indigenous

Take Action: Muwekma Recognition

/ aztec8888 / 2 Comments
Lakota Law

Over the past couple weeks, you may have seen stories or social media posts detailing the terrible treatment of the Muwekma Ohlone People by federal agents on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. It pains me just to write this, but government officials threatened to kill their horses and arrested tribal members at the tail end of the Muwekma’s cross-country “Trail of Truth” journey, in which tribal members sought government-to-government consultation with the U.S. Department of the Interior to restore their rightful federal recognition. 

I have more to say on that below, but first I ask you to take action now. Tell your reps: End the cycle of colonial violence and respect the sovereignty of the Muwekma Ohlone People. Congress must restore federal recognition to the original inhabitants of California’s San Francisco Bay Area by writing, sponsoring, and passing the “Restore Muwekma Bill.”

Lakota Law

The San Francisco Bay region has been the homeland of the Muwekma Ohlone People for more than 10,000 years, and congressional censuses acknowledged them throughout the early 20th century. And yet, today they’re landless and unrecognized by the federal government. This egregious oversight negatively impacts tribal members, who lose out on a myriad of important benefits when their sovereignty is ignored. The Muwekma Ohlone People have spent 40 years presenting valid evidence and struggling to reinstate their federal status, and the Department of Interior’s continued indifference amounts to a perpetuation of the cultural genocide of the Muwekma Ohlone.

With high hopes that an Interior Department now led by Deb Haaland of the Pueblo of Laguna would be more receptive to their message, the tribe, led by Chairwoman Charlene Nijmeh, set out on horseback from San Francisco in August on their Trail of Truth. Sadly, they — including women, children, and elders — were violently assaulted by the National Parks Police upon arrival in D.C. 

On Oct. 15 — the day after Indigenous Peoples’ Day — National Parks Police officers immediately moved to take the horses, which were provided by Lakota allies, specifically Percy White Plume (a direct descendant of Red Cloud) at the Horse Nation on the Pine Ridge Reservation. The police then arrested tribal members who tried to prevent the horses’ capture. Those actions were inconsistent with the law and far out of line, and these are some of the reasons why, in partnership with Muwekma, I plan to share more about various aspects of their story with you soon. In the meantime, please assist by taking action and telling your reps to restore federal recognition to the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe today.

Wopila tanka — thank you for supporting tribal sovereignty of the Muwekma Ohlone People!
Chase Iron Eyes
Director and Lead Counsel
Lakota People’s Law Project
Sacred Defense Fund

Terrorists? From the Same Government Participating in Genocide.

/ aztec8888 / Leave a comment
Lakota Law

Do you remember the hideous tactics used by law enforcement and private militarized security during the Dakota Access pipeline resistance? For instance, Lakota Law director Chase Iron Eyes was accused of domestic terrorism just for standing in a prayer circle to protect his homelands. Though this ridiculous charge was later dropped, it’s significant that such terminology was used in the first place. It’s a classic — and deeply harmful — racist trope to label non-white people as “terrorists” simply for exercising our First Amendment rights. 

While that dangerous rhetoric hasn’t gone away, I’m happy to say that, these days, tribes aren’t taking it lying down. A few weeks back, the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa — my tribe — banished Wisconsin State Senator Mary Felzkowski from our lands after she equated tribal leadership to “terrorists.” She made the remark on Aug. 23 at a town hall meeting in Woodruff, Wisconsin, a bordertown of the reservation. This, of course, follows all nine of South Dakota’s Lakota nations banishing S.D. Gov. Kristi Noem earlier this year for her use of similarly abusive language.

Photo of the 37th Annual Bear River Pow Wow on the beautiful homelands of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. From the tribe’s Facebook page.

The dispute in my homelands centers around residents of the town of Lac du Flambeau — situated on the reservation but home to many non-Natives — and their unauthorized use of roadways on tribal lands. Last year, the federal government sued the town on behalf of the tribe and asked for relief, asserting that non-Native residents had been trespassing on the tribe’s lands. The tribe set up barricades, later removed once the town agreed to pay fees to the tribe. 

Here’s a little more history on how we got here. When the Dawes Act was passed in 1887, lands opened to non-tribal members on many reservations. Now, in my home region, non-tribal members own land within every reservation but one. As a result, tribal governments govern tribal lands and members, while townships govern non-tribal lands and non-tribal members. In places like Lac du Flambeau — or the town of McLaughlin on the Standing Rock Reservation in South Dakota — the two entities often clash over competing priorities, and Natives and non-Natives must share space while at odds with each other.

By 1901 at Lac du Flambeau, 578 allotments had been distributed, and approximately 45,000 acres had passed into ownership by non-Natives. The problems associated with this reality can be hard to solve, but one thing I can be sure of is that it’s important to respect both the sovereignty and humanity of tribal peoples every step of the way. Felzkowski, who serves as co-chair for Wisconsin’s Special Committee on State-Tribal Relations, should know this.

Instead, in addition to spreading harmful stereotypes, her comments undermine the Lac du Flambeau Band’s sovereign right to govern itself, its lands, and its citizens. Like Gov. Noem, Sen. Felzkowski just found out what happens, even to powerful government actors, when you mess around with that. 

Wopila tanka — thank you for supporting sovereignty!
Darren Thompson
Director of Media Relations
Lakota People’s Law Project

Tribal Nations Maps – On Sale Now!

/ aztec8888 / Leave a comment

50% off ALL Tribal maps and flags ! Just use code 50off at checkout. Take 50% off our Deals section, here:

$8 & Up – MINIMUM PURCHASE OF $40 (tribalnationsmaps.com) 

Or, use the SAME code for our other products, here:

              www.tribalnationsmaps.com

I encourage you to purchase these accurate and beautiful maps. I had several in my classroom before I retired from teaching.

A story:

Outside my classroom, I had a very large wall used to display student work. My class was studying indigenous history and I had purchased a very large map showing all the tribal nations in the U.S. I hung the map on the wall along with recent artwork and reports my students had finished.

The next week was open house and many parents visited the school to view the classrooms. I noticed an elderly man sitting in a chair in front of the map. He appeared to be crying. I walked over and asked him if he was ok. He said that he was overcome with emotion to see this map with all of the tribes. He said he never thought anyone cared to do such research.

As a teacher, I went above and beyond the very limited curriculum. I made sure to add relevant materials, books, and maps to provide a more holistic and complete view of the world. My students did many independent research projects. These maps are very educational! Add them to your teaching materials and home.

When I retired I gave the maps to a student.

These are photos where you can see a few of the maps in the background.