For an Indian, who is also a school teacher, Thanksgiving was never an easy holiday for me to deal with in class. I sometimes have felt like I learned too much about "the Pilgrims and the Indians." Every year I have been faced with the professional and moral dilemma of just how to be honest and informative with my children at Thanksgiving without passing on historical distortions, and racial and cultural stereotypes. The problem is that part of what you and I learned in our own childhood about the "Pilgrims" and "Squanto" and the "First Thanksgiving" is a mixture of both history and myth. But the THEME of Thanksgiving has truth and integrity far above and beyond what we and our forebearers have made of it. Thanksgiving is a bigger concept than just the story of the founding of the Plymouth Plantation. So what do we teach to our children? We usually pass on unquestioned what we all received in our own childhood classrooms. I have come to know both the truths and the myths about our "First Thanksgiving," and I feel we need to try to reach beyond the myths to some degree of historic truth. This text is an attempt to do this.For an Indian, who is also a school teacher, Thanksgiving was never an easy holiday... more
Every August, two thousand people visit northern Australia's Gove Peninsula in Arnhem Land to attend the Garma Festival, an international celebration of the Aboriginal culture that is still strong around Yirkalla. In August, we traveled to Garma to interview indigenous leaders and film the dances that take place at sunset every evening. In that spirit we offer this short film clip of the 2007 Garma Festival.Every August, two thousand people visit northern Australia's Gove Peninsula in Arnhem... more
The Army has decided to cut off retirement pay for veterans of a largely Native militia formed to guard the territory of Alaska from the threat of Japanese attack during World War II.
"U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said Alaska's congressional delegation has sent a letter to President Barack Obama, asking him to intervene..."
(Photo: Three WWII Alaska Territorial Guard members in 2008)The Army has decided to cut off retirement pay for veterans of a largely Native... more
A filmmaker's dream of building a Hollywood-style studio in the northern part of South Africa has been blocked after a passionate campaign by the local Khoi-San community, tribes commonly known in the West as Bushmen.
But the filmmakers underestimated the will of the local 5,000-strong population who put the spiritual value of the land over any potential economic gain and nixed the plan last month.
"No money in the world can buy this land," says Ina Basson, secretary of the Pella Community Forum. "It is ours and has sentimental value. Our forefathers fought the Germans for this land and had to battle to keep it. They have spilled blood for the land and for us, and it is not for sale.
"[The producers] said Mel Gibson and Halle Berry would fly in to do movies, and that Tiger Woods would design the golf course," adds Ms. Basson. "We don't care about them. We want to live here."
The Rev. Cyril Smith, whose cathedral would have been made into a Mexican village film set, says the consortium miscalculated the level of opposition and the legal status of the land. "They should have consulted the residents first but they didn't, which made them very angry," he says. "The government, as trustees, aren't allowed to sell this land without their consent, so the film studios will not happen."
"Not even a handful will I sell to them," says farmer Piet Eiman, one of the area's oldest residents, holding pieces of soil in his hands. "We are part of the land, it can support you from a baby, to a young child, to a man. It is part of us."
Rudolf Markgraaff, chief executive at Charis Productions, one of the companies looking to purchase or lease the tribal land, says he was surprised at the opposition. "This area is desperately poor with 70 percent unemployment, high rates of AIDS, and limited facilities like hospitals and schools.
"We had letters of support from the [African National Congress] Youth League, the ANC Women's League, and another group begging us to make it happen," Markgraaff says. "They're not doing anything with this land."
But Mr. Markgraaff is wrong. The local population is preserving their culture, with some families practicing the traditional hunting and gathering lifestyle, and others herding cattle and goats, or farming desert crops. These ways of life would be threatened or destroyed by the presence of such large-scale commercial development.
A filmmaker's dream of building a Hollywood-style studio in the northern part of... more
Ten-year-old Relmutray Cadin Calfunao has been arrested and interrogated by Chile’s Carabinero uniformed police force. She barely survived a mysterious arson attack on her house in 2005 and has repeatedly seen police beat her parents and brothers. With most of their family in prison and to avoid further psychological damage to their youngest member, the Calfunaos decided to send Relmutray away to Geneva, Switzerland, where they say she will have the opportunity to regain a lost childhood. Relmutray is now appealing to the Swiss government for political asylum.
While Chile’s government insists there is no need for any Chilean to seek political refuge, the Calfunao family argues that through their struggle to protect their ancestral land in Chile’s Region IX – also known as the Aruacanía or Wallmapu – family members have been subject to constant police persecution, unjustified prison sentences, and torture.
“There is ample evidence indicating that since her birth, Relmutray has lived in an environment of relentless police tension and harassment,” reads a document that the Mapuche International Link (MIL) submitted to the United Nations on September 16. “She has witnessed police brutality against her parents and her community as well as personally suffering inhumane, cruel, and degrading treatment.”
On Sept. 9, Relmutray left the indigenous Mapuche community Juan Paillalef, where she grew up with her family and 14 other families, just east of Region IX’s capital, Temuco. Relmutray’s aunt, Flor Rayen, who has lived in Geneva since 1996 and does research for the United Nations' human and indigenous rights commission, returned to Chile to accompany her niece on the long journey to Europe. And during the first week of October, Flor and MIL submitted the petition for Relmutray’s political asylum to the Swiss government.
While living in Chile, Relmutray would cry every day and have constant nightmares. “Her mental state seemed to be deteriorating,” said Remultray’s sister, Carolina Calfunao (20), who is the only family member never to have been incarcerated, although she must register once a month at the district attorney’s office and is prohibited from leaving the country because of her family affiliation.
Carolina receives regular calls from Geneva in which Relmutray tells her about her new home. “She is taking swimming lessons, ice skating, and learning a new language with her classmates,” said Carolina. “She is doing all these things that she couldn’t do when she was here. Of course she’s sad to be so far away from us, but she now has the chance to live like a normal child. And, thanks to Aunt Flor, at least she is still with family.”
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More at link.Ten-year-old Relmutray Cadin Calfunao has been arrested and interrogated by Chile’s... more
Sarah Palin's Record on Alaska Native and Tribal Issues
1. Palin has attacked Alaska Native Subsistence Fishing
Perhaps no issue is of greater importance to Alaska
Native peoples as the right to hunt and fish according to ancient customary and traditional practices, and to carry on the subsistence way of life for future generations.
Governor Sarah Palin has consistently opposed those rights.
Once in office, Governor Palin decided to continue
litigation that seeks to overturn every subsistence fishing determination the federal government has ever made in Alaska. (State of Alaska v. Norton, 3:05-cv-0158- HRH (D.
Ak).) In pressing this case, Palin decided against using the Attorney General (which usually handles State litigation) and instead continued contracting with Senator Ted Stevens' brother-in-law' s law firm (Birch, Horton, Bittner & Cherot). Sunday Sept 7, 2008
Sunday Sept 7, 2008
Sarah Palin's Record on Alaska Native... more
Di recente è apparsa su internet la notizia che uno studio legale di Yankton ha organizzato meetings di informazione rivolti al pubblico, relativi a una possibile azione legale sul denaro della Docket 74B e della Docket 74A. La Docket 74B è la sentenza in merito alle richieste sulle Black Hills. La notizia fa capo allo studio legale Kettering di Yankton che in associazione con altri studi, agisce da leader nel condurre questa azione legale. Doug Kettering, dello studio legale, sostiene che stralci della mail sulla notizia non sono del tutto corretti. Diceva che c’è molta gente che vorrebbe che le proprietà immobiliari, cioè i territori sacri dei Sioux, ritornassero a loro oppure che essi entrassero in possesso di una quota proporzionale della somma in contanti. “Tra la gente esistono in merito idee e opinioni diverse che potrebbero ritornare utili” afferma “c’è un pò di gente che ci sta dando una mano” in riferimento alla mail di notifica da parte di quattro studi legali coinvolti. I meetings sono scaturiti dagli incontri con gli anziani di Fort Peck, nel Montana, che vorrebbero trovare una soluzione alla sentenza sulle Black Hills e la Docket 74A. Il primo incontro in programma si è svolto sabato 3 maggio alle 11.00 presso il New Hope Community Church, 3222 Pawnee Place, Sioux City, Iowa. Il secondo incontro si è tenuto il giorno seguente nello stesso posto. Altri appuntamenti verranno programmati. Secondo la notifica, gli studi legali rappresenteranno tutti i membri tribali Sioux che lo vorranno.
Tim Giago, giornalista sindacalista Oglala Sioux, cita Harry Blackmun della Suprema Corte di Giustizia, “Non esiste nella nostra storia un caso più indegno ed estremo di rapporti disonesti” e introduce la faccenda delle Black Hills, che un capo Lakota paragona alla storia del parente squilibrato che uno nasconde in cantina per non doverne parlare. Nel suo articolo Giago fissa l’importo dovuto ai Lakota per le Black Hills in 863.286.767.90 milioni di dollari poiché l’importo iniziale di 105 milioni di dollari fu assegnato nel 1980 dalla Corte Suprema degli Stati Uniti. Giago pone una domanda: “In un mondo in cui tutto ruota attorno al denaro, come fa la popolazione più povera d’America a rifiutarsi di accettare milioni di dollari? La risposta è che loro reputano sacra la terra che gli è stata rubata e dicono che non si può vendere la propria madre”. Giago continua annotando che “è un argomento così delicato che persino la delegazione del Sud Dakota al congresso ne rifugge come si scappa da una puzzola in salotto” e conclude “c’è chi dice che se gli indiani continueranno a rifiutare il denaro si farà in modo di costringerli ad accettarlo. C’è anche chi pensa che gli indiani dovrebbero prendere quei soldi e ricomprarsi parti delle Black Hills. Ma quest’idea è inaccettabile per loro perché prendere anche solo un centesimo di questa risoluzione in tutte le forme, avvalorerebbe il furto delle terre”....[continua]Di recente è apparsa su internet la notizia che uno studio legale di Yankton ha... more
Subcomandante Marcos comes to the United States with the plans for a trickle-up democratic reform to empower the downtrodden. Subcomandante Marcos comes to the United States with the plans for a trickle-up... more
One of South America's few remaining uncontacted indigenous tribes has been spotted and photographed on the border between Brazil and Peru.
The Brazilian government says it took the images to prove the tribe exists and help protect its land.
The pictures, taken from an aeroplane, show red-painted tribe members brandishing bows and arrows.
More than half the world's 100 uncontacted tribes live in Brazil or Peru, Survival International says.
Stephen Corry, the director of the group - which supports tribal people around the world - said such tribes would "soon be made extinct" if their land was not protected.One of South America's few remaining uncontacted indigenous tribes has been spotted... more
Western Shoshone leader, Corbin Harney talks about his prophetic conversation with the waterWestern Shoshone leader, Corbin Harney talks about his prophetic conversation with the... more
The Turtle Island Project in northern Michigan was founded in August 2007 by two Midwest pastors who believe the future of mankind and world is at a crossroads.
Rev. Dr. Lynn Hubbard and Rev. Dr. George Cairns believe that Christians could learn a lot about nature and the environment by listening to Earth-based cultures like Native Americans, Celts, and other Indigenous peoples.
Rev. Hubbard is a Lutheran pastor, and Rev. Cairns is an ordained United Church of Christ minister.
Both have extensive backgrounds in interfaith and multicultural work.
The Turtle Island Project (TIP), based in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, promotes respect for the environment and Native Americans.
Two Midwest pastors created the TIP to foster a national discussion and debate on a wide variety of issues involving the future of the planet and mankind including encouraging Christians to learn how to appreciate nature like Earth-based religions such as American Indians, Celts and other Indigenous peoples.
Turtle Island Project volunteer media advisor Greg Peterson has more on the founders and their goals.
Time: 9:50
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White Buffalo Calf Woman Society: http://www.wbcws.org
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Turtle Island Project related websites:
Uranium mining threatens Aboriginal culture and land rights at many sites across Australia. In this film, Traditional Owners speak out against the mining companies which bring sickness to the land. Uranium Dreaming tells the story of the industry almost nobody wants.
"The 13th of September 2007 will be remembered as an international human rights day for the indigenous peoples of the world," said Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, chairperson of the Permanent Forum, in an emotional tone filled with joy.
International civil society groups working for the rights of indigenous peoples also expressed extreme pleasure with Thursday's vote.
The United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand stood alone in voting against the resolution.
"The entire wealth of the United States, Canada, and other so-called modern states is built on the poverty and human rights violations of their indigenous peoples," said Manuel. "The international community needs to understand how hypocritical Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States are.""The 13th of September 2007 will be remembered as an international human rights day... more
