Showing posts with label 2018. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2018. Show all posts
September 10, 2025
The Birth of the Environmental Justice Movement, Dine' CARE, Dilkon, Navajo Nation, 1990
October 22, 2018
Standing Rock Water Protectors file Class Action Lawsuit against Morton County, North Dakota and TigerSwan
Breaking News
By Brenda Norrell
Censored News
Updated
Censored News
Updated
Standing Rock Water Protectors filed a class action civil rights lawsuit against Morton County, North Dakota Governors, TigerSwan, and others, demanding a jury trial.
The lawsuit, Thunderhawk vs. Morton County, was filed by Cissy Thunderhawk, Waste Win Young, and Rev. John Floberg, on behalf of water protectors.
Morton County Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier, who led the attack on water protectors, is among those named.
The suit focuses on the closure of Highway 1806, which served both the Standing Rock Nation and the water protectors camps during 2016 and 2017.
Residents of Standing Rock and Cheyenne River Nations, and water protectors, who were impacted by the highway closure are asked to join the lawsuit, said Waste Win Young.
The lawsuit describes the attempt to silence lawful free speech rights, and the unlawful closure of the road that was necessary for travel, including medical needs and business access.
The closure of the highway was due to "evil motive or intent," the lawsuit states.
Further TigerSwan, and "John Does" it employed are named in the lawsuit. The technologies used by TigerSwan, both F3AR and NIFE, are stated in the suit.
(Note: TigerSwan, hired as assassins in war regions, worked in North Dakota without a license, in collusion with law enforcement. Regarding the technology identified in the Water Protectors lawsuit, TigerSwan states on its website: "Founded in 2008 by retired members of the United States Delta Force, TigerSwan is a full-spectrum security solution for organizations and businesses ... They achieve these results through their suite of world class methods such as F3AR®, NIFE®, and Guardian Angel.")
The Water Protectors lawsuit states:
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The lawsuit, Thunderhawk vs. Morton County, was filed by Cissy Thunderhawk, Waste Win Young, and Rev. John Floberg, on behalf of water protectors.
Morton County Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier, who led the attack on water protectors, is among those named.
The suit focuses on the closure of Highway 1806, which served both the Standing Rock Nation and the water protectors camps during 2016 and 2017.
Residents of Standing Rock and Cheyenne River Nations, and water protectors, who were impacted by the highway closure are asked to join the lawsuit, said Waste Win Young.
The lawsuit describes the attempt to silence lawful free speech rights, and the unlawful closure of the road that was necessary for travel, including medical needs and business access.
The closure of the highway was due to "evil motive or intent," the lawsuit states.
Further TigerSwan, and "John Does" it employed are named in the lawsuit. The technologies used by TigerSwan, both F3AR and NIFE, are stated in the suit.
(Note: TigerSwan, hired as assassins in war regions, worked in North Dakota without a license, in collusion with law enforcement. Regarding the technology identified in the Water Protectors lawsuit, TigerSwan states on its website: "Founded in 2008 by retired members of the United States Delta Force, TigerSwan is a full-spectrum security solution for organizations and businesses ... They achieve these results through their suite of world class methods such as F3AR®, NIFE®, and Guardian Angel.")
The Water Protectors lawsuit states:
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The lawsuit was filed by attorneys at Columbia Law School in New York on Thursday, in federal court in Bismarck, North Dakota.
The lawsuit describes how the closure of the highway impacted local residents, businesses, journalists and all those in need of traveling on Highway 1806.
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Plaintiff Waste Win Young of Standing Rock states how the road closure prevented her from necessary travel for medicine and treatments.
Further, business owner Cissy Thunderhawk stated how the highway closure impacted her business, My Auntie's Place in Fort Yates, North Dakota.
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The lawsuit describes how the closure of the highway impacted local residents, businesses, journalists and all those in need of traveling on Highway 1806.
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Further, business owner Cissy Thunderhawk stated how the highway closure impacted her business, My Auntie's Place in Fort Yates, North Dakota.
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The lawsuit seeks damages, including increased costs, and relief for Water Protectors and those who suffered due to the closure of Highway 1806.
Summons were issued to Morton County Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier, TigerSwan, North Dakota officials, etc, on Friday.
Track progress of this lawsuit:
https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/25964102/Thunderhawk_et_al_v_Morton,_County_of,_North_Dakota_et_al
Summons were issued to Morton County Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier, TigerSwan, North Dakota officials, etc, on Friday.
Track progress of this lawsuit:
https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/25964102/Thunderhawk_et_al_v_Morton,_County_of,_North_Dakota_et_al
Related news:
It is still unknown what type of spy equipment that TigerSwan used at Standing Rock. It operated without a license and obviously used spy technology illegally without warrants. It is unknown the role that TigerSwan secret surveillance played in the arrests of Water Protectors at Standing Rock, which are now resulting in imprisonments. -- Censored News
Meanwhile, the North Dakota Regulatory Board continues to pursue a court appeal, fines and exclusion against TigerSwan.
Please share our links.
Copyright Brenda Norrell, Censored News, may not be used without permission.
Lakota Jean Roach's Speech in Paris
JEAN ROACH, LAKOTA, IN PARIS, TALKS ABOUT THE ROLE OF WOMEN, LEONARD PELTIER AND WATER PROTECTION
By Christine Prat
Censored News
Recorded on October 13, 2018
Censored News
Recorded on October 13, 2018
Published on October 22, 2018
The 38th Annual Day of Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples, organized in Paris by the French Committee for Solidarity with Indians of the Americas, CSIA, celebrated over five centuries of struggles against colonialism, the 50th Anniversary of the AIM and the 40th Anniversary of the CSIA.
Jean Roach was one of the speakers representing AIM. She talked about the role of women in the struggle, Wounded Knee, the Protection of Water and Earth, and called for Leonard Peltier's release from prison.
Below is the transcript of the speech she delivered on October 13th, 2018.
Christine Prat
"My name is Jean Roach, I am from the Lakota Nation. I live near the Black Hills, in South Dakota. I'd like to thank everybody for coming and be interested in our fights.
I represent a man, Leonard Peltier, who has been in prison for 43 years, also a part of the colonization process.
When our families are being attacked, whether it was in the 1700's or in the 1970's, the women have to take a stand too. Our children have been adopted out and taken to boarding schools, being killed, murdered. Our men have been taken to prison, or killed, or both. Since the first contact, we have had many casualties.
My Nation is the Miniconjou. My people were massacred at Wounded Knee [December 29th 1890]. Part of the role of the women… So, people try to call us activists or militants, but we are just mothers and grandmothers. We protect our next generations, those are our actions right now, and we probably carry the DNA of our ancestors that were murdered. So, when we talk about Leonard Peltier, we should relate to the fact that his grandfather was one of the Dakota 38 [38 men hanged on Lincoln orders in Mankato, Minnesota, on December 26th, 1862]. To our generations, Leonard represents the United States manipulations.
Some people call them political prisoners, but we are just all Water Protectors. At Standing Rock, they were attacked based on their beliefs, our beliefs of protection of the water. And they are political prisoners too.
Leonard Peltier has been a prisoner, as I said, for 43 years. He is the longest held political prisoner in the world. All we are asking for is justice. And the story should be told and not forgotten. We would like the international world to know that we suffer and we still have a prisoner inside the prison. And many more. Until he's free, our Nations are not free.
I have a lot of documentation, on this I am talking about. I urge everybody to take interest in Leonard Peltier. And I congratulate all the water protectors and Earth protectors. Thank you."
French version:
September 22, 2018
AIM West International Film Festival Oct. 8, 2018
AIM West International Film Festival Oct. 8
AIM West International Film Festivals featuring "Warrior Women" and more, in San Francisco, Oct. 8, 2018June 15, 2018
Video Exposes Border Patrol Running Over Tohono O'odham in Topawa Today
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Video exposes U.S. Border Patrol agent intentionally run over young Tohono O'odham man in Topawa community on the Tohono O'odham Nation on Thursday, June 14, 2018.
The Border Patrol agent fled the scene in this hit and run, and the O'odham victim was treated at the hospital.
Watch video on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/MissSalcidoXIII/videos/10155575421518030/?hc_ref=ARTVSnFfMCjLT7YPDAScvDIv1KuPRoxsFxhpRK7GZqATAuaPBqWrBqZ7B1tlkk-o3Yc
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O'odham in Mexico on Facebook post:
Esto paso en la comunidad de Topawa. El joven oodham empiezo de grabar cuando miro un agente de aduanas y protección fronteriza parkeado en la casa abandonada de su abuela. Esto paso ayer a las 630pm.
This happened yesterday at 630pm in the Topawa community.
This happened in the community of Topawa. Young O'odham starts recording when I look at a customs agent and border protection parked at his grandmother's abandoned house. This happened yesterday at 6:30 pm.
This happened yesterday at 6:30pm in the Topawa community.
Click on image below to view video:
The Border Patrol agent fled the scene in this hit and run, and the O'odham victim was treated at the hospital.
https://www.facebook.com/MissSalcidoXIII/videos/10155575421518030/?hc_ref=ARTVSnFfMCjLT7YPDAScvDIv1KuPRoxsFxhpRK7GZqATAuaPBqWrBqZ7B1tlkk-o3Yc
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Esto paso en la comunidad de Topawa. El joven oodham empiezo de grabar cuando miro un agente de aduanas y protección fronteriza parkeado en la casa abandonada de su abuela. Esto paso ayer a las 630pm.
This happened yesterday at 630pm in the Topawa community.
This happened in the community of Topawa. Young O'odham starts recording when I look at a customs agent and border protection parked at his grandmother's abandoned house. This happened yesterday at 6:30 pm.
This happened yesterday at 6:30pm in the Topawa community.
Click on image below to view video:
Apache Stronghold Spiritual Journey -- The Myth of Santa Fe
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By Steve Pavey
Censored News
Apache Spiritual Stronghold stops at the plaza in Sante Fe to talk and pray. This monument to “the heroes who have fallen in the various battles with (Savages - which has been scratched off) Indians ...” stands in the middle.
As a part of the Poor Peoples Campaign this sacred journey is for healing to confront the deception of the birth of America - its first chapter that is far too often ignored.
Censored News
Apache Spiritual Stronghold stops at the plaza in Sante Fe to talk and pray. This monument to “the heroes who have fallen in the various battles with (Savages - which has been scratched off) Indians ...” stands in the middle.
As a part of the Poor Peoples Campaign this sacred journey is for healing to confront the deception of the birth of America - its first chapter that is far too often ignored.
May 27, 2018
ACLU: U.S. Border Patrol engaged in pervasive abuse of migrant children
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NEW REPORT IS BASED ON THOUSANDS OF GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS OBTAINED THROUGH THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT THAT DETAIL HORRIFIC STORIES
MAY 22, 2018
WASHINGTON —
BY ACLU
Censored News
Documents obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union featured in a new report released today show the pervasive abuse and neglect of unaccompanied immigrant children detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The report was produced in conjunction with the International Human Rights Clinic at the University of Chicago Law School. “These documents provide a glimpse into a federal immigration enforcement system marked by brutality and lawlessness,” said Mitra Ebadolahi, ACLU Border Litigation Project staff attorney.
“All human beings deserve to be treated with dignity and respect regardless of their immigration status — and children, in particular, deserve special protection. The misconduct demonstrated in these records is breathtaking, as is the government’s complete failure to hold officials who abuse their power accountable. The abuse that takes place by government officials is reprehensible and un-American.” The report is based on over 30,000 pages of documents dated between 2009 and 2014. The documents were obtained by the ACLU Foundation of San Diego and Imperial Counties and the ACLU Foundation of Arizona through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit co-counseled with Cooley LLP. The documents feature numerous cases of shocking violence and abuse against migrant children, many of whom arrived in the United States fleeing violence in their home countries. “The students reviewing these records were shocked by the abuse and neglect these children were subjected to at the hands of U.S. officials.
The fact that these children were already so vulnerable — most traveling alone in hopes of escaping violence and poverty in their home countries — made the unlawful and inhumane actions reflected in the documents even more distressing,” said Claudia Flores, faculty director of the International Human Rights Clinic at the University of Chicago Law School.
Law students in the International Human Rights Clinic examined a subset of the records obtained.
The documents show numerous cases involving federal officials’ verbal, physical and sexual abuse of migrant children; the denial of clean drinking water and adequate food; failure to provide necessary medical care; detention in freezing, unsanitary facilities; and other violations of federal law and policy and international law.
The documents provide evidence that U.S. officials were aware of these abuses as they occurred, but failed to properly investigate, much less to remedy, these abuses.
Examples of the documented abuses include allegations that CBP officials: Punched a child’s head three times Kicked a child in the ribs Used a stun gun on a boy, causing him to fall to the ground, shaking, with his eyes rolling back in his head Ran over a 17-year-old with a patrol vehicle and then punched him several times Verbally abused detained children, calling them dogs and “other ugly things” Denied detained children permission to stand or move freely for days and threatened children who stood up with transfer to solitary confinement in a small, freezing room Denied a pregnant minor medical attention when she reported pain, which preceded a stillbirth Subjected a 16-year-old girl to a search in which they “forcefully spread her legs and touched her private parts so hard that she screamed” Left a 4-pound premature baby and her minor mother in an overcrowded and dirty cell full of sick people, against medical advice Threw out a child’s birth certificate and threatened him with sexual abuse by an adult male detainee.
The report also shows evidence of CBP holding migrant children in excess of the 72-hour maximum period permitted by law, as well as officials’ efforts to deport children without due process and via coercion.
“It’s terrifying to think that the horrible abuses described in these documents can continue and perhaps worsen under the Trump administration,” said Astrid Dominguez, director of the ACLU Border Rights Center.
“It’s unacceptable that there are no mechanisms in place to shed light on CBP’s abuses and ensure accountability.”
The report provides an overview of key trends that converged to create a crisis of migrant child abuse in CBP custody, the largest federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The documents obtained from the government show no evidence that any of the abuses detailed therein were ever meaningfully investigated, much less that the officials responsible were held accountable. The ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties launched a new website which includes the CRCL documents, and a timeline of the Border Litigation Project’s efforts to obtain these crucial documents from the government over the past four years.
Certain personally identifying information — such as the names of government officials, migrant children, and other third parties — has been withheld from the records released in response to the ACLU’s FOIA request and subsequent litigation. More information on the report and documents is available here: https://www.aclusandiego.org/civil-rights-civil-liberties/
BY ACLU
Censored News
Documents obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union featured in a new report released today show the pervasive abuse and neglect of unaccompanied immigrant children detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The report was produced in conjunction with the International Human Rights Clinic at the University of Chicago Law School. “These documents provide a glimpse into a federal immigration enforcement system marked by brutality and lawlessness,” said Mitra Ebadolahi, ACLU Border Litigation Project staff attorney.
“All human beings deserve to be treated with dignity and respect regardless of their immigration status — and children, in particular, deserve special protection. The misconduct demonstrated in these records is breathtaking, as is the government’s complete failure to hold officials who abuse their power accountable. The abuse that takes place by government officials is reprehensible and un-American.” The report is based on over 30,000 pages of documents dated between 2009 and 2014. The documents were obtained by the ACLU Foundation of San Diego and Imperial Counties and the ACLU Foundation of Arizona through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit co-counseled with Cooley LLP. The documents feature numerous cases of shocking violence and abuse against migrant children, many of whom arrived in the United States fleeing violence in their home countries. “The students reviewing these records were shocked by the abuse and neglect these children were subjected to at the hands of U.S. officials.
The fact that these children were already so vulnerable — most traveling alone in hopes of escaping violence and poverty in their home countries — made the unlawful and inhumane actions reflected in the documents even more distressing,” said Claudia Flores, faculty director of the International Human Rights Clinic at the University of Chicago Law School.
Law students in the International Human Rights Clinic examined a subset of the records obtained.
The documents show numerous cases involving federal officials’ verbal, physical and sexual abuse of migrant children; the denial of clean drinking water and adequate food; failure to provide necessary medical care; detention in freezing, unsanitary facilities; and other violations of federal law and policy and international law.
The documents provide evidence that U.S. officials were aware of these abuses as they occurred, but failed to properly investigate, much less to remedy, these abuses.
Examples of the documented abuses include allegations that CBP officials: Punched a child’s head three times Kicked a child in the ribs Used a stun gun on a boy, causing him to fall to the ground, shaking, with his eyes rolling back in his head Ran over a 17-year-old with a patrol vehicle and then punched him several times Verbally abused detained children, calling them dogs and “other ugly things” Denied detained children permission to stand or move freely for days and threatened children who stood up with transfer to solitary confinement in a small, freezing room Denied a pregnant minor medical attention when she reported pain, which preceded a stillbirth Subjected a 16-year-old girl to a search in which they “forcefully spread her legs and touched her private parts so hard that she screamed” Left a 4-pound premature baby and her minor mother in an overcrowded and dirty cell full of sick people, against medical advice Threw out a child’s birth certificate and threatened him with sexual abuse by an adult male detainee.
The report also shows evidence of CBP holding migrant children in excess of the 72-hour maximum period permitted by law, as well as officials’ efforts to deport children without due process and via coercion.
“It’s terrifying to think that the horrible abuses described in these documents can continue and perhaps worsen under the Trump administration,” said Astrid Dominguez, director of the ACLU Border Rights Center.
“It’s unacceptable that there are no mechanisms in place to shed light on CBP’s abuses and ensure accountability.”
The report provides an overview of key trends that converged to create a crisis of migrant child abuse in CBP custody, the largest federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The documents obtained from the government show no evidence that any of the abuses detailed therein were ever meaningfully investigated, much less that the officials responsible were held accountable. The ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties launched a new website which includes the CRCL documents, and a timeline of the Border Litigation Project’s efforts to obtain these crucial documents from the government over the past four years.
Certain personally identifying information — such as the names of government officials, migrant children, and other third parties — has been withheld from the records released in response to the ACLU’s FOIA request and subsequent litigation. More information on the report and documents is available here: https://www.aclusandiego.org/civil-rights-civil-liberties/
April 20, 2018
USA Rep Lies About Leonard Peltier at UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
USA Representative Lies About Leonard Peltier at UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
Letter to Democracy Now! by Tony Gonzales
Jean Roach, Lakota, speaks on video below
Jean Roach, Lakota, speaks on video below
Censored News
I am Tony Gonzales, executive director with AIM-WEST. I and members of our delegation that also include members of the International Leonard Peltier Defense Committee are attending the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in NYC during April 16-27.
Today during the morning session after the NGO International Indian Treaty Council (AIM affiliate) spoke on the floor regarding political prisoner and human rights defender Leonard Peltier, the USA representative responded immediately without hesitation to the NGO statement.
The USA representative proceeded to verbally assault the NGO statement (written in part by Leonard himself!) and they flat out lied with their ‘fake news’ before those attending and the world community (UN webcasting) by fabricating a lie that Leonard Peltier is a ‘murderer’ etc.! despite to the contrary (See in UN webcasting for Permanent Forum April 18 for complete details).
I seek your journalistic support by calling me at or AIM-WEST delegate Ms. Jean Roach the official representative for political prisoner Leonard Peltier for an update on our response (verbal scud) to the USA ‘fake news.’
Additionally, on Friday April 20 from 12-12:45 pm AIM-WEST will hold a press conference at the UN Correspondence Association (media zone) and will appreciate coverage by “Democracy Now” in support for Leonard Peltier’s case. Help us to challenge and expose the ‘fake news’ emanating from the state department visa-vie White House!
The USA stepped into their own doo-doo with their reactionary stupidity. Furthermore, we will encourage all NGO attending the Permanent Forum to also use this opportunity in unity to include support for Leonard’s compassionate release and condemn the USA ‘fake news.’
You can help us, too, by exploiting this situation in Leonard’s defense/behalf. It is evident the USA is in a desperate situation by resorting to fabricating lies and can’t take the tooth, er truth!
Additionally, It is common knowledge that Leonard is innocent of the charges against him (aiding and abetting) that even the federal prosecution has stated before a federal judge that in fact they don’t know who shot the two FBI agents on June 26, 1975, they can’t identify who was the shooter, and yet Leonard languishes in prison for 43 years now.
It is 2018, why is political prisoner Leonard Peltier still in prison! We want Leonards Freedom; medical attention, moved closer to home (now 2,000 miles away), minimum security, and an immediate compassionate release! Freedom for Leonard Peltier now!
Watch on web TV:
Regarding the USA responding to an NGO concerning Political Prisoner Leonard Peltier:
NGO: International Indian Treaty Council statement at 2:16:33
USA representative responds to NGO at 2:35:09
(Bears Ears Monument-NGO statement at 1:05:15
Watch at:
http://webtv.un.org/watch/5th-
Today during the morning session after the NGO International Indian Treaty Council (AIM affiliate) spoke on the floor regarding political prisoner and human rights defender Leonard Peltier, the USA representative responded immediately without hesitation to the NGO statement.
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| USA Representative attacked Leonard Peltier at UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. She also denied that the United States criminalizes dissent. (Screenshot from UN Webcast by Censored News.) |
I seek your journalistic support by calling me at or AIM-WEST delegate Ms. Jean Roach the official representative for political prisoner Leonard Peltier for an update on our response (verbal scud) to the USA ‘fake news.’
Additionally, on Friday April 20 from 12-12:45 pm AIM-WEST will hold a press conference at the UN Correspondence Association (media zone) and will appreciate coverage by “Democracy Now” in support for Leonard Peltier’s case. Help us to challenge and expose the ‘fake news’ emanating from the state department visa-vie White House!
The USA stepped into their own doo-doo with their reactionary stupidity. Furthermore, we will encourage all NGO attending the Permanent Forum to also use this opportunity in unity to include support for Leonard’s compassionate release and condemn the USA ‘fake news.’
You can help us, too, by exploiting this situation in Leonard’s defense/behalf. It is evident the USA is in a desperate situation by resorting to fabricating lies and can’t take the tooth, er truth!
Additionally, It is common knowledge that Leonard is innocent of the charges against him (aiding and abetting) that even the federal prosecution has stated before a federal judge that in fact they don’t know who shot the two FBI agents on June 26, 1975, they can’t identify who was the shooter, and yet Leonard languishes in prison for 43 years now.
It is 2018, why is political prisoner Leonard Peltier still in prison! We want Leonards Freedom; medical attention, moved closer to home (now 2,000 miles away), minimum security, and an immediate compassionate release! Freedom for Leonard Peltier now!
Watch on web TV:
Regarding the USA responding to an NGO concerning Political Prisoner Leonard Peltier:
NGO: International Indian Treaty Council statement at 2:16:33
USA representative responds to NGO at 2:35:09
(Bears Ears Monument-NGO statement at 1:05:15
Watch at:
http://webtv.un.org/watch/5th-
Statement by Jean Roach, Lakota
All my relations!
Tony Gonzales
AIM-WEST
Aho! All my relations!
Tony Gonzales
AIM-WEST director
www.aim-west.org
www.whoisleonardpeltier.info
April 8, 2018
Live from Coast Salish Land at Kinder Morgan Pipeline Gates April 7, 2018
Breaking News Update -- Sunday, April 8, 2018
Trans Mountain Pipeline Suspends Work
AP TORONTO — Trans Mountain Pipeline Suspending Work! "Kinder Morgan said Sunday it is suspending all non-essential activities and related spending on its controversial Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project that would nearly triple the flow of oil from Canada’s oil sands to the Pacific Coast. The company said its decision is based on the British Columbia government’s opposition to the project, which has also been the focus of sustained protests at Kinder Morgan’s marine terminal in Burnaby, British Columbia." Here's the live coverage from Saturday, with Chiefs on the frontline at Burnaby Mountain.
Trans Mountain Pipeline Suspends Work
AP TORONTO — Trans Mountain Pipeline Suspending Work! "Kinder Morgan said Sunday it is suspending all non-essential activities and related spending on its controversial Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project that would nearly triple the flow of oil from Canada’s oil sands to the Pacific Coast. The company said its decision is based on the British Columbia government’s opposition to the project, which has also been the focus of sustained protests at Kinder Morgan’s marine terminal in Burnaby, British Columbia." Here's the live coverage from Saturday, with Chiefs on the frontline at Burnaby Mountain.
Article by Coast Protectors
Censored News
A full-day blockade at Kinder Morgan’s Burnaby construction site today was led by Tsleil-Waututh Elder Ta'ah Amy George and the full executive of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs, which represents more than half the nations, tribes and bands in BC.Grand Chief Stewart Phillip (Penticton Indian Band), Chief Bob Chamberlin (Kwikwasut’inuxw Haxwa’mis First Nation) and Chief Judy Wilson (Neskonlith First Nation in Secwepemc territory) were joined by hundreds of supporters in pouring rain, shutting down work at the facility for the day. A long rolling clap of thunder struck at the same moment as the drummers began the gathering, prompting cheers from the large crowd of supporters. After hours of blocking both gates to the tanker farm and after it was clear that Kinder Morgan was finished work for the day, Grand Chief Stewart Phillip declared victory:
“Clearly Kinder Morgan is intimidated and fearful of a strong, unified front between Indigenous leaders and our allies. Kinder Morgan was forced not to issue a prerequisite complaint to the RCMP to enable arrests. Without question, Kinder Morgan backed down today. We were here and we will be back. There is absolutely no way that we are letting Kinder Morgan expand its archaic and dangerous fossil fuel extraction. Today we proudly stood with land defenders to send a strong message to Kinder Morgan, its investors, and Trudeau — we will not stand down and we will remain united in our opposition.”
Indigenous leaders and people across Canada and the U.S. have promised escalating action to stop Kinder Morgan's pipeline and tanker project from moving forward. International opposition to the tar sands project is on the rise, and opponents have promised to make sure Alberta Premier Rachel Notley hears that opposition when she promotes Kinder Morgan’s pipeline in New York and Toronto next week.
We're not giving up. We're not going away. This pipeline will never be built.
https://www.coastprotectors.ca/indigenous_leaders_shut_down_kinder_morgan
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Above, on Friday:
“That’s a lie, Justin Trudeau you are a weak leader. This pipeline is not happening. The youth will stand up and stop you”. My son Cedar George-Parker calls out Justin Trudeau at his fundraiser dinner in Vancouver. I am so proud of my son. He is fearless, standing with conviction. -- Rueben George
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Watch now live:
https://twitter.com/twitter/statuses/982729439300612096
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At the gates of Kinder Morgan with land defenders on Coast Salish territory.
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| Watch live now, Saturday, April 7, 2018 https://twitter.com/twitter/statuses/982728831839584256 |
https://twitter.com/twitter/statuses/982729439300612096
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At the gates of Kinder Morgan with land defenders on Coast Salish territory.
Above, on Friday:
“That’s a lie, Justin Trudeau you are a weak leader. This pipeline is not happening. The youth will stand up and stop you”. My son Cedar George-Parker calls out Justin Trudeau at his fundraiser dinner in Vancouver. I am so proud of my son. He is fearless, standing with conviction. -- Rueben George
February 6, 2018
January 24, 2018
'Akicita' Premiere -- Standing Ovation for Water Protectors at Sundance Film Festival
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| At the premiere of Akicita: The Battle of Standing Rock, the filmmakers said, "We are overwhelmed by the love and support from today’s screening of AKICITA: THE BATTLE OF STANDING ROCK. Thank you to everyone who came out!" Watch video below: video link on Twitter and clip below from Facebook https://twitter.com/twitter/statuses/955969562083704832 |
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January 15, 2018
Paid FBI informant to testify at Red Fawn's trial
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| FBI infiltrator Heath Harmon of Fort Berthold, North Dakota |
By Brenda Norrell
Censored News
Update Jan. 16, 2018
Red Fawn reaches non-cooperating plea agreement
.https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2018/01/red-fawn-reaches-non-cooperating-plea.html
Heath Harmon, paid FBI informant at Standing Rock water protector camp, owned the revolver Red Fawn Fallis is charged with firing. Harmon, from Fort Berthold, North Dakota, posed as Red Fawn's lover, and continued to deceive her after she was jailed, sharing his notes with prosecutors.
A new article by C.S. Hagen, at High Plains Reader, reveals Harmon was not the only infiltrator. Further, TigerSwan mercenaries worked without a license in North Dakota, and in conjunction with local and joint law enforcement task forces. TigerSwan was involved in promoting dissension within the camps, and entrapping the water protectors who were targeted by law enforcement, according to court documents.
Hagen, in the article, NO DAPL activists hoodwinked by Paid FBI Informant, Defense says, writes that Harmon will receive.$40 a day as pay as an FBI informant, when Red Fawn goes on trial on Jan. 29, 2018, at the federal courthouse in Fargo, North Dakota.
Hagen reports, "Harmon, however, may not have been the only infiltrator; he’s simply the only person known by name, so far. Others were embedded in the camps, according to the testimony. Informants gave briefings to law enforcement about what they had witnessed."
Read article at High Plains Reader
http://hpr1.com/index.php/feature/news/infiltrated-no-dapl-activist-hoodwinked-by-paid-fbi-informant-defense-says/?platform=hootsuite
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| (Above) Paid FBI infiltrator Heath Harmon, from Mandaree, North Dakota, contacted his brother BIA Lt. Police Officer Chad Harmon at Standing Rock BIA Police, to become an informant in water protector camps at Standing Rock in 2016. The above article and photo is from 2010. |
Heath Harmon, from Mandaree, North Dakota, contacted his brother BIA Lt. Police Officer Chad Harmon at Standing Rock BIA Police, to become an informant in water protector camps at Standing Rock in 2016.
Officer Chad Harmon was on the BIA Police Force at Standing Rock at the time, and continues to be.
Pine Ridge GOONs, COINTELPRO and Standing Rock FBI infiltrator: Heath Harmon and Gerald Fox
The Intercept reports that Heath Harmon's uncle Gerald Fox was a BIA officer at the standoff at Wounded Knee and then at all major Native struggles, in a BIA special operations unit.
During those years, Red Fawn's mother, Troy Lynn Yellow Wood, was among the members of the American Indian Movement targeted by law enforcement. Before her death, Denver Intelligence Police files exposed in court showed the targeting of the American Indian Movement.
Earlier, COINTELPRO was exposed, showing the widespread targeting of AIM, the Black Panthers and others.
The Intercept reports:
Harmon is part of a different lineage. In his interview with law enforcement, he noted that his uncle Gerald Fox had been on the “other side” of the AIM struggle at Pine Ridge. Fox was a BIA officer who stood off against AIM during the 71-day occupation of Wounded Knee, alongside members of the U.S. Marshals Service and the FBI. According to a 2010 obituary in the Bismarck Tribune, Fox went on to join a BIA special operations unit, and between 1976 and 1984 “was detailed to every major Native conflict that happened in the United States.”
https://theintercept.com/2017/12/11/standing-rock-dakota-access-pipeline-fbi-informant-red-fawn-fallis/
The Reality of Oil and Gas Industry: Crime and Destruction
The resistance to Dakota Access Pipeline at Standing Rock is a continuation of the struggle against the oil and gas industry in North Dakota, which is driven by politicians, and fueled by the co-opted media and the police, for the benefit of private corporations.
Three Affiliated Tribes, where Heath Harmon is from, has been a nucleus of violent crime due to the oil and gas industry.
Former Chairman Tex Hall gained popularity at the National Congress of American Indians, before Hall inundated the land with oil and gas drilling, poisoning the land, water and air, and man camps brought in violent crime.
Then, Hall's oil and gas business partner was convicted of the murder-for-hire of two of their business partners, including a young man who was bludgeoned to death.
The man camps of oil and gas workers have brought violent crimes, sex crimes and the exploitation of women and children.
Read more:
.https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2014/02/tex-hall-blood-oil-and-murder-probe.html?m=1
January 11, 2018
Eight Indigenous Made Films at Sundance Film Festival 2018
.
Genesis 2.0 / Switzerland, Directors: Christian Frei, Maxim Arbugaev (Yakut/Buryat), Producer: Christian Frei — On the remote New Siberian Islands in the Arctic Ocean, hunters search for tusks of extinct mammoths. When they discover a surprisingly well-preserved mammoth carcass, its resurrection will be the first manifestation of the next great technological revolution: genetics. It may well turn our world upside down.
NEXT
.
We the Animals / U.S.A., Director: Jeremiah Zagar, Screenwriters: Daniel Kitrosser, Jeremiah Zagar, Producers: Jeremy Yaches, Christina D. King (Creek and Seminole Nations), Andrew Goldman, Paul Mezey — Us three, us brothers, us kings. Manny, Joel and Jonah tear their way through childhood and push against the volatile love of their parents. As Manny and Joel grow into versions of their father and Ma dreams of escape, Jonah, the youngest, embraces an imagined world all his own. Cast: Raul Castillo, Sheila Vand, Evan Rosado, Isaiah Kristian, Josiah Santiago.
Spotlight
.
Sweet Country / Australia, Director: Warwick Thornton (Kaytej Nation), Screenwriters: Stephen McGregor, David Tranter (Alyawarra Nation) — Australian western set on the Northern Territory frontier in the 1920s, where justice itself is put on trial when an aged Aboriginal farmhand shoots a white man in self defense and goes on the run as posse gathers to hunt him down.
Short Films
.
Mud (Hashtł'ishnii) / U.S.A., Director and screenwriter: Shaandiin Tome (Diné) — On her last day, Ruby faces the inescapable remnants of alcoholism, family and culture.
.
The Violence of a Civilization without Secrets / U.S.A., Directors and screenwriters: Adam Khalil, Zack Khalil (Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, Jackson Polys (Tlingit) — An urgent reflection on Indigenous sovereignty, the undead violence of museum archives and post-mortem justice through the case of the "Kennewick Man," a prehistoric Paleoamerican man whose remains were found in Kennewick, Washington State in 1996.
.
Nuuca / U.S.A. / Canada, Director: Michelle Latimer (Métis/Algonquin) — The oil boom in North Dakota has brought tens of thousands of new people to the region and with that has come an influx of drugs, crime and sex trafficking.
.
I Like Girls / Canada, Director/Screenwriter: Diane Obomsawin (Abenaki) — Charlotte, Mathilde, Marie and Diane reveal the nitty-gritty about their first loves, sharing funny and intimate tales of one-sided infatuation, mutual attraction, erotic moments and fumbling attempts at sexual expression.
Documentary Premieres
.
Akicita: The Battle of Standing Rock / U.S.A., Director: Cody Lucich, (Estom Yumeka Maidu Tribe of Enterprise Rancheria), Producers: Heather Rae, Gingger Shankar, Ben-Alex Dupris (Colville) Standing Rock, 2016: the largest Native American occupation since Wounded Knee. Thousands of activists, environmentalists and militarized police descend on the Dakota Access Pipeline in a standoff between oil corporations and a new generation of Native warriors. This chronicle captures the sweeping struggle, spirit and havoc of a people’s uprising.
20th Anniversary Archive Screening
.
Smoke Signals / U.S.A., Director: Chris Eyre (Cheyenne /Arapaho); Screenwriter: Sherman Alexie (Spokane/Coeur d'Alene) The chronicle of athletic and charming Victor Joseph from the Salmon Indian Reservation really begins when he learns of his father’s premature and sudden death. With no money, he accepts the offer of his quirky and garrulous childhood buddy, Thomas-Builds-the-Fire, to pay for the trip, but only if he goes along. Their ensuing odyssey becomes an exploration of social and personal being, but this is not a typical account laced with angst and despair. Eyre and Alexie have fused their cultural legacy with a cinematic vision that is fresh, honest, and deeply cynical of the trite images and ideas about what it is to be Indian in America.
Native Filmmaker Lab Fellows
These two Fellows participated in the Native Filmmakers Lab with their projects in May 2017 and will end their year-long Fellowship at the Festival with ongoing support, screenings, guided film discussions, and networking events. At the Lab, these fellows worked with a cast and crew to practice shooting scenes from their short films under the expert creative mentorship of Program alumni, Creative Advisors and Program staff. This Fellowship encourages Native filmmakers to hone their storytelling and technical skills in a hands-on and supportive environment. Following the Lab, Fellows receive a year-round continuum of support.
Shaandiin Tome (Diné), Mud (Hashtł’ishnii)
On her last day, Ruby faces the inescapable remnants of alcoholism, family and culture.
Erin Maile Lau (Kanaka Maoli), Ka Mahina a me Ka Pō (The Moon & the Night)
In rural Hawai‘i, a teenage girl must confront her father after he enters her beloved pet in a dogfight.
Full Circle Fellows
The Full Circle Fellowship Program, which began in 2014 with support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, is a year-long program for 18-24 year-old Native filmmakers from New Mexico and Michigan. The Fellows receive an immersive experience in the world of independent film and attend screenings, participate in guided film discussions, and connect with leaders of the Indigenous film community. The Fellowship—which has its launch at the Festival—focuses on developing these Native youth filmmakers through workshops and training opportunities, and links talented young storytellers to education and career pathways across fields of independent filmmaking, using structural strategies where Native communities heal by telling their own stories.
Mandolin Eisenberg (Taos Pueblo) is a mixed-media artist. Since starting college she has focused her efforts on film. From a young age Mandolin has been inspired by creation, initially taking up drawing and then discovering a love for writing. Her passion for writing and art turned into a deep love for stories and storytelling. As a filmmaker and storyteller, Mandolin hopes to create new realities that will impact the world. Mandolin currently attends the University of New Mexico, where she studies in the Interdisciplinary Film and Digital Media Program with a concentration in Directing and Writing.
Kaitlin Lenhard (Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians) is a recent graduate of Michigan State University with degrees in Media and Information, and Global Studies in the Arts and Humanities. Kaitlin’s film interests are largely centered in film language and how film language can be used as a bridge for Indigenous communities that have been denied their languages through colonization.
Nick Sowmick (Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe), 18, is a student at Beal City High School in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. His interests include listening to music, watching and making films, and helping his local and tribal community.
Joseph Ernest Wemigwans (Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe), 18, has loved films all his life and, especially, paying attention to the details of how they are crafted.
Time Warner Fellows
Jhane Myers (Comanche/Blackfeet), Time Warner Story Fellowship
Jhane Myers (Comanche/Blackfeet) is a Time Warner Native Producing Fellow in the Native American and Indigenous Program at the Sundance Institute. She was selected for the Fellowship with the project Words From A Bear, a documentary currently being directed by Jeffrey Palmer (Kiowa) on the life of Pulitzer prize winning Kiowa author N. Scott Momaday (House Made of Dawn; The Way To Rainy Mountain). The film is slated for broadcast in 2019 on PBS’ American Masters. Myers served as an associate producer on the documentary film, LaDonna Harris Indian 101, about acclaimed Comanche activist LaDonna Harris, which aired on PBS in 2014. And, she served as Associate Producer on Defending the Fire, a documentary about Native American warriors currently playing the film festival circuit. Early in her career, Myers established herself as a great cultural and community resource for Native-content projects being produced by networks and studios including: Monsters of God (Plan B/TNT); Magnificent Seven (MGM/Columbia Pictures); Wind River (Weinstein Co.); The Lone Ranger (Walt Disney/Jerry Bruckheimer Films); And, Apocalypto (Icon Ent/Touchstone). After working with so many non-Native created projects about Native people, Myers began to seek out a producing career to support Native filmmakers and storytellers to help bring their stories to fruition. She is a recipient of the 2018 Time Warner Story Fellowship.
Jennifer Akana Sturla (Kanaka Maoli), Time Warner Producer Fellowship
Filmmaker Jennifer Akana Sturla was Born to a Hawaiian beauty queen and an aerospace engineer from New Jersey. Jennifer’s film work has frequently examined her Native Hawaiian heritage and her USC thesis film Kamea won top prizes including Best Short at the Hawai‘i International Film Festival. Subsequent projects have included shorts, a narrative feature developed by Sony Pictures, and a feature documentary on Native Hawaiian singer-songwriter Israel “IZ” Kamakawiwo‘ole, currently in production. Jennifer has spent over twenty years working in film and television. In addition to filmmaking, she currently teaches production at California State University, Northridge and UCLA Extension. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in literature from the University of California, Santa Cruz and her Master of Fine Arts in film and television production from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts. She is the recipient of the 2018 Time Warner Native Producer Fellowship with her project The Untitled “IZ” Project.
Lauren Monroe, Jr. (Blackfeet), Time Warner Producer Fellowship
Lauren Monroe Jr. is an accomplished visual artist, filmmaker, and enrolled member of the Blackfeet Tribe. He is currently in development on the six-part docuseries Horse Nations with ZPZ Productions (Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, Mind of a Chef, MeatEater). He previously worked on the films Walking Out, The Ballad Of Lefty Brown, and 2016 Oscar Nominee Winter Light. He currently serves as the Cultural Coordinator for the Indigenous Masters of Education program at the University of Calgary, and is producing his directorial debut Kills Last – a post-apocalyptic thriller based on traditional tribal coup stories and told primarily in the Blackfeet language. He earned his MFA in Screenwriting through the Institute of American Indian Art in Santa Fe. He is the recipient of the 2018 Time Warner Producer Fellowship with the project Horse Nations.
Merata Mita Fellowship
At the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, Sundance Institute will announce the recipient of our annual Fellowship named in honor of the late Māori filmmaker Merata Mita, New Zealand's first Indigenous female filmmaker. In addition to being a global advocate for Indigenous voices, Merata was a trusted Creative Advisor and Artistic Director at the Native Lab, and a dear friend to the Institute. The Merata Mita Fellowship is supported by the Consulate General of Canada, Indigenous Media Initiatives, Anonymous, Fenton Bailey and Billy Luther, and Sarah Luther. Each year Sundance Institute identifies a Native or Indigenous filmmaker from a global pool of nominees to award a cash grant and provide a year-long continuum of support with activities including a trip to the Sundance Film Festival, access to strategic and creative services offered by Sundance Institute artist programs, and mentorship opportunities.
The Fellowship honoree will be announced Monday, January 22nd.
Additional Fellows
These Fellows are being supported with grants and fellowships from other programs within Sundance Institute and the Native American and Indigenous Program.
Zack Khalil (Ojibway), The Art of Nonfiction Fellowship
Adam Shingwak Khalil (Ojibway), The Art of Nonfiction Fellowship
Razelle Benally (Diné/Lakota), Feature Film Development Fellowship
Philip Sanchez (San Felipe Pueblo), Rauschenberg Fellowship, Sundance Documentary Film Program
Sky Bruno (Kanaka Maoli), Ignite Fellowship
 |
| Akicita: The Battle of Standing Rock |
.
 |
| Smoke Signals anniversary showing |
Sundance Institute
Wednesday, January 10th, 2018
Schedule for Park City, and Salt Lake City, Utah showings:
http://www.sundance.org/pdf/film-guide/SFF18_PPG_Grid.pdf
Following President and Founder Robert Redford’s original vision, Sundance Institute has remained committed to supporting Native American artists throughout the Institute’s history. This support has established a rich legacy of work and has supported more than 300 filmmakers through labs, grants, mentorships, public programs, and the platform of the Sundance Film Festival.
The Native American and Indigenous Program has a global focus and through its work strengthens Indigenous cinema. Filmmakers supported over the years include: Sterlin Harjo (Seminole/Muskogee), Taika Waititi (Te Whānau-ā-Apanui), Billy Luther (Diné/Hopi/Laguna Pueblo), Andrew Okpeaha MacLean (Iñupiaq), Aurora Guerrero (Xicana), Sydney Freeland (Diné), Ciara Leina’ala Lacy (Kanaka Maoli), Lyle Mitchell Corbine, Jr. (Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians) and Shaandiin Tome (Diné).
This year, eight Indigenous-made films will be premiering at the Sundance Film Festival, January 18-28, in Park City, Utah. In addition, there will be a special 20th Anniversary Archive Screening of Smoke Signals, directed by Chris Eyre (Cheyenne/Arapaho) with the screenplay by Sherman Alexie (Spokane/Coeur d’Alene). This is also our opportunity to introduce the Native Program’s filmmaker Fellows for the coming year.
Feature Films
World Cinema Documentary Competition
.
Wednesday, January 10th, 2018
Schedule for Park City, and Salt Lake City, Utah showings:
http://www.sundance.org/pdf/film-guide/SFF18_PPG_Grid.pdf
Following President and Founder Robert Redford’s original vision, Sundance Institute has remained committed to supporting Native American artists throughout the Institute’s history. This support has established a rich legacy of work and has supported more than 300 filmmakers through labs, grants, mentorships, public programs, and the platform of the Sundance Film Festival.
The Native American and Indigenous Program has a global focus and through its work strengthens Indigenous cinema. Filmmakers supported over the years include: Sterlin Harjo (Seminole/Muskogee), Taika Waititi (Te Whānau-ā-Apanui), Billy Luther (Diné/Hopi/Laguna Pueblo), Andrew Okpeaha MacLean (Iñupiaq), Aurora Guerrero (Xicana), Sydney Freeland (Diné), Ciara Leina’ala Lacy (Kanaka Maoli), Lyle Mitchell Corbine, Jr. (Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians) and Shaandiin Tome (Diné).
This year, eight Indigenous-made films will be premiering at the Sundance Film Festival, January 18-28, in Park City, Utah. In addition, there will be a special 20th Anniversary Archive Screening of Smoke Signals, directed by Chris Eyre (Cheyenne/Arapaho) with the screenplay by Sherman Alexie (Spokane/Coeur d’Alene). This is also our opportunity to introduce the Native Program’s filmmaker Fellows for the coming year.
Feature Films
World Cinema Documentary Competition
.
Genesis 2.0 / Switzerland, Directors: Christian Frei, Maxim Arbugaev (Yakut/Buryat), Producer: Christian Frei — On the remote New Siberian Islands in the Arctic Ocean, hunters search for tusks of extinct mammoths. When they discover a surprisingly well-preserved mammoth carcass, its resurrection will be the first manifestation of the next great technological revolution: genetics. It may well turn our world upside down.
NEXT
.
We the Animals / U.S.A., Director: Jeremiah Zagar, Screenwriters: Daniel Kitrosser, Jeremiah Zagar, Producers: Jeremy Yaches, Christina D. King (Creek and Seminole Nations), Andrew Goldman, Paul Mezey — Us three, us brothers, us kings. Manny, Joel and Jonah tear their way through childhood and push against the volatile love of their parents. As Manny and Joel grow into versions of their father and Ma dreams of escape, Jonah, the youngest, embraces an imagined world all his own. Cast: Raul Castillo, Sheila Vand, Evan Rosado, Isaiah Kristian, Josiah Santiago.
Spotlight
.
Sweet Country / Australia, Director: Warwick Thornton (Kaytej Nation), Screenwriters: Stephen McGregor, David Tranter (Alyawarra Nation) — Australian western set on the Northern Territory frontier in the 1920s, where justice itself is put on trial when an aged Aboriginal farmhand shoots a white man in self defense and goes on the run as posse gathers to hunt him down.
Short Films
.
.
The Violence of a Civilization without Secrets / U.S.A., Directors and screenwriters: Adam Khalil, Zack Khalil (Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, Jackson Polys (Tlingit) — An urgent reflection on Indigenous sovereignty, the undead violence of museum archives and post-mortem justice through the case of the "Kennewick Man," a prehistoric Paleoamerican man whose remains were found in Kennewick, Washington State in 1996.
.
.
Documentary Premieres
.
20th Anniversary Archive Screening
.
Smoke Signals / U.S.A., Director: Chris Eyre (Cheyenne /Arapaho); Screenwriter: Sherman Alexie (Spokane/Coeur d'Alene) The chronicle of athletic and charming Victor Joseph from the Salmon Indian Reservation really begins when he learns of his father’s premature and sudden death. With no money, he accepts the offer of his quirky and garrulous childhood buddy, Thomas-Builds-the-Fire, to pay for the trip, but only if he goes along. Their ensuing odyssey becomes an exploration of social and personal being, but this is not a typical account laced with angst and despair. Eyre and Alexie have fused their cultural legacy with a cinematic vision that is fresh, honest, and deeply cynical of the trite images and ideas about what it is to be Indian in America.
Native Filmmaker Lab Fellows
These two Fellows participated in the Native Filmmakers Lab with their projects in May 2017 and will end their year-long Fellowship at the Festival with ongoing support, screenings, guided film discussions, and networking events. At the Lab, these fellows worked with a cast and crew to practice shooting scenes from their short films under the expert creative mentorship of Program alumni, Creative Advisors and Program staff. This Fellowship encourages Native filmmakers to hone their storytelling and technical skills in a hands-on and supportive environment. Following the Lab, Fellows receive a year-round continuum of support.
Shaandiin Tome (Diné), Mud (Hashtł’ishnii)
On her last day, Ruby faces the inescapable remnants of alcoholism, family and culture.
Erin Maile Lau (Kanaka Maoli), Ka Mahina a me Ka Pō (The Moon & the Night)
In rural Hawai‘i, a teenage girl must confront her father after he enters her beloved pet in a dogfight.
Full Circle Fellows
The Full Circle Fellowship Program, which began in 2014 with support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, is a year-long program for 18-24 year-old Native filmmakers from New Mexico and Michigan. The Fellows receive an immersive experience in the world of independent film and attend screenings, participate in guided film discussions, and connect with leaders of the Indigenous film community. The Fellowship—which has its launch at the Festival—focuses on developing these Native youth filmmakers through workshops and training opportunities, and links talented young storytellers to education and career pathways across fields of independent filmmaking, using structural strategies where Native communities heal by telling their own stories.
Mandolin Eisenberg (Taos Pueblo) is a mixed-media artist. Since starting college she has focused her efforts on film. From a young age Mandolin has been inspired by creation, initially taking up drawing and then discovering a love for writing. Her passion for writing and art turned into a deep love for stories and storytelling. As a filmmaker and storyteller, Mandolin hopes to create new realities that will impact the world. Mandolin currently attends the University of New Mexico, where she studies in the Interdisciplinary Film and Digital Media Program with a concentration in Directing and Writing.
Kaitlin Lenhard (Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians) is a recent graduate of Michigan State University with degrees in Media and Information, and Global Studies in the Arts and Humanities. Kaitlin’s film interests are largely centered in film language and how film language can be used as a bridge for Indigenous communities that have been denied their languages through colonization.
Nick Sowmick (Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe), 18, is a student at Beal City High School in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. His interests include listening to music, watching and making films, and helping his local and tribal community.
Joseph Ernest Wemigwans (Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe), 18, has loved films all his life and, especially, paying attention to the details of how they are crafted.
Time Warner Fellows
Jhane Myers (Comanche/Blackfeet), Time Warner Story Fellowship
Jhane Myers (Comanche/Blackfeet) is a Time Warner Native Producing Fellow in the Native American and Indigenous Program at the Sundance Institute. She was selected for the Fellowship with the project Words From A Bear, a documentary currently being directed by Jeffrey Palmer (Kiowa) on the life of Pulitzer prize winning Kiowa author N. Scott Momaday (House Made of Dawn; The Way To Rainy Mountain). The film is slated for broadcast in 2019 on PBS’ American Masters. Myers served as an associate producer on the documentary film, LaDonna Harris Indian 101, about acclaimed Comanche activist LaDonna Harris, which aired on PBS in 2014. And, she served as Associate Producer on Defending the Fire, a documentary about Native American warriors currently playing the film festival circuit. Early in her career, Myers established herself as a great cultural and community resource for Native-content projects being produced by networks and studios including: Monsters of God (Plan B/TNT); Magnificent Seven (MGM/Columbia Pictures); Wind River (Weinstein Co.); The Lone Ranger (Walt Disney/Jerry Bruckheimer Films); And, Apocalypto (Icon Ent/Touchstone). After working with so many non-Native created projects about Native people, Myers began to seek out a producing career to support Native filmmakers and storytellers to help bring their stories to fruition. She is a recipient of the 2018 Time Warner Story Fellowship.
Jennifer Akana Sturla (Kanaka Maoli), Time Warner Producer Fellowship
Filmmaker Jennifer Akana Sturla was Born to a Hawaiian beauty queen and an aerospace engineer from New Jersey. Jennifer’s film work has frequently examined her Native Hawaiian heritage and her USC thesis film Kamea won top prizes including Best Short at the Hawai‘i International Film Festival. Subsequent projects have included shorts, a narrative feature developed by Sony Pictures, and a feature documentary on Native Hawaiian singer-songwriter Israel “IZ” Kamakawiwo‘ole, currently in production. Jennifer has spent over twenty years working in film and television. In addition to filmmaking, she currently teaches production at California State University, Northridge and UCLA Extension. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in literature from the University of California, Santa Cruz and her Master of Fine Arts in film and television production from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts. She is the recipient of the 2018 Time Warner Native Producer Fellowship with her project The Untitled “IZ” Project.
Lauren Monroe, Jr. (Blackfeet), Time Warner Producer Fellowship
Lauren Monroe Jr. is an accomplished visual artist, filmmaker, and enrolled member of the Blackfeet Tribe. He is currently in development on the six-part docuseries Horse Nations with ZPZ Productions (Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, Mind of a Chef, MeatEater). He previously worked on the films Walking Out, The Ballad Of Lefty Brown, and 2016 Oscar Nominee Winter Light. He currently serves as the Cultural Coordinator for the Indigenous Masters of Education program at the University of Calgary, and is producing his directorial debut Kills Last – a post-apocalyptic thriller based on traditional tribal coup stories and told primarily in the Blackfeet language. He earned his MFA in Screenwriting through the Institute of American Indian Art in Santa Fe. He is the recipient of the 2018 Time Warner Producer Fellowship with the project Horse Nations.
Merata Mita Fellowship
At the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, Sundance Institute will announce the recipient of our annual Fellowship named in honor of the late Māori filmmaker Merata Mita, New Zealand's first Indigenous female filmmaker. In addition to being a global advocate for Indigenous voices, Merata was a trusted Creative Advisor and Artistic Director at the Native Lab, and a dear friend to the Institute. The Merata Mita Fellowship is supported by the Consulate General of Canada, Indigenous Media Initiatives, Anonymous, Fenton Bailey and Billy Luther, and Sarah Luther. Each year Sundance Institute identifies a Native or Indigenous filmmaker from a global pool of nominees to award a cash grant and provide a year-long continuum of support with activities including a trip to the Sundance Film Festival, access to strategic and creative services offered by Sundance Institute artist programs, and mentorship opportunities.
The Fellowship honoree will be announced Monday, January 22nd.
Additional Fellows
These Fellows are being supported with grants and fellowships from other programs within Sundance Institute and the Native American and Indigenous Program.
Zack Khalil (Ojibway), The Art of Nonfiction Fellowship
Adam Shingwak Khalil (Ojibway), The Art of Nonfiction Fellowship
Razelle Benally (Diné/Lakota), Feature Film Development Fellowship
Philip Sanchez (San Felipe Pueblo), Rauschenberg Fellowship, Sundance Documentary Film Program
Sky Bruno (Kanaka Maoli), Ignite Fellowship
http://www.sundance.org/blogs/program-spotlight/8-indigenous-made-films-premiering-at-the-2018-sundance-film-festival
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