Paging Gazhekwe

[Zacha341]

Interesting. Indeed he does seem to be a pretty progressive, eh 'guy'. Well, it's being discussed how comfortable he was with the hammer and sickle Crucifix [[as presented to him in Bolivia): http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/10/americas/pope-crucifix/

PS. I'm not Catholic, but what's demanded, acquired and presented by the Catholic church and Pope therein can impact or be expected of Christians in general.

.....I have always LOVED to criticize the Catholic Church because they’rebeen terrible historically. But it seems like this guy is trying to fix some oftheir horrible sins now. It’s far from perfect, but it’s MUCH better.

[gazhekwe]

Haha, Gyasi Ross said that, not me, just for the record.

Historically, the Catholic Church wagged the world, for instance, in declaring white Christians superior and directing them to explore and take over the non white non christian world for Christianity [[not to mention, wealth, glory and resources of all kinds). It is good to see this Pope leading in a way that matches the teachings of both Jesus and Native religions.

[gazhekwe]

Pope Francis, writing in Laudato Si':

Yet it would also be mistaken to view other living beings as mere objects subjected to arbitrary human domination. When nature is viewed solely as a source of profit and gain, this has serious consequences for society. This vision of “might is right” has engendered immense inequality, injustice and acts of violence against the majority of humanity, since resources end up in the hands of the first comer or the most powerful: the winner takes all.[[Laudato Si' at 24) *

Certainly, we should be concerned lest other living beings be treated irresponsibly. But we should be particularly indignant at the enormous inequalities in our midst, whereby we continue to tolerate some considering themselves more worthy than others. We fail to see that some are mired in desperate and degrading poverty, with no way out, while others have not the faintest idea of what to do with their possessions, vainly showing off their supposed superiority and leaving behind them so much waste which, if it were the case everywhere, would destroy the planet. In practice, we continue to tolerate that some consider themselves more human than others, as if they had been born with greater rights. [[Id at 27)

[gazhekwe]

I found this in an editorial calling for the removal of the Confederate flag for public use, the story of Whirling Timbers. I never heard before where the symbol came from. The link goes to the entire article. The author makes a great argument for her opinion.

Within the American Indian symbol system, the Navajo’s “good luck” or “swirling log” symbol some say resembles the swastika, representative of the Jewish Holocaust, of Nazi Germany. Learning of the swastika, caused the Navajo to quit using the swirling log symbol for public items, such as rugs and jewelry. The swirling log symbol,which faces a different direction, tells the Navajo legend of a man canoeing down the San Juan River. Within the whirlpool caused by the confluence of the San Juan River and the Colorado River, he saw crossed logs with Yei sitting on them. The Yei, similar to Navajo Gods, gave the man much knowledge to take back to his people. Those who still live at the confluence of the San Juan still use the symbol privately in ceremonies, because of its strong cultural heritage, but are aware of the sensitivity to certain some groups.

Read more at http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwor...ite-christians

[gazhekwe]

Tomorrow I will post news about our Michigan issue, DNR approved sale of land surrounding Rexton to a foreign company for a massive limestone strip mine. DNR ignored treaty rights reserved in 1836 and reiterated by Consent Decree of 2007.

The Stealing of Oak Flat & the Trauma of the Doctrine of Discovery by Mark Charles Guest Commentary On December 19, 2014 House Resolution 3979, the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act was signed into law. The word "Apache" appears 29 times throughout the pages of this law. Most frequently used to refer to Apache helicopters. However, on page 442 the term "Apache" refers to something that has absolutely nothing to do with helicopters. On page 442, Section 3003 is titled “Southeast Arizona land exchange and conservation” and there the word Apache is used in reference to sacred Apache lands. The Apache people have worked successfully for years to keep these sacred lands off limits to mining companies. But a last minute rider buried in this massive, must pass, Defense bill by Arizona Senators McCain and Flake changed that. Through this law, Resolution Copper, whose parent company’s affiliates are campaign contributors to Senator John McCain, was given Apache lands for the purpose of mining. How did this happen? What gives the United State senators from a state that is barely 100 years old the right to give away lands which the Apache people have held sacred for centuries? That 'right' is taken from another piece of buried history, known as the Doctrine of Discovery. The Doctrine of Discovery is a series of Papal Bulls written in the 15th century that is essentially the church in Europe saying to the nations of Europe "where ever you go, whatever lands you find not ruled by Christian rulers, those people are less than human and the land is yours for the taking." It was the Doctrine of Discovery that allowed European Nations to colonize the continent of Africa and enslave the African people. It was also the Doctrine of Discovery that allowed Christopher Columbus to get lost at sea, land in a "new world" inhabited by millions and claim to have 'discovered' it. Because his doctrine told him that we were not people and, therefore, this land was empty. Over the years the Doctrine of Discovery has become embedded into the very fabric of our nation. In 1823 the United States Supreme Court referenced the Doctrine of Discovery in the case Johnson vs. M'Intosh. Two men of European descent were in litigation over a piece of land. One party purchased it from a native tribe and the other party purchased it from the government and they wanted to know who owned it. In reviewing the case the Supreme Court essentially stated that based on the Doctrine of Discovery native people only have the right of occupancy to the land while Europeans have the right of Discovery and therefore true title to the land. This case became part of Supreme Court case precedent regarding land titles and was referenced by the court as recently as 2005. So it should not surprise anyone that in 2014 the Congress of this young nation felt no qualms about passing a bill giving away lands held sacred by the Apache people to a mining company from two foreign colonial countries: The United Kingdom and Australia. How often does this happen? While I do not make it a practice to read every Defense Department Appropriations bill passed by our Congress, I am aware of at least one other rider inserted into such a bill. On December 19, 2009, Congress passed House Resolution 3326, the 2010 Department of Defense Appropriations Act. Buried on page 45 of this 67 page bill, Section 8113 is titled “Apology to Native Peoples of the United States.” What follows is a seven bullet point apology that mentions no specific tribe, no specific treaty and no specific injustice. It essentially says; native people had some nice land, US citizens didn’t take it very politely, we’re sorry for some of that history, but that’s in the past so let’s just call it all of our lands and take care of it together. And then it ends with a disclaimer stating that nothing in this section is legally binding. To date this apology has not been announced, publicized or read by the White House or by Congress. But on December 19, 2012 over 150 people from throughout the country gathered in front of the US Capitol to host a public reading of this bill and the apology contained therein. Why are these actions buried? That answer is simple. Trauma. The United States of America has built its reputation on being a freedom loving nation who proclaims "all men are created equal." So when they act in a way that is legal by their standards but in complete contrast to their image, it is traumatic. It is traumatizing to realize that maintaining the status quo requires perpetuating the dehumanizing foundations of our nation. It is embarrassing and painful to publicly admit that our present day leaders must participate in the racist systems that the founding fathers put in place as they built their biased version of a “more perfect union.” So instead, Congress buries their actions and hides their words deep within their own bureaucracy in an effort to save face and cover their shame. What do we do? I often tell people that being Native American and living in the United States, it feels like our indigenous peoples are an old grandmother who lives in a large and very beautiful house. Years ago, some people came into our house and they locked us upstairs in the bedroom. Today, our house is full of people. They are sitting on our furniture. They are eating our food. They are having a party in our house. They have since unlocked the door to our bedroom but it is much later and we are tired, old, weak and sick; so we can't or we don't come out. But the thing that is the most hurtful and that causes us the most pain, is that virtually no one from this party ever comes upstairs, acknowledges our presence, sits down next to us on the bed, takes our hand, and simply says, "Thank you. Thank you for letting us be in your house." To everyone who showed up in Washington DC. To everyone who supported #ApacheStronghold along their journey. To everyone who signed the petitions exposing the actions of our Congress. To everyone who is going to call their congressional representative and ask them to support House Resolution 2811, returning Oak Flat to the Apache people... We want to say; “We’re proud of you.” We thank you and are proud of you for standing with us, the indigenous hosts of this land as we help our congressional leaders and the broader nation deal with the trauma that comes from being confronted with the dehumanizing declarations they've made, the racist laws they've passed and the unjust actions they've buried. George Erasmus, an Aboriginal leader once said, "Where common memory is lacking, where people do not share in the same past, there can be no real community. Where community is to be formed, common memory must be created." Taking message to Capitol Hill - Photo by Mark Charles I think this quote gets to the heart of our nation's challenges regarding race. Much of the true history of our nation has been buried, and, therefore, we struggle greatly to have real community. But when standing together, when refusing to allow our leaders to bury their injustices, when dealing head on with the trauma that plagues our nation, when working together to create a common memory, we are planting the seeds to begin to change that. Ahe’hee’. ... In my blog article “The Doctrine of Discovery- A Buried Apology and an Empty Chair” I educate about the Doctrine of Discovery and propose the idea for a “Truth Commission,” a series of national conferences beginning in Washington DC in December of 2016. These conferences would attempt to create a common memory through educating people on the Doctrine of Discovery and teaching an accurate history of the United States of America. It would also provide a platform for survivors of Indian boarding schools to share the stories of their experiences. ... Mark Charles [[Navajo) is a regular contributor to Native News Online. ​http://nativenewsonline.net/currents...-of-discovery/

[gazhekwe]

We can't get no respect. He needs to go.

CONGRESSMAN PAUL GOSAR ORDERS APACHE LADIES REMOVED FROM CANON CONGRESSIONAL BUILDING BY CAPITOL POLICE

BY LEVI RICKERT / CURRENTS / 24 JUL 2015

Apache women warriors removed from Gosar’s Congressional office building

WASHINGTON — Feeling threatened by a small group of Apache ladies – mostly grandmothers and young women—Congressman Paul Gosar [[R-Arizona-4th District) had the group removed from the Canon Congressional Building and threatened with arrest on Wednesday afternoon.

The group journeyed to Washington, D.C. to voice their displeasure on the add-on legislation tugged into the $585 billion National Defense Authorization Act of 2015 that gives land at Apache Leap and Oak Flat in southeastern Arizona to Rio Tinto, foreign mining company, to mine. Part of a larger group called Apache Stronghold, the women earlier rallied on the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol to call for the reversal the add-on legislation.

The Apache and other American Indians consider Oak Flats as sacred land, where they have conducted ceremonies for centuries. Earlier this year Oak Flat was named as one of the 11 Most Endangered Historic Places in the United States by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

THE PURPOSE OF THE APACHE LADIES VISIT TO GOSAR’S OFFICE WAS TO ADDRESS A “DEAR COLLEAGUE” LETTER THAT REP. PAUL GOSAR RECENTLY SENT OUT TO FELLOW HOUSE MEMBERS REGARDING THE “SAVE OAK FLAT ACT” INTRODUCED BY REP. RAUL GRIJALVA, WITH 17 BIPARTISAN CO-SPONSORS. IN HIS LETTER, REP. GOSAR INSULTED THE APACHES AND CALLED THEM “LIARS.”

Mrs. Vonda Cassadore of Bylas, Arizona, requested that Rep. Gosar come out of his back office briefly so that Mrs. Cassadore could ask him some questions about his “Dear Colleague” letter.

RATHER THAN SPEAK WITH MRS. CASSADORE AND THE OTHER LADIES AND APACHE STRONGHOLD MEMBERS WITH HER, REP. GOSAR RESPONDED BY HIDING BEHIND A LOCKED DOOR AND CALLING THE CAPITOL POLICE, THREATENING TO HAVE MRS. CASSADORE AND HER FRIENDS IMMEDIATELY ARRESTED.

Rep. Gosar then had the police escort Mrs. Cassadore and her Apache Stronghold associates and friends entirely out of the Cannon Office Building. Mrs. Cassadore stated that, “we’ll remember this when Election Day comes around. Sacred land means more than money.”

GOSAR TOUTS BEING A DENTIST ON HIS NAME PLATE AT THIS CONGRESSIONAL OFFICE. HOPEFULLY, HE TREATED HIS DENTAL PATIENTS BETTER THAN HE DOES HIS CONSTITUENTS AS A CONGRESSMAN WITH LEGITIMATE CONCERNS.

“Rep. Gosar has a record of intolerance and saying vicious things against Native Americans, but his behavior has now become stranger than ever,” said Apache Stronghold spokesperson Wendsler Nosie, Sr. “There is no excuse for his mistreatment of the Apache grandmothers and young ladies who came to his office. Cowering behind a locked door, refusing to come out, and then calling a squad of policemen to sweep those gentle ladies away is just terrible. Rep. Gosar should apologize for that, as well as for his strange and insulting ‘Dear Colleague’ letter.”

http://nativenewsonline.net/currents/congressman-paul-gosar-orders-apache-ladies-removed-from-canon-congressional-building-by-capitol-police/

[gazhekwe]

I promised this update a few days ago, but it has taken a little more time to come together.

The Three Fires people are organizing a Camp to protest the DNR's sale of Treaty Lands without following the Inland Consent Decree requiring consultation with the tribes involved. This is a very sticky issue. The State has a history of belittling and ignoring Native rights, and just assuming full control over territory that is party to the 2007 Inland Consent Decree assuring state responsibility to the tribes for their reserved rights of use of ceded lands.

You can read the Decree here:
http://www.glifwc.org/Recognition_Affirmation/MI36ConsentDecree.pdf

The DNR has agreed to sell many acres near Rexton in Mackinac County to Graymont, Inc., a Canadian corporation with worldwide operations, for strip mining limestone. Access to these lands will be restricted in violation of the treaties, and the environment will be disrupted for many generations. The state has agreed NOT to hold Graymont responsible for environmental damage.

This is the DNR site info on the project:

http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-10368_11797_66953---,00.html

Because of US guided identification rules, our Three Fires people are divided into not just the three separate tribes as happened in our migration, but each tribe is now divided into separate "tribes", each with its own federal recognition obtained by following the federal rules. These discrete "tribes" referred to themselves as "bands" early in the process, as in Bay Mills Band of Chippewa Indians. Over time, we have become more separate and divided as we struggle to maintain financial and political ties with the state and federal governments.

The DNR's continued refusal to acknowledge our treaty rights has inspired this effort to come together again as the Three Fires People. We realize that if we don't make them recognize our rights and our sovereignty, the State will continue to erode them with impunity.

We are struggling to raise money, have a lot of people interested and different kinds of help coming in. We are exercising our right of use of the land and will occupy ten acres near the Graymont office in Rexton. Many people are opposed to the mining, others are for it. Our issue is actually the preservation of our Treaty Rights.

The Camp Out Dates are August 14-15 in Rexton, MI. It is west of I-75, take the Trout Lake exit, continue past Trout Lake to Hiawatha Trail, then continue west into Rexton.

https://goo.gl/maps/GC2y2

GoFundMe Site has not gotten a lot of activity, it would be good to see some support.

http://www.gofundme.com/zky252t

I hope you have questions and comments, this is an important movement.

NEXT UP: Treaty Awareness Walk into DC.

Start date: Sept. 19th Rexton, Michigan to Arrival date: Nov. 2nd Washington DC
869 miles total trip

Route will follow Old 27 south from the straits to Indiana line. The check points are 15-30 miles apart so far. Route is a work in progress at this point.

You can walk, ride a bike take a scooter or drive a car etc but we move at walking pace. If any vehicles would like to to drive ahead and offer any rides to tired travelers to the closest checkpoint to rest and wait until the other travelers arrive that is encouraged. Overnighting is at your pleasure, camp out, stay in motels or stay with friends.

[gazhekwe]

Start date: Sept. 19th Rexton Michigan to
Arrival date: Oct. 5th Lansing Michigan distance: 302 miles.
Start date: Oct. 6th Lansing to
Arrival date: Nov. 3rd Washington DC
Distance: 578 miles
Miles until Checkpoint Location
*25. Brevort Michigan
*27. Mackinaw city
*21. Brutus Michigan
*15. Petoskey Michigan
*16. Boyne falls Michigan
*22. Mancelona Michigan
*15. Kalkaska Michigan
*15. Fire lake Michigan
*26. Lake city Michigan
*19. Marion Michigan
*24. Barryton Michigan
*23. Six lake Michigan
*34. TBA
*22. Fenwick Michigan
*27. Woodbury Michigan
*28. Lansing Michigan
Leave Lansing Oct. 6th
*21. Webberville Michigan
*17. Stockbridge Michigan
*14. Chelsea Michigan
*31. Adrian Michigan
*24. Delta Ohio
*32. Bowling green Ohio
*20. Helena Ohio
*27. Bellevue Ohio
*26. Wakeman Ohio
*24. Fitchville Ohio
*18. Ashland Ohio
*21. Wooster Ohio
*20. Wilmot Ohio
*26. Urichsville Ohio
*24. Cadiz Ohio
*24. Wheeling Ohio
*24. Cameron west Virginia
*20. Burton west Virginia
*25. Fairmont west Virginia
*19. Thornton west Virginia
*28. Aurora west Virginia
*34. Claysville west Virginia
*14. Junction west Virginia
*24. Loom west Virginia
*24. Winchester Virginia
*22. Uppervile Virginia
*24. South riding Virginia
*15. Fairfax Virginia
*16. Washington DC

[gazhekwe]

This is the March Free Press article about the deal:

http://www.freep.com/story/news/loca...oved/25057705/

ROSCOMMON – The largest single public land deal in Michigan history will be approved, state Department of Natural Resources Director Keith Creagh said Thursday.
The state is selling 8,810 acres of surface land or underground mineral rights to Canadian company Graymont for it to create a vast, 13,000-acre limestone mining operation in the Upper Peninsula counties of Mackinac and Luce. The deal calls for Graymont to pay the state $4.53 million.
The divisive proposal has been a subject of debate for 18 months in a naturally beautiful, rural portion of the U.P. Creagh said the DNR faced a "very difficult balance" with its mandates to protect natural resources and allow their beneficial use — as well as balance the opposing viewpoints from area residents.
In addition to the $4.53 million, Michigan retains surface and public use rights on more than 7,000 acres of the sale property. The state additionally will receive a 30-cent royalty on each ton of limestone or dolomite mined by Graymont in the area. The state has also agreed to grant 830 acres of mineral rights to Graymont for the project in exchange for company-held mineral rights in other locations of the U.P.
Supporters of Graymont's Rexton limestone mining project cite the desperate need for jobs and economic activity in an area where young people often move away to find work after completing school. Others fear the mining and traffic will irreparably damage the bucolic setting that called them to live or retire there.
DNR department heads earlier this year sent a memo to Creagh recommending rejection of the Graymont proposal, citing numerous concerns. Company officials continued negotiations with the state and resolved areas of disagreement to the point that the department heads earlier this month reversed their stance and recommended approval.
Changes in the agreement included increasing the mineral royalty from 18.75 cents to 30 cents per ton, Graymont agreeing to a minimum annual royalty payment to the state beginning in 2020 and the company establishing a regional economic development fund of $100,000 per year for five years.
"The chiefs had identified what their concerns were, and the staff rolled up their sleeves and went to work," Creagh said.
P.J. Stoll, plant manager for Graymont's Gulliver facility, said the public process "very much improved the original proposal."
The divided local opinion was apparent from those speaking before the Natural Resources Commission in Roscommon on Thursday. Rexton-area resident Tonya Emerson's nearly 100-year-old family farm will have Graymont mining operations on three sides of the property. She cited concerns about a reduced water table and water contamination.
"Selling the state's greatest asset, allowing a foreign company to destroy our land — while making a huge profit doing so — would be a huge injustice to the residents of upper Michigan," she said.
Rexton resident Dorothy Mills was similarly opposed.
"We purchased our property, we built our houses, in an area that didn't have a limestone mine. So did many others," she said.
But several speakers who made the trip from the U.P. expressed support for the project, saying the economic benefit it will bring to a depressed area is much needed.
"The young people deserve it," area resident Jeff Dishaw said. "Myself, I have a job. But the young people in this community deserve the opportunity to stay and earn a middle-class living."
Hendricks Township Supervisor Russell Nelson told the Free Press before Thursday's commission meeting that it was time to move ahead with the project.
"This has pitted neighbor against neighbor," he said.
Graymont officials say the initial phase of their operation will create 50 mining and transportation-related jobs, along with 100 indirect jobs. The company, the second-largest supplier of lime and lime-based products in North America, also is considering building a $100-million limestone processing plant in Nelson's township years from now.
"We need the jobs," Nelson said. "Our township has about 160 residents over 80 square miles. We have one little convenience store and a couple of restaurants."
The revised deal still does not address Trout Lake Township resident Kathy English's concerns, she said.
"It doesn't change the noise, the traffic, the pollution, the potential impacts to the water table, the changes to our way of life," she said.
The Michigan Chapter of the Sierra Club also opposed the land deal, saying the DNR is failing to follow state law in determining surplus state lands. The land deal involves 10 times more acreage than any previous sale, club officials said.
"As proposed, the Graymont sale would establish a dangerous precedent and undermine our longstanding Michigan tradition of ensuring publicly owned lands that we value today are also there for future generations of Michiganders," Sierra Club forest ecologist Marvin Roberson said.

[gazhekwe]

[gazhekwe]

9 Things America Needs to Understand About Native Values
7/7/149

Values and integrity have always been respected by traditional Native peoples, but when colonization forced its way onto this land, dishonesty and treachery took a terrible toll. Even many mainstream Americans are tired of it, but still don’t understand where they went wrong. Here’s as ample of things mainstream America needs to understand—add your own in the comments.

Honesty and Integrity Out of the 500 treaties signed between tribes and the United States, none have ever been fully honored. History proves that at the time of contact,Native nations couldn’t even imagine such dishonesty.

Today, oil companies are trying to force pipelines, fracking, and uranium mining onto reservation and treaty lands even as other areas already suffer oil spills.
America needs to develop a truthfulness in their dealings and a sense of responsibility for their actions, not just with tribes, but with the whole world.

Prioritizing Who Is Paid Well For What In today’s America, the most financially rewarding jobs are often paid to people in power. For those who work to benefit society, the pay is usually much less. Rather than seek personal power, ideally, Native politicians do what is best for the tribe. Self.serving actions are frowned upon. Success,wealth, and a rich life should not be measured by money.

Appreciation for Women According to the Six Nations Traditional Women’s Council Fire, clan mothers traditionally held great influence in the well.being of their Clansand Nations. They have authority as life givers, as holders of the land,and a deep understanding of the price of war.For humanity to see all sides of an issue, the woman’s perspective must be included in important decisions.

Kinship and the Relationship Between All Beings How would relationships change if all teachers and students, businesses and clients, saw each other as relatives? Would truth and honesty increase? Would business include a general feeling of love and respect for clients? Would food be processed differently? Would the earth be treated with respect if the four-leggeds and wingeds were considered relatives?

Respect Americans respect positions of power. Natives respect the natural power that comes from wisdom and the knowledge elders carry forward. Natives respect the earth mother while Americans respect the money that can be made from developing the land. Some Americans are beginning to pickup on this, but too many businesses and politicians have no interest in protecting the people and the world around them, because they don’t respect the people.Respect is about living in the right way, honoring the earth, the people,and all beings. Respect is barely even covered in Webster’s Dictionary.

Natural Law Americans don’t understand the meaning of life, and buy lots of books on the subject. Depression and disconnectedness are the result of not understanding the world in a spiritual manner. A relationship with Creator, appreciation for humility, and the ability to make the most of one’s journey in preparation for the next world, gives meaning to life.

The Sacredness of Life and Intention Carol Iron Rope Herrera, Lakota, explained the difference between giving birth to a child with family present singing and praying, as opposed to a baby landing in the hands of a medical doctor, a stranger, who is on a schedule. Ceremonies, rites of passage, help children and adults understand their roles at home, in their community, and in the world. Mainstream Americans rarely see life in a sacred manner among all sacred beings.

Generosity Charles A. Eastman, Lakota, wrote in The Soul of the Indian, “Parents often gave so much to the needy that they frequently impoverished themselves, thus setting an example to the child of self denial for the general good… Children must early learn the beauty of generosity. They are taught to give what they prize most, that they may taste the happiness of giving.”Many American individuals are generous, but few understand the Native way of just passing on what is needed until you or someone else need it again.

True story: A woman on the Mojave Reservation got a new washer and dryer, and all of her neighbors brought their laundry over.

Mother Earth Carol Iron Rope Herrera said, “Us women have been taught that this Mother Earth has taken care of us, so we have to be like her essence.She never abandoned us, she is here, she nurtures us every day, she protects us, she feeds us, she clothes us.”

Comments at the end. This one reflects what a lot of Native cultures believe about the colonial event, they wore the face of death. --Gazhekwe

Sammy7
The Yonega culture is a culture of death. Now death has completed the circle and is confronting them. Their belief in "American Exceptionalism," based on the Doctrine of Christian Discovery and Dominion, is fuel for their death culture. Only death will result. We must give this to Spirit and Mother Earth to restore life and be accepting even if another extinction event is the chosen path to restoration.

Read more at
http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwor...erstand-155670

[gazhekwe]

OHIO MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO BUYING AMERICAN INDIAN REMAINS; AVOIDS JAIL TIME

BY LEVI RICKERT / CURRENTS / 06 AUG 2015

Mark Beatty pleaded guilty to buying American Indian remains
Published August 6, 2015

COLUMBUS, OHIO — A 56-year-old, non-American Indian, Ohio man has pleaded guilty to a federal charge of purchasing the remains of American Indians. Mark M. Beatty was charged with violating the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.

Beatty entered his guilty plea in U.S. District Court in Columbus. His plea will in allow him to avoid jail time for the federal crime.

With his plea, Beatty admitted he knowingly purchased the remains of several American Indians that were unearthed in November 2012 in a rock shelter in Salt Creek Valley in Jackson County, Ohio.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Marous told the court that experts who examined the human remains over the course of two years were those of American Indians. DNA from two of the human remains’ teeth and vertebrae proved to be American Indian remains.

Cradle boards dug up were consistent with traditional American Indian burial rites.

The individuals responsible for digging up the remains and other artifacts will be made to serve a proposed three years sentence of probation and three months home confinement, a $3,500 fine and restitution of $1,000 to the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, which will be cover the costs associated with re-burial of the American Indian remains.

Beatty has agreed to publish an advertisement in a circulation warning others not to engage in illegal digging of American Indian bones and artifacts. Beatty will also be required to perform 100 hours of community service for a program that protects or promotes American Indians and to assist authorities in the prosecution of the human remains diggers.

The plea has yet to be accepted by the U.S. district judge hearing the case.

http://nativenewsonline.net/currents...ids-jail-time/

[gazhekwe]

Occupy Rexton 2015 Friday, Aug 14 - Sunday Aug 16
Location:
H-40 runs from Rudyard thru Trout Lake then thru Rexton to Engadine. Rexton is about halfway between Trout Lake and Engadine. If you’re coming by U.S. 2, go to Epoufette turn up the Bergstrom Road and go six miles to Rexton. If you’re coming by M-28, turn down Bergstrom Road and go 15 miles to Rexton. The general store and Graymont Project Office are on the highway in downtown Rexton. The campsite is on the ten acres of land directly across the highway from them. We’ll meet there. Pull in Friday night or Saturday morning and park wherever you want to except in the very middle of the ten acres [[where we’ll have our ceremonial fire) and sit up camp…

What to bring:
Bring some fire wood for your personal camp fire and, if you have some extra bring it for the ceremonial fire. An anonymous donor will be bring some firewood for us but I don’t know how much. Bring a fire starter or matches or cigarette lighter. If you have a canopy to sit up in case it rains, please bring it, too.. Bring whatever Native drums and drumsticks you have. Other than these, bring the usual camping supplies, food, water, chairs, coolers, etc.

What you can camp in:
Whatever you have: tents, travel trailers, motorhomes, etc.. There won’t be any electricity or water available…

What’s there?
There will be six flag poles along the highway in front of the camp for flags and streamers and whatnot…so please bring what you have. The grass will be cut a few days before you get there. Three portapotties will be setup there. There will be a food vendor called Mim and Pip’s Hotdog Wagon. They have a limited hotdog type menu. Six miles away is Johnny B’s bar with a bar food menu; he’s the one who is letting us use his ten acres of land in downtown Rexton.

What’s in the community…
Somewhere east of there is a place to rent showers. There’s the general store with a restaurant attached with a limit food menu. They don’t have a gas pump. There’s a township park with a pavilion and there’s a township hall…both have public bathrooms.

Leo Binda of Garden River First Nation, a traditionalist spiritual leader, has agreed to campout with us beginning Friday at 6:00 P.M.
a. He will light our ceremonial fire at sunrise on Saturday morning at 7:00 A.M...
b. And at 11:00 A.M. he will conduct a welcoming ceremony for the township supervisor to visit with us at our camp.
c. He’s going to make some drumsticks and bring them to camp with him, too.
His wife and another hand drum singer [[and possibly a third) will be singing for us…

At 2:00 P.M. on Saturday we will assemble in front of our camp and in front of the Graymont Project Office across the road for a photo event, to be followed up immediately with a protest walk through the village of Rexton, about a mile in length.

We will also do another photo event and another protest walk on Sunday. We’ll have more on that later.

Your suggestions are welcome..

[gazhekwe]

[gazhekwe]

Ack! I missed the sixth anniversary! The late and very much missed Ravine started this thread on August 11, 2009. A lot has happened over the years, and things are becoming very interesting in NDN country. Occupy Rexton generated a lot of interest and quite a few visitors. It was a big event for that area. There are plans to keep it going for another week or two. Plans continue for the Treaty Awareness Walk to DC.

[gazhekwe]

St.Ignace News 8-19-2015
Small Demonstration at Rexton Focuses on Treaty of 1836

Pictured Sunday, August 16, across from the Graymont information office in Rexton are [[from left) Linda, Trey, and Charles Forgrave of Sault Ste. Marie. The protest was designed to raise awareness about the sale of public land to Graymont mining company.

Demonstrators wearing Occupy Rexton shirts camped out and kept a small fire burning over the weekend in protest of the state’s decision to sell about 10,000 acres of public land to Graymont mining company in March. Hosting small groups throughout the day Saturday, August 15, and a trickle of curious supporters Sunday, August 16, a family from Sault Ste. Marie is occupying a vacant piece of land directly across from the Graymont information office in Rexton. Local supporters donated the protest site, mowed the vacant field, and provided food, water, and firewood.

The focus of the protest, said camp organizer Charles Forgrave, is to call public attention to the Treaty of 1836 that gives Native Americans the right to hunt, fish, and gather. Members of local Native American tribes involved in the protest feel the decision to sell the public land to a private company violates the treaty because some of the property will be closed to the public.

Lacking formal support from tribal governments in the Chippewa Ottaway Resourace Authority, Mr. Forgrave says the responsibility to inform the public about the treaty falls to activists.

Detailed preparations did not yield the crowds Mr. Forgrave hoped for, but “we’re definitely going to see it through,” he said.

Township officials did not respond to the group’s request to meet, he said, nor did representatives of the Department of Natural resources speak, as he had hoped.

Mr. Forgrave encourages others to learn about the Treaty of 1836 between the United States and the Chippewa and Ottawa. He says he plans to remain at the site indefinitely.

[gazhekwe]

8/21/15 Press Release for:
We Protect Mother Earth

906 Protest at the Mackinac Bridge

In response to the recently proposed "Michigan Mining Day" by Senator Tom Casperson, and many issues surrounding the State of Michigan’s proposed sale of over 10,000 acres of ceded treaty territory [[aka “public lands”) to Graymont, a Canadian mining corporation, Dr. Martin Reinhardt called for a 906 protest at the Mackinac Bridge.

Being hailed as “We Protect Mother Earth” [[WPME) the protestors will meet at the Mackinac Bridge Welcome Center [[UP side of the Bridge on the right side heading north) on September 6, 2015 around 8:00 am and march to the Bridge before 9:06 am.

Reinhardt is an Anishinaabe Ojibway citizen of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, and an associate professor of Native American Studies at Northern Michigan University. He is also one of six plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the State of Michigan regarding the proposed sale of land to Graymont. Reinhardt led a similar protest at the Bridge in March of 2015.

Reinhardt asserts that “if people are concerned about treaty rights violations, selling off public lands, dangerous pipelines, deforestation, fracking, intensive mining, destroying wetlands, and nuclear waste dumps, it is time to take a stand and tell the State of Michigan that we will be IDLE NO MORE!” He encourages protesters to bring staffs, flags, banners, signs, hand drums, and shakers to the event.

This protest coincides with another protest taking place on the south side of the Bridge called the “Pipe Out Paddle Protest” [[POPP). Jannan Cornstalk is the event organizer for that event. It will include guest speakers representing various organizations and a flotilla of canoes and kayaks. The POPP is focused on the removal of the Enbridge oil pipelines running under the Mackinac Bridge.

“These are two great opportunities to show your displeasure with the way the State of Michigan is treating Mother Earth” Reinhardt said, “Let’s join in protest against the State’s mismanagement on both land and water and on both peninsulas of Michigan”.

For more information on the We Protect Mother Earth event, contact Dr. Martin Reinhardt at martin@reinhardtassociates.net or visit the Facebook Site at https://www.facebook.com/events/543762179100190/

For more information about the Pipe Out Paddle Protest, contact Jannan Cornstalk at pipeout2015@gmail.com or visit the Facebook Site
at https://www.facebook.com/events/488030571360571/

[gazhekwe]

Bay Mills and Sault Band Banners flying to mark the cooperation between the Bands. Let's get some more Banners up there. The weekend is here.

[gazhekwe]

[gazhekwe]

Does not address issue of State of Michigan disregarding its responsibilities under the Consent decree.

the Federal District Court dismissed our Graymont suit “for lack of standing.”
You can read the Court’s decision here — Denial-Judgemnt

Posted on Facebook by Martin Reinhardt, one of the plaintiffs:

As individuals, we were told by the Court that we do not have standing in our case against the State of Michigan's proposed sale of "public land" to Graymont. None of the tribes in the 1836 treaty area have taken legal action against the State on this issue to date.

If you are concerned about this and other issues facing us due to the State of Michigan's mismanagement of the environment and blatant disregard for treaty rights, let your voice be heard at the We Protect Mother Earth protest at the Mackinac Bridge this coming Sunday, Sep 6th.

On the North side of the bridge we will be gathering at the welcome center between 8:am and 9:am and marching to the bridge at 9:06am in response to the proposed Michigan Mining Day.

On the South side of the Bridge, Jannan Cornstalk is leading a Pipe Out Paddle Protest and will start gathering at 9am. This is focused on the dangerous presence of Enbridge's line 5 that runs under the Straights. The event on the south side will culminate in a flotilla of canoes and kayaks.

[gazhekwe]

Must it come to this? After decades of disregard for the Apache way of life in Arizona, John McCain slipped a land transfer deal into the must-pass Defense bill last December. Now, Oak Flat, a rare and pristine river in the desert environment, is to be strip mined for copper by Rio Tinto, the same foreign corporation working in the Yellow Dog/Salmon Trout watershed west of Marquette.

Save Oak Flat

https://video-ord1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hv...mp;oe=55E713B5

[gazhekwe]

May 28, 1830, The Indian Removal Act was signed into law by Andrew Jackson authorizing the president to grant unsettled lands west of the Mississippi in exchange for Indian lands within existing state borders.

The Cherokee were not the only ones marched off to alien lands. The Potawatomi were cleared from southern Michigan, Indiana, Illinois. They went from prosperous farmers into alien prairie territory in Kansas and Oklahoma. -- Gazhekwe

Max D.Stanley

“The Trail of Tears,” historical oil painting by Max D. Standley, commissioned oil on panel painting created 1995, size of oil painting: 36" X 60.” This recently deceased painter did a series of four paintings on the Trail Of Tears, you can see all four at MaxDStandley.com.

This persuasive essay was submitted to ICTMN by Matthew Scraper, Megan Scraper’s father. Megan, 12, is a student at Marlow Middle School in Oklahoma. They are citizens of the Cherokee Nation, and Matthew pointed out that their last name is an English translation of the Cherokee word “disugasgi,” which means something along the lines of “the one who repeatedly scrapes the skin.” She chose to write about the Trail of Tears on her own when given a class assignment.

Imagine you are a little girl in the late 1830s. You and your family had lived in the Cherokee tribe for generations. Then one day when you returned from playing in the fields, you find your family gone and your house is ransacked. A short time later you get placed inside a cattle stockade, and after a few months you realize you’ll never see your family again.

This is what happened to a lot of small kids on that dreadful day. It was painful for many Indians to watch their lands taken, the people die, and have to watch their people abused and mistreated. This was a very bad time for Native Americans. The Trail of Tears was the biggest crime against the indigenous population, the crime that wasn’t considered a crime.

The Trail of Tears set a national precedent for the confiscation of Indian lands. What this means is it started the Removal Era, and later the Land Run Era that included land that had once been Cherokee without any respect for the people who lived there before. They wanted the land for a few reasons, but a couple are: farming, and belief in the existence of gold. They were told that it would only happen once, but it continued on with different tribes later, after it happened during the Trail of Tears.

A fact you may not know is that the Trail of Tears represented the largest percentage of deaths within a single indigenous tribe due to the action of the U.S. government in American Indian history. This killed around 4,000 members of the Cherokee tribe. These people died because of lots of reasons: poor weather conditions, little food and water, long walks with little rest, sickness with no medicine, and lastly being killed by soldiers.

This is a word that people use when someone tries to wipe out an entire race: genocide. That happened to these people, my people, it was very hard for them for many reasons, but they weren’t allowed to give their loved ones proper burial rites, they had to bury them on the side of the Trail and then just keep walking. Can you imagine having to bury a family member on the side of the road and then just having to leave them there? The deaths of these people, my people, were very hard on the Indians. The name of the Trail of Tears actually came from a Cherokee phrase that meant “the place where they cried.”

Lastly, the Trail of Tears set a precedent for the subhuman treatment of indigenous people by the U.S. government. This means that it justified the abusive treatment toward Indians. When they were gathered up in cattle stockades, in the mud with a bunch of diseases, many other things happened as well: women were raped, people were separated from their families, they were beaten, and they were killed. It wasn’t right and it wasn’t fair, but there was nothing the tribes could do. The soldiers were mean, cruel, and in my personal opinion, acted like the British soldiers did before America declared independence from Britain. The people were treated with disrespect, and one of the only reasons this happened was because the government decided that land and gold were more important than Indian lives.

In conclusion, the people who were forced to undergo the Trail of Tears were treated with injustice. The Trail of Tears set a precedent for the confiscation of Indian lands, represented the largest percentage of deaths within a single indigenous tribe as a result of action taken by the U.S. government, and set a precedent for the subhuman treatment of Indian people by the U.S. government. These reasons support the opinion: The Trail of Tears was the biggest crime against the indigenous population, and after reading this essay you might be thinking, “I agree.” Well, good. Now that you know this, take care and make sure that it never happens again.

Read more athttp://indiancountrytodaymedianetwor...pective-159140

[gazhekwe]

History Professor Denies Native Genocide: Native Student Disagrees, Gets Expelled From Course

Vincent Schilling 9/6/15

A Cal State Sacramento University Professor who allegedly told his United States History class he did not like the term ‘genocide’ in relation to Native Americans in history, told a Native American student who disagreed with him that she was disenrolled and expelled from his course.

The account is according to Native University student, Chiitaanibah Johnson [[Navajo/Maidu) a 19 year old sophomore student at Cal State Sacramento University.

Johnson says when she told her U.S. History Professor Maury Wiseman that she disagreed with his assessment that Native Americans did not face Genocide - the professor said she was hijacking his class, and that she was accusing him of bigotry and racism.

The professor then dismissed the class early, apologized for Johnson’s disruptions and told her she was disenrolled at the end of the class on Friday.

“The whole thing started on Wednesday,” Johnson told ICTMN. “He was talking about Native America and he said the word genocide. He paused and said ‘I don't like to use that word because I think it is too strong for what happened’ and ‘Genocide implies that it was on purpose and most native people were wiped out by European diseases.”

Johnson, who was offended, did not at first respond to the professor’s comments.

“I wrote it down. I was enraged for what I felt were obvious reasons. I didn't say anything [[on Wednesday) because I knew that if I didn't have anything specific to back it up in terms of tangible or solid evidence that he would not take my comments into consideration,” she said.

On Friday, Johnson presented her research to the professor after his discussion on the Iroquois Confederacy and the Portuguese expeditions.

“He made it a point to say indigenous people were not peaceful. I was upset for obvious reasons. he'd mentioned how the French and the Dutch were allies and made it a point to say native people were killing each other before white settlers arrived.”

Johnson says that she understands that there were native conflicts before settlers arrived, but when the professor talked about the bravery of Portuguese expeditions without emphasis on the slave trade she again grew upset.

“On Friday, I raised my hand and I said, ‘I understand why we're talking about the Portuguese people because it explains how they got to America. but I do not think it is fair to talk about Portuguese people as if they were only poor and brave. They became rich by raping and enslaving the indigenous lands and people that they "discovered," says Johnson.

Johnson says that when she asked why the Professor did not talk about any sort of Iroquoian technological advances or spirituality and then asked about her Professor's stance on genocide, The Professor grew volatile and rolled his eyes several times.

“I told him, ‘you said genocide implies the purposeful extermination of people and that they were mostly wiped out by European diseases.” I said, "that is not a true statement."

“He said, ‘Genocide is not what happened.’ I stood up and started reading from an article by the United Nations that said: Genocide is the deliberate killing of another people, a sterilization of people and/or a kidnapping of their children,” and he said, ‘That is enough.’

I said, ‘no. you have to tell the truth.’

He said, ‘if you want to come talk to me after class, now is not the time, you are hijacking my class.”

After a bit more discussion which Johnson says became heated, the Professor dismissed the class. Additionally, other students defended the professor.

“He said, ‘You know what class? I am so sorry to everybody that this is happening. Please everyone come back on Monday have a good weekend.’

After the class was dismissed, Johnson said she was expelled from the course by her professor.

“He said, ‘I do not appreciate this in my classroom.’ He began shaking his finger at me and said, 'I don't appreciate you making me sound like a racist and a bigot in my classroom. You have hijacked my lesson, taken everything out of context and I don't care what kind of scholarship you have, or what kind of affiliation you have with the University, you will be disenrolled and expelled from this classroom.”

“Within 10 minutes of me asking these questions and trying to read pieces from the article - he shut me down. He wasn't listening. He excused everyone out of the room and told me I was expelled from the class,” says Johnson.

Since being told she was expelled from the course on Friday, Johnson says she feels overwhelmed by the close-mindedness and injustice of her situation. She also was disappointed that no students came to her defense.

“I had zero support from anybody in the classroom,” says Johnson. “All of the research I had done was very traumatizing - to read about babies being slammed into rocks being held from their ankles, to hear of people being lit on fire while they were still alive, to hear of them being disemboweled, and having their arms and hands chopped off .”

“I know these things are true. I have been told about them personally from my great grand parents and grandparents and my mother who was in boarding school.”

“To be kicked out of the classroom so quickly, I was floored and I thought are you kidding me? This was the third day of class, and already you're going to completely expel me? I didn't call him names, I did not say he was racist, I did not use foul language - yes I raised my voice because he raised his voice at me and was talking over me and wouldn't let me say anything. I felt like I had my feet completely kicked out from under me. I felt like I approached the situation in a way that a student of the University level is supposed to approach a disagreement with the professor.”

“I have been dealing with this kind of racism since I was a little girl,” says Johnson.

The Johnson family has told ICTMN that their next step in this matter is for their daughter to write a respectful letter to the University History Department head as well as to the head of the University in an attempt to reach an amicable resolution.

Since Friday, ICTMN has reached out to the University of Sacramento about the incident, their Provost of the University has responded and expressed they will be investigating this matter. The professor has not responded to our phone or email requests for comment.

Read more at http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwor...xpelled-course

Gazhekwe - In my humble opinion when a professor makes a controversial judgmental statement as part of a history lesson, it is incumbent on students to challenge him. He could have used the challenge to further discussion and broaden the lesson, instead he chose to shut it down because he did not agree. We have been living with this kind of blind bigotry in our educational system for generations. No wonder we are so screwed up.

[Jimaz]

History Professor Denies Native Genocide: Native Student Disagrees, Gets Expelled From Course

Vincent Schilling 9/6/15...

“He made it a point to say indigenous people were not peaceful. I was upset for obvious reasons. he'd mentioned how the French and the Dutch were allies and made it a point to say native people were killing each other before white settlers arrived.”....

As if to excuse violence committed by settlers against natives, I presume. That stance seems based on embarrassingly weak logic. I wonder about this when I hear the phrase "black on black violence" used so much more often than necessary. I suspect that those who repeat the phrase do so because they find it otherwise difficult to persuade themselves of their own integrity.

Then there's the horrid story of the smallpox blankets deliberately "gifted" to natives. I think that was covered well in Howard Zinn's A People's History of The United States.

Ah, here it is in Chapter 5:

When that war ended in 1763, the French, ignoring their old allies, ceded to the British lands west of the Appalachians. The Indians therefore united to make war on the British western forts; this is called "Pontiac's Conspiracy" by the British, but "a liberation war for independence" in the words used by Francis Jennings. Under orders from British General Jeffrey Amherst, the commander of Fort Pitts gave the attacking Indian chiefs, with whom he was negotiating, blankets from the smallpox hospital. It was a pioneering effort at what is now called biological warfare. An epidemic soon spread among the Indians.

How is that not genocide?

[gazhekwe]

I went through the full twelve years of public school then went on to four years of WSU. I had many instances of teacher ignorance to deal with. The arrogance of teachers was often hard to take. Went through it with my kid's teachers too. And it is still going on and on and on and on. Divine Right will never die. I blame the Inter Caetera which gave the Papal blessing for Christian dominance by any means necessary. When it is God's will, it seems no reason can be applied.