá Desert Rock Vigil is not something that we regret. It is a time for us to continue standing up for what is right. The warriors of this vigil are the elders and, despite us telling them to go home and rest for a while, they will not leave. Their priority is to protect this area for all of its richness and its beauty. “For the grandchildren of the future, we protect this place.” is what Grandma Lucy says. The challenge for you is to help us in protecting our land and culture. Our Navajo Nation President has sold us out for pennies but we are not walking around with dollar signs stamped on our heads. No amount of coal and pollution can put a price on our livelihood. We are calling upon all native people, tribes and descendants to stand with us. Call, email, fax, write, and use whatever method to tell President Shirley that he needs to do what is culturally right by rejecting this project. Write to your senators, newspapers, television stations etc.
That is what Elouise Brown wrote, President of the Doodá Desert Rock Committee in Burnham, NM. You can get more information at www.desert-rock-blog.com.

Oklahoma Centennial
The state of Oklahoma is preparing to celebrate its 100th birthday next year with parades, fireworks and festivals, but the grand celebration is also opening old wounds for some Native Americans. Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chad Smith recently wrote an editorial for two local newspapers reminding Oklahomans to remember all the state's history. Tribal leaders and academics say the centennial isn't a time for celebration because in 1907 Oklahoma became the 46th state through the dismantling of tribal territories. Those lands once were guaranteed to Native Americans nations by the U.S. government, but the promises were brushed aside as Western expansion caught fire. Years earlier, tribes were removed from their ancestral lands in the Southeast and relocated to what is now Oklahoma. The most egregious of these relocations occurred with the 1,000-mile Cherokee Trail of Tears. And now, scholars say, children are re-enacting homesteading land runs on school playgrounds without learning about what happened to make those events possible, as if the tribes disappeared in some sort of vacuum at the time of statehood. Chief Chad Smith said, "We should remind the general public that there were 39 governments here in place before the state of Oklahoma was established." The Cherokee Nation, which occupies 14 counties in northeastern Oklahoma, is the largest tribe in Oklahoma and the second largest in the U.S.

Festival of Resistance: Indigenous films, Poetry, Crafts & Music
We speak with Elvira and Hortencia Colorado, who are organizing the Festival of Resistance on January 1st at the Brecht Forum. It is being held in honor of the 13th anniversary of the Zapatista uprising. The Colorado sisters speak about the recent events in Oaxaco, the long resistance of teachers and indigenous peoples in the state, and the upcoming festival. They told us you can call (212) 431-1666 for more information on the festival.

Tribute to John Mohawk: Seneca Scholar and Indigenous Rights Activist
We play an excerpt of a speech that John Mohawk made last month in New York at the "Indigenous Peoples' Resistance to Economic Globalization: a Celebration of Victories, Rights and Cultures." This teach-in was sponsored on by the International Forum on Globalization and the Tebtebba Foundation. Mohawk was pronounced dead at his home in Buffalo on Dec. 12. He was a longtime professor at the State University of New York at Buffalo and wrote several important books and articles, including the classic ''Basic Call to Consciousness."

December 21, 2006 Listen to the Show

Dine Blockaders Vow Continued Resistance Against New Power Plant; The Skulls & Bones Society: Holocaust Deniers and Cultural Appropriators

Dine Blockaders Vow Continued Resistance Against New Power Plant
“This project is an act of terrorism and cultural genocide.” Today is day 10 of the Desert Road Blockade, where the Doodá Desert Rock Committee is resisting plans for a new coal-fired power plant proposed by the company Sithe Global Power and the Dine Power Authority. The resisters halted work on the project last week by blocking access to the site of the proposed power plant. Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley unexpectedly visited with the protestors on Monday, but they said he was unresponsive to their needs. Shirley says the proposed $3 billion coal-fired power plant is desperately needed to provide jobs and revenue for the tribe. Many of the Navajo Nation's residents live without electricity and running water and jobs are scarce. Shirley says the Desert Rock Energy Project would be one way to help the situation. However, there are many in the nation who disagree. Critics point out the proposed Desert Rock Energy Project would be the third such power plant on the reservation, and that it won’t improve conditions, but make them worse. Early Wednesday morning, the resisters of the Doodá Desert Rock Blockade were served with several Temporary Restraining Orders and an immediate injunctive relief on behalf of the Diné Power Authority/Sithe Global.
Dailan J. Long, media spokesperson for Diné CARE, Doodá Desert Rock Committee.
For more information go the Resistors’ blog: www.desert-rock-blog.com
Or to provide support: Dailan Jake, Media Contact DineCARE/Doodá Desert Rock Committee 505.801.0713 (cell) dailanjake@dartmouth.edu (e-mail)

The Skulls & Bones Society: Holocaust Deniers and Cultural Appropriators
Bush family’s stranglehold on the remains of Geronimo. The great grandson of the Apache leader Geronimo has appealed to the White House hoping to recover the remains of his famous relative - stolen more than 90 years ago by a group of Yale students – the Skull and Bones Society. The story that members of Yale University's secret Skull and Bones society took the remains - including a skull and femur - from the burial site in Fort Sill, Oklahoma, has long been part of the university's lore. But a university historian recently recovered a letter from 1918 that appears to support the story that members of the society did indeed take the remains while serving with a group of army volunteers from Yale, stationed at the fort during the First World War. The students - among them, President Bush's grandfather Prescott - apparently returned with the remains and kept them in their society's headquarters at the university in New Haven, Connecticut. The society's initiation rite reportedly involves kissing a skull, referred to as "Geronimo", usually held in a glass case. We speak with a scholar who has research this story.
Jim Craven, a Blackfoot scholar from Montana, Professor of Economics at Clark College, Vancouver, WA.
For more information: www.aradicalblackfoot.blogspot.com
Or email Craven: Omahkohkiaayo@peoplepc.com

December 9, 2006 Listen to the Show

Indigenous Oaxacan Activists Discuss State Crackdown; Nasa Filmmaker on Violence Inflicted on Indigenous Peoples in Colombia

Indigenous News Roundup

Fiji Tribal Chiefs Refuse to Recognize New Regime
In Fiji, the military leader of the nation’s recent coup faces increasing isolation. The country’s powerful council of tribal chiefs are refusing to recognize the country's military regime and the newly installed prime minister has conceded the takeover was illegal. Commodore Frank Bainimarama used his self-appointed powers to remove Vice President Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi from his office late Wednesday. The council of tribal chiefs is throwing its support behind the nation's president. Tribal Council Chairman Ratu Ovini Bokini called Madraiwiwi's dismissal "illegal, unconstitutional and disrespectful" and reiterated support for him and President Ratu Josefa Iloilo. Iloilo is still technically the country's president, although Bainimarama said Tuesday that he had assumed presidential powers. The coup is Fiji's fourth in nearly two decades.

Kamehameha Schools Win in Hawaii
In Hawaii, the Kamehameha Schools won a victory on Tuesday when the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the school’s admission policy can favor Native Hawaiians. The court overturned an earlier ruling that the policy amounted to unlawful discrimination. A white student had claimed he was excluded from the school because of his race. In an 8-7 ruling, the Court held that the admissions policy is constitutional because the discrimination is remedial, it is meant to address historical wrongs and the program has met with congressional approval. For more than 100 years, the private school has given preference to Native Hawaiian applicants.

Federal Court Sides with Native American Voters in South Dakota
In South Dakota, a federal district court ruled in favor of Native American voters earlier this week. The decision orders city officials in Martin to redraw city council district lines. This corrects violations of the Voting Rights Act that prevents Native Americans from having an equal opportunity to participate in the political process and elect representatives of their choice. The ACLU brought the lawsuit in 2002 on behalf of two Native American voters. The defeated redistricting plan would have given white voters control of all three city wards. Native Americans are approximately 45% of the city’s population.

Elderly Abuse March in Navajo Country Ignored
In Arizona, Navajo activist Marjorie “Grandma” Thomas led a demonstration march to the tribal administration offices to protest what they say is inaction over the abuse of elders. She pushed her own wheelchair for part of the walk in Window Rock on Monday, according to The Gallup Independent. President Joe Shirley Jr. and Vice President Frank Dayish Jr. did not meet with the group, whose staffers said they were not in. The protest was largely in support of Rena Babbit Lane, an 84 years old Navajo woman who lives on Hopi land. On November 4, three Hopi officers arrived at Lane's home dragged her from bed, pushed her around and threatened to take her to jail and make her walk home, about 100 miles away. She suffered a heart attack during the incident. The raid on Lane’s home was in anticipation of a law that would force her removal from her land. She is a fierce foe of forced relocation and lives in a remote region of Black Mesa. Lane has a longstanding conflict with Hopi and BIA officials, her lawyer said. In the past she has been severely beaten, had her hand broken and her horses, goats and sheep confiscated.

Tribal Elections on Oglala Sioux Rez Embroiled in Controversy
In South Dakota, a political standoff continues between two groups claiming to be the rightful government of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. John Yellow Bird Steele was sworn into office as President Tuesday. His opponent, Alexander White Plume, said the swearing in was illegal. White Plume has been tribal president since June and declared Steele’s victory in the November 7 tribal general election illegitimate. White Plume has pledged to continue in office until new elections can be held early next year. The tribal elections have been roiled with controversy, beginning with irregularities in the October 3 primary. Earlier this year, the tribal council impeached former president Cecilia Fire Thunder over her proposal for a private woman’s clinic that would thwart a new state abortion ban. The council then elevated Vice President Alex White Plume to the president’s post.

Indigenous World Uranium Summit
In other news, the Indigenous World Uranium Summit recently wrapped up in Arizona, hosted by the Navajo Nation from November 30 through December 2nd. It was a historic gathering for activists working to stop the spread of nuclear proliferation in all its forms. Here is Manny Pino, a board member of the Indigenous Environmental Network, reading the declaration: [audio included in show MP3].

Interview Segments:

Indigenous Oaxacan Activists Discuss State Crackdown
We speak with two members of Ojo De Agua Comunicacion who have arrest warrants issued for their activities in Oaxaca, Mexico. They have been involved in video and media training and production programs in indigenous communities in Oaxaca. They talk about the crackdown on protesters and journalists and the recent issuance of hundreds of arrest warrants in Oaxaca.
Sergio Julian Caballero, a native media maker from Oaxaca, Mexico. He has edited and post-produced works from indigenous communities in the region. He has developed Ojo de Agua Comunicacion’s web site www.laneta.apc.org/ojodeagua
Damian Lopez, a native media maker who was documenting protests in Oaxaca.

Nasa Filmmaker on Violence Inflicted on Indigenous Peoples in Colombia
Mauricio Acosta, producers and directs documentaries for Tejido de Comunicacio, the communication network of the Associacion de Cabildos Indigenas del Norte (ACIN) in the state of Cauca, Colombia. Tejido de Comunicacion promotes the autonomy of indigenous communities through media. In 2006, Acosta’s video Pa’ poder quo Nos Cen Tierra was recognized at the Festival Internacional de Cine y Video de los Pueblos Indigenas for its effectiveness in bringing attention to the violence inflicted on indigenous peoples in Colombia and the communities’ peaceful resistance.

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 31, 2006 Listen to the Show

Resisting Waste-Culture and Reducing Toxicity; Native Inupiats Describe Their Harrowing Experience with Oil; and Saving Lake Teshekpuk

Zero Waste: Setting Goals to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Resist!
GAIA is an expanding international alliance that includes individuals, NGOs, community-based organizations and academics. This alliance is working to end the incineration of all forms of waste. They also work to promote sustainable waste prevention. GAIA means Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives and was initially conceived in 2000 by participants in Africa, Asia, North and South America and the Middle East. GAIA's first global campaign goal is to stop the World Bank from funding incinerators around the world. They support local communities being targeted by the Bank for incineration and help them with alternatives. During the Indigenous Environmental Network conference, Govinda Dalton interviewed these GAIA members. We speak with Ann Leonard and Monica Wilson.
Links: www.no-burn.org and www.ienearth.org

The Battle to Save Lake Teshekpuk
Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne announced on Tuesday plans will go forward to drill in the North Slope region of Alaska. The Interior department will sell oil leases to nearly 500,000 acres north and east of Lake Teshekpuk. It is in the National Petroleum Reserve Alaska, an area set aside in 1923 for its energy resource. But environmentalists and some congress members are opposed to the lease sale. The National Audubon Society and the Wilderness Society have filed a federal court appeals claiming the government's Resource Management Plan for the reserve is inadequate. We hear about this opposition and what is at stake in the plan to drill around Teshekpuk Lake.
Stan Senner, Executive Director of Alaska Audubon
Links: Alaska Audubon and National Audubon Society

Voices From the Arctic: Native Inupiats Describe How Oil Drilling has Devastated their Community
Indigenous peoples voices are often lost in the discussion on drilling in Alaska, which is why we spend to much time here giving those voices a chance to be heard. We hear some of those voices from the remote and small village of Nuiqsut, Alaska. As the long-running debate rages on over what the consequences could be of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) or around Lake Teshekpuk, we can look to an Inupiat village that began its own experiment with drilling a decade ago. Nuiqsut is located in the northernmost regions of Alaska, less than 20 miles south of Beaufort Sea, where the edge of Alaska meets the Arctic waters. It is remote even by Alaskan standards.

In 2003, there were just 416 residents in Nuiqsut, of which roughly 92% are Inupiat. Nuiqsut village sits atop one of the nation's largest oil fields: to the east is Prudhoe Bay and the National Petroleum Reserve Alaska to the west. When drilling was proposed just outside the town limits in the early 1990s, Nuiqsut residents were told it would boost their fortunes. A decade later, many residents say the reality has not matched the promises. So how are they faring?

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 Neets'aii 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 Neets'aii Gwichi'in and former Chief of the Neets'aii 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

August 3, 2006 Listen to the Show

Indigenous Border Rights; Summit of Nations at Bear Butte; Mercury Contamination Violates Food Rights

Human Rights Violations at the US - Mexico Border
We look at the struggle Indigenous people from several nations are facing at the US-Mexico border, which is framed as a human rights issue. The Alianza Indigena Sin Fronteras (Indigenous Alliance Without Borders) was formed to defend the right of passage on ancestral lands of Indigenous peoples. Matus says Indigenous peoples in Mexico, primarily subsistent farmers with few means, can not meet the requirements of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service to cross the border, and he discusses how they are being prevented from meeting with family and at ceremonial gatherings. Yaqui, O'odham, Cocopah and Kickapoo cross the international border from California to Texas to visit family members and attend ceremonies. The Yaqui, O'odham and Cocopah have lived here, in the Sonoran Desert, since time immemorial.
Jose Matus, Director of the Indigenous Alliance Without Borders / Alianza Indigena Sin Fronteras, Yaqui ceremonial leader and border rights activist.

The Summit of Indigenous Nations Convenes to Protect Bear Butte and Challenge Treaty Laws
We get an update on the battle to save Bear Butte from the world's largest biker bar... Across the Great Plains over 30 indigenous Nations acknowledge the sacredness of Bear Butte and it’s surrounding area, the Black Hills. It is a mountain inhabited by spirits and spiritual powers that are well known to the native people of the Great Plains. But now, plans to build an enormous biker bar near the sacred mountain are forcing the Great Plains people to take up a fight. The plan is to attract the more than 600,000 bikers attending the “Sturgis Bike Rally” that begins this weekend. Arizona businessman Jay Allen has already broken ground for a 150,000 square foot chunk of asphalt for trucks and for bikers to drink at his bar. A 30,000 seat amphitheater is also in the works. Traditional Indian people have been fighting to save the mountain for centuries. In 1876 Chief Sitting Bull gathered over 6,000 Indians at the Butte to urge them to defend the sacred lands. Chief Crazy Horse spoke from the mountain to remind his people that the Paha Sapa is not for sale. Hundreds of indigenous people from many places are now gathered at a campsite there.
Carter Camp, indigenous activist at the Bear Butte encampment www.defendbearbutte.org

Mercury Contamination: Violating Subsistence Rights
From July 6th to 9th, hundreds of Indigenous people gathered in the beautiful homeland of the Leech Lake Anishinaabe Nation for the 14th Protecting Mother Earth Conference hosted by the Indigenous Environmental Network. People from Indigenous Nations and communities throughout the Americas discussed the challenges they face in the protection of their and our homelands. Mineral extraction, toxic contamination, unsustainable energy and climate change were some of the many issues discussed. At the top of the list of dangers lingering in Indian country, was Mercury contamination. Indigenous activists are calling for a UN special rapporteur to investigate how mercury contamination in the US is a violation of subsistence rights and the right to clean healthy food. We hear a discussion on this in two communities far apart – in Alaska and in Minnesota.
Faith Gemmill, Coordinator REDOIL (Resisting Environmental Destruction on Indigenous Lands), Fairbanks, AK.
Art Cloud, Red Lake Nation member

July 27, 2006 Listen to the Show

Protecting Mother Earth: The Battle to Defend Sacred Sites and the Indigenous Youth Movement

“Government agencies and others in charge of protecting the relationships between our people, the land, air and water have repeatedly broken treaties and promises. In doing so, they have failed in their duty to uphold the tribal and the public trust. The many changes in these relationships have been well documented, but science remains inadequate for understanding their origins and essence. This scientific uncertainty has been misused to carry out economic, cultural and political exploitation of the land and resources. Failure to recognize the complexity of these relationships will further impair the future health of our people and function of the environment.”
An excerpt from a statement presented at the 14th Protecting Mother Earth Conference hosted by the Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN) in Northern Minnesota. From July 6th to 9th, hundreds of indigenous people gathered in the beautiful homeland of the Leech Lake Anishinaabe Nation. People from Indigenous Nations and communities throughout the Americas discussed the challenges they face in the protection of their and our homelands. Mineral extraction, toxic contamination, unsustainable energy and climate change continue to plague Nations as environmental justice issues. At the gathering, IEN asked people to share strategies for battling these problems and to come together to seek new strategies to protect communities. We hear some voices from the gathering. We hear about the fight for the protection of sacred sites, at both Bear Butte, South Dakota and the San Francisco Peaks in northern Arizona. We hear how the Indigenous Environmental movement is standing ground as a human rights struggle.
The Bemidji statement says: “We have the sacred right and obligation to protect the common wealth of our lands and the common health of our people and all our relations for this generation and seven generations to come. We are the Guardians for the 7th generation.”
Carter Camp, speaking at the 14th Protecting Mother Earth Conference. For more information visit: www.defendbearbutte.org

Across the Great Plains over 30 Indigenous Nations acknowledge the sacredness of Bear Butte and it’s surrounding area, which is the Black Hills. It is a mountain inhabited by spirits and spiritual powers that are well known to the native people of the Great Plains. They say Bear Butte is central to ceremonial life and necessary for their health and well being. But now, plans to build enormous biker bars and campsites around the sacred mountain are forcing the Great Plains people to take up a fight. The new development hopes to attract the more than 600,000 bikers attending the “Sturgis Bike Rally” in August. The indigenous defenders say “Never since Custer discovered gold has our Mato Paha been threatened by such a combination of greed, government and legal adversity.” Traditional Indian people have been fighting to save the mountain for centuries. In 1876, Chief Sitting Bull gathered over 6000 Indians at the Butte to urge them to defend the sacred lands. Chief Crazy Horse spoke from the mountain to remind his people that the Paha Sapa is not for sale. Other battles followed, one lost in the US court system in the 1980s when Chief Fools Crow brought it to the Supreme Court. At the Protecting Mother Conference this year, Carter Camp described the current battle and made a rallying call to action to protect Bear Butte.
Tom Goldtooth, Director of the Indigenous Environmental Network, for more information visit www.ienearth.org.

The Indigenous Environmental Network holds the Protecting Mother Earth conferences to help Indigenous Peoples confront many challenges on both the local and global level. I asked the director of IEN – Tom Goldtooth – to talk about the 14th gathering held in the homeland of the Leech Lake Anishinaabe Nation.
Alberta Nells, Dine member of the Save the Peaks Coalition, for more information visit www.sacredland.org.
From many places in northern Arizona, the horizon is dramatically marked by three 12,000-foot volcanic peaks that rise out of the Colorado Plateau south of the Grand Canyon. The San Francisco Peaks are sacred to 13 tribes. For the Navajo, the Peaks are the sacred mountain of the west, called “Shining On Top.” They are a key boundary marker and a place where medicine men collect herbs for healing ceremonies. To the Hopi, the Peaks are “The Place of Snow on the Very Top,” home for half of the year to the ancestral kachina spirits who live among the clouds around the summit. When properly honored through song and ceremony, the kachinas bring gentle rains to thirsty corn plants. The peaks are one of the “sacred places where the Earth brushes up against the unseen world,” in the words of Yavapai-Apache Chairman Vincent Randall. At the Protecting Mother Earth conference, Alberta Nells traveled from Arizona to learn strategies for protecting these peaks. She is a part of the coalition to save the peaks, and is only 16 years old. I caught up with her at the conference and asked her about her role as a youth in protecting sacred sites.

June 30, 2006 Listen to the Show

Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas Suffers Water Crisis, Files Lawsuit For Rights to Reservoir Project; Language Teacher Succeeds in Making Lakota Part of High School Curriculum

Kickapoo Tribe Files Lawsuit Against U.S. and Local Officials for Water Rights The Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas relies on water from the Delaware River for consumption, but they are suffering from a serious water shortage and water quality problem. Their plans for a solution have been blocked by a disagreement with local officials. In turn, the tribe announced a lawsuit against the local watershed board, the state of Kansas and the U.S. government. The tribe filed its lawsuit in the middle of June in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, naming 14 federal, state and local officials as defendants. The tribe’s proposed solution to their water problems is a reservoir project. Local officials say this can’t happen unless more money is offered. And now the question of who has senior water rights lies at the center of the dispute. Meanwhile, one tribal member told a reporter for the Kansas City Channel “We are crying for help. We must have water, or we won’t hold out much longer.”

Damon Williams, General Counsel for the Kickapoo tribe in Kansas. Link for more information: The Native American Rights Fund

Lakota Teacher Fights for Language Rights in Public School

The issue of language has been in the news recently as a component of the “path to citizenship” for immigrants coming to the U.S. In May, the Senate passed immigration legislation that would create a program permitting undocumented immigrants who had resided in the United States for five years or more to "earn" their citizenship after paying a fine and back taxes, learning English and holding a job for six years. But as lawmakers push for more incentives to learn English, how are the first languages of this continent faring? Throughout Indian country, the fight is on to keep ancient languages from crumbling under the weight of English. Language revitalization programs are on the rise as activists struggle to get the youth interested and to make it clear that the language is still relevant. In 1995, the Alaska Native Language Center found that of 175 indigenous languages still spoken in the United States, 155 were on the verge of disappearing because children no longer learned them.

Susana Geliga, director of the Little White Buffalo Project, teaches the Lakota language at a public high school in South Dakota. To contact the Little White Buffalo Project: P.O. Box 6203, Rapid City, SD 57709

News and Announcements

Fire Thunder Goes to Trial - Suspended president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe of South Dakota, Cecilia Fire Thunder, will go before the tribal council today for her third impeachment hearing. The hearing was called over Fire Thunder's public opposition to the state's restrictive abortion law. Fire Thunder said in an interview with Indian Country Today “I got really angry about a bunch of white guys in the state Legislature making decisions about my body, again." Fire Thunder was ordered not to talk to the media but she told ICT she couldn't remain silent as Native women continue to suffer sexual and physical abuse, many of them at the hands of non-Indians. She said ''The abortion issue is the key that opens the padlock to sexual deviancy that is occurring on the Pine Ridge reservation,” referring to rape and incest. Critics say her call to open a women's clinic on the Pine Ridge Reservation went against traditional Lakota values. They say she solicited funds for the clinic in violation of tribal law. The tribal council subsequently suspended Fire Thunder and outlawed abortion. Some tribal members have started a drive to put a ban on abortion in the tribe's constitution.

EPA Know of Hazardous Waste Dump Near U.S./Mexico Border - Documents show a hazardous waste dump planned by the Mexican government and a private company near Tohono ceremonial grounds was kept secret from the Indigenous peoples. The documents show the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency knew about the dump nearly one year before in Mexico were informed. Indian Country Today obtained the EPA reports that describe the dump and say “No significant impacts” were expected. The EPA knew Mexico had issued state and federal permits to store 45,000 tons of asbestos, organocholorides and industrial waste sludge. The permit is for 50 years in the community of Quitovac, where annual sacred ceremonies are held. Whistleblowers exposed the hazardous waste dump in February 2006, but most learned of the dump months later. According to Indian Country Today, said the government entities are working in collusion and ignoring the impact on the traditional communities and their culture and spiritual well-being. in the state of Sonora said the hazardous waste dump would expose children to deadly toxins, contaminate underground well water, desecrate ceremonial grounds and affect those who depend on tourism for livelihood.

Canadian Native Groups Cancel Rail Blockade - Canadian aboriginal groups canceled a planned blockade of Canadian National Railway lines set for Thursday, after the company agreed to lobby Ottawa to help resolve natives' outstanding land claims, both groups said on Wednesday. CN Rail had asked the courts to stop Indian groups in the western province of Manitoba from carrying out threats to block rail lines in an effort to draw attention to their land claims disputes with the federal government. The groups requested on Wednesday that the matter be put aside in court after each had made oral commitments. According to Reuters, Rondeau River First Nation Chief Terrance Nelson said his community will rally next to a CN line about 60 miles south of Winnipeg that leads south to the United States. Another group intends to rally at a domestic CN line.

Interior Official Charged in Abramoff Scandal - The first official charge in connection with the Jack Abramoff scandal has been made against an Interior Department official. Roger Stillwell is expected to plead guilty next month to a misdemeanor charge. He worked closely with Abramoff, whose clients included U.S. territorial governments that fall under Interior's jurisdiction. The Senate Indian Affairs Committee released a report a week ago on its Abramoff investigation. The report urges tribes to develop contracting and conflict of interest laws to ensure that legal, lobbying and other contracts are subjected to an open and transparent process. The committee also urged tribes to strengthen their elections process.

Bush Administration Withholds $300M from Indian Housing - The Bush administration's decision to withhold up to $300 million in Indian housing funds came under fire on Wednesday. Key members of Congress questioned why the Department of Housing and Urban Administration appeared to be punishing nearly every single federally recognized tribe by denying them access to their money. They suggested a legislative fix may be needed to prevent what tribal housing leaders predicted would be a total disaster. Sen. Byron Dorgan, the vice chairman of the Senate Indian affairs committee said HUD was going overboard by tying up the entire program over a lawsuit filed by just one tribe. The Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes on the Fort Peck Reservation in Montana filed a lawsuit after HUD claimed they received excess funds under the Native American Housing and Self-determination Act. Marty Shuravaloff, the newly elected president of the National American Indian Housing Council, said some tribes may have to stop building homes altogether as a result of the administration's move.

Ward Churchill To Appeal Dismissal - Ward Churchill has vowed to appeal his firing through university channels and file a federal lawsuit if his appeal fails. The University of Colorado professor now faces dismissal for alleged research misconduct. Churchill ignited a furious controversy with a 2001 essay that compared some of the World Trade Center victims to Adolf Eichmann, who orchestrated the Holocaust. On Wednesday he called the investigation of his work "a farce" and said he is being singled out because he is a dissident scholar. Ward Churchill told The Associated Press no scholar's work could stand up to the scrutiny he is under. University officials concluded his essay was protected by the Constitution but they ordered an investigation into his scholarship. A faculty committee concluded last month that Churchill committed "serious, repeated, and deliberate research misconduct," and Interim Chancellor Philip DeStefano said Monday the university should fire him.

Canadian Tribe Rejects Treaty Money as Insult - The Chief of the West Point First Nation in the Northwest territories of Canada is demanding more money from the federal government for annuities after receiving a check for an amount which she called “an insult”. The government sent Chief Karen Felker a check for $216, that’s $3 a person for the 72-member band for their hunting and fishing allowance. It’s a legal provision under a Treaty signed in 1921. The government originally agreed to send ammunition and twine for hunting and fishing but replaced it with money in the early 1990s without consulting the band. Chief Felker sent the check back to Ottawa this month with a warning that it won’t accept any more money until the federal government accounts for inflation or at least send actual hunting supplies. A spokeswoman for the federal government’s Indian and Northern Affairs Department said the West Point First Nation’s money will be put in a special fund and returned in full if the band eventually decides to collect it. Other bands are applauding the West Point Chief’s demand.

Announcement: Upcoming IEN Conference - Next week will be the 14th Annual Protecting Mother Earth Conference. An Indigenous International Grassroots Environmental Gathering. It begins next Thursday, July 6th and ends on Sunday the 9th. You can go to www.ienearth.org for more information. We’ll be webstreaming the many workshops and speeches taking place. There are activists convening from Alaska, Arizona, Montana, well, from all corners of Indian country. You can get information on webstreaming from the IEN web site: www.ienearth.org

June 15, 2006 Listen to the Show

Penobscot Nation Part of Unique Collaboration to Restore River and Salmon; Montana Coal Wars Veteran Gail Small on Energy Policies, Land Rights, Abramoff and More

Cecilia Fire Thunder Refuses to Be Silenced
In South Dakota, Oglala Sioux Tribe President Cecilia Fire Thunder is speaking out against a gag order issued by the Oglala Sioux Tribal Council. She says a suspension letter she received from the Tribal council ordered her not to talk to the media. She called it a violation of her constitutional rights in an interview Tuesday, according to the Rapid City Journal. The tribal council suspended Fire Thunder last month for proposing an abortion clinic on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and for allegedly raising money for the clinic. She proposed the clinic in response to South Dakota’s new abortion ban, which has since been referred to a statewide vote in November. The tribal council also banned abortions on the reservation. Last year there were two attempts to impeach Fire Thunder. She was suspended once and reinstated when charges were dismissed. She is the first woman elected as president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. A hearing to discuss impeachment has not yet been set.

The Navajo Nation Declares State of Emergency
The Navajo Nation has declared a state of emergency in the wake of ongoing drought conditions and a series of recent wildfires, according to a press release. Of nine fires only one is still burning, said Selena Manychildren, Navajo Department of Emergency Management public information officer, according to the Farmington Daily Times of New Mexico. People who need fires for ceremonial purposes are required to obtain a BIA Burn Permit, which will only be issued for ceremonial use. The law enforcement department reportedly used all their funding last week to provide meals, water and other supplies, she said. The Department is seeking water, energy bars, toiletries and non-perishable food among other items.

US Supreme Court Decision Favors Native Hawaiian Programs
A lawsuit seeking to cut off public money used for Native Hawaiian programs has suffered a setback in the U.S. Supreme Court. The lawsuit contended that programs through the Office of Hawaiian Affairs should not receive state funding on the grounds that they only benefit people of Native Hawaiian ancestry. But the Supreme Court Monday told an appeals court to reconsider whether taxpayers have the right to sue over how the government spends their money. A lawyer for the Hawaii taxpayers making the claim said the Ninth Circuit Court could stand by its September ruling that taxpayers can challenge Hawaiians-only programs, or he could refile the lawsuit with new plaintiffs. Chief Justice John Roberts did not participate in the decision and the Supreme Court offered no explanation. Roberts was previously hired by the state to defend the Office of Hawaiian Affair’s Hawaiians-only voting restriction. In the case, the court ruled unconstitutional OHA's requirement that voters for its trustees must have Hawaiian blood.

Appeals Court Blocks Critical Trust Fund Reports
A federal appeals court ruled last Friday to suppress reports which contained information that the US Department of the Interior allegedly destroyed documents related to a class action lawsuit brought by Native Americans. The plaintiffs filed the lawsuit against the Department ten years ago, accusing the government of mismanaging an Indian trust in their names for a period of 120 years. The Native Americans say they are owed tens of billions of dollars. The author of the reports, Alan Balaran, was appointed by US District Judge Royce Lamberth. He supervised the exchange of information between parties in the lawsuit and investigated document destruction. Balaran's reports to the judge, including observations from personal visits, found the department had destroyed Indian records, sometimes intentionally, at federal depositories and Indian reservations in the West. According to the Associated Press, Keith Harper, a lawyer for the Indian plaintiffs suing the department, said Friday, "Most of the facts in those reports have been conceded as true" by the Interior Department. Interior officials nonetheless asked a federal appeals court to strike Balaran's reports from the record, saying he had improperly hired as an expert witness a former Interior contractor who had accused the department of fraud. Balaran resigned two years ago, saying the government wanted him off the case after he found evidence that private landowners near the Navajo Nation got as much as 20 times more money than Indian landowners from gas pipeline companies for rights to cross their land. Those findings have not been disputed by the government in the lawsuit.

Caledonia Update
From the Six Nations standoff in Caledonia: Violent incidents last Friday resulted in the arrest warrants for seven people. Ontario Premier McGuinty on Monday called an end to negotiations with native protestors and said it’s time the road blockades come down. He said the Native community must help search for the seven wanted people. Talks between the government and Six Nations people are set to resume today. Protestors have now removed barricades from the railway and roads, and say the government now has no excuse to avoid tackling their land claims. Negotiators will update the Six Nations community after the talks end tonight. Yesterday, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, the traditional native government, issued a news release saying the seven people wanted by the OPP will not be at the protest site until the Confederacy completes its own investigation, according to the Hamilton Spectator. Also yesterday, Caledonia business owner launched a class action lawsuit to recoup tens of millions of dollars in losses, their lawyers said Wednesday according to the Canadian press. Only two businesses have signed on so far. The suit is expected to grow exponentially as homeowners may join the legal fight. Six Nations and other Aboriginal protestors have been occupying a half-finished housing development since the end of February.

Colorado University Panel Votes to Fire Ward Churchill
The committee at University of Colorado looking into charges against Ward Churchill issued a strongly worded report Tuesday. The panel, made up of nine CU faculty, a staff member and a graduate student, agreed unanimously with an investigative committee’s earlier findings that Churchill “has committed serious, repeated and deliberate research misconduct.” This includes plagiarism and fabrication of material. In a vote with secret ballots, a majority of the committee said the ethnic studies professor should be fired. The committee forwarded a 20-page report to the University’s Interim Provost and Dean. They will evaluate the report and then advise the Chancellor on what they think should happen to Churchill. The Chancellor will make the final decision, most likely in the next few weeks, according to the Rocky Mountain News. Churchill’s attorney, David Lane, has said Churchill will sue CU in federal court if he is fired. Churchill and Lane have called the investigation politically motivated and the committees’ findings without merit.

Three South Carolina Tribes Seek Federal Recognition
In South Carolina, the Commission for Minority Affairs met last week to consider the recognition petitions of three more tribes. The Croatan Pee Dee, the Piedmont American Indian Association-Lower Eastern Cherokee Nation and the Darlington County Pee Dee Tribe are the latest to seek state recognition. The commission has recognized two tribes so far. The Croatan Pee Dee group has since withdrawn after questions were raised about its status and Indian ancestry. One expert reportedly said the group is making claims that can not be supported by history or documentation.

Abramoff Investigation Update
The Senate Indian Affairs Committee will meet on June 22 to vote on the Jack Abramoff lobbying investigation report, Indianz.com is reporting. Back in June 2005, Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona), the chairman of the committee, said the committee would issue a report. He said it would make recommendations to prevent tribes from being duped by lobbyists. Five people have since been indicted in connection with their lobbying activities in Washington, D.C. Four of them have pleaded guilty and are cooperating with federal prosecutors as the investigation targets members of Congress. The committee itself held five hearings as part of its investigation. Tribal leaders, lobbyists, former Bush administration officials and other people connected to the scandal testified, although in some cases, they refused to provide testimony.

Cherokees to Vote on Whether to Admit Freedmen
The Cherokee tribal council voted Monday night to have Cherokee voters decide whether the descendents of black freedmen should be allowed to enroll in the Cherokee tribe. The vote could come in a special election, at a cost of $150,000 to $350,000, or at the tribe’s next regular election — in July 2007. The Council failed on Monday to gather the majority needed to call the special election. The Cherokees’ Judicial Appeals Tribunal ruled in March that descendants of black freedmen — emancipated slaves who joined the Cherokees in the 1800s — must be recognized as citizens of the tribe. More than 800 descendants of freedmen have registered with the Cherokee Nation since the tribal high court’s ruling. Amending the constitution would remove them from the tribe’s citizenship rolls. According to the Muskogee Phoenix, most councilors said Indian blood should be required for tribal membership.

Native American Music Awards
The 8th Annual Native American Music Awards were recently held in Florida, co-sponsored by the Seminole Tribe. An equal mix of new artists and previous Nammy Award winners were nominated. The Nammys are also designed to make Native American music more accessible to a wide audience. Keith Secola won artist of the year for “Americana” and Best Male artist was Wade Fernandez with “Song of the Black Wolf.” This year’s Best Female Artist was Pura Fe’ with “Follow Your Heart’s Desire.” Jim Boyd won Songwriter of the Year for “Treaties.” Winner for Song/Single of the Year went to Bill Miller for “Sacred Ground.”

IEN Protecting Mother Earth Conference
The 14th Annual Protecting Mother Earth Conference will take place July 6 – 9 in Cass Lake, Minnesota at the Leech Lake Memorial Pow-wow Grounds. Hosted by the Indigenous Environmental Network, there will be workshops on Water of Life & Prayer for the Water, Toxic Contamination and Health of All Life, Energy & Climate Justice, Native Youth Resistance Movement, and more. For more information go to www.ienearth.org or contact Simone Senogles at +1 218 751- 4967 or simone@ienearth.org

Penobscot Nation Moves Forward With River Restoration Project
For years, the Penobscot Nation has fought to increase the number of fish annually making it to their homelands. But their journey has been halted by several dams on the Penobscot River owned by the PPL Corporation. In 2004, the federal government, the Penobscot Nation and the PPL Corporation all signed the Lower Penobscot River Multi-party Settlement Agreement. It is a collaborative effort to restore the Penobscot River. The Agreement allows for increased production at some PPL mills and calls for the removal of two dams. Another dam would be decommissioned and bypassed with a fishway. At the end of May, PPL Corporation started generating more power at other dams, signaling a step towards compensating for the loss of power generated by the dams which will be removed and decommissioned. The Penobscot River Restoration Trust is now working to raise $25 million to buy the three dams from PPL. The trust includes six conservation groups and the Penobscot Nation. John Banks, Penobscot and director of natural resources for the Penobscot Indian Nation. Visit this web site for more information: www.penobscotriver.org and www.penobscotnation.org

Montana Coal War Veteran Gail Small on Energy Policy, Food Politics and More
The largest coal strip mine and gasification complex in America lies just 15 miles from the Cheyenne Reservation. The Cheyenne people are living on one of the poorest Reservations in the country and yet for over 30 years, they have refused to strip mine their homeland for promises of riches. As a teenager, Gail Small was immersed in the infamous Montana Coal Wars – a grassroots struggle to reverse government policy allowing energy companies to mine the rich coal reserves underneath the Northern Cheyenne reservation. Prohibited from mining on the reservation, the coal companies have dug into nearby lands scarring the landscape with strip mines. After getting her law degree from the University of Oregon, Small returned to the Northern Cheyenne reservation and founded Native Action, a ground-breaking non-profit advocacy group dedicated to environmental and political reforms, education and other causes that directly affect the life of her tribe. Today Native Action is struggling to keep thousands of methane gas wells from surrounding the Northern Cheyenne reservation. In April 2005, they lost a battle to stop a ruling that is allowing 500 wells per year to be opened up in Southeastern Montana despite the fact that the environmental impact statement the Bureau of Land Management issued was declared invalid. The wells will be right up to the Cheyenne’s borders within two years if the industry has it’s way. Gail Small, Northern Cheyenne lawyer and founder of Native Action. For more information visit: www.nativeaction.org

 

June 8, 2006 Listen to the Show

A Debate on the Native Hawaii Recognition Bill; 100 Days: An Update on the Six Nations Standoff in Caledonia; The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Moves Towards Federal Recognition

100 Days of Occupation: Six Nations Standoff at Caledonia Continues
First Nations chiefs from across Ontario pledged their support to Caledonia protestors yesterday on the eve of the occupation’s 100th day. The group of 100 chiefs also warned governments to expect more occupations if aboriginal land claims aren’t settled. "We are all one nation across this country," said Grand Council Chief John Beaucage, who represents 43 First Nations across the province. Six Nations spokesperson Clyde Powless said the mass show of support was about more than Caledonia. "Canada," he shouted, "this giant you woke up grew enormously today and will continue to grow." Meanwhile in the Canadian Parliament on Monday, Progressive Conservatives leader John Tory made a motion calling for a public inquiry into Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty’s handling of the Caledonia standoff. Liberals failed to vote down the motion even though they have a majority in the legislature. There were only 6 or 7 Liberals in the legislature at the time. McGuinty dismissed the motion’s vote as “mischief-making” and told reporters on Tuesday the vote shows the Progressive Conservatives who sponsored it “have not drawn the lessons that should be drawn from Ipperwash.” In 1995, police killed native protestor Dudley George at Ipperwash provincial park. An inquiry to determine if the PC government of Mike Harris directed police force against protestors who occupied the provincial park on Lake Huron has not yet concluded. In February, Six Nations members occupied or reclaimed land where a housing development was under construction. The situation became more tense weeks ago after the Ontario Provincial Police stormed the site to enforce a court order as land claims talks continued. The Six Nations community has made it clear they want to deal primarily with the federal government. An update from: Kahentinetha Horn, Editor of Mohawk Nation News, www.mohawknationnews.com

Debate on the Native Hawaiian Recognition Bill: Giving Native Hawaiians Their Long Overdue or Preventing Land and Sovereignty Claims?
The U.S. Senate debated for three hours on Wednesday the long-stalled Native Hawaiian Recognition Bill. The bill would recognize a legal and political relationship between the United States and a Native Hawaiian governing entity, giving Native Hawaiians self-governing rights similar to those of Native American tribes. The Native Hawaiian governing entity would be authorized to negotiate with the state and federal governments over such issues as historical grievances and control of natural resources, lands and assets. Yesterday on the Senate floor, opponents blasted the bill as divisive and race-based. Supporters said the bill would give recognition that’s long overdue for Native Hawaiians. It has been called the Akaka bill after it’s sponsor, Democratic Senator Dan Akaka. He says Native Hawaiians have not been given the same treatment as other indigenous people in the U.S. Republican Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee launched the longest attack on the bill yesterday calling it a “dangerous precedent.” He said “If we start down this path, the end may be the disintegration of the United States into ethnic enclaves… [it] Wouldn't be much different than if American citizens who were descended from Hispanics who lived in Texas before it became a republic in 1836 created their own tribe.” Republican Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona voiced concern that the bill will “divide Hawaii and encourage racial division there and elsewhere.” The bill’s supporters who spoke yesterday on the Senate included both Democratic Senators from Hawaii, Republican Sen. Ted Stevens from Alaska, and Democratic Sen. Barack Obama. Meanwhile, in Hawaii yesterday a group of Native Hawaiians occupied Iolani Palace for a couple of hours to protest the bill. Members of the group Hui Pu said the Akaka bill would prevent Hawaiian land and sovereignty claims, among other things. One protestor said, “I think it is important that history knows that Hawaiians stood up against this bill despite that fact that there is hundreds of thousands of dollars of propaganda by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and other organizations to support this bill.” This according to KITV Honolulu. Lobbyists for the bill include the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the National Congress of American Indians, the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement and the American Bar Association. Anne Keala Kelly, Native Hawai'ian journalist and filmmaker. She is working on a documentary called "Noho Hewa Ma: The Wrongful Occupation of Hawai'i." Robert Klein, attorney with the Office of Hawaiian Affairs as its board counsel, and a former associate justice of the Supreme Court of Hawaii. While on the high court, Klein authored the landmark decision expanding the rights of Hawaiians to enter some private property for traditional gathering, religious and cultural practices.

Federal Recognition in the United States: The Mashpee Wampanoag Seek Tribal Status
After decades of work, the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe in Massachusetts was recently accorded preliminary acknowledgment by the Bureau of Indian Affairs as a federally recognized Indian tribe. The Mashpee Wampanoag were among the earliest Native peoples of North America to have significant contact with Europeans. Almost 400 years ago, they greeted the Pilgrims who arrived on the Mayflower near what is now the town of Plymouth. It is their story that has been mythologized in the celebration of Thanksgiving. Federal recognition will make this tribe the 564th recognized tribe in the nation and the second in Massachusetts. The preliminary decision is followed by a 210-day public comment period. The tribe will receive final determination by March 31, 2007. Glenn Marshall, Chairman of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council. Christine Grabowski, PhD. She has more than 20 years experience in federal recognition and has testified before Congress on the process. She is the principal of Grabowski & Associates, LLC, a consulting firm specializing in economic development, research and analysis, and communications for Indian country.

June 1, 2006 Listen to the Show

Carrie Dann on the Pentagon's Cancelled "Divine Strake" Test Blast; Tohono O'odham Battle Secret Plans to Build a Hazardous Waste Dump Near Ceremonial Land; Winona LaDuke on Food Sovereignty: the New Arena of Colonialism

Divine Strake Test Called Off, Western Shoshone Protest Ongoing Violation of Land Sovereignty
The Pentagon's Defense Threat Reduction Agency had planned to detonate a 700-ton non-nuclear fuels explosion at the Nevada test site tomorrow, June 2nd. But the test, called the "Divine Strake." was postponed by the National Nuclear Safety Administration because of questions about possible fallout. Members of the Western Shoshone Nation were at the forefront of opposition to the test. They and their supporters argue that the test site, along with most of Nevada and parts of California, Idaho and Utah, is still Western Shoshone land. Though Divine Strake has been delayed indefinitely, more than 200 people peacefully demonstrated on Sunday at the Nevada Test Site. More than 30 were arrested when they crossed over onto the site. Carrie Dann was one of those people. For over forty years, along with her late sister Mary, Carrie has been at the forefront of the Western Shoshone Nation’s struggle for land rights and sovereignty. Leading the political and legal battle to retain ancestral lands, Dann has squared off against international gold mining corporations, the nuclear industry and the U.S. government. Carrie Dann, Western Shoshone Nation, working with the Western Shoshone Defense Project. Tom Goldtooth, Indigenous Environmental Network.

Opponents of Secretly Planned Toxic Waste Dump Near U.S.- Mexico Border Say it Poses Danger to Indigenous Communities on Border and Violates International Law

Plans to build a hazardous waste dump in Tohono territory south of the U.S. - Mexico international border have drawn fire from the indigenous communities straddling the border, local officials in Tucson, and citizens in Mexico. The plans have been secretly carried out without notifying in the surrounding communities, who fear for the effects of released toxins into the land, air and water. Pima county officials in Arizona said Mexico violated an international treaty when it failed to notify them about plans for the waste facility. It would be located about 125 miles southwest of Tucson, close to the Tohono community of Quitovac where sacred ceremonies are conducted. People on both sides of the border have voiced opposition during protests in April and May. Ofelia Rivas, member of the nation. Brenda Norrell, a journalist with Indian Country Today. Talli Nauman, co- director of the independent media project: Journalism to Raise Environmental Awareness. She is a long time collaborator with the International Relations Center based in Silver City, New Mexico, of the Americas Program.

Links to articles:
Brenda Norrell's article "O'odham Oppose Planned Hazardous Waste Dump" in Indian Country Today.
Talli Nauman's article "Public Due Consideration on New U.S. - Mexico Border Toxic Waste Site Proposal" published by the Americas Program of the International Relations Center.

Winona LaDuke on Food Sovereignty: "The New Arena of Colonialism...is the Biological Make-up of the World"
Author and activist Winona Laduke, a Mississippi Band Anishinaabe, recently spoke at the National Museum of the American Indian in New York City with Northern Cheyenne lawyer Gail Small. LaDuke (re)affirmed her commitment to preserve Native lands against the ravages of environmental abuse. She also spoke about recovering humanity, in the theme of her most recent book “Recovering the Sacred.” We play her speech from that night, in which she talks about food sovereignty and more. Winona LaDuke, activist and author. Her newest book is "Recovering the Sacred: the Power of Naming and Claiming." She is the Program Director of Honor the Earth and the Founding Director of White Earth Land Recovery Project.

May 4, 2006

Bringing Indigenous Issues to the United Nations: Re-defining the Millennium Development Goals; Bolivian Water War Leader Oscar Olivera Collaborates in Film Project, Fundraiser Tonight!

Fundraiser for "Gringomobile Diaries: Bolivia", will show raw clips of the film and raise money for post-production costs. Also showing "Gringoton (Gringo-thon)" and other award-winning films and documentaries by Greg Berger, co-creator of "Gringomobile Diaries: Bolivia"
Where: Carlito's Cafe Lexington Avenue, between 106th and 107th Streets
When: 7 pm, Thursday May 4th

The Millennium Development Goals and Indigenous Peoples: Re-defining the Millennium Development Goals

Next week, thousand of Indigenous Peoples from all over the world will convene at the United Nations to bring their concerns and recommendations to the Permanent Forum, which is an advisory body to the Economic and Social Council with a mandate to discuss Indigenous issues related to economic and social development, culture, the environment, education, health and human rights. There will be several side events organized by Indigenous activists during the two-week session that are open to the public, including "Water is Life," "Indigenous Peoples' Toronto Charter on HIV/AIDS", and "Papal Bulls, Manifest Destiny & American Empire." We speak with Kent Lebsock, Executive Director of the American Indian Law Alliance.

Visit the web site for more information, www.ailanyc.org, American Indian Law Alliance, aila@ailanyc.org

April 7, 2006

Mohawk Nation Clashes With Canadian Authorities; Lakota Elders Share Wisdom on Issues From Global Warming to Abortion

Mohawks Continue Peaceful Takeover to Halt Non-Indigenous Development on Tribal Land

We speak with Hazel Hill, an Onkwehonweh at Grand River community, currently in a jurisdictional dispute with the Canadian government. There is an effort by non-Indigenous people to build 300 houses on Onkwehonweh territory. Elder Iroquois women and other Indigenous peoples from various nations have stopped the development by staging protests and negotiating with the developers. Their struggle to preserve the land continues.

Hazel Hill, can be contacted at thebasketcase@ol.aibn.com

Lakota Elders Willard and Darlene Pipeboy Share Wisdom

Willard and Darlene Pipeboy speak about a range of issues, from Global Warming, to Immigration and Abortion. They are from South Dakota.

April 6, 2006

Western Shoshone Condemn U.S. Nuclear Simulation Plans on Tribal Lands; Biker Bar Threatens to Desecrate Bear Butte

Charon Asetoyer: Candidate for the South Dakota State Senate!

Charon Asetoyer (Comanche) is the Executive Director of the Native Women's Health Education Resource Center, a grassroots women's health institute on the Yankton Nakota Reservation in South Dakota. She recently announced her candidacy for the SD state senate! She is determined to fight for women's access to reproductive health care in direct opposition to the state's recent almost-total ban on abortion.

If you would like to support her campaign, you can mail a donation to: Campaign for Change/Asetoyer P.O. Box 472 Lake Andes, SD 57356

Western Shoshone Say Military Testing Violates Sovereignty

The U.S. Defense Department plans to detonate 700 tons of explosives on Western Shoshone land at the Nevada Test site this June. The detonation has been named the "Divine Strake." A groups of scientists has criticized the plan, saying the test is intended to simulate a nuclear blast as part of Pentagon research into the development of low-yield nuclear weapons. Native Americans in the Nevada region are protesting the plans for a number of reasons, including on spiritual, philosophical and legal grounds. Raymond Yowell, Chief of the Western Shoshone National Council, said: "We're opposed to any further military testing on Shoshone lands. This is a direct violation of the CERD finding and an affront to our religious belief - Mother Earth is sacred and should not be harmed. All people who are opposed to these actions by the U.S. should step forward and make their opposition known." The CERD finding refers to a decision recently by the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD). It urged the U.S. to stop actions being taken against the Western Shoshone peoples of the Western Shoshone nation.

Raymond Yowell, chief of the Western Shoshone National Council

Julie Fishel, Western Shoshone Defense Project

Tribal Coalition Gains Momentum, Calls For Support to Block Biker Bar from Desecrating Sacred Land

A beer license was recently approved for a biker complex that business owners hope to profit from during an annual rally in nearby Sturgis. The bar would be about 2 1/2 miles from the base of Bear Butte, a place where Native Americans go to pray, fast, and meditate. Native Americans have been strongly opposed, and we speak with one activist there.

Carter Camp, with the grass-roots organization Defend Bear Butte!

March 16, 2006

Oil Pipeline in Peru Ruptures a Fifth Time: How Amazon Indians are Being Burned

IDB, Peruvian Government and Amazon Pipeline Consortia Evade Questions and Criticism about Camisea Failures The major oil pipeline Camisea in Peru ruptured for a fifth time in 18 months, triggering a fire that injured local residents of the village of Echarate in the southern region of Cuzco, Peru. A Health Ministry report stated 25 families were affected. Doctors have banned the consumption of fish from local rivers and vegetables grown in the area until the degree of pollution caused by the spill can be assessed. A report earlier this year revealed a large part of the pipeline was built using severely corroded pipes left over from earlier projects in Brazil and Ecuador and the welding was done by unskilled workers. Another report shows how indigenous communities that come into contact with pipeline workers are suffering and dying from diseases they are vulnerable to as a result of isolation. We talk to Amazon Watch director Atossa Soltani about the Camisea Natural Gas Project, the first major gas development in Peru. It is located in one of the world's most ecologically prized rainforests in the remote Lower Urubamba Valley of the Peruvian Amazon.

Atossa Soltani, executive director of Amazon Watch, a non-profit organization that works to defend the environment and rights of the indigenous peoples of the Amazon basin.

March 9, 2006

Abortion Ban in South Dakota Draws Native Opposition, and Indigenous Peoples' Demands for UN Declaration of Indigenous Rights Continue into 11th Year

Native Women Unite in South Dakota to Fight Abortion Ban

Native American women are organizing at the grass-roots level to protest the bill that was recently signed by Governor Rounds of South Dakota that would ban virtually all abortions in the state. We find out how the abortion ban impacts Native women and communities and hear about efforts to combat it.

Charon Asetoyer, founder and executive director of the Native American Women's Health Education Resource Center, a grass-roots women's health institute on the Yankton reservation in South Dakota.

Indigenous Peoples Demand Formal Rights Declaration at UN Session, and The Wrongful Occupation of Hawai'i

Indigenous Women and men from around the world convened in Geneva to demand a formal United Nations declaration of Indigenous rights. About 90 representatives of governments, specialists from indigenous regions of the world, non-governmental organizations, as well as scholars and the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous peoples participated in the 11th session of the working group of the Commission on Human Rights. The agenda included the crucial issues of the indigenous rights to self-determination, lands, territories and resources, with an emphasis on the fundamental right to restitution.

Anne Keala Kelly, Native Hawai'ian journalist and filmmaker. She is working on a documentary called "Noho Hewa Ma: The Wrongful Occupation of Hawai'i." It chronicles how the American war machine took hold in Hawai'i, and how to the detriment of the Hawai'ian people it has expanded throughout the Pacific.

February 7, 2006

Agreement Between Coastal Native Canadian Nations, Loggers and Environmentalists Protects Sacred Forest

The New York Times reports that a coalition of Native Americans, loggers and environmentalists have announced an agreement that will protect the Great Bear Rain Forest, home to sacred sites for the Gitga'at in British Columbia. The article reports "The process has already inspired similar efforts to save the Canadian boreal forest, to the north, and suggestions that the agreement could be a model for preservation in the Amazon and other threatened forests." Chairman of the Heiltsuk nation said, "Now we can manage our destiny. Without this agreement, we would be going to court forever and we would have to put our children and our old ladies dressed in button blankets in the way of the chainsaws."

February 2, 2006

Confronting Myths: From the Legend of Pocahontas to the Discourse on Palestine

Louisiana's Coastal Tribes Appeal For Help

In southern Louisiana, leaders of four coastal Native American tribes, the Bayou Lafourche, Grand Caillou/Dulac, Isle de Jean Charles Bands of the Biloxi-Chitimacha and the Pointe au Chien Indian tribes are issuing a call for help again. The tribes were all left reeling in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and still need relief assistance. Randy Verdun, Chief of the Bayou Lafourche Band of the Biloxi-Chitimacha tribe said, "It's a call to action, a call that we hope is heard. Help us preserve our distinct cultures and traditions. Without help, they will surely be lost." We speak with: Patty Ferguson, Tribal Attorney for the Pointe au Chien Indian Tribe.
Full Press Release
For more info, to make a donation or provide grant information to the affected tribes contact:

• Patty Ferguson - Tribal Attorney, Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe 480-425-2637 Ferguson@SacksTierney.com
• Marlene Foret - Chairwoman, Grand Caillou/Dulac Band of the Biloxi-Chitimacha (985) 594-6593 mmforet@mobiletel.com
• Albert Naquin - Chief, Isle de Jean Charles Band of the Biloxi-Chitimacha (985) 232-1286 whitebuffaloa@netscape.net
• Charles Verdin - Chairman, Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe (985) 856-5336 pacit@cowscorner.com
• Randy Verdun – Chief, Bayou Lafourche Band of the Biloxi-Chitimacha (225) 485-8765 bccmi@aol.com
• Naomi Archer - Coordinator, Four Directions Relief Project (828) 230.1404 fourdirections@riseup.net
• Or Visit the Four Directions Solidarity Network

Confronting Stereotypes in "The New World", Shattering the Myth of Pocahontas

Nearly two weeks ago, the film "The New World" opened in theaters around the country. The film attempts to retell the mythical story of Pocahontas and John Smith as a passionate love story, with the settlement of the Jamestown colony taking place in the backdrop. Few reviews have criticized the film for perpetuating racist and sexist stereotypes, suggesting these ideas are so enmeshed in American culture that they are overlooked without protest.

Camilla Townsend, Associate Professor of History at Colgate University. She specializes in Native American and Latin American history. She is the author of several books, including "Pocahontas and the Powhatan Dilemma" and "Burying the White Gods: New Perspectives on the Conquest of Mexico."

Free Speech or Racist Propaganda?: Multi-Faith Coalition Mobilizes to Respond to Anti-Palestinian Ad

In a recent issue of The Nation magazine, a full-page ad by the organization called Facts and Logic About the Middle East, or FLAME, claims to confront myths about Palestine. The ad says the nationhood of Palestine is a myth. The group's ad has outraged many people, including the group WESPAC. We speak with some representatives.

UPCOMING EVENTS

February 3, 2006: Tiokasin Ghosthorse will play the flute and introduce the documentary film, "Incident at Oglala: The Leonard Peltier Story." The film, by Robert Redford and Michael Apted shows the mockery made by the U.S. government of its own judicial system. It shows the FBI-led reign of terror perpetrated on the Lakota Reservation in 1973. Tiokasin will have a Q&A session following the film. Begins 7:30 pm, at Everything Goes Book Cafe, 208 Bay Street, Tompkinsville, Staten Island. Everything Goes Book Cafe & Neighborhood Stage

February 3, 2006: the 30th anniversary of Leonard Peltier's capture in Canada.
NYC Jericho and ProLibertad will show the film "Warrior: the Life of Leonard Peltier" by Susie Bear. 6:30 pm, St. Mary's Episcopal Church, 521 W. 125th Street, Manhattan.
Call 718-220-6004.

January 26, 2006

Indigenous Environmental Network Director Charges Bush Administration With Crimes Against Humanity; A Discussion With Charmaine Whiteface, Defender of the Black Hills

Indigenous People Demand an End to the Bush Administration's Human Rights Violations We speak with an Indigenous political activist who testified at the recent International Commission of Inquiry on Crimes Against Humanity Committed by the Bush Administration held in New York City. We hear about the various Indigenous communities whose human rights have been violated as a result of the Bush administration's policies.

Tom GoldTooth, Executive Director of the Indigenous Environmental Network

Defenders of the Black Hills

We hear about Bear Butte, a small mountain about 8 miles off the northeastern corner of the Black Hills. It is sacred to more than 60 Native nations from the North American continent and is being threatened by urban sprawl from the nearby town of Sturgis, and the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Although the community was able to stop the building of an outdoor shooting range four miles from this sacred mountain, they are now facing an individual who wants to build a number of biker bars, an outdoor concert arena, and a biker campground on 300 acres only one and a half miles from the base.

Also, there are close to 1,000 abandoned uranium mines and prospects in the north, northwest, and western portions of the Treaty Territory, in SD, ND, MT, WY, and also in the southern Black Hills. Nebraska currently has an active uranium mine just south of the Pine Ridge Reservation. The Native community became aware of these this past year and are trying to bring this information to the attention of the public. We hear about these issues and more.

Charmaine White Face, Coordinator of the Defenders of the Black Hills

January 2, 2006

Homeless for Over a Century, a Tribe Awaits U.S. Redemption

Here is an article that describes one tribe's struggle for federal recognition, highlighting the history of U.S. land theft that displaced the tribe and left them marginalized. The article also provides a good outline of how the the recognition process unfolds, including its shortcomings and inadequacies, and the reasons why tribes continue to seek it.
By Jim Robbins The New York Times December 24, 2005

Here at the base of a rise called Hill 57, a steady, cold wind blows on a cloudless day as James Parker Shield and Russ Boham tell of life for the landless Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians.

The tribe, its land taken away more than a century ago, squatted in Great Falls and elsewhere in north-central Montana through the late 1960's, living as many as 12 to a tar-paper shack without plumbing, and scavenging at the dump for scrap metal, rags and food. Parents often ran afoul of state child welfare officials. ''They'd see you sleeping in a car body and take you away from your family,'' said Mr. Boham, who, like Mr. Shield, was among those shipped to the state orphanage when he was a child.

Today, with most of its members living in public housing around Great Falls, Mr. Shield and Mr. Boham are leading a protracted fight for government recognition of the tribe. Recognition would allow their people to gain control of federal money to buy land here for a tribal headquarters and housing, and to win back a measure of dignity.

The 112 families led by Chief Little Shell lost their North Dakota homeland to the government in 1892 when a chief of the Pembina Chippewa signed away their rights to it, without their authority and in their absence. The Little Shell had left home, in the Turtle Mountain area, to go hunting, and an Indian agent forced the other Chippewa to accept the Ten Cent Treaty -- so called by Indians because it bought about 10 million acres of Chippewa land, including that of the Little Shell, for a million dollars.

Ever since, the Little Shell have known only diaspora. Most came to Montana, where they lived near dumps and on the streets of Great Falls, Helena and other towns. In 1896, angry whites asked the government to do something about them, and the Army rounded them up at gunpoint, put them on boxcars and shipped them to Canada. ''Most of them made their way back,'' said Mr. Shield, the vice president of the tribal council, which Mr. Boham serves as assistant.

The three other surviving Chippewa tribes from the Turtle Mountain area -- the Turtle Mountain, the White Earth and the Rocky Boy -- were all less scattered and received federal recognition over time; they now have reservations. But the 4,500 or so Little Shell still await official recognition from the Office of Federal Acknowledgment at the Interior Department, a quest for which they have gained the support not only of other tribes in Montana but also of the Montana governor's office, the State Legislature and Cascade County, which includes Great Falls.

The recognition process was created by the government in 1978 to make reparations to tribes that had been forced to move from place to place throughout American history. There are now 562 federally recognized tribes in the United States. Roughly 220 others have expressed interest in recognition, but such efforts are often strongly opposed. Some of that opposition comes from tribes, already recognized, that are eager to protect their vast casino gambling income, and from states that do not want recognized tribes within their borders, because a bid for recognition is occasionally a ploy of relatively few Indians with dubious historical ties simply to open a new casino. ''We're running into the ripple effects of gaming and politics,'' Mr. Shield contended. ''But the gaming has nothing to do with us. If you take a hard look at the gaming opportunities in Montana, there's no market and no population. We want a home.''

James E. Cason, an associate deputy interior secretary who oversees Indian affairs, denied that the gambling issue had been a factor in the case of the Little Shell, who first applied for recognition in 1984, who received preliminary approval in 2000 and who have spent much of the time since then engaged in assembling the documentation needed for final approval. (The final draft of their petition was sent to the government earlier this year.) ''It doesn't have anything to do with gaming -- it's a non issue,'' Mr. Cason said, adding that the Little Shell had been ''in control of this process the last five years and have asked for extensions.'' With the final draft now in hand, ''we will try to do it as expeditiously as we can,'' he said.

But the recognition process has long been criticized by Indians as unwieldy, partly because of a requirement for extensive documentation that proves they have acted as a tribe politically and culturally over the last two centuries. ''It's extremely onerous, almost prohibitively so,'' said Kim Gottschalk, a lawyer for the Native American Rights Fund, a nonprofit law firm based in Boulder, Colorado, that is researching the Little Shell claim. The fund estimates that it has spent more than $1 million in out-of-pocket expenses on the petition, not counting lawyers' pay.

Kevin Gover, a Pawnee Indian who was assistant interior secretary for Indian affairs from 1997 to 2000 and is now a law professor at Arizona State University, is also critical of the recognition program. ''They've been around for 30 years,'' he said, ''and they've never managed to approve more than two a year.'' Professor Gover said the Office of Federal Acknowledgment demanded far too much documentation, ''and that is especially a problem for tribes like the Little Shell,'' who lived in a remote area and have no written records from the period.

The Little Shell band is not claiming land. But with $3.5 million held in trust for it by the federal government until recognition is achieved, it would buy 200 acres of farmland here in Cascade County, where most tribal members live, and build a headquarters, a clinic and housing. In November, Cascade County commissioners passed a resolution calling for the county to be the home base of the tribe, even though that would mean the removal of 200 acres from the tax base.

"We support them moving forward with official recognition,'' said Commissioner Lance Olson. ''But if they aren't going to recognize them, they should tell them.'' Federal recognition would also allow the Little Shell to apply for minority contracts and to have a government-to-government relationship with Washington. ''That means they could no longer treat us,'' Mr. Shield said, ''like someone they don't want to admit they fathered.''

December 8, 2005

Here are today's guests:

• Marijo Moore, Author and former commentator on First Voices Indigenous Radio, speaks about her new book called "Confessions of a Madwoman": go to her web site www.marijomoore.com.
• Leslye Abbey, social worker and independent filmmaker, she is screening a testimonial film called "Houma Nation vs. Hurricanes" this Sunday, December 11th at 11am, at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Queens. Learn more about how Katrina and Rita impacted the Houma nation. Phone 516-679-8216 for more information.
• Charles Verdin, Chair of the Pointe-au-Chien tribe in the lower bayou of southern Louisiana. He speaks about the impact of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on his community, and the historical context of the tribe. Interview by John Hamilton, producer at Democracy Now!.
• Stephen Martin, working with LakotaKidz. He speaks about how the rising cost of fuel will impact Native reservations in South Dakota this winter. Prices will be extremely high there, where the winters are deadly cold, reaching well below 0 degrees. His organization works to deliver services, but faces major logistical obstacles.

Show Headlines

Nevada Tribe Hit by Fire Still Waiting on BIA For Assistance

Members of the Fort McDermitt Paiute-Shoshone Tribe of Nevada were hit by a fire three months ago and are still waiting for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to provide assistance. The fire destroyed 3,000 acres of reservation land on the Nevada-Oregon border. Reservation members have applied for monetary aid and supplies through the BIA social services, but the agency says first the Red Cross must investigate the applications. A BIA spokeswoman said, "It appears the federal government can do more. I do not know when the Red Cross will go out there." The tribe has been meeting with state officials and members of Congress, including democratic Senator Harry Reid. Members are also struggling to get firewood and the US service Forest Service has said it's against federal law for them to provide free wood. Also pending is the $1,700 bill for drinking water delivered the day of the fire. Tribal members were without water for a week.

Lummis Enlist Fire, an Old Ally, As They Battle Scourge of Drugs

The Lummi nation in Washington state reportedly set a boarded-up house on fire in a community effort to battle rampant drug abuse. The family owning the house agreed to the ceremony. The Seattle Times reports that illegal drugs were sold out of the house. The Lummi nation launched a major anti-drug campaign in 2002 after tragedies related to drug abuse skyrocketed. Tribal members report increasing drug-related prosecutions and establishing more youth treatment facilities and even banishing dealers from the rez. Members say they have returned to the teachings of their ancestors and the power of fire.

AIM Calls for Newspaper Columnist To Be Fired For Criticizing Deloria

The Colorado branch of the American Indian Movement is calling for Rocky Mountain News columnist Vincent Carroll to be fired after words on Vine Deloria Jr, who passed away November 13. The controversy center around the following passage Carroll wrote: But what the obituaries and tributes have for the most part danced around or ignored is the utterly wacky nature of some of his views. [In a 1996 book] Deloria rejected the Bering land bridge theory of prehistoric migration to the Western Hemisphere since he believed Indians existed here 'at the beginning' - probably as contemporaries of dinosaurs. And this bizarre claim only hints at his contempt for much science. Deloria insisted that we shouldn't sanitize America's past. Fair enough. But let's not sanitize his legacy, either."

This was AIM's response: Would you have disrespected Martin Luther King in the same way? No. Would you have disrespected any European-American leader in that manner? No. Recently, you rightfully gave the death of Rosa Parks prominent, multiple day coverage in your paper. Why not for Deloria? Is it because American Indians could not possibly have done anything important enough to merit such coverage? Is it because you and your staff are entirely unaware of Deloria and his contributions? If so, we hope that the racism inherent in such ignorance is obvious to you. A couple dozen AIM members signed the letter.

Supreme Court Nominee Alito Voted to Support Indian's Religious Freedom

Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito has a miniscule record when it comes to Indian issues, but there is one decision that looks favorable for Indians. A couple of years ago the US court of appeals for the third circuit heard the case of Dennis Blackhawk, a man brought up in a traditional Oglala Lakota home. Pennsylvania officials tried to force Blackhawk to obtain an exotic wildlife dealer permit to keep several black bears. Blackhawk sued, saying that violated his right to religious expression. Blackhawk conducted ceremonies with the bears, as advised by Lakota elders. The court sided with Blackhawk with Alito writing the majority opinion.

Supreme Court Rules State Can Tax Reservation Fuel, Blow Dealt to the Potawatomi Nation

The Supreme Court has ruled that states have the right to tax fuel sold on Indian reservations. A Prairie band Potawatomi attorney called it "an utter failure to give federal protection to tribal sovereignty" In a 7-2 vote, justices ruled that Kansas could tax distributors selling fuel at the Prairie Band Potawatomi tribe's gas station near Topeka. Tribal attorneys argued the Potawatomi tribe already taxes the fuel to pay for reservation roads traveled by tribal members and non-Indians alike. Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Anthony M. Kennedy agreed, saying the fuel is "effectively double-taxed." They also said that forcing the tax could result in the gas station going out of business. The ruling spells bad news for other tribes as well. Sixteen other states that impose a motor fuel tax and have Indian lands within their borders had urged the high court to hear the case. They argued that a restriction on their ability "to tax uniformly throughout the state will inhibit their ability" to fund highway construction and maintenance.

Tex Hall, former leader of the National Congress of American Indians and the current chairman of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara nation blasted the ruling. He said: "The Supreme Court's ruling today puts Indian tribes into a situation that they were never supposed to be in under the United States Constitution - fighting political battles within the state legislatures to fend off or repeal state laws like Kansas'. If sovereignty means anything, it means that no tribe should have to go hat in hand to the non-Indians of the state they live in and ask for the right to exercise their inherent sovereign powers. Seven of the Justices sitting on the Court don't get this. I think Indian Country is getting fed up with this kind of nonsense, and we are going to have to step up our role in deciding whether or not Samuel Alito is confirmed to the Supreme Court."

November 10, 2005

Angus Hemlock, legal researcher for the traditional governing body for the Kanienkehaka nation (Mohawk nation)

Lola Forester, Aboriginal host and programmer for the National Aboriginal Radio Program for SBS Radio in Australia.

August 25, 2005

Gwitch'in Nation Launches National Campaign to Protect the Arctic Refuge and a Way of Life

The Gwitch'in Nation launched a national campaign in Washington, D.C. on August 13 called "Drum! Dance! Sing! Protect the Arctic Refuge! The Gwitch'in are preparing to battle members of Congress who are trying to insert provisions into the national Budget Bill for oil development in the coastal plains of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. During the next five weeks members of Indigenous nations from across the country will travel to D.C. to support the Gwitch'in. The vigil, held across from the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, is scheduled to culminate in a demonstration during the week of September 20th, when Congress members supporting a plan for drilling in the Arctic will make their next move.

We speak with three Indigenous people of different nations who are in Washington, D.C. for the Save the Arctic campaign. We discuss how oil development could impact the Gwitch'in nation and all the wildlife in the region, how the recently signed Energy bill impacts Native Alaskans and other Indian lands, and the broader threats oil development may hasten such as climate change, human rights violations and opening nationally protected wildlife regions to energy development.

• Sarah James, Member of the Gwitch'in Steering Committee
• Kelvin Long, Director of ECHOES (Educating Communities While Healing and Offering Environmental Support), and member of Black Mesa Water Coalition
• Clayton Thomas-Mueller, Native Energy Organizer for the Indigenous Environmental Network

August 11, 2005

INDIGENOUS NEWS: South African Government Charged With Ignoring Indigenous Needs.

A United Nations expert on Human Rights for Indigenous Peoples, Rodolfo Stavenhagen, has called for the South African government to improve efforts to meet the needs of Indigenous peoples. During a 12 day visit, Stavenhagen met with government officials and representatives of Indigenous groups. Leaders from the five main Khoi-San groups condemned delays in the government's delivery of public services. However, the UN representative reportedly acknowledged the South African government's "tremendous efforts" to end inequalities. Among the Indigenous leaders' criticisms were charges that the government was ignoring issues such as language, culture, health and economic transformation and land rights. Petrus Vaalbooi from the Kumani-San tribe said "Our letters (rock art) are seen as a national treasure, but we do not benefit. The museums are full of Bushmen but to what benefit of our people?"

Venezuela Grants Indigenous Land Rights

In Venezuela, President Hugo Chavez formally recognized six Indigenous communities as the original "owners" of their ancestral lands by granting land titles in a ceremony last Tuesday. The territory covers more than 300,000 acres. One Indigenous woman from the Kari'na community said of Chavez, "He has been the first president who has kept his word to a people who have been stripped of their lands." However, Chavez warned that national unity must ultimately take precedence over Indigenous land claims. Chavez urged other Indigenous groups not to ask for "infinite lands of territory." An estimated 300,000 Venezuelans belong to 28 Indigenous groups, many living in the country's sparsely populated southeast.

Bush's Energy Bill: A Strike Against Native Communities

In the United States, it looks like Native Americans will be significantly impacted by the massive energy bill President Bush signed this week. Native activists are denouncing the new legislation, citing the major benefits for energy companies and the revival of the nuclear power industry. Title V section of the bill deals directly with energy development on Indian lands, including Alaska. The provision releases the federal government of its traditional "trust responsibility" to tribes in the negotiation and enforcement of energy development agreements. Some tribal activists fear unfair deals will be made between powerful energy corporations and tribal governments.

NCAA Bans 18 Racist Mascots

The National Collegiate Athletic Association launched a storm of controversy when it announced last Friday that it is banning the use of 18 Indian mascots and nicknames during NCAA-sanctioned events beginning next February. Among those banned are the Florida State Seminoles, sparking criticism from Florida Governor Jeb Bush. Governor Bush said the decision insulted the Florida State University and the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Bush said, "It's ridiculous. How politically correct can we get? The folks that make these decisions need to get out more often." Florida State University is planning an appeal and Attorney Barry Richard, who represented George W. Bush during the 2000 presidential recount, has agreed to represent FSU if needed. The Native community has been working for more than 50 years to ban images and names like Cleveland's chief wahoo, the Washington Redskins, the Kansas city chiefs and the Atlanta Braves.

A Spokesperson from the National Coalition on Racism in Sports and Media said: "The American public has been conditioned by the sports industry, educational institutions and the media to trivialize Indigenous culture as common and harmless entertainment. On high school and college campuses Native American students do not feel welcome if the school uses as its mascot a Chief, the highest political position you can attain in our society. Using our names, likeness and religious symbols to excite the crowd does not feel like honor or respect, it is hurtful and confusing to our young people."

Colleges and universities subject to the new policy:

• Alcorn State University (Braves)
• Central Michigan University (Chippewas)
• Catawba College (Indians)
• Florida State University (Seminoles)
• Midwestern State University (Indians)
• University of Utah (Utes)
• Indiana University-Pennsylvania (Indians)
• Carthage College (Redmen)
• Bradley University (Braves)
• Arkansas State University (Indians)
• Chowan College (Braves)
• University of Illinois-Champaign (Illini)
• University of Louisiana-Monroe (Indians)
• McMurry University (Indians)
• Mississippi College (Choctaws)
• Newberry College (Indians)
• University of North Dakota (Fighting Sioux)
• Southeastern Oklahoma State University (Savages)

Hawai'i: Occupied Territory Past and Present

Guests:

• Noenoe Silva, Associate Professor of Political Science and Hawaiian Language at the University of Hawai'i's Manoa. She is the author of "Aloha Betrayed: Native Hawaiian Resistance to American Colonialism."
• Keala Kelly, Native Hawaiian journalist and filmmaker.

Our two guests explain that Hawai'i is more than a vacation paradise - Hawai'i is an illegally and militarily occupied country. Noenoe Silva describes how histories of Hawai'i have been based exclusively on English-language sources, failing to take into account the thousands of pages of newspapers, books, and letters written in the mother tongue of Native Hawaiians. Silva refutes the long-held idea that native Hawaiians passively accepted the erosion of their culture and loss of their nation. While Silva describes a history, Keala Kelly gives voice to today's ongoing resistance to political and cultural domination.

Last Saturday, 15,000 Native Hawaiians marched down the streets of Honolulu in opposition to a 9th Circuit Court Ruling that invalidates the Hawaiian-only admissions policy of a school established in 1887, prior to the US-backed overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom. It was established as part of the will of a Hawaiian princess. Keala Kelly protested the decision because she says it infringes on Hawaiian self-determination. Keala Kelly and Noenoe Silva also speak about what the Akaka bill could bring to Hawai'i and the impending threat of military expansion on Hawaiian lands. The Akaka bill, if passed, will open up more land to the seizure of the US government, which Kelly argues will be used for military expansion. She made a film that can be accessed at www.nohohewa.com.

May 5, 2005

On Indians and Patriotism

April 28, 2005, Indian Country Today, Steven Newcomb - Indigenous Law Institute
After the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon on September 11, 2001, millions of Americans became more fervent in their patriotism toward the United States. In this era of the Patriot Act, those who dare to question ''patriotism'' are made to feel that they may be ''treading on thin ice.'' One American Indian leader even suggested that you can tell who a ''real'' Indian is because a ''real'' Indian is patriotic toward the United States.

This made me wonder about my own thoughts on patriotism. After considerable reflection, I have decided that because of my spiritual beliefs, and because of all that our Native ancestors have suffered at the hands of the United States, I consider myself to be a ''matriot.'' A matriot is someone who loves, is loyal to, and promotes the interests of Mother Earth. I consider myself deeply matriotic.

As a result of those who had a patriotic dedication to promoting the patriarchal interests of the American empire, entire Indian nations no longer exist: their ancestral lands that made their way of life viable were taken over by an imperial country. Look east of the Mississippi River, where highly intelligent and vibrant Indian civilizations once thrived on hundreds of millions of acres of land, with their own languages, cultures, economies and spiritual traditions. How many of those Native civilizations still exist there?

Thanks to U.S. patriotism and the Indian Removal Act, relatively few Indian nations exist east of the Mississippi, on extremely small areas of their once-vast ancestral lands. Almost all Indian nations west of the Mississippi have been squeezed into smaller areas of land, the vast majority of their ancestral lands stripped from them.

Look at all the lands where my matrilineal and matriotic Delaware ancestors once lived, in what is now known as Manhattan Island, Delaware, New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania. With patriotic fervor, first European colonists and later the United States took over our lands, thereby destroying our traditional world and spiritual way of life.

Think of the many thousands of years in which our respective indigenous languages evolved, accumulating knowledge and wisdom over eons. And think of all the patriotic effort that U.S. government officials and Christian missionaries dedicated to destroying our respective Native languages, right down to their cognitive roots.

In their patriotic fervor, such people had no regard for our rich heritage, only contempt for our cultural and spiritual knowledge. Their patriotic work involved an ardent and greed-laden desire to destroy us in order to fatten and enrich themselves, as ''God's chosen people,'' on our lands and resources, to which they felt eminently entitled based on the ''promised land'' narrative of their ''good book.''

Because our indigenous languages reflect our own indigenous conceptual systems, which are rooted in our brains, the systematic abuse of American Indian children by the United States in an effort to destroy our Indian languages affected those Indian children to their core. Those children were our ancestors, our aunts and uncles, our mothers and fathers, our sisters and brothers - relatives of all the members of our respective nations.

One of the things U.S. boarding schools beat into American Indian children was patriotism toward the American flag and devotion to the Bible, in part by working to make Indian children ashamed of their own Native spirituality. As a spiritual matter and as a matter of conscience, how can I feel patriotic toward a political entity that worked so hard to destroy us as distinct nations and peoples that have existed in this hemisphere for thousands and thousands of years?

However, I am extremely matriotic toward Mother Earth. Matriotism is entirely consistent with our traditional cultural and spiritual way of life. I believe that a society dedicated to the values of matriotism would honor and respect motherhood and ''the motherland.'' It would acknowledge women as a source of life. It would support women and help them to thrive and excel by powerfully nurturing their innate intelligence. It would not abuse them emotionally, physically or sexually. A matriotic society would not regard women, or men, as a kind of property.

A society dedicated to matriotism - a sacred regard for the Earth and all living things - also would not allow poisons, such as pesticides, petroleum and toxic nuclear wastes, to leach into the veins of Mother Earth.

One example of Mother Earth being poisoned is found in the town of Moab, Utah, on the edge of the Colorado River where, according to a recent report in the San Diego Union-Tribune, some 58,000 gallons of radioactive liquid leach each and every day into sacred waters upon which animals, fish and millions of people rely.

Another such example is the Columbia River. For generations, highly radioactive liquid has been leaching from decomposing steel drums at the Hanford nuclear facility into the groundwater that runs into the Columbia River and the fish that live there. Now the U.S. government plans to bury 77,000 tons of radioactive waste in Yucca Mountain in the Western Shoshone territory.

Given such patriarchal desecrations, I am content to be matriotic like my Shawnee and Delaware ancestors. As they and all our indigenous ancestors knew, we only have one Mother Earth, and we are all her children.

Steven Newcomb is the indigenous law research coordinator at Kumeyaay Community College on the Sycuan Indian Reservation, co-founder and co-director of the Indigenous Law Institute, and a columnist for Indian Country Today.

April 24, 2005

Peru Plans Reserve for Isolated Indigenous Group

The Peruvian government has created a commission that is in the early stages of designing plans for a reserve for the Mashco-Piro Indigenous group, one of 11 Indigenous groups living in voluntary isolation in the Peruvian Amazon. There is no reliable data on the Mashco-Piro, but there are estimates that there are 800 members of the group. The commission is planning to create “transitory territorial reserves” to enable to Mashco-Piro to maintain extensive routes to move freely about. A commission member, an anthropologist, said that the reserves will be assigned “until they decide, through their own community organization, to obtain recognition and ownership titles over land.” The Alto Puros province, home to 2,800 members of 8 Indigenous groups, is threatened by illegal logging that causes displacement of Indigenous communities and engenders social violence. Peru, one of the six South American countries that share the Amazon, loses 265,000 hectares of tropical rainforest annually to logging.

Brazil Formalizes Indigenous Reserve

The Brazilian Justice Ministry decided on Friday, April 15 to formalize the demarcation of the Raposa Sierra del Sol reserve in the northern state of Roraima, recognizing the right of 15,000 Indigenous members of five ethnic groups to the territory. The 1.74 million hectare reserve in on the border with Guyana and Venezuela and has been the site of contention and violence between Indigenous groups and white landowners growing rice and raising cattle for more than three decades. More than 20 Indigenous activists have died during the 30 year struggle to regain ancestral territory and the right to fish and hunt on their own land. A one-year deadline has been set for the large landowners to pull out of the territory. The Roraima Governor Ottomar Pinto said he would appeal the decision as soon as President Lula signed it, and rice growers announced calls for protest demonstrations. In January 2004, rice growers staged violent protests calling to break up the reserve in which three Catholic missionaries were briefly taken hostage.