Vigil on the Plains
Crow Creek Sioux chairman is ‘not going anywhere’
By Stephanie Woodard, Today correspondent
Story Published: Dec 29, 2009
Story Updated: Dec 24, 2009
FORT THOMPSON, S.D. – On Dec. 15, Crow Creek Sioux Tribe Chairman Brandon Sazue got a visit from eight horseback riders on a pilgrimage to memorialize 38 Dakota men who died in the nation’s largest mass hanging, in December 1862 in Mankato, Minn.
“The group took a detour from the main ride to fill a pipe here that will be smoked and prayed over when they get to Mankato.”
The 35-year-old chairman was camped on 7,100 acres of wind-swept, snowy land owned by Crow Creek Tribal Farms. The IRS recently seized the tract and on Dec. 3 auctioned it off for $2 million less than its $4.6 million value to pay a purported tax bill for the tribe, a separate legal entity.
The riders found Sazue holding his own in sub-zero temperatures. The chairman took up residence on the expanse shortly after the auction, intending to fast and pray for its repatriation until the crisis is resolved. “I’m not going anywhere. This land never was and never will be for sale. Not yesterday, not today, not tomorrow. As chairman, I inherited the tax problem and tried to work with the IRS. They claim they ‘consulted’ with us, but all they did was tell us ‘here’s how it’s going to go.’”
The IRS action appears to fly in the face of legal precedents as far back as a 1790 law prohibiting the transfer of Indian land without a treaty, according to a legal memorandum drawn up by the tribe’s attorneys, Mario Gonzalez, Oglala Lakota and Terry L. Pechota, Rosebud Sioux Tribe. The document was filed Dec. 2 in U.S. District Court in an effort to stop the sale. That request was denied; however, a trial will take place in March, during which the tribe will attempt to regain the site.
“It’s the Black Hills gold rush all over again,” said historian Waziyatawin, Ph.D., Wahpetowan Dakota from Upper Sioux and a University of Victoria research scholar. “Nowadays, the press is reporting on a green energy land rush and Department of the Interior efforts to free up millions of acres for wind and solar development. Open prairie land, such as that on Indian reservations in the Plains, is suitable for such enterprises. So the U.S. government is going after the poorest of the poor to find the resources it needs.”
How to help
Send donations of supplies or cash to Chairman Brandon Sazue, Crow Creek Sioux Tribe, P.O. Box 50, Fort Thompson, South Dakota 57339.
To reach the Obama administration, call the White House Comment Line: (202) 456-1111 Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Eastern standard time, or go to www.whitehouse.gov/contact. Find your federal representatives at house.gov or senate.gov.
The tribe, which has an unemployment rate of about 80 percent and lives in one of the poorest counties in the nation, had been planning a wind farm for the area, said Sazue. “If we lose this land, we miss that opportunity. We have profound connections to this place as well. Our ancestors are buried here, and tribal members come to collect sage and other traditional medicines.”
When Waziyatawin visited the site with her family Dec. 12 for a pipe ceremony, she joined Crow Creek tribal members and visitors from Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate, the Yankton Sioux Reservation, and the Rosebud Sioux Reservation.
The tax problem appears to have arisen after Harold Condon, a BIA employee who became financial manager of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe in the early 2000s, advised the community not to pay federal employment taxes. According to a document that Gay Kingman, Cheyenne River Sioux, executive director of the Great Plains Tribal Chairman’s Association, received from the BIA in early December, the agency claims Condon did “an excellent job.” Further, the BIA letter says, the tribe owed the taxes and Condon was “instrumental in working with the Internal Revenue Service to get the large bill paid.”
The tract, which makes up 20 percent of Crow Creek’s reservation, was originally sold off after the Allotment Act of 1889 moved it into the hands of individual Indian owners. Notably, this was done without the majority vote of the tribe required by law. “We all know the referendum never took place,” Pechota said.
The tribe repurchased the land in 1998, according to Gonzalez’s and Pechota’s legal memorandum. Crow Creek then attempted to put the acreage back into trust, said Sazue. “We started the process in 2000. It shouldn’t take a decade to accomplish this.”
Nedra Darling, Prairie Band Potawatomi and a BIA spokeswoman, refused to comment on any aspect of the situation, citing the ongoing litigation. Darling added that Hilary Tompkins, Navajo, solicitor of the Interior Department and one of the Obama administration’s high-profile Native appointees, would also not comment.
The crisis occurs against a background of economic devastation created by the building of a series of giant dams along the Missouri River in the mid-20th century. The dams flooded valuable riverside agricultural areas on Sioux reservations throughout the Dakotas. Starvation ensued in many areas. In return for giving up the richly diverse bottomland, Crow Creek was promised free electrical power, which it never received. It did get $27.5 million that has been put into trust. However, the tribe can only touch the interest, not the principal, said Sazue. “I call that living off scraps. Why couldn’t we use that money to pay the IRS?”
The tribe’s difficulties have been exacerbated by the IRS siphoning off earnings from Crow Creek’s small casino and motel, making it difficult for the tribe to meet payroll and provide public services, as well as to pay the tax bill in an orderly fashion, Sazue said. The problem has also arisen at the worst time of year, according to the chairman. Despite frigid temperatures, the local electric company has been disconnecting the only power source for many Crow Creek families, claiming non-payment of bills. This forces the tribe to shelter members at its Fort Thompson motel, thus forgoing income it might receive by renting the rooms.
This is an annual occurrence, according to the humanitarian organization Can-Do, which filmed the electric company ripping out meters throughout Crow Creek during the winter of 2008, as babies cried and mothers tried to understand mysteriously escalating bills. To see the group’s video, visit www.can-do.org and look under “Project Progress Videos.” Can-Do’s investigation found “severe increases of illness, disease and mortality” on the reservation.
Sazue’s family was affected this year as well. “A month ago, my cousin called. She just had a baby, her husband is on oxygen, and her electricity got cut off. Companies are not supposed to do that in inclement weather, but they do here. Our people are suffering.”
“The Obama administration could help solve this crisis,” Waziyatawin said. “Obama is talking the talk when it comes to Indian country, but are he and his appointees going to walk the walk?”
Indian Country Today-December 29, 2009
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
CENTRAL VALLEY ME-WUKS TO DEMOSTRATE AT BIA HQ IN SACRAMENTO,CA
Our Tribe is a federally recognized Tribe that is listed in the Federal Register as an Indian Entity Recognized and Eligible to receive services from the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs.
The Central California Agency — BIA is illegally trying to re-organize a federally recognized Tribe that has never been terminated, that has a Custom and Tradition Tribal Constitution ratified by the Tribe in March 2000.
The local BIA has been illegally withholding our Mature Status 638
Contract since 2008 and by refusing to confirm to the California Gambling Control Commission who our duly elected Chairperson is, BIA has caused the CGCC to illegally withhold the Tribe's Revenue Sharing Trust Fund Monies (RSTF) since 2005.
Our civil rights have been violated. The local BIA is also violating federal law.
We (the "Tribe") have no money to fund our Tribal Programs, all employees have been layed off since Dec 2007.
The Tribe cannot pay its bills, and the only Tribal Property (1% acres of land at 10601 Escondido Pl., Stockton, CA 95212) has been foreclosed on.
The Sheriff's Department is scheduled to evict the Tribe and its members off the Tribal Property on January 15, 2010.
We are demanding that our funding be released immediately so we can save our Tribal Property and not be homeless. We are demanding fair treatment by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. We are demanding that an investigation into the inappropriate actions and treatment of our Tribe, by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The Dept of the Interior - BIA mission is to "protect and honor its trust responsibilities to American Indians, Alaskan Natives and Affiliated Island Communities", so why have they failed so miserably with protecting the California Valley Miwok Tribe?
Come join us, voice your concerns and issues.
Show strength in UNITY!!
Where: John Moss Building - Central Calif. Agency/Bureau of Indian Affairs 650 Capitol Mall,
Sacramento, Calif. 95814
When: Wednesday, January 6th, 2010 & Thursday, January 7 th, 2010
Time: 10:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. (each day)
followed by a 1 hour Press Conference (each day)
For more info contact the California Valley Miwok Tribe at (209) 931 -4567
http://www.californiavalleymiwoktribe-nsn.gov
and http://californiavalleymiwoktribe.us
All are welcome to join us, voice your concerns and issues, Show strength in UNITY!!
Our Tribal funds are being illegally withheld,
Our civil rights and Federal Law is being violated.
Our Tribe is facing forced eviction on Jan 15 th, 2010
The Bureau of Indian Affairs must be held accountable.
The Public needs to know the truth about how American Indians rights are being abused!
Please join us! We need your support!
The Central California Agency — BIA is illegally trying to re-organize a federally recognized Tribe that has never been terminated, that has a Custom and Tradition Tribal Constitution ratified by the Tribe in March 2000.
The local BIA has been illegally withholding our Mature Status 638
Contract since 2008 and by refusing to confirm to the California Gambling Control Commission who our duly elected Chairperson is, BIA has caused the CGCC to illegally withhold the Tribe's Revenue Sharing Trust Fund Monies (RSTF) since 2005.
Our civil rights have been violated. The local BIA is also violating federal law.
We (the "Tribe") have no money to fund our Tribal Programs, all employees have been layed off since Dec 2007.
The Tribe cannot pay its bills, and the only Tribal Property (1% acres of land at 10601 Escondido Pl., Stockton, CA 95212) has been foreclosed on.
The Sheriff's Department is scheduled to evict the Tribe and its members off the Tribal Property on January 15, 2010.
We are demanding that our funding be released immediately so we can save our Tribal Property and not be homeless. We are demanding fair treatment by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. We are demanding that an investigation into the inappropriate actions and treatment of our Tribe, by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The Dept of the Interior - BIA mission is to "protect and honor its trust responsibilities to American Indians, Alaskan Natives and Affiliated Island Communities", so why have they failed so miserably with protecting the California Valley Miwok Tribe?
Come join us, voice your concerns and issues.
Show strength in UNITY!!
Where: John Moss Building - Central Calif. Agency/Bureau of Indian Affairs 650 Capitol Mall,
Sacramento, Calif. 95814
When: Wednesday, January 6th, 2010 & Thursday, January 7 th, 2010
Time: 10:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. (each day)
followed by a 1 hour Press Conference (each day)
For more info contact the California Valley Miwok Tribe at (209) 931 -4567
http://www.californiavalleymiwoktribe-nsn.gov
and http://californiavalleymiwoktribe.us
All are welcome to join us, voice your concerns and issues, Show strength in UNITY!!
Our Tribal funds are being illegally withheld,
Our civil rights and Federal Law is being violated.
Our Tribe is facing forced eviction on Jan 15 th, 2010
The Bureau of Indian Affairs must be held accountable.
The Public needs to know the truth about how American Indians rights are being abused!
Please join us! We need your support!
Monday, December 21, 2009
TRIBAL NATIONS CONFERENCE, QUAKER INDIAN COMMITTEE DISAVOWS DOCTRINE OF DISCOVERY, AND CURRENT ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN INDIAN COUNTRY
1. TRIBAL NATIONS CONFERENCE (excerpt from Of Peace and Politics)
(From FCNL)
On November 5 the White House hosted a nation-to-nation conference with representatives from nearly all of the 564 federally recognized tribes in the United States. This all-day event included participation by the members of Congress, the current administration, and the president. It was a great opportunity for dialogue among nations and a symbol of the president's commitment to a new direction in the U.S. government's relationship with its native peoples.
The event was opened and closed by President Obama, beginning with an interactive session. However, as the president said, "the most important opportunity that you will have today is to interact directly with the department heads, the secretaries who are in charge of implementation on a whole range of these issues." He urged tribal leaders to "present to them your concerns, your specific recommendations. They are here to listen and to learn and to advise." Discussions over the course of the day covered a range of topics, including key legislative opportunities: tribal law and order and health care. At the White House website, you can watch videos from several different panels:
Public safety and housing
Education, health care and labor
Economic development, natural resources, energy, environment, and agriculture
If you are unable to watch streamed videos on your computer, you can read the text from Obama's opening statement and interactive session.
2. Quaker Indian Committee disavows Doctrine of Discovery, affirms Declaration
Inspired by the actions of the Episcopal Church, a Quaker group has disavowed the Christian Doctrine of Discovery and voiced its support for the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The Indian Committee of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends issued a Minute – analogous to a resolution – at its September meeting.
The committee "renounces the Doctrine of Discovery, the doctrine at the foundation of the colonization of Indigenous lands, including the lands of Pennsylvania. We find this doctrine to be fundamentally inconsistent with the teaching of Jesus, with our understanding of the inherent rights that individuals and peoples have received from God, and inconsistent with Quaker testimonies of Peace, Equality, and Integrity," the Minute reads.
The Doctrine of Discovery was a principle of international law developed in a series of 15th century papal bulls and 16th century charters by European monarchs. It was a racist philosophy that gave white Christian Europeans the green light to go forth and claim the lands and resources of non-Christian peoples and kill or enslave them – if other Christian Europeans had not already done so.
The doctrine institutionalized the competition between European countries in their ever-expanding quest for colonies, resources and markets, and sanctioned the genocide of indigenous people in the "New World" and elsewhere.
As a spiritual corollary of the renunciation, the Indian Committee also expressed its support for the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which was adopted by the General Assembly Sept. 13, 2007. The Declaration presents indigenous rights within a framework of human rights.
Only the U.S., Canada, New Zealand and Australia – countries with large populations of indigenous peoples with huge aboriginal land claims – voted against the Declaration's adoption. Australia has since adopted it.
http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/archive/79059862.html
CURRENT ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS IN INDIAN COUNTRY
Over three thousand (3000) open dumps exist across Indian Country, including 69 hazardous sites requiring immediate cleanup – 55 of which are located in Alaskan tribal territories4.
Tribal populations currently have the highest rate of asthma of any single ethnic group
13.1% of tribal homes lack access to safe water and basic sanitation, compared to less than 1% of homes nationwide
.
There is also a great potential for renewable energy on tribal lands.. The wind energy capacity on tribal lands is approximately 14 percent of the annual U.S. electric generation. The solar energy potential is 4.5 times the annual U.S. electric generation. The two dozen reservations in the northern Great Plains have a combined wind power potential that exceeds 300 gigawatts--half of the current electrical generation in the United States3.
OVERALL THEME: MEANINGFUL NATION-TO-NATION RELATIONSHIP
9 Respect for Tribal Sovereignty in a manner that recognizes the rights and responsibilities of tribes,
A consistent working relationship between federal agencies and tribes.
Develop Tribal Environmental Indicators. There is only one environment, and all of it is inter-connected, yet tribes trying to protect their lands and people must try to work with at least a dozen different agencies (EPA, BLM, BIA, USFWS, USFS, ACOE, DOE, DOI, USDA, BOR, NOAA, IHS, NRCS, etc)
Accountability of federal agencies to implement their own regulations.
Sustainable and adequate long-term funding with the flexibility to meet tribal priorities in implementing environmental programs.
CONSULTATION
1. Respect for Tribal Sovereignty.
2. Early engagement of tribes in the decision-making process.
3. Acknowledging that only Tribes have the capacity to make determinations on the proper method of consultation. There needs to be an acknowledgment that the vast geographic, demographic, economic, political, and cultural diversity of tribes makes it impossible for any federal agent to make a decision regarding whether or in what manner it is appropriate to consult with Tribes.
A focus on process rather than policy – a “Consultation Clearinghouse”.
PROTECTION OF TREATY RIGHTS, INDIGENOUS LIFEWAYS AND TRIBAL COMMUNITIES
Report on whether current federal policies protect indigenous life ways.
Revise water quality standards sediment clean up levels to reflect higher fish and shellfish consumption rates amongst indigenous communities
First Foods Protection. It is recommended that all federal agencies adopt the management concept of “First Foods Protection.” This concept holds that protection of “first foods” – fish, game, roots, berries – are built into all environmental, natural resources, and climate change standards.
WHITE HOUSE ACTION ITEMS:
A Nation-to-Nation relationship is not between 1 Tribal Nation and 30 different Federal Agencies. Direct the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) to take the lead on coordinating a coherent, consistent federal policy towards tribes that would cut across existing jurisdictional, budget, and policy divisions.
Develop a “One Environment” approach, vs separate agencies for water, air, land, etc. There is only one “environment” and it is entirely interconnected and interdependent; there is no separation between water, land, air, people, animals, plants, or the planet. The current federal approach – separate Agencies independently implementing their own small piece of the puzzle without coordination with each other (or often, within themselves either), implementing inconsistent and often contradictory environmental laws – is a dysfunctional one.
Follow-up: Tribal Nation’s Conference on the Environment.
It is requested that a subsequent Conference be held specifically on the Environment with Tribal Leaders and those federal agencies charged with protecting and improving the environment: USEPA, BIA, BLM, FWS, USFS, USDA, IHS, HUD, etc.
National Ocean Policy. Continue to consult with tribes on the development of a National Policy on Oceans, Coasts and Great Lakes through the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force
Conduct Tribal Research. Direct the National Science Foundation to fund research into tribal environmental, natural resources, and epidemiology issues.
International Issues. Direct the State Department to work closely with tribes on the following international issues
o Adoption of the UN Declaration United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
o Ratification and Implementation of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants
o Pacific Salmon Treaty
o Major Columbia River Water Treaty
---
"There are kinds of violence that have nothing directly to do with unofficial or official warfare . . . such things as toxic pollution, land destruction, soil erosion, the destruction of biological diversity and of the ecological supports of agriculture"
- Wendell Berry
(From FCNL)
On November 5 the White House hosted a nation-to-nation conference with representatives from nearly all of the 564 federally recognized tribes in the United States. This all-day event included participation by the members of Congress, the current administration, and the president. It was a great opportunity for dialogue among nations and a symbol of the president's commitment to a new direction in the U.S. government's relationship with its native peoples.
The event was opened and closed by President Obama, beginning with an interactive session. However, as the president said, "the most important opportunity that you will have today is to interact directly with the department heads, the secretaries who are in charge of implementation on a whole range of these issues." He urged tribal leaders to "present to them your concerns, your specific recommendations. They are here to listen and to learn and to advise." Discussions over the course of the day covered a range of topics, including key legislative opportunities: tribal law and order and health care. At the White House website, you can watch videos from several different panels:
Public safety and housing
Education, health care and labor
Economic development, natural resources, energy, environment, and agriculture
If you are unable to watch streamed videos on your computer, you can read the text from Obama's opening statement and interactive session.
2. Quaker Indian Committee disavows Doctrine of Discovery, affirms Declaration
Inspired by the actions of the Episcopal Church, a Quaker group has disavowed the Christian Doctrine of Discovery and voiced its support for the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The Indian Committee of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends issued a Minute – analogous to a resolution – at its September meeting.
The committee "renounces the Doctrine of Discovery, the doctrine at the foundation of the colonization of Indigenous lands, including the lands of Pennsylvania. We find this doctrine to be fundamentally inconsistent with the teaching of Jesus, with our understanding of the inherent rights that individuals and peoples have received from God, and inconsistent with Quaker testimonies of Peace, Equality, and Integrity," the Minute reads.
The Doctrine of Discovery was a principle of international law developed in a series of 15th century papal bulls and 16th century charters by European monarchs. It was a racist philosophy that gave white Christian Europeans the green light to go forth and claim the lands and resources of non-Christian peoples and kill or enslave them – if other Christian Europeans had not already done so.
The doctrine institutionalized the competition between European countries in their ever-expanding quest for colonies, resources and markets, and sanctioned the genocide of indigenous people in the "New World" and elsewhere.
As a spiritual corollary of the renunciation, the Indian Committee also expressed its support for the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which was adopted by the General Assembly Sept. 13, 2007. The Declaration presents indigenous rights within a framework of human rights.
Only the U.S., Canada, New Zealand and Australia – countries with large populations of indigenous peoples with huge aboriginal land claims – voted against the Declaration's adoption. Australia has since adopted it.
http://www.indiancountrytoday.com/archive/79059862.html
CURRENT ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS IN INDIAN COUNTRY
Over three thousand (3000) open dumps exist across Indian Country, including 69 hazardous sites requiring immediate cleanup – 55 of which are located in Alaskan tribal territories4.
Tribal populations currently have the highest rate of asthma of any single ethnic group
13.1% of tribal homes lack access to safe water and basic sanitation, compared to less than 1% of homes nationwide
.
There is also a great potential for renewable energy on tribal lands.. The wind energy capacity on tribal lands is approximately 14 percent of the annual U.S. electric generation. The solar energy potential is 4.5 times the annual U.S. electric generation. The two dozen reservations in the northern Great Plains have a combined wind power potential that exceeds 300 gigawatts--half of the current electrical generation in the United States3.
OVERALL THEME: MEANINGFUL NATION-TO-NATION RELATIONSHIP
9 Respect for Tribal Sovereignty in a manner that recognizes the rights and responsibilities of tribes,
A consistent working relationship between federal agencies and tribes.
Develop Tribal Environmental Indicators. There is only one environment, and all of it is inter-connected, yet tribes trying to protect their lands and people must try to work with at least a dozen different agencies (EPA, BLM, BIA, USFWS, USFS, ACOE, DOE, DOI, USDA, BOR, NOAA, IHS, NRCS, etc)
Accountability of federal agencies to implement their own regulations.
Sustainable and adequate long-term funding with the flexibility to meet tribal priorities in implementing environmental programs.
CONSULTATION
1. Respect for Tribal Sovereignty.
2. Early engagement of tribes in the decision-making process.
3. Acknowledging that only Tribes have the capacity to make determinations on the proper method of consultation. There needs to be an acknowledgment that the vast geographic, demographic, economic, political, and cultural diversity of tribes makes it impossible for any federal agent to make a decision regarding whether or in what manner it is appropriate to consult with Tribes.
A focus on process rather than policy – a “Consultation Clearinghouse”.
PROTECTION OF TREATY RIGHTS, INDIGENOUS LIFEWAYS AND TRIBAL COMMUNITIES
Report on whether current federal policies protect indigenous life ways.
Revise water quality standards sediment clean up levels to reflect higher fish and shellfish consumption rates amongst indigenous communities
First Foods Protection. It is recommended that all federal agencies adopt the management concept of “First Foods Protection.” This concept holds that protection of “first foods” – fish, game, roots, berries – are built into all environmental, natural resources, and climate change standards.
WHITE HOUSE ACTION ITEMS:
A Nation-to-Nation relationship is not between 1 Tribal Nation and 30 different Federal Agencies. Direct the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) to take the lead on coordinating a coherent, consistent federal policy towards tribes that would cut across existing jurisdictional, budget, and policy divisions.
Develop a “One Environment” approach, vs separate agencies for water, air, land, etc. There is only one “environment” and it is entirely interconnected and interdependent; there is no separation between water, land, air, people, animals, plants, or the planet. The current federal approach – separate Agencies independently implementing their own small piece of the puzzle without coordination with each other (or often, within themselves either), implementing inconsistent and often contradictory environmental laws – is a dysfunctional one.
Follow-up: Tribal Nation’s Conference on the Environment.
It is requested that a subsequent Conference be held specifically on the Environment with Tribal Leaders and those federal agencies charged with protecting and improving the environment: USEPA, BIA, BLM, FWS, USFS, USDA, IHS, HUD, etc.
National Ocean Policy. Continue to consult with tribes on the development of a National Policy on Oceans, Coasts and Great Lakes through the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force
Conduct Tribal Research. Direct the National Science Foundation to fund research into tribal environmental, natural resources, and epidemiology issues.
International Issues. Direct the State Department to work closely with tribes on the following international issues
o Adoption of the UN Declaration United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
o Ratification and Implementation of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants
o Pacific Salmon Treaty
o Major Columbia River Water Treaty
---
"There are kinds of violence that have nothing directly to do with unofficial or official warfare . . . such things as toxic pollution, land destruction, soil erosion, the destruction of biological diversity and of the ecological supports of agriculture"
- Wendell Berry
Friday, December 18, 2009
BEING A PARENT IS A SPIRITUAL VALUE
"Parents have to demonstrate the value of trust, respect, and honor."
Haida Gwaii, Traditional Circle of Elders
Children learn more by watching than by listening. If we want our children to understand and value trust, they know it by watching how adults live their lives! If we want the children to be respectful, they will observe what the adults do and say to each other.
We need to walk our talk.
We need to remember the children are watching.
Haida Gwaii, Traditional Circle of Elders
Children learn more by watching than by listening. If we want our children to understand and value trust, they know it by watching how adults live their lives! If we want the children to be respectful, they will observe what the adults do and say to each other.
We need to walk our talk.
We need to remember the children are watching.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
CRISIS OF RESERVATIONS SUICIDES ARE FRONT AND CENTER AT LNI
Officials put crisis of reservation suicides 'front and center' at LNI
Mary Garrigan Journal staff | Posted: Thursday, December 17, 2009
Kirsten Clifford pinned a yellow ribbon to her Little Wound Lady Mustangs basketball warm-up Wednesday, one small thread in what Tiny DeCory hopes will become a tapestry of suicide prevention at the Lakota Nation Invitational this week in Rapid City.
LNI officials are putting suicide prevention "front and center" at the annual basketball tournament this year in the aftermath of a rash of suicides on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation among young people ages 14-24.
"I know you're here to play ball, but there's no reason for us to be burying our future leaders," DeCory told the boys and girls basketball teams that gathered for mandatory suicide awareness sessions at the LNI.
Tournament director Bryan Brewer issued a directive requiring all players and cheerleaders to attend the hour-long program in order to participate in the tournament. The sessions continue today at 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.
The Bear Characters, a student drama group that DeCory runs in Pine Ridge, partnered with the Oglala Sioux Tribe's Sweetgrass Project to educate teens on how they can be the first line of defense against youth suicide on their reservations. Participants picked up yellow ribbons, emergency hotline cards and informational brochures about suicide.
Clifford, a senior power forward for Little Wound, also picked up some tips on what to do when faced with friends who are threatening suicide.
"I have some friends going through tough times," she said. "I learned more about how to give them a helping hand, because we can't have another suicide on the reservation."
Like many Little Wound students, Clifford is still mourning her friend, Shilo Pierce, 20. A string of recent suicides and suicide attempts on Pine Ridge caused OST President Theresa Two Bulls to declare a state of emergency Dec. 10. In November, the OST ambulance service responded to 17 suicides or attempts. In one 12-month period during 2008-09, there were 97 suicide response calls.
Suicide is not a new problem on Pine Ridge, but the willingness to "take on a tough subject" on the reservation is, DeCory said.
At Pine Ridge High School, Principal Robert Cook recently implemented a suicide assessment survey for the school's entire student body in the wake of a student's suicide, the stabbing death of another young man and the suicide of a 19-year-old woman in Wanblee, all on the same day.
"We found, out of 370 students at our school, over 70 were identified at-risk. All 70 of those students were interviewed and assessed on the same day using the QPR (Question, Persuade and Respond) method. Our counseling teams quickly identified 13 students who we put on suicide prevention contracts, and we had nine students we had taken to IHS (Indian Health Service) behavior health who are high risk for impending suicide," Cook said.
The Sweetgrass Project, a suicide prevention program funded by a three-year federal grant, teaches children that talking about suicide doesn't cause it.
"People in crisis need to talk," a Sweetgrass counselor said Wednesday.
Sweetgrass' mission is to "develop, advocate for and coordinate a comprehensive cultural and community-based approach to reduce suicide behaviors and suicides."
Bear Characters used skits and songs to replace the deadly tools of suicide -- rope, drugs, alcohol, huffing, knives and guns -- with symbols from the Native American culture: a sacred staff, a dream catcher, a ceremonial fan made of red-tailed hawk feathers, a fringe shawl.
Wearing T-shirts with the slogan, "Where is the Love?" while lip-synching the Black Eyed Peas' song, the drama troupe donned masks of red, yellow, black and white to honor the four colors of mankind and the four colors of the sacred circle. As the hip-hop song ended, Native singer Robert Waters raised his voice in a Lakota prayer song "asking God to watch over everyone -- our children, our communities, our reservation."
Contact Mary Garrigan at 394-8424 or mary.garrigan@rapidcityjournal.com
Mary Garrigan Journal staff | Posted: Thursday, December 17, 2009
Kirsten Clifford pinned a yellow ribbon to her Little Wound Lady Mustangs basketball warm-up Wednesday, one small thread in what Tiny DeCory hopes will become a tapestry of suicide prevention at the Lakota Nation Invitational this week in Rapid City.
LNI officials are putting suicide prevention "front and center" at the annual basketball tournament this year in the aftermath of a rash of suicides on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation among young people ages 14-24.
"I know you're here to play ball, but there's no reason for us to be burying our future leaders," DeCory told the boys and girls basketball teams that gathered for mandatory suicide awareness sessions at the LNI.
Tournament director Bryan Brewer issued a directive requiring all players and cheerleaders to attend the hour-long program in order to participate in the tournament. The sessions continue today at 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.
The Bear Characters, a student drama group that DeCory runs in Pine Ridge, partnered with the Oglala Sioux Tribe's Sweetgrass Project to educate teens on how they can be the first line of defense against youth suicide on their reservations. Participants picked up yellow ribbons, emergency hotline cards and informational brochures about suicide.
Clifford, a senior power forward for Little Wound, also picked up some tips on what to do when faced with friends who are threatening suicide.
"I have some friends going through tough times," she said. "I learned more about how to give them a helping hand, because we can't have another suicide on the reservation."
Like many Little Wound students, Clifford is still mourning her friend, Shilo Pierce, 20. A string of recent suicides and suicide attempts on Pine Ridge caused OST President Theresa Two Bulls to declare a state of emergency Dec. 10. In November, the OST ambulance service responded to 17 suicides or attempts. In one 12-month period during 2008-09, there were 97 suicide response calls.
Suicide is not a new problem on Pine Ridge, but the willingness to "take on a tough subject" on the reservation is, DeCory said.
At Pine Ridge High School, Principal Robert Cook recently implemented a suicide assessment survey for the school's entire student body in the wake of a student's suicide, the stabbing death of another young man and the suicide of a 19-year-old woman in Wanblee, all on the same day.
"We found, out of 370 students at our school, over 70 were identified at-risk. All 70 of those students were interviewed and assessed on the same day using the QPR (Question, Persuade and Respond) method. Our counseling teams quickly identified 13 students who we put on suicide prevention contracts, and we had nine students we had taken to IHS (Indian Health Service) behavior health who are high risk for impending suicide," Cook said.
The Sweetgrass Project, a suicide prevention program funded by a three-year federal grant, teaches children that talking about suicide doesn't cause it.
"People in crisis need to talk," a Sweetgrass counselor said Wednesday.
Sweetgrass' mission is to "develop, advocate for and coordinate a comprehensive cultural and community-based approach to reduce suicide behaviors and suicides."
Bear Characters used skits and songs to replace the deadly tools of suicide -- rope, drugs, alcohol, huffing, knives and guns -- with symbols from the Native American culture: a sacred staff, a dream catcher, a ceremonial fan made of red-tailed hawk feathers, a fringe shawl.
Wearing T-shirts with the slogan, "Where is the Love?" while lip-synching the Black Eyed Peas' song, the drama troupe donned masks of red, yellow, black and white to honor the four colors of mankind and the four colors of the sacred circle. As the hip-hop song ended, Native singer Robert Waters raised his voice in a Lakota prayer song "asking God to watch over everyone -- our children, our communities, our reservation."
Contact Mary Garrigan at 394-8424 or mary.garrigan@rapidcityjournal.com
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
INTER-TRIBAL COLLEGIATE ALLIANCE MEETING FOR JANUARY 2010 AT U.C.-IRVING
On Saturday Jan 9th,2010 The American Indian Student Association at UCI will behaving an Inter-Tribal Collegiate Alliance Meeting (more information aboutICA is on the ICA facebook page!)for Native college students.ICA is aconsortium of all American Indian Student Associations or equivalentstudent groups in California.
Every campus has the opportunity to joinwhether a UC, Cal State, Community College, or Private University, all aremore than welcome to become active members! There is no hierarchy,everyone has equal voice and opportunity to get help with issues on yourcampus, advertising for events, or even starting a new Native student organization.
ICA creates an opportunity for Native college students toget-together monthly to support each other and have some serious fun!Students, please sign up for the Native American Professional DevelopmentConference as well so that all can participate, collaborate, discussissues and have a wonderful weekend.
If you have any questions about theICA Meeting, please email Cheyenne Reynoso at reynosoc@uci.edu** *Native American Professional Development Conference*~ NAPDC ~ University of California, IrvineJanuary 10th-11th, 2010UCI Student CenterIrvine, CA [image: Keynote Speaker: Jodi Gillette] The Native American Professional Development Conference is designed toprovide the tools, resources, and professional development guidance to helpadvance your career. The agenda includes speakers and presenters from withinand outside the UC system, as well as opportunities to meet Native stafffrom other campuses in order to help build a network of advocates andadvisors. We also welcome Cal State and Community College staff to join usfor this wonderful development opportunity!
*UPDATE:* We are pleased to announce that an anonymous donor has agreed tosponsor the registration fees for the first 50 attendees to sign up! Also,students will be able to waive their registration fee by volunteering twohours of service during the conference. Also, a new conference flyer isattached to this email. Please distribute this announcement widely!Keynote Speaker Jodi Archambault Gillette, Standing Rock Sioux, was namedlast February by President Obama to serve in the White House as one of threedeputy associate directors of the Office of Inter-governmental Affairs. HostHotel The Radisson Newport Beach offers free shuttle service to and from UCI andthe airport, complementary parking, internet, pool and fitness center at$79/night (code: *AIRP*). Book your room quickly while there is stillavailability!
*www.radissonnewportbeach.com* REGISTER The first *50 registrations* will be sponsored by an anonymous donor.5171 California Ave., Suite 150Irvine, CA 92697-2505(949) 824-6251www.airp.uci.edu/napdc
Copyright (C) 2009 University of California. All rights reserved.
Every campus has the opportunity to joinwhether a UC, Cal State, Community College, or Private University, all aremore than welcome to become active members! There is no hierarchy,everyone has equal voice and opportunity to get help with issues on yourcampus, advertising for events, or even starting a new Native student organization.
ICA creates an opportunity for Native college students toget-together monthly to support each other and have some serious fun!Students, please sign up for the Native American Professional DevelopmentConference as well so that all can participate, collaborate, discussissues and have a wonderful weekend.
If you have any questions about theICA Meeting, please email Cheyenne Reynoso at reynosoc@uci.edu** *Native American Professional Development Conference*~ NAPDC ~ University of California, IrvineJanuary 10th-11th, 2010UCI Student CenterIrvine, CA [image: Keynote Speaker: Jodi Gillette] The Native American Professional Development Conference is designed toprovide the tools, resources, and professional development guidance to helpadvance your career. The agenda includes speakers and presenters from withinand outside the UC system, as well as opportunities to meet Native stafffrom other campuses in order to help build a network of advocates andadvisors. We also welcome Cal State and Community College staff to join usfor this wonderful development opportunity!
*UPDATE:* We are pleased to announce that an anonymous donor has agreed tosponsor the registration fees for the first 50 attendees to sign up! Also,students will be able to waive their registration fee by volunteering twohours of service during the conference. Also, a new conference flyer isattached to this email. Please distribute this announcement widely!Keynote Speaker Jodi Archambault Gillette, Standing Rock Sioux, was namedlast February by President Obama to serve in the White House as one of threedeputy associate directors of the Office of Inter-governmental Affairs. HostHotel The Radisson Newport Beach offers free shuttle service to and from UCI andthe airport, complementary parking, internet, pool and fitness center at$79/night (code: *AIRP*). Book your room quickly while there is stillavailability!
*www.radissonnewportbeach.com
Copyright (C) 2009 University of California. All rights reserved.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
URBAN CASINOS WOULD PUT LANDLESS TRIBES ON EQUAL FOOTING WITH WEALTHY ONES
Casinos in urban areas would put poor and landless tribes on equal footing with wealthy ones
By Joe Findaro
Sunday, December 13, 2009 at midnight
A growing number of Indian tribes across the country are seeking to build casinos in urban areas far from native lands. Though no such proposals have been made public in San Diego County, the administration of President Barack Obamma is considering whether to make is easier for such projects to be built.
In September, five U.S. senators, including both of California’s, wrote the secretary of the interior opposing “taking off-reservation lands into trust for gaming purposes.”
In fact, while the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act generally prohibits gaming on lands acquired in trust after 1988, in some cases it allows gaming on lands “presently unconnected with an Indian tribe.” It expressly permits trust acquisitions where they are: (1) in the tribe’s best interest, not detrimental to the local community, and the state’s governor concurs; (2) restored tribal lands for a tribe restored to federal recognition; or (3) part of an initial reservation for a newly recognized tribe.
The five senators do not speak for the entire Senate. Indeed, other U.S. senators have expressed support for off-reservation gaming in certain circumstances. In October, New York’s senators wrote the secretary of the interior that the “concerns (of our colleagues) are not satisfied by an overly inclusive blanket ban” on off-reservation gaming. These senators wish to help the Catskills region, where off-reservation casino applications have significant local support, are approved by state law and have received extensive environmental review. Economic redevelopment and job opportunities are significant factors in the senators’ support. They argue that applications should be viewed on individual merits rather than prohibited by some one-size-fits-all blanket restriction.
And just last month the two Massachusetts senators wrote the secretary of the interior on behalf of the landless Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, which is in the process of seeking an “initial reservation.” These senators made the critical point that for “landless tribes in particular a trust land base is important for housing, education, health care, public safety and job training and economic development.” And, they wrote, tribes “should not be penalized due to pressures from those who seek to limit legitimate Indian business development.”
In California’s Bay Area, the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians, a landless, restored tribe, is seeking a reservation in Richmond. The tribe has worked diligently with local governments and spent years in a cumbersome environmental review process. If Scotts Valley has satisfied all the requirements set forth under federal law, then the Department of the Interior has an obligation to take every possible step to help this landless tribe.
In Southern California, Los Coyotes Band was invited by the city of Barstow to develop a gaming project that would bring desperately needed revenue to both the city and Los Coyotes. The local community strongly supports the project. The tribe has no viable economic development opportunities on its current reservation, which is landlocked among state forests, and which received limited electricity only in the last decade.
Yet tribes that have become wealthy from gaming are opposing Los Coyotes, arguing they lack ancestral ties to Barstow.
The Obama Administration has a duty to bring real change to Indian Country – a duty to ensure that all tribes are given a reasonable opportunity to provide for their people. Poor, landless and disadvantaged tribes must be put on a level playing field with wealthy tribes. Congress must insist that the secretary of the interior, as trustee for all tribes, formulate policies without unwarranted interference from those seeking to impede economic development and job growth for Indians.
Findaro, an attorney in Washington, D.C., represents Indian tribes. For a time early in the decade, he represented the Jamul Indian Village.
Indian Country Today-December 13, 2009
By Joe Findaro
Sunday, December 13, 2009 at midnight
A growing number of Indian tribes across the country are seeking to build casinos in urban areas far from native lands. Though no such proposals have been made public in San Diego County, the administration of President Barack Obamma is considering whether to make is easier for such projects to be built.
In September, five U.S. senators, including both of California’s, wrote the secretary of the interior opposing “taking off-reservation lands into trust for gaming purposes.”
In fact, while the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act generally prohibits gaming on lands acquired in trust after 1988, in some cases it allows gaming on lands “presently unconnected with an Indian tribe.” It expressly permits trust acquisitions where they are: (1) in the tribe’s best interest, not detrimental to the local community, and the state’s governor concurs; (2) restored tribal lands for a tribe restored to federal recognition; or (3) part of an initial reservation for a newly recognized tribe.
The five senators do not speak for the entire Senate. Indeed, other U.S. senators have expressed support for off-reservation gaming in certain circumstances. In October, New York’s senators wrote the secretary of the interior that the “concerns (of our colleagues) are not satisfied by an overly inclusive blanket ban” on off-reservation gaming. These senators wish to help the Catskills region, where off-reservation casino applications have significant local support, are approved by state law and have received extensive environmental review. Economic redevelopment and job opportunities are significant factors in the senators’ support. They argue that applications should be viewed on individual merits rather than prohibited by some one-size-fits-all blanket restriction.
And just last month the two Massachusetts senators wrote the secretary of the interior on behalf of the landless Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, which is in the process of seeking an “initial reservation.” These senators made the critical point that for “landless tribes in particular a trust land base is important for housing, education, health care, public safety and job training and economic development.” And, they wrote, tribes “should not be penalized due to pressures from those who seek to limit legitimate Indian business development.”
In California’s Bay Area, the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians, a landless, restored tribe, is seeking a reservation in Richmond. The tribe has worked diligently with local governments and spent years in a cumbersome environmental review process. If Scotts Valley has satisfied all the requirements set forth under federal law, then the Department of the Interior has an obligation to take every possible step to help this landless tribe.
In Southern California, Los Coyotes Band was invited by the city of Barstow to develop a gaming project that would bring desperately needed revenue to both the city and Los Coyotes. The local community strongly supports the project. The tribe has no viable economic development opportunities on its current reservation, which is landlocked among state forests, and which received limited electricity only in the last decade.
Yet tribes that have become wealthy from gaming are opposing Los Coyotes, arguing they lack ancestral ties to Barstow.
The Obama Administration has a duty to bring real change to Indian Country – a duty to ensure that all tribes are given a reasonable opportunity to provide for their people. Poor, landless and disadvantaged tribes must be put on a level playing field with wealthy tribes. Congress must insist that the secretary of the interior, as trustee for all tribes, formulate policies without unwarranted interference from those seeking to impede economic development and job growth for Indians.
Findaro, an attorney in Washington, D.C., represents Indian tribes. For a time early in the decade, he represented the Jamul Indian Village.
Indian Country Today-December 13, 2009
Monday, December 14, 2009
QUAKER INDIAN COMMITTEE DISAVOWS DOCTRINE OF DISCOVERERY
Quaker Indian Committee disavows Doctrine of Discovery, affirms Declaration
By Gale Courey ToensingStory Published: Dec 14, 2009
Story Updated: Dec 14, 2009
PHILADELPHIA – Inspired by the actions of the Episcopal Church, a Quaker group has disavowed the Christian Doctrine of Discovery and voiced its support for the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The Indian Committee of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends issued a Minute – analogous to a resolution – at its September meeting.
The committee “renounces the Doctrine of Discovery, the doctrine at the foundation of the colonization of Indigenous lands, including the lands of Pennsylvania. We find this doctrine to be fundamentally inconsistent with the teaching of Jesus, with our understanding of the inherent rights that individuals and peoples have received from God, and inconsistent with Quaker testimonies of Peace, Equality, and Integrity,” the Minute reads.
The Doctrine of Discovery was a principle of international law developed in a series of 15th century papal bulls and 16th century charters by European monarchs. It was a racist philosophy that gave white Christian Europeans the green light to go forth and claim the lands and resources of non-Christian peoples and kill or enslave them – if other Christian Europeans had not already done so.
The doctrine institutionalized the competition between European countries in their ever-expanding quest for colonies, resources and markets, and sanctioned the genocide of indigenous people in the “New World” and elsewhere.
As a spiritual corollary of the renunciation, the Indian Committee also expressed its support for the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which was adopted by the General Assembly Sept. 13, 2007. The Declaration presents indigenous rights within a framework of human rights.
Only the U.S., Canada, New Zealand and Australia – countries with large populations of indigenous peoples with huge aboriginal land claims – voted against the Declaration’s adoption. Australia has since adopted it.
The action by PYM’s Indian Committee was initiated by Elizabeth Koopman, who said she was inspired by the Episcopal Church’s resolution, called “Repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery.” The resolution passed unanimously by the Episcopal House of Bishops and by an overwhelming majority of the House of Delegates during the church’s 76th General Convention held July 8 – 17 in Anaheim.
Within weeks, Koopman had amassed a packet of materials, including her own writings, on the Doctrine of Discovery, and sent it out to her circle of Friends.
“Friends have had a long relationship with Indian country,” Koopman said. “But Quakers were colonizers under Charles II’s Doctrine of Discovery when William Penn came here. We have been a people who have been of good intention and not always of such good works.”
But there is a growing understanding of the history and its ramifications, Koopman said.
“Our Committee understands now a history that none of us ever fully appreciated and we understand that we are the beneficiaries of a very unjust policy.”
Koopman, who has lived in Maine and now lives near Philadelphia, said she has discussed these issues with and read the writings of Steven Newcomb, indigenous law research coordinator in the education department of the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, Indian Country Today columnist, and author of “Pagans in the Promised Land: Decoding the Doctrine of Christian Discovery.” She also has had lengthy conversations with her longtime friends Wayne Newell, a Passamaquoddy elder and teacher, and John Dieffenbacker Krall, the executive director of the Maine Indian Tribal-State Commission.
It was Dieffenbacker-Krall who started what has become a movement to have predominantly non-Catholic Christian churches renounce the Doctrine of Discovery. He spearheaded the effort that led Maine’s Episcopal Church to pass a resolution in 2007, calling on Queen Elizabeth and the Archbishop of Canterbury to rescind the 1496 charter given to John Cabot and his sons to go forth and claim possession of all the lands in the “New World” that weren’t already claimed by Spain and Portugal. That action led to a similar resolution in New York state and ultimately to the national resolution last summer.
A movement to persuade the Catholic Church to repeal the papal bulls has been in the works for years.
Oren Lyons, Faithkeeper of the Onondaga Nation (Haudenosaunee), co-signed a letter in 2005 urging Pope Benedict XVI, to revoke the papal bulls. There has been no response from the Vatican.
Koopman was surprised to receive a phone call from Lyons, whom she has never met, in early December before he, Newcomb and others in the indigenous community were leaving for the Parliament of the World’s Religions meeting in Melbourne, Australia, Dec. 3 – 9.
“We had a long conversation and I sent him a copy of the materials and, meanwhile, people are taking (the Minute) to other monthly meetings and we’re hoping it will get to the Yearly Meetings in the different areas,” Koopman said.
The circle is definitely widening, Koopman agreed.
“A lot of people are coming to this light. I think something’s happening and I feel it’s going to be good if we let these moments be beginnings and not endings. You can’t say, ‘I’m sorry, now it’s over.’ It has to be a beginning: ‘I know this now, I embrace this now and I will use this to move forward in better ways.’”
Haudenosaunee delegation advocates Doctrine disavowal
A delegation of Haudenosaunee people at the Parliament of World Religions in Melbourne, Australia, plans to persuade the meeting to pass a resolution repudiating the Christian Doctrine of Discovery – and they have received help from Maine.
The Rev. Dr. Richard Tardiff, co-chairman of the Committee on Indian Relationships of the Episcopal Diocese of Maine, wrote to Oren Lyons, Faithkeeper of the Onondaga Nation, Nov. 30 offering the committee’s support for the delegation’s efforts.
The Episcopal Church passed a resolution, called Repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery at the church’s 76th General Convention July 8 – 17 in Anaheim. But the movement was spearheaded by John Dieffenbacker-Krall, a member of the Committee headed by Tardiff and the executive director of the Maine Indian Tribal State Commission.
Writing to Lyons as the leader of the delegation, Tardiff said, “I understand that the Haudenosaunee delegation intends to ask the people gathered at the event to pass a resolution similar to the Repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery resolution adopted by the Episcopal Church. On behalf of the Committee on Indian Relations, an officially sanctioned group operating within the Episcopal Diocese of Maine, I offer my wholehearted support of your effort to expand international awareness of the evil Christian Doctrine of Discovery.”
The Doctrine, which espouses the inherent superiority of one religion – Christianity – over all other religions, is antithetical to the Council for a Parliament of World Religions’ mission, Tardiff wrote.
“Not only has the Doctrine of Discovery resulted in religion conflict, but it has also served as the underpinning of international law justifying the taking of indigenous lands and property across the world,” he wrote.
The Parliament of the World’s Religions is an interfaith organization that was formed in 1893. Since 1988, the organization has met roughly every five years in various places around the world. According to its Web site, the organization was created “to cultivate harmony among the world’s religious and spiritual communities and foster their engagement with the world and its guiding institutions in order to achieve a just, peaceful and sustainable world.”
When the Indian Committee decided to sponsor the resolution, Tardiff said, it was motivated by the belief that “as Episcopalians we must decisively speak out about the moral bankruptcy of the Doctrine of Discovery and clearly state that it has no religious, ethical, moral, legal or political legitimacy.”
He said the church has been “astounded” by the positive international reaction to its resolution. If the PWR adopts a similar resolution, Tardiff anticipates an even greater response.
Among the key topics at the PWR – the environment, poverty, building peace with justice – is reconciling with the world’s indigenous peoples.
“The Parliament offers the opportunity to continue with the reconciliation process that the Australian government began by apologizing to indigenous people for the wrongs committed against them. Using this Australian context, the Parliament will provide an opportunity for indigenous peoples around the world to voice their own concerns and aspirations,” according to the Web site.
In addition to Lyons, the delegation to the Dec. 3 – 9 event included Tonya Gonnella Frichner, Esq., Onondaga Nation, the North American Representative to the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and president and founder of the American Indian Law Alliance; Steven Newcomb, Shawnee Lenape, the indigenous law research coordinator in the education department of the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, the author of “Pagans in the Promised Land: Decoding the Doctrine of Christian Discovery,” and Indian Country Today columnist; Jake Swamp, a former chief of the Akwesasne Mohawk Nation and a renowned educator and leader; Joanne Shenandoah, Oneida Indian Nation, award-winning singer-songwriter; Doug George-Kanentiio, Akwesasne Mohawk, an editor, columnist and author; scholars Philip Arnold and Mary McDonald.
Major speakers scheduled to appear at the Parliament included His Holiness the Dalai Lama and President Jimmy Carter.
Indian Country Today- December 14, 2009
By Gale Courey ToensingStory Published: Dec 14, 2009
Story Updated: Dec 14, 2009
PHILADELPHIA – Inspired by the actions of the Episcopal Church, a Quaker group has disavowed the Christian Doctrine of Discovery and voiced its support for the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The Indian Committee of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends issued a Minute – analogous to a resolution – at its September meeting.
The committee “renounces the Doctrine of Discovery, the doctrine at the foundation of the colonization of Indigenous lands, including the lands of Pennsylvania. We find this doctrine to be fundamentally inconsistent with the teaching of Jesus, with our understanding of the inherent rights that individuals and peoples have received from God, and inconsistent with Quaker testimonies of Peace, Equality, and Integrity,” the Minute reads.
The Doctrine of Discovery was a principle of international law developed in a series of 15th century papal bulls and 16th century charters by European monarchs. It was a racist philosophy that gave white Christian Europeans the green light to go forth and claim the lands and resources of non-Christian peoples and kill or enslave them – if other Christian Europeans had not already done so.
The doctrine institutionalized the competition between European countries in their ever-expanding quest for colonies, resources and markets, and sanctioned the genocide of indigenous people in the “New World” and elsewhere.
As a spiritual corollary of the renunciation, the Indian Committee also expressed its support for the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which was adopted by the General Assembly Sept. 13, 2007. The Declaration presents indigenous rights within a framework of human rights.
Only the U.S., Canada, New Zealand and Australia – countries with large populations of indigenous peoples with huge aboriginal land claims – voted against the Declaration’s adoption. Australia has since adopted it.
The action by PYM’s Indian Committee was initiated by Elizabeth Koopman, who said she was inspired by the Episcopal Church’s resolution, called “Repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery.” The resolution passed unanimously by the Episcopal House of Bishops and by an overwhelming majority of the House of Delegates during the church’s 76th General Convention held July 8 – 17 in Anaheim.
Within weeks, Koopman had amassed a packet of materials, including her own writings, on the Doctrine of Discovery, and sent it out to her circle of Friends.
“Friends have had a long relationship with Indian country,” Koopman said. “But Quakers were colonizers under Charles II’s Doctrine of Discovery when William Penn came here. We have been a people who have been of good intention and not always of such good works.”
But there is a growing understanding of the history and its ramifications, Koopman said.
“Our Committee understands now a history that none of us ever fully appreciated and we understand that we are the beneficiaries of a very unjust policy.”
Koopman, who has lived in Maine and now lives near Philadelphia, said she has discussed these issues with and read the writings of Steven Newcomb, indigenous law research coordinator in the education department of the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, Indian Country Today columnist, and author of “Pagans in the Promised Land: Decoding the Doctrine of Christian Discovery.” She also has had lengthy conversations with her longtime friends Wayne Newell, a Passamaquoddy elder and teacher, and John Dieffenbacker Krall, the executive director of the Maine Indian Tribal-State Commission.
It was Dieffenbacker-Krall who started what has become a movement to have predominantly non-Catholic Christian churches renounce the Doctrine of Discovery. He spearheaded the effort that led Maine’s Episcopal Church to pass a resolution in 2007, calling on Queen Elizabeth and the Archbishop of Canterbury to rescind the 1496 charter given to John Cabot and his sons to go forth and claim possession of all the lands in the “New World” that weren’t already claimed by Spain and Portugal. That action led to a similar resolution in New York state and ultimately to the national resolution last summer.
A movement to persuade the Catholic Church to repeal the papal bulls has been in the works for years.
Oren Lyons, Faithkeeper of the Onondaga Nation (Haudenosaunee), co-signed a letter in 2005 urging Pope Benedict XVI, to revoke the papal bulls. There has been no response from the Vatican.
Koopman was surprised to receive a phone call from Lyons, whom she has never met, in early December before he, Newcomb and others in the indigenous community were leaving for the Parliament of the World’s Religions meeting in Melbourne, Australia, Dec. 3 – 9.
“We had a long conversation and I sent him a copy of the materials and, meanwhile, people are taking (the Minute) to other monthly meetings and we’re hoping it will get to the Yearly Meetings in the different areas,” Koopman said.
The circle is definitely widening, Koopman agreed.
“A lot of people are coming to this light. I think something’s happening and I feel it’s going to be good if we let these moments be beginnings and not endings. You can’t say, ‘I’m sorry, now it’s over.’ It has to be a beginning: ‘I know this now, I embrace this now and I will use this to move forward in better ways.’”
Haudenosaunee delegation advocates Doctrine disavowal
A delegation of Haudenosaunee people at the Parliament of World Religions in Melbourne, Australia, plans to persuade the meeting to pass a resolution repudiating the Christian Doctrine of Discovery – and they have received help from Maine.
The Rev. Dr. Richard Tardiff, co-chairman of the Committee on Indian Relationships of the Episcopal Diocese of Maine, wrote to Oren Lyons, Faithkeeper of the Onondaga Nation, Nov. 30 offering the committee’s support for the delegation’s efforts.
The Episcopal Church passed a resolution, called Repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery at the church’s 76th General Convention July 8 – 17 in Anaheim. But the movement was spearheaded by John Dieffenbacker-Krall, a member of the Committee headed by Tardiff and the executive director of the Maine Indian Tribal State Commission.
Writing to Lyons as the leader of the delegation, Tardiff said, “I understand that the Haudenosaunee delegation intends to ask the people gathered at the event to pass a resolution similar to the Repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery resolution adopted by the Episcopal Church. On behalf of the Committee on Indian Relations, an officially sanctioned group operating within the Episcopal Diocese of Maine, I offer my wholehearted support of your effort to expand international awareness of the evil Christian Doctrine of Discovery.”
The Doctrine, which espouses the inherent superiority of one religion – Christianity – over all other religions, is antithetical to the Council for a Parliament of World Religions’ mission, Tardiff wrote.
“Not only has the Doctrine of Discovery resulted in religion conflict, but it has also served as the underpinning of international law justifying the taking of indigenous lands and property across the world,” he wrote.
The Parliament of the World’s Religions is an interfaith organization that was formed in 1893. Since 1988, the organization has met roughly every five years in various places around the world. According to its Web site, the organization was created “to cultivate harmony among the world’s religious and spiritual communities and foster their engagement with the world and its guiding institutions in order to achieve a just, peaceful and sustainable world.”
When the Indian Committee decided to sponsor the resolution, Tardiff said, it was motivated by the belief that “as Episcopalians we must decisively speak out about the moral bankruptcy of the Doctrine of Discovery and clearly state that it has no religious, ethical, moral, legal or political legitimacy.”
He said the church has been “astounded” by the positive international reaction to its resolution. If the PWR adopts a similar resolution, Tardiff anticipates an even greater response.
Among the key topics at the PWR – the environment, poverty, building peace with justice – is reconciling with the world’s indigenous peoples.
“The Parliament offers the opportunity to continue with the reconciliation process that the Australian government began by apologizing to indigenous people for the wrongs committed against them. Using this Australian context, the Parliament will provide an opportunity for indigenous peoples around the world to voice their own concerns and aspirations,” according to the Web site.
In addition to Lyons, the delegation to the Dec. 3 – 9 event included Tonya Gonnella Frichner, Esq., Onondaga Nation, the North American Representative to the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and president and founder of the American Indian Law Alliance; Steven Newcomb, Shawnee Lenape, the indigenous law research coordinator in the education department of the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, the author of “Pagans in the Promised Land: Decoding the Doctrine of Christian Discovery,” and Indian Country Today columnist; Jake Swamp, a former chief of the Akwesasne Mohawk Nation and a renowned educator and leader; Joanne Shenandoah, Oneida Indian Nation, award-winning singer-songwriter; Doug George-Kanentiio, Akwesasne Mohawk, an editor, columnist and author; scholars Philip Arnold and Mary McDonald.
Major speakers scheduled to appear at the Parliament included His Holiness the Dalai Lama and President Jimmy Carter.
Indian Country Today- December 14, 2009
Sunday, December 13, 2009
SENATE HEARS TRIBAL YOUTH VIOLENCE STILL ON THE RISE FOR THIRD TIME
Tribal violence continues to capture Senate attention
By Rob Capriccioso
Story Published: Nov 30, 2009
Story Updated: Nov 30, 2009
WASHINGTON – For the third time in just a few months, the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs has focused attention on combating tribal gang violence and drug trafficking.
At a Nov. 19 hearing, Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., chairman of the committee, reiterated what has become something of a mantra for him in 2009, saying that crime, including drug smuggling and gang activity, has reached epidemic levels on many reservations.
Earlier this year, Dorgan sponsored the Tribal Law and Order Act, S. 797, which is aimed at improving the prosecution of and response to crimes in Indian country.
The bill was considered in the committee, which recommended in September it be considered by the Senate as a whole. The full legislative body has not yet acted.
Arnold Moorin, director of High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Program of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, shared with the committee some of the reasons why many reservation communities tend to be faced with steep crime problems.
“Many Indian tribes are at risk from illegal drug trafficking, production, and consumption because these tribes are located in geographically remote areas and suffer from a lack of economic development,” he testified.
“The high poverty and unemployment rates, combined with limited access to health care, educational opportunities, and social services make Native communities disproportionately vulnerable.”
Moorin added that drug consumption and substance abuse appears especially high among some tribal communities, based on national studies.
Making the matter worse, Moorin said, is an increase in youth gangs on some reservations, which help deal and sell illegal substances.
To help address the problem, Moorin noted that President Barack Obama has expressed support for the Tribal Law and Order Act.
At the recent White House Tribal Nations Conference, the president said that one in three Native American women will be raped in her lifetime and called it “an assault on our national conscience.”
The president pledged that his administration will take on the trends.
Ivan Posey, chairman of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe, used written testimony to the committee to delve more in-depth on reservation drug issues, specifically those surrounding methamphetamines in Indian country.
He said the Wind River Reservation was systematically targeted by the Sagaste-Cruz drug ring from 2000 to 2005 to illegally sell the addictive drug before a coordinated law enforcement effort broke up the ring.
“Their plan was simple: Introduce a drug to a highly addictive population with an understaffed law enforcement, the allure of easy money, and become entrenched in the community through family and interpersonal relationships,” Posey testified.
The chairman believes the drug ring was able to identify the vulnerabilities of his reservation and then use them as strengths in conducting their illegal activities.
Posey said that similar nefarious plans have taken root across Indian country.
In July, the committee heard from four tribal witnesses who recounted tales of increased violence, sometimes related to gangs and drugs.
Oglala Sioux Tribal Council member Hermis John Mousseau testified at the time that his tribe counted at least 39 gangs on the reservation, but has only 12 officers on duty at a time to patrol the vast 2.7 million acre reservation.
All testifiers agreed that more federal funding and assistance would help reduce the problem.
“The fact is Congress has not done its job. … frankly, we have fallen short,” Dorgan said at the time.
Posey indicated that ending the epidemic will take more than an intervention from Congress.
“What it takes to continually address these issues and concerns is collaboration and relationships,” the chairman testified.
Nancy Dooley, an educational administrator with the Gila River Indian Community, further testified that it is important to stop gang activity by not only addressing illegal activity, but also by taking preventative and intervention steps.
She said youth programs created by her own tribe have shown success in those areas.
Dorgan and other legislators have indicated their support for such tribal programs. The senator has said that the Tribal Law and Order Act is not just focused on prosecuting offenders.
If passed, the law would call for an investment in existing programs meant to improve courts, jails, youth programs, and policing efforts in Indian country.
Indian Country Today- November 30, 2009
By Rob Capriccioso
Story Published: Nov 30, 2009
Story Updated: Nov 30, 2009
WASHINGTON – For the third time in just a few months, the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs has focused attention on combating tribal gang violence and drug trafficking.
At a Nov. 19 hearing, Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., chairman of the committee, reiterated what has become something of a mantra for him in 2009, saying that crime, including drug smuggling and gang activity, has reached epidemic levels on many reservations.
Earlier this year, Dorgan sponsored the Tribal Law and Order Act, S. 797, which is aimed at improving the prosecution of and response to crimes in Indian country.
The bill was considered in the committee, which recommended in September it be considered by the Senate as a whole. The full legislative body has not yet acted.
Arnold Moorin, director of High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Program of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, shared with the committee some of the reasons why many reservation communities tend to be faced with steep crime problems.
“Many Indian tribes are at risk from illegal drug trafficking, production, and consumption because these tribes are located in geographically remote areas and suffer from a lack of economic development,” he testified.
“The high poverty and unemployment rates, combined with limited access to health care, educational opportunities, and social services make Native communities disproportionately vulnerable.”
Moorin added that drug consumption and substance abuse appears especially high among some tribal communities, based on national studies.
Making the matter worse, Moorin said, is an increase in youth gangs on some reservations, which help deal and sell illegal substances.
To help address the problem, Moorin noted that President Barack Obama has expressed support for the Tribal Law and Order Act.
At the recent White House Tribal Nations Conference, the president said that one in three Native American women will be raped in her lifetime and called it “an assault on our national conscience.”
The president pledged that his administration will take on the trends.
Ivan Posey, chairman of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe, used written testimony to the committee to delve more in-depth on reservation drug issues, specifically those surrounding methamphetamines in Indian country.
He said the Wind River Reservation was systematically targeted by the Sagaste-Cruz drug ring from 2000 to 2005 to illegally sell the addictive drug before a coordinated law enforcement effort broke up the ring.
“Their plan was simple: Introduce a drug to a highly addictive population with an understaffed law enforcement, the allure of easy money, and become entrenched in the community through family and interpersonal relationships,” Posey testified.
The chairman believes the drug ring was able to identify the vulnerabilities of his reservation and then use them as strengths in conducting their illegal activities.
Posey said that similar nefarious plans have taken root across Indian country.
In July, the committee heard from four tribal witnesses who recounted tales of increased violence, sometimes related to gangs and drugs.
Oglala Sioux Tribal Council member Hermis John Mousseau testified at the time that his tribe counted at least 39 gangs on the reservation, but has only 12 officers on duty at a time to patrol the vast 2.7 million acre reservation.
All testifiers agreed that more federal funding and assistance would help reduce the problem.
“The fact is Congress has not done its job. … frankly, we have fallen short,” Dorgan said at the time.
Posey indicated that ending the epidemic will take more than an intervention from Congress.
“What it takes to continually address these issues and concerns is collaboration and relationships,” the chairman testified.
Nancy Dooley, an educational administrator with the Gila River Indian Community, further testified that it is important to stop gang activity by not only addressing illegal activity, but also by taking preventative and intervention steps.
She said youth programs created by her own tribe have shown success in those areas.
Dorgan and other legislators have indicated their support for such tribal programs. The senator has said that the Tribal Law and Order Act is not just focused on prosecuting offenders.
If passed, the law would call for an investment in existing programs meant to improve courts, jails, youth programs, and policing efforts in Indian country.
Indian Country Today- November 30, 2009
Saturday, December 12, 2009
CHEROKEE NATION ACCEPTING ENERGY ASSISTANCE
Cherokee Nation accepting energy assistance applications
By Staff reports
Story Published: Dec 9, 2009
Story Updated: Dec 9, 2009
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Cherokee Nation is again providing funding through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program for eligible Cherokees and other Native Americans this winter.
LIHEAP is a federally funded program that services low income households who need assistance for their home energy bills. The program encourages that priority be given to those with the “highest home energy needs,” meaning low income households with a high energy burden or the presence of a vulnerable individual in the household, such as a young child, disabled person or frail older individual.
“It is a blessing that the Cherokee Nation is able to provide more assistance to families this year,” said Chad Smith, Cherokee Nation principal chief. “In past years we have been able to assist approximately 1,700 applicants through the Cherokee Nation LIHEAP program. This year, with additional federal funds, we anticipate helping many more.”
This year, the Cherokee Nation received additional funding for the program, allowing for an increase in the income for those eligible for assistance. Income eligibility levels are based on income plus the number of persons residing in the home. Income eligibility this year cannot exceed poverty level plus 50 percent, whereas the amount has traditionally been poverty level plus 10 percent. For example, a household of two cannot have a combined income totaling more than $1,821 per month, or $21,855 per year, and a household of four cannot have combined incomes of more than $2,756 per month or $33,075 per year. For complete income guidelines, contact the Family Assistance Program.
“We are excited about this year’s program and are happy we will be able to assist more of our citizens with increased funds,” said Jerry Snell, Cherokee Nation director of family assistance.
LIHEAP payments are also provided by other area agencies; however, a household can only legally receive services through one agency.
To be eligible, a person must reside within the tribal jurisdiction of the Cherokee Nation, have a citizenship card from a federally-recognized tribe, show proof of income for the previous 12 months, show proof of residency and provide energy vendor information. Payments will be made to the vendor in recipient’s name. Priority will be given to elders and families with children under the age of five. Applications will be accepted from Dec. 1 through Jan. 4, 2010. Applications for crisis situations will be accepted beginning Jan. 5, 2010.
For more information, contact Janet Ward, Cherokee Nation LIHEAP coordinator, at (918) 453-5327.
By Staff reports
Story Published: Dec 9, 2009
Story Updated: Dec 9, 2009
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. – The Cherokee Nation is again providing funding through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program for eligible Cherokees and other Native Americans this winter.
LIHEAP is a federally funded program that services low income households who need assistance for their home energy bills. The program encourages that priority be given to those with the “highest home energy needs,” meaning low income households with a high energy burden or the presence of a vulnerable individual in the household, such as a young child, disabled person or frail older individual.
“It is a blessing that the Cherokee Nation is able to provide more assistance to families this year,” said Chad Smith, Cherokee Nation principal chief. “In past years we have been able to assist approximately 1,700 applicants through the Cherokee Nation LIHEAP program. This year, with additional federal funds, we anticipate helping many more.”
This year, the Cherokee Nation received additional funding for the program, allowing for an increase in the income for those eligible for assistance. Income eligibility levels are based on income plus the number of persons residing in the home. Income eligibility this year cannot exceed poverty level plus 50 percent, whereas the amount has traditionally been poverty level plus 10 percent. For example, a household of two cannot have a combined income totaling more than $1,821 per month, or $21,855 per year, and a household of four cannot have combined incomes of more than $2,756 per month or $33,075 per year. For complete income guidelines, contact the Family Assistance Program.
“We are excited about this year’s program and are happy we will be able to assist more of our citizens with increased funds,” said Jerry Snell, Cherokee Nation director of family assistance.
LIHEAP payments are also provided by other area agencies; however, a household can only legally receive services through one agency.
To be eligible, a person must reside within the tribal jurisdiction of the Cherokee Nation, have a citizenship card from a federally-recognized tribe, show proof of income for the previous 12 months, show proof of residency and provide energy vendor information. Payments will be made to the vendor in recipient’s name. Priority will be given to elders and families with children under the age of five. Applications will be accepted from Dec. 1 through Jan. 4, 2010. Applications for crisis situations will be accepted beginning Jan. 5, 2010.
For more information, contact Janet Ward, Cherokee Nation LIHEAP coordinator, at (918) 453-5327.
Friday, December 11, 2009
ARIZONA SWEAT LODGE DEATHS SAID TO DESECRATE LAKOTA TRADITION
Arizona sweat lodge deaths said to desecrate Lakota tradition
Story Published: Dec 11, 2009
Story Updated: Dec 11, 2009
PRESCOTT, Ariz. – A Sioux Nation treaty council delegation is demanding that those responsible for sweat lodge deaths at Sedona, Ariz. be held accountable and prosecuted under provisions of the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868 because the event and its aftermath violated both the treaty and the Lakota ceremonial way of life.“
The Lakota follow traditional laws, in accordance to ancient oral history,” states a petition filed in federal District Court in Prescott by the Oglala Lakota Delegation of the Black Hills Sioux Nation Treaty Council, including delegate Floyd Hand and Ivan H. Lewis, Pima/Maricopa/Yavapai. “In adherence to these laws, oral teachings and ancient ceremonies are not abused or misused.”
The Inikaga, or purification lodge, is one of seven sacred rites “brought to the Lakota by the White Buffalo Calf Woman according to ancient oral history,” the court filing states.
Multiple non-Native people died after participating in a lodge conducted by James Arthur Ray, a self-help guru, at Angel Valley Retreat Center in early October. The deaths are under investigation.
The suit contends that the center “is culpable for allowing individuals like Ray to rent their property which offers a sweat lodge for paying participants,” according to a prepared release that alleges Ray and the center “committed fraud by impersonating Native Americans and must be held responsible for causing the deaths of the victims and serious injuries to the survivors.”
The Inikaga and other traditional rituals constitute “a way of life, not a religion,” Hand said.
“Ray is a spiritual vampire who will use whatever means necessary to turn a profit. He and others like him that profit from our culture must be held accountable for their continual fraud and desecration.
“This ceremony comes from the Lakota. We maintain our cultural identity today and people like Ray are trying to mock it as a means to acquire material possessions. They cannot hide behind the Religious Freedom Act. This is not a religion,” Hand said in the release.
Asserting that “Ray and the Angel Valley folks are a dime a dozen in Yavapai territory,” Lewis said the group “claims that they will authenticate and qualify individuals, including non-Indians, to conduct our ceremonies. Our people know who is a real healer and who isn’t. Yes, everyone is entitled to pray, but our ceremonies belong to us in our Native tongue.”
The lawsuit was filed “because (the sweat lodge) was a desecration of Oglala ways,” it was explained.
Hand said by phone Nov. 24 that he had gone to the Sedona locale to check into everything he could about the lodge but has not talked to those who participated in the event at which the deaths occurred.
Hand cited a provision of the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty that promises to arrest and punish “bad men among the whites” or others subject to U.S. laws if they “commit any wrong” to Native people or property, and said Ray and the center violated the treaty-established peace between the U.S. and Lakota Nation.
The petition contends that Ray and the center violated laws stating that community recognition as Indian is not sufficient; rather “the person must be considered a member of a federally recognized tribe.”
In addition, those who dismantled the lodge “caused the destruction of crucial evidence in this crime scene” and should be “charged with the destruction of evidence,” the petition states.
The filing cites provisions of the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples concerning the full ownership and protection of cultural resources, enforcement of treaties, and the submission of unresolved conflicts to international bodies. The U.S. has not ratified the Declaration.
The Lakota abide by the Treaty of 1868 and retain their rights as a sovereign nation parallel to those of the U.S. Hand said, reiterating that treaties are “the supreme law of the land” by which judges are bound.
Arizona judges should remand the case to the federal district prosecutor for action, according to the petition which does not seek monetary damages.
Indian Country Today- December 11, 2009
Story Published: Dec 11, 2009
Story Updated: Dec 11, 2009
PRESCOTT, Ariz. – A Sioux Nation treaty council delegation is demanding that those responsible for sweat lodge deaths at Sedona, Ariz. be held accountable and prosecuted under provisions of the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868 because the event and its aftermath violated both the treaty and the Lakota ceremonial way of life.“
The Lakota follow traditional laws, in accordance to ancient oral history,” states a petition filed in federal District Court in Prescott by the Oglala Lakota Delegation of the Black Hills Sioux Nation Treaty Council, including delegate Floyd Hand and Ivan H. Lewis, Pima/Maricopa/Yavapai. “In adherence to these laws, oral teachings and ancient ceremonies are not abused or misused.”
The Inikaga, or purification lodge, is one of seven sacred rites “brought to the Lakota by the White Buffalo Calf Woman according to ancient oral history,” the court filing states.
Multiple non-Native people died after participating in a lodge conducted by James Arthur Ray, a self-help guru, at Angel Valley Retreat Center in early October. The deaths are under investigation.
The suit contends that the center “is culpable for allowing individuals like Ray to rent their property which offers a sweat lodge for paying participants,” according to a prepared release that alleges Ray and the center “committed fraud by impersonating Native Americans and must be held responsible for causing the deaths of the victims and serious injuries to the survivors.”
The Inikaga and other traditional rituals constitute “a way of life, not a religion,” Hand said.
“Ray is a spiritual vampire who will use whatever means necessary to turn a profit. He and others like him that profit from our culture must be held accountable for their continual fraud and desecration.
“This ceremony comes from the Lakota. We maintain our cultural identity today and people like Ray are trying to mock it as a means to acquire material possessions. They cannot hide behind the Religious Freedom Act. This is not a religion,” Hand said in the release.
Asserting that “Ray and the Angel Valley folks are a dime a dozen in Yavapai territory,” Lewis said the group “claims that they will authenticate and qualify individuals, including non-Indians, to conduct our ceremonies. Our people know who is a real healer and who isn’t. Yes, everyone is entitled to pray, but our ceremonies belong to us in our Native tongue.”
The lawsuit was filed “because (the sweat lodge) was a desecration of Oglala ways,” it was explained.
Hand said by phone Nov. 24 that he had gone to the Sedona locale to check into everything he could about the lodge but has not talked to those who participated in the event at which the deaths occurred.
Hand cited a provision of the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty that promises to arrest and punish “bad men among the whites” or others subject to U.S. laws if they “commit any wrong” to Native people or property, and said Ray and the center violated the treaty-established peace between the U.S. and Lakota Nation.
The petition contends that Ray and the center violated laws stating that community recognition as Indian is not sufficient; rather “the person must be considered a member of a federally recognized tribe.”
In addition, those who dismantled the lodge “caused the destruction of crucial evidence in this crime scene” and should be “charged with the destruction of evidence,” the petition states.
The filing cites provisions of the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples concerning the full ownership and protection of cultural resources, enforcement of treaties, and the submission of unresolved conflicts to international bodies. The U.S. has not ratified the Declaration.
The Lakota abide by the Treaty of 1868 and retain their rights as a sovereign nation parallel to those of the U.S. Hand said, reiterating that treaties are “the supreme law of the land” by which judges are bound.
Arizona judges should remand the case to the federal district prosecutor for action, according to the petition which does not seek monetary damages.
Indian Country Today- December 11, 2009
NATIVE WELLNESS CENTER IN RICHMOND, CA HAS CHRISTMAS TOY DRIVE
NATIVE WELLNESS CENTER HAS TOY DRIVE FOR OUR YOUTH
RICHMOND,CA.- The Native American Health Center's site- the Native Wellness Center located at 260-23rd St,in Richmond, California will be having their Toy Drive for Native youth. The Native Wellness Center is seeking toys and donations for the ages of 0 to 14 years of age.
There will be a Native holiday gathering on Friday December 18th, 2009 from 4pm to 7pm. The children's gifts will distributed at the event and refreshments will be served. You can drop donations at the Native Wellness Center Monday through Friday from 9am to 3pm daily. For more information call 510/ 232-7020
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
FEDS CRACK DOWN ON NATIVE CRAFTS VIOLATORS
House weighs crackdown on Indian crafts violators
By Rob Capriccioso
Story Published: Dec 8, 2009
Story Updated: Dec 4, 2009
WASHINGTON – Rep. Ed Pastor and tribal testifiers painted a picture before the House Committee on Natural Resources Dec. 2 on why the Indian Arts and Crafts Act should be strengthened.
The Arizona Democrat is sponsoring amendments to the 1990 law that would heighten criminal ramifications over non-Indians who illegally counterfeit Indian artistry. Such crimes end up robbing tribal citizens of economic viability, as well as their traditions and heritage, he testified.He said the amendments, known as H.R. 725, are “a small but important legislative fix” that will better assist Indian artists, entrepreneurs and collectors.
The FBI is currently charged with investigating and curbing counterfeiting crimes, but tribal members have long noted that the agency’s enforcement of the law has not been a priority, nor have enough resources been available to do so.
A previous federal report has indicated that Indian artistry is a $1 billion industry annually and up to 60 percent of purported Indian crafts in New Mexico alone may be counterfeit.
Under the bill, all federal officers would be able to perform investigations involving misrepresented Indian goods.
Pastor noted that the Senate acted in July under bipartisan leadership to pass similar amendments, S. 151, by unanimous consent. Sens. John McCain and Jon Kyl, both Republicans of Arizona, pushed for passage.
“Where have we been?” asked Rep. Nick Rahall, the Democratic chairman of the committee from West Virginia, upon learning of the Senate’s previous action.
Interior Deputy Assistant Secretary of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Management Larry Parkinson testified that the department supports the bill.
He noted, too, that Interior’s Indian Arts and Crafts Board has a staff of 12 and a $1 million annual budget, yet the problem is estimated to exceed $1 billion annually.
Rahall asked Parkinson if the board had enough resources to fulfill the requirements of the law.
“It’s not what we would like, but we do the best with what we have,” the Interior official said, later estimating that there have only been three prosecutions in the last decade or so under the law.
Shan Lewis, president of the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, estimated before the committee that millions of dollars are diverted each year from Indian artists and tribes by individuals and companies that reproduce and sell counterfeit goods in the United States on the open market, internationally and over the Internet.
He said the individuals and companies are rarely, if ever, held accountable. For that reason, he said the extent of the problem and the degree to which it impacts Indian artists is difficult to assess.
Michael Garcia, president of the Indian Arts and Crafts Association, testified that he fears the continuing loss of integrity in this field will ultimately result in the large-scale demise of authentic, Indian arts.
He requested a Government Accountability Office study to unearth more exact figures of the cost of counterfeiting.
“Something needs to be done,” Garcia said. “We need some dignity.”
Rahall said the committee would seriously consider the request.
By Rob Capriccioso
Story Published: Dec 8, 2009
Story Updated: Dec 4, 2009
WASHINGTON – Rep. Ed Pastor and tribal testifiers painted a picture before the House Committee on Natural Resources Dec. 2 on why the Indian Arts and Crafts Act should be strengthened.
The Arizona Democrat is sponsoring amendments to the 1990 law that would heighten criminal ramifications over non-Indians who illegally counterfeit Indian artistry. Such crimes end up robbing tribal citizens of economic viability, as well as their traditions and heritage, he testified.He said the amendments, known as H.R. 725, are “a small but important legislative fix” that will better assist Indian artists, entrepreneurs and collectors.
The FBI is currently charged with investigating and curbing counterfeiting crimes, but tribal members have long noted that the agency’s enforcement of the law has not been a priority, nor have enough resources been available to do so.
A previous federal report has indicated that Indian artistry is a $1 billion industry annually and up to 60 percent of purported Indian crafts in New Mexico alone may be counterfeit.
Under the bill, all federal officers would be able to perform investigations involving misrepresented Indian goods.
Pastor noted that the Senate acted in July under bipartisan leadership to pass similar amendments, S. 151, by unanimous consent. Sens. John McCain and Jon Kyl, both Republicans of Arizona, pushed for passage.
“Where have we been?” asked Rep. Nick Rahall, the Democratic chairman of the committee from West Virginia, upon learning of the Senate’s previous action.
Interior Deputy Assistant Secretary of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Management Larry Parkinson testified that the department supports the bill.
He noted, too, that Interior’s Indian Arts and Crafts Board has a staff of 12 and a $1 million annual budget, yet the problem is estimated to exceed $1 billion annually.
Rahall asked Parkinson if the board had enough resources to fulfill the requirements of the law.
“It’s not what we would like, but we do the best with what we have,” the Interior official said, later estimating that there have only been three prosecutions in the last decade or so under the law.
Shan Lewis, president of the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, estimated before the committee that millions of dollars are diverted each year from Indian artists and tribes by individuals and companies that reproduce and sell counterfeit goods in the United States on the open market, internationally and over the Internet.
He said the individuals and companies are rarely, if ever, held accountable. For that reason, he said the extent of the problem and the degree to which it impacts Indian artists is difficult to assess.
Michael Garcia, president of the Indian Arts and Crafts Association, testified that he fears the continuing loss of integrity in this field will ultimately result in the large-scale demise of authentic, Indian arts.
He requested a Government Accountability Office study to unearth more exact figures of the cost of counterfeiting.
“Something needs to be done,” Garcia said. “We need some dignity.”
Rahall said the committee would seriously consider the request.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM TEACHING THE VALUES OF PEACE
WISHING YOU ALL A TRADITIONAL AND SPIRITUAL NATIVE HOLIDAY SEASON
We must Honor and Celebrate our Ancestors.
We must Honor and Celebrate our Elders and Children.
We must Honor and Celebrate our Men and Women.
We must Honor and Celebrate our Veterans and Service Peole at Home and Overseas
We must Honor and Celebrate our Families and Native Homes and Communities
We must Honor and Celebrate our Selves as Native People and Native Culture.
This season give thanks to The Great Creator of All Things.
Pray, Sing and Dance make your Medicine strong our People.
Wado and A-ho,
Editor; Mike Raccoon Eyes Kinney- Teaching the Values of Peace
Sunday, December 6, 2009
NATIVE SPIRITUALITY-DOING THE RIGHT THING FOR CREATOR
And that, I guess, is what it all boils down to; do the right thing, everything goes fine; do the wrong thing, everything's a mess."
Robert Spott, YUROK
The Elders say every person is born with free will and every person has a specific purpose to accomplish during their lifetime. When our life is relatively free from obstacles we are walking the path of God's will.
If our life is full of obstacles, we are not doing the will of God. Often, the Great Spirit guides us through a system of coincidences. We need to pay attention to coincidences.
If we are aware of these, we often can recognize the path which God is showing us. We need to pray and ask Him to show us the path in terms we can understand.
Robert Spott, YUROK
The Elders say every person is born with free will and every person has a specific purpose to accomplish during their lifetime. When our life is relatively free from obstacles we are walking the path of God's will.
If our life is full of obstacles, we are not doing the will of God. Often, the Great Spirit guides us through a system of coincidences. We need to pay attention to coincidences.
If we are aware of these, we often can recognize the path which God is showing us. We need to pray and ask Him to show us the path in terms we can understand.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
FAST AND PRAYER VIGIL STILL CONTINUES FOR OUR NATIVE ANCESTORS AT BERKELEY, CA
FAST AND PRAYER VIGIL STILL CONTINUES AT UC BERKELEY TO SAVE OUR ANCESTORS IN FRONT OF RACIST HEARST MUSEUM
BERKELEY,CA.- Jun Yasuda, a 61 year old Buddhist nun from Albany, NY beats a fan drum in front of the Phobe E. Hearst Musuem of Anthropology at UC Berkeley on Tuesday, December 2009 at the beginning of 4 day fast and prayer vigil asking the repatriation of Native American remains housed there.
Yasuda will not eat for the entire 4 days. Jun Yasuda is there daily from 8am to 5pm. Friday December 4, 2009 will end her fast.
Photo: Doug Oakley-Oakland Tribune
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
DRUMBEAT SOUNDS OUTSIDE UC MUSEUM FOR RETURN OF NATIVE REMAINS
Drumbeat sounds outside UC museum for return of human remains
By Doug OakleyBerkeley Voice
Posted: 12/01/2009 04:40:26 PM PST
Updated: 12/01/2009 04:40:27 PM PST
Every time her heart beats, 61-year-old Jun Yasuda thumps her drum in front of the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology at UC Berkeley.
Yasuda, a Buddhist nun from Albany, N.Y., started a four-day hunger strike Tuesday as she prays for the return of some 11,000 human remains from all over the world that are housed at the museum.
Joining her this week are people like Wounded Knee, a Miwok Indian from Vallejo and Mike Raccoon Eyes Kinney, a Cherokee who lives in Richmond.
They all want the museum to give its remains back to the earth.
The museum, according to University spokesman Dan Mogulof, houses some 11,000 remains in storage lockers that were unearthed at one time or another and donated from places around the globe.
There are 8,000 remains from California; 1,200 from Peru; 600 from Egypt; 550 from other parts of the U.S. and 300 other "non U.S." remains, Mogulof said.
"The Native American spirituality and prayer are the center of this land," said Yasuda during a pause in her drumming.
"What has happened in this country to Native Americans from the beginning has not been peaceful. So this is a reminder that there is a limit to all the taking we are doing on this planet."
Knee put it slightly differently.
"We want to call attention to the remains housed here and the artifacts and objects that Indians use during their ceremonies," he said.
Knee said he believed that many of the remains from California from shell mounds in Emeryville and from Glen Cove in Vallejo that were unearthed during modern development.
Mogulof said those remains cannot be returned to their Ohlone decedents because UC Berkeley follows federal law, which allows for repatriation only when a tribe is recognized by the federal government. But the Ohlone people are not recognized.
"We're completely committed to the federal law that governs repatriation of cultural remains," Mogulof said.
http://www.teachingthevaluesofpeace.blogspot.com
By Doug OakleyBerkeley Voice
Posted: 12/01/2009 04:40:26 PM PST
Updated: 12/01/2009 04:40:27 PM PST
Every time her heart beats, 61-year-old Jun Yasuda thumps her drum in front of the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology at UC Berkeley.
Yasuda, a Buddhist nun from Albany, N.Y., started a four-day hunger strike Tuesday as she prays for the return of some 11,000 human remains from all over the world that are housed at the museum.
Joining her this week are people like Wounded Knee, a Miwok Indian from Vallejo and Mike Raccoon Eyes Kinney, a Cherokee who lives in Richmond.
They all want the museum to give its remains back to the earth.
The museum, according to University spokesman Dan Mogulof, houses some 11,000 remains in storage lockers that were unearthed at one time or another and donated from places around the globe.
There are 8,000 remains from California; 1,200 from Peru; 600 from Egypt; 550 from other parts of the U.S. and 300 other "non U.S." remains, Mogulof said.
"The Native American spirituality and prayer are the center of this land," said Yasuda during a pause in her drumming.
"What has happened in this country to Native Americans from the beginning has not been peaceful. So this is a reminder that there is a limit to all the taking we are doing on this planet."
Knee put it slightly differently.
"We want to call attention to the remains housed here and the artifacts and objects that Indians use during their ceremonies," he said.
Knee said he believed that many of the remains from California from shell mounds in Emeryville and from Glen Cove in Vallejo that were unearthed during modern development.
Mogulof said those remains cannot be returned to their Ohlone decedents because UC Berkeley follows federal law, which allows for repatriation only when a tribe is recognized by the federal government. But the Ohlone people are not recognized.
"We're completely committed to the federal law that governs repatriation of cultural remains," Mogulof said.
http://www.teachingthevaluesofpeace.blogspot.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
