The Native Blog

Hill and Holler Column

California Wildfires Hit Reservations

"Many of us watched in horror this past week as Santa Ana winds whipped flames through the hills and canyons of Southern California.
Although wildfires are a fact of life in the west, the dense desert underbrush of oily plants and dried out evergreens, coupled with an ongoing drought and hurricane force winds, brought utter devastation to hundreds of thousands of people.
Residents had little time to flee as the fires roared through canyons and incinerated homes and businesses, many of which literally sat on beachfront property.
In many places the old Traditional custom of burning the undergrowth to rid an area of fuel in case of fire has been abandoned.
Ignoring this ancient wisdom has proven to be a costly mistake many times.
And as more and more people move into unpopulated areas and build homes where none should be, this tragedy will happen over and over. It's part of the "Cleansing of Mother Earth."
Lots of coverage was given to the destruction of white upper-class neighborhoods, but this fire event was particularly hard on many Indian Reservations.
The Poomacha fire started on the La Jolla Band of Luiseño Indians reservation. The 10 man volunteer fire department soon found themselves surrounded by flames. Choosing to stay and fight, 42 other tribal members rallied to save what they could of their land and homes. By the second day, fire had destroyed 50 of the approximately 150 homes on the reservation.
A least 65 homes on the Rincon reservation and five on the Yuina reservation have been lost. Other tribes sustaining losses include the Los Coyotes Indian Reservation, the Yuina, Rincon, San Pasqual, Pala, Capitan Grande, Mesa Grande, Santa Ysabel, Barona, Jamul and Inaja-Cosmit reservations.
The Jamul Indian Village and the San Pasqual casino were also evacuated.
Fire roared through land where the Mesa Grande tribe keeps a herd of 45 bison. The buffalo are roaming loose now, at least until they can be gathered up and pasture found to house them on.
Many tribes lost their water supplies as waterlines and pumps melted in the heat. Priceless artifacts have also been lost.
Unaffected tribes who have casinos have opened their doors to refugees and will provide other relief to help their brothers and sisters get back on their feet.
But it will take much more than that for these People to get back to where they were. If you would like to help, here is something you can do. Go to the The San Diego Foundation's emergency fire relief fund for tribes at After-the-Fires Fund 2007.
You will find many categories where you can donate money. One of these is for Native American Aid. You can make a one time donation or spread it out over several months. It's up to you but I"'m sure someone somewhere will thank you for being there in a time of need."
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You can contact me at susanbates@webt.net

Hill & Holler Column

There's A Day Coming.........

“There are many differences between the races. Creator gave each their own direction on the Wheel of Life and Sacred duties to perform. And this was good and as it should be.

I don't know how many thousands of years People stayed put on their own lands and lived the way Creator intended before mankind realized there was something else beyond the horizon.

And because he just had to know what was out there,  man dared to plunge into the dark unknown and take great risks to see for himself if there were other People out there and what they were like.

The first explorers met People of different colors who lived different ways. They tasted new foods, attended ceremonies to honor gods whom they didn't know, and fell in love with foreign women.

Soon the world began to change. Traditional People tried desperately to hang onto their cultures but were powerless to stop the hordes of men who coveted wealth, claimed the land and enslaved the People in the name of their god.

After Christopher Columbus'  amazing "discovery" in 1492, the floodgates were thrown open and those who wanted land and wealth risked everything to set their feet upon the "Promised Land."The destruction of the culture of the  Original People began almost immediately and the repercussions of that act resonate today.

The differences between Traditional Peoples and those of "hybrid" greed based societies are far too great to expound upon here. But it makes me deeply sad and very angry when I hear that good People who only want to go back and live the way their Ancestors did, are being duped and cheated out of money and land by those pretending to be "Indians."

Having either no knowledge of Traditional Ways and Values, or no regard for anything but their own selfish greed,  self proclaimed "chiefs" form "tribes" and continue the legacy the white man cursed this continent with over 500 years ago. This is simply unforgiveable.

There are many liars and thieves out there right now who are guilty of this crime. I can name dozens of so called "tribes" and phony "Chiefs"who are victimizing the People every day. But I won't..... Not today I won't.

But be warned. There is a day coming when all of the guilty will answer for what they've done..... Maybe not to the law of the land, but they will pay the price.  The Ancestors are watching and they are very powerful - and very angry.”

Hill and Holler Column

Columbus Day Protests

"500 Native Activists once again marched in Denver to protest the observance of Columbus Day. Many were arrested during this act which decried the honoring of a man who brought disease, unimaginable torture and mass genocide to this continent.

Denver is targeted because Colorado was the first state to celebrate Columbus Day. Native Peoples, along with others who understand the insensitivity of this issue, want to change the Federally Recognized holiday to Indigenous People's Day.

After years of protesting, little has been accomplished. Minnesota doesn't recognize Columbus Day, and South Dakota changed the name to "Native American Day".

People just don't get it......... But they will......
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       Vernon Bellecourt Dead at 75

Vernon Bellecourt, WaBun-Inini (Man of Dawn), died Oct. 13 in Minneapolis from complications of diabetes and an E coli infection of the lungs.

Bellecourt, was a White Earth Band of Chippewa Indians tribal member, had served on the tribal council and was Minneapolis-area vice president of the National Congress of American Indians and was president of the National Coalition on Racism in Sports and Media. He was arrested in Cleveland during the 1997 World Series and again in 1998 during protests against the Cleveland Indians' mascot, Chief Wahoo.

Clyde Bellecourt, Vernon's brother, helped found AIM (American Indian Movement) in 1968 and Vernon soon became involved in that, taking part in the Occupation of Wounded Knee and was active in the campaign to free Leonard Peltier.

Bellecourt had recently returned from Venezuela where he had successfully obtained another year's heating oil for 27 tribes from the People of Venezuela and CITGO.

He will be buried on his birthday, Oct. 17, on the White Earth Chippewa Reservation in northwestern Minnesota.
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Ojibwe Woman Convicted Of Illegal    Downloading

A 30-year-old Native woman from Minnesota was found guilty of downloading and sharing copyrighted music over the Internet.

Jammie Thomas, a single mother of two, was ordered to pay $222,000 to record labels for 24 songs. 

Record labels blame the Internet for dwindling sales of CDs.
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Congressional Black Caucus Rallies Against Cherokee Nation

On September 28, during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's annual legislative conference, a panel to address the Cherokee Freedmen's dilemma was convened by Democrat Rep. Diane Watson and Rep. John Conyers of Michigan.

According to an article written by Jerry Reynolds for Indian Country Today
"Two hours of strong language against Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chad Smith and a number of Cherokee citizens went unanswered.

" .......By the time the panel was over, Chief Chad Smith and the others had been accused of "of election-rigging, court-packing, visiting indignity on the tribe, criminality with casino funds, dictatorship, and racism."

A two-page response from Smith's office was barely allowed notice.

In March, citizens of the Cherokee Nation voted to require that citizens have ancestors on the Dawes Rolls. This decision stripped Freedman descendants from tribal citizenship. Currently Three courts are considering the issue, and the freedmen have been restored to tribal citizenship pending court decisions.

"Watson has introduced legislation that would strip the Cherokee of $300 million in federal funds and suspend the tribe's authority to operate a casino until the status of the Cherokee freedmen is settled to the satisfaction of Congress."
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The Hill & Holler is now online. You can find it at www.hillnholler.com

A New Column on my blog: The Hill and Holler Column

"NEWS AND NOTES FROM INDIAN COUNTRY
October 1, 2007
Susan Bates   

NIKE DESIGNS SHOE SOLELY FOR NATIVE AMERICANS

Nike has just announced the release of its new shoe, the Air Native N7, designed specifically for Native American feet. The shoe is larger and wider than the average shoes they make and will have a "culturally specific look."

According to an article by the AP "It will be distributed solely to American Indians; tribal wellness programs and tribal schools nationwide will be able to purchase the shoe at wholesale price and then pass it along to individuals, often at no cost."

All profits from the sale will be reinvested in health programs.

Good for Nike!!!!

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CASTING CALL

Paramount Pictures is looking for an older looking Native man to play a part in an Eddie Murphy film. Long white hair and wrinkles are preferred. The successful candidate must be able to pray in his own language.
If you're interested you can email  platinumtalentllc@gmail.com
Include : Name; Age; Phone Number; Photo/s; Experience; Tribal affiliation and language spoken and your nearest airport.

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AND SPEAKING OF MOVIES...
Director Travis Hamilton who shot his new movie "Turquoise Rose" entirely on the Navajo Nation, says he plans to make more movies that accurately portray the Navajo people. According to Hamilton, 90 percent of his actors and crew were tribal members.

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CHEYENNE RIVER SIOUX TRIBE LOOKING FOR PEOPLE TO ADOPT HISTORIC WILD HORSES

In 2001, the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe was gifted 82 horses rescued from the historic Virginia Range in Nevada. They put the horses on a ranch the tribe had established as a conservation and children's center.

Now the herd has grown to 300 while drought has cut feed yields alarmingly. The tribe, in danger of losing their ranch, has decided to lease the land for cattle grazing.

They had planned to auction the horses off to a slaughter house, but would rather see them adopted. The horses on the Cheyenne River Reservation were filmed by Steven Spielberg's crews for his 2002 movie, "Spirit."
If you would like to help these historic horses, contact the International Society for the Protection of Mules and Burrows at 1-605-964-6866 or write: ISPMB, P.O. Box 55, Lantry, S.D. 57636-0055.

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CANADA TO PAY FORMER STUDENTS FOR YEARS IN RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS

Canada has agreed to compensate First Nations People who were forced into residential boarding schools. The total repayment will amount to $1.9 billion dollars. Each student will receive $10,000 plus $3,000 for every year they attended."

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Contact Susan:
HC 73 Box, 159-1, Drury, MO 65638
Email: susanbates@webtv.net
Website: The Native American Journal

*Thank you Susan for granting the permission to post your columns on my blog.