Mato Nunpa: Arrests and genocide at Minnesota's Sesquicentennial

From Chris Mato Nunpa (Dakota)

HI ALL,

Tonight, around 8:15 PM, one of our attorneys (in the 1805 Treaty litigation), Barb Nimis, called and said that my younger daughter, Waziyata Win (Dr. Angela Cavender Wilson) had been arrested, again. Waziyata Win told the officers that she is a Dakota person, that Minnesota is Dakota land, and that she was only telling the truth. In addition, two other Anishinabe persons had been arrested, Steve Blake, and a woman called Flower. These people were peacefully protesting, with signs, posters, banners, drums, and a gallows with 38 nooses hanging from it. Angela was arrested for Disorderly Conduct and let go. Steve Blake, with a hand drum, was singing a honor song for the 38 Dakota (hence, the 38 nooses) men who were hanged at Mankato, MN on December 26, 1862 in what was and is the largest mass execution in the history of the United States. Four officers descended upon Steve and attacked him, who is a sickly man and had just gotten out of the hospital. The woman named Flower rushed to help and, apparently, hit an officer. Steve, now, is in the hospital and Flower is in Ramsey hospital. It seems that these officers have instructions to harass, intimidate, and arrest Dakota People, with the apparent blessing of the Sesquicentennial Commission, the Minnesota Historical Society, and the other white supremacists and racists who do not want to hear the TRUTH about bounties, concentration camps, forced marches, forced removals/ethnic cleansing; warfare, massive land theft, broken treaties, genocide, etc. I urge all of our friends, supporters, and allies to be there with us when we peacefully demonstrate, show our posters, carry our banners, and hand out our pamphlets and flyers to tell the TRUTH. We need all of our allies - white, black, Mexican, other Indigenous Peoples - to stand there in support and solidarity, to be there with their cameras, the video cameras, to observe what happens to the Dakota People and their supporters when they tell the TRUTH. We need white people to march with us. The cops will think twice before bashing our heads with their batons, before arresting us, before saying some of the racist and intimidating things they are fond of saying, if some white people are there with us. The cops know that if it is an "Indian's" word against the word of a white cop that there will be NO credence given to the Native person. However, if a white person sees what is happening, the cop will fear, or at least think twice before he does what he wants to do to Native Peoples. That is to hit them, beat them. One cop, at Ft. Snelling, on Sat. 5/10 was heard to say that he was looking forward to do a little "thumping", meaning beating the crap out of the Dakota People. It seems that the arrests are increasing and the violence is intensifying against our Dakota People and their Anishinabe supporters and other allies. I see this trend continuing as we implement and execute our other planned and peaceful activities. As Dakota People, who comprise about 5 10-thousandths of a percent of the total population of approximately 5-and-a-half million people in the state of Minnesota. We are struggling against overwhelming odds - "they" have the troops and cops, the horses (like at Ft. Snelling), the guns, the tanks, the tasers, and their law, especially their law which is their legal ideology which is used to enforce the exploitation of the Indigenous Peoples and their continued oppression. However, many of us Dakota feel we have TRUTH and our spirituality to fight against these overwhelming odds, and we are optimistically believing that TRUTH will prevail. I wish to thank all the allies and supporters out there who have supported our efforts and activities to highlight the Dakota voice, to get the Dakota perspective out there. We thank you for being at our EVENT ONE activities: 1A - the posters and banners on the Mendota bridge during rush hour, 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM, on Fri. 5/09; 1B - the greeting of the wagon train at Ft. Snelling, on Sat. 5/10, at which seven people, including me, were arrested; 1C - the public rally at the State Capitol, on Sun. 5/11. We are going to need all of you at the remaining four (4) activities that we have planned for the Sesquicentennial year of 2008 in our efforts to get the TRUTH out there, the TRUTH of what really happened in this state between the stealers/settlers and the Dakota People:
EVENT TWO - the exercising of our original and traditional fishing rights in one of the lakes in the ceded area, 155,000+ acres, of the Treaty of 1805;
EVENT THREE - the trial of Ramsey and Sibley for Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity; EVENT FOUR - which we will mention later; and EVENT FIVE - a legislative activity. Thank you for listening to me.
Chris Mato Nunpa 320.981-0206 (cell) " matonunpa@earthlink.net "

Photo: Chris Mato Nunpa, supporting Yankton in South Dakota/Photo Brenda Norrell

UN Rapporteur to document racism in US

XENOPHOBIA in America

Racism and discrimination of Indigenous Peoples, migrants and women in US to be probed during UN Rapporteur visit

U.N. Independent Expert On Racism Begins Fact-Finding Mission In U.S.

Photo by Brenda Norrell/Mike Wilson, Tohono O'odham, points
to the places on the Tohono O'odham Nation where migrants have
died. At the Indigenous Peoples Border Summit of the Americas II in October, Wilson said, "No one should die for want of a drink of water." Wilson, who puts out water for migrants, stands next to many of his water jugs which were slashed by those who oppose his effort. Thousands of migrants have died along the US/Mexico border in search of a better life, as US corporations seize the land and water in Mexico and Central America. (Double click image to enlarge.)

By ACLU

WASHINGTON - Several national civil liberties and human rights groups today welcomed a fact-finding mission to the U.S. by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance. The American Civil Liberties Union, Global Rights, the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law, the U.S. Human Rights Network, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the Rights Working Group and the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty call on the U.S., state and local governments to fully cooperate with the special rapporteur.
"The visit of the special rapporteur is a critical opportunity to shed light on the pervasive and systemic problem of racism and discrimination in the United States," said Jamil Dakwar, Director of the ACLU Human Rights Program. "In this election year, the eyes of the world will be turned toward America and its longstanding promise to end racial and ethnic inequalities."
At the invitation of the U.S. government, Special Rapporteur Doudou Diène is visiting the U.S. from May 18 to June 6 to examine issues of racism and racial discrimination in this country. Diène will visit Washington, New York, Chicago, Omaha, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Miami and San Juan, Puerto Rico over the next three weeks where he will study incidents of contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and the governmental measures in place to address them.
Diène is scheduled to meet with federal and local government officials as well as members of diverse communities across the United States and representatives of several non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
"The special rapporteur's visit presents a unique opportunity to give voice to those combating racism in the U.S. and will bring our concerns to the U.N. and its enforcement mechanisms," said Aubrey McCutcheon, Director of Programs at Global Rights. "I am confident Mr. Diène's visit will heighten our efforts towards eliminating racism and its vestiges."
In March 2008, the separate U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) issued a strongly worded critique of the United States' record on racial discrimination and urged the government to make sweeping reforms to policies affecting racial and ethnic minorities, women, immigrants and indigenous populations in the U.S. Several civil liberties and human rights organizations have urged the special rapporteur to critically examine the continuation of racism and racial discrimination in various areas identified by CERD and well documented in extensive NGO reports, including criminal justice, education, housing, juvenile justice, immigration policy, police brutality, hate crimes and racial profiling.
The mandate of the special rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance was established in 1993 by the U.N. Commission on Human Rights and further extended by the U.N. Human Rights Council. The special rapporteur will submit a final report on the visit to the Human Rights Council in the spring of 2009.
More information about the special rapporteur's visit is available online at: www.aclu.org/intlhumanrights/racialjustice/sronracism.html and www.ushrnetwork.org/special_rep
More information about the CERD recommendations to the U.S. is available at: www.aclu.org/intlhumanrights/racialjustice/cerd.html and www.ushrnetwork.org/projects/cerd
International Indian Treaty Council: Shadow Report
http://www.treatycouncil.org/section_211417112111211211.htm


Alert from the International Indian Treaty Council, which is monitoring this situation:

Solidarity Statement Concerning Guatemalans in Detention after ICE Raid in Postville, Iowa

May 14, 2008
By Amalia Anderson, Carlos Ariel, Axel Fuentes, Reginaldo Haslett
Marroquín and Ana Nájera Mendoza,
"No one should be subjected to arbitrary arrests, detention or exile." Article 9, Universal Declaration of Human Rights “Everyone has the right to liberty and security of person. No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest or detention. No one shall be deprived of his liberty except on such grounds and in accordance with such procedure as are established by law.”
Article 9, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
As Guatemalans (by birth and by family origin) living in the United States we strongly condemn the Postville, Iowa raid--the largest single-site enforcement operation of its kind in the history of the United States. Of the390 workers reportedly detained, nearly three hundred are from Guatemala. According to statistics from the United Nations, over 125 million people throughout the world live and work outside their countries of origin. Human migration is a global phenomenon fueled by war, persecution, economic and social inequality, environmental disaster, and poverty. International migration will continue until the underlying causes forcing people from their homelands are eliminated. As Guatemalans, we are too familiar with Human Rights violations and their lasting effects. During our country’s 36-year long civil war: 200,000 people were killed or disappeared and as many as 1.5 million people were displaced internally or forced to flee the country. U.S. funding and training underwrote the war – leaving the country in shambles and forcing many to leave. Those of us able to publicly sign this letter and our brothers and sisters sitting now in detention centers and unable to sign this letter, came to this
country fleeing the effects of the U.S. funded, civil war. As over three hundred Guatemalans now sit in detention in Iowa, we ask you to grieve with us and protest the obvious irony.
According to the U.S. Constitution, all people residing in the United States, regardless of their immigration status, are entitled to due process of law. The United States is committed to principles of democracy and fairness, yet hundreds of people are detained--frequently without access to counsel and without contact from their families. Many are terrified at the possibility of being returned to a home they may no longer know, or where they will be unable to earn a living wage. In the case of Guatemala, we must not forget the additional challenges of returning to a country devastated by decades of civil war. The U.S. policy of detaining and deporting people does not address these realities. The recent Postville Raids raises questions about the continued role the United States government plays in the lives of Guatemalans. Unlike the war years, however, we now have the opportunity to ensure that core U.S. values of democracy and fairness prevail! On behalf of our brothers and sisters in detention—we call
for transparent, fair and humane treatment in accordance with our U.S. constitutional norms of due process and equal protection. We believe that all human beings in this country have a right to be treated with dignity and respect, even in situations of detention and arrest. Though nothing can undo the destruction caused by the civil war in Guatemala, we are currently presented with an opportunity to stand up and not allow the legacy of our government’s past to continue in the present and the future. Fellow Guatemalans, join us!
For more information, or to add your name please contact:
Regi Marroquín: regimarroquin@hotmail.com
amalia anderson: amalia1609@gmail.com/ 651-269-1781

Yankton: Hogfarm speeds up construction, violates Yankton court order

Listen to the Yankton interviews, Earthcycles was on site where the hogfarm has speeded up construction and refuses to halt and obey a Yankton Sioux court injunction:

Drums:
35:2016.17 Mb
2008-04-30_drummutualaidcall.mp3
Interviews:

2008-04-30_updateone.mp3
35:2016.17 Mb
36:1116.57 Mb
2008-04-30_buzz.mp3
On the Ground , Point of View ,
51:4823.72 Mb
2008-04-30_ironeagle.mp3
14:166.54 Mb
2008-05-02_theissue.mp3
30:3614.01 Mb
2008-05-02_colonialism.mp3 second
34:2715.77 Mb
2008-05-02_hogsmog.mp3 third
28:5813.27 Mb
2008-05-02_4thoughts.mp3 fourth
25:4411.79 Mb
2008-05-02_mysonisalive.mp3
14:186.55 Mb
2008-05-02_genocide.mp3 one hour six minutes
h30.42 Mb
2008-05-02_update.mp3
07:523.6 Mb

Earthcycles: http://www.earthcycles.net/

Remembering Sand Creek

Listen online: Interviews of the Longest Walkers after dawn prayers at the Sand Creek Memorial Site in eastern Colorado, where Cheyenne Arapaho women and children were slaughtered:
Download Audio File
Play Audio Inline
Length/Size
2008-04-04_sandcreekjimbo.mp3
33:1511.42 Mb
2008-04-04_sandcreekrichardjimbo.mp3
27:139.34 Mb
2008-04-04_sandcreekrebecca.mp3
19:586.86 Mb
2008-04-04_harrypruyne.mp3
30:1210.37 Mb

Interviews with Marty Chase Alone and Emma Chase Alone. Marty Chase Alone, Lakota, conducted the wiping of the tears and releasing the spirits ceremonies at Sand Creek. Listen to the interviews in Eads, Colorado, following the ceremonies:

2008-04-06_emmachasealonnewest.mp3
32:2011.11 Mb
2008-04-06_martychasealone.mp3
one hour one minute 50 sec
h21.23 Mb

The Children Who Never Came Home

Friends and Relatives of the Disappeared Children

V A N C O U V E R - W I N N I P E G - T O R O N TO
www.hiddenfromhistory.org/

Monday, May 18, 2008
Chiefs, Elders, Clan Mothers, Warrior Societies andall Original People of Turtle Island,
Sago, Aaniin, Kii-te-daas a, Asujutidli, Tán’si, Kwé,
We, the Friends & Relatives of the Disappeared Children – Vancouver, Winnipeg & Toronto, have come together to address the Chiefs, the Elders, the Clan Mothers, the Warrior Societies, and all the First Peoples from across this great land of Turtle Island.
It is our hope to continue to raise awareness of the tens of thousands of Native children who died or who disappeared from the Canadian Indian ResidentialSchool system and never came home. We have been organizing co-ordinated events across Canada at the doors of the United, Anglican, and Catholic churches,including at their head offices, for several month snow.
As many of you may know, we have been speaking to, and gathering the stories from many survivors of the Indian Residential Schools. We are not the first nor will we be the last to do this. There are currently,approximately 80 000 living survivors of Residential Schools. Eighty thousand stories that may be told to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, however,there are approximately another 50 000 stories that are still hidden from history.
It is primarily these remaining hidden stories that we are interested in. These are the stories belonging to the children that never returned home. Who were these children? What happened to these children? Did they die on the site of the school or at the school’s hospital? Did they run away? Were they successful in running away? Did they only get so far in their attempt to escape? We know that the death rate at these institutions was approximately 50% for about 40years, due in a large part to the neglect of disease,but also to other horrendous forms of abuse. So, we are going to continue to ask the question … “What happened to the bodies of these children?” until we get answers and the full truth is known. Were they cremated or were they buried? Were they all buried on the site of the schools or the hospitals? We know from the stories of some survivors that burials did take place on site. Some children were sent home to die. Stories continue to pour in daily from across the country and are being documented by the FRD. If you have a story to tell or know of anyone who does,or if you know of other burial locations please call1-888-265-1007.
What we are asking for now is help in protecting the sites that have already been identified. It has been suggested that we protect these sites with “Keepers of The Spirits” – Warrior Societies and others who may be able to take up that vigil – a vigil which some may wish to tie into National Action events. Recently we issued a press release identifying 28 possible burial locations of these children. That number has now grown to 35 locations, due to new eye-witness accounts. We would like to open a network of communication amongst all who are interested in pursuing truth and justice, and so we are willing toshare this information.
Together, we need to decide what should be done a boutany evidence that is forthcoming, as well as what should happen to the remains of the children.Nya’:weh, Chii Miigwetch, Háw’aa, Quajanaq, Mikwec,Welálin,
Friends & Relatives of the Disappeared Children - Vancouver - Winnipeg - Toronto -
1-888-265-1007 (toll-free in Canada)
____________________________________
"Our nation was born in genocide when it embraced the doctrine that the original American, the Indian, was an inferior race." - Martin Luther King Jr.
Hidden from History: The Canadian Holocaust
The untold story of the genocide of Aboriginal peoples in Canada
http://www.hiddenfromhistory.org/
Sign the petition against Aboriginal genocide in Canada:
http://www.petitiononline.com/watergod/petition-sign.html

Carbon trading scam, listen to Tom Goldtooth on Earthcycles

By Brenda Norrell

Listen online to Tom Goldtooth, executive director of the Indigenous Environmental Network, discuss the World Bank's carbon trading scam, where corporations pay money so they can continue to pollute.
Listen to Goldtooth's interview with Earthcycles on the Longest Walk Talk Radio:
2008-05-15_tomgoldtooth.mp3
The protest of IEN and Indigneous Peoples in Bali, over the carbon credit scam and exclusion from climate talks, was the subject of an article on this blog, Censored News, which was selected last week by Project Censored as one of the 25 most censored articles of 2007-2008. The article will appear in the 2009 Project Censored book.
Special thanks to Jihan Gearon, Navajo, and Ben Powless, Mohawk, Indigenous youths representing IEN in Bali, for their photos and articles.

Photo: UN Climate Conference 2007 in Bali/Photo Jihan Gearon and Ben Powless

The Indigenous Environmental Network's annual conference will be held July 17 - 20, 2008 in Western Shoshone territory at the Southfork Powwow grounds in Lee, Nevada.
http://www.ienearth.org/
Topics to Include: Traditional L.A.W.S. (Land, Air, Water, Sun)
Global warming, climate change and energy through teachings
youth and elders meetings, rescinding the Doctrine of Discovery. Traditional camping. Conference Hosted By:
SOGOBE (Western Shoshone) TERRITORIES SO HO BEE

Illinois Governor's Longest Walk Proclamation

On the Longest Walk Northern Route, Governor of Illinois Rod Blagojevich's proclamation is read by his representative, Bob Anderson, special assistant to the counsel for the Illinois Department of Transportation. Listening is Long Walker Richard Nolan, Mohawk, who expressed appreciation to the governor for sending a representative out to the walkers' camp at Lake Vandalia, Illinois, to present the proclamation. The proclamation expresses appreciation for the accomplishments and sacrifices of the Longest Walks of 1978 and 2008. The walkers are ahead of schedule and near the Indiana border today, Saturday, May 17, camped at Lincoln Trail State Park. Photo Brenda Norrell