Indigenous Issues in the Pacific Rim

January 4, 2007 Listen to the Show

Indigenous Rights in the Pacific Basin: Struggling to Stay Afloat Despite Stranglehold of Economic Globalization; An Indigenous Perspective on Climate Justice

Indigenous Rights in the Pacific Basin: Struggling to Stay Afloat Despite Stranglehold of Economic Globalization
Some say the modern era in the Pacific indigenous rights movement began after World War II mainly in response to two things. The first was the recognition of the right to self-determination for colonized peoples in the newly drafted UN Charter. The second major event in 1946 was the onset of a 50-year era of Pacific nuclear testing led by the U.S. in the Marshall Islands, followed by the United Kingdom in 1952 and France in 1966. The Pacific indigenous rights movement can be viewed as a response to the West's colonial domination in violation of the UN Charter's call for decolonization and the West's Cold War pretext for use of the Pacific islands for devastating nuclear testing. That struggle is now extended to fight neocolonialism in the form of economic globalization. Indigenous islander Mililani Trask talked about this issue at a forum in New York City in November called Indigenous Peoples Resistance to Economic Globalization: A Celebration of Victories, Rights and Cultures.
Mililani Trask, a Native Hawaiian attorney with an extensive background on Native Hawaiian land trusts, resources and legal entitlements. Her work has been cited by the Hawaii Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and published by Cultural Survival and IWGIA magazines on issues relating to native people and human and civil rights. Mililani is a founding member and current chair of the Indigenous Women's Network, a coalition of Native American Women whose work includes community based economic development, social justice, human rights, housing and health. In 2001, she was nominated and appointed as the Pacific representative to the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and is currently considered an indigenous expert to the United Nations in international and human rights law. She is an instructor with the International Training Center for Indigenous Peoples in Nuuk, Greenland and a lecturer with the University of Hawaii Center for Hawaiian Studies.

An Indigenous Perspective on Climate Justice
We spend the second half of the hour speaking with Oannes Pritzker, a Native ecologist , journalist and activist of the Wabanaki people. He discusses global warming and how lack of spiritual attention leads to environmental disaster. He is director of Yat Kitischee Native Center; an Inter-Tribal Cultural/Environmental/ Social Justice/Educational/News-Media grassroots organization. Oannes has participated in many international, inter-tribal, and national conferences, gatherings, campaigns, and protest actions. He has traveled throughout much of the world as an activist and journalist, reporting on many issues of earth-justice and human rights. He is host and producer of a weekly one-hour worldwide radio program; "Honoring Mother Earth/Indigenous Voices" broadcast on Radio for Peace International, on Radio4all.net, and a number of community radio stations across North America. As an Ecologist, Oannes has been actively involved in the establishment and leadership of the national environmental justice movement, which he remains active with. More Info is available at the Yat Kitischee Native Center Web Site.

September 21, 2006 Listen to the Show

Global Warming Takes a Toll in Alaska, Faith Gemmill Describes the Indigenous Fight Against Big Oil; Taking on the Doctrine of Discovery: Tonya Gonnella Frichner Sets the Record Straight

Indigenous News Roundup

Traditional and tribal activists are organizing a Border Summit of the Americas in Tucson, Arizona for the end of the month. Derechos Humanos Coalition, the American Indian Movement and the International Indian Treaty Council are making the urgent call for the summit. They plan to develop recommendations for border tribal governments to communicate with local, state, national and international governing bodies. They say it’s being held in response to the Bush administration’s immigration policies and ever-increasing militarization of the border. There are currently at least eight tribes/nations on the U.S./Mexico border directly affected by migrations across their reservation lands; these are the Kumeyaay, Cocopah, Tohono O'odham, Yaqui, Gila River, Pima, Yavapai, Ysleta del Sur (Tigua) and Kickapoo nations.

Courts across Canada are reviewing the $1.9 billion settlement for Native victims of residential school abuse. The government of Canada, churches and former students reached the deal last November. It applies to roughly 80,000 people who attended the residential schools. Judges in several provinces must approve the deal before it is finalized. They are holding public hearings to determine whether the payout is fair. Over the past two decades, there have been thousands of lawsuits against the government and churches alleging sexual, physical and other kinds of abuse. Under the proposed deal, claimants will receive $10,000 for the first year they attended a school, plus $3,000 for subsequent years. People who were sexually or physically abused or suffered psychological damage can receive additional settlements of between $5,000 and $275,000. Other funds are set aside for a healing fund, a truth and reconciliation process and commemorative projects.

A District court in Illinois ruled 2-1 on Tuesday that dances performed by the University of Illinois' controversial mascot do not violate the state's discrimination law. The mascot is Chief Illiniwek, a barefoot student in a buckskin costume and a feather headdress who performs at athletic events. The Illinois Native American Bar Association said the mascot's performances humiliate Native students and create a hostile environment. But the court cited a state law that recognized the chief as an "honored symbol." The NCAA still considers the mascot to be hostile and abusive. The school is said to be dropping the use of the chief in order to continue hosting post-season tournaments.

In Navajo country, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a lawsuit last week charging the Sage Memorial Hospital in Ganado, Arizona with discrimination in its pay to doctors. The lawsuit claims the hospital paid white doctors more than it paid seven non-white doctors. This includes individuals of Native American, Asian, African and Hispanic heritage, and East Indian, Pakistani, Nigerian and Puerto Rican national origins. The lawsuit also claims that when the seven complainants and the former medical director complained about the wage difference and filed discrimination charges with the EEOC, hospital officials threatened them with termination and changes to the terms and conditions of their contracts. The hospital’s attorney said the Hospital and the Navajo Health Foundation, which oversees its operations, deny all charges. The hospital is fighting the charges on jurisdiction grounds since it is technically a tribal organization. While federal law prohibits employers from engaging in discriminatory practices, Congress exempted Indian tribes to enable them to give preferential hiring to Native Americans. But the EEOC said the hospital is not exempt from their regulations. One EEOC attorney said, “All American employers must abide by federal civil rights law.”

And in Australia, A federal judge surprised the nation by recognizing Native title to the entire metropolitan area of Perth. It’s the first decision in which a large metropolitan area in Australia has been determined to belong to the indigenous people who lived there before white settlers arrived. It sent lawyers, homeowners and officials scurrying to assess the impact. Lawyer Christine Lovitt, who is a specialist in native land titles, said the ruling could lead to similar claims over other cities like Sydney and Melbourne. Prime Minister John Howard told reporters on Wednesday that the federal government would consider joining an appeal against the ruling. The judge's decision does not turn over any land to Aborigines. But it would require the government to ensure the Noongar people have access to the land and can continue to hunt, fish and maintain sacred sites.

Neets’aii Gwich’in Describes Global Warming’s Impact in Alaska
We look at the interrelated issues of big oil and climate change and how Native people are rallying to combat these things…Faith Gemmill is a Pit River/Wintu and Neets’aii Gwich’in Athabascan from Arctic Village, Alaska. She is also the outreach coordinator of the organization REDOIL – Resisting Environmental Destruction on Indigenous Lands. Faith Gemmill was a part of a national speaking tour on Oil and Global Warming that visited New York City this week. Tuesday night she spoke at the Judson Memorial Church in Washington Square Park.
Faith Gemmill, (Pit River/Wintu, Neets’aii Gwich’in Athabascan), she is outreach coordinator for REDOIL – Resisting Environmental Destruction on Indigenous Lands.

Taking on the Doctrine of Discovery: Tonya Gonnella Frichner Sets the Record Straight
We play a speech by Tonya Gonnella Frichner, who was at the United Nations for the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues 2006
Tonya Gonnella Frichner, Esq. (Snipe Clan, Onondaga Nation, Haudenosaunee) is President and founder of the American Indian Law Alliance, a lawyer and activist, whose academic and professional life has been devoted to the pursuit of human rights for Indigenous peoples.

June 8, 2006 Listen to the Show

A Debate on the Native Hawaii Recognition Bill; 100 Days: An Update on the Six Nations Standoff in Caledonia; The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Moves Towards Federal Recognition

100 Days of Occupation: Six Nations Standoff at Caledonia Continues
First Nations chiefs from across Ontario pledged their support to Caledonia protestors yesterday on the eve of the occupation’s 100th day. The group of 100 chiefs also warned governments to expect more occupations if aboriginal land claims aren’t settled. "We are all one nation across this country," said Grand Council Chief John Beaucage, who represents 43 First Nations across the province. Six Nations spokesperson Clyde Powless said the mass show of support was about more than Caledonia. "Canada," he shouted, "this giant you woke up grew enormously today and will continue to grow." Meanwhile in the Canadian Parliament on Monday, Progressive Conservatives leader John Tory made a motion calling for a public inquiry into Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty’s handling of the Caledonia standoff. Liberals failed to vote down the motion even though they have a majority in the legislature. There were only 6 or 7 Liberals in the legislature at the time. McGuinty dismissed the motion’s vote as “mischief-making” and told reporters on Tuesday the vote shows the Progressive Conservatives who sponsored it “have not drawn the lessons that should be drawn from Ipperwash.” In 1995, police killed native protestor Dudley George at Ipperwash provincial park. An inquiry to determine if the PC government of Mike Harris directed police force against protestors who occupied the provincial park on Lake Huron has not yet concluded. In February, Six Nations members occupied or reclaimed land where a housing development was under construction. The situation became more tense weeks ago after the Ontario Provincial Police stormed the site to enforce a court order as land claims talks continued. The Six Nations community has made it clear they want to deal primarily with the federal government. An update from: Kahentinetha Horn, Editor of Mohawk Nation News, www.mohawknationnews.com

Debate on the Native Hawaiian Recognition Bill: Giving Native Hawaiians Their Long Overdue or Preventing Land and Sovereignty Claims?
The U.S. Senate debated for three hours on Wednesday the long-stalled Native Hawaiian Recognition Bill. The bill would recognize a legal and political relationship between the United States and a Native Hawaiian governing entity, giving Native Hawaiians self-governing rights similar to those of Native American tribes. The Native Hawaiian governing entity would be authorized to negotiate with the state and federal governments over such issues as historical grievances and control of natural resources, lands and assets. Yesterday on the Senate floor, opponents blasted the bill as divisive and race-based. Supporters said the bill would give recognition that’s long overdue for Native Hawaiians. It has been called the Akaka bill after it’s sponsor, Democratic Senator Dan Akaka. He says Native Hawaiians have not been given the same treatment as other indigenous people in the U.S. Republican Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee launched the longest attack on the bill yesterday calling it a “dangerous precedent.” He said “If we start down this path, the end may be the disintegration of the United States into ethnic enclaves… [it] Wouldn't be much different than if American citizens who were descended from Hispanics who lived in Texas before it became a republic in 1836 created their own tribe.” Republican Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona voiced concern that the bill will “divide Hawaii and encourage racial division there and elsewhere.” The bill’s supporters who spoke yesterday on the Senate included both Democratic Senators from Hawaii, Republican Sen. Ted Stevens from Alaska, and Democratic Sen. Barack Obama. Meanwhile, in Hawaii yesterday a group of Native Hawaiians occupied Iolani Palace for a couple of hours to protest the bill. Members of the group Hui Pu said the Akaka bill would prevent Hawaiian land and sovereignty claims, among other things. One protestor said, “I think it is important that history knows that Hawaiians stood up against this bill despite that fact that there is hundreds of thousands of dollars of propaganda by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and other organizations to support this bill.” This according to KITV Honolulu. Lobbyists for the bill include the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the National Congress of American Indians, the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement and the American Bar Association. Anne Keala Kelly, Native Hawai'ian journalist and filmmaker. She is working on a documentary called "Noho Hewa Ma: The Wrongful Occupation of Hawai'i." Robert Klein, attorney with the Office of Hawaiian Affairs as its board counsel, and a former associate justice of the Supreme Court of Hawaii. While on the high court, Klein authored the landmark decision expanding the rights of Hawaiians to enter some private property for traditional gathering, religious and cultural practices.

Federal Recognition in the United States: The Mashpee Wampanoag Seek Tribal Status
After decades of work, the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe in Massachusetts was recently accorded preliminary acknowledgment by the Bureau of Indian Affairs as a federally recognized Indian tribe. The Mashpee Wampanoag were among the earliest Native peoples of North America to have significant contact with Europeans. Almost 400 years ago, they greeted the Pilgrims who arrived on the Mayflower near what is now the town of Plymouth. It is their story that has been mythologized in the celebration of Thanksgiving. Federal recognition will make this tribe the 564th recognized tribe in the nation and the second in Massachusetts. The preliminary decision is followed by a 210-day public comment period. The tribe will receive final determination by March 31, 2007. Glenn Marshall, Chairman of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council. Christine Grabowski, PhD. She has more than 20 years experience in federal recognition and has testified before Congress on the process. She is the principal of Grabowski & Associates, LLC, a consulting firm specializing in economic development, research and analysis, and communications for Indian country.

March 9, 2006

Abortion Ban in South Dakota Draws Native Opposition, and Indigenous Peoples' Demands for UN Declaration of Indigenous Rights Continue into 11th Year

Native Women Unite in South Dakota to Fight Abortion Ban

Native American women are organizing at the grass-roots level to protest the bill that was recently signed by Governor Rounds of South Dakota that would ban virtually all abortions in the state. We find out how the abortion ban impacts Native women and communities and hear about efforts to combat it.

Charon Asetoyer, founder and executive director of the Native American Women's Health Education Resource Center, a grass-roots women's health institute on the Yankton reservation in South Dakota.

Indigenous Peoples Demand Formal Rights Declaration at UN Session, and The Wrongful Occupation of Hawai'i

Indigenous Women and men from around the world convened in Geneva to demand a formal United Nations declaration of Indigenous rights. About 90 representatives of governments, specialists from indigenous regions of the world, non-governmental organizations, as well as scholars and the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous peoples participated in the 11th session of the working group of the Commission on Human Rights. The agenda included the crucial issues of the indigenous rights to self-determination, lands, territories and resources, with an emphasis on the fundamental right to restitution.

Anne Keala Kelly, Native Hawai'ian journalist and filmmaker. She is working on a documentary called "Noho Hewa Ma: The Wrongful Occupation of Hawai'i." It chronicles how the American war machine took hold in Hawai'i, and how to the detriment of the Hawai'ian people it has expanded throughout the Pacific.

November 10, 2005

Angus Hemlock, legal researcher for the traditional governing body for the Kanienkehaka nation (Mohawk nation)

Lola Forester, Aboriginal host and programmer for the National Aboriginal Radio Program for SBS Radio in Australia.

August 11, 2005

INDIGENOUS NEWS

South African Government Charged With Ignoring Indigenous Needs
A United Nations expert on Human Rights for Indigenous Peoples, Rodolfo Stavenhagen, has called for the South African government to improve efforts to meet the needs of Indigenous peoples. During a 12 day visit, Stavenhagen met with government officials and representatives of Indigenous groups. Leaders from the five main Khoi-San groups condemned delays in the government's delivery of public services. However, the UN representative reportedly acknowledged the South African government's "tremendous efforts" to end inequalities. Among the Indigenous leaders' criticisms were charges that the government was ignoring issues such as language, culture, health and economic transformation and land rights. Petrus Vaalbooi from the Kumani-San tribe said "Our letters (rock art) are seen as a national treasure, but we do not benefit. The museums are full of Bushmen but to what benefit of our people?"

Venezuela Grants Indigenous Land Rights
In Venezuela, President Hugo Chavez formally recognized six Indigenous communities as the original "owners" of their ancestral lands by granting land titles in a ceremony last Tuesday. The territory covers more than 300,000 acres. One Indigenous woman from the Kari'na community said of Chavez, "He has been the first president who has kept his word to a people who have been stripped of their lands." However, Chavez warned that national unity must ultimately take precedence over Indigenous land claims. Chavez urged other Indigenous groups not to ask for "infinite lands of territory." An estimated 300,000 Venezuelans belong to 28 Indigenous groups, many living in the country's sparsely populated southeast.

Bush's Energy Bill: A Strike Against Native Communities
In the United States, it looks like Native Americans will be significantly impacted by the massive energy bill President Bush signed this week. Native activists are denouncing the new legislation, citing the major benefits for energy companies and the revival of the nuclear power industry. Title V section of the bill deals directly with energy development on Indian lands, including Alaska. The provision releases the federal government of its traditional "trust responsibility" to tribes in the negotiation and enforcement of energy development agreements. Some tribal activists fear unfair deals will be made between powerful energy corporations and tribal governments.

NCAA Bans 18 Racist Mascots
The National Collegiate Athletic Association launched a storm of controversy when it announced last Friday that it is banning the use of 18 Indian mascots and nicknames during NCAA-sanctioned events beginning next February. Among those banned are the Florida State Seminoles, sparking criticism from Florida Governor Jeb Bush. Governor Bush said the decision insulted the Florida State University and the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Bush said, "It's ridiculous. How politically correct can we get? The folks that make these decisions need to get out more often." Florida State University is planning an appeal and Attorney Barry Richard, who represented George W. Bush during the 2000 presidential recount, has agreed to represent FSU if needed. The Native community has been working for more than 50 years to ban images and names like Cleveland's chief wahoo, the Washington Redskins, the Kansas city chiefs and the Atlanta Braves.

A Spokesperson from the National Coalition on Racism in Sports and Media said: "The American public has been conditioned by the sports industry, educational institutions and the media to trivialize Indigenous culture as common and harmless entertainment. On high school and college campuses Native American students do not feel welcome if the school uses as its mascot a Chief, the highest political position you can attain in our society. Using our names, likeness and religious symbols to excite the crowd does not feel like honor or respect, it is hurtful and confusing to our young people."

Colleges and universities subject to the new policy:

• Alcorn State University (Braves)
• Central Michigan University (Chippewas)
• Catawba College (Indians)
• Florida State University (Seminoles)
• Midwestern State University (Indians)
• University of Utah (Utes)
• Indiana University-Pennsylvania (Indians)
• Carthage College (Redmen)
• Bradley University (Braves)
• Arkansas State University (Indians)
• Chowan College (Braves)
• University of Illinois-Champaign (Illini)
• University of Louisiana-Monroe (Indians)
• McMurry University (Indians)
• Mississippi College (Choctaws)
• Newberry College (Indians)
• University of North Dakota (Fighting Sioux)
• Southeastern Oklahoma State University (Savages)

Hawai'i: Occupied Territory Past and Present

Guests:

• Noenoe Silva, Associate Professor of Political Science and Hawaiian Language at the University of Hawai'i's Manoa. She is the author of "Aloha Betrayed: Native Hawaiian Resistance to American Colonialism."
• Keala Kelly, Native Hawaiian journalist and filmmaker.

Our two guests explain that Hawai'i is more than a vacation paradise - Hawai'i is an illegally and militarily occupied country. Noenoe Silva describes how histories of Hawai'i have been based exclusively on English-language sources, failing to take into account the thousands of pages of newspapers, books, and letters written in the mother tongue of Native Hawaiians. Silva refutes the long-held idea that native Hawaiians passively accepted the erosion of their culture and loss of their nation. While Silva describes a history, Keala Kelly gives voice to today's ongoing resistance to political and cultural domination.

Last Saturday, 15,000 Native Hawaiians marched down the streets of Honolulu in opposition to a 9th Circuit Court Ruling that invalidates the Hawaiian-only admissions policy of a school established in 1887, prior to the US-backed overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom. It was established as part of the will of a Hawaiian princess. Keala Kelly protested the decision because she says it infringes on Hawaiian self-determination. Keala Kelly and Noenoe Silva also speak about what the Akaka bill could bring to Hawai'i and the impending threat of military expansion on Hawaiian lands. The Akaka bill, if passed, will open up more land to the seizure of the US government, which Kelly argues will be used for military expansion. She made a film that can be accessed at www.nohohewa.com.