U.S. offers to pay Native Americans $1.4 billion for lost funds
By Paul Courson, CNN
December 8, 2009 11:21 p.m. EST
Washington (CNN) -- Thousands of American Indians would receive as much as $1,000 each if they accept a proposed $1.4 billion to settle a class-action lawsuit over government mismanagement of tribal lands.
The suit, filed in 1996, accused the U.S. Department of the Interior of failing to account for and provide revenue from a trust fund representing the value of Indian assets managed by the government.
As part of the settlement, the federal government would agree to establish a $2 billion program to buy small fractions of land to help sellers obtain value from ancestral property, which then would be held by tribal governments.
The missing funds at the center of the class-action case involve what are called Individual Indian Money accounts, which are supposed to represent the property of individual American Indians. The accounts are held by the United States as trustee.
The lawsuit had accused the government of failing to account for the money, failing to make proper payments, and converting tribal money for the government's own use.
A federal judge must approve the plan, and Congress would have to enact a bill to implement it.
At a Tuesday news conference, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar acknowledged the need for a "historical accounting for funds that the government held in trusts for Native Americans."
Attorney General Eric Holder, accompanying Salazar to announce the settlement proposal, said the deal addresses allegations "the government has mismanaged acres of land and millions of dollars that it holds in trust for Native Americans."
But one of the American Indians who filed the suit in 1996 suggested the years of litigation had simply worn them down.
"It's not fair," said Elouise Cobell, but "in the future we may be treated more fairly."
Cobell, a member of Montana's Blackfeet Indian tribe, said those who could benefit from the payments are getting old and dying off.
Pressing for a higher settlement figure would be tough, she said, since she "can't handle how the mismanagement of this trust has hurt people."
Cobell said many of those represented in the class-action suit "subsist in the direst poverty," and that the settlement is "significantly less than the full amount to which the Indians are owed."
Confirmation of a proposed settlement was a tightly kept secret ahead of the news conference at the Interior Department. Part of the reason may have been that the deal nearly fell through just hours earlier, according to an agency official.
"It's confidential," said Associate Attorney General Tom Perrelli in response to a reporter's question as to the sticking point.
News of the deal was buried in a statement released in advance from the Interior Department that mentioned "the Cobell settlement," as part of a broader plan being announced to address land ownership by Native Americans.
The group ownership of land by American Indians dates back more than 100 years before American Indians were permitted to write wills. As a result, the government says large parcels of tribal lands are held by owners with "miniscule interests" received from ancestors who conveyed the property to descendants as tenants-in-common.
Officials say the purchase project will allow individual landowners to receive greater value for their share, while cutting administrative costs for the federal government, which manages the Indian land trust.
Salazar said, "It is common to have hundreds -- even thousands -- of Indian owners for one parcel."
The initiative would consolidate ownership through purchases from willing sellers, and tribal governments would have control, according to a "fact sheet" put out ahead of the announcement.
Without the purchases, "Millions of acres of land will be owned in such small ownership interests that very few individual owners will ever derive any meaningful financial benefit from that ownership," the statement said.
Showing posts with label Native Americans. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Native Americans. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
NMI: Chamorros, Carolinians are Native Americans, too
NMI: Chamorros, Carolinians are Native Americans, too
Tuesday, 24 November 2009 00:00 By Raquel Bagnol - Reporter
THE commonwealth government wants federal officials to include Chamorros and Carolinians in the Native American Programs Act of 1974.
CNMI American Recovery and Reinvestment Act program coordinator Geri Willis said the inclusion of the Chamorros and Carolinians will allow the commonwealth to tap more federal grants and programs.
“There are lots of opportunities and grants available there but it’s not explicit in regards to Chamorros and Carolinians,” Willis said.
She said the law defines “Native American Pacific Islander” to be an individual who is indigenous to a United States territory or possession located in the Pacific Ocean, and includes such individuals while residing in the United States.
Willis said the Administration for Native Americans, a federal agency serving all 562 groups of Native Americans, recognize the CNMI.
But “according to the 1974 NAPA, the commonwealth does qualify under the definition and this is a federal law,” she said.
This is why it needs to be amended, she added.
She said a lot of citizens in the CNMI will not check a box in grant applications if they are asked whether they are Native Americans.
“This will create a huge impact to the CNMI,” Willis said, referring to the local people’s inclusion in the legal definition of a “Native American Pacific Islander.”
“This means that citizens can get scholarships if they go to the states for college because they are listed by definition under [the law],” Willis said.
She has met with some individuals in Washington, D.C. recently who have started researching about the issue.
Tuesday, 24 November 2009 00:00 By Raquel Bagnol - Reporter
THE commonwealth government wants federal officials to include Chamorros and Carolinians in the Native American Programs Act of 1974.
CNMI American Recovery and Reinvestment Act program coordinator Geri Willis said the inclusion of the Chamorros and Carolinians will allow the commonwealth to tap more federal grants and programs.
“There are lots of opportunities and grants available there but it’s not explicit in regards to Chamorros and Carolinians,” Willis said.
She said the law defines “Native American Pacific Islander” to be an individual who is indigenous to a United States territory or possession located in the Pacific Ocean, and includes such individuals while residing in the United States.
Willis said the Administration for Native Americans, a federal agency serving all 562 groups of Native Americans, recognize the CNMI.
But “according to the 1974 NAPA, the commonwealth does qualify under the definition and this is a federal law,” she said.
This is why it needs to be amended, she added.
She said a lot of citizens in the CNMI will not check a box in grant applications if they are asked whether they are Native Americans.
“This will create a huge impact to the CNMI,” Willis said, referring to the local people’s inclusion in the legal definition of a “Native American Pacific Islander.”
“This means that citizens can get scholarships if they go to the states for college because they are listed by definition under [the law],” Willis said.
She has met with some individuals in Washington, D.C. recently who have started researching about the issue.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Native Radio Building Community
Native Radio Building Community
In These Times
September 27, 2008
For many communities — especially the country’s Native American tribes — radio still promises a way to spread news, share stories and support a cultural or regional identity.
By Mike Janssen
As new technologies take hold in the marketplace — and in the minds of consumers — old media are starting to look, well, older. FM radio is no exception. The debut of new cell phones that deliver audio applications spurred predictions of radio’s demise.
But for many communities, radio still promises a way to spread news, share stories and support a cultural or regional identity. This is especially true for the country’s Native American tribes, which have seized a rare chance to start new radio stations as a way of strengthening their communities.
Last fall, many Native people joined hundreds of schools, activists, churches and nonprofit groups that applied for new noncommercial FM stations with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Most of these applications were for frequencies in smaller towns and rural areas. (Radio spectrum in larger cities is too crowded to accommodate new signals).
Because the FCC had not accepted applications for noncommercial stations in more than seven years, demand was high.
Working to help tribal applicants was Native Public Media (NPM), a spin-off of the National Federation of Community Broadcasters, which advocates on behalf of community stations across the country. NPM focuses on all media, not just radio. One of its goals is to increase Native access to broadband Internet.
But even in the Internet era, radio still suits the needs of Native communities, says Loris Ann Taylor, NPM’s executive director. Cheap and ubiquitous, radio is easily accessible to the poor, the illiterate and the low-tech. Radio also covers great distances instantaneously, making it particularly valuable for tribal communities in far-flung villages.
In Alaska, Native communities use radio to exchange personal messages and keep abreast of potentially dangerous weather.
“Radio really reaches across those barriers,” Taylor says. “In Indian country, radio still works.”
For Taylor, empowering Native communities with their own stations also carries a deeper significance. Through locally controlled media, tribal communities gain the power to reflect their Native cultures back to each other — a right denied them throughout decades of persecution and genocide. Taylor still remembers the grade-school teacher who pinched her hand if she spoke her Hopi language in class.
“What I find really important about my work is that radio allows us to be who we want to be,” she says. “It’s like freedom.”
Many noncommercial stations around the country focus on community issues. This is especially true of Native stations, which cover topics such as health, education and the environment; feature locally programmed music; and broadcast in Native languages that in some places are spoken by very few people.
With help from Native Public Media, 37 Native nations applied for 51 radio stations last fall. None of the applicants currently operates a station, according to Taylor. Even if some of those applicants fail in their bid for licenses, Native radio could double its U.S. presence. (There are 33 Native stations on the air now.)
It could also branch out geographically. No tribal stations broadcast east of the Mississippi, but last fall’s applicants included the Seneca tribe of New York and the Houma of Louisiana.
So far, 12 tribes have received FCC clearance to build stations. Many are now looking for startup funds, pricing equipment costs and planning programming.
One is South Dakota’s Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate tribe, which once operated a radio station but lost the license when it failed to meet annual FCC requirements. Its drive to regain a station began at the urging of a few tribal members who run an Internet station, says Garryl Rousseau, chair of the new FM station’s board.
Many of the tribe’s 6,000 members want the station to promote their Dakota language, Rousseau says, which is in need of a boost. In a 2003 survey, less than 10 percent of members rated their command of Dakota as either “fluent” or “good,” and half said they couldn’t speak a word.
“It hasn’t gotten any better,” says Rousseau. He envisions a radio station that could partner with tribal schools to develop language education programs.
Other tribes face a longer wait to see whether they will receive broadcast licenses, as the FCC sorts out conflicts involving multiple applicants vying for competing frequencies. Among these applicants are the Coeur d’Alene tribe of northern Idaho, where Valerie Fast Horse, the director of information technology, learned of the opportunity to start a station through Taylor. (Both serve on the telecommunications committee of the National Congress of American Indians, an organization of tribal governments made up of 250 member tribes).
The Coeur d’Alene reservation covers 345,000 acres and is home to 2,000 tribal members who have no radio station that provides programming about their region or culture, Fast Horse says. They get their news from a station in Spokane, Wash.
Fast Horse says she envisions a radio station that covers local sports, tribal government and the Coeur d’Alene’s culture, music, language and history. The station could also deliver news about forest fires and heavy snowstorms.
And perhaps, most importantly, it could help improve the tribe’s relationship with non-Native neighbors. The Coeur d’Alene recently encountered friction with a group of nearby residents over control of resources, says Fast Horse.
“We need to tell our own stories about ourselves in a way that’s suitable to us,” she says. “Others can say what they want — it could be favorable or unfavorable. If we can tell our story, people have another voice to listen to.”
Mike Janssen is a freelance writer and editor based in the Washington, D.C. area. His articles frequently appear in Current newspaper, the trade newspaper covering public broadcasting. His website is mikejanssen.net.
In These Times
September 27, 2008
For many communities — especially the country’s Native American tribes — radio still promises a way to spread news, share stories and support a cultural or regional identity.
By Mike Janssen
As new technologies take hold in the marketplace — and in the minds of consumers — old media are starting to look, well, older. FM radio is no exception. The debut of new cell phones that deliver audio applications spurred predictions of radio’s demise.
But for many communities, radio still promises a way to spread news, share stories and support a cultural or regional identity. This is especially true for the country’s Native American tribes, which have seized a rare chance to start new radio stations as a way of strengthening their communities.
Last fall, many Native people joined hundreds of schools, activists, churches and nonprofit groups that applied for new noncommercial FM stations with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Most of these applications were for frequencies in smaller towns and rural areas. (Radio spectrum in larger cities is too crowded to accommodate new signals).
Because the FCC had not accepted applications for noncommercial stations in more than seven years, demand was high.
Working to help tribal applicants was Native Public Media (NPM), a spin-off of the National Federation of Community Broadcasters, which advocates on behalf of community stations across the country. NPM focuses on all media, not just radio. One of its goals is to increase Native access to broadband Internet.
But even in the Internet era, radio still suits the needs of Native communities, says Loris Ann Taylor, NPM’s executive director. Cheap and ubiquitous, radio is easily accessible to the poor, the illiterate and the low-tech. Radio also covers great distances instantaneously, making it particularly valuable for tribal communities in far-flung villages.
In Alaska, Native communities use radio to exchange personal messages and keep abreast of potentially dangerous weather.
“Radio really reaches across those barriers,” Taylor says. “In Indian country, radio still works.”
For Taylor, empowering Native communities with their own stations also carries a deeper significance. Through locally controlled media, tribal communities gain the power to reflect their Native cultures back to each other — a right denied them throughout decades of persecution and genocide. Taylor still remembers the grade-school teacher who pinched her hand if she spoke her Hopi language in class.
“What I find really important about my work is that radio allows us to be who we want to be,” she says. “It’s like freedom.”
Many noncommercial stations around the country focus on community issues. This is especially true of Native stations, which cover topics such as health, education and the environment; feature locally programmed music; and broadcast in Native languages that in some places are spoken by very few people.
With help from Native Public Media, 37 Native nations applied for 51 radio stations last fall. None of the applicants currently operates a station, according to Taylor. Even if some of those applicants fail in their bid for licenses, Native radio could double its U.S. presence. (There are 33 Native stations on the air now.)
It could also branch out geographically. No tribal stations broadcast east of the Mississippi, but last fall’s applicants included the Seneca tribe of New York and the Houma of Louisiana.
So far, 12 tribes have received FCC clearance to build stations. Many are now looking for startup funds, pricing equipment costs and planning programming.
One is South Dakota’s Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate tribe, which once operated a radio station but lost the license when it failed to meet annual FCC requirements. Its drive to regain a station began at the urging of a few tribal members who run an Internet station, says Garryl Rousseau, chair of the new FM station’s board.
Many of the tribe’s 6,000 members want the station to promote their Dakota language, Rousseau says, which is in need of a boost. In a 2003 survey, less than 10 percent of members rated their command of Dakota as either “fluent” or “good,” and half said they couldn’t speak a word.
“It hasn’t gotten any better,” says Rousseau. He envisions a radio station that could partner with tribal schools to develop language education programs.
Other tribes face a longer wait to see whether they will receive broadcast licenses, as the FCC sorts out conflicts involving multiple applicants vying for competing frequencies. Among these applicants are the Coeur d’Alene tribe of northern Idaho, where Valerie Fast Horse, the director of information technology, learned of the opportunity to start a station through Taylor. (Both serve on the telecommunications committee of the National Congress of American Indians, an organization of tribal governments made up of 250 member tribes).
The Coeur d’Alene reservation covers 345,000 acres and is home to 2,000 tribal members who have no radio station that provides programming about their region or culture, Fast Horse says. They get their news from a station in Spokane, Wash.
Fast Horse says she envisions a radio station that covers local sports, tribal government and the Coeur d’Alene’s culture, music, language and history. The station could also deliver news about forest fires and heavy snowstorms.
And perhaps, most importantly, it could help improve the tribe’s relationship with non-Native neighbors. The Coeur d’Alene recently encountered friction with a group of nearby residents over control of resources, says Fast Horse.
“We need to tell our own stories about ourselves in a way that’s suitable to us,” she says. “Others can say what they want — it could be favorable or unfavorable. If we can tell our story, people have another voice to listen to.”
Mike Janssen is a freelance writer and editor based in the Washington, D.C. area. His articles frequently appear in Current newspaper, the trade newspaper covering public broadcasting. His website is mikejanssen.net.
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Chamorros Deserve Native American Benefits
Chamorros deserve Native American benefits
THURSDAY, 09 OCTOBER 2008
The Marianas Variety
BY SEN. JUDITH P. GUTHERTZ
As a longstanding supporter of Chamorro Rights and Self-Determination, I introduced, along with Senators B.J. Cruz and Rory Respicio, Resolution No. 191. The resolution urges Guam Delegate Madeline Z. Bordallo to request the U.S. Congress to fully acknowledge the Chamorro people as Native Americans. It also requests full inclusion for the Chamorros under Title 25 of the U.S. Code, which covers Native Americans.
I am proud to have sponsored this resolution because it asks that Congress grant the Chamorro people full recognition as Native Americans and integration and inclusion as a Native American Indian Tribe, to be called, "I' Chamorro Na Taotaogui."
Chamorros should have the same recognition and rights as the other indigenous peoples who live on American soil, such as American Indians and Alaskan Eskimos.
If this goal were achieved, Chamorros would receive a number of benefits including greater access to federal contracts, which we believe will prove to be a significant advantage given the coming military buildup. The buildup is an enormous undertaking involving many billions of dollars, and we in Guam should receive our fair share of the business and our fair share of the prosperity that will result.
We had hoped that this issue could be discussed without bringing gambling into the picture, because the Native American status could open many doors for Guam-based businesses. As the laws are written, native groups that have been recognized under Title 25 have certain advantages when it comes to Federal contracts. It's possible that Native Americans from Alaska and the contiguous 48 states could have preference over our own local businesses in getting Federal contracts for the buildup in Guam.
However, some people are associating Resolution No. 191 with gambling. We do not want people to think that we are promoting gambling, because we do not support gambling." Senators Cruz, Respicio and I have decided to hold the Resolution back until after the November election so it won't have any effect on the vote on Proposal A, the "Responsible Gaming Act." Let me be very clear: we are all opposed to Proposal A.
It's unfortunate that the provisions of Title 25 are so broad, taking up 44 chapters on everything from child welfare to business development; from tribal land claims to forest resources management.
Included among them is legalized gambling: Title 25 allows the ruling councils of each of the indigenous groups to make decisions on a number of issues, and among the more well-known of these issues is the ability to legalize gambling (and build casinos) on Native American land.
There are other equally important benefits to be gained from becoming recognized as Native Americans, even beyond the ability to get federal contracts. The most important one is advancing federal recognition of Chamorros as an indigenous people. Federal authorities have yet to fully accept the cause of Chamorro Self-Determination, and the sovereign rights to which the Chamorro people are entitled under the provisions of the United Nations Charter.
Obtaining federal recognition of Chamorros as an indigenous tribe will provide another building block in our quest to secure Chamorro Self-Determination. The future political status of our island will be decided when the Chamorro Self-Determination vote is held. Our dream of Chamorro Self Determination will only be realized if we utilize all means at our disposal to secure federal recognition of the rights of the Chamorro people
THURSDAY, 09 OCTOBER 2008
The Marianas Variety
BY SEN. JUDITH P. GUTHERTZ
As a longstanding supporter of Chamorro Rights and Self-Determination, I introduced, along with Senators B.J. Cruz and Rory Respicio, Resolution No. 191. The resolution urges Guam Delegate Madeline Z. Bordallo to request the U.S. Congress to fully acknowledge the Chamorro people as Native Americans. It also requests full inclusion for the Chamorros under Title 25 of the U.S. Code, which covers Native Americans.
I am proud to have sponsored this resolution because it asks that Congress grant the Chamorro people full recognition as Native Americans and integration and inclusion as a Native American Indian Tribe, to be called, "I' Chamorro Na Taotaogui."
Chamorros should have the same recognition and rights as the other indigenous peoples who live on American soil, such as American Indians and Alaskan Eskimos.
If this goal were achieved, Chamorros would receive a number of benefits including greater access to federal contracts, which we believe will prove to be a significant advantage given the coming military buildup. The buildup is an enormous undertaking involving many billions of dollars, and we in Guam should receive our fair share of the business and our fair share of the prosperity that will result.
We had hoped that this issue could be discussed without bringing gambling into the picture, because the Native American status could open many doors for Guam-based businesses. As the laws are written, native groups that have been recognized under Title 25 have certain advantages when it comes to Federal contracts. It's possible that Native Americans from Alaska and the contiguous 48 states could have preference over our own local businesses in getting Federal contracts for the buildup in Guam.
However, some people are associating Resolution No. 191 with gambling. We do not want people to think that we are promoting gambling, because we do not support gambling." Senators Cruz, Respicio and I have decided to hold the Resolution back until after the November election so it won't have any effect on the vote on Proposal A, the "Responsible Gaming Act." Let me be very clear: we are all opposed to Proposal A.
It's unfortunate that the provisions of Title 25 are so broad, taking up 44 chapters on everything from child welfare to business development; from tribal land claims to forest resources management.
Included among them is legalized gambling: Title 25 allows the ruling councils of each of the indigenous groups to make decisions on a number of issues, and among the more well-known of these issues is the ability to legalize gambling (and build casinos) on Native American land.
There are other equally important benefits to be gained from becoming recognized as Native Americans, even beyond the ability to get federal contracts. The most important one is advancing federal recognition of Chamorros as an indigenous people. Federal authorities have yet to fully accept the cause of Chamorro Self-Determination, and the sovereign rights to which the Chamorro people are entitled under the provisions of the United Nations Charter.
Obtaining federal recognition of Chamorros as an indigenous tribe will provide another building block in our quest to secure Chamorro Self-Determination. The future political status of our island will be decided when the Chamorro Self-Determination vote is held. Our dream of Chamorro Self Determination will only be realized if we utilize all means at our disposal to secure federal recognition of the rights of the Chamorro people
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
A Letter of Solidarity from Australia Regarding the Possibility of Chamorros Become a Native American Tribe
A Letter of Solidarity from Australia Regarding the Possibility of Chamorros Become a Native American Tribe:
Dear Hope Cristobal and all our Chamorro Friends
What distressing news this is. If the Chamorro Peoples become an internal tribe of the United States of America this will surely undermine your rights as a Non-Self Governing Peoples listed before the United Nations Committee on Decolonisation. Yet another stone is being thrown at the sovereign right of the Chamorro Peoples to the long-promised Act of Self-Determination. Without your Indigenous stewardship who will care for your ancestral lands and waters? We wish all Chamorro and supporters the strength, courage and clarity that you need to keep up the fight. You speak for all fair minded people - Indigenous and non-Indigenous alike. The day must surely come when Chamorro will be free. One day we will finally eradicate colonialism.
In lasting solidarity
Dr Zohl de Ishtar, Nobel Peace Prize 2005 nominee
And the Kapululangu Elders of the remote Aboriginal community of Balgo, Western Australia
Also the Peace Convergence Australia – a Citizen’s Protest against Militarisation including of the North West Pacific Ocean
Dear Hope Cristobal and all our Chamorro Friends
What distressing news this is. If the Chamorro Peoples become an internal tribe of the United States of America this will surely undermine your rights as a Non-Self Governing Peoples listed before the United Nations Committee on Decolonisation. Yet another stone is being thrown at the sovereign right of the Chamorro Peoples to the long-promised Act of Self-Determination. Without your Indigenous stewardship who will care for your ancestral lands and waters? We wish all Chamorro and supporters the strength, courage and clarity that you need to keep up the fight. You speak for all fair minded people - Indigenous and non-Indigenous alike. The day must surely come when Chamorro will be free. One day we will finally eradicate colonialism.
In lasting solidarity
Dr Zohl de Ishtar, Nobel Peace Prize 2005 nominee
And the Kapululangu Elders of the remote Aboriginal community of Balgo, Western Australia
Also the Peace Convergence Australia – a Citizen’s Protest against Militarisation including of the North West Pacific Ocean
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Mohawks Support Lakota
"LAKOTA NATION" CONFIRMED - THEY ARE NOT PART OF THE U.S. – PRECEDENT FOR OTHER INDIGENOUS PEOPLES? CAN RETHINKING OF "U.S." & "CANADA" BEFAR
BEHIND?
By Kahentinetha Horn
Mohawk Nation News
Dec. 25, 2007. The times, they are a changin'. Go to the http://www.lakotafreedom.com/ website. There you'll see Canupa Gluha Mani of the Strong Heart Warrior Society of the Lakota Nation cutting up his colonial driver's license. He's doing this because on December 17th 2007
the Lakota delivered their "Declaration of Continuing Independence," just in time for the Winter Solstice.
The history of Lakota with the U.S. is long, complex and tragic. They knew something had to change. After the Wounded Knee Occupation of 1973, the International Indian Treaty Council was established. From June 8 to 16 1974 the Council called for a "Western Hemisphere"Conference at Standing Rock Sioux. Over 5000 delegates of 97Indigenous Peoples from the Americas gathered. The "manifesto"that was created on that occasion supports the
rights of all Indigenous Peoples to live free and take whatever actions are necessary to uphold our sovereignty.
It is rumored that President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, a powerful world leader, said today that he is considering recognizing the Lakota as an independent nation. Withdrawing from the treaties is entirely legal. It is within the laws on treaties passed at the Vienna Convention and putinto effect by the U.S. and the rest of the international community in 1980.
The Lakota never relinquished their lands and have always refused to accept payment estimated close to $1 billion to give up their sovereignty and nationhood. Offering to buy us out means they are acknowledging our sovereignty.
They declared the obvious. The lands belong to the various Indigenous peoples and are clearly defined by the treaties. Where there are no treaties, the U.S. and Canada are squatters. Plain and simple! The indigenous people have the same rights under international law as anyone
else, whether a country chooses to acknowledge it or not,as in South Africa. Our vast tracts of land, which have been cared for by our ancestors, continue to be ours despite the delusional fraudulent claims of the colonizing states. Treaties concluded through bribery and with colonial
puppets,instead of with valid representatives of our people, are not legal.
It should be borne in mind that most, not all, of the treaties ever made with the colonizers granted them only very limited rights that fall far short of the greedy advantages they imagined. They had no intention of ever living up to any treaty. They were hellbent on stealing everything.
The U.S. and Canada came as profiteers and fraudulently tried to steal all our assets.
Such documents were concocted in clear violation of international law then and now. This requires the informed consent of the people concerned. No state can incorporate another unless a clear majority of the people has expressed consent through fairly conducted democratic processes based on a clear question.
The Six Nations Confederacy and the Algonquins are the titleholders of most of the eastern half of what is known as the colonies of Canada and northeastern U.S. Our Indigenous laws prohibit alienation of our lands. We hold them as trustees for the coming unborn generations. We refuse to surrender our lands. The implementation of the Indian Act and federal Indian law is genocidal.According to article VI of the U.S. Constitution, treaties represent the Supreme Law of the Land binding each party to an inviolable international relationship. Those without treaties with the colonists hold their lands independent and free. The only legal authority is Indigenous. Article II sets out the primary nation-to-nation relationship.
In Canada Section 109 of the British North America Act 1867 respects the primary authority of the Indigenous peoples.The U.S. and Canada have violated the independent Indigenous Peoples by "clerical" action, edicts and pronouncements violating our international treaty rights and
authority.
The Lakota declaration of withdrawal from the Treaty of Laramie 1868 is vested in the power of the Lakota people and the children. One individual does not represent the nation. The nation represents the individual. The withdrawal is for the people, elders, mothers, father sand children including the unborn faces beneath the ground.
The Treaty of Laramie was never honored. It's been a colonial catastrophe, which was not its intent on our part. Indigenous children are still being taken away putting them out of balance from learning the traditional life ways. The true way is to be free and left to govern and look after our own with the teachings of the animal nations. This is about the Lakota Nation
and the Animal People who are no longer here. "We are the Lakota Nation of Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota,Wyoming and Montana". We are alerting the Family of Nations of our action with the backing of Indigenous, international and U.S. law.
Should all Indigenous nations of Onowaregeh, Turtle Island, assert our freedom and independence, what would happen? The action of the"Lakota" is going to have repercussions far and wide.The colonists would go out of business, especially the oligarchs. They would have to work out agreements with all the Indigenous people on whose land they are squatting.
Indigenous "liens" on buildings,development, resource extraction and all activities on our land will have to be governed and executed by us. Each Indigenous nation will assert our power over our lands, assets and resources. The colonies of U.S.and Canada will just have to become law
abiding. They will have to learn to respect indigenous and international law. This will not bring catastrophe for the ordinary people living on our land. They just have to come to terms with the reality that they are living within our jurisdiction,that they are visitors on our land and that
they are required to follow our law.The pointlessness of their former reliance on their handpicked "Indian"puppets set up by the colonial Indian Act band councils and federal Indian law tribal councils will become obvious. These sell-outs will have to live amongst their relatives without colonial power and support. Whisky, money and guns will lose their mystical
attraction.
The Lakota call upon the world to support this struggle for sovereignty and treaty rights. They pledge their assistance to all sovereign people who seek their independence.The Lakota have invited those living on their lands to join them. Lakota will issue permits to them, passports, driver's licenses and other documents. Living there would be tax free providing the
residents renounce their U.S. citizenship.
The Lakotah are to open negotiations with the State Department of the U.S. government to establish diplomatic relations. They are setting up offices in Washington and New York City.Are we going to see the other nations of Turtle Island asserting sovereignty? Don't let those "dirty rotten lawyers" meddle or intervene.They're not the ones who decide what the law is. The law belongs to the people. As our ancestors told us, "One nation will take the issue so far.Then another will take it further. Until we all regain everything that is ours". So who's next?
Kahentinetha Horn
MNN Mohawk Nation News
BEHIND?
By Kahentinetha Horn
Mohawk Nation News
Dec. 25, 2007. The times, they are a changin'. Go to the http://www.lakotafreedom.com/ website. There you'll see Canupa Gluha Mani of the Strong Heart Warrior Society of the Lakota Nation cutting up his colonial driver's license. He's doing this because on December 17th 2007
the Lakota delivered their "Declaration of Continuing Independence," just in time for the Winter Solstice.
The history of Lakota with the U.S. is long, complex and tragic. They knew something had to change. After the Wounded Knee Occupation of 1973, the International Indian Treaty Council was established. From June 8 to 16 1974 the Council called for a "Western Hemisphere"Conference at Standing Rock Sioux. Over 5000 delegates of 97Indigenous Peoples from the Americas gathered. The "manifesto"that was created on that occasion supports the
rights of all Indigenous Peoples to live free and take whatever actions are necessary to uphold our sovereignty.
It is rumored that President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, a powerful world leader, said today that he is considering recognizing the Lakota as an independent nation. Withdrawing from the treaties is entirely legal. It is within the laws on treaties passed at the Vienna Convention and putinto effect by the U.S. and the rest of the international community in 1980.
The Lakota never relinquished their lands and have always refused to accept payment estimated close to $1 billion to give up their sovereignty and nationhood. Offering to buy us out means they are acknowledging our sovereignty.
They declared the obvious. The lands belong to the various Indigenous peoples and are clearly defined by the treaties. Where there are no treaties, the U.S. and Canada are squatters. Plain and simple! The indigenous people have the same rights under international law as anyone
else, whether a country chooses to acknowledge it or not,as in South Africa. Our vast tracts of land, which have been cared for by our ancestors, continue to be ours despite the delusional fraudulent claims of the colonizing states. Treaties concluded through bribery and with colonial
puppets,instead of with valid representatives of our people, are not legal.
It should be borne in mind that most, not all, of the treaties ever made with the colonizers granted them only very limited rights that fall far short of the greedy advantages they imagined. They had no intention of ever living up to any treaty. They were hellbent on stealing everything.
The U.S. and Canada came as profiteers and fraudulently tried to steal all our assets.
Such documents were concocted in clear violation of international law then and now. This requires the informed consent of the people concerned. No state can incorporate another unless a clear majority of the people has expressed consent through fairly conducted democratic processes based on a clear question.
The Six Nations Confederacy and the Algonquins are the titleholders of most of the eastern half of what is known as the colonies of Canada and northeastern U.S. Our Indigenous laws prohibit alienation of our lands. We hold them as trustees for the coming unborn generations. We refuse to surrender our lands. The implementation of the Indian Act and federal Indian law is genocidal.According to article VI of the U.S. Constitution, treaties represent the Supreme Law of the Land binding each party to an inviolable international relationship. Those without treaties with the colonists hold their lands independent and free. The only legal authority is Indigenous. Article II sets out the primary nation-to-nation relationship.
In Canada Section 109 of the British North America Act 1867 respects the primary authority of the Indigenous peoples.The U.S. and Canada have violated the independent Indigenous Peoples by "clerical" action, edicts and pronouncements violating our international treaty rights and
authority.
The Lakota declaration of withdrawal from the Treaty of Laramie 1868 is vested in the power of the Lakota people and the children. One individual does not represent the nation. The nation represents the individual. The withdrawal is for the people, elders, mothers, father sand children including the unborn faces beneath the ground.
The Treaty of Laramie was never honored. It's been a colonial catastrophe, which was not its intent on our part. Indigenous children are still being taken away putting them out of balance from learning the traditional life ways. The true way is to be free and left to govern and look after our own with the teachings of the animal nations. This is about the Lakota Nation
and the Animal People who are no longer here. "We are the Lakota Nation of Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota,Wyoming and Montana". We are alerting the Family of Nations of our action with the backing of Indigenous, international and U.S. law.
Should all Indigenous nations of Onowaregeh, Turtle Island, assert our freedom and independence, what would happen? The action of the"Lakota" is going to have repercussions far and wide.The colonists would go out of business, especially the oligarchs. They would have to work out agreements with all the Indigenous people on whose land they are squatting.
Indigenous "liens" on buildings,development, resource extraction and all activities on our land will have to be governed and executed by us. Each Indigenous nation will assert our power over our lands, assets and resources. The colonies of U.S.and Canada will just have to become law
abiding. They will have to learn to respect indigenous and international law. This will not bring catastrophe for the ordinary people living on our land. They just have to come to terms with the reality that they are living within our jurisdiction,that they are visitors on our land and that
they are required to follow our law.The pointlessness of their former reliance on their handpicked "Indian"puppets set up by the colonial Indian Act band councils and federal Indian law tribal councils will become obvious. These sell-outs will have to live amongst their relatives without colonial power and support. Whisky, money and guns will lose their mystical
attraction.
The Lakota call upon the world to support this struggle for sovereignty and treaty rights. They pledge their assistance to all sovereign people who seek their independence.The Lakota have invited those living on their lands to join them. Lakota will issue permits to them, passports, driver's licenses and other documents. Living there would be tax free providing the
residents renounce their U.S. citizenship.
The Lakotah are to open negotiations with the State Department of the U.S. government to establish diplomatic relations. They are setting up offices in Washington and New York City.Are we going to see the other nations of Turtle Island asserting sovereignty? Don't let those "dirty rotten lawyers" meddle or intervene.They're not the ones who decide what the law is. The law belongs to the people. As our ancestors told us, "One nation will take the issue so far.Then another will take it further. Until we all regain everything that is ours". So who's next?
Kahentinetha Horn
MNN Mohawk Nation News
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