Indigenous Peoples and Human Rights

August 17, 2013

MONTANA: Moccasins on the Ground Tour of Resistance: Stop KXL Pipeline

Moccasins on the Ground Tour of Resistance in Montana To Stop the KXL Pipeline

By the Lakota Media Project of Owe Aku, Bring Back the Way
Censored News

Tarsands Protest: Debra White Plume arrested at White House
WHITE HALL, Montana -- Moccasins on the Ground Tour of Resistance opens the nonviolent direct action training at 5pm on Friday, August 23, 2013 at White Hall, Montana and continues from 10am on Aug 24 and 25.

“Montana will be the first lands to face the tarsands to come through the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, which is awaiting denial or approval from President Obama. Trained resisters will be waiting when TransCanada, Inc. makes it way into the lands. The training will be held at a camping area that can hold the hundreds of people who will participate in the training,” says Debra White Plume, lead organizer and Director of the grassroots non-governmental organization, Owe Aku (Bring Back the Way). “As well, many tribal nations are being faced with extractive industries coming to make a deal for coal, or other precious parts of Mother Earth.”

The training focuses on skills, tactics, and techniques of nonviolent direct action such as blockading heavy equipment, also emphasized in the three day training session are workshops on Strategic Media, Street Medic Training, Knowing Your Legal Rights Under Civil Disobedience, Building Solidarity, Human Rights and the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Lakota Sacred Teachings on Water, and many other topics under the umbrella of direct action.

There will be sessions on learning how the First Nations people from Canada experience impacts of the tarsands oil mine on their traditional territories, waters and the wildlife they depend on for subsistence hunting and gathering; as well as discussions on how other tarsands and oil pipelines have resulted in their people becoming displaced and ill from the mining and pipeline impacts.

The Keystone XL Pipeline will be discussed, as well as the failure of the industry to clean up recent spills and ruptures. A Mayflower, Arkansan resident impacted by the recent spill will be skyped in live to share their experience of a massive spill that caused their evacuation, and who has suffered frightening health
effects.

“We so look forward to this training, being on the land, and being with frontline activists from all over the land,” states Elrae Potts, who works with Indian Action. “There is no room for big ego in this training, it is wonderful so many experience trainers are coming to share their firsthand experience. We need to
learn effective strategies and techniques to protect our communities.”“As the process of public comment, hearings, and other aspects of an international application continue, each door is closing to protecting sacred
water and our Human Right to Water. Soon the only door left open will be the door to direct action. An organized, prepared community is our best protection if President Obama chooses to issue the KXL permit.

Of course, we are hopeful that he will truly be revolutionary in the green sense, and say no to the permit,
and lead the world in moving away from destruction and toward a sustainable energy future. But we cannot just sit and wait for his decision, we must act now and be ready to protect our sacred water, our lands, our families, so we take the Moccasins on the Ground Tour of Resistance to Lakota communities that invite us to provide the training. We have been to several Lakota and other Tribal communities, we will provide training until the decision is made by President Obama,” said White Plume.

Trainers and presenters include Red Nations Indigenous people and allies from many organizations across America.

“Delegations are coming from the four directions to participate in this training, all people who want to learn are welcome,” says Vic Camp, organizer for Owe Aku.
There is no registration fee, but donations are welcome (www.oweakuinternational.org). Bring your sleeping bag, showers are available.

Meals are provided. For more information please contact Owe Aku organizer Vic Camp at 605-454-3105.
Owe Aku can be reached at 605-454-2105 or 605-454-3105.
lakotaone@gmail.com

Thank you Christine Prat for the French translation!

http://www.chrisp.lautre.net/wpblog/?p=1891
Par le Projet de Media Lakota d’Owe Aku (Ramenez la Voie)
Publié par Censored News
See original article in English
Photo: Debra White Plume arrêtée lors d’une manifestation contre le Keystone XL en 2011
Dimanche 17 août 2013
Traduction Christine Prat

WHITE HALL, Montana – La Tournée de Résistance ‘De Pied Ferme’ (‘Moccasins on the Ground’) entamera, le vendredi 23 août 2013, une session d’instruction sur l’action directe non-violente à White Hall, Montana, qui se poursuivra les 24 et 25 août.
« Le Montana sera le premier territoire confronté aux sables bitumineux qui pourraient être acheminés par l’oléoduc Keystone XL, pour lequel on attend toujours le rejet ou l’approbation du Président Obama. Des résistants formés pour cela seront là quand TransCanada, Inc. pénétrera éventuellement dans ces territoires. L’instruction aura lieu sur un camping qui peut accueillir les centaines de personnes qui participeront à l’entrainement » dit Debra White Plume, principale organisatrice et Directrice de l’ONG de base Owe Aku (Ramenez la Voie). « De nombreuses nations tribales doivent aussi faire face aux industries d’extraction minière venues passer des contrats pour du charbon et autres éléments précieux de Notre Mère la Terre ».
L’instruction porte sur des compétences, des tactiques et des techniques d’action directe non-violente telles que le blocage des machines, mais il y aura aussi pendant ces trois jours des ateliers sur les Media Stratégiques, l’initiation à la médecine de rue, la connaissance des Droits en cas de Désobéissance Civile, le Développement de la Solidarité, les Droits de l’Homme et la Déclaration des Droits des Peuples Autochtones, les Enseignements Sacrés Lakota sur l’Eau et de nombreux autres sujets couverts par la notion d’action directe.
Il y aura des sessions d’information sur la manière dont les Premières Nations du Canada ont subi les impacts des mines de sables bitumineux sur leurs territoires traditionnels, les eaux et la vie sauvage dont ils dépendent pour la chasse et la cueillette de subsistance ; et des discussions sur la façon dont les oléoducs transportant des sables bitumineux et autre pétrole ont amené leur peuple à être déplacé et à tomber malade à cause des effets de l’extraction et du transport.
On parlera de l’Oléoduc Keystone XL et de l’incapacité de l’industrie à nettoyer les effets des récentes fuites et accidents. A Mayflower, Arkansas, un résident touché par la fuite récente s’exprimera en direct sur Skype pour parler de la fuite massive qui a causé l’évacuation des habitants et des effets terrifiants sur sa santé dont il a souffert.
« Nous attendons cet entrainement avec enthousiasme, d’être sur notre terre, avec des activistes de première ligne venus de tout le pays » a déclaré Elrae Potts, qui travaille pour Action Indienne. « Il n’y a pas de place pour des egos surdimensionnés, c’est merveilleux que des gens expérimentés viennent partager leur expérience de première main. Nous avons besoin d’apprendre des stratégies et des techniques efficaces pour protéger nos communautés ».
« Tandis que le processus de commentaires du public, d’auditions et d’autres aspects de l’application de la loi internationale continue, chaque porte se ferme sur la perspective de protéger l’eau sacrée et notre Droit Humain à l’Eau. Bientôt, la seule porte qui sera encore ouverte sera celle de l’action directe. Une communauté organisée et bien préparée est notre meilleure protection si le Président Obama choisit d’accorder un permis pour le Keystone XL.
Bien sûr, nous espérons qu’il se montrera authentiquement révolutionnaire au sens écologique et dira non au permis, conduisant ainsi le monde à renoncer à la destruction et à s’orienter vers un futur d’énergie durable. Mais nous ne pouvons pas nous contenter d’attendre sa décision, nous devons agir maintenant et nous tenir prêts à protéger notre eau sacrée, nos terres, nos familles, c’est pourquoi nous emmenons la Tournée de Résistance ‘De Pied Ferme’ dans les communautés Lakota qui nous invitent à leur fournir cette instruction. Nous nous sommes déjà rendus dans plusieurs communautés Lakota et d’autres communautés Tribales, nous apporterons notre instruction jusqu’à ce que le Président Obama prenne sa décision » dit Debra White Plume.
Les instructeurs et conférenciers viennent des Nations Rouges Autochtones et de nombreuses organisations alliées de toute l’Amérique.
« Des délégations viennent des quatre directions pour participer à cette instruction, tous ceux qui veulent apprendre sont les bienvenus » dit Vic Camp, un des organisateurs de Owe Aku.
L’inscription est gratuite, mais les dons sont bienvenus ( www.oweakuinternational.org ). Amenez vos sacs de couchage, il y a des douches sur place. Les repas sont fournis. Pour plus d’information contactez l’organisateur d’Owe Aku Vic Camp au 605 454 3105.
Pour joindre Owe Aku :
605 454 2105 ou 605 454 3105
lakotaone@gmail.com


Thank you Alice Holemans for the Dutch translation!

http://www.bloggen.be/natam/archief.php?ID=2295757
17-08-2013
Klik hier om een link te hebben waarmee u dit artikel later terug kunt lezen.PERSBERICHT VAN OWE AKU, BRING BACK THE WAY
Klik op de afbeelding om de link te volgen
PERSBERICHT VAN OWE AKU, BRING BACK THE WAY
Door Lakota Media project of Owe Aku, Bring Back the Way
MOCCASINS ON THE GROUND TOUR OF RESISTANCE opent de geweldloze directe actie - training op vrijdag 23 augustus in White Hall,Montana en zal duren tot 24-25 augustus.
Montana zal het eerste land zijn dat geconfronteerd wordt met de teerzanden die door de voorgestelde Keystone XL pijplijn zal komen. Het wachten is op de goedkeuring of afwijzing van president Obama. Goed opgeleide verzetsmensen zullen TransCanada opwachten wanneer zij door het land komen.
“De opleiding gaat door op een kampplaats , groot genoeg om honderden mensen die de training willen volgen op te vangen”, zegt Debra White Plume, organisator en hoofd van de geweldloze grassroots organisatieOwe Aku,(Bring Back the Way). 
Vele tribale naties worden geconfronteerd met winningsindustriën die komen om munt te slaan uit kolen en andere waardevolle schatten van Moeder Aarde.De training richt zich op vaardigheden, tactieken, en technieken van geweldloze directe actie zoals het blokkeren van zware materialen.
Waar tijdens deze 3- daagse training vooral nadruk gelegd zal worden zijn workshops voor strategische Media, straat - geneeskundige opleiding; het kennen van de rechten onder de burgerlijke gehoorzaamheidswet , werken aan solidariteit, mensenrechten en de verklaring over de rechten van inheemse volken, Lakota sacrale lering over water, en vele andere onderwerpen onder het paraplusysteem van 'directe actie'.
Er zullen sessies zijn waarin geleerd wordt hoe de First Nations van Canada de impact van de teerzanden oliemijn ervaren op hun traditionele gebieden,wateren, en het wildleven waarvan zij afhangen; discussies over hoe andere teerzanden en olie pijplijnen de oorzaak waren van ontheemding en ziekte door het effect van de ontginningen en pijplijnen. Zowel de Keystone XL pijplijn zal besproken worden als het mislukken van de industrie om de recente lekken en breuken op te kuisen.
Een bewoner uit Mayflower, Arkansas die getroffen werd door de recente vervuiling zal via Skype vertellen over het effect van het massieve lek waardoor ze geëvacueerd moesten worden en over zijn angstwekkende ziekte - verschijnselen.
Elrae Potts, die werkt voor Indian Action zegt : “Wij kijken zo uit naar de training en om samen te zijn met frontlinie activisten van uit het hele land. In deze training is geen plaats voor grote ego’s. Het is knap dat zovele geoefende trainers naar daar komen en hun ervaringen uit de eerste hand te horen. Wij moeten effectieve strategieën en technieken leren om onze gemeenschappen te beschermen.”
“Terwijl publieke commentaren,hoorzittingen en andere aspecten van een internationale toepassing doorgaan, wordt elke deur tot de bescherming van het sacrale water en ons mensenrecht op water gesloten. Weldra zal enkel de deur naar de directe actie nog openstaan .Een georganiseerde, voorbereide gemeenschap is onze beste bescherming indien president Obama verkiest om de KXL groen licht te geven. Natuurlijk hopen wij dat hij echt revolutionair zal zijn in zijn ‘groen’ beleid en neen zal zeggen, en de wereld weg zal leiden van destructie naar een werkelijke duurzame energie toekomst. Maar wij kunnen niet zomaar blijven zitten en wachten op zijn beslissing, wij moeten nu actie ondernemen en klaar zijn om ons sacraal water, ons land, onze families te beschermen. Daarom brengen wij de Moccasins on the Ground Tour of Resistance naar Lakota gemeenschappen die ons uitnodigen om de training te geven. Wij zijn reeds bij verschillende Lakota en andere gemeenschappen geweest, wij zullen met de trainingen voortgaan tot Obama zijn beslissing bekend maakt”, aldus Debra White Plume
Onder de trainers en presentatoren zijn Red Nations Indigenous People en bondgenoten uit vele organisaties doorheen Amerika.
“Delegaties komen uit de vier windstreken om deel te nemen aan deze training, iedereen die wil leren is welkom”,zegt Vic Camp, organisator voor Owe Aku.
Er is geen inschrijvingsgeld, maar donaties zijn meer dan welkom.
STEUN DE MOCASSINS ON THE GROUND TOUR OF RESISTANCE :DONATE VIA : http://www.oweakuinternational.org/

August 16, 2013

Mohawk Nation News 'Warrior Cohorts'

WARRIOR COHORTS

mnnlogoMohawk Nation News Posted on 

McDonald-Laurier troops marching into Roseau River: "Where is that Terrance Nelson?"
MacDonald-Laurier think tank troops marching into Roseau River: “Where is that Terrance Nelson?”
Indigenous men they call “Warrior Cohorts” are feared because of the colonial demonization program. Starvation and genocide failed. Our population increased by 45% between 1996 and 2006. By 2017, 42% of Indigenous People will be under 30 years of age. Canada exists on illegal extraction of our resources and selling/transporting them to far-off markets. Limited security forces makes Canada vulnerable. The anxiety is that “Indigenous can chose the challenges!” because resources and transportation lines are on Indigenous territories that were never surrendered. A conflict needs to be instigated to bring in military forces to protect corporate interests! Legitimate dialogue is to be avoided. 
The main resources are coal, grain, potash, nickel and lumber. Disruption could cause empty-handed producers, idle ships, closed mills, laid off workers and foreign customers looking elsewhere. 
Their strategies are based on a deep misunderstanding of the Mohawk Oka Crisis 1990 and Six Nations/Caledonia 2005 resistance. A unified Indigenous people is dreaded. They rely on the advice of their corporate band council and national Injuns, whose job is to distract, pacify, keep us ignorant and maintain 3rd world living conditions. 
The natural people are called “insurgents”. We live everywhere. Main concerns are rail, road, air, water, hydro electric lines, pipelines, poles, bridges, refineries, power plants, oil, ocean platforms, tunnels, airports, waterways, communication and control systems. Disruption would affect businesses, governments, resource and economic functions. Main border crossings under constant surveillance are Windsor, Niagara Falls, Sarnia, Lacolle, Emerson Manitoba and Pacific Highway. 
The main transport hub is Winnipeg Manitoba. An 85,000 “Warrior Cadre” could easily overwhelm 52 small RCMP detachments. One disruption could lead to resistance in other places. Their figures are extremely low! 
The main strategies are to avoid respect for Indigenous sovereignty; criminalize the young “Warrior Cohorts” or “child soldiers” they call “young thugs”, who are all “violence prone”. Build more jails. Find the charismatic leader who will appear, unify and lead us! Heh! Heh! Heh! 
Rez cars are all we have!
Rez cars are all we have!
“Indians have no weapons”. Those elders, women and children sitting on tracks have to be subdued! Confrontations could be old cars burning on and warping railroads” [which all belong to us as everything was built with our funds!] 
Immigrants selling off our possessions is over! Can the rightful Indigenous challenge to the corporations be overcome? Disarm the Warrior Cohort [who have no weapons]. Threaten us to give up our claims to inherent sovereignty. Deathly force, if necessary, for short-term protests. Long term response is being developed. 
“Indigenous can use scarce resources efficiently and attract international attention”. Infrastructure on our land is a powerful tool of influence.  Indigenous are about stopping the destruction of our Mother Earth versus “The government will prevail”. We’d like an accounting of the Corporation of Canada’s spending of our ever-growing $365 trillion Indian Trust Fund which comes from the illegal sale of our resources. Canada cannot claim sovereignty when no documents exist that show we surrendered anything to anyone. 
All aboard!
All aboard!
The Kaianerekowa/Great Law of Peace prevents us from failure.  
Johnny Cash knows such Nazi MacDonald-Laurier gangsters are going to jail in the Fatherland: “I know I had it comin’,
I know I can’t be free…”Folsom Prison Blues

MNN Mohawk Nation News kahentinetha2@yahoo.com  For more news, books, workshops, to donate and sign up for MNN newsletters, go towww.mohawknationnews.com  More stories at MNN Archives.  Address:  Box 991, Kahnawake [Quebec, Canada] J0L 1B0  

August 15, 2013

Zapatistas: Military fly-overs as Little School begins

Communiqué from the Indigenous Revolutionary Clandestine Committee – General Command of the EZLN, announcing fly-overs by military airplanes in the zones of the five caracoles. [Audio Transcription]

Communiqué from the Indigenous Revolutionary Clandestine Committee – General Command of the EZLN, announcing fly-overs by military airplanes in the zones of the five caracoles. [Audio Transcription]
http://enlacezapatista.ezln.org.mx/2013/08/15/communique-from-the-indigenous-revolutionary-clandestine-committee-general-command-of-the-ezln-announcing-fly-overs-by-military-airplanes-in-the-zones-of-the-five-caracoles-audio-transcri/
Compañeros, Compañeras, Good day. We always make our appearance in urgent situations.  Allow me to read this communiqué that we are issuing at this time. It says:
August 14th, 2013, mid-morning.
Communiqué from the Indigenous Revolutionary Clandestine Committee – General Command of the Zapatista Army for National Liberation, Mexico.
To the people of Mexico:
To the people of the World:
To the Sixth:
To the students of the Zapatista Little School across the world:
Compañeros and Compañeras:
We are notifying you that on August 12th and 13th 2013, during the night, military planes were doing flyovers over the zones of the five Zapatista caracoles, the places where they are teaching the course “Freedom According to the Zapatistas.”
Maybe, serving their masters, the Mexican soldiers are spying for the US government, or, the North American planes are doing the work of spying directly. Or maybe the soldiers want to see what is taught in the Zapatista communities that they have attacked so much, but have been unable to destroy.
We say to the government of Peña Nieto, that if your soldiers want to learn in the little school, they should ask to be invited. We won’t, however, invite them. But then they can use the pretext that they are spying because we didn’t invite them. That’s all.

Democracy, Liberty, Justice
From San Cristóbal de las Casas
Chiapas, Mexico
For the Indigenous Revolutionary Clandestine Committee – General Command of the Zapatista Army for National Liberation, Mexico.
Comandante Tacho
México, August 2013

Thank you compañeros. That’s all.
Okay…well, continue studying compañeros, you’ve heard the communiqué.
That’s all, Thank you.
****************************
Translation by “El Kilombo Intergaláctico”
****************************

Colville Members for Justice granted initial hearing in Colville Tribal Court

Colville Members for Justice granted initial hearing in Colville Tribal Court

By Yvonne L. Swan
Yvonne Swan

Censored News

Arguments will begin in Colville Tribal Court on August 21 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. regarding a Civil Complaint filed by Yvonne L. Swan on May 23, 2013 against fourteen (14) tribal members who were then seated on the Colville Business Council—John E. Sirois; Michael O Finley; N. Lynn Palmanteer-Holder; Brian Nissen; Richard Swan, Sr.; Jim Boyd; Luana Boyd-Rowley; William Nicholson, II; Darlene Zacherle; Joseph Somday; Nancy Johnson; Ernest Brooks, III; Benjamin Marchand, Jr.; and Andrew Joseph, Jr.
    Over the past 18 months elected representatives refused to hear Colville tribal voices of concern, a denial that compelled several people to organize as Colville Members for Justice and eventually raise their voices on behalf of 2,700 members who signed a petition asking the Business Council for the remainder of the $193 Million trust settlement.
    The settlement in question resulted from a claim filed against the Secretary of the Interior (Kenneth Salazar et al) through US District Court, No.: 1:05-CV-02471-TFH for mismanagement of the Tribes’ trust funds and non-monetary trust assets. This entire mismanagement took place over the past 100 years and the actual amount of losses that affected the people is unknown to the general membership.
    The Complaint asks the Court to stop Sirois et al from spending or planning to spend any of the remainder of the $193 Million trust settlement until this case is resolved and the membership of the Tribes is vindicated. It also asks that the Council give a full accounting of the 2012 and 2013 status of the settlement including any interest earned and provide a complete description of any/all expenditures to date.
    Other relief asked of the Court is to Order the Respondents to direct all programs and departments to return all monies taken from the people in 2012 and afford them due process. After the 2012 Referendum passed in favor of members to receive an additional 30% in addition to the original 20% the Council initially decided to give them, the Council retaliated by passing an Emergency Resolution on August 20, 2012 stating in part “…Holds are allowed for all Tribal programs, including but not limited to the following…” and it lists 14 programs including BIA, Housing, and Tribal Court. Plaintiffs question the legality of this Resolution and will address it in Court.
    Sirois et al had the Office of Reservation Attorneys file a Notice of Appearance on their behalf, but tribal members are asking the Court to exclude them from the case due to conflict of interest and to Order Sirois et al to retain private counsel.
    Our argument is based on precedents set dating back to the 1950s whereby tribal
representatives immediately informed the members and allowed them to vote; and, in
those instances up to 1994 all claims settlement monies were immediately disbursed equally to each enrolled tribal member. The tribal Council sets policy and policy is expected by the membership to follow tradition.
    Members emphatically hold that this settlement is compensation to the Tribe and the Tribe consists of its membership. If the Council really cared for the people, the people would not have had to resort to a class action against them in order to be heard.



    “The reason this Claims issue became so heated is due to lack of complete and truthful information. I've had to sift through information and toss out untruths for months in search of the truth. This shouldn't be happening. Sure, nobody's perfect, but at least we can be open and honest about tribal matters. We ask honest questions and expect honest answers.
    Anything that has to do with our land and life on this Reservation is of utmost importance to each and every one of us. The majority of people I’ve talked with don’t trust the Council because they feel the Council has mismanaged our funds just as much as the federal government mismanaged our resources.” –Yvonne L. Swan


For Immediate Release
from August 14 until August 21