Indigenous Peoples and Human Rights

July 31, 2022

Women holding cradleboards asked to leave meeting with Pope Francis


Protective baby carriers meant to represent children who died at residential schools


By Emilie Warren
CBC News
July 29, 2022

WARNING: This story contains distressing details.

Indigenous women who were carrying cradleboards that they had intended to present to Pope Francis during a private meeting with residential school survivors were asked to leave the room before the pontiff entered.

The event had been scheduled as a moment for survivors from Eastern Canada to meet with the Pope in person at the archbishop's residence on Friday morning in Quebec City, a few hours before the pontiff's departure to Iqaluit.

Jonel Beauvais, a Kanien'kehá:ka Wolf Clan member from Akwesasne, said that while she was able to stay, she had to go to the back.

"They said that they only wanted survivors and not their supporters. So I'm not quite sure why you would invite supporters if they're not allowed to be in the room with the survivors," she said.

Read the full article at CBC

Mohawk Nation News 'Pope Acknowledges Church Schools Committed Genocide'

 


Pope Acknowledges Church Schools Committed Genocide'

Mohawk Nation News

https://mohawknationnews.com/blog/2022/07/31/pope-acknowledges-church-schools-committed-genocide-audio/

Audio

https://www.reuters.com/world/pope-says-genocide-took-place-church-schools-canada-indigenous-children-2022-07-30/

 On Saturday July 30, 2020, Pope Francis admitted the atrocities that were perpetrated against the indigenous people. “Yes, it is a genocide, yes, yes, clearly. You can say that I said it was a genocide,” the Pope said. The kahnisensera, mohawk mothers, added that “Guilt falls also on the Canadian government which funded the carefully planned genocide”. 

Mohawk Nation News 'Cree Sings Words of Truth to Pope and World'

 MNN. CREE SINGS WORDS OF TRUTH TO POPE & THE WORLD

Mohawk Nation News 


https://mohawknationnews.com/blog/2022/07/30/cree-sings-words-of-truth-to-pope-and-the-world

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/cree-woman-singing-papal-visit-1.6535055

MNN. July 30. 2022. She was supposed to sing ‘O Canada’ to the Pope at Ste. Anne de  Beaupre in southern Quebec before he left for Iqualit in northern turtle island.  It turned out she wasn’t singing O Canada or to the Pope. She was voicing a truthful message to the indigenous people and to the whole world!

 Her actual indigenous words were: “You are hereby served spoken law. We, the daughters of the Great Spirit and our tribal sovereign members cannot be coerced into any law, any treaty that is not the Great Law,” she translated later for CBC News.

July 29, 2022

Mohawk Mothers: 'Pope Must Leave our Land'

Mohawk Nation News 

Please post and distribute.

 

Audio at MNN

https://mohawknationnews.com/blog/2022/07/28/the-pope-immediate-press-release-audio/

Kanien’kehĂ :ka Kahnistensera (Mohawk Mothers) demand that the Pope must leave our land and take the cross and all of the symbols of their atrocities with him. Indigenous people see it as how the Jewish people see the swastika. McGill must stop bulldozing alleged unmarked graves before any investigation.

***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

“The pope must leave and take the cross with him”, demand the Kanien’kehĂ :ka Kahnistensera (Mohawk Mothers), who are carrying out their duties under the direction of the great peace kaianerekowa, and to stop the unmarked graves from being bulldozed by McGill University, which is now in Quebec’s Superior Court. They are trying to desecrate a crime scene, which violates their own law.

TiohtiĂ ke/Montreal, July 28, 2022. The Kanien’kehĂ :ka Kahnistensera (Mohawk Mothers) joined by their 50+ supporters had a rally and press conference to share updates on their attempt to stop McGill University from conducting excavation work on the grounds of the Royal Victoria Hospital, regardless of allegations of unmarked graves of Indigenous children. The rally and the press conference took place yesterday at the Mordecai Richler Gazebo at the foot of the unceded kanien’kehĂ :ka homeland of tekanontak (Mount-Royal), which all parties concede is all indigenous land as caretakers for future people.

United Nations Report -- TigerSwan Targeted Women at Standing Rock, by Water Protector Legal Collective


photo by Oceti Sakowin Camp/flickr

WPLC submits Shadow Report to UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on Alleged Human Rights Abuses by Private Security Actors at Standing Rock and the United States


By Water Protector Legal Collective
July 22, 2022
Contact: Nizhoni Begay, Communications Coordinator
communications@waterprotectorlegal.org

On July 22, 2022, the Water Protector Legal Collective, in collaboration with the International Organization for Self-Determination and Equality (IOSDE), submitted a Shadow Report to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (UN CERD) on the Use of Private Security Forces—namely, TigerSwan—by the company behind the Dakota Access Pipeline, Energy Transfer Partners, at Standing Rock as a weapon against the #NoDAPL movement and Water Protectors. The 107th session of the Examination of the United States will be held on August 11-12, 2022.

July 27, 2022

Song of Anguish and Pain of Pope's Presence Mislabeled by Media

Photo by Gavin John for Global News

 

Singer says impromptu song at Maskwacis papal apology being mistaken for ‘O Canada’

Si Pih Ko’s song is being shared and resonating with people worldwide, she said it is being mistaken for the wrong tune, Karen Bartko at Global News reports.

“It wasn’t O Canada. It’s our village in our language of the Four Winds,” Si Pih Ko said to Global News at the Lac Ste. Anne pilgrimage.

“‘You are hereby served the spoken law, we the daughters of the great spirit and our tribal sovereign members can not be forced into law or treaty that is now the great law. We have appointed chiefs on our territories, convern yourselves accordingly,’ and then I turned my back on him and said ‘hiy hiy’ and I shook it off.”

July 26, 2022

Oglala Lakota say 'No' to using Indigenous youths as poverty porn for church profit

Oglala Lakota youth speak truth to the Oglala tribal council of their concerns of abuses by local churches operating within the boundaries of the Oglala Sioux Tribe in South Dakota. These crimes include and are not limited to openly demonizing cultural teachings and traditional Lakota. -- Andrew Catt Iron Shell Watch on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKaQa4L3yaA

Oglala Lakota say 'No' to using Indigenous youths as poverty porn for church profit


By Eleanor Ferguson
Youth Mentor
International Indigenous Youth Council-Oglala Lakota Chapter
July 26, 2022

Mitakuyepi, there was a victory for the Titawan Oglala Lakota today!

The OST Tribal Council has officially suspended all activity of every single church/missionary on the reservation until all employees/volunteers can pass a background check, and provide full financial statements which will prove how much money they are receiving, where their money is coming from and where it is going. If they fail to do so they will be removed from Oglala Lakota Territory.

Starting from today no missionary should be operating on our reservation until they’ve followed the proper protocols.

They banned churches and missionaries from using photos/videos of Oglala Lakota children to solicit donations. They also copyrighted the words Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, OST, and Oglala Lakota so churches and missionaries are no longer allowed to use these words in any type of form to receive funding or donations; such as in their website, pamphlets, donation fundraisers, etc.

They will be starting an active 2-week investigation on the Dream Center ASAP to see if they were affiliated with Matthew Monfore and whoever else was affiliated with Matthew Monfore will be banned from our reservation.

I just want to give a big wopila to those who made this possible, those who guided me and the International Indigenous Youth Council-Oglala Lakota Chapter this far.

Our mentors never gave up on our vision even when shit was tough, our mentors always reminded us that the work we are doing is necessary and needed in order for us to save our Lakota spirituality.

The youth do this work for all of the babies who died at the hands of priests and nuns.
We do this for the elders who are still suffering from boarding school trauma.
Shout out to tribal council for holding it down for our way of life, for the people, and the youth.

We are rising! Times are changing!
It was a good day to be Oglala Lakota

Video of Oglala Lakota Council discussion and approval of new ordinance which halts missionaries and requires churches to register, provide background checks, provide financial reports and halts the use of photos of children for fundraising. All work of missionaries and churches is halted until registered, with law enforcement enabled to enforce the removal of violators.

Mohawk Nation News 'The Godfather is Coming'

 

Mohawk Nation News

Audio at MNN:

https://mohawknationnews.com/blog/2022/07/25/the-godfather-is-coming-audio/

MNN. July 24, 2022. WE DON’T NEED HIS UNHOLY PRESENCE ON TURTLE ISLAND!

See Notice Below of Press Conference @ 3.00 PM Wed. July 27, 2022 next to statue of George Etienne Cartier on Park Ave. Montreal

He did not apply for permission from the true indigenous people to enter turtle island.  He is not welcome and not wanted. He is just another trespasser. The godfather of the Roman Catholic cult sent his henchmen here to cause death and destruction across turtle island. Now he us coming here to see if the genocide is proceeding as planned. All indigenous land was usurped by the Vatican. Indigenous languages were taken to control information so that history can be invented. Speaking our languages gives us more incentive to take back our land, culture and ways. He’s plead guilty to all these crimes against us.

July 25, 2022

The Art of Survival: Photos by Andy Dann -- Survival School at Wood Springs

The Art of Survival: Photos by Andy Dann Survival School at Wood Springs

Lakota Publisher Tim Giago: Journey Well My Friend



Lakota Publisher Tim Giago: Journey Well My Friend 

By Brenda Norrell
Censored News

It is with sadness we share the news of the passing of Tim Giago.

As publisher of Indian Country Today, he gave me a great opportunity to travel with the Zapatistas. During all the years that I worked for him as a reporter at Lakota Times and Indian Country Today, we didn't talk much.

Tim left me alone to cover the news. He gave me the open road, from Big Mountain to the border and beyond. Tim never censored me.

While I was posting articles on Censored News yesterday, I thought, Tim would like these. Tim passed this morning, may his journey be a good one on that vast open road.

July 23, 2022

July 22, 2022

Inuvialuit Decline Papal Visit




Courtesy photo Inuvialuit IRC



Inuvialuit Statement on Papal Visit

JULY 22ND, 2022

French translation by Christine Prat

Inuvialuit Regional Corporation (IRC) has respectfully declined an invitation to participate in the Papal visit to Iqaluit on July 29, 2022, as it remains unclear if a formal apology will be made or not.

The Roman Catholic Church operated three (3) residential schools in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR). Inuvialuit continue to bear the burden of intergenerational trauma stemming from residential schools and will never forget these atrocities.

The Inuvialuit Regional Corporation recognizes the Papal visit, but until there is a clear statement made by the Roman Catholic church committing to address past wrongs, IRC will withhold any involvement (while the church continues to withhold any settlement payments, despite promises made in the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement).

IRC would also expect a commitment from the church to work closely with Inuvialuit and IRC on a real approach to reconciliation.

We understand that some Inuvialuit will attend the events as part of the Papal visit. While not participating itself, IRC wishes Inuvialuit survivors and families healing as they continue their journey.

In our absence, IRC invites the Holy See and the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) to reflect upon their role in the colonization of Inuvialuit Nunangat.
---

For further reading, please see ITK’s Inuit Calls for Justice, Action in Private Encounter with Pope Francis here, https://www.itk.ca/inuit-call-for-justice-action-in-private-encounter-with-pope-francis/.

For media inquiries, please contact Communications, Alexandrea Gordon at 867-678-5490 or communications@inuvialuit.com.

About the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation
Established in 1984 to manage the settlement outlined in the Inuvialuit Final Agreement (IFA), Inuvialuit Regional Corporation (IRC) represents the collective interests of Inuvialuit in and beyond the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR). The IRC works to continually improve the economic, social, and cultural well-being of the Inuvialuit through the implementation of the IFA and by all other available means.


Read more: Canadian Press coverage of abuse in residential schools and Pope's tour


"It won't be easy for Peter Irniq, a residential school survivor, to meet Pope Francis in Iqaluit next week. It's going to be scary," said Irniq, who was abused by a nun at the age of 11 as a student at the school in Chesterfield Inlet in what is now Nunavut. By National Observer.

Father Johannes Rivoire is facing a Canada-wide warrant for his arrest. The leader of the Inuit delegation meeting privately with Pope Francis on Monday has called on the pontiff to personally intervene in the case of a fugitive Oblate priest accused of sexually assaulting children in Nunavut. By CBC.

Inuit want priest returned from France to Canada to stand trial for sexual abuse. The woman, now a grandmother, said to this day she does not like Sundays, when her abuse often took place. She keeps her hair short, remembering that her abuser would pull the long hair she had as a girl, to keep her quiet. Retired priest Johannes Rivoire, 93, is charged with sexual assault related to his work in northern parishes for the Catholic congregation Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. The charge against Rivoire, who lives in Lyon, France, was laid by Canadian police in February. By Reuters.



"While some residential school survivors are beginning their journey to Alberta for Pope Francis's first stop on his Canadian visit, others are choosing to stay home and lean on traditional ceremonies and teachings to heal. That includes Sioux Valley Dakota Nation Elder Frank Tacan. " Tacan said the abuse is still going on. By CBC.

.


When Pope Francis addresses residential school survivors in Maskwacis, Alberta on Monday, one survivor won't be in the audience or watching it on a screen. Instead, Norman Yak'eula plans to be trekking the ancestral route of the SahtĂş Dene and MĂ©tis. By CBC.

List of 28 mass graves released in 2008
Fourteen years ago Russell Means and Kevin Annett released this list of 28 mass graves of Native children in Canada, who were kidnapped by Canada, the Catholic Church and other churches, and incarcerated in prison schools, where they died of starvation, disease, medical experiments, rape, torture and murder by priests and church staff. Means and Annett were attacked at the time by those who wanted to bury the truth. For the children. -- Censored News.

July 21, 2022

Havasupai Urge Halt to Uranium Mining in Grand Canyon as Bill Moves through U.S. Senate


Three generations of Havasupai members demonstrate against uranium extraction outside the Grand Canyon mine site. Photograph: Courtesy of the Grand Canyon Trust.


Havasupai Urge Halt to Uranium Mining in Grand Canyon as Bill Moves through U.S. Senate

United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Votes 10-10 Along Party Lines; Bill Should Move to Full Senate

The Pinyon Plain Mine, previously known as Canyon Mine is located at Maŧ Ŧivjudvah and sits directly above the largest aquifer that feeds into Havasu Creek, the main source of drinking water for Havasupai and metropolitan cities downstream. Contamination from the Pinyon Plain Mine has already contaminated millions of gallons of precious water to be unusable and wasted.

By Havasupai Nation
Contact: Abbie S. Fink
afink@hmapr.com/
French translation by Christine Prat
July 21, 2022

HAVASUPAI NATION, Supai, Arizona -- The United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources voted 10 to 10 on Senate Bill 387 during today’s committee meeting. Not surprisingly, the 20 Senators voted along party lines, leaving the decision to Senate leadership to determine the fate of the bill.

Mohawk Nation News 'Kahnawake Hospital Under Fire'

KAHNAWAKE HOSPITAL UNDER FIRE Audio

Mohawk Nation News

https://mohawknationnews.com/blog/2022/07/21/kahnawake-hospital-under-fire-audio/

Kateri Hospital of Kahnawake is run by the band council on behalf of the Canadian government. People have complained for years and those in charge don't hear.   

AUDIO in four parts. Kateri Hospital Under Fire

STEVE BONSPIEL, The Eastern Door, Kahnawake, www.easterndoor.com vol. 31 no. 28 Fri. July 15, 2022.ed8ae9b4-c773-4dbd-a0a5-44a828690486

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July 18, 2022

Driver Charged for Death of Paiute Shoshone Journalist Myron Dewey

Paiute Shoshone Journalist Myron Dewey at Standing Rock


Breaking News

Driver Charged with DUI in Death of Paiute Shoshone Journalist Myron Dewey

By Brenda Norrell
Censored News
July 18, 2022
Update July 19, 2022

The driver who hit Paiute Shoshone Journalist Myron Dewey head-on has been charged with DUI resulting in death. John David Walsh of Reno was charged with a second charge of reckless driving resulting in death.

Walsh is scheduled to be arraigned on September 7, nearly one year after the fatal accident that claimed the life of Dewey near his family's home in Yomba, Nevada, on September 26, 2021. Walsh was charged in Tonopah Criminal Court on July 11.

Myron's daughter Taylor Dewey told News 4 that the case was reopened after the blood test was re-examined.

July 16, 2022

Artist Acquitted After Being Charged for Facebook Post Supporting Line 3 Water Protectors

Matteson supporters stage support at the Aitkin courthouse today against the “Bogus Charges” brought against her (photo: Keri Pickett) 


Artist Acquitted After Charge for Facebook Post Supporting Line 3 Water Protectors
Shanai Matteson Acquitted – Judge Metzen Tosses Case Moments before Jury Trial Begins

It is clear from the evidence that the defendant did not commit a crime”— Judge Metzen

By Cheryl Barnds
Honor the EarthJuly 14, 2022
AITKIN, MINN – This morning at the Aitkin County Courthouse, District 9 Judge Leslie Mae Metzen acquitted Line 3 Water Protector, Shanai Matteson, of Gross Misdemeanor Aiding and Abetting Trespass on Critical Public Service Facilities, essentially finding Matteson Not Guilty before the case was presented to the jury of six selected yesterday.

The fifth-generation resident of Palisade, Minn., cultural organizer, artist and mother of two young children faced up to one year in jail and thousands of dollars in fines.

Matteson was charged – by mail – after police surveilled her personal Facebook page where she made comments about opposing Line 3 construction and supporting protesters along the tar sands oil pipeline.