VIDEO: Ojibwa Grandmother recounts walk around Great Lakes

Ojibwa Grandmother recounts walk around the Great Lakes
Source: www.youtube.com
A First Nations Grandmother, Josephine Mandamin,from Manitoulin Island,who walked around Great Lakes talks about importance of water.

Alcatraz Sunrise Gathering and 40th Anniversary Occupation Events

Friday, November 20, 11 am - 3 pm, A new Native American Mural Dedication and Unveiling, Cesar Chavez Student Center ~ West Plaza, SFSU, 1650 Holloway Ave.
The Mural depicts community activism, self determination, resistance and survivance of Native American peoples. 1:00 pm - City of SF Proclamation presented by Andrew Jolivette to Annie Oakes and Fawn Oakes
Friday, November 20th, Free of charge. 40th Anniversary of the Occupation of Alcatraz Program hosted by Richie Richards, Native American Education Specialist for the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology at UC Berkeley Hearst Museum patio, 103 Kroeber Hall, Berkeley.
The event will honor and commemorate the original efforts and intentions of the student-based occupation that took place in 1969; which was to protest the social conditions Native Americans were being subjected to in both urban areas and on reservations. Please RSVP by sending contact information to Richie Richards at naes-pahma@berkeley.edu. *Healthy lunch will be provided to occupation speakers and elders who attend.. Lunch will be provided by Friendly Natives Catering: bluemaiz@yahoo.com
Saturday, November 21st, 8 am. 40th Anniversary Celebration of the Takeover of Alcatraz by Indians of All Tribes. Meeting at Pier 33 at 8 am. Tell the ticketing office you're with the 'Occupation ceremony'.
We're holding a commemoration on the island and trying to locate as many people as possible that inhabited or even just visited the island during the occupation from Nov. 1969 to June of 1971. This was a monumental event in Indian Country with international attention drawn to the plight of the American Indian. It helped shape reforms in policy that impact Native Americans to this day. Come join us!
Saturday, November 21st- Film Screening of Alcatraz is Not an Island. Artist Television Access,992 Valencia Street (at 21st) San Francisco (415)824-3890
Filmmaker James Fortier will be in attendance as well as members of the Oaks family.
Wednesday, November 25th from 6pm till sunrise- KPOO 89.5 FM live broadcast interview with film makers and film projection on Coit ower.
The themes are honoring the occupation and also raising the presence of Ohlone leaders.
Thursday, November 26th, $14 Indigenous People's Annual Thanksgiving Sunrise Gathering on Alcatraz. Boats depart 4:45-6:00am Pier 33, San Francisco.
Purchase advance tickets at http://www.alcatrazcruises.com/ (http://www.alcatrazcruises.com/website/sunrise-gathering.aspx) or call (415) 981 7625. For more information contact Morning Star Gali at morningstar@treatycouncil.org (415) 641 4482. Sponsored by International Indian Treaty Council and American Indian Contemporary arts. http://www.treatycouncil.org/

Please check out this incredible archive of news coverage and footage from the 1969 occupation from the SF State archive project:
http://diva.sfsu.edu/collections/sfbatv/2589
Morning Star Gali
Community Liaison Coordinator
International Indian Treaty Council

morningstar@treatycouncil.org
Tel. + 415.641.4482 Fax + 415.641.1298

Special thanks to the UN OBSERVER & International Report at the Hague for sharing this:
http://www.unobserver.com

O'odham: Surviving apartheid on the illegal border

By Brenda Norrell
Censored News
http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com/

TUCSON – Tohono O’odham living on the border joined with activist Ward Churchill to speak out on “Apartheid in America, Surviving Occupation in O’odham Lands,” on Nov. 13. Ofelia Rivas and her brother Julian Rivas, O’odham living on the US/Mexico border, spoke of the impact and desecration of colonization and border militarization.
Ofelia Rivas said O’odham were never included in the dialogue determining the delineation of the US/Mexico border in the 1800s or the construction of the border wall.
“We were not at that table when they made that international border. We were not considered human,” she told the crowd of several hundred people.
Responding to questions from supporters seeking ways to help, Ofelia said, “Can you take that border down for us? Can you restore our way of life? Can you give the language back to our young people who have gone though the boarding school experience or those who went through relocation? Can you give those back to us?” she asked.
“In the beginning, when the world was made, we were here. We were made from this earth.”
She said when O’odham elders, the ancestors passed away, they became part of this earth since the beginning of time. “Our ancestors are every part of this land, not just our ancestors, but all the Indigenous Peoples of this world.”
Ofelia said she was inspired by the young people who came to learn because they care.
Describing the ongoing struggle of O’odham she said, “We are considered not human today. They can kill us, they can abuse us.” Now, the sacred routes have been closed that O’odham have followed since the beginning of time for ceremonies and to make offerings to the land.
“That is the way we live, that is our balance here as human beings.”
O’odham continue to struggle every single day because border policies make lives so difficult. Each day O’odham are confronted with the choice to compromise in order to survive and become part of the system. It is a system that makes O’odham “unhuman,” she said.
Ofelia said many look at the desert and speak only of the heat. But here, she said there is the beauty of the cactus, beauty of animals, beauty of the water that once flowed and the beauty of the original people of this land. She told those who want to make social change, the place to begin is to view O’odham as human beings. She said O’odham who happen to be born at home, in what is now another country, now need permission to travel.
When O’odham cross the border to visit their families and for ceremonies, O’odham undergo demeaning treatment on a daily basis from border agents because of this illegal border.
“They didn’t ask us to put that international border there," said Ofelia, founder of the O'odham VOICE Against the Wall.
When confronted by US Border Patrol agents, she said she uses her O’odham language to establish her right of passage. Still, the US Border Patrol has held a gun to her head and to the heads of O’odham elders. Her brother Julian was shot at crossing the border.
Ofelia said she tells young people to say prayers that the hearts of the human race will be changed. She said people need to remember their songs to give back the blessings to Mother Earth and live in harmony with the water, land and people.
Ofelia said the Tohono O’odham chairman held a ceremony recently in Washington for a card that gives permission for O’odham to travel on their own lands.
“I have a problem with that,” she said of the O’odham border card.
“As original people, we’ve always had permission from the Creator to travel on our own lands and that is the only permission we need.”
Ofelia asked for help in monitoring laws being passed in Washington. Currently, the lands of Indigenous Peoples have been contaminated by many forms of pollution, including atom bomb testing.
She pointed out that the US waived 37 laws to build the vehicle barrier on O’odham lands. The US dug up O’odham ancestors to build this vehicle barrier.
Julian Rivas said O’odham are continuing in the path of resistance fighters like Leonard Peltier. “Indigenous Peoples have a tie to the land, a tie to their beliefs. Their comfort zone is the earth. As non indigenous people, you create your own comfort zone.”
Speaking on Indigenous resistance, Julian said “We do it, we don’t just talk about it.”
Julian said he continues to cross the border even though his pickup truck has been shot at and has bullet holes in it.
“That’s our way of life in resistance.”
Julian said after 9/11 there were many changes at the border which affected the O’odham way of life. “They blocked off some of our traditional routes and it instilled a lot of fear in the people.” O’odham became fearful of crossing the border, which they have done since time immemorial, going back and forth in their homelands. Now, the militarization of the border involves at least seven enforcement agencies.
Still, traditional O’odham leaders in Mexico have been at the bargaining table with the Zapatistas in Mexico in order to bring further recognition to Indigenous Peoples in Mexico.
“We have no means of funding.”
Julian said O’odham along the border have applied to the Tohono O’odham Nation government in Sells, Arizona, for funds, but have received none.
“There is nothing coming out for that. We have to do our own fund raisers for the work we are doing.”
“We do follow a traditional order,” he said of the O’odham leadership in Mexico. He said that neither the Tohono O’odham Nation nor the Mexico government can dictate to the O’odham in Mexico. The O’odham traditional form of government is not written down, but it is known to the O’odham.
Julian said O’odham in Mexico have fought a toxic waste dump planned for their ceremonial community of Quitovac in Sonora, Mexico. O’odham in Mexico first learned about the toxic dump from people in Mexico. Although the Tohono O’odham Nation government knew about it earlier, the nation was not concerned with it, he said.
Activist groups across the Southwest helped traditional O’odham in Sonora fight this toxic dump, he said.
Julian said when 9/11 occurred Homeland Security brought in expensive vehicles to run over everything in the O’odham homeland, desecrating the land and sacred area. “They build roads wherever they want to.”
“Because of 9/11, everyone with brown skin is labeled a terrorist.”
Julian said the Tohono O’odham Nation government speaks of sovereignty, but it is not demonstrating sovereignty.
“It is always strings being pulled from somewhere else.”
“We survived 500 plus years of that. With this resistance, we’re going to last another 500 plus years,” he said.
Welcoming guest speaker Ward Churchill, Ofelia Rivas said Churchill has proven to be sympathetic and compassionate about what is happening on the border to Native lands.
During questions, Churchill said it should be the O’odham people who determine an action plan for the border. Churchill said video cameras could be used to curb the level of violence by vigilantes at the border. He said people can follow the Minutemen and other civilian border patrols around with video cameras, as the Black Panthers once did in Oakland. After the Panthers followed Oakland police around with video cameras, police brutality dropped more than 50 percent in six months.
Churchill encouraged Tucson area residents to establish “neighborly” relationships with O’odham to work toward change. He said there is no script for instant social change.
“The process is called ‘a struggle’ for a reason.”
During his talk, Churchill spoke of Leonard Peltier and Indigenous land rights. He described apartheid formulated in South Africa, which was strict segregation and flagrantly racist. He said people were outraged in the United States about apartheid, but it was adapted from Jim Crow. Jim Crow in the deep south was an antecedent to apartheid in South Africa.
For Native people, colonizers brought mainstreaming.
“Mainstreaming means assimilation.”
Churchill spoke of different forms of colonialism in South Africa, US, Poland and Germany. He spoke of how colonialism affected Native people, pointing out the short life expectancy for Native men as living conditions deteriorated and colonization increased.
Churchill described settler state colonizers and the struggle for decolonization which began in the 1940s.
Speaking of boundaries and walls, Churchill described the wall in Palestine and on O’odham land. Today in the US, O’odham have to go through “checkpoints,” just like Palestinians. Churchill compared the lethal actions of Israel toward Palestinians to the US Border Patrol’s lethal actions toward O’odham.
He said the dehumanizing of Palestinians is manifest in a similar fashion in the US. This dehumanizing of Indians is apparent in movies like the Oscar winning western “Unforgiven.”
Further, he spoke of racial profiling in the US, the popularity of Rush Limbaugh and vigilantes at borders.
Angie Ramon spoke of her son, Bennett Patricio, Jr., who was run over and killed by the US Border Patrol. Bennett was walking home through the desert at 3 a.m. when he was run over. Ramon believes, based on the evidence, that her son was intentionally run over and killed after he walked upon Border Patrol agents involved in a drug transfer. Ramon described her struggle for justice and asked why the US Border Patrol left her son crushed on the highway for so long without transporting him to a hospital.
"I know he must have still been alive," she said, describing how his fingers were still twitching as he lay dying on the highway.
She said both the US Border Patrol and the Tohono O'odham police know what really happened.
Ramon said the Tohono O'odham Nation government has not helped her financially with the case, which she took alone to the Ninth Circuit. She said the tribal government receives funds from the US Border Patrol.
During the event, the crowd enjoyed traditional O'odham tepary beans, baked squash and fry bread, cooked by Ramon and her family.
The event was a fundraiser for the O'odham Solidarity Project.
http://www.solidarity-project.org/

--Watch videos of this gathering, with additional O’odham interviews by Earthcycles and Censored News: http://www.livestream.com/earthcycles

Wikipedia: "The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws in the United States enacted between 1876 and 1965. They mandated de jure segregation in all public facilities, with a supposedly "separate but equal" status for black Americans. In reality, this led to treatment and accommodations that were usually inferior to those provided for white Americans, systematizing a number of economic, educational and social disadvantages.

Some examples of Jim Crow laws are the segregation of public schools, public places and public transportation, and the segregation of restrooms and restaurants for whites and blacks. The U.S. military was also segregated. These Jim Crow Laws were separate from the 1800-66 Black Codes, which had also restricted the civil rights and civil liberties of African Americans. State-sponsored school segregation was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1954 in Brown v. Board of Education. Generally, the remaining Jim Crow laws were overruled by the Civil Rights Act of 1964[1] and the Voting Rights Act of 1965."--Wikipedia

'Our Spirits Don't Speak English: Indian Boarding School'

Indian boarding school documentary discusses education, assimilation into American culture

Article by Sherri Keaton November 17,

Central Michigan Life
Photo: Carlisle Cemetery: The children who never came home/Photo by Brenda Norrell

.

(Michigan) Imagine someone being stripped of their culture, heritage and language and beaten for committing the “crime” of using their native tongue.
That is what happened to more than 100,000 American Indian children who attended roughly 500 boarding schools by force sometimes that focused on assimilating them into European culture.
Monday evening in the Bovee University Center Auditorium, “Our Spirits Don’t Speak English: Indian Boarding School,” was shown to about 60 Central Michigan University students and several community members, who learned about these schools.
Director of Native American Programs Colleen Green said the most valuable part of this event was the background knowledge.
“This is especially helpful to have those voices be heard,” Green said. “A lot of people don’t have the background information on what’s going on with the Indian boarding schools. This is gained information that helps,” she said.
Afterward there was a discussion that focused on the topics of Native American education and how it relates to other cultural histories in America.
The Indian Boarding School documentary told a story through interviews, historical data and old photographs of how the school was both a negative and positive aspect on the children who went there.
In early November 1878, American Indian children began their education in the first off-reservation boarding schools at a deserted military post in Pennsylvania.
This Carlisle Indian Industrial School was opened by Captain Richard H. Pratt whose motto and goal was to “kill the Indian, not the man.”
Later on, hundreds of schools in the West were created after his style and many American Indian children ranged from as young as 4 years old to the late teens. Many of the methods used to “civilize” the children were actually brainwashing, according the video. Read article:

http://www.cm-life.com/2009/11/17/indian-boarding-school-documentary-discusses-education-assimilation-into-american-culture/

NAGPRA: The 'fox' is in control

Pawnee professor James Riding In, speaking in Michigan:

(Photo James Riding In)

"NAGPRA is flawed," James Riding In, Pawnee professor, said. "It leaves the determination of cultural affiliation with museums and federal agencies. It's like leaving the chicken coop under the control of the fox." Read article:
http://www.annarbor.com/news/native-american-scholar-visits-university-of-michigan-discusses-holdings-of-indian-remains

In the news: Obama nominates pesticide head (Monsanto and Dow Chemical) as US trade chief:
http://www.commondreams.org/video/2009/11/17

Alcatraz Occupation

Click to watch three minute excerpt from "Alcatraz is Not an Island"

40th Anniversary of the Occupation of Alcatraz Program
"YOU ARE ON INDIAN LAND"

Host: Richie Richards
Type: Education - Workshop
Network: Global
Date: Friday, November 20, 2009
Time: 10:00am - 5:00pm
Location: Bancroft Hotel - across the street from Hearst Museum
Street: 2680 Bancroft Way Berkeley, CA 94704 (510) 549-1000
City/Town: Berkeley, CA
Phone: 5106437649
Email: ....

Description

On Friday, November 20th 2009, Richie Richards the Native American Education Specialist for the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology at UC Berkeley proudly hosts the 40th Anniversary of the Occupation of Alcatraz Program. The event will honor and commemorate the original efforts and intentions of the student-based occupation that took place in 1969; which was to protest the social conditions Native Americans were being subjected to in both urban areas and on reservations. Alcatraz provided a national forum for their voices to be heard and we want to continue that conversation with this event.

*Opening: Richie Richards will discuss the agenda and speakers.

*Keynote Speaker, Dr. LaNada War Jack (formerly LaNada Means), was a student leader here at UC Berkeley and organized the Third World Strike- which ultimately led to the development of the Ethnic Studies Program at Cal. Dr. War Jack along with Richard Oakes, co- organized the take-over of Alcatraz in November, 1969. LaNada will discuss motivating factors of the Occupation during her presentation.

*Honored Guest Speaker, Dr. Lehman Brightman (President of the United Native Americans, Inc.), who will discuss the founding of UNA Inc., his role as First Director of Ethnic Studies here at UC Berkeley, and his participation in the Occupation. Dr. Brightman presented at the 40th anniversary of Ethnic Studies at SFSU and may speak about this presentation as well.

* Ilka Hartmann (German photographer from the occupation), will present a slide show of her photographs and her experiences as a non-Native participant on Alcatraz. Ilka Hartmann has taken some of the more famous photos of the Occupation as well as photos from past demonstrations of human rights and equality.

* Students from local universities will present contemporary research and statistics in regards to the current situation of Native Americans in education. Students from UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Irvine, and DQ-University have agreed to come present.

*Healthy lunch will be provided to occupation speakers and elders who attend, free of charge at Hearst Museum patio. Lunch will be provided by Friendly Natives Catering: bluemaiz@yahoo.com
Please RSVP by sending contact information to Richie Richards at naes-pahma@berkeley.edu. This event is meant to bring together old friends and create new networks.
*Time and Agenda are currently in development and is subject to change- due to growing interest.

Photo: No to US torture coverup

Walking in vigil to Fort Huachuca Army Intelligence Center, Arizona, New Mexico and California residents, and others from the Southwest, protest US torture at Guantanamo and Abu-Ghraib. Photo 2: Torture resisters on Fort Huachuca shortly before their arrests to expose US torture and drones carrying out "rogue assassinations." Photos Brenda Norrell.

Listen to Mariah Klusmire tell why she crossed the line to the army base to expose torture on Censored Blogtalk Radio:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/brenda-norrell

Read article on Southwest Weekend to End Torture:

http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2009/11/fort-huachuca-no-to-us-torture.html

Watch video of torture vigil and arrests on Nov. 15:

http://www.livestream.com/earthcycles

Photos: 'NO' to US Torture, Fort Huachuca

Torture protesters walk to the main gate of Fort Huachuca Army Intelligence Center, where five were arrested to bring attention to US torture, kidnappings and drones, unmanned aircraft described as carrying out "rogue assassinations." Photos copyright Brenda Norrell.

Listen to Mariah Klusmire tell why she crossed the line to the army base to expose torture on Censored Blogtalk Radio:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/brenda-norrell
Read article on Southwest Weekend to End Torture:
http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2009/11/fort-huachuca-no-to-us-torture.html
Watch video of torture vigil and arrests on Nov. 15:
http://www.livestream.com/earthcycles

MNN: Quebec Bridge Disaster at Kahnawake?

QUEBEC BRIDGE DISASTER AT KAHNAWAKE? Urgent Action Needed!

Mohawk Nation News

http://www.mohawknationnews.com/

MNN. Nov. 15, 2009. The Mercier Bridge is 1.4 kilometers long, spans the St. Lawrence River and Seaway between Montreal and Kahnawake on the south shore. It was built in 1932 beside the CPR Bridge which was built in 1885. www.pjcci.ca

Mohawk Nation, Quebec and Canada contracted the Mohawks to strengthen the steel structure and replace the reinforced concrete bridge deck of three access ramps on Mohawk Territory. It is the largest bridge repair project in Canadian history. Canada is paying $57 million and Quebec $9 million. Over 1000 direct and indirect jobs are being created per year. Work started on April 25, 2008.

The Montreal Iron Workers Union Local 711 is trying to kick the Mohawks out because they don’t have the CCQ cards. Commission de la construction du Quebec cards are issued by the government which controls the union.

CCQ rules and regulations violate the Union’s international charter. Quebec is the only place on Great Turtle Island where a union card is worthless.

Local 711 gives Mohawks union books but tells them to work in the US or other provinces. Retired ironworkers say 711 doesn’t let those who have books from locals 40 or 361 from NY City work in Quebec or Kahnawake, even though they are considered to be highly skilled ironworkers.

Wayne Rice, is head of the local Mohawk Bridge Consortium, a group of contractors in Kahnawake. He had a meeting in August 2009 with Pierre Desroche, the 711 business agent.

711 is trying to invade our sovereignty by disqualifying the Mohawks that don’t have CCQ cards. Desroche urged Rice to send his workers without cards home and hire non-natives. This would put 80 Mohawks out of work.

Jacques Dubois, President of the union’s District Council of Eastern Canada, sent letters to certain men threatening loss of their union books and never working again if they work on the Mercier Bridge project. 9 men quit. 8 had cards and one was promised one. None have been provided jobs or a card.

Rice is trying to protect the men, women and the community now and in the future from jurisdictional encroachment by foreigners. Rice sees other trades in the community being forced under Quebec’s control so that jobs will go to non-natives and taxes can be extorted from us.

Quebec is getting caught in a web of lawlessness. Rice is apparently writing to Joseph Hunt, General President, of the AFL-CIO Iron Workers International Union in Washington DC about these racist practices. He is looking into setting up a local in Kahnawake.

MBC continues to put Mohawk workers on the bridge. Union members elsewhere say it is highly unusual to improperly deny jobs and should be investigated at the highest level.

The Mohawk Nation is inherently sovereign. Kahnawake is on unsurrendered Haudenosaunee land. In 1974 Jean Chretien, the Minister of Indian Affairs, illegally signed an Order in Council declaring it a reserve. He violated internationally recognized standards for respecting political, economic and human rights as set out in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, UN Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and other international legal instruments. UN General Assembly Resolution 1541 [XV] requires the informed consent of the people before they are included in another state. We have never legally or voluntarily become part of Canada.

The Mohawks’ position supported by international law is that when anyone comes into our sovereign territory, they must abide by our laws and can’t force their authority on us.

711 recently filed an injunction in Montreal Superior Court to enforce their laws in Kahnawake. As we are a nation, this issue belongs in the International Court.

Supporting this position is the recent ruling in 2008 by the FCC Federal Court of Canada. A Mohawk woman was beaten by Canada Border Services Agents at Akwesasne. She requested an investigation. FCC ruled that the victim must pay for the Crown’s costs because she lives in Kahnwake and is not a resident of Canada. FCC declared that Kahnawake is sovereign and not in Canada.

Based on this ruling, in June 2009 the Maliseet of Tobique in New Brunswick took over and kept the dam and electric generating plant that was built in the middle of their territory.

Dubois tried to unfairly tarnish the reputation of the Mohawks. He prejudiced the Mohawk Bridge Consortium and the workers on the Mercier Bridge Project by stating they are not qualified to do the work and it is a catastrophe.

On August 29, 1907, we lost most of our ironworkers when the Quebec [City] Bridge collapsed into the St. Lawrence River. We later learned this was due to deficiencies in material and construction by the contractors. We don’t want another bridge disaster, especially since we cross it every day. We are a nation and must be legally dealt with as such.

Contact: Wayne Rice, Mohawk Bridge Consortium tel. 450-635-6063 pwrind52@yahoo.ca http://www.mohawkmbc.com/

Kahentinetha MNN Mohawk Nation News, http://www.mohawknationnews.com/ kahentinetha2@yahoo.com Note: Your financial help is needed and appreciated. Please send your donations by check or money order to “MNN Mohawk Nation News”, Box 991, Kahnawake [Quebec, Canada] J0L 1B0. Or go to PayPal on MNN website. Nia:wen thank you very much. Go to MNN KAHNAWAKE category for more stories; New MNN Books Available now!

FCC Federal Court of Canada Prothonotary Mireille Tabib order, October 23, 2008, Mohawks residing in Akwesasne and Kahnawake are not residents of Canada. Two supporting FCC orders: Judge Francois Lemieux, January 29, 2009; and Claude Morissette, March 16, 2009. [FCA t-1309 and T-288-09].

Iron Workers International Union, % Joseph Hunt, General President, AFL-CIO,400 – 1750 NY Ave. NW, Washington DC 202-383-4810. PRESSURE SHOULD BE PUT ON LOCAL 711 AND QUEBEC TO STAY OUT OF KAHNAWAKE AND LET THE MEN WORK UNMOLESTED ON OUR TERRITORY.

Local 711 Montreal, Ville d’Anjou, QC. H1J 2Y7 514-328-2808 Tollfree 1-800-461-0711 montreal@local711.ca; District Council of Eastern Canada, President Jacques Dubois 514-328-1482.

Mercier Bridge Deck Replacement Project, 1111 St. Charles St. W, West Tower, Suite 600, Longueuil, Quebec J4K 5G4 450-651-8771, managed by Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridge Inc., Andre Girard, Federal Bridge Corporation Ltd. 450-468-5775 andre.girard@pontsfederaux.ca; Serge Valliers Cell 514-892-7205, Communications 514-849-7000 [230] jvl@agccom.com.

John Baird, Minister, Transport Canada www.tc.gc.ca 613-990-2309 bairdj@parl.gc.ca: Media 613-993-0055; Karine White 613-643-3804, Daniel Desharnois 613-418-643-6980, Natalie Sarafin 613-991-0700 & Danny Kingberry 613-993-0055.

Michael M. Fortier, Public Works, Federick Baril 613-868-1128; Jean Marc Fournier, Quebec Minister of Monteregie Region; Harold Fortin, Revenue Canada 418-643-3804.

'Barking Water' best film at American Indian Film Festival

Media Inquiries Contact:
November 16, 2009 publicrelations@aifisf.com

34th ANNUAL AMERICAN INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL CLOSES NOVEMBER 14 WITH AMERICAN INDIAN MOTION PICTURE AWARDS SHOW

SAN FRANCISCO - The American Indian Film Institute (AIFI) announces award show winners for the 34th annual American Indian Film Festival. The awards were presented at the American Indian Motion Picture Awards Show on Saturday Nov. 14 at 6:00p.m at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco.

The American Indian Motion Picture Awards Show, has recognized excellence in American Indian cinematic achievement, making the annual awards show one of the most prominent Indian Country and Native Cinema showcases.

Outstanding performances varied across the talent venue, on awards night including: Grammy award–winner Joanne Shenandoah; recording artist Jana Mashonee; hoop dancers, The Sampson Boys; rock group The Plateros; violinist’s Swil Kanim and Laura Ortman; and singer Star Nayea.

Award Winners: Best Film- Barking Water, Director: Sterlin Harjo, USA: Best Director - Kevin Wilmott, The Only Good Indian, USA: Best Actor- Wes Studi, The Only Good Indian, USA: Best Actress - Casey Camp-Horinek, Barking Water, USA; Best Supporting Actor- Winter Fox Frank, The Only Good Indian, USA: Best Supporting Actress - Michelle Thrush, Blackstone, Canada: Best Documentary Feature - Lost Sparrow, Director: Chris Billing, USA: Best Documentary Short - Pipestone- An Unbroken Legacy, Director: Ron E. Scott, USA: Best Live Short Subject - Given to Walk, Director: Robert Guthrie, USA: Best Animated Short- How People Got Fire, Director: Daniel Janke, Canada: Best Music Video - A Change is Gonna Come, Director: Stephan Galfas, USA: Best Public Service - Sweet Blood, Director: Shirley Cheechoo, Canada.


Special Achievement awards, the Eagle Spirit, were presented to personages that exemplified outstanding character, fortitude, career accomplishments in the arts, media, cultural and governmental affairs. The recipients were: Marshall McKay, Chairman of Yocha- Dehe Wintun Nation, owners of Cache Creek Resort and Casino, Hattie Kauffman, National News correspondent for CBS The Early Show, and William Osceola, Tribal Liaison for Seminole Tribe of Florida, owners of The Hard Rock Café and Casino’s worldwide.

Indigenous: UK bank funding Tar Sands

Indigenous Canadians deliver message to RBS and the Treasury: “Stop funding bloody oil!”

New research shows that publicly-owned RBS is the UK bank most heavily involved in financing the Tar Sands

By Indigenous Environmental Network
Censored News
http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com

Photo, filming and interview opportunities:
- Tuesday 17th November, 2.30 pm, RBS London Headquarters, 280 Bishopsgate
- contact Clayton Thomas-Muller, Indigenous Environmental Network 218 760 6632 218 760 6632 or in the UK Jess Worth, UK Tar Sands Network, 07946645726 or Adam Ramsay, People & Planet, 011 44 1865245678 or 011 44 7841578283

Three Indigenous Canadian women will visit the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) London headquarters tomorrow to demand that they stop financing one of the world’s most polluting projects – the Tar Sands. This highly destructive form of oil extraction is having a devastating effect on the health of Indigenous communities and fuelling global climate change. They will be joined outside RBS by student activists who will stage a ‘die-in’ on the ground, to demonstrate that ‘Tar Sands oil is blood oil’.

Earlier in the day the three women will brief MPs on the role of UK banks and oil companies in the Tar Sands in a UK Parliamentary meeting hosted by the Liberal Democrat Spokesman for Energy and Climate Change, Simon Hughes. They will also deliver an open letter to the Chancellor, Alistair Darling, questioning why the Treasury is allowing a state-owned bank to finance companies that are doing such damage to their communities.

The extraction of oil from Tar Sands is responsible for three to five times the carbon emissions of conventional oil. [2] According to new research by Rainforest Action Network, RBS – which is now 84% publicly-owned – has been responsible for $2.7 billion of finance to companies that own, or are building, Tar Sands infrastructure in Alberta, Canada, since the first banking bail-out took place. [3] RBS is also revealed as the UK bank most heavily involved in financing Tar Sands since 2007, providing almost $14 billion of finance. [4]

Eriel Tchekwie Deranger, one of the Indigenous women, explains:

“The Tar Sands is the world’s largest and most destructive industrial development. It is destroying an area of ancient forest larger than England. Millions of litres a day of toxic waste are seeping into our groundwater and we are seeing terrifyingly high levels of cancer in our communities. It is shocking that a bank effectively owned by the British Government is financing a project which is killing Indigenous people."

Heather Milton Lightening, adds:

"Just when the world is focusing its attention on attempts to cut carbon emissions at December’s Copenhagen summit, the Canadian government is championing the extraction of billions of barrels of this dirty oil – and the UK taxpayer, through RBS, is financing it! We have come to the UK to get support in our struggle to leave Tar Sands in the ground, for the sake of our communities and for the climate.”

Simon Hughes, Liberal Democrat spokesman for Energy and Climate Change, is hosting the group’s visit to Parliament. He is critical of the Government’s approach:

“Tar Sands are one of the most destructive fossil fuels on earth. They cause much more carbon pollution than any other oil, and are also responsible for massive damage to nature, wildlife and local communities. Now that the Government has used our taxes to prop up the banks, it must stop using our money to support companies in their extraction of high-polluting fuels like Tar Sands."

The visit to RBS is part of a 10-day nationwide speaker tour organised by the UK Tar Sands Network [5], and north-America-based Indigenous Environmental Network. People & Planet, the UK's largest student campaigning network, are co-organising the RBS protest. Along with PLATFORM and World Development Movement, they are currently taking legal action to force the Treasury to properly assess the consequences of RBS investing public money in Tar Sands and similar projects [6]. Alex Fountain, a People & Planet activist and student at Manchester Metropolitan University, says:

"RBS is Europe's dirtiest bank. It specialises in financing projects that trample over communities and trash the climate. We are here today, in solidarity with the Indigenous communities who are being killed by Tar Sands pollution, to tell RBS: stop funding this bloody oil."

ENDS

For more information and to arrange interviews, contact:
Jess Worth, UK Tar Sands Network, 07946645726
Adam Ramsay, People & Planet, 01865245678 or 07841578283

[1] The delegation consists of:

Eriel Tchekwie Deranger, a Dene woman belonging to the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation of Northern Alberta. She has been working to uphold and protect Indigenous Rights for the last 10 years. Eriel is the Freedom from Oil Campaigner for the Rainforest Action Network (http://ran.org/).

Heather Milton Lightening,from the Pasqua First Nation in Saskatchewan. She has been organizing with the Native Youth Movement since 1995. She is now the Tar Sands organizer for the Indigenous Environmental Network (www.ienearth.org/cits).

Melina Laboucan-Massimo is Lubicon Cree from Northern Alberta. She has been working as an advocate for Indigenous rights for the past 9 years, and is currently a Tar Sands campaigner with Greenpeace Canada (http://www.greenpeace.ca/).

[2] See Environment Canada, 2007, National Inventory Report Greenhouse Gas Sources and Sinks in Canada 1990–2005, http://www.ec.gc.ca/pdb/ghg/inventory_report/2006_report/som-sum_eng.cfm

[3] Research from the Rainforest Action Network indicates that since Oct. 13, 2008 – when HM Treasury announced its recapitalization of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group – RBS has extended at least $2.7 billion in debt/equity issuance underwritings to companies that own and/or are actively building tar sands extraction infrastructure and/or tar sands oil pipelines in Alberta, Canada. Companies financed by RBS since this date include ConocoPhillips, Devon Energy, Enbridge, Kinder Morgan, StatoilHydro, and Total.

[4] Research from the Rainforest Action Network indicates that since the start of 2007, RBS has extended $13.9 billion in debt/equity issuance underwritings to companies that own and/or are actively building tar sands extraction infrastructure and/or tar sands oil pipelines in Alberta, Canada, while Barclays Bank was responsible for $13.7 billion and HSBC for $9.1 billion.

[5] The UK Tar Sands Network has organised a ten-day speaker tour, visiting Bristol, Oxford, London, Rossport (Ireland), Machynlleth, and Manchester. The Network includes New Internationalist, People & Planet, Platform, and Ethical Consumer. See http://tarsandsinfocus.wordpress.com/tour for details.

[6] On 20 October 2009, a High Court denied a request for a Judicial Review, but an appeal is underway. For more info on the legal action see http://peopleandplanet.org/ditchdirtydevelopment

For more information on Tar Sands, see:

Indigenous Environmental Network: www.ienearth.org/cits

Oil Sands Truth website: www.oilsandstruth.org
Rainforest Action Network: http://www.ran.org/

Greenpeace Canada: http://www.greenpeace.ca/tarsands
Dirty Oil Sands: http://www.dirtyoilsands.org/
People & Planet: http://peopleandplanet.org/tarsands



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Fort Huachuca: NO TO US TORTURE

During the vigil to halt US torture, soldiers remove one of five persons who crossed the line into Fort Huachuca Army Intelligence Center, to expose US torture training here. Photo by Brenda Norrell.
Video coverage: http://www.livestream.com/earthcycles

By Brenda Norrell
Censored News
http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com
Updated:
SIERRA VISTA, Ariz. -- Human rights activists protesting torture carried out by the United States marched to the main gate at Fort Huachuca Army Intelligence Center where five crossed into the base and were taken into custody on Nov. 15.

"Rogue assassinations and torture have damaged the soul of our nation and tarnished our image around the world," torture resisters said in a letter to the base.

Arrested were: Joshua Harris, Santa Barbara, Calif.; Mariah Klusmire, Albuquerque; John Heid, Tucson; Fr. Jerry Zawada, Tucson and Fr. Bob Carney, Tucson.

All were released with a letter ordering them not to re-enter the base within the next year. Joshua Harris initially refused to identify himself and was charged under Arizona law with trespass and failure to provide a truthful name when lawfully detained. He was released a couple of hours after the others.

In a letter to the Army base, the human rights activists stated their reasons for the action. "Because the Obama administration has failed to close Guantanamo and the U.S. continues to imprison and interrogate thousands of captives at military prisons in Afghanistan, Iraq and places unknown, we renew our call for civilian, human-rights centered oversight of all interrogation training and practice.

"Ft. Huachuca is also implicated in the rapidly expanding, legally questionable and morally reprehensible use of remotely-piloted aircraft, or drones, as a weapon of war. We’re told that currently the Army only trains for the operation and maintenance of reconnaissance and surveillance drones at Ft. Huachuca. But we also know that the Army plans to weaponize some of these same drones.

"Drone attacks have killed many more innocent civilians in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and elsewhere, than alleged terrorists. The U.N. Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Executions has asked whether the use of drones in targeting terrorists to be killed constitutes 'arbitrary extrajudicial execution,' or rogue assassinations in violation of international law," the torture resisters said.

Torture protesters revealed that the torture training manual used by the School of Americas, resulting in the torture and deaths of masses in the Americas in the 70s and 80s, was produced here at Fort Huachuca. The majority of those tortured and murdered were Indigenous Peoples, farmers and villagers.

Further, one military leader responsible for torture in Abu-Ghraib was also a military leader at Fort Huachuca. Major Gen. Barbara Fast, previously at Fort Huachuca, was in charge of interrogations at Abu-Ghraib.

During the vigil and march, torture resisters passed by the offices of CACI International, Inc., one of the intelligence contract profiteers now benefiting from torture and the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. CACI hired private interrogators to work at Abu-Ghraib prison, where detainees were routinely tortured by the U.S.

While the peaceful resisters spoke of unconditional love and peace, counter demonstrators yelled and insulted them.

During the Southwest Weekend of Witness to End Torture, torture resisters read the names of those who have suffered US torture and said "Presente!" to each name as they walked.

Fort Huachuca in Sierra Vista, home of the Predator drone for border surveillance, is located less than one hour north of the US/Mexico border. A Predator drone crashed nearby in the Nogales area in 2006.

The United States has been a major instrument in the proliferation of terror in the world by training assassins at the School of Americas and as special ops. The Zetas of Mexico and Kaibiles of Guatemala were trained originally as US Special Forces before becoming rogue instruments of terror.

The torture resisters carried the following open letter to base personnel and employees:

"We return to Fort Huachuca to call for an end to torture.

We are here because we desire dialogue with soldiers and commanders engaged in interrogation training.

We are here because we still question whether soldiers are provided with adequate training about international human rights law so they would know to refuse illegal orders and other pressure to torture captives (including a guarantee that speaking out would not lead to retaliation or punishment).

We are here in the hope that healing can take place - healing for the victims of torture, as well as the men and women who have been involved in carrying out torture.

Because the Obama administration has failed to close Guantanamo and the U.S. continues to imprison and interrogate thousands of captives at military prisons in Afghanistan, Iraq and places unknown, we renew our call for civilian, human-rights centered oversight of all interrogation training and practice.

Ft. Huachuca is also implicated in the rapidly expanding, legally questionable and morally reprehensible use of remotely-piloted aircraft, or drones, as a weapon of war. We’re told that currently the Army only trains for the operation and maintenance of reconnaissance and surveillance drones at Ft. Huachuca. But we also know that the Army plans to weaponize some of these same drones.

Drone attacks have killed many more innocent civilians in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and elsewhere, than alleged terrorists. The U.N. Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Executions has asked whether the use of drones in targeting terrorists to be killed constitutes “arbitrary extrajudicial executions”, or rogue assassinations in violation of international law.

We are here today to call for an end to the use of armed drones in warfare. We believe this terrorizing and killing generates deep resentment in the region that incites hatred for the U.S., boosts recruitment for Taliban, Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups, and may spawn decades of retaliation.

We act in solidarity with the campaign to close the School of the Americas/Western Hemispheric Institute for Security Cooperation at Ft. Benning, Georgia, where the testimony of torture survivors has informed our outrage and moved us to action. We also act in solidarity with people in New York protesting the presence of Reaper drones at a NY Air National Guard base outside of Syracuse today.

Rogue assassinations and torture have damaged the soul of our nation and tarnished our image around the world. We know that a world without torture, without violence and without war is possible. We invite you to help us create that world."

Listen to songs and interviews, 15 minutes of excerpts from today:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Brenda-Norrell

Photos of the march and torture resisters being taken into custody:
http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com/

More info:
http://www.southwestwitness.org/

News release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASENovember 16, 2009
Contact in Tucson: Jack or Felice Cohen-Joppa, 520-323-8697
FIVE ARRESTEDAT FORT HUACHUCA DRONE AND TORTURE PROTEST
(Statement and link to photos, below)
More than 150 people rallied against torture on Sunday, November 15, at Len Roberts Park in Sierra Vista, Arizona. After listening to speakers and music, the group carried signs and candles remembering the victims of torture in a one mile procession to the main gate of Ft. Huachuca, home of the U.S. Army Intelligence Center where interrogators are trained. Along the way, names of people killed as a result of torture were called out, and the group responded with "Presente!". The procession stopped at the office of CACI, a private military contractor implicated in the abuse of Iraqi detainees.
Soon after the protesters arrived at the gate, five people, including two Roman Catholic priests, crossed the street and entered the base with a message for military personnel and civilian employees. They carried a statement (below) opposing the cruel treatment and abuse of detainees from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and calling for the civilian oversight of all military interrogation practices. The statement also condemned the use of armed drones in warfare.
Arrested were Joshua Harris, 33, Santa Barbara, California; Mariah Klusmire, 20, Albuquerque, New Mexico; John Heid, 54, Fr. Jerry Zawada, 72, and Fr. Bob Carney, 66, all of Tucson, Arizona. The five received a formal letter barring them from entering the base for one year. Four were released within an hour. Joshua Harris initially refused to identify himself, instead saying he was there representing a victim of torture. He was released that evening and charged under Arizona law with trespass and refusing to provide a truthful name.
Three people arrested at last year's Ft. Huachuca protest were given ban and bar letters but never prosecuted, because "the Ft. Huachuca Commander does not want the potential negative publicity", according to a May 15, 2009 letter to the FBI from Robert Fellrath, Assistant U.S. Attorney for Arizona.
Thousands of people will gather at Ft. Benning this coming weekend, November 20-22, for the annual vigil to close the School of the Americas. Human rights abuses in Latin America, including torture and murder, have been carried out by graduates of the school. The torture manual that was used at the School of the Americas came from Ft. Huachuca.
Photos may be viewed at http://tinyurl.com/FtHuachuca11-15-09
Photo credit: TortureOnTrial.org
An extensive report featuring audio and video from the protest can be found at http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com
For background information see
http://tortureontrial.org, http://southwestwitness.org and http://soaw.org-------

Indigenous Peoples make urgent appeal for food sovereignty

Indigenous Peoples Make Urgent Appeal for Food Sovereignty
Sunday, November 15, 2009
For Immediate Release

ROME, Italy -- Indigenous Peoples arrived in Rome on Friday to participate in the Global Indigenous Peoples' Food Sovereignty Forum, taking place from November 13th to 16th. The Forum is a part of “People's Food Sovereignty Now!”, the Civil Society Organizations' forum, parallel to the United Nations World Summit on Food Security, from November 16th to 18th at the headquarters of the UN Food and Agricultural Organization.

Indigenous Peoples came from places as diverse as the Amazon rainforest to the Arctic homeland of the Saami to the deserts of Africa, the islands of the Pacific and the mountains of the Himalayas to sound the alarm on the dire effects suffered by their communities from the food crisis. Their communities are the most impacted by hunger and malnutrition, constituting a violation of their right to food. Indigenous knowledge and practices have the potential to improve local and global food security but have not been recognized and have been met with opposition in many cases.

Indigenous representatives shared stories of how they are being impacted by the food crisis. They also identified many causes of food insecurity for Indigenous communities, including the loss of land, territories and resources, the non-recognition and violation of their Indigenous rights, the commodification of genetic resources, environmental pollution and climate change, among others. The representatives stressed the importance of food sovereignty over security, noting their livelihoods and cultures are linked to their lands and territories.

They developed proposals and strategies calling for recognition of their self-determination, their rights and the control of their lands, territories and resources. Indigenous groups called for governments to support their traditional practices, to enable their full and effective participation in all discussion on food security, and to uphold their rights. They also called for the UN Food and Agriculture Organization to establish a Working Group with Indigenous Peoples in their Committee on Food Security.

Hasina Kharbhih, a Khasi Indigenous woman from India, noted that, “Our Indigenous communities in Asia and across the rest of the world are really suffering right now. All the responses to this food crisis must ensure our peoples' rights and protect our food sovereignty. There has to be a recognition that we are facing some of the worst effects of the global food crisis, but also that we have so much to contribute from our traditional, sustainable and organic methods, and the need for our full participation in all levels of discussions. Our rights as Indigenous Peoples are not negotiable and can play a large role in solving this food crisis.”

The Forum concludes tomorrow with the adoption of a final declaration containing a number of recommendations which will be read at the UN World Summit on Food Security, on November 17th, 2009.

For more information, please contact;
Ben Powless or Hasina Kharbhih at +1-613-614-4219 (English)
Saul Vicente at +52-55-209-545-01 (Spanish)