Indigenous Peoples and Human Rights

October 14, 2008

In the Spirit of Big Mountain at Alcatraz Island: 'We Discovered ColumBUSH!'


In the Spirit of Big Mountain at Alcatraz Island: “We Discovered ColumBUSH!”

By Bahe Katenay
Photo: 1978 Longest Walk by Beverly Powless

October 14, 2008 When the opportunity came along for me to take time off work and go to the San Francisco Bay Area, I decided that I have to attend the Sunrise ceremony to honor the Longest Walk participants from 1978 and 2008, and join my indigenous relatives and other non-Native allies. I particularly wanted to remember and honor my mother, Zhonnie Chii Diil’ Katenay, who passed on into the spirit world eleven months ago. My mom has been on Alcatraz Island before for two “Thanksgiving holiday” events. My dad, Jon Keediniihii, told me before I went to the Bay Area and Alcatraz that, he went once but my mom had been to Alcatraz twice: “It has been years ago that we took a boat filled with mostly Indian people and we went out to ‘a small piece of earth’ that was situated in the middle of a large bay. The people made a fire and everyone gathered in a circle around that fire, and your mom was asked to do a prayer for that special gathering of nations. Mom made a beautiful and strong prayer as she always did. After the ceremonies on ‘that little land,’ the late Arlene Hamilton told us that a family from the Berkeley hills had invited us to a feast, and so we all went up into the hills that were across from the city of San Francisco. That was how my travel went back then with Arlene and your mom. Now, it is good to hear that the Indians are still returning to ‘that little piece of land’ to do the ceremonies.”
Read article:
http://censored-news.blogspot.com/2008/10/in-spirit-of-big-mountain-at-alcatraz.html
BAHE UNCENSORED
Read also Bahe Katenay's article, censored by Indian Country Today in 2004, on oil and gas drilling in Navajos' sacred place of origin Dinetah.
Bahe said, “Gas reserves are drilled in places where White Shell Woman was found by Talking God and places where she did her Kinalda (puberty ceremony). Places where the Twin Warrior Gods made their divine deeds are alsodesecrated with drilling, piping, wells and recreation activities. The Dine’ have lost these lands and their ‘puppet’ tribal government have refused to fight for a claim to this area,” Katenay said. Read the censored article:

Indigenous Women Remove Columbus Barrier in Denver Photos


Special thanks to the blog, "Fire Witch Rising," for allowing the Censored News to repost these photos. Thirteen Indigenous women delivered the Treaty of Transformation to the organizers of the Columbus Day Parade in Denver on Saturday. Also read the article by Mano Cockrum, Hopi/Navajo, and find out what the pro-Columbus group did with the Treaty. Describing the courageous action of the Indigenous women as shown in the photos above, Fire Witch wrote, "Protesters head for the barricades to confront the Ugly Americans commemorating a slave-trading, Indian-killer. A delegation of 13 Indigenous women tear down the barricades and take a Treaty of Transformation to the hate speech organizers. The confrontation is accomplished without arrests, and the Transform Columbus Day Alliance leaves the tedious losers to finish their creep show in front of no one. Abolish Columbus Day, fools. Cuz now ya'll are just REALLY embarrassing yourselves," Fire Witch wrote. Double click on images to enlarge. Photos copyright Fire Witch Rising. See more photos and reporting from the scene at the website, Fire With Rising:

Alcatraz Sunrise, photos by Bad Bear Sampson



More photos
Special thanks to Carl Bad Bear Sampson, Paiute/Shoshone from Nevada, for the photos of the Alcatraz Sunrise Gathering on Monday, Oct. 13, 2008. Bad Bear also documented the Longest Walk Northern Route, and Peace and Dignity Journeys in Arizona 2008, with his cellphone. Bad Bear, second from left in photo two in red sweatshirt, is photographed with other members of the Longest Walk Northern Route 2. See more photos of walkers from Nevada and California, along with walkers Aislyn, Harry and Edmund, at the Alcatraz Ceremony:

October 12, 2008

Call for help! Algonquins at Barriere Lake in Quebec

CALL FOR HELP! SUPPORT BARRIERE LAKE ALGONQUINS AGAINST QUEBEC POLICE ATTACKS, ARRESTS, BEATINGS, HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES

Article by Mohawk Nation News
Photos: Barriere Lake community


Oct. 12, 2008. On Monday, October 6, 2008, the Algonquins of Barriere Lake had enough and blocked Highway 117 in Northern Quebec. They want Canada and Quebec to live up to the "trilateral agreement" signed in 1991 between the 3 parties. The Algonquins have a right to sustainably develop and co-manage their traditional territories and to have a share in resource revenues. Canada and Quebec obviously believe in stealing but not sharing. Isn't that the "slippery slope" that multinational corporations are sliding into right now? They refuse to comply with the agreement which would save the environment.
Rotten to the core, Canada and Quebec responded to the blocked road by sending in almost 100 Quebec police, some fully-equipped riot police, to attack the Algonquins to get out of negotiations. Tear gas was shot into a group of youth and elders. One canister hit a handicapped person in the chest. Nine people, including; an elderly women, a pregnant woman, and two minors, were arrested. Severe "pain compliance" techniques were used on peaceful men, women and children who had secured themselves to concrete-filled barrels. The cops twisted their arms, dislocated their jaws, left them with bruised faces and sore necks and throats from the tear gas.
To view the video of brutal police attack, go to http://www.barrierelakesolidarity.blogspot.com/. The Algonquins of Barriere Lake intend to demonstrate until Canada's Conservative government and Quebec honor signed agreements and Barriere Lake's leadership customs.
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