Since Thanksgiving is nearing, it is only necessary to bring Indigenous people's issues to the dining room table along with the turkey and baked macaroni. If you haven't noticed, there's been people who have been at war fighting for the protection of decent water, our earth and sacred lands of the Lakota people. Why is this something that has to be fought for in 2016 in the United States of America which claims its government is serving its people? This probably has something to do with the fact that Indigenous people were never really considered Americans. It could have something to do with the fact that what is sacred and theirs is not recognized and protected by our laws and legislation, so when something like the North Dakota Access Pipeline happens, it's not a surprise, or at least it shouldn't be when looking at the greatest and fairest country in the world's history with Indigenous people.
Seeing as there are endless injustices committed to the Indigenous people, I can only list a few in history and currently.
The United States of America has broken over 500 treaties many of which resulted in the unjustifiable loss of sacred land.
We all know about the Trail of Tears which displaced Indigenous tribes. Due to the long and brutal trek to reservations thousands of people died. Tribes that decided to fight against this atrocity were mostly killed during protests and battles.
In the 1870's, our federal government decided to try to erase all customs of indigenous people by forcing Indigenous children into boarding schools that were mostly Catholic. A lot of times children were forcibly taken from their homes by police. Many times tribal leaders' children were taken for the sole purpose of negotiation. These "schools" forbid students from expressing their cultures. This went from cutting long hair to changing names all in the hope of stamping out tribal cultures. Abuse, malnutrition, forced labor, and racism were rampant in this boarding schools. These extreme boarding schools didn't end until the mid-1960's.
After WWII, over 300 Indigenous children were forcibly taken from families and put with white families to force assimilation. Yeah... Indigenous children are 2 times more likely to be put in foster care by the state than white children. In 1978, the Indian Child Welfare Act was passed to help prevent these disparities. It hasn't really been too effective.
In 1976, the United States government admitted to the sterilization of 3,406 women without their permission. It was seen that the Indian Health Services had singled out full-blooded Indigenous women.
We also know about the smallpox blankets that were given to Indigenous people when settlers first arrived. It killed about 90% of the population. Some were given intentionally and others not.
Now let's skip to 2016 where sacred burial sites, water and land of Indigenous people will be ruined. This is what people are fighting for. The last couple of months have been heated mostly due to the protesters being brutalized by police which should protect them and not the corporation, but that's another issue for another day.
How can you help? Donate. St. Olaf has recently put donation boxes up in all dorms. Please donate things like blankets, coats, sleeping bags, tents, and anything that can keep people warm. Presence: I know it's hard to be present. However, there are marches in Northfield all the time. Be present and show that you care. Show up in numbers. Presence: Redundant I know. How about we call some government officials? Email people. Sign petitions. Raise some motherfucking hell about this shit. It's time to help Indigenous people keep what's theirs.
Wondering whose ears to bite off? They're listed below in the article I have listed. If you're too lazy to take that extra click, I'll leave them below. Let's do this.
Jack Dalrymple, governor of North Dakota: (701) 328-2200 www.governor.nd.gov/contact-us
Army Corps of Engineers (demand that they reverse the permit allowing the Dakota Access Pipeline): (202) 761-5903
Jo-Ellen Darcy, assistant secretary of the Army Corp of Engineers: joellen.darcy@us.army.mil, (703)697-8986
Energy Transfer Partners
Lee Hanse, executive vice president: (210) 403-6455, Lee.Hanse@energytransfer.com
Glenn Emery, vice president: (210) 403-6762, Glenn.Emery@energytransfer.com
Michael Cliff Waters, lead analyst: (713) 989-2404
Morton County Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier, 701-667-3330, kyle.kirchmeier@mortonnd.org
Petition to sign: https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/stop-con...
Oh, also I'm really ignorant about what Indigenous people want to be identified as. I know I like to be called Black over African American. If an Indigenous person reads this, could please help me out? Would Native American, Indigenous person, or American Indian be better? If there are things that pissed you off while reading this tell me what they are, so I can reflect on it and probably apologize. Please forgive me if I offended you in writing this. Like I said, I'm ignorant, and it would be awesome if people would be open to talking about these things. Thanks for reading.
For more information, check out these links:
https://www.thenation.com/article/seven-things-you-can-do-to-help-fight-the-dakota-access-pipeline/
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16516865
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-20404764
https://www.nlm.nih.gov/nativevoices/timeline/543.html
