Underreported Struggles #35, February 2010
Full story w/ links:
http://intercontinentalcry.org/underreported-struggles-35-february-2010
In this month's Underreported Struggles: Indigenous People in Ecuador Call for a "Permanent Mobilzation”; 5,000 Dongria Kondh protest against Vedanta Resources; Bangladesh army opens fire on Indigenous Jumma; Okanagan Band launches protective blockade against logging.
Feb 28 - Indigenous People in Ecuador Call for "Permanent Mobilization” - Indigenous representatives and leaders have issued a call for a "permanent mobilization” to protest the Ecuadorian government's development policies and press demands for a pluri-national state. Lasting for more than eight weeks, a similar mobilization occurred last year in Peru.
Feb 26 - Colombia: indigenous communities targeted in war, again - Indigenous peoples are again caught in the middle as the Colombian army launches a major offensive against the FARC guerillas in the southern Andean department of Cauca.
Feb 26 - Day of Action for Rivers, March 14, 2010 - With the "day of action for rivers” set to begin on March 14, international Rivers provides an update on what will be happening. So far, they say, twenty-three actions have been scheduled in fourteen countries. Several more actions are expected.
Feb 26 - Alaska Natives restoring culture outlawed by missionaries - After years of stigma brought on by Quaker missionaries who banned traditional dancing, the remote Alaskan village of Noorvik is resurrecting the old dances and songs---re-awakening what was shamefully oppressed by religious bigotry.
Feb 26 - Yanomami fear for their lives as miners invade their land - Yanomami shaman and spokesman Davi Kopenawa has made an urgent appeal for support as the Yanomami territory in northern Brazil is being invaded by gold-miners. Davi said, 'The arrival of miners is increasing, and the Yanomami are very worried… Soon there will be conflicts between the miners and the Yanomami…'
Feb 26 - Peru: indigenous organizations demand protection for "isolated peoples” - Representatives of Peru's Amazonian indigenous alliance AIDESEP and affiliated groups are calling for the "protection of indigenous peoples in voluntary isolation and initial contact.” On Feb. 4, President Alan García introduced a bill that would allow the forcible removal of local populations from lands slated for development projects found to be in the "public interest.”
Feb 24 - Olympics can't mask country's human rights record on indigenous peoples - Ever sensitive about their reputation as a land of the fair minded, Canada's Olympic planners have gone to lengths to showcase the nation's respect for aboriginals. However, it is little more than a blanket to cover up the true state of indigenous peoples in Canada.
Feb 23 - Urge Kenya to Withdrawal Police from Samburu Land - Cultural Survival is appealing to Kenyan government authorities to halt police operations in Northern Kenya, where Indigenous Samburu villages have suffered brutal police attacks over the last year. In the most recent attack, the police invaded two Samburu villages, raped eight women, burned a house to the ground, and beat women, children and men with sticks..
Feb 23 - 5,000 indigenous Dongria Kondh protest against Vedanta - When 5,000 indigenous Dongria Kondhs trekked Sunday to Niyam Dongar hill, the abode of their presiding deity Niyam Raja, and designated it as inviolate, it meant they were stepping up their resistance to a controversial alumina refinery and bauxite mine project here.
Feb 23 - Okanagan Nation launches blockade against logging - The Okanagan Indian Band (OIB) launched a "protective blockade” this morning, February 23, at the Okanagan campsite near Bouleau Lake in southern British Colombia. A member of the greater Okanagan Nation, the OIB say they have been left with no choice but to stop the logging company Tolko Industries from endangering their water supply.
Feb 23 - Uranium Mining Begins Near Grand Canyon - In defiance of legal challenges and a U.S. Government moratorium, Canadian company Denison Mines has started mining uranium on the north rim of the Grand Canyon. According to the Arizona Daily Sun the mine has been operating since December 2009.
Feb 22 - Indigenous Jumma massacred in Bangladesh - Eight people are dead and more than two dozen have been injured after the Bangladesh military, on Feb. 20, 2010, opened fire on a group of Indigenous Jumma villagers in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) of Bangladesh. Four villages sponsored by the United Nations were also burned to the ground.
Feb 20 - Company activities suspended in Ajwun and Wampis sacred territory - Peru's Ministry of Energy and Mines announced this week that it is "indefinitely suspending” Minera Afrodita's exploration activities in the Cordillera del Condor region of Peru. As reported by Servindi, the announcement follows a recommendation by OSINERGIN, which recently that found that Afrodita, a subsidiary of the Vancouver-based company Dorato , has no concession rights in the Cordillera del Condor region.
Feb 19 - Honduras: authorized projects threaten wetlands and communities - Only 24 hours after Lobo took office, his administration was already granting new environmental permits for projects on wetlands which are part of the environmental richness of Honduras, threatening species and communities.
Feb 18 - Ongoing Violation of Naso and Ngobe Peoples Rights - A shadow report has been submitted to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) detailing Panama's ongoing breach of obligations to the Indigenous Naso and Ngobe Peoples.
Feb 18 - International letter-writing campaign for "uncontacted Indians” - A global letter-writing campaign is underway to help protect the lives of isolated Indigenous Peoples in Paraguay. A Brazilian ranching company, Yaguarete Porá, has announced plans to clear a large part of their 78,000 hectare estate. Sign the letter here.
Feb 15 - Join the Campaign in Defense of the Xingu River - A letter-writing campaign has been launched to demand President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva and other Brazilian authorities put an end to the controversial Belo Monte hydro-electric dam. Once completed, the Belo Monte dam would devastate a massive portion of the Amazon rainforest, divert the flow of the Xingu River and destroy the livelihoods of more than 12,000 Indigenous people.
Feb 14 - Lusi volcano eruption blamed on mining firm - British scientists have revealed evidence that a mining company drilling for gas was responsible for unleashing a mud volcano in Indonesia which has killed 14 people and left tens of thousands homeless.
Feb 11 - Landmark Decision for Indigenous Land Rights in Africa - In a landmark decision this month, the African Union endorsed a 2009 ruling by the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights which ordered the Kenyan government to restore the traditional land base of the Endorois People.
Feb 4 - Court rules in favor of indigenous Papuans - The Constitutional Court in Papua has issued an important ruling to provide better representation of Indigenous Peoples in the local government. The Papuan Legislative Council must now appoint 11 new members, all indigenous.
Feb 4 - Extinct: Andaman tribe's extermination complete as last member dies - The last member of a unique tribe has died on India's Andaman Islands. Boa Sr, who died last week aged around 85, was the last speaker of 'Bo', one of the ten Great Andamanese languages. The Bo are thought to have lived in the Andaman Islands for as much as 65,000 years.
Feb 2 - People of Alice win first round against Schwabe Pharmaceuticals - The small South African community of Alice has won the first leg of their court case against German homeopathic giant Schwabe Pharmaceuticals. The company is trying to patent a remedy made from the roots of local indigenous plants.
Feb 2 - Bitter Sweet or Toxic? Indigenous people, diabetes and the burden of pollution - Diabetes is now widely regarded as the 21st century epidemic. With some 284 million people currently diagnosed with the disease, it's certainly no exaggeration---least of all for Indigenous people.
Videos
Don't mine us out of existence! - UK-based mining company Vedanta Resources threatens the human rights of indigenous communities in the Indian state of Orissa.
Nuclear Attack on the Yakama Culture - Yakama Nation cultural leader Russell Jim talks about the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in south-central Washington and the social, cultural, economic, and political issues that surround it.
Yakama Nation cultural leader Russell Jim talks about the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in south-central Washington and the social, cultural, economic, and political issues that surround it.
The talk was delivered at the University of Washington Husky Union Building in Seattle, WA, on February 23, 2001.
A board member of the Center for World Indigenous Studies (CWIS) and Director of the Nuclear Waste and Restoration Management programme for the Yakama Nation, Russell Jim has spent more than 20 years raising the Yakama Nation’s voice and demanding the US government clean up the Hanford Nuclear Reservation (HNR), one of the most contaminated places on Earth.
Built in the Yakama Nation’s “front yard,” HNR was the world’s first full-scale plutonium production reactor. It manufactured the plutonium used in thousands of nuclear bombs; including the very first one ever detonated on July 16, 1945, and in “Fat Man“, the bomb detonated over Nagasaki, Japan on August 9, 1945.
During its years of operation (1943 to 1987) HNR also produced millions of gallons of highly radioactive waste, all of which is now stored on site in 177 underground tanks. Roughly 67 of these tanks have leaked more than a million gallons of waste into the local soil.
HNR further released more than 200 different radionuclides into the air and local waters. While most of the releases are considered to be accidental or a “natural” part of operations, on December 2-3, 1949, the U.S. Air Force intentionally released between 7,000 and 12,000 curies of iodine-131 into the air as part of a secret experiment known as project “Green Run“.
As Russell Jim reveals, there also appears to have been a “human radiation experiment on the Yakama Nation” involving the radioactive isotope “phosphorus-32″.
According to documents he reviewed, Jim explains, “in 1941, prior the Hanford Reservation ever becoming a reality, phosphorus-32 was introduced into the Yakama and Colombia river.”
“We found that it goes directly through the eyes of the Salmon and to the soft bone inside the Salmon head, which is revered by the Indigenous People. We think it’s some of the greatest food.”
“But there is a consistent denial by federal agencies and by science” he continues, “that there is no proven effects of radioactivity”. The isotope itself, is often used today in scientific research and medical treatment.
Nevertheless, Jim expresses concern about the possible impacts on the Yakama in the next couple generations. Perhaps one day, he fears, Women will no longer be able to give birth.
According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), phosphorus-32 is a known cause of cancer in humans and animals when it is taken internally.
Further, says the IARC, “exposure of animals to phosphorus-32 in utero led to prenatal death, reduced growth, malformations and gonadal and pituitary lesions.” It was also shown to produce “chromosomal aberrations” in humans.
Watch this video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTLCSFN2fH4
February 28, 2010
February 27, 2010
Remembering the Migrants: Tucson Peace Fair 2010
By Brenda NorrellCensored News
MORE PHOTOS:
TUCSON -- In the half moon circle of booths before the stage, children's faces were painted and Guatemalan tapestries were on display. There was the call for peace, and the paintings of torture in China. Veterans for Peace, Amnesty, the ACLU, Derechos Humanos, Borderlinks, No More Deaths, KXCI Radio and so many others were there at the Tucson Peace Fair today. The Tucson Refuge Sewing and Crafts Circle offered handmade bags made by African women who are now refugees here. Others called for the protection of the Santa Rita Mountains from copper mining.
On one table, there were tiny mementos, precious items left behind by migrants in the Sonoran Desert. There were fragments of a child's clothing, bits of toys and beads, now made into art, so they will not be forgotten. On quilt patches there are the memories and the names of those who died in the desert.
"The Migrant Quilt Project contains the names and the unknowns (desconocidos) who have died while crossing the US/Mexico border. By driving migrants into remote regions where there is no water, food or medical care, many succumb to extreme heat or cold exposure, dehydration and heat stroke. We honor all those who died trying to find a job." --International Migrant Quilt Project. http://www.losdesconocidos.org/
Andy Warhol's Tucson
Article and photos by Brenda NorrellCensored News
It was unexpected, but there it was. Andy Warhol photographs, even his cowboy boots, three rooms of them, with Go-Go Sixties dancers. And out back, Sonoran hot dogs and a mechanical bull. All you had to do was lean back on a hay bale and drink it all in, beneath the stars, with one of the ropers. Out back, the hot dogs had grilled onions, raw onions, jalapenos, bacon and some other stuff that I've forgotten. Inside, the world of art was unglued, all unhinged, Andy Warhol was there, jumping in between the chasms of time, leaping 
back and forth, enjoying it all one more time.
Bob Broder, who once shot for Arizona Republic and other ole news rags (like the ones that I sometimes wrote for) was standing there, in front of the photos of Andy Warhol. There was a surreal quality to it all, Broder standing there in front of a wall of photos that he shot of Warhol in Tucson, with a Navajo blanket and cowboy hats and all. And as the Go Go dancers were doing their thing, Broder was giving me a few pointers on using my cheap point and shoot camera ($100 at boring stores everywhere.) So, he remembered shooting Andy Warhol here in Tucson, as the video of Warhol in Tucson was showing.
back and forth, enjoying it all one more time.Bob Broder, who once shot for Arizona Republic and other ole news rags (like the ones that I sometimes wrote for) was standing there, in front of the photos of Andy Warhol. There was a surreal quality to it all, Broder standing there in front of a wall of photos that he shot of Warhol in Tucson, with a Navajo blanket and cowboy hats and all. And as the Go Go dancers were doing their thing, Broder was giving me a few pointers on using my cheap point and shoot camera ($100 at boring stores everywhere.) So, he remembered shooting Andy Warhol here in Tucson, as the video of Warhol in Tucson was showing.
There were a lot of great people there, but I don't know any of them. The thing is, people in Tucson don't have to try and dress or act like Andy Warhol, they just are.
Naturals.
Warhol: Dylan to Duchamp
Eric Firestone Gallery, 403 N 6th Ave., Tucson downtown.
More about the photographers:
http://tucsoncitizen.com/art/tag/andy-warhol/
http://tucsoncitizen.com/art/tag/andy-warhol/
Eric Kroll, a TASCHEN photo book editor, and gallery owner Eric Firestone, curated the exhibition. The show combines 28 of the greatest photographers of our time – – Dennis Hopper, Helmut Newton, Nat Finkelstein, Cecil Beaton, Annie Leibovitz, Robert Mapplethorpe, Billy Name, Bob Broder, Bob Adelman, Gerard Malanga, Anton Perich, Michael Tighe, Patrick McMullan and others. This inside look into the wonderful Age of Warhol showcases a rare assemblage of color, and black-and-white original prints, including a prestigious body of work on loan from the Beth Rudin DeWoody Collection.
Black Mesa Indigenous Support: Regional Coordinators
BMIS Regional Coordinator Proposal
By Black Mesa Indigenous Support
Photo: Black Mesa Support Caravan
By Black Mesa Indigenous Support
Photo: Black Mesa Support Caravan
Black Mesa Indigenous Support (BMIS) is seeking year-round regional coordinators! We are looking for excited, committed people to join us in support of the traditional resistance communities at Big Mountain/Black Mesa. We are seeking individuals and groups from all over the country and encourage people who are new to organizing projects to join us, as well as supporters who have long-term involvement in the struggle. Please pass along this email to people in your community who might be interested, and get in touch with us if you have any questions at:
blackmesais@gmail.com
BMIS strives to have our organizing grounded in the needs and input from people on the land at Big Mountain Black Mesa, which necessitates lots of communication, translation, and trips to the land. In addition, we serve as a bridge between outside supporters and the resistance community. We envision a regional coordinator structure that will help us strengthen our ties to outside supporter communities, and build capacity and connection to the land and elders. We are a small, all-volunteer collective and are unfortunately unable to accomplish all that we would like to see in support for traditional resistance communities on the land. Regional coordinators will help us in regards to capacity, as well as aid BMIS in staying accountable by providing input and suggestions from supporter communities nationwide. Most importantly, we hope that regional coordinators will help us build a national network that can support Big Mountain/Black Mesa, as well as regional indigenous resistance struggles, and social movements for the liberation of all peoples and the planet.
We envision regional coordinators as a bridge between national BMIS work and local supporter communities. Regional coordinators will be responsible for facilitating trips out to the land for supporters from their area. This will involve talking to new supporters ahead of time to review the Cultural Sensitivity Guide and preparedness information, as well as communicating with BMIS about any problems or issues that arise. In addition to helping ease the capacity issues of BMIS nationally, these direct meetings between regional coordinators and supporters will help build solidarity networks and encourage accountable relationship building. Regional coordinators will also assist in organizing the annual Fall Wood Run caravan and building a local network of supporters for indigenous sovereignty struggles. We hope to develop a stronger national network of people that can respond to Elders calls for support, and envision the regional coordinators as a key part of this goal. In addition, regional coordinators will be asked to do fundraising in their area for BMIS and direct on-the-land support. If you've never done fundraising before, dont worry! We have lots of information about grassroots fundraising to share with you and see this as a part of our education and organizing campaign.
In addition to organizing directly around Big Mountain Black Mesa support efforts, we also hope that a regional coordinating structure can become a vehicle for BMIS to help promote a national network of indigenous solidarity organizing and movement building. To this end, we are excited about the role regional coordinators can play in building political analysis among supporters. We want to contribute to sustainable movements that prioritize the leadership of those most impacted by oppression, relocation, and environmental degradation. We hope regional coordinators and local supporters will be able to build connections to and support for local indigenous struggles in their area, and make connections to the anti-colonial resistance at Big Mountain Black Mesa.
This proposal and call-out for regional coordinators is a work in progress. The work we do together will be defined by the energy, creativity, and commitment that we share, and we are looking for input from people who would like to get involved in our work. Please let us know if you have suggestions for BMIS in regards to regional organizing, caravans, and our support work generally. Below we've listed some of the ideas that we have brainstormed as projects that regional coordinators could contribute to. Let us know what you think!
-year round outreach and initial conversations with folks interested in doing on land support
-connect to local climate justice, anti-racism, and decolonization projects
-organize the local caravan well in advance- outreach to participants, donations, ride coordinating, etc. to avoid last-minute craziness
-set up sheepherder send-off parties which can double as political education and fundraising events
-put on screenings of Broken Rainbow, as well as speaking engagements, report backs and other educational events to spread word about the struggle
-set up discussions around the Cultural Sensitivity Guide and other related readings to facilitate political development of supporters
-organize joint fundraisers in support of local indigenous struggles
-organize local responses to calls to action from the land
-looking into and spreading information about local corporate and political connections to Peabody Coal
-tabling and information distribution at local events to build networks and share information
-build local capacity to fight racism and participate in multiracial movements for justice
We are inspired by what it could mean for people to be able to commit in sustainable long-term ways to supporting the struggle at Big Mountain Black Mesa as well as the other struggles that must be won to make justice a reality for all people and on all lands. We are looking for people to join us in this project! If you are interested in becoming a regional coordinator, please send us an email telling us where you are located, why you are interested in the work, and any ideas you might have for solidarity work in your region. Thank you sincerely and we look forward to hearing from and working with you!
~BMIS
blackmesais@gmail.com
BMIS strives to have our organizing grounded in the needs and input from people on the land at Big Mountain Black Mesa, which necessitates lots of communication, translation, and trips to the land. In addition, we serve as a bridge between outside supporters and the resistance community. We envision a regional coordinator structure that will help us strengthen our ties to outside supporter communities, and build capacity and connection to the land and elders. We are a small, all-volunteer collective and are unfortunately unable to accomplish all that we would like to see in support for traditional resistance communities on the land. Regional coordinators will help us in regards to capacity, as well as aid BMIS in staying accountable by providing input and suggestions from supporter communities nationwide. Most importantly, we hope that regional coordinators will help us build a national network that can support Big Mountain/Black Mesa, as well as regional indigenous resistance struggles, and social movements for the liberation of all peoples and the planet.
We envision regional coordinators as a bridge between national BMIS work and local supporter communities. Regional coordinators will be responsible for facilitating trips out to the land for supporters from their area. This will involve talking to new supporters ahead of time to review the Cultural Sensitivity Guide and preparedness information, as well as communicating with BMIS about any problems or issues that arise. In addition to helping ease the capacity issues of BMIS nationally, these direct meetings between regional coordinators and supporters will help build solidarity networks and encourage accountable relationship building. Regional coordinators will also assist in organizing the annual Fall Wood Run caravan and building a local network of supporters for indigenous sovereignty struggles. We hope to develop a stronger national network of people that can respond to Elders calls for support, and envision the regional coordinators as a key part of this goal. In addition, regional coordinators will be asked to do fundraising in their area for BMIS and direct on-the-land support. If you've never done fundraising before, dont worry! We have lots of information about grassroots fundraising to share with you and see this as a part of our education and organizing campaign.
In addition to organizing directly around Big Mountain Black Mesa support efforts, we also hope that a regional coordinating structure can become a vehicle for BMIS to help promote a national network of indigenous solidarity organizing and movement building. To this end, we are excited about the role regional coordinators can play in building political analysis among supporters. We want to contribute to sustainable movements that prioritize the leadership of those most impacted by oppression, relocation, and environmental degradation. We hope regional coordinators and local supporters will be able to build connections to and support for local indigenous struggles in their area, and make connections to the anti-colonial resistance at Big Mountain Black Mesa.
This proposal and call-out for regional coordinators is a work in progress. The work we do together will be defined by the energy, creativity, and commitment that we share, and we are looking for input from people who would like to get involved in our work. Please let us know if you have suggestions for BMIS in regards to regional organizing, caravans, and our support work generally. Below we've listed some of the ideas that we have brainstormed as projects that regional coordinators could contribute to. Let us know what you think!
-year round outreach and initial conversations with folks interested in doing on land support
-connect to local climate justice, anti-racism, and decolonization projects
-organize the local caravan well in advance- outreach to participants, donations, ride coordinating, etc. to avoid last-minute craziness
-set up sheepherder send-off parties which can double as political education and fundraising events
-put on screenings of Broken Rainbow, as well as speaking engagements, report backs and other educational events to spread word about the struggle
-set up discussions around the Cultural Sensitivity Guide and other related readings to facilitate political development of supporters
-organize joint fundraisers in support of local indigenous struggles
-organize local responses to calls to action from the land
-looking into and spreading information about local corporate and political connections to Peabody Coal
-tabling and information distribution at local events to build networks and share information
-build local capacity to fight racism and participate in multiracial movements for justice
We are inspired by what it could mean for people to be able to commit in sustainable long-term ways to supporting the struggle at Big Mountain Black Mesa as well as the other struggles that must be won to make justice a reality for all people and on all lands. We are looking for people to join us in this project! If you are interested in becoming a regional coordinator, please send us an email telling us where you are located, why you are interested in the work, and any ideas you might have for solidarity work in your region. Thank you sincerely and we look forward to hearing from and working with you!
~BMIS
February 26, 2010
Facing the KKK: Migrant Youth Walkers
Censored News
http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com/
Brave students are walking from Miami to Washington, D.C. to demand our nation’s leaders fix our failed immigration system. They have just entered the Deep South and have encountered extreme anti-immigrant sentiment — including the Ku Klux Klan. Now more than ever they need our support so they know they’re not alone.
http://trail2010.org/action/?ref_by=2517-1401
Along the "Trail of Dreams,” their 1,500 mile walk, they will call on our nation’s leaders to ensure that young people like themselves, and all immigrants, have the chance to realize their potential and fully participate in society.
These students are taking a courageous stand on behalf of millions of others who suffer under our failed immigration system. Please stand with them as they walk through hostile territory and take their message to Washington.
http://trail2010.org/action/?ref_by=2517-1401
http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com/
Brave students are walking from Miami to Washington, D.C. to demand our nation’s leaders fix our failed immigration system. They have just entered the Deep South and have encountered extreme anti-immigrant sentiment — including the Ku Klux Klan. Now more than ever they need our support so they know they’re not alone.
http://trail2010.org/action/?ref_by=2517-1401
Along the "Trail of Dreams,” their 1,500 mile walk, they will call on our nation’s leaders to ensure that young people like themselves, and all immigrants, have the chance to realize their potential and fully participate in society.
These students are taking a courageous stand on behalf of millions of others who suffer under our failed immigration system. Please stand with them as they walk through hostile territory and take their message to Washington.
http://trail2010.org/action/?ref_by=2517-1401
February 25, 2010
O'odham Ofelia Rivas Imprisoned in Mexico
O'odham Ofelia Rivas imprisoned for four days in southern Chiapas while supporting Zapatistas
By Brenda Norrell
By Brenda Norrell
Human Rights Editor
UN OBSERVER and International Report
UN OBSERVER and International Report
Photo: Tapachula prison in Chiapas near Guatemalan border.
TUCSON -- O'odham human rights activist Ofelia Rivas was imprisoned in southern Chiapas for four days and crossed safely onto O'odham lands Wednesday night.
"There are inhumane border policies all across the world. My personal experience at home dealing with the Border Patrol helped me deal with confinement in the prison cell," Rivas said after crossing the border to her home.
Rivas was imprisoned in the Tapachula Immigration Prison in southern Chiapas near the Guatemalan border on false charges of crossing the border of Guatemala without documents. Rivas, however, had not crossed into Guatemala.
"Throughout our travel, by plane and bus, federal authorities reviewed my documents and allowed me to pass without problems. The federal police in Tapachula saw that an American was traveling with an Indigenous woman and arrested us.
"They wouldn't talk to me directly because I don't speak Spanish," said Rivas, who speaks O'odham and English.
Rivas was not provided with a translator when charged or during the four days she was imprisoned. "I signed papers without a translator when I was released. I still don't know what I was charged with."
"I was not read any rights," Rivas said. "When they were doing the paperwork, they said we were not being arrested. When we got to the detention center, they said 'You're not being arrested, you're not in handcuffs.'"
However, she had been arrested. She was taken to her cell, which she shared with a family from Colombia, which included a four-month-old baby and nine-month-old baby. They had been there for two months.
"What struck me was the powerful Somalian women that had walked across Central America and were in prison for two months in Panama. They have been waiting in Chiapas for two months for refugee status to be released to the United States. One Somalian woman said, 'I lost all my family, my mother, my father, my brothers, my sisters, all killed in front of me. I only know of one uncle who survived.'"
"The strength of those women, everyday they sat together and sang their songs and told their stories, and it kept us all together. We were a community. We all took care of the babies and watched out for the rest of the children to make sure they ate when it was time to eat."
Rivas became ill from the chemicals used for cleaning the prison, which was done at night when she was locked in her cell. One morning, she felt too ill to get out of bed.
"I couldn't get up, but the women insisted that I get up and go eat."
The women's and men's cells were separated only by partitions and the noise was loud throughout the night.
At night, she could hear a man screaming in English and rattling his cell gate, "Get me out of here! Get me out of here!" he would scream, yelling for a bathroom.
"It was the jungle by the sea, so it was hot and sticky and there were mosquitoes."
"Everyone is sitting there waiting for papers. Someone somewhere is delaying those everyday."
After four days of imprisonment, and the intervention of the American Embassy in Mexico City and family members in the United States, Rivas and her traveling companion were released.
"We cancelled the rest of our trip and came directly home, since we don't know what we signed." "This severe enforcement of borders is because of the militarization of the Zapatista communities which continue to face threats."
"My entire trip was to build solidarity with the Zapatistas and to tell the story of the O'odham on the border. We were received with great respect and were honored to be invited to the communities to share our story. They made a statement to acknowledge our story and that our struggles are the same. They said they were honored to hear from the traditional O'odham people."
Ofelia Rivas is founder of O'odham Voice Against the Wall. She lives on Tohono O'odham land on the US/Mexico border and exposes the human rights abuses of the US Border Patrol and ongoing militarization of the border and O'odham land. She exposed the digging up of O'odham ancestors' graves by Boeing during construction of the border wall in Arizona. She has been held at gunpoint, harassed, threatened and detained by the US Border Patrol on O'odham land in Arizona.
TUCSON -- O'odham human rights activist Ofelia Rivas was imprisoned in southern Chiapas for four days and crossed safely onto O'odham lands Wednesday night.
"There are inhumane border policies all across the world. My personal experience at home dealing with the Border Patrol helped me deal with confinement in the prison cell," Rivas said after crossing the border to her home.
Rivas was imprisoned in the Tapachula Immigration Prison in southern Chiapas near the Guatemalan border on false charges of crossing the border of Guatemala without documents. Rivas, however, had not crossed into Guatemala.
"Throughout our travel, by plane and bus, federal authorities reviewed my documents and allowed me to pass without problems. The federal police in Tapachula saw that an American was traveling with an Indigenous woman and arrested us.
"They wouldn't talk to me directly because I don't speak Spanish," said Rivas, who speaks O'odham and English.
Rivas was not provided with a translator when charged or during the four days she was imprisoned. "I signed papers without a translator when I was released. I still don't know what I was charged with."
"I was not read any rights," Rivas said. "When they were doing the paperwork, they said we were not being arrested. When we got to the detention center, they said 'You're not being arrested, you're not in handcuffs.'"
However, she had been arrested. She was taken to her cell, which she shared with a family from Colombia, which included a four-month-old baby and nine-month-old baby. They had been there for two months.
"What struck me was the powerful Somalian women that had walked across Central America and were in prison for two months in Panama. They have been waiting in Chiapas for two months for refugee status to be released to the United States. One Somalian woman said, 'I lost all my family, my mother, my father, my brothers, my sisters, all killed in front of me. I only know of one uncle who survived.'"
"The strength of those women, everyday they sat together and sang their songs and told their stories, and it kept us all together. We were a community. We all took care of the babies and watched out for the rest of the children to make sure they ate when it was time to eat."
Rivas became ill from the chemicals used for cleaning the prison, which was done at night when she was locked in her cell. One morning, she felt too ill to get out of bed.
"I couldn't get up, but the women insisted that I get up and go eat."
The women's and men's cells were separated only by partitions and the noise was loud throughout the night.
At night, she could hear a man screaming in English and rattling his cell gate, "Get me out of here! Get me out of here!" he would scream, yelling for a bathroom.
"It was the jungle by the sea, so it was hot and sticky and there were mosquitoes."
"Everyone is sitting there waiting for papers. Someone somewhere is delaying those everyday."
After four days of imprisonment, and the intervention of the American Embassy in Mexico City and family members in the United States, Rivas and her traveling companion were released.
"We cancelled the rest of our trip and came directly home, since we don't know what we signed." "This severe enforcement of borders is because of the militarization of the Zapatista communities which continue to face threats."
"My entire trip was to build solidarity with the Zapatistas and to tell the story of the O'odham on the border. We were received with great respect and were honored to be invited to the communities to share our story. They made a statement to acknowledge our story and that our struggles are the same. They said they were honored to hear from the traditional O'odham people."
Ofelia Rivas is founder of O'odham Voice Against the Wall. She lives on Tohono O'odham land on the US/Mexico border and exposes the human rights abuses of the US Border Patrol and ongoing militarization of the border and O'odham land. She exposed the digging up of O'odham ancestors' graves by Boeing during construction of the border wall in Arizona. She has been held at gunpoint, harassed, threatened and detained by the US Border Patrol on O'odham land in Arizona.
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