Leonard Peltier on the passing of Nelson Mandela

On the Passing of Nelson Mandela from Leonard Peltier 

December 5, 2013 6:30 PM

By Leonard Peltier

Greeting my relatives, friends, and supporters:

It saddens me to hear that a great man like Nelson Mandela has departed from this lifetime.  He was a man who was truly inspirational and showed us the possibilities of how a continued struggle by indigenous people could manifest itself in levels of freedom that have been marred by centuries of oppression.

Our Native people suffered the same types of oppression many times.  It is not as overt and as easily distinguished as in some places; however, if you are dead because a policeman shot you, or dead because you could not stand the racial and cultural genocide, so you committed suicide-- you are just as dead either away.   Nelson Mandela is known for leading the struggle against apartheid in South Africa.  America talked about ending apartheid and put sanctions on South Africa.  Not being all that adept at the English language, it is my understanding that (apartheid) means to keep someone apart from something; my people have been kept apart purposely from the sacred Black Hills of South Dakota. There was, and still are, measures that keep us apart from our true history, perpetrated by an education system that limits the truth of our being.  Right now, here in America, right now in Canada,  right now in South America, there is apartheid that seeks to separate us from our sacred places,  our lands, and our resources.  Right now in Canada Native people are struggling to protect their aboriginal lands from fracking which destroys the water tables and disturbs the natural balance of the Earth.   Right now with an apartheid mentality, they seek to build pipelines across Native lands that have the potential of great ecological destruction.  Right now there is an apartheid that seeks to separate us from the protection of the constitution of the United States which says treaty law is the supreme law of the land; which also says you have a right to an unbiased fair trial; which also says you have a right to a jury of your peers. Right now our young Native people are tried as adults THREE times more than other groups and kept apartheid from their families and kept apartheid from competent legal representation.

I could go on and on, but you can see where I am heading with this. The struggle from apartheid, I am sure, is not over in South Africa, nor is the struggle against apartheid and slavery over in America. We must all consider Nelson Mandela an inspiration, but I am also inspired by the least of our people who stand up for what is right, like  the young man or young woman who peacefully mans a roadblock against developers or fracking companies or some factory that hurts our air.  While I am at it,  in all this chaos, I also want to remember a brother by the name of Wanbli Tate who tirelessly championed the rights of indigenous people through radio programs, writings, and the internet, to bring attention to the wrongdoers represented in government and corporations.  

We have lost a lot of our people in their last years, and again I remember my brother Russell Means who was also tireless in his efforts in trying to bring about an end to this American version of apartheid that faces Native people.

In the spirit of all those who have gone before us in this struggle, I would like to say stay strong and NEVER, NEVER give up.

Your friend always,

In the spirit of Crazy Horse,

Leonard Peltier

Mitakuye Oyasin

French translation by Christine Prat: http://www.chrisp.lautre.net/wpblog/?p=2079

Into the High Sierras, Long Walk 4 photos

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Wednesday's walk into Carson City, Nevada (below)

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Top photos: Late Thursday, Longest Walk 4 Return to Alcatraz arrived at sacred Cave Rock. Thursday afternoon, walkers walk/ran into the High Sierra Nevadas, near the Nevada and California border. Second set of photos: The walk into Carson City, Nevada, on Wednesday. Photos by Carl 'Bad Bear' Sampson, Western Shoshone long walker. Thanks to Bad Bear for sharing photos with Censored News.
Photos Thursday night to right and below:

www.returntoalcatraz.com
More photos!
Stillwater Paiute Shoshone Grand Welcome to Long Walkers
http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2013/12/stillwater-paiute-shoshone-grand.html
Photos Bad Bear and Emilio presentation in Fallon Nevada
http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2013/12/long-walk-4-at-stillwater-paiute.html
Long Walk 4 at Grimes Point sacred Paiute land, photos by Bad Bear
http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2013/11/longest-walk-4-walks-to-grimes-point.html
Bad Bear's photos Yomba Shoshone to Paiute land, Long Walk 4
http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2013/11/longest-walk-4-walking-from-yomba.html

Dine' Jean Whitehorse: Bias and sterilization of American Indian women

Jean Whitehorse survived boarding school, urban relocation and the sterilization of American Indian women, and became stronger 

By Brenda Norrell
Censored News
French translation by Christine Prat
Dutch translation NAIS

SAN FRANCISCO -- Jean Whitehorse, Dine', speaking at the American Indian Movement's sixth annual West Coast Conference described how racist stereotypes and bias in children's books shape children at a young age.

Whitehorse also described the abuse she suffered in boarding school, when she was punished for speaking her own Dine' language. Further, she was a victim of the United States government's forced sterilization program of American Indian women, carried out by the Indian Health Service in the 1970s.

Whitehorse said it is important to examine the content of children's books for the stereotypes of American Indians, including cartoons, mascots and images like headdresses and teepees.

"We don't all wear feathers, we don't all live in teepees."

Stressing the need to begin educating children in the home before the age of three, she said, "It all starts before the age of three, if there's a negative word, they are going to repeat it."

Referring to stereotypes of Indians, she pointed out that each Indian Nation has their own language, traditions and culture and the people are teaching these to their own young children. During her presentation, she used as an illustration an inaccurate children's book that combined the specific traditions of Dine', Pueblo, and other Indian Nations as if they were all one in the same.

Whitehorse said she, like so many Native Americans, was punished for speaking her own Dine' language in boarding school. "If I talked in Navajo, I was punished."

She was taught to count with the stereotypical, "One little, two little, three little Indians ..." Today, she teaches her own great-granddaughter to count using this tune, but with the word "bilagaana" (white men) instead of "little Indians."

Today in the schools bias in children's books remains, including the words "squaw," and "papoose."

"We have come a long way," she said, pointing out that today many Navajos are lawyers, educators and doctors."

She said AIM West is about obtaining equal rights and "our voice being heard."

Whitehorse was sent here to the Bay Area at the age of 19 on relocation to Oakland. After four years, she decided it was time to go home to the Navajo Nation.

Whitehorse described how she was a victim of the United States government's forced sterilization of American Indian women in the 1970s. It was carried out by the Indian Health Service, and many times without the knowledge of Native American women.

"I was a victim of that after I had one daughter. I wish I had more children"

"There are a lot of Native American women out there who never had children because of this."

"Everything that the government put before me, I went over it. I just became stronger."

"Now I know who I am, I am teaching that to my daughter, my granddaughter and my great-granddaughter, because they are going to carry on the legends that we have as Native Americans."

"They will never suffer like we did."

Pointing out the stereotype of America's Thanksgiving, she said Americans need to learn the real history.

"We were here before anyone came, and we are still here, and we are here to stay."

Santa arrested at Elsipogtog fracking protest!

Santa Jean Sock arrested on Hwy 11 on Wednesday.

Post by APTN National News.