CENSORED NEWS: April 2011

April 29, 2011

VIDEO Uranium, Coal, Water and Sacred Sites in the Southwest

Video streaming by Ustream
Video link: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/uranium-coal-water-and-sacred-sites-in-the-southwest
Uranium, Coal, Water and Sacred Sites in the Southwest
A panel discussion, held April 28, 2011, at ASU in Tempe, Ariz., on the shifting policies of domestic energy production and the detrimental effects it has on indigenous communities in the southwestern United States.
Community leaders Manny Pino (Acoma), Dr. James Riding In (Pawnee) and Hertha Woody (Dine') discuss the human and environmental costs of coal and uranium production, water settlement issues, and how indigenous perspectives of sacred sites affects our viewpoints of and relationships to all the above.
Manny Pino, Acoma Pueblo, is a professor of sociology and American Indian Studies at Scottsdale Community College. He possesses extensive knowledge about uranium mining's impact on Indigenous issues.
Hertha Woody is of the Diné (Navajo) Nation. She grew up on the Navajo reservation in Shiprock NM. Hertha earned her BS and a Masters in Secondary Education at NAU. She worked two years with the Native American Cancer Research Program at NAU as an undergraduate researcher studying the effects of how uranium interacts with DNA to cause mutations that may lead to cancer. Currently, Hertha is the uranium campaign coordinator at Grand Canyon Trust. She has been working closely with several tribes (Havasupai, Hualapai, Navajo, Hopi and Kaibab Paiute) in the northern Arizona region to promote awareness about uranium mining at the Grand Canyon.
Dr. James Riding In is a citizen of the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma and an associate professor of American Indian Studies at Arizona State University. He received a Master’s in American Indian Studies and a Ph.D. in History from the University of California, Los Angeles. He has played a prominent role in the development of American Indian Studies at Arizona State University and he is the editor of Wicazo Sa Review: A Journal of Native American Studies. His research about repatriation, as well as historical and contemporary Indian issues has appeared in various books and scholarly journals.
The Council Advocating an Indigenous Manifesto (CAIM) is dedicated to increasing Indigenous peoples' knowledge of colonization and decolonization. Through actions oriented through decolonization, Indigenous peoples will become the primary protectors of the integrity of their communities.

Wounded Knee, SD Environmental Film and Forum

Environmental Awareness Film Presentation and Forum

Location Wounded Knee District School Gym
Saturday, May 7, 1 pm to 7 pm

"The condition of Mother Earth is approaching a crisis for all human beings. Sacred water has been under attack for generations now and only in isolated pockets around the world are people fighting to preserve water. This is especially true in Indigenous communities where sources for clean, safe drinking water are under threat by mining. On the Pine Ridge reservation on the Northern Plains of North America, the Lakota people are taking a stand against uranium......"
All people are invited to participate in this event which includes the presentation of three short films, dialogue on the condition of sacred water and health, a live performance by the band SCATTER THEIR OWN whose performance will include their latest song about Mother Earth, and presentations by environmental activists as well as tribal officials regarding environmental impacts by mining corporations to the Oglala Lakota Oyate and all human beings, water, air, land, and all of sacred life.
Open microphone for participants to voice their concerns and comments about protecting our sacred Mother Earth.
Refreshments will be provided at the conclusion of the event

Sponsors include Owe Aku, Vic Camp, 407-7808; Lakota Media Project, Rosebud White Plume 319-1367; H.E.L.P. Autumn Two Bulls, 441-7369; Looks For Buffalo Foundation, Floyd and Natalie Hand, 867-5762.
An Environmental Awareness Film Forum will be held on Saturday, May 7, 2011 at 1pm at the Wounded Knee District School in Manderson, SD. Three films will be screened, followed by Guest Speakers to present updates on the environmental protection work they are involved in. The films include Water Is Life by Art Is Action, which is an 8 minute show that chronicles the impacts of uranium mining to the drinking water and health conditions on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and that examines the dwindling drinking water supply in this area; the 28 minute film Poison Wind by 220 Productions, which shares the voice of the Navajo Nation and other tribal peoples in the southwestern United States who are impacted by uranium mining; and a work in progress by Prairie Dust Films which documents support for and opposition against uranium mining in Nebraska and in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Guest speakers include the film makers, governmental and health officials from the Oglala Sioux Tribe and Indian Health Service and environmental activists working in this region. Oglala Sioux Tribal President John Yellow Bird-Steele has confirmed his attendance. Cheyenne River Sioux Tribal staff will be present to address cultural and historical preservation work in the area regarding the proposed tarsands XL Keystone oil pipeline of Transcanada, Inc. which is planned to skirt the boundaries of the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation. Plaintiffs in the case against the Canadian-based corporation Cameco, Inc. will be present to discuss their case regarding current and proposed In Situ Leach Mining near Crawford, Nebraska. State officials have been invited and it is hoped they will be in attendance.

Live music will be provided by the popular group “Scatter Their Own”, headed by Oglala Lakota Scott Clifford, who will perform a recently released song about Mother Earth and the Black Hills. A local drum group will open and close the Film Forum with traditional Lakota music.

Open microphone time at the forum is available so those present can make comments or share environmental protection work they are involved in. All people are invited and encouraged to attend.

The Film Forum is free and open to everyone, refreshments will be served. The event is sponsored by Owe Aku, (Bring Back the Way), the Lakota Media Project, Project H.E.L.P., and the Looks For Buffalo Foundation. For more info please call Vic at 407-7808, Rosebud at 319-1367, or Autumn at 441-7369.

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Protect Glen Cove Day 15: More Civil Rights Claims Filed

Sacred Site Protection & Rights of Indigenous Tribes (SSP&RIT).

For Immediate Release: Thursday, April 28, 2011
Contact: * Corrina Gould 510-575-8408 * Morning Star Gali (510) 827 6719 *Norman “Wounded Knee” Deocampo 707-373-7195 * Mark Anquoe (415) 680-0110

Day 15 : Spiritual Vigil and Gathering to Protect Glen Cove Sacred Site Enters 3rd Week as Greater Vallejo Recreation District Breaks Agreement to Negotiate in Good Faith

SSP&RIT Files More Civil Rights Claims Against GVRD for New Violations as Threats Against Spiritual Ceremony and Sacred Site Escalate

By Protect Glen Cove
http://protectglencove.org/
Photo Corrina Gould
Vallejo, California – As the spiritual gathering and vigil being held by local tribal members and supporters at the sacred burial site at Glen Cove in Vallejo entered its third week, Native Americans working to protect Glen Cove filed more complaints this morning with the Attorney General of California in response to new and serious violations of civil rights by the Greater Vallejo Recreation District.
The organization Sacred Site Protection & Rights of Indigenous Tribes today filed an addendum to the civil rights complaint filed on April 13, 2011 with the State Attorney General in response to GVRD’s attempt to intimidate and limit the number of participants in the spiritual ceremony, attempts to restrict certain ceremonial practices including songs, and GVRD’s refusal to negotiate a resolution of the dispute. The new complaint also further documents the presence of cremations as well as burials at the site, highlighting the risk that bulldozing the hill poses to the ancient human remains.
In a major development, GVRD has informed the United States Department of Justice that they will not sign a proposed agreement allowing the ceremony to temporarily continue without threat of arrest, and GVRD has failed to follow through on their agreement to meet with tribal members to try to resolve the burial site dispute.
Tribal members fulfilled their part of what was thought to be an interim agreement, including taking down tents used for sleeping during the around the clock ceremonies. GVRD however has now refused to do anything they had agreed to do, while stepping up the police presence and monitoring of the ceremony.
Support for the efforts of tribal members to protect the site continues to grow. Last night over 50 people gathered for ceremonies and to welcome Mohave and Chemehuevi visitors from the Colorado River Indian Tribes who came to express their solidarity and encouragement. Hundreds of Native Americans and their supporters have pledged to peacefully defend the sacred site in response to any attempt to desecrate the site or remove the ceremony. “I dont believe any of our tribal people would agree to outright grave robbery and disturbing sacred sites. We will not allow it to happen,” said Fred Short, Spiritual Leader of the American Indian Movement and a participant in the spiritual gathering at Glen Cove.
Glen Cove is located near the intersection of South Regatta and Whitesides Drive in Vallejo. For more information and directions: www.protectglencove.org
A copy of the Civil Rights Complaint and Addendum is available by contacting Bradley Angel at Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice
(415) 722-5270 or bradley@greenaction.org

April 28, 2011

Royal family's wealth is from the blood and genocide of Indigenous Peoples

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Censored News challenges the London Guardian to expose the real source of the wealth of England's 'Royal' family: The blood, genocide and natural resources of Indigenous Peoples

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

The media refuses to examine where England's 'Royal' family got their wealth: from the blood and resources of Indigenous Peoples.

Instead, the media wants the world to celebrate this opulence, greed and genocide.
Censored News challenges the London Guardian to expose the amount and source of the Royal family's wealth.

How much of this luxury has come from the blood of Indigenous fighting to defend their lands from colonization, theft, mining and destruction? How much of this opulence has come from the exploitation of the natural resources of the land, water and air that is now poisoned by mining, drilling and pollution?

Many Americans, especially those glued to TVs, would rather delude themselves with fantasy than look at the facts, or the true history, of exploitation, genocide and the rape of natural resources.

It is easier for them and it leaves more time for shopping. It makes lives of denial easy. They do not want to concern themselves with what has really happened, and is happening, because of the crimes of England, the US and Canada.

As long as the media can keep the spin going, and the lobbyists ensure profits by way of government legislation, there's nothing like a fantasy wedding to distract from the real issues. Few want to examine the truth of Guantanamo, US torture or the US role in narcotrafficking and US gun running in Mexico. Few want to know the truth of the bogus wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, the US plans to wrap new nuclear disasters and power plants in the label of "green" and spin this into fantasy economies. They've targeted Indian country as usual.

Some of the elected chairmen and councils have painted a new smile on oil and gas drilling in sacred places. The US Energy Dept. is ready for them, with their slick promises of jobs to disguise toxic genocide. They'll all be taking their expense accounts derived from coal-fired power plants, logging and mining revenues, to DC and Virginia soon.

The media keeps playing their marching band tunes.

Long Walk 3 Arrives in Minnesota!

East Grand Forks, Minn.: Congratulations to the long walkers and runners on the Long Walk 3 northern route who just entered Minnesota! A special tribute goes out to the three Native youths who are walking and running across America for a second time. They were also on the northern route in 2008: Lisa Peake, Ojibwe/Pomo; Craig Luther, Navajo; and Carl Bad Bear Sampson, Western Shoshone. Cheyenne River Lakota elder Paul Owns the Sabre is also on the northern route, an original walker from Long Walk 1978, who was also on Long Walk 2 and other walks and runs. Thanks also to walkers Manny Calapoo and Bad Bear for sending cellphone photos to Censored News! Thanks for these photos from Chris Francisco, Navajo from Shiprock, N.M., for photos from East Grand Forks.
CONTACT: Northern Route Chris Francisco, (503) 515-6239 indigenouswalkabout@yahoo.com
Northern route's website with map and schedule, videos and more:
http://earthbornproductions.com/LWNR3.html
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April 27, 2011

Protect Glen Cove Day 14

Protect Glen Cove Day 14 Update
http://protectglencove.org/2011/day-14-update

Two weeks have passed now since the sacred fire was lit at Sogorea Te.

Knutte, an elder of Saami descent who has been standing with us since Day 1, would like to share a message with our readers. He wants it known just how many different indigenous and earth-worshiping peoples from all over the world have visited our spiritual gathering over these past two weeks, offering their prayers and solidarity. Indigenous peoples everywhere can recognize the pain of desecration, and the disrespect of being “unrecognized” by the government. Read more ...
http://protectglencove.org/2011/day-14-update/

Uranium, Coal, Water and Sacred Sites in the Southwest

Uranium, Coal, Water and Sacred Sites in the Southwest

Thursday, April 28 · 5:30pm - 7:30pm

Location Labriola Center in Hayden Library, ASU Tempe Campus, Arizona

Please join us for a panel discussion on the shifting policies of domestic energy production and the detrimental effects it has on indigenous communities in the southwestern United States.
Community leaders Manny Pino (Acoma), Dr. David Martinez (Akimel O'odham), Dr. James Riding In (Pawnee) and Hertha Woody (Dine') will discuss the human and environmental costs of coal and uranium production, water settlement issues, and how indigenous perspectives of sacred sites affects our viewpoints of and relationships to all the above.
Manny Pino, Acoma Pueblo, is a professor of sociology and American Indian Studies at Scottsdale Community College. He possesses extensive knowledge about uranium mining's impact on Indigenous issues.
Hertha Woody is of the Diné (Navajo) Nation. She grew up on the Navajo reservation in Shiprock NM. Hertha earned her BS and a Masters in Secondary Education at NAU. She worked two years with the Native American Cancer Research Program at NAU as an undergraduate researcher studying the effects of how uranium interacts with DNA to cause mutations that may lead to cancer. Currently, Hertha is the uranium campaign coordinator at Grand Canyon Trust. She has been working closely with several tribes (Havasupai, Hualapai, Navajo, Hopi and Kaibab Paiute) in the northern Arizona region to promote awareness about uranium mining at the Grand Canyon.
Dr. James Riding In is a citizen of the Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma and an associate professor of American Indian Studies at Arizona State University. He received a Master’s in American Indian Studies and a Ph.D. in History from the University of California, Los Angeles. He has played a prominent role in the development of American Indian Studies at Arizona State University and he is the editor of Wicazo Sa Review: A Journal of Native American Studies. His research about repatriation, as well as historical and contemporary Indian issues has appeared in various books and scholarly journals.
Dr. David Martinez, Akimel O'odham, is a professor of American Indian Studies at Arizona State University, as well as the author of "Dakota Philosopher: Charles Eastman and American Indian Thought." He is knowledgeable in Indigenous spirituality and relationship to land.
The Council Advocating an Indigenous Manifesto (CAIM) is dedicated to increasing Indigenous peoples' knowledge of colonization and decolonization. Through actions oriented through decolonization, Indigenous peoples will become the primary protectors of the integrity of their communities.

IMPACT: Ofelia Rivas on Borders at University of Massachusetts

By The Border Crossed Us
http://www.ikatun.org/thebordercrossedus
Art Installation at the University of Massachusetts

UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS -- In conjunction with the Native Studies program. With guests Ofelia Rivas (Tohono O’odham), Solomon “Rocky” Bear (Maliseet), Curtis Lazore (Mohawk), and moderator Ramona Peters (Director, Cultural Survival Board, Cambridge MA). The panelists discussed their experiences of living on both sides of the “imaginary” borders of US-Canada and US-Mexico, being repeatedly asked to declare their citizenship, and the ways in which they subvert the border, initiate educational sessions with border patrol staff and assert their identities as original peoples of the land.

The sound alternates between a blessing sung by Ofelia Rivas of the Tohono O’odham and helicopter field recordings and construction sounds from the border. The sound comes from a large vent in the ground.

Native American Youth Media Workshop June 2011

Thanks! For more information: brendanorrell@gmail.com or govinda@earthcycles.net

Earthcycles and Censored News have broadcast live from the Americas. From the climate summit in Cochabamba, Bolivia, in 2010, to the Indigenous Peoples Border Summits in San Xavier on the Tohono O'odham Nation in 2006 and 2007. Broadcasting live audio, and now video, the voices of Native people were broadcast from Navajo and Western Shoshone lands to the Dakotas.
In 2008, Earthcycles and Censored News broadcast live on the five month Longest Walk 2 northern route, followed by live broadcasts in 2009 to halt uranium mining in the lands of the Havasupai and Pueblos. The AIM West gatherings in San Francisco and the Detroit Social Forum were among the broadcasts.
Most recently, Govinda has helped set up a new radio station on the Crow Nation in April! Censored News, now in its fifth year with readers in 195 countries, was able to locate sponsors for five Native Americans to attend the climate summits in Cochabama, Bolivia, and Cancun, Mexico, in 2010.

Earthcycles and Censored News have no advertising and continue this work as a labor of love.
http://www.earthcycles.net and www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com

Black Hills Sioux Nation Treaty Council Meeting April 28-29, 2011

Black Hills Sioux Nation Treaty Council

By Alex White Plume
Censored News
http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com

The Black Hills Sioux Nation Treaty Council meeting is April 28 -- 29 at the Billy Mills Hall in Pine Ridge, South Dakota. Many bands are coming together. It is the 143rd Anniversary of the Ft. Laramie Treaty of 1868 and we will hold an honoring. We held a meeting in January, with a quorum. The elders have many questions that will be answered.
Challenging the Doctrine of Discovery: Owe Aku International Justice Report on Phoenix meeting, March 2011:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/54063247/Owe-Aku-Challenging-the-Doctrine-of-Discovery
Owe Aku: Indigenous Caucus Gathering California 2011:
http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2011/04/owe-aku-indigenous-caucus-treaty.html
Owe Aku statement and resolutions meeting January 2011:
http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2011/02/black-hills-sioux-nation-treaty-council.html

Japan's Radioactive Nightmare Hits Home for Navajos

Japan's Radioactive Nightmare Hits Home for Navajos

By Groundswell Films
Censored News
http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- As Japan struggles to contain radioactive contamination, Groundswell is reminding Americans that over a thousand abandoned Cold War-era uranium mines still contaminate the American Southwest. The US Department of Energy will feature The Return of Navajo Boy project as a case study in film, media, public engagement and measurable impacts at its State of Environmental Justice Conference on April 28th and 29th in Washington, DC. This month, the US Environmental Protection Agency began clean up at Skyline Mine, the site featured in the documentary.

Since 2000, when the film's cautionary tale stunned Sundance Film Festival audiences, Groundswell Educational Films has brought it and Navajo activists across the country to advocate for a clean up of radioactive waste in the Navajo Nation. The filmmaker, Jeff Spitz, and Navajo participants triggered a federal investigation into uranium houses. Many Navajos, including the grandmother in the film, Elsie Mae Begay, built their homes with uranium rocks from the abandoned mines. The US government failed to warn Navajos about the dangers of radioactive waste.

Decades after ceasing operations, the radiation from more than 1,000 abandoned uranium mines continues to impact homes, livestock, land, and water across the 27,000 square mile reservation. The Navajo Nation is home to approximately 200,000 people. It holds the largest uranium deposits in the United States and suffers from the highest cancer rates in the Southwest region.

Partially as a response to the Groundswell advocacy campaign, the US Environmental Protection Agency has now begun to clean up the area around the abandoned Skyline Mine, including Elsie Mae Begay's yard spotlighted in the documentary. This month tractors and heavy equipment rolled into Elsie's yard eleven years after the film's debut.

"Americans have been rightfully horrified by the unfolding nuclear disaster in Japan. But we forget that there is highly dangerous radioactive waste poisoning communities right here in America," said Groundswell co-founder Jeff Spitz, who directed the film. "This clean up of the Skyline Mine and Elsie Begay's yard offers a ray of hope to other families living in remote areas hoping for the same attention. We show how to get it."

Groundswell's unique model of film and public awareness campaign empowers Navajos to get attention by equipping them with Flip video cameras, multi-media tools, and opportunities to speak at film events, conferences, on campuses, and in the media nationwide. Navajos upload footage and Groundswell edits short videos that allow thousands of followers to stay engaged in the story unfolding online at www.navajoboy.com/webisodes.

"Using our own video cameras to document what we are struggling with every day gives us hope that the world has not forgotten about us. It gives us a voice," said Mary Helen Begay, Elsie's daughter in law and creator of two recent webisodes. "Our hearts go out to the people of Japan. We hope that they won't have to live with radioactive waste as we have for more than 50 years now."

About Groundswell: Groundswell Educational Films is a nonprofit organization with a mission to collaborate cross-culturally in all facets of documentary filmmaking, transfer media skills into disadvantaged communities, and partner with stakeholders to leverage changes that address the social justice issues raised in our films.
Groundswell Educational Films, NFP
100 N. LaSalle St, Suite 300
Chicago, IL 60602

April 26, 2011

Glen Cove: Occupation of Sacred Place Day 12, 2011

GLEN COVE Occupation of Sacred Place

Day 12, Monday morning update:
City workers survey for fence installation

For today's update, go to:
http://protectglencove.org/

At 10:30am today (4/25), two City of Vallejo workers pulled up at Glen Cove. They walked onto the land, spraypainting and placing flags to mark the city’s water line. They stated that the work order they received is in preparation for a cyclone fence that will extend all the way to the shoreline. Since this fence would require posts to be sunk down in to the ground, law requires them to identify and mark the location of underground pipelines.

This is another indicator that GVRD, rather than working with us, could be attempting to strong-arm their way towards continuing their planned development.
*** Day 11 update / April 24, 2011
This is the eleventh day that the sacred fire at Sogorea Te (Glen Cove), lit in a traditional manner on April 15th, has been continuously burning, carrying our prayers to the sky.
We were blessed with many visitors today. Pit River and Wintu representatives drove down from Redding Rancheria with a truckload of wood and a massage table. Last night they were in a ceremony up at Pit River territory, and prayers were carried from that ceremony to the sacred fire at Glen Cove. They shared stories, traditional California songs, and provided massages to the weary of our group. Jeremy Goodfeather and Calvin Magpie Jr. also visited today, singing ceremonial N.A.C. songs.

Our team of lawyers has been hard at work, developing legal strategy. Legal updates will be posted in the next few days. Tomorrow (Monday), GVRD and the Justice Department’s mediator will have a meeting that excludes the Protect Glen Cove Committee. Following that, we will know whether or not GVRD is willing to sit down at the table with the Committee, and can take next steps from there.
On a logistical note, support has been requested in the kitchen – reinforcements to help with cooking and cleaning would be much appreciated. There is also a request from Security for “superfood” supplements in capsule form (to combat stress-induced poor nutrition), black pants size 34-40, and beanies to keep heads warm in the evenings.

Latest news/media:
ABC News 10, 4/25: Native Americans try to protect Vallejo burial ground
KCBS 4/24: Mediation Set For Native American Burial Site In Vallejo (with audio)
[note: GVRD has still not agreed to any meeting with us]
Times-Herald Editorial 4/25: Waste of Time by Murray McLeod, Vallejo Resident
Times-Herald Editorial 4/25: Amazing by Carla Gallagher, Benicia Resident
Native News Network 4/24: We Cannot Stop Now!

For more information and latest updates, please visit:
http://protectglencove.org/

April 24, 2011

Glen Cove Occupation: Earth Day

Glen Cove Occupation: Earth Day

(Sat., April 23, 2011) Over 300 people attended today’s Indigenous Peoples Earth Day celebration, in support of the ongoing struggle to protect the Glen Cove sacred burial ground from desecration.
Many races and creeds were represented in the attendees, who included Alcatraz Occupation veterans. Vallejo Mayor Osby Davis (in photo on left, with Wounded Knee on right) received a guided tour of the land. More: http://protectglencove.org/
In other news, Morning Star Gali met with traditional Patwin Tribe elders on April 22nd and received their blessings and support for our work of protecting Sogorea Te. Indigenous representatives from the Committee to Protect Sogorea Te are in the process of meeting with elders and tribal council members of the other tribes/nations who have ancestral ties to Glen Cove.

Navajo John Redhouse: Farmington NM Police Brutality

By John Redhouse, Navajo
Censored News
In light of the latest incident of police brutality committed against Navajos in Farmington, we can see that nothing has really changed since the 1945 police beating death of former Navajo tribal chairman Deshna Clah Cheschillige and the 2006 police shooting death of Clint John.
Scroll down to read or print.
(There is a blank space beneath the intro, then proceed to the next page by scrolling down.)

Navajo John Redhouse: Farmington NM Police Brutality

Photos: Long Walk 3 Turtle Mountain Chippewa

Photos of the Longest Walk 3 reversing diabetes at Turtle Mountain Chippewa, North Dakota. Thanks to Carl Bad Bear Sampson and Manny Calapoo for photo one. Thanks to Chris Franicsco and Long Walk 3 for photos 2, 3 and 4!

Albuquerque: Louise Benally Big Mountain Struggle, April 29, 2011

The Struggle on Big Mountain/Black Mesa Continues!

Louise Benally: Indigenous Environmental Activist and Long Time Resident of Black Mesa is Speaking at UNM!

Dine’ families and elders have been resisting cultural genocide for over thirty five years and are targeted for unjust large-scale coal mining operations and forced relocation policies of the U.S. government in Black Mesa/Big Mountain, AZ. Throughout those thirty five years the U.S. government and Peabody Coal have forcefully relocated thousands Dine’ people away from their ancestral homeland, the land that they belong to, in the name of greed, energy and progress. Many families and elders have refused to leave, even though they are under constant pressure to do so. Their daily lives have become a direct action to save their land base, to maintain their traditional life ways, and to take a stand against global warming and globalization. They are not creating a new way of sustainable living, but are struggling to live as they always have—with the earth and not against it.
When: April 29th at 5:00 PM
Where: The UNM Main Campus, Sub Ballroom C
Who: The KIVA Club and BMIS (Black Mesa Indigenous Support) are putting on the event
Contact: Stephanie @ ssalaza4@unm.edu or
Derek @ 215-820-3444 or email Bobadochie@aol.com

'The Sand Creek Massacre' at Cheyenne Film Festival

The Sand Creek Massacre at Cheyenne Film Festival

Photo: Donald L. Vasicek Southern Cheyenne Chief Laird (Whistling Eagle) Cometsevah. Courtesy photo.

The award-winning documentary, "The Sand Creek Massacre" has been entered in the Cheyenne International Film Festival in Cheyenne, Wyoming, May 19--22, 2011. Arapaho people will be present before the screening of the film. A great opportunity to learn about the Arapaho and Cheyenne people.
The program also includes Gambling for the Future made by video production students at the Wind River Tribal College and Divided Trails, which was nominated for an Oscar in 1978.
There will also be a Northern Arapaho Language demonstration and a performance by members of the Wind River Dancers.
http://cheyenneinternationalfilmfestival.com/blog/ciff-2011/
For more information on Sand Creek Massacre film:
Filmmaker Donald L. Vasicek; Olympus Films+, LLC
The Zen of Writing: http://www.donvasicek.com
dvasicek@earthlink.net 303-903-2103

April 20, 2011

Arizona: Apartheid Board Complicit in Destroying Ethnic Studies

Apartheid Board Complicit in Destroying Ethnic StudiesBy Roberto Dr. Cintli Rodriguez

In a previous column, I used the term CULTURAL GENOCIDE to describe the attempt by the state of Arizona to criminalize and to eliminate the teaching of Ethnic Studies. The use of the term unnecessarily set off a firestorm across the Atlantic. Incidentally, the similar attempt to destroy native cultures in the Americas in a previous era was called: REDUCCION. The term may not have been controversial, but the dehumanizing practice of culturally exterminating Indigenous peoples certainly was.
Read column:
http://censored-news.blogspot.com/2011/04/arizona-rodriguez-apartheid-board.html
Also attend 'Denying Ethnic Studies, from Arizona to Palestine' on Thursday, April 21, 2011, in Tucson. See list of speakers:
http://censored-news.blogspot.com/2011/04/denying-ethnic-studies-arizona-to.html

Long Walk 3 Video: Northern Cheyenne, Lame Deer, Montana

Paul Owns the Sabre, Cheyenne River Lakota, with Northern Cheyenne youths in Lame Deer, Montana. Today, Wednesday, April 20, the Long Walk 3 northern route is with Turtle Mountain Chippewa in Belcourt, North Dakota. Thanks to Long Walk 3 northern route coordinator Chris Francisco, Navajo from Shiprock, N.M., for the videos shared on Censored News.
Also watch: Long Walk 3 video with Charles Little Old Man speaking on living with diabetes, and the need to eat healthy foods:
http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2011/04/video-long-walk-reversal-of-diabetes.html
Long Walk 3 northern route contact, schedule and more videos at:
http://www.earthbornproductions.com/LWNR3.html

Glen Cove Sacred Place: Day 6 of Occupation

Day 6: Spiritual Gathering to Protect Glen Cove Continues

* Ceremonial Tipi Erected at Site
* State Senator Noreen Evans Tours Sacred Site; Promises to Encourage
Resolution of Dispute
More photos from today have been posted on our website:
http://protectglencove.org/photos/day-six/
Watch coverage on KTVU News:http://www.ktvu.com/video/27591761/index.html
As the spiritual gathering being held by local tribal members and
supporters at the sacred burial site at Glen Cove in Vallejo entered its
sixth day, State Senator Noreen Evans and her staff toured the site and
met with leaders of the spiritual vigil. Senator Evans pledged to work
with all parties to achieve a just resolution of the ongoing dispute.
Also today, a traditional ceremonial tipi was erected by tribal members
next to the sacred fire. The tipi is part of the ongoing spiritual
gathering being conducted to protect the burials and culturally
significant site from desecration by the development and bulldozing
planned by the Greater Vallejo Recreation District.
Over 60 people were at Glen Cove this afternoon, participating in the
spiritual gathering and singing traditional and ceremonial songs. Hundreds
more have pledged to respond if necessary to stop desecration of the site.
Last night, 200 people came to the site to defend the spiritual gathering
and protect the sacred site after GVRD threatened to call in the police to
remove people from the site tonight. An agreement mediated by the United
States Department of Justice resulted in GVRD dropping their plans to
attempt to remove the tribal members and supporters from the site.
Glen Cove is located near the intersection of South Regatta and
Whitesides Drive in Vallejo. For more information and directions:
www.protectglencove.org &;http://www.protectglencove.org>
Contact:
* Corrina Gould 510-575-8408
* Morning Star Gali (510) 827 6719
* Norman "Wounded Knee" Deocampo 707-373-7195
* Mark Anquoe (415) 680-0110

Long Walk 3 with Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara, ND

Long Walk 3 long walkers Manny and Carl 'Bad Bear' with Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation Council Vice Chair Judy Brugh in New Town, North Dakota. Thanks to Manny and Carl for the photos via cellphone to Censored News!

April 18, 2011

Glen Cove: Spiritual encampment threatened with removal

URGENT
Steve Presley of GVRD threatens spiritual encampment of removal tonight after agreements to meet tomorrow!***
Support Needed!

For Immediate Release: Monday, April 18, 2011
Contact: Morning Star Gali (510) 827 6719 * Mark Anquoe (415) 680 0110
Corrina Gould 510-575-8408 * Norman “Wounded Knee” Deocampo 707-373-7195
MONDAY, April 18, 2011:
Steve Presley of GVRD threatens spiritual encampment of removal tonight after agreements to meet tomorrow!

* Native Americans Continue Spiritual Ceremonies and Occupation of Burial Site
· * Dozens of local residents visit and express support for protecting the sacred land
· * GVRD’s Public Relations Fails to Mention Plans to Bulldoze Hill That Likely Contains Human Remains
· * Participants Conduct Glen Cove Beach Cleanup & Remove Graffiti on Abandoned Mansion
Press statement

Vallejo, California - The occupation of the ancient burial site at Glen Cove in Vallejo by Native Americans and supporters entered its fifth day on Monday, April 18, 2011 as dozens remain at the site to guard it against desecration by bulldozers.

On Sunday, Native Americans and their supporters conducted a cleanup of the beach at Glen Cove, and also painted over Nazi graffiti that the City had allowed to remain on the old Mansion at the site. Dozens of local residents visited the occupation over the weekend and expressed their support for protecting the burial site. Many expressed outrage that the City was wasting money fighting the Native Americans over this site when other City parks are dilapidated due to budget problems. Supporters brought food and supplies.

The Native Americans are highlighting the fact that public statements by the Greater Vallejo Recreation District in the last few days is very misleading, with GVRD representatives claiming they want to protect the burial site but failing to mention their plans to dig into a hill that likely contains human remains with bulldozers.

The U.S. Department of Justice met with the Native American leadership on Saturday to lay the groundwork for a possible mediation meeting with Greater Vallejo Recreation District on Monday or Tuesday.

The history and cultural value of the site has never been disputed. Native Americans continue to hold ceremonies at Sogorea Te just as they have for thousands of years. The Glen Cove Shell Mound spans fifteen acres along the Carquinez Strait. It is the final resting place of many Indigenous People dating back more than 3,500 years, and has served as a traditional meeting place for dozens of California Indian tribes. The site continues to be spiritually important to California tribes. The Glen Cove site is acknowledged by GVRD and the City to have many burials and to be an important cultural site, yet they are attempting to build a toilet and parking lot on this sacred site and to grade a hill that likely contains human remains and important cultural artifacts. SSP&RIT have asked GVRD to reconsider their plans to grade the hill and build toilets and a parking lot at the site.
Glen Cove is located near the intersection of South Regatta and Whitesides Drive in Vallejo. For more information and directions:

http://www.protectglencove.org/

Navajo Anna Rondon: Fukushima wakeup call for human race

Navajo Anna Rondon on American Indian Airwaves

Fukushima is a wakeup call for the human race
Listen now to the April 12, 2011 program:
http://archive.kpfk.org/parchive/xml/americanindian.xml
Navajo Anna Rondon describes the global movement to halt the destruction and death from nuclear power, from Indian country to Los Alamos, New Mexico, and Japan.
Rondon said the uranium mining cleanup has never occurred on Navajoland or in the Pueblos, yet President Obama is pushing new nuclear power plants.
Uranium mining has poisoned the water and killed the people since the beginning of uranium mining during the Cold War in Navajoland, the Pueblos and the Grand Canyon.
Rondon describes how Navajo children played in the radioactive runoff, and Navajos ate the radioactive food, and died.
Rondon describes US policy as a license to kill.
"The elected officials are bought and paid for, while the people are dying."
"As citizens we need to rise up."
Rondon said there is no "clean and green" nuclear energy, as President Obama claims. She said Obama should come to Navajoland and experience the reality from the families who have suffered and hear how their loved ones died.
Rondon, who was 11 years old when she was present at the occupation of Alcatraz, said the long and painful deaths of children, from Australia to Africa, continues as the corporate assassinators continue to kill with nuclear power and uranium mining.

VIDEO Glen Cove Occupation 2011

VIDEO: Long Walk Reversal of Diabetes, Lame Deer

http://youtu.be/9D671YcjIXo

During the Long Walk 3 northern route's stay on Northern Cheyenne land, Charles Little Old Man from Lame Deer, Montana, speaks from personal experience about living with diabetes, and the need to eat healthy foods. Video by Long Walk 3 northern route. Thank you to the walkers and Charles Little Old Man from Censored News!

Glen Cove Occupation Underway 2011: Protecting Sacred Place

Sacred Site Protection & Rights of Indigenous Tribes (SSP&RIT)

Contact: Mark Anquoe (415) 680 0110 Morning Star Gali (510) 827 6719 Norman “Wounded Knee” Deocampo 707-373-7195 Corrina Gould 510-575-8408

150 Native Americans & Supporters Occupy Sacred Land at Glen Cove in Vallejo

Press statement

Vallejo, California (April 15, 2011) – 150 Native Americans and supporters have successfully occupied the ancient burial site at Glen Cove, Vallejo, preventing the Greater Vallejo Recreation District from beginning work that would desecrate the sacred site. Beginning with an early morning spiritual ceremony, protesters vowed to block bulldozers and prevent any work that would desecrate the site from taking place. The occupation will continue until there is an agreement to protect the burial site. Dozens of people will camp at the site tonight.

At 11:30 am today the protesters held a peaceful rally and ceremony at Vallejo City Hall and then marched to the offices of the Greater Vallejo Recreation District.

Last night the United States Department of Justice sent a senior conciliation specialist to Glen Cove to meet with Native American leaders. The Native Americans asked the DOJ to help facilitate a meeting with the GVRD to try to reach an agreement to protect the sacred burial site. It is possible a meeting between the sides, mediated by the US Department of Justice, may occur Monday.
The State Attorney General’s office has also become involved after the organization SSP&RIT filed an administrative civil rights complaint against the City and GVRD on Wednesday.

Native American activists and supporters have begun the occupation of Glen Cove as an escalation of their struggle that has been going on for over a decade, since the Greater Vallejo Recreation District (GVRD) first proposed plans for a “fully featured public park” including construction of a paved parking lot, paved hiking trails, 1000 pound picnic tables and a public restroom on top of the 3500 year old burial site.

On Wednesday, April 13th, Sacred Site Protection and Rights of Indigenous Tribes (SSP&RIT), a Vallejo-based community organization, filed an administrative civil rights complaint to the State of California alleging that the City and GVRD are discriminating on the basis of race in threatening to destroy and desecrate significant parts of the Glen Cove Shellmound and burial site, for harming Native Americans’ religious and spiritual well-being, and effectively excluding Native Americans from their right to full participation in decision-making regarding the site.

The history and cultural value of the site has never been disputed. Human remains have been consistently unearthed as the area around the site has been developed. Native Americans continue to hold ceremonies at Sogorea Te just as they have for thousands of years. The Glen Cove Shell Mound spans fifteen acres along the Carquinez Strait. It is the final resting place of many Indigenous People dating back more than 3,500 years, and has served as a traditional meeting place for dozens of California Indian tribes. The site continues to be spiritually important to California tribes. The Glen Cove site is acknowledged by GVRD and the City to have many burials and to be an important cultural site, yet they are moving forward as early as Friday with plans to build a toilet and parking lot on this sacred site and to grade a hill that likely contains human remains and important cultural artifacts.

SSP&RIT have asked GVRD to reconsider their plans to grade the hill and build toilets and a parking lot at the site.

Glen Cove is located near the intersection of South Regatta and Whitesides Drive in Vallejo.

For more information and directions: www.protectglencove.org

Update Saturday: Occupation underway, visitors welcome

All who will stand with us in prayer are welcome. If you live near the Bay Area, please consider stopping by for a few hours, or a few days. Your presence will be very appreciated. Directions to Glen Cove can be found here. We will remain on site until an agreement is reached that protects the ancestors.
Current requests from the group: shade structures, tents, paper towels, banner/sign making supplies, rope, moist hand wipes, Bronners soap, honey, and most of all, more people to stand with us. We do not need any more bottled water!

To send a message to the group, just leave a comment on any of the articles of this website. We will print out these comments and post them at Glen Cove, for participants to read!

April 15, 2011

Navajoland 'Sheep is Life' 2011

Sheep is Life Celebration Events, June 20-25, 2011

The 15th Annual Sheep is Life Celebration will be held Monday through Saturday, 20 – 25 June 2011, at the Diné College Rodeo Arena on the Tsailé Campus in the Navajo Nation. Slow down in the Tsaile Mountains and learn about spinning and carding. There's a Navajo stick game, events for youths, weavings and more. DBI, The Navajo Lifeway, serves all sheep and wool producers, with an emphasis on maintaining the Navajo-Churro breed.
http://www.navajolifeway.org/

Glen Cove: Native Americans occupy sacred place

As Bulldozers May Arrive Any Day at Ancient Burial Site, Native Americans To Occupy Sacred Land at Glen Cove in Vallejo

Spiritual Ceremony and Occupation Beginning Friday, April 15, 2011 at 8 am

Press statement

Vallejo, California (April 14, 2011) – Faced with the imminent arrival of bulldozers at the Native American sacred burial site at Glen Cove, Vallejo, members of the local Native American community will hold a religious ceremony to commence an occupation of Sogorea Te, otherwise known as Glen Cove, in the City of Vallejo beginning at 8 am on Friday, April 15, 2011. Native Americans and their supporters have vowed to physically block bulldozers or any other work that would desecrate the burial site.
Native American activists consider this to be the last stand in a struggle that has been going on for over a decade, since the Greater Vallejo Recreation District (GVRD) first proposed plans for a “fully featured public park” including construction of a paved parking lot, paved hiking trails, 1000 pound picnic tables and a public restroom on top of the 3500 year old burial site.
On Wednesday, April 13th, Sacred Site Protection and Rights of Indigenous Tribes (SSP&RIT), a Vallejo-based community organization, filed an administrative civil rights complaint to the State of California alleging that the City and GVRD are discriminating on the basis of race in threatening to destroy and desecrate significant parts of the Glen Cove Shellmound and burial site, for harming Native Americans’ religious and spiritual well-being, and effectively excluding Native Americans from their right to full participation in decision-making regarding the site.
The history and cultural value of the site has never been disputed. Human remains have been consistently unearthed as the area around the site has been developed. Native Americans continue to hold ceremonies at Sogorea Te just as they have for thousands of years. The Glen Cove Shell Mound spans fifteen acres along the Carquinez Strait. It is the final resting place of many Indigenous People dating back more than 3,500 years, and has served as a traditional meeting place for dozens of California Indian tribes. The site continues to be spiritually important to California tribes. The Glen Cove site is acknowledged by GVRD and the City to have many burials and to be an important cultural site, yet they are moving forward as early as Friday with plans to build a toilet and parking lot on this sacred site and to grade a hill that likely contains human remains and important cultural artifacts.
SSP&RIT have asked GVRD to reconsider their plans to grade the hill and build toilets and a parking lot at the site.
Glen Cove is located near the intersection of South Regatta and Whitesides Drive in Vallejo.
For more information and directions: www.protectglencove.org

Contact:
Norman “Wounded Knee” Deocampo 707-373-7195
Corrina Gould 510-575-8408
Mark Anquoe (415) 680 0110
Morning Star Gali (510) 827 6719
In the news:
Tribe pleads for halt to burial site bathrooms
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_17843726
San Jose Mercury News ‎
AP VALLEJO, Calif.—A California tribe wants the state to halt construction of bathrooms atop an American Indian burial site in Vallejo. The Ohlone tribe's civil rights complaint asks California Attorney General Kamala Harris to block creation of a park ...
Ohlones file complaint about plan for burial site
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/04/13/BAD11J03G4.DTL&type=science

April 13, 2011

'The Border Crossed Us' Univ. Mass. April 2011

http://www.ikatun.org/thebordercrossedus

'The Border Crossed Us'
Art installation, with O'odham and more Native American speakers

Wednesday, April 20
Opening Reception 3-4:30 PM
The Border Crossed Us site between Campus Center and Campus Parking GarageArtist Talk 4:45 PM Studio Arts Building, Room 240
In Conversation: Catherine D’Ignazio, Ofelia Rivas, Susan Jahoda, UMass Professor of Art, and Mario Ontiveros, UMass Professor of Art History.
The talk will investigate public art practices, social activism, and the visualization of borders.
Friday, April 22
Symposium: Herter Hall 227, 3 PM – 7 PM
3 – 4:30 PM Panel talk with Ofelia Rivas (Tohono O’odham), Solomon “Rocky” Bear (Maliseet), Curtis Lazore (Mohawk), and moderator Ramona Peters (Director, Cultural Survival Board, Cambridge MA).
Reception following
Saturday, April 23
Powwow, Tours of the Border & Flute Performance
10:00 – 6:00 PM Powwow, Curry Hicks Cage
11AM & 2:30 PM Virtual Tours of the US-Mexico border fence at the Project Site. Led by Ofelia Rivas & Flora Marietta (Tohono O’odham) and Catherine D’Ignazio (the Institute for Infinitely Small Things).
6:30 PM – Red Cedar flute performance at the Project Site by renowned musician, DJ and activist Tiokasin Ghosthorse of the Cheyenne River Sioux.
All events are free and open to the public.
'Talk to the Fence' add your thoughts on the blog for the event at:
http://www.ikatun.org/thebordercrossedus/

April 11, 2011

Untouchable media: Queen of England and Pope, wealth from the blood of Indigenous

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

How much of the lavish wealth of the Queen of England and the Pope has come from the lands, resources and suffering of Indigenous Peoples.

When I see the wealth of the Queen of England, I see the suffering in Africa, and then around the earth. The public relations machine of the Queen and family members make their accumulated wealth look so glitzy and glamorous, as if everyone should want to be like them.

They want you to celebrate their wealth.

The source of the wealth of the Queen of England, and the Pope, are among the untouchable stories in the media. This is the type of story that rocks the foundation of the exploiters, shakes the cradle which allows it to continue.

The acquisition of lavish wealth by the Queen of England and Vatican have been disguised by their well-paid publicists, and the coopted media. The reporters who have started investigations of these matters in the mainstream media have quickly found themselves unemployed. Instead of revealing the truth, the media wants you to join in and promote these exploiters -- celebrate their wealth and power.

Don't be fooled by the hype. Research for yourself the so-called conquests of Africa and the Americas, Australia and the South Pacific, and see whose blood these riches were drained from. Read for yourself of the Indigenous Peoples tortured and raped as they struggled to hold on to their land, water, trees and natural resources.

The conquests continue today. Research the miners buried alive in Africa and Indigenous activists assassinated by mining companies in Guatemala and Peru. Research the fact that Indian lands of the Navajo, Pueblo, Lakota and others are targeted with uranium mining and coal-fired power plants in the US.

Read about the long history of corporate genocide in Canada and Australia, and the role of abusive boarding schools, colonization and militarization. You can begin your research with today and work backwards in time, to the time when the British and conquistadors seized land and carried out the slaughter, the blood bath and genocide of Indigenous Peoples.

Today's conquistadors are in Washington, on some tribal councils and on lobbying firms. The goal is to keep the profits going to the exploiters and corporations. The wealth comes from mining, oil and gas, uranium, coal, forests and minerals.

The corporations reap their profits from wars and target those they consider expendables, people of color and the poor, to fight those wars and die in those wars.

The wealth and power mongers need water and land for the rich to keep getting richer, they need the rivers and the streams. They need the air you breathe. They need to control your thoughts.

They need public relations folks to spin it all, deceive you.

They need to own the media.

April 10, 2011

Photos Long Walk 3 at Eagle Butte, Cheyenne River, SD

Long Walk 3 northern route for the reversal of diabetes in Eagle Butte, Cheyenne River Lakota land, South Dakota, April 2011. Photos by Chris Francisco LW3.

April 10, 2011: Long Walk 3 in South Dakota and Oklahoma

Northern Route: On Saturday, April 9, Chris Francisco said, "We will be heading towards Ft Yates today around 9-10. We had a day of rest in Eagle Butte. I hope everyone is warm and dry. Peace and love to you all. Aho creator for keeping us safe on the roads and bless all the supporters that have been praying for us. Be well."

Southern Route: The southern route was in Canton, Oklahoma on Saturday and with Cheyenne Arapahoe and Commanche at events. On Monday the southern route plans to go back going to Lawton to tour their Wellness Center and discuss their diabetes prevention program.

Bloody Island Memorial, May 14, 2011

Bloody Island Memorial

May 14, 2011

We'll have camping at dance area in back, available at 3 pm on Friday. Dance all night at dance area. Have runners and walkers leave dance area at 4 am to the island. Come back on Sat afternoon at 1 pm for more dances, all welcome. Close with bear dance after all the dancers are done. Thank You Doug Duncan. Dance area: enter Robinson on Pomo Way to end of Pomo Way, turn left, follow to sharp right turn, enter posted area to dance grounds.

Treaty 8 First Nations in Oil Sands Region: Traditional livelihoods threatened

Draft Land Use Plan Infringes Treaty 8 First Nations in Oil Sands Region say that the Lower Athabasca Regional Plan does not protect enough land and resources to sustain their traditional livelihood and creates legal risk for Alberta

By Chief Allan Adam, Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation

April 8, 2011, Fort McMurray

On April 5, 2011, Alberta Government’s Department of Sustainable Resource Development, headed by Minister Mel Knight, released the draft Lower Athabasca Region Plan (LARP). The draft plan proposes a 16% increase to conservation areas in the oil sands region, which is significantly less than the recommendations from the Regional Advisory Council (RAC), who advised up to 32%, and considerably less than recommendations from First Nations.

The Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, who has aboriginal and treaty Rights throughout the LARP area are left wondering how they will sustain their traditional livelihood and protect their cultural existence on what amounts to scattered, small parcels of land. According to Chief Allan Adam the LARP represents “… an economic assimilation of our people. How can we maintain our culture, protect our livelihood and continue practicing our treaty rights under these conditions.

LARP is an infringement of our Rights and the government has a duty and obligation to ensure that we have the ability to practice and maintain those Rights now and into the future.”

Chief Adam explained that “Alberta is doing more of the same thing and expecting a different result. The provincial government consistently fails to meet even our basic needs when it comes to air, land and water within the region and fails to meaningfully engage First Nations in land management decisions in accordance with our aboriginal and treaty rights. Until Alberta makes meaningful efforts to protect land, regulate industry and ensure that First Nations are at the table as full partners to develop solutions to the serious environmental challenges that government and industry are creating, they can count on our opposition to further development within the region.”

The ACFN depends on the environment in order to sustain their protected treaty right to hunt, fish and trap. The government has a duty and obligation under Treaty 8 and the Constitution Act to ensure that the environment will be protected in ways that are sufficient to sustain First Nations use of the ecosystems. The goal of Chief Adam is to ensure that the members of the ACFN have the ability to practice their treaty rights. With the inadequate process that was used to develop LARP, it is clear that the ACFN’s voice was not heard. The ACFN submitted numerous documents to the RAC regarding the environment, sustainability and the importance of the practice of the rights and culture to ACFN’s wellbeing.

At a community meeting held with the GOA in Fort Chipewyan on January 18, 2011 the ACFN membership unanimously agreed that the consultation on the LARP process was unfair. Lionel Lepine, member of the ACFN is worried about his ability to maintain his way of life and the ability to continue practicing his treaty rights. According to Lionel, “…the LARP will be a cultural annihilation.

As the land continues to be developed, where will I go to teach my children their cultural way of life?” Leslie Cardinal another ACFN member stated that “The government of Canada formally endorsed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in a manner that is consistent with Canada’s Constitution and laws. The UN Declaration is clear that Indigenous people have the right to maintain and strengthen their distinctive spiritual relationship with their traditionally owned or otherwise occupied and used lands, territories, waters and other resources and to uphold their responsibilities to future generations.

The LARP is not consistent with the international or Canadian laws.” According to Chief Adam, “It is obvious that the ACFN was not heard and that the government is not listening. One thing is clear, we will be reviewing the LARP and what it means to our continued use and practice of our rights and make a decision on how to proceed due to the infringements.”

ACFN will be completing a detailed review of the draft LARP over the next 60 days and will continue their attempts to have Alberta consult them in a meaningful way on land and resource use planning and decision-making in the oil sands region. Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation traditional lands and treaty rights extend throughout the Lower Athabasca oil sands region. The ACFN signed Treaty 8 in 1899 at Fort Chipewyan on Lake Athabasca. Today, the majority of members reside in Fort Chipewyan and Fort McMurray.
For more information contact:

Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation
Chief Allan Adam, Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation