Post by Okwes on Mar 7, 2008 14:04:35 GMT -5
Mohawk Warriors Unite with Zapatistas at Encuentro
"We All Have to Get Together to Fight Colonialism"
By Brenda Norrell
Special to The Narco News Bulletin
October 23, 2007
TUCSON, Arizona: Mohawk Warriors joined in solidarity with Subcomandante
Marcos and the Zapatistas at the Gathering of Indigenous Peoples of
América. They quickly learned that one factor is the same for
indigenous peoples all over the world: corporations intent on seizing
the land, minerals and water have no regard for their lives or rights.
Rarahkwisere, Mohawk Warrior, said the Zapatistas' encuentro, or
gathering, made it clear to him that the same thing is happening to
indigenous peoples all over Turtle Island.
Members of the Iroquois Confederacy (Six Nations) make a presentation to
Subcomandante Marcos in Sonora, Mexico, in October 2007. Courtesy photo.
"All of our stories were the same, how we are being mistreated to
this day," said Rarahkwisere, among the Mohawks from the United
States and Canada attending the encuentro. Mohawks and other members of
the Iroquois Confederacy (Six Nations) were among the 570 delegates from
67 Indigenous Peoples, coming from 12 american nations at the encuentro
hosted by Yaquis in Vicam Pueblo, Sonora, Mexico, Oct. 11–14, 2007.
"It is all about the natural resources and the big money
people," Rarahkwisere said. In northern Quebec, the invaders go
hunting for diamonds and pollute the water. What follows is sickness and
displacement, as Indian people have to leave their homelands and search
for places to live.
Remembering the encuentro, he said, "There is a revolution, at least
on Turtle Island!"
Rarahkwisere said he had no problem crossing the border to attend the
encuentro using his Haudenosaunee passport. However, his trip to Mexico
revealed the dangers for Indians in the south, including the
heavily-armed soldiers at military checkpoints. He said it was scary at
first, until he realized that many of these young soldiers' also had
Indian ancestry, and supported Indian efforts.
Rarahkwisere said the attacks on Indian people are formulated in the
urban minds with corporations; together urban minds and corporations
want to exploit the peoples' land and resources. In Mexico, and
elsewhere in the South, he realized how often Indian people face death
for the risk of speaking out.
"You will get killed. The corporations hire paramilitary
groups."
Reflecting on the struggles for indigenous peoples, he said,
"It's hard being Indian, but we are not going to ever, ever give
up. We are just getting started."
Rarahkwiswere said that indigenous peoples in South America face far
greater dangers than the people in the North. He said a Colombian
attorney told how two groups were called to play football. Instead of a
football, the chief's head was presented. The people were told if
they did not play the game, the same thing would happen to them.
Rarahkwiswere, who spoke on the Haudenosaunee Great Law of Peace and
Wampum Belts, said it was good to meet with Subcomandante Marcos and the
Zapatistas.
"I want to thank them for hooking up with us. We all have to get
together to fight colonialism. I hope to meet them again soon."
The Haudenosaunee, the People of the Longhouse, live by the Great Law
which was given to them by the Creator, said a Mohawk Warrior, unnamed
here, in an interview for Narco News.
"The Longhouse originally was all of Turtle Island, from where the
sun rises to where the sun sets. The sky is the roof and Mother Earth is
the floor.
"The Great Law is what the Creator gave us and what the Six Nations
live by. The Great Law was made for all the Nations, not just the
Iroquois Confederacy.
"When the Creator came to the people, he began with the worst of the
worst. The Creator told them about uniting for peace and power and they
accepted. This really formed the first union.
"The Creator held an arrow up and showed the people how easy it was
to snap. Then, the Creator bound five arrows with deer hide and showed
how these could not be broken, like the Five Nations bound
together."
However, not all of the people have lived by the Great Law. "If they
live by the Great Law, they would not be polluting or killing each
other. If they live by the Great Law, then they would look for ways to
better mankind, rather than destroy it."
Originally, there were five Nations: Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga
and Seneca. Later, the Tuscaroras asked for protection and became the
Sixth Nation. The people had their own Constitution and form of
government before the invaders arrived.
"The United States Constitution is derived from the Iroquois
Confederacy. The invaders that came had no form of government. Benjamin
Franklin studied the Iroquois Confederacy," he said.
However, the Europeans took the foundation of the Iroquois Confederacy
out of context, the same way they do with the "black book"
(Bible). They take it out of context and use it for fanaticism and to
make rich a few people, he said.
The Iroquois Confederacy is comprised of 50 chiefs and 50 clan mothers.
All decisions are to be reached through consensus, not through majority
vote.
"They have to agree because it has to reflect the decisions made for
Seven Generations." Before making any decision, it is important to
consider the impacts for Seven Generations."
The United States knew all had to agree in order to make decisions, so
the U.S began killing the chiefs and clan mothers. When this happened,
the people were then in charge. "The people then had the power."
Wampum belts held the peoples' history. "It was our form of
writing, our form of keeping records. Everything they did, they made a
belt, so they could look back and see what happened."
Individuals were selected to memorize the belt so that they could tell
the people what it said. "Those were our stories too." The Two
Row Wampum Belt was white, with two dark lines running parallel.
"That was the first agreement made with the Europeans."
"When the Europeans came here, we had the greatest power, we had a
Constitution and this is what the Europeans violated."
On the Two Row Wampum Belt, one line represents the Native people in
their canoes and the other represents the Europeans. The Europeans are
to keep whatever they brought with them, including their politics and
religion, to themselves.
"The two lines on the wampum belt were never to cross, never to
intersect."
The Creator said everyone had a choice, everyone had the power to reason
right and wrong. Today, people have the ability to reason right from
wrong.
When Native people become members of the band councils, they step out of
their canoes. When the Indian police are trained by the Canadian
government, they become agents of the government.
"They became aligned with a foreign government. It is like accepting
citizenship. It is impossible for a Native person to accept citizenship,
because you have to give up your country to do that. How can a Native
person do that?
"In 1924, citizenship was forced on all Native people in the United
States and this violated the Constitution, because there was no Native
Representation or consultation."
Natives were forced to form band councils in Canada and elected
governments in the United States. "All these are are `puppet
governments' for the United States and Canada." In the same way,
the United States is establishing a government in Iraq, one that the
U.S. can control.
"They become agents of the government; they are not for the
people."
When the Europeans came to Turtle Island, they emptied the prisons and
insane asylums in Europe to populate this country. "That is why
there are serial killers, it is genetic, hereditary."
"A lot of people from Europe didn't really want to come here.
They needed people, so they got all of this riff-raff and sent them
here. They just brought them here and turned them loose. In the west,
the women were either domestics or prostitutes."
They emptied the orphanages and brought one million children to work the
farms in this country.
"They couldn't force the natives to be slaves. A native had
rather die than be a slave to the white man. Native people were not used
to being treated like that. Native people would starve themselves to
death or run away." The people of Africa were kidnapped, sold,
enslaved and sent to this country. Their own people helped sell them
into slavery, he said.
One hundred million indigenous people were killed by Columbus and the
Spaniards in what is now North and South America.
"When the treaties were written, they knew they were not going to
honor them. If they are not going to keep the treaties and honor them,
then they should get rid of them."
Nowhere has there been more atrocities than in the north and south of
Turtle Island, known as the Americas. Still, the truth is not taught in
schools.
"If you don't know your history, then you don't have a
future," he said.
Europeans came here for exploitation and that is what continues today.
"It is all for exploitation. They even exploit their own people. My
dad always said, `There's going to be a worldwide revolution one
of these days.'"
"The revolution is coming. It begins with this awakening."
"We All Have to Get Together to Fight Colonialism"
By Brenda Norrell
Special to The Narco News Bulletin
October 23, 2007
TUCSON, Arizona: Mohawk Warriors joined in solidarity with Subcomandante
Marcos and the Zapatistas at the Gathering of Indigenous Peoples of
América. They quickly learned that one factor is the same for
indigenous peoples all over the world: corporations intent on seizing
the land, minerals and water have no regard for their lives or rights.
Rarahkwisere, Mohawk Warrior, said the Zapatistas' encuentro, or
gathering, made it clear to him that the same thing is happening to
indigenous peoples all over Turtle Island.
Members of the Iroquois Confederacy (Six Nations) make a presentation to
Subcomandante Marcos in Sonora, Mexico, in October 2007. Courtesy photo.
"All of our stories were the same, how we are being mistreated to
this day," said Rarahkwisere, among the Mohawks from the United
States and Canada attending the encuentro. Mohawks and other members of
the Iroquois Confederacy (Six Nations) were among the 570 delegates from
67 Indigenous Peoples, coming from 12 american nations at the encuentro
hosted by Yaquis in Vicam Pueblo, Sonora, Mexico, Oct. 11–14, 2007.
"It is all about the natural resources and the big money
people," Rarahkwisere said. In northern Quebec, the invaders go
hunting for diamonds and pollute the water. What follows is sickness and
displacement, as Indian people have to leave their homelands and search
for places to live.
Remembering the encuentro, he said, "There is a revolution, at least
on Turtle Island!"
Rarahkwisere said he had no problem crossing the border to attend the
encuentro using his Haudenosaunee passport. However, his trip to Mexico
revealed the dangers for Indians in the south, including the
heavily-armed soldiers at military checkpoints. He said it was scary at
first, until he realized that many of these young soldiers' also had
Indian ancestry, and supported Indian efforts.
Rarahkwisere said the attacks on Indian people are formulated in the
urban minds with corporations; together urban minds and corporations
want to exploit the peoples' land and resources. In Mexico, and
elsewhere in the South, he realized how often Indian people face death
for the risk of speaking out.
"You will get killed. The corporations hire paramilitary
groups."
Reflecting on the struggles for indigenous peoples, he said,
"It's hard being Indian, but we are not going to ever, ever give
up. We are just getting started."
Rarahkwiswere said that indigenous peoples in South America face far
greater dangers than the people in the North. He said a Colombian
attorney told how two groups were called to play football. Instead of a
football, the chief's head was presented. The people were told if
they did not play the game, the same thing would happen to them.
Rarahkwiswere, who spoke on the Haudenosaunee Great Law of Peace and
Wampum Belts, said it was good to meet with Subcomandante Marcos and the
Zapatistas.
"I want to thank them for hooking up with us. We all have to get
together to fight colonialism. I hope to meet them again soon."
The Haudenosaunee, the People of the Longhouse, live by the Great Law
which was given to them by the Creator, said a Mohawk Warrior, unnamed
here, in an interview for Narco News.
"The Longhouse originally was all of Turtle Island, from where the
sun rises to where the sun sets. The sky is the roof and Mother Earth is
the floor.
"The Great Law is what the Creator gave us and what the Six Nations
live by. The Great Law was made for all the Nations, not just the
Iroquois Confederacy.
"When the Creator came to the people, he began with the worst of the
worst. The Creator told them about uniting for peace and power and they
accepted. This really formed the first union.
"The Creator held an arrow up and showed the people how easy it was
to snap. Then, the Creator bound five arrows with deer hide and showed
how these could not be broken, like the Five Nations bound
together."
However, not all of the people have lived by the Great Law. "If they
live by the Great Law, they would not be polluting or killing each
other. If they live by the Great Law, then they would look for ways to
better mankind, rather than destroy it."
Originally, there were five Nations: Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga
and Seneca. Later, the Tuscaroras asked for protection and became the
Sixth Nation. The people had their own Constitution and form of
government before the invaders arrived.
"The United States Constitution is derived from the Iroquois
Confederacy. The invaders that came had no form of government. Benjamin
Franklin studied the Iroquois Confederacy," he said.
However, the Europeans took the foundation of the Iroquois Confederacy
out of context, the same way they do with the "black book"
(Bible). They take it out of context and use it for fanaticism and to
make rich a few people, he said.
The Iroquois Confederacy is comprised of 50 chiefs and 50 clan mothers.
All decisions are to be reached through consensus, not through majority
vote.
"They have to agree because it has to reflect the decisions made for
Seven Generations." Before making any decision, it is important to
consider the impacts for Seven Generations."
The United States knew all had to agree in order to make decisions, so
the U.S began killing the chiefs and clan mothers. When this happened,
the people were then in charge. "The people then had the power."
Wampum belts held the peoples' history. "It was our form of
writing, our form of keeping records. Everything they did, they made a
belt, so they could look back and see what happened."
Individuals were selected to memorize the belt so that they could tell
the people what it said. "Those were our stories too." The Two
Row Wampum Belt was white, with two dark lines running parallel.
"That was the first agreement made with the Europeans."
"When the Europeans came here, we had the greatest power, we had a
Constitution and this is what the Europeans violated."
On the Two Row Wampum Belt, one line represents the Native people in
their canoes and the other represents the Europeans. The Europeans are
to keep whatever they brought with them, including their politics and
religion, to themselves.
"The two lines on the wampum belt were never to cross, never to
intersect."
The Creator said everyone had a choice, everyone had the power to reason
right and wrong. Today, people have the ability to reason right from
wrong.
When Native people become members of the band councils, they step out of
their canoes. When the Indian police are trained by the Canadian
government, they become agents of the government.
"They became aligned with a foreign government. It is like accepting
citizenship. It is impossible for a Native person to accept citizenship,
because you have to give up your country to do that. How can a Native
person do that?
"In 1924, citizenship was forced on all Native people in the United
States and this violated the Constitution, because there was no Native
Representation or consultation."
Natives were forced to form band councils in Canada and elected
governments in the United States. "All these are are `puppet
governments' for the United States and Canada." In the same way,
the United States is establishing a government in Iraq, one that the
U.S. can control.
"They become agents of the government; they are not for the
people."
When the Europeans came to Turtle Island, they emptied the prisons and
insane asylums in Europe to populate this country. "That is why
there are serial killers, it is genetic, hereditary."
"A lot of people from Europe didn't really want to come here.
They needed people, so they got all of this riff-raff and sent them
here. They just brought them here and turned them loose. In the west,
the women were either domestics or prostitutes."
They emptied the orphanages and brought one million children to work the
farms in this country.
"They couldn't force the natives to be slaves. A native had
rather die than be a slave to the white man. Native people were not used
to being treated like that. Native people would starve themselves to
death or run away." The people of Africa were kidnapped, sold,
enslaved and sent to this country. Their own people helped sell them
into slavery, he said.
One hundred million indigenous people were killed by Columbus and the
Spaniards in what is now North and South America.
"When the treaties were written, they knew they were not going to
honor them. If they are not going to keep the treaties and honor them,
then they should get rid of them."
Nowhere has there been more atrocities than in the north and south of
Turtle Island, known as the Americas. Still, the truth is not taught in
schools.
"If you don't know your history, then you don't have a
future," he said.
Europeans came here for exploitation and that is what continues today.
"It is all for exploitation. They even exploit their own people. My
dad always said, `There's going to be a worldwide revolution one
of these days.'"
"The revolution is coming. It begins with this awakening."