Native Village
Youth and Education news February 2010 Volume 1

Ten Events of the Decade
From Censored News By Brenda Norrell
http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2010/01/ten-events-of-decade.html
Condensed by Native Village

Indigenous Peoples made history throughout this decade. In the movements to resist oppression and protect the sacred, the people carved out their place in history. Here are ten of those events:

At Big Mountain in Navajoland, 5 Navajo women were arrested by BIA, Hopi Rangers and county officer as they brought the Sundance Tree to their long-time Sundance grounds. The officials destroyed the Sundance Tree and grounds.

Some Navajos who were at Big Mountain also joined Hopi and Lakota in New York. They talked to Lehman Brothers stockholders and demanded a halt to Peabody Coal's mining on Black Mesa.

The Lakota protected Ghost Dancer remains from being excavated on the Pine Ridge reservation. The Ghost Dancers has fled to the Badlands Stronghold on Pine Ridge after the Massacre of Wounded Knee. 

Here, too, the US seized Lakota lands and displaced families for a bombing range during WW II.

Also in this decade, Lakotas faced off with the Lewis and Clark Expedition in Chamberlain, S.D. They demanded the Expedition halt, because Lewis and Clark's trailblazing led to the genocide of American Indians.

Kahentinetha Horn and Katenies are two Mohawk grandmothers beaten by Canadian border guards. Kahentinetha suffered a heart attack caused in a stresshold by border agents. She is recovering. 

Katenies is now in a Canadian jail, resisting the colonizers' court system. Katenies is publisher and editor of Mohawk Nation News,
 

 

Solidarity grew between U.S. Native Americans and the Zapatistas after Subcomandante Marcos and the Comandantes came to Sonora, Mexico. They were hosted by the O'odham, Yaqui, Kumeyaay and other Indian Nations along Mexico's northern border.

 

Indigenous Peoples told of human rights abuses during the U.N.'s Indigenous Border Summits of the Americas.  Mohawk Warriors led the resistance by speaking about the arrest of tribal members, a federal spy tower and border wall construction, all on Tohono O'odham land.
 

Native Americans continue the struggle to protect Mother Earth and American Indian sacred places. The fights include:
Gold mining on Mount Tenabo on Western Shoshone land;
Coal-fired power plants on Navajoland;
Snow made from sewage water on San Francisco Peaks;
Biker bars at Bear Butte,
Uranium mining on Havasupai and Acoma Pueblo lands.

 

Many great Native American leaders and pathmakers passed on to Creator. They include Floyd Westerman and Roberta Blackgoat.

The use of video, music and the Internet is enabling us to tell stories and document facts. They expose atrocities like the killings of Indigenous mining activists. They also inspired action, such as the Indigenous Environmental Network's actions for climate change in Copenhagen.

Growing numbers of Native women are speaking out against border oppression, U.S. colonization, oppression by elected tribal governments and the truth about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
 

Indigenous people may face arrest, but they still continue their humanitarian aid at the Mexican border. Volunteers put out water for migrants crossing the Sonorian Desert and try to rescue those who are dying.

 

Native Americans are uniting to defend their sovereignty and resist oppression.  It is a collective movement for justice, dignity and autonomy.

Quotes of the Decade: Lakota, Ponca and Kiowa to Lewis and Clark Genocide Re-enactors: http://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2010/01/quotes-of-decade-lewis-and-clark-and.html

Native Village Home Page

Backgrounds: Robert Kaufman Fabrics: http://www.robertkaufman.com/

NATIVE VILLAGE website was created for youth, educators, families, and friends who wish to celebrate the rich, diverse cultures of The Americas' First Peoples. We offer readers two monthly publications: NATIVE VILLAGE Youth and Education News and NATIVE VILLAGE Opportunities and Websites.  Each issue shares today's happenings in Indian country.
Native Village is responsible for format changes.
Articles may also include additional photos, art, and graphics which enhance the visual appeal and and adds new dimensions to the articles. Each is free or credited by right-clicking the picture, a page posting, or appears with the original article. 
Our hopes are to make the news as informative, educational, enjoyable as possible.
NATIVE VILLAGE also houses website libraries and learning circles  to enrich all lives on Turtle Island.
 
Please visit, and sign up for our update reminders. We are always glad to make new friends!
www.nativevillage.org