tagged w/ Native Americans
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For 25 years, Ford Motor Company dumped toxic waste from a nearby factory into New Jersey's Ringwood State Park.
Members of the Ramapough tribe, who've lived on the land for generations, routinely fell ill from various poisons. Their children suffered nosebleeds any time they played outside.
Cancer rates in the area are elevated, and the Bergen Record found arsenic and lead one hundred times above safe levels in the nearby Wanaque Watershed, which supplies water to millions.
But instead of working to clean up the area, the Environmental Protection Agency is actually considering giving the land back to Ford to use it as a toxic waste dump.
There's not much time left to protect the park -- the EPA is announcing its plan in less than two weeks.
Edison Wetlands Association started a petition on Change.org asking the EPA to keep the park public and make Ford clean up the park for the public's use.
Right now, Ford is secretly lobbying both state and federal officials to gain the right to resume toxic dumping in the park. But a national outcry can outdo them.
Please sign Edison Wetlands' petition to stop Ford from polluting before the EPA's deadline in less than two weeks:
http://www.change.org/petitions/save-ringwood-state-park-dont-let-ford-motor-company-use-it-as-a-toxic-landfillFor 25 years, Ford Motor Company dumped toxic waste from a nearby factory into New... more
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Native American land – a total five percent of the land area of the United States – contains an estimated 10 percent of the nation’s energy resources, and yet almost all of the renewable sources of power on these lands are under-utilized, tribes and government officials agree.
http://www.renewableenergymagazine.com/energias/renovables/#slide_8Native American land – a total five percent of the land area of the United... more
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Developed in collaboration with the Akwesasne Mohawk of northern New York, the Campo Kumeyaay Nation of southern California, the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe of northern Minnesota and the Lummi Nation of Washington state, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian launches a new educational website, “American Indian Responses to Environmental Challenges,Developed in collaboration with the Akwesasne Mohawk of northern New York, the Campo... more
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The Near-Extinction Of American Bison In The 1800’s
As the populations of the United States pushed West in the early 1800’s, a lucrative trade for the fur, skin, and meat of the American Bison began in the great plains. Bison slaughter was further encouraged by the US government as a means of starving out or removing Native American populations that relied on the bison for food. Hunting of bison became so prevalent that travelers on trains in the Midwest would shoot bison during long-haul train trips.
Once numbering in the hundreds of millions in North America, the population of the American Bison decreased to less than 1000 by 1890. Thanks in large part to conservation efforts undertaken by Theodore Roosevelt and by the US government, there are now over 500,000 bison in America.
[Thanks to Bamboocum for bringing this to my attention.]The Near-Extinction Of American Bison In The 1800’s
As the populations of... more
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"The bad news: the baby seal hunting season has begun off the coast of Newfoundland. The good news: they're using a more humane technique. They're shaking the baby seals instead of clubbing them." Chris Martin joins People for the Ethical Treatment of Stand-up Comedians at the 9:55 Comedy Club's open mic May 2, 2011. Joshua Saucier is the MC.
http://www.chrismartincomedy.com"The bad news: the baby seal hunting season has begun off the coast of... more
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Galeano Suarez, Shaman of the Panambi'y tribe of the Guarani Indians speak about the poor living conditions. Filmed near the border of Paraguay and Brasil.Galeano Suarez, Shaman of the Panambi'y tribe of the Guarani Indians speak about... more
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NATIVE Americans in southern California do not see a bright side to the prospect of six new solar-energy projects crowding the Mohave, Sonoran and Colorado deserts they have called home for thousands of years.NATIVE Americans in southern California do not see a bright side to the prospect of... more
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With the Internet, Native Americans are able to communicate, improve their communities and look for resources outside of their reservations to help education and job efforts.Learning about Native American heritage and modern lifestyle is easier than ever thanks to blogs that explain the culture in detail.
link: http://www.onlinemarketingdegree.org/top-39-native-american-heritage-blogsWith the Internet, Native Americans are able to communicate, improve their communities... more
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Former House majority leader Tom Delay leaves the Travis County Jail after being sentenced to three years in prison with probation and posting $20,000 bail bond on January 10, 2011 in Austin, Texas. Delay was convicted of charges money laundering and conspiracy. By Ben Sklar/Getty Images.
I wonder who the former"Dancing with the Stars"celebrity, next dancing partner will be?
I'm sure Mr. Delay's dance moves will be a real plus-!... in Prison!Former House majority leader Tom Delay leaves the Travis County Jail after being... more
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Tribe May Collect on 150-Year-Old Trust
By MATT REYNOLDS
ShareThis
(CN) - The descendants of a Minnesota Indian tribe that was loyal to the U.S. government during the 1862 Sioux Uprising were unfairly deprived of benefits from three tracts of tribal land, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims ruled.
Judge Charles Lettow rejected the government's argument that appropriations laws passed by Congress in 1980 trumped the Mdewakanton Sioux's right to funds that originated from a trust created in the late 1800s.
"Fairly interpreted, in light of the historical record and 90 years of the department's own legal opinions and actions, the appropriations acts are reasonably amenable to the reading that they created a money-mandating duty on the part of the government to the lineal descendants of the loyal Mdewakanton," Lettow wrote.
The government set aside the funds for the Mdewakanton as a reward for their help in a revolt against the government by Minnesota Sioux tribes.
Angry that the government refused to hand over money in exchange for the land the tribes relinquished, the resulting massacre left 500 settlers dead. After U.S. armed forces quelled the rebellion, Sioux were removed from land in the state.
The Mdewakanton, who sat out the revolt or actively helped the settlers, were rewarded for their loyalty in appropriations laws passed in 1888, 1889 and 1890.
After other tribes intermingled with the Mdewakanton, however, the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 changed how the government viewed the three tracts of land.
By the time the 1980 law was passed, the government argued that the Mdewakanton no longer had an exclusive claim to the land.
Lettow sided with the government on one issue: the tribe's entitlement to funds from a transfer of Indian land in Wabasha to a portion of the Upper Mississippi River. He said a 1944 bill crafted by lawmakers extinguished any rights the tribe had to that land under prior appropriations laws.
The judge, however, said the government was liable to the tribe for funds collected before the 1980 laws were enacted.
"The undisputed facts demonstrate that the government disbursed the funds to the three communities rather than to the lineal descendants, thereby contravening the provisions of the appropriations acts that dictated that only eligible Mdewakanton could receive the benefits of the acts and that such benefits be conferred in as equal an amount as practicable," Lettow wrote.Tribe May Collect on 150-Year-Old Trust
By MATT REYNOLDS
ShareThis
(CN) - The... more
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Ancient Human Remains Found at Construction Site
Remains of What are Believed to be Native Americans who Lived Over 300 Years Ago Have Been Found at a Construction Site in Downtown Los Angeles. Current Tribe Members Don't Want the Remains Moved, but Their Future Resting Place is Yet to be Determined
By JULIE BRAYTON
Updated 7:45 PM PST, Wed, Jan 5, 2011
At the corner of Arcadia and Spring streets in Downtown Los Angeles construction on a new Mexican cultural center ground to a halt when human remains were found at the site.
It is believed that the remains are of Native Americans who lived in the region over 300 years ago.
The Gabrielino band of Mission Indians of San Gabriel, lays claim to the site, stating it is the location of an ancient indian village, established there long before Los Angeles even existed.
A spokesperson for the group said they are frustrated, because they only received word of the find on Tuesday, and they say the current property owners are keeping them away from the remains.
"We are mad that our ancestors on this day are being desecrated. Taken out of their ancient burials, and placed in a trailer," states Andrew Salas, Tribal Chair Person for the Gabrielino Band of Mission Indians of San Gabriel.
The tribe want's the remains to stay exactly where they are, and they say it's sad to build a center to celebrate one culture, by destroying another.Ancient Human Remains Found at Construction Site
Remains of What are Believed to... more
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Native American poverty continues under Obama
Published: 18 December, 2010, 00:53
Edited: 18 December, 2010, 14:16
In his opening remarks during the second annual Native American Tribal Conference, US President Barack Obama declared, “So long as I held this office, never again would Native Americans be forgotten or ignored.”
However, the same promises were made a year ago, when Obama pledged a new chapter for Native Americans.The President signed the Tribal Law and Order Act and mandated 90 days for government agencies to implement serious reforms toward Indian country, all in an attempt to reach out to a population that has historically been overlooked and abused by the US government.
##### Read The Full Article At This Link ####################
http://rt.com/usa/news/usa-native-american-poverty-obama/Native American poverty continues under Obama
Published: 18 December, 2010, 00:53... more
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President Barack Obama said on Thursday he was giving a belated U.S. endorsement to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, drawing hearty applause from a gathering of Native Americans.
The U.N. declaration recognizes the rights of indigenous groups, like American Indians, in such areas as culture, property and self-determination.
The United States was one of a handful of countries to refrain from backing the doctrine in the past, but following a recent review of the government's position, Obama said, "I can announce that the United States is lending its support to this declaration.
"The aspirations it affirms -- including the respect for the institutions and rich cultures of Native peoples -- are ones we must always seek to fulfill," he said in opening the White House Tribal Nations Conference at the Interior Department.
He added that "what matters far more than words, what matters far more than any resolution or declaration, are actions to match those words."President Barack Obama said on Thursday he was giving a belated U.S. endorsement to... more
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This is my interview with Chaske Spencer. Perhaps no better way to wish you all a happy Day of the Dead than by taking a moment to talk with an actor acquainted with the undead and Chaske has come to fame as both Dracula and Sam Uley the leader of the Wolfpack in Twilight. Chaske is also the founder of Shift the Power to the People a charity focused on making sustainable change in communities across the world. Starting with the Cheyene River Sioux Tribe who were devastated by a brutal winter storm season and are working hard to rebuild their water and power infrastructure. He opens up about his new production company and projects and is even willing to talk about experiences with addiction, poverty, and racism.
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http://www.racebending.com/v3/featured/chaske-spencer-actor-twilight/
RACEBENDING.COM: I’m curious, did your parents, being educators, talk about Indian Boarding Schools? Was that something that drove them to say, maybe make a positive change to address some of those issues, to do good in the community?
CHASKE SPENCER: I remember hearing stories from my mother and father about their parents and grandparents when they were taken of the reservation, taken to the boarding schools, and pretty much taught to be ashamed of who they were as Native Americans. You can feel that impact today.
I think that’s why there is so much alcohol and drug abuse on reservations, because the self-esteem of those people–they were robbed of the self-esteem for who they are. Our people were a beautiful people, and they still are.
The impact of that has affected generations. You had abuse, sexual abuse, at these boarding schools, plus, they were forced to cut their own hair–to be ashamed of who they were. If they spoke their own tongue, their mouths were washed out with soap. You can feel that effect today.
It’s very sad but it’s an awareness; I think our people do know, but some are ashamed to talk about it. If you start talking about it, you realize that’s a key point in our history, where we turned, where something happened. I believe it’s coming back with the Sundances, the Sweat Lodges and Native American spirituality coming back. We were just granted our rights here in the 1970s.
RACEBENDING.COM: Do you think that media representation plays a role in this, because there is a lack of positive portrayals in the media? So many overtly racist practices were allowed to continue well after segregation and other practices had stopped.
CHASKE SPENCER: Yeah. I went to all white school where I dealt with racism. There was a point–when I was a kid–where I said I wanted to be like Luke Skywalker, with blond hair and blue eyes. My mom right there told me to never be ashamed of who I am.
It was just conditioning. You see it everywhere in Hollywood–you know, in the media in general–it’s conditioning, conditioning everywhere you look. It took somewhere into my teens for me to really understand who I was and to start being proud of who I was.This is my interview with Chaske Spencer. Perhaps no better way to wish you all a... more
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Knowlege is power.
http://www.petitiononline.com/indian/petition.html
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Tony Destructo confronts the Ground Zero Mosque protesters.
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Russell Means exposes tribal council corruption and announces his upcoming lawsuit against Senator John Thune of South Dakota for breaking his oath of office.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnF7Ojyp9lERussell Means exposes tribal council corruption and announces his upcoming lawsuit... more
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A new "gold rush" is under way in the American West, but this time the prospectors are out for another metal: uranium.
The Grand Canyon region in the US state of Arizona holds one of the nation's largest concentrations of high grade uranium, the fuel for nuclear power.
As global demand for nuclear power has increased so has interest in the metal and, across the south-west, companies are seeking permission to restart uranium mining.
In the US, President Barack Obama has called for an increase in nuclear power to help reduce the country's dependence on foreign oil.
The US government is currently weighing the costs and benefits of mining, with Arizona Congressman Raul Grijalva proposing a ban on mining near the Grand Canyon.
But with the increase in uranium exploration come concerns about the future of the Grand Canyon, a Unesco World Heritage Site and one of America's foremost natural wonders.
And Native American populations living near uranium mines fear exploration could contaminate their drinking water.
For now, the sole active uranium mine near the Grand Canyon's northern rim is run by Denison Mines Corporation, a Canadian firm.
The Arizona 1 mine employs 30 miners, and the firm says it goes to great lengths to protect them in the hazardous environment.
Among other precautions, large fans pump clean air into the mine and suck out most of the radioactive radon gas, while workers spray water across the site to keep down potentially harmful dust. The firm also says past accidents were swiftly and effectively cleaned up.
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On a recent trip into the mine, none of the miners wore masks, and their hands and face were caked with uranium ore.
"It washes off," miner Cody Behuden, 28, told the BBC while licking his ore-caked lips.
Vice-president of US operations Harold Roberts said the miners were under no danger from ingesting uranium.
***************************************A new "gold rush" is under way in the American West, but this time the... more
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On December 30th, 2009, Cardinal was made a Member of the Order of Canada “for her contributions to the growth and development of Aboriginal performing arts in Canada, as a screen and stage actress, and as a founding member of the Saskatchewan Native Theatre Company.”
Racebending.com contributor Gabriel Canada interviewed Tantoo Cardinal over the phone in July 2010.
NOTE: The opinions espoused by the interviewees represent their viewpoints alone, and do not necessarily represent the views held by the staff of racebending.com
RACEBENDING.COM: You’ve said in the past, that you first started acting as an extension of your involvement in the political movement’s of the 1960’s. You have said you wanted to change the way our [Native American] history was told. Can you elaborate on this for our readers?
TANTOO CARDINAL: I came through a time when our history was not handled justly in the recording of events. It was just coming to terms with how we were being portrayed, how we were being treated. This was a time when the only real avenues of expression were political. This was before any art involvement. I always felt we were being maligned, and if only people could see how we are in the community–with our songs and dance, our stories, the way people express themselves–then they could know who we are.
RACEBENDING.COM: When you were starting out as an actress, the Canadian Content Policy was also coming in at the time. It has been singled out as having a huge impact on Native actors. What was it? How did it affect you?
TANTOO CARDINAL: It created a mandate for Canadian content in cinema. It made Canadian film makers who did Canadian stories use Canadian actors and provided funding for filmmakers to make these movies. In that same germ of thought there was an issue of personal pride–that maybe we should have Native peoples playing Native roles. It was kind of a pushback since America was really taking over much of our culture in Canada.
RACEBENDING.COM: Were there any actors or actresses you admired growing up, or that informed your portrayals throughout your career?
TANTOO CARDINAL: No. Certainly not actresses. There were no Indian women I could look at on screen. I guess my inspiration would be, you know when you see stellar actors like Audrey Hepburn playing an Indian woman. I felt I might not know about acting but hey, I know about being an Indian Woman. I’m an Indian!
RACEBENDING.COM: In watching your films again before this interview, one was very striking–Black Robe–having been widely criticized for its violent depictions of Native peoples.
TANTOO CARDINAL: Well, Black Robe was based on Church records. Our side of the story was not told, it was the Church’s perspective. Hopefully, there will be an opportunity to show our perspective, in our time in history.
RACEBENDING.COM: It was also a very three dimensional film. There was a mix of humor and sexuality that isn’t often found in Hollywood depictions of First Nation peoples. What do you think it will take to get more three dimensional roles like that for First Nations actors?
TANTOO CARDINAL: If we had the cash Black Robe had, with the filmmakers that have incubated and come out in these last few years, we could make a pretty dazzling movie that would tell our story.
RACEBENDING.COM: Speaking of big-budget depictions of First Nation peoples, there have been several high-profile examples, in recent years, of Hollywood “racebending” Native Peoples– by taking native characters from source material but casting white actors in their place. Most notably, this happened in The Last Airbender. What do you think it would take for Hollywood to give that same big budget to Native American film makers and actors?
TANTOO CARDINAL: It would take the world turning upside down.
RACEBENDING.COM: Was it the same for you starting out in the industry?
TANTOO CARDINAL: Racism and sexism have not been eradicated. When I started out, I was sitting in audition halls with white girls with all this brown makeup on and cheap turquoise jewelry. Somehow I made it in, thanks to a want for authenticity. Those struggles still persist, you know.
“Racism and sexism have not been eradicated. When I started out, I was sitting in audition halls with white girls with all this brown makeup on and cheap turquoise jewelry. Somehow I made it in, thanks to a want for authenticity.”
Someone asked me in my forties about being in my forties and how I felt with roles not available to women in their forties. Well, that’s the story of my career. Starting out, you see roles aren’t available. And then, all along the way, roles aren’t available. So it’s not a new element. It’s very frustrating for me to even watch movies because of that. There are many roles I feel I could have performed.
In America, however, they still see us [Native Americans] as dead. I don’t know what it’s going to take, but there is a serious denial element in American society. They don’t want to look at their potty training days. They tried to annihilate us. They destroyed our economic base at every opportunity, so I just sit back and watch now.
There has to be a major shakeup for us to be treated as equal human beings. Our stories, our characters, our being, has to be accepted as equal humanity to those who have the purse strings. Thank goodness we have allies, thanks goodness we have human beings who believe we’re human beings now.
There has to be a major shakeup for us to be treated as equal human beings. Our stories, our characters, our being, has to be accepted as equal humanity to those who have the purse strings.”
They don’t have any confidence they can make the money back with us. They just seem uninterested. I don’t know whether it’s guilt, or people thinking it’s just yesterday, I don’t know what the elements are. You’d have to talk to people who don’t consider us interesting or valuable.
There is also a situation where an adept filmmaker isn’t trusted with the budget unless a white filmmaker is alongside. I’d say that scenario was prevalent about fifteen years ago. It’s just a persistence among our artists that’s needed. You have to make it with peanuts and pop bottle budgets.
RACEBENDING.COM: There have been more than four thousand movies, over the course of the history of film, that feature First Nation peoples. With all of that out there, and the success of so many of those films–including your own that feature First Nation people so prominently–why do you think that fear of financial viability still exists?
TANTOO CARDINAL: I think It’s racism. You know, I played a lead in an independent film in Vermont. We had the hardest time just getting it in to screen at Sundance.
RACEBENDING.COM: It really is an incredible situation considering the films you have been in. They haven’t just had an impact on Native cinema, but on cinema as a whole. Black Robe won best Canadian film of the year, Dances with Wolves was nominated for seven Oscars, Legends of the Fall won for best cinematography and you still have to fight to get into Sundance. Just a few years later your film Smoke Signals would win the Audience Prize and Film Makers prize at the same festival. It’s an incredible success for these films, but that success hasn’t translated to wins for Native Actors themselves. Why is that?
TANTOO CARDINAL: Can you imagine, if we had all been white actors? What that would have done for our careers? You talk about a glass ceiling. We have a moon high ceiling. More than just a hundred years of cinema history, it’s four centuries of history. It has more to do with the respect of society as a whole.On December 30th, 2009, Cardinal was made a Member of the Order of Canada “for... more
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