Native American News

Bison Return To Cherokee Nation!

2014

38 female bison were unloaded from a trailer and onto their new home on 66 acres of tribal land near Kenwood in Delaware County. More will arrive later this month. The bison, each about 2 years old and weighing around 600 pounds, will grow to 1,100 pounds. A herd of 10 bulls will arrive in the Cherokee Nation next Thursday. Each will grow up to 2,000 pounds.

“For most of us, the American bison symbolizes our great country – free, strong and resilient. Those are the traits we identify in ourselves as Indian people,” said Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Bill John Baker. “That’s why the bison has always represented something deeply spiritual to our tribal ancestors and why it’s important for us to reintroduce bison within our homelands. Today, we are able to reconnect the Cherokee Nation with a prominent part of our history and our cultural roots.”

Crow tribal judge calls contempt of court over water

2014

A Crow tribal judge has found officials with the town of Lodge Grass in contempt of a court order that said the town couldn’t shut off water to residents of a subdivision on the Crow Indian Reservation, despite nonpayment of bills.

The town had been negotiating with the Crow Housing Authority for more than a year in an effort to collect about $70,000 in delinquent water bills. Residents had also received notices in the mail saying their water could be shut off for non-payment, Town Clerk Rae Dawn Ten Bear said.

The housing authority agreed to make $4,000 monthly payments, but made just one in February. Town employees began shutting off water at the residences furthest behind on their bills in early September.

Bureau of Indian Affairs officers ordered the employees off the reservation and the tribal court backed them up. Without the ability to maintain the system, the town shut off water to all subdivision residents on Sept. 15, including those who were current on their bills.

Read Report

Canada Breaks Trust with First Nations.

September 2014

James Anaya, "UN Special Rappoteur" on the rights of indigious peoples concluded that the relationship is broken between the conservative government and Indigenous peoples on northern Turtle Island, aka "Canada." First Nations elders contend that it's the government's stubborn refusal to fulfill its legal obligation to consult with Indigenous peoples on matters that may impact their inherent and/or treaty rights that's to blame and that it cannot be allowed to continue.

Government admit that the have Not been consulting nor including First Nations into enviornmental issues and concerns as they should. Meanwhile, First Nations say that the lagging education outcomes persist unchanged, housing shortages have reached crisis levels, water and waste water systems are at the breaking point, and the tragic gaps in Indigenous health outcomes are continuing unabated as well.

The result is that several resource development projects in Canada are moving forward without Indigenous people receiving a fair share of the economic benefits or being engaged as partners in their development. It also means this issue repeatedly ends up in the courts where Indigenous people are consistently winning.

Professor Anaya also forcefully reinforced the overwhelming consensus in Canada on the need for a national public inquiry into the ongoing tragedy of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. He echoed the demands for an inquiry by the grieving victims' families, Indigenous leaders, and all of the premiers.

This horrifying situation was already a crisis when the Native Women's Association of Canada identified almost 600 cases in 2009 and recent statistics compiled by the RCMP have doubled that estimate, identifying approximately 1200 cases.

These are not just Indigenous issues. They are issues that the 96% of the Canadian population who are non-Indigenous need to understand so they can add their voices to demand the government implement Professor Anaya's recommendations. This is about rebuilding the trust between Canada and Indigenous peoples in this country.

Stephen Harper & First Nation

James Anaya

Tribe official admits to embezzlement!

October 2014

An official with the Muscogee Creek Nation has pleaded guilty to embezzling from the tribe's direct assistance fund.

Second Chief Roger Dana Barnett of Bristow said in a signed plea agreement dated Thursday that he knowingly and willfully took money that belonged to the tribe. Federal prosecutors say Barnett embezzled approximately $150,000.

U.S. Attorney Danny Williams Sr. says Barnett took funds from the tribal fund that's intended to assist tribal citizens in need, and that he used the money to gamble.

Barnett faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine when he's sentenced.

Old Columbus Day now Indigenous People's Day!

October 2014

As many well know, this is a sore subject for most containing common sense... Christopher Columbus, accredited for having "Found America" despite the fact being "America" nor the people living upon her were Not Lost! The truth of the matter is simple - Columbus got "Lost" in a storm while at sea, and he along with his crew were terrofied that the were about to "Fall off" the earth (They Thought mother earth was flat)! They crashed into what's called "South America" and then found their way north into what's called "The United States OF America" which ALL of this land was long before known as "Turtle Island" by it's inhabitants whom were here - for More than 24,000 years BEFORE Columbus and his crew set sail by the way, for those of you who don't Know the truth.

Seattle, Washington and Minneapolis make news this year as they "will recognize the second Monday in October as "Indigenous People's Day." According to the source (whose button to you will find below), "The cities join a growing list of jurisdictions choosing to shift the holiday's focus from Christopher Columbus to the people he encountered in the New World and their modern-day descendants."

According to history, as this media source points out, it was President Benjamin Harrison whom first established a celebration of the holiday taught as "Columbus Day" in the year 1892, which was the 400th anniversary of Columbus' as what history calls "Landing in the Bahamas in 1492", though the truth of the matter is, they Crashed - their ship was out of control. The holiday, for whatever their reason, started being celebrated on the second Monday in October in 1971 and has been so since.

According to this source, as of today there are a total of 16 states, including Alaska, Hawaii and Oregon that do Not recognize "Columbus Day" as a public holiday. In fact, as they point out in their article, the state of South Dakota has celebrated "Native American Day" in place Of Columbus Day since 1990, which should be no surprise as it IS the Heart of the Sioux Nation - very honored tribe in First Nations since long before all of this confusion began being over-taught as historic truth.

A Cute explination is given as to Seattle's reason behind the shift of gears to a more truthful "holiday" foundation is: "Learning about the history of Columbus and transforming this day into a celebration of indigenous people and a celebration of social justice ... allows us to make a connection between this painful history and the ongoing marginalization, discrimination and poverty that indigenous communities face to this day," Kshama Sawant said... she is one of a small handful of Counsil Members for the city of Seattle.

Portland, Oregon's school board "Voice", who almost seems a bit resentful of the "Change" from the way the article reads said: "It's not about one or the other, it's about how do we get a complete picture to understand where we're at in history, and how we got there?" ~Greg Belisle stated according to the Oregonian.

Well Greg, in THIS reporters opinion Personally, the answer rings simple - start acknowledging and teaching the TRUTH about the historical timeline and events therein, and do so as clearly and coheritantly as is possible so that the people Born upon Turtle Island will know and understand that WE ARE ALL in fact One Tribal Nation, and that is "Turtle Island", regardless of how much "Boat Blood" as I call it... forced it's way in - we are Natives to "America" and this is Our history, inheritance and inalienable (birth rite) heritage!

Hundreds of thousands of people who live near Ontario's nuclear power plants will have to be given supplies of anti-radiation pills under new orders from Canada's nuclear regulator.

OPG, the government-owned utility that operates Pickering and Darlington, along with privately run Bruce Power, which operates the Bruce nuclear station, are responsible for buying enough KI pills for everyone living near the plants, but it'll be up to the municipalities to distribute them.

Officials are trying to determine exactly how to get everyone in the 10-km zones a supply of KI pills, which are used to protect the thyroid gland from radioactive iodine in the "highly unlikely" event of an accident that causes a leak of radioactive material, said Neal Kelly of Ontario Power Generation.

Protesters from a northern Manitoba First Nation are occupying the grounds around a generating station and have issued an eviction notice to Manitoba Hydro for what they say is a violation of their treaty rights.

More than 100 protesters from the Cross Lake First Nation north of Lake Winnipeg marched to the hydro dam Wednesday and some have refused to leave the grounds. In a letter to Hydro president Scott Thomson, Chief Catherine Merrick said the First Nation is taking control of its traditional territory and evicting the Crown corporation.

First Nations Occupy Hydro-Dam

Awards for Diabetes efforts on behalf of First Nations

Several leading Special Diabetes Program for Indians (SDPI) grantees were presented with the American Diabetes Association’s John Pipe Voices for Change Award. These programs are recognized for their effective diabetes treatment and prevention services in American Indian and Alaska Native communities in the categories of Advocacy, Outcomes, and Innovation. The awards will be presented throughout American Diabetes Month and American Indian/Alaska Native month this November.

“Almost 16 percent of American Indians and Alaskan Natives have diabetes, the highest age-adjusted prevalence of diabetes among all U.S. racial and ethnic groups,” said Shon McCage, MPH, CHES, Chair of the American Diabetes Association’s Awakening the Spirit and the American Indian/Alaska Native Diabetes Action Council. “These awards help to honor and bring attention to SDPI programs throughout Indian Country that are helping their communities Stop Diabetes by developing successful diabetes prevention and treatment programs, activities and resources.”

In a memorandum released Thursday, the Justice Department announced that

it will instruct all U.S. attorneys to NOT prevent Native American tribes from cultivating or selling marijuana on reservation lands in spite of any state laws that may be in place. The law of the land will be left up to each individual tribe, with federal law enforcement officials available to continue prosecuting "marijuana crimes" if the tribes so wish. By all that is right this shouldn't have even been a question considering the reservations are sovereign lands as treaties long have promised that First Nations had full right and authority to dictate what would or would not be allowed to "legally" go on regarding "reservation lands", though as many know, most treaties have been violated over time... this is an effort in the hopes of preventing their rights from being violated anymore, especially involving their rights over this paticular plant family as a long time sacrament medicine.

It remains to be seen how many tribes will take advantage of the policy, but many seem to be mulling it as another potential source of income to "Accompany the likes of cigarette sales and gambling."

Some federal regulations will continue to what they call "Apply", such as they say, "Cannabis still cannot be sold to minors or made available to drug cartels, grown on public lands, or spread across state lines."