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Post by blackcrowheart on Aug 12, 2008 11:59:05 GMT -5
Maisoka and Hima'awikia - Yaqui
MAISOKA was in his house one day and about the time that he stuck his head out of his door, Hima'awikia was walking about. Maisoka said, "Who walks on top of the house of the King?" He said this because he considered himself a king.
Maisoka means tarantula. It is an animal which is black and has a number of legs and a bit of hair. He lives in the ground, making a house in the ground, as do the snakes. He puts a top on his hole, which is the door to his house.
Hima'awikia is an insect with wings. It is a little animal, a bit reddish and it flys. This is he who walked over the home of Maisoka making a noise with his wings, going thus: "rururu."
Maisoka heard the "ronronron" and he stuck his head out and said, "Who is this imposter who walks on the roof of the house of the King?"
"Oh, pardon me, Sir," said Hima'awikia, and Maisoka allowed him to enter his house.
A few minutes later Hima'awikia came out carrying Maisoka between his teeth. It appears unbelievable that Hima'awikia, who is so small, always conquers Maisoka and eats him. Maisoka never escapes from the teeth of Hima'awikia.
Yaqui Myths and Legends, by Ruth Warner Giddings; Illustrated by Laurie Cook; University of Arizona Press, Tucson, AZ (Univ. Ariz. Anthropological Paper No. 2) [1959] [1959, Copyright not registered or renewed] and is now in the public domain.
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Post by blackcrowheart on Aug 12, 2008 11:58:39 GMT -5
Magic Horse of Ku-Suk-Seia - Pawnee www.angelfire.com/ca/Indian/MagicHorse.htmlThis is an old story told by the Red Indians. Once upon a time, before the white men drove them away to Oklahoma, the Pawnee Indians lived in Nebraska, where their sworn enemies were the Sioux. There they lived all the time in villages, where they were skilled farmers and potters. In one of the Pawnee villages lived a poor woman with her grandson Ku-suk-seia, which means 'left-hand'. She was a helpful old soul, and the boy was pleasant and friendly. Yet the two of them were not well thought of in the village, for while there was no shame in being poor, there was no glory either. And they had practically nothing: no horses, no cattle, nothing worth mentioning at all. Their clothes were clean enough, but much patched. When Ku-suk-seia's father had died in a hunting accident, he had no fine head-dresses to leave to his son. Even their tent was small and badly placed, and when Hotoru the storm god swept over the prairie the modest shelter shivered on it's poles as if it might collapse at any moment. As soon as the bison began to move in the autumn, the Pawnees went hunting. For the northern winter would be long and bitter, and before it came they must have enough dried fish, pemmican and bison skins to see them safely through till spring. So when the chief gave the order to set off, the Pawnees gathered together their tents and everything they needed for the journey. Even the old woman and her grandson tied up their few belongings. They had neither a mount or beast of burden, so they loaded their baggage on their own shoulders and trotted after the caravan of people. They were so poor that their people would not let them join the caravan. Instead they trudge miserably along a little way away. Humans can be very cruel, and the contempt of their people weighed heavier on the couple than the burdens on their shoulders. The Great Spirit couldn't be very kindly disposed to them if he let them suffer so. One fine morning the rest of the group left the campsite before the poor couple had gathered their belongings together. The old woman and her grandson were nearly dying of hunger, so they searched through the site looking for cast-off food. At that moment a broken-down old bay horse slipped into the stockade on the same errand. Catching sight of them, the old nag breathed in sharply, and snorted. But then he walked up to them and made friends, for the poor soon recognize the poor. "Poor animal, said Ku-suk-seia. "I expect his owner got rid of him once he wasn't fit for work." The poor creature was half-blind, deaf and lame. His ribs stuck out under his dull stained coat, which was covered with sores. "What a pitiful sight," thought the grandmother to herself. "The poor creature is as useless as I am!" But the animal would not stray more than an inch from her side. "Son of my son," she confided at last to her grandson. "We are going to keep this old nag and feed it. With the two of us already starving, a third poor wretch won't make much difference." Ku-suk-seia and his grandmother began to load their baggage onto their shoulders. But the horse knelt down and began to whinny. "Just look at that! laughed the boy. "I think he wants to make himself useful, the brave animal." So he put the baggage on the horse's back, and the beast followed them at a gentle trot. limping all the time. The rest of the tribe had disappeared long ago, but the grandmother knew the way of the old. That evening they reached the bend of the North plate, where the water Spirit Chahuru had hurled an enormous boulder into the river. Every year the Pawnees set up their main camp there before scattering across the prairie. The bison rarely strayed from their ancient trail, and so the migrating herds almost always passed through North Plate. The rest of the Pawnees had set up camp on the river bank earlier. Scouts had been sent ahead, and in the evening they returned. "There is a big herd of bison moving westwards," they reported, "and a white female is close behind the leader of the herd." This was exciting news. The skin of a white bison was the most precious thing an Indian of the prairies could imagine. White bisons were very rare, and no Pawnee had ever been known to fell one. The cheif of the Pawnees prayed a long prayer, calling on the helpful spirit Awahokshu and begging all the other good spirits to come to his aid. "He who brings me the white skin shall have the hand of my daughter, "he promised his people. Now the chief's daughter was the prettiest girl in the tribe and all the braves wanted to win her. Next morning, when the sun rose behind the boulders of hotoru, the hunters scattered far and wide over the prairie to hunt the white female. Ku-suk-seia too mounted his skinny horse, but the warriors mocked him. "Just look at the hot-headed steed, everyone!" they jeered. "Which is carrying which, the horse or the rider?" and they elbowed each other in the ribs, laughing fit to burst. Their jeers cut Ku-suk-seia to the quick, but he did not show it. He lagged behind, partly to escape the other's taunts and partly because the old mount could go no faster. All alone they sauntered along through the high grasses of the prairie. Suddlenly, the horse began to talk. "Take me to that little valley," he said. Ku-suk-seia was startled, but he obeyed. A talking horse was certainly out of the ordinary, but who knew what the Great Spirit might have in store? Soon they came to a stream. "Cover me with mud!" the horse ordered his rider. "Not a tuft of hair must show, or the spell won't work." Puzzled, Ku-suk-seia did as he was told. "Now climb on my back," said the old nag. "But don't move yet. Let the hunters go on ahead." The Pawnee warriors galloped after the bison in a cloud of dust. Then they split into two groups and rode off in different directions, to surround the bison and cut out some of the herd. At that moment the old horse began to move. Hurling himself onwards like a tornado, he charged the herd from the side. The warriors watched open-mouthed. Wasn't that Ku-suk-seia on his blind old nag? What magic made it gallop fast as a prairie fire? The horse forced its way straight to the white female. Ku-suk-seia/s spear shone in the morning light. He took aim calmly and hurled it with all his strength. The white bison sank to the ground as if struck by lightning, and the horse gave a whinny of victory. Ku-suk-seia jumped down and dismembered the dead animal, while the rest of the herd fled in all directions. He loaded the meat to his mount, wraped himself in the white skin and rode back to the camp. The news of his triumph had reached it ahead of him, and the chief was waiting in front of the main tepee. "Awahokshu" was with you," said the chief kindly. "The spirit brought you luck, or you could never have felled the white bison. Give me the skin." "All in good time," replied Ku-suk-seia. "First I must go to my grandmother, for she is hungry." It was not a wise thing to say to a chief, and an angry gaze followed him as he rode over to his tepee. He unloaded the meat himself, though that was usually woman's work. "A miracle, a miracle!" cried his grandmother, clasping her hands. "H'uararu the earth spirit must have been with you, my brave boy. Now we shan't be hungry any more." "Cook us some meat, grandmother," said Ku-suk-seia, "while I give this horse some water and something to eat. For a rider must see to his mount before he thinks of himself." The horse gave a whinny of contentment. When it had eaten it's fill, it watched Ku-suk-seia and his grandmother feasting on bison meat. Before he went to bed, Ku-suk-seia walked over to stroke his mount. "Tomorrow, at sunrise, the Sioux will attack the camp," said the horse. "Ride me right into the enemy. Have no fear, but kill the Sioux chief, and hurl yourself at the enemy three times. Nothing can hurt you. But after that turn back, or one of us will die." Everything happened just as the horse had said. At the first glimpse of dawn, the Sioux war cry rang out. An army of braves had surrounded the Pawnee camp. The boy mounted his horse and rode fearlessly into the enemy ranks. Arrows and spears hailed down on him, but some unseen shield seemed to be protecting him. He rode up to the Sioux chief, brandished his tomahawk and killed the chief with a single blow. Twice more he hurled himself on the enemy, killing many of the Sioux warriors. But he became over-confident, and forgot the horse's advice. A third time he spurred the horse on, and now the Sioux weapons met their mark. Riddled with arrows, the horse sank to the ground. Ku-suk-seia escaped, but his brave mount was dead. When he reached his tent he threw himself down, beating the ground with his fists. Why, oh why hadn't he taken that advice? Now he had lost his companion forever. The Sioux cut the magic horse into countless pieces, scattered them to the four winds, and fled. Weeping, Ku-suk-seia searched the battlefield from top to bottom. He gathered up all the pieces and collected them in a heap on a hill. Then he sat down beside them and wrapped himself in the white bison skin. His heart breaking, he prayed to the Chikoos, the forces of nature. He called to Tirawa the Great Spirit and to the helpful Awahokshu. He cried to Shakuru the sun god, H'uararu the earth spirit and to Uti Hiata the harvest goddess, on who fruits his horse had fed. He prayed to the went god Hotoru and the water spirit Chahuru. Suddenly the sky darkened. Lightning flashed across the clouds, and thunder rumbled. Huge water spouts gushed out across the prairie. The river rose, and a great storm raged. Volley of hailstones come crashing down. It even snowed; something unheard of at that time of the year. For three days and three nights Ku-suk-seia sat there under the skin of the white bison. Then at last the veil of blackness was torn apart, and darkness gave way to broad daylight. The sun shone in all it's brightness, and there in place of the scattered bones stood the bay horse, strong and healthy. "Tirawa, the Great Spirit, has brought me back to life," he said to his master. "Why did you disobey me?" "I forgot, and I am truly sorry," replied the boy. "Tell me what I must do." "Promise to follow my counsel at all times, for it comes from the Great Spirit himself," said the horse. The boy promised gladly. He handed the white skin over to his chief, and received the hand of his daughter. When the chief died, he himself became a famous chief. He followed the advice of the bay horse at all times, and ruled the Pawnees with great wisdom and skill. At last Ku-suk-seia died. The Pawnees intoned their death chants, wrapped their chief in the white bison skins and laid him on the litter of the dead. But when the warriors went to find his mount, to kill him on the alter of the dead so that he could go to the Happy Hunting Grounds with his master, the bay horse had disappeared.
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Post by blackcrowheart on Aug 12, 2008 11:56:21 GMT -5
Censored in the USA: Hush words By Brenda Norrell - July 28, 2008 I didn't see it coming. After 25 years of writing American Indian news, I didn't really expect to be blackballed and censored out of the business. But, then again, any journalist writing serious news in the United States should expect to be censored. There are some hot topics that get U.S. journalists fired, including investigating the war in Iraq. U.S. Presidents realize the power of words and song to move the masses. It was Buffe Sainte Marie's "Universal Soldier," during the Vietnam War that led to her being blackballed and censored out of the music business in the U.S. In Indian country news, there are also hush words, words to be used sparingly, if at all. For editors, those words include two names "Russell Means" and "Leonard Peltier." Also, in Indian country, reporters know it is unlikely that editors will publish any serious criticism of the war in Iraq or the Bush administration. Reporters also know it is unlikely that their articles will be published if they point out how the elected American Indian tribal councils sell out their people and their land, air and water for energy royalties and energy leases. At the same time, those councilmen and tribal chairmen give voice to the need to protect sacred Mother Earth. While on staff at Indian Country Today in 2004, the managing editor, a non-Indian, demanded that I halt writing about "grassroots people and the genocide of American Indians." When I continued, I was reprimanded again. Eventually I was fired without a reason given. It taught me about history and the soul of America. In the United States, there is this hole in history, and this hole in the hearts of the people, which disallows for these facts: the genocide of American Indians, including the butchering of women and shooting of little children, and the kidnapping, enslavement, torture, rape and murder of blacks. As always, those who forget history, repeat it. The United States now trains military around the globe how to torture. This torture, in violation of the Geneva Conventions, targets Indigenous Peoples in Central and South America and the people of Iraq and Afghanistan. This torture targets anyone whose lands and resources are desired by a multi-national corporation. The proof was in the U.S. School of the Americas' torture manual made public in 1996. The latest ploy is to simply dupe people into the corporate resource scheme, by convincing people to pay for fictional "carbon credits," the non-factual fee to pollute. On the US/Mexico border, where Homeland Security and the Border Patrol ignore the sovereign status of Indian Nations and all federal laws, there are death threats for journalists and Indians living on their own lands. At ICT, I was terminated after one of my articles was rewritten; turning the exposure of Donald Rumsfeld profiteering from the bird flu's Tamiflu into a near advertisement for the product. Also before I was terminated, I was instructed to never write about, or even investigate, the fact that the Navajo commercial farm, Navajo Agricultural Products Industries, has a Raytheon Missile factory on the same land where it grows potatoes, corn and other commercial crops. The Navajo Nation owned NAPI also boasts that it uses genetically-modified seeds; seeds leading to widespread misery for the world's Indigenous Peoples. I was also told I could not publish a news probe into whether Ben "Nighthorse" Campbell was actually Portuguese or Northern Cheyenne. Well, most of the usual suspects received good jobs at the big museum in Washington D.C. The important point is not to be fooled by the newspapers, do your own investigating. The editors, publishers and owners have their own agendas. These days, very little of it has to do with truth. If you want to learn about the destruction of sacred places and all the corporations rushing to poison the land, air and water where you live, you'll need to search out the information. Don't expect to read about it in your newspaper. The non-Indian newspapers have no qualms about censorship these days. In the spring, I wrote an article about the Longest Walk for a news publication. A watered-down version of it was published. Here is one of the paragraphs that was censored: "It was in Greensburg, Kansas, that another dimension of the west opened up, the force of a tornado to rip out a town. The debris was still piled high nearly one year after the tornado of May 4, 2007. I could only think of the billions of dollars going to rebuild Iraq, after the US bombed it; the billions going to the corporate friends of the Bush family. Still, there was hope and abundant love in this town as the people were rebuilding green, focused on solar and wind power and sustainable gardening." Hope -- that's what keeps us going, and readers like you. Thanks for reading. Brenda narcosphere.narconews.com/notebook/brenda-norrell/2008/07/censore\d-usa-hush-words <http://narcosphere.narconews.com/notebook/brenda-norrell/2008/07/censor\ ed-usa-hush-words> ----- Teresa Anahuy groups.yahoo.com/group/FirstPeoplesNews<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FirstPeoplesNews>
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Post by blackcrowheart on Aug 12, 2008 11:55:31 GMT -5
CULTURE OF RAGE (Visit Us @ http://www.cultureofrage.com) Native American / Cultural & Political Rap Music Please help our efforts in getting the message of our music out to all the peoples you know by forwarding them the following link: www.cultureofrage.com Culture of Rage: Music Downloads, Articles, Art & Links. Strictly for the righteous and spiritual teachings of Indigenous Cultures. Totally against colonization, genocide, imperialism, corporate devastation of the earth... Culture of Rage / Cultura de la Rabia Support Independent Native / Chicano Music !!! Apoyen la musica independiente nativa y chicana !! Producing Independent Music Since 1993. Produciendo música independiente desde 1993 *New* Culture of Rage "in Godless America" (live & wild 2003-2005) 1st live band album of Culture of Rage featuring: Urban Native Son & Phoenix 5150 -lyrics Big B. Cheshewalla -drums & percussion Bad Boy Antone -electric & acoustic guitar R. Astengo -electric bass Angel Blue Obsidian Sky -harp, guitar, acoustic bass, banjo, keys J. Duron -keys & patches La Brava -flute Evie, Maya & Sister -vocals Adonis -electric guitar effects C. Aranda -didgeridoo Recorded & Mixed by George Vladimir Diaz at STUDI0 2425 (ELA, CA.) Mastered by Joe Tall Culture of Rage / Godless America – Song Descriptons 1. Prayer: "Toxic plague, societies way, spiritual grave, mentally enslaved…" 2. Gold, Greed & Genocide: "Women and children bought and sold…all for the lust of Gold…" The Genocide and enslavement of Indigenous California tribes and the brutal destruction of the environment innitiated by the 1849 California Gold Rush. 3. All Ready Gone: "We at war with Babylon…" Walk as we testify. 4. Dope Song: "Another Vietnam is Columbia…" History of the War on Drugs. 5. Godless America: "How can you live in silence? How can you allow?" 6. Mother, Sister, Daughter: "…Earth Queen, reign supreme! Cleansing my soul like pure water stream." Homage to Woman from her sons/brothers. 7. Children: "It's sick how far we've gone from the sacred way of life, children victimized in the world of exploitation and strife." "A child's life is a blessing." *Beat Street: Cover track / *Orignally written and performed by Melle Mel CULTURE OF RAGE www.cultureofrage.comMusic Video: Culture of Rage / Gold, Greed & Genocide (seen @ http://www.cultureofrage.com) Gold, Greed & Genocide: "Women and children bought and sold…all for the lust of Gold…" The genocide and enslavement of Indigenous California tribes and the brutal destruction of the environment innitiated by the 1849 California Gold Rush. *Learn more at 1849.org. Video Musical: Cultura de Rabia/ Oro, Codicia y Genicidio: "Mujeres y ninos comprados y vendidos… por el deseo de oro…" El genicidio y esclavitud de las tribus indigenas de California y la destruccion brutal del medio ambiente causada por la busqueda de oro en 1849. *Visite 1849.org. "Culture of Rage," you ask? Who & What? Culture of Rage is a hardcore mix of Rock, Jazz, Funk & Rap music with Conscious / Cultural / Political lyrics. The evolution of this underground group has been phenomenal and has gained worldwide recognition in indigenous, underground, grassroots, and conscious communities. Culture of Rage began in the early 90's, out of Oakland California, giving voice to urban Native American youth and the issues of youth & culture in the inner city. Culture of Rage has evolved into a full live band, out of East Los Angeles, with a unique and haunting sound that delivers its conscious lyrics with a kick to your chest, igniting fires in your heart. Quien es Cultura de la Rabia Cultura de la Rabia - Culture of Rage es una mezcla de música hardcore de Rock, Jazz, Funk y Rap, cuya letra surge de la conciencia, la política y la cultura. Este conjunto, con su música de resistencia, ha experimentado una evolución espectacular, pues ya goza del reconocimiento de las comunidades y sectores indígenas y populares, de personas de conciencia y de la cultura de resistencia en distintas partes del mundo. Cultura de la Rabia - Culture of Rage, nacido a principios de la década de los 90 en Oakland, California, levanta la voz de la juventud indígena de las Américas y da a conocer la problemática y cultura de la juventud urbana. Hoy en día, Cultura de la Rabia - Culture of Rage es un conjunto musical íntegro del Este de Los Ángeles que toca en vivo. Sus sonidos singulares y evocadores y su letra concienzuda entregan un mensaje apasionado e inspirador que enciende los fuegos de tu corazón.
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Post by blackcrowheart on Aug 12, 2008 11:54:15 GMT -5
Court rules freedmen can sue Cherokee tribal officers By Chris Casteel - July 29, 2008 WASHINGTON - The descendants of former slaves owned by the Cherokee Nation can sue the tribe's officers for disenfranchising them from tribal elections, a federal appeals court here ruled today. The ruling by the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit was a victory for the so-called "freedmen,'' who filed suit after being prevented from voting in two tribal elections in 2003. The tribe argued that it had sovereign immunity and couldn't be sued. The appeals court ruled today that the Cherokee Nation does have sovereign immunity in the case but that the tribal leaders do not. "Faced with allegations of ongoing constitutional and treaty violations, and a prospective request for injunctive relief, officers of the Cherokee Nation cannot seek shelter in the tribe's sovereign immunity,'' the court's opinion says. The case will now go back to U.S. district court here, where it was filed. The Cherokee Nation voted last year to amend its constitution to remove all freedmen descendants from the tribal rolls who do not have Cherokee blood. The change is being challenged in a Cherokee court. Angered by the Cherokee Nation's action, many members of Congress are trying to strip the tribe of some of its federal funding, and the tribe has been fighting a public relations and lobbying battle here to prevent it.
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Post by blackcrowheart on Aug 12, 2008 11:53:33 GMT -5
ENVIRONMENT: Indians Close Ranks Against Dams in the Amazon By Bernarda Claure*
The town of Porto Velho on the Madeira River.
Credit:Agencia Brasil
LA PAZ, Jul 10 (Tierramérica) - Indigenous communities in Bolivia and Brazil have declared an emergency in response to the construction of the Madera River Hydroelectric Complex, which Brasilia is pursuing even as independent research efforts try to measure the impacts of what will be one of South America's largest energy projects.
The government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva this year has proposed construction of the Jirau and San Antonio dams, the first part of the complex in Brazilian territory. But Bolivian residents of the northern Amazon fear it will unleash environmental harm and devastate their lands.
The organisations representing them met Jun. 29 in the northern city of Riberalta and declared an emergency. A declaration by seven labour groups and the Movement of People Affected by Dams of the western Brazilian state of Rondonia, seen by Tierramérica, called on the Bolivian government "not to negotiate or sign any type of agreement" with Brazil.
The Madera, the Spanish name of the river where it begins in Bolivia, or the Madeira, its Portuguese name in Brazil, originates in the Andes Mountains, formed by the Beni and Madre de Dios rivers, and ultimately flows into the Amazon River.
The Madera crosses a biodiverse region, with a binational path of rapids and "cachuelas", or low cascades. This geography is not suitable for river navigation, but has hydroelectric potential.
Researchers at the Institute of Hydrology and Hydraulics of the Universidad Mayor de San Andrés (UMSA) and of the Research for Development Institute, along with experts supported by the non-governmental Bolivian Forum for Environment and Development (Fobomade) are trying to determine the risks Bolivia faces in the construction of the dams.
Although the dam is to be built in Brazilian territory, there will be impacts in Bolivia as well, UMSA researcher Jorge Molina told Tierramérica.
The preliminary results of the study indicate that there would be blockage of rivers and tributaries, with subsequent flooding, severe losses of aquatic diversity and of farmable land, as well as displacement of indigenous communities.
The central project of the hydroelectric complex is located near the Brazilian city of Porto Velho, in Rondonia, near the border. The original plan consisted of a 4,200-kilometre waterway and four hydroelectric dams with locks for navigation, two in Brazil (San Antonio and Jirau), the third in binational waters, and the fourth in Bolivia, in the Amazonian region of Cachuela Esperanza.
But Brasilia ruled out the last two, as long as no agreement is reached with La Paz.
If it is finalised, the project could generate up to 17,000 megawatts, mostly destined for industries in southern Brazil, according to a Tierramérica interview with Brazilian environmental engineer David Melendres, who is researching the issue in northern Bolivia.
The environmental costs could outweigh the benefits, he said.
The Riberalta pronouncement by the coalition demands the presence of Bolivia's President Evo Morales at the Union of Campesinos (peasant farmers) of the city of Guayaramerín, near the border, to meet with Indians, farmers and trade unionists.
"They don't listen to us when we warn about the increase in disease, displacement of entire towns, and flooding of tributaries," said Rabi Ortiz, president of the Bolivian Indigenous Union of the Amazon Region.
The Morales government has repeated that it does not intend to take action without consulting the native communities.
In early June, energy minister Carlos Villegas said Bolivia will insist on an agreement with Brazil based on "a binational analysis of the economic, social and environmental effects" of the hydroelectric project.
But construction of the San Antonio dam was already granted in bidding to the consortium led by the government-owned company Furnas de Brasil and the construction giant Odebrecht. The Jirau dam has been receiving proposals since May.
The complex will cost more than 9 billion dollars and would be the second largest in Brazil, after Itaipú, which is located on the Paraná River, shared with Paraguay.
In April 2004, Odebrecht requested two provisional licenses from Bolivia's Electrical Superintendence to conduct feasibility studies for hydroelectric dams on the Mamoré, Madera and Beni rivers. The request was denied.
However, although Bolivia has so far upheld that decision, "its official position is not clear," Fobomade vice-president Elizabeth Mamani told Tierramérica.
The Bolivian government lacks official studies of the project, admitted Iván Castellón, general superintendent of the Renewable Resources Regulation System.
Meanwhile, Brazil has shown its determination by starting construction this year. The river communities were notified that they have until Aug. 30 to relocate, according to a government communiqué to which Tierramérica had access.
The greatest concern of the Indians is that at least 3,000 people will be displaced in Brazil. And in Bolivia, a Fobomade study indicates that about 300 entire communities will be forced to move.
The Forum published an environmental impact study of the dams that warns about an increase in diseases -- yellow fever, malaria, dengue and others -- related to the lack of sanitation and urbanisation for the displaced.
"It will be necessary to multiply the health teams in Brazil. The situation will be complicated in Bolivia by the fact that the government simply doesn't reach the northern Amazonian areas," said Mamani, an environmental lawyer.
Bolivia is one of the few countries that still has unknown and uncontacted peoples, "who are now in danger," added the Fobomade vice-president. The little-known Pacahuara would be affected -- they move between the Río Negro in the eastern department of Santa Cruz and the Pacahuara, in the northern Pando.
According to Melendres' research, "These groups would have to emigrate to other regions in search of food and inhabitable space, leading to the invasion of territories of other indigenous populations."
This information is sufficient to halt the project, based on the principle of caution, says Mamani.
But because "Brazil lives with the fear of the blackouts it suffered in 2001 due to an energy crisis," it is unlikely that it will stop the project, Patricio Sorbera de los Ríos, a former professor at Brazil's Federal University of Acre, told Tierramérica.
"It is known that construction like this creates diverse types of impacts. We can hope that they are not as great as those predicted by the environmentalists," he added.
(*Originally published by Latin American newspapers that are part of the Tierramérica network. Tierramérica is a specialised news service produced by IPS with the backing of the United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Environment Programme and the World Bank.)
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Post by blackcrowheart on Aug 12, 2008 11:53:10 GMT -5
Guatemala: Five Sentenced to 780 Years for Río Negro Massacre Written by Kimberly Kohler and Josh MacLeod Wednesday, 11 June 2008
Inside the Tribunal in SalamáAfter three years of bureaucratic suspension and six months of hearings, five ex-civil patrollers were sentenced to 780 years in prison by the Sentencing Tribunal in the highland county of Salamá on May 28.
The tribunal found insufficient evidence to convict a sixth accused. The six have been on trial for their participation in the massacre of 177 Maya-Achí women and children from the village of Río Negro in the county of Rabinal, Baja Verapaz on March 13, 1982.
The massacre of Río Negro women and children is one of 626 documented massacres perpetrated during the bloodiest of Latin America’s civil wars in which 250,000 people were killed or disappeared. Guatemala’s 36 year-long internal armed conflict developed within the international context of the cold war, lasting from 1960 to 1996. As part of Guatemala’s Peace Accords, the UN sponsored a truth commission report called the Commission for Historical Clarification (CEH) which found the Guatemalan army and paramilitary forces responsible for 93% of the atrocities.
Referring to the CEH report, the Salamá tribunal situated the Río Negro case within Guatemala’s tragic history. At the height of the violence, between 1980 and 1983, the Guatemalan army designated the county of Rabinal as a strategic region in an effort to combat the threat of "international communism" posed by insurgent guerrilla combatants. The Guatemalan arbumumed that the indigenous civilian population was supporting the guerrillas and thus defined them as an "internal enemy"; as such, they were targeted for elimination.
As a part of carrying out their strategy, in 1981 the army organized what they called civilian self-defense patrols (Patrullas de Autodefensa Civil—PAC). The PACs were paramilitary organizations in which mainly indigenous, civilian men between the ages of 15-65 were forced to serve. The PACs patrolled villages and the countryside for guerrilla insurgents and their civilian supporters as well as accompanied the army on missions. At the height of the violence, the Guatemalan army militarized about 1.5 million civilians in the PACs. The six Maya-Achí men on trial were PAC members from the village of Xococ, which neighbors Río Negro.
Monument honoring those massacred in Río Negro After organizing the PACs, the army and the PACs carried out various massacres of the civilian population in what became known as a scorched-earth policy. In the early 1980s the county of Rabinal alone experienced 28 massacres in which around 5000 people were killed representing almost 20 percent of the population; according to the CEH report 99.8% of the victims were indigenous Maya-Achí. The March 13, 1982 massacre in the village of Río Negro was just one of five massacres suffered by its inhabitants; totaling at least 444 assassinations of a total population of around 800.
The five ex-PAC members condemned for the March 13 Río Negro massacre will only serve 30 of the 780 year sentence due to a 1969 law that sets the maximum penalty for the crime of assassination at 30 years. The 780 years is a symbolic act by the court which is the sum of 30 years for each of the 26 forensically identified victims from the massacre. In its closing arguments, the prosecution requested a 5310 year sentence for each of the accused—30 years for 177 total victims of the massacre.
During the actual sentencing a court spokesperson read the names of the 26 identified victims before condemning each of the five ex-civil patrollers to 780 years, finding them directly responsible for the crime of assassination. The five guilty ex-patrollers are: Macario Alvarado Toj, Pablo Ruiz Alvarado, Francisco Alvarado Lajuj, Tomás Vino Alvarado and Lucas Lajuj Alvarado. Bonifacio Cuxum López was acquitted.
Summing up witness testimony, the tribunal cited the premeditated nature of the crime and the intention of the Guatemalan army with the participation of civil patrollers to kill the people of Río Negro. The court declared the testimony of the survivors "more than believable," a powerful declaration in a country silenced by decades of fear and denial.
In addition to the 30 year sentence, the guilty will have to pay civil reparations of 100,000 Quetzales (about $13,000) to the families of each of the 26 identified victims. Recognizing the evident poverty of the condemned Maya-Achí men, the presiding judge said that it will be difficult for them to actually pay this reparation.
Although the sentencing of the ex-PAC members who participated in the Río Negro massacre may seem like a triumph for justice in Guatemala, they are actually the least of the guilty parties. The civil patrollers are the material authors of the massacre, those who carried out the orders coming from the military chain of command. In other words they pulled the trigger.
In this sense, the condemnation of the five ex-PAC members is bittersweet for the Río Negro survivors. Empathizing with the condemned, one massacre survivor said, "We are all human beings. They are just like us: poor and indigenous. Their families will suffer because of their absence." Highlighting the impunity that exists in Guatemala, a witness declared in his testimony, "In this country justice is only applied if the accused are indigenous. No one dares to prosecute the intellectual authors." The intellectual authors are the military officers who planned and ordered the massacres. In fact, not a single intellectual author of the violence—dictators, army officers, police chiefs, etc.—has been brought to trial, despite several ongoing cases against them. This same witness concluded, "If our country is really a democracy, then shouldn’t there be equal access to Justice?"
Beyond sending even more poor indigenous folks to jail, the Río Negro witnesses hoped the accused would reveal their knowledge about the military chain of command to use in court against the officers who planned the violence. Unfortunately, the ex-PAC members have maintained silence, and thus fostered continued military impunity.
In fact, a number of the Río Negro witnesses are also witnesses in several cases accusing two ex-dictators and their military high commands of genocide and crimes against humanity. The witnesses are members of a national organization of survivors from five of the hardest hit regions during the violence called the Association for Justice and Reconciliation (AJR). The AJR is a plaintiff in 3 national and international genocide cases that have so far lingered in the initial investigative phase for seven years.
In the Río Negro case, Captain José Antonio Solares González was the ranking officer at the Rabinal military base at the time of the massacre and was responsible for this and numerous other massacres committed in the area. Solares remains a fugitive from justice despite a pending arrest warrant for his capture, which has not prevented him from collecting and cashing his military pension checks. The Salamá Tribunal reiterated the call for his capture and trial, as well as that of two other ex-PAC members from Xococ, Ambrosio Pérez Lajuj and Domingo Chen.
In closing remarks the presiding Judge acknowledged the pain and suffering of both accusers and accused caused by the judicial process. Tacitly recognizing the threats still faced by the witness from the family members of the accused, he called for a peaceful return to everyday life after the sentencing. The Judge implored that the sentence not bring more pain and violence to both affected parties, as Guatemala and Rabinal in particular have already suffered too much.
Kimberly Kohler and Josh MacLeod are international human rights accompaniers living in Guatemala. They work with the non-governmental organization the Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala (NISGUA). They have been accompanying the Río Negro case since it recommenced December of 2007.
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Post by blackcrowheart on Aug 12, 2008 11:52:41 GMT -5
'Today is the first day of taking back our territory' Ignoring injunction, native protesters stop work at development sites Posted By BY SUSAN GAMBLE, EXPOSITOR STAFF; THE EXPOSITOR Posted 1 month ago
Natives ignored a court injunction Monday by marching onto development sites across the city.
Construction was halted at five projects as about 150 native protesters burst onto dusty work sites and ordered employees to shut down equipment.
"Our people have been patient and today our patience has run out," said
Seneca sub-chief Butch Thomas.
"Any new development in this area or on our land has got to stop. Today is the first day of taking back our territory."
Mayor Mike Hancock wasn't happy with the turn of events.
"We're very disappointed that the demonstrations have started again," he said prior to
Monday's council meeting.
"Our legal counsel is advising the city to take immediate steps to enforce the court injunction," he told Expositor reporter Cheryl Bauslaugh.
However, Hancock stopped short of saying what those steps should be.
Coun. John Sless said the demonstrators can't be allowed to ignore the injunction.
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Post by blackcrowheart on Aug 12, 2008 11:50:47 GMT -5
Tribe says border fence restricts sacred rites Posted 7/15/2008 3:23 PM
By Matt York, AP Border Patrol agent Daniel McClafferty speaks with undocumented immigrants on the Tohono-O'Odham Indian Reservation in Arizona in May 2004.
WASHINGTON — Calling it an affront to religious freedom, representatives of an Arizona Indian tribe have asked the federal government to halt construction of a border fence across the tribe's Arizona reservation. Leaders of the Tohono O'odham nation say the fence, currently being built along the U.S.-Mexican border by the Department of Homeland Security, will prevent members of their nation from crossing into Mexico for traditional religious ceremonies.
"This wall and the construction of this wall has destroyed our communities, our burial sites and ancient Tohono O'odham routes throughout our lands," said Ofelia Rivas, according to the Washington Times.
Rivas argued that the fence will violate the 1978 American Indian Religious Freedom Act, which guarantees free exercise of traditional religious practices for Native Americans. She said that the fence would disrupt such practices by limiting travel to and from O'odham land in Mexico.
The Tohono O'odham reservation straddles the Mexican border for 75 miles in Arizona, and extends south into Mexico. According to the 2000 census, 18,000 people live on the reservation, which spans an area roughly the size of Connecticut.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: Connecticut | Mexico | United States House of Representatives | Department of Homeland Security | Native | Washington Times | Tohono O'odham | Arizona Indian Rivas' statement is the latest salvo from the Tohono O'odham nation protesting the fence. The community has been at odds with the federal government in recent years over how best to deal with undocumented immigrants and smugglers who cross through tribal lands.
Testifying in front of a House subcommittee last April, the nation's chairman, Ned Norris Jr., called the Department of Homeland Security "inflexible" and "unreasonable," and framed the fence as part of a larger problem facing the nation.
"Our land is now cut in half, with O'odham communities, sacred sites, salt pilgrimage routes, and families divided," Norris said. "We did not cross the 75 miles of border within our reservation lands. The border crossed us."
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Post by blackcrowheart on Aug 12, 2008 11:45:52 GMT -5
Maize Comes to the Hotcâgara - Winnebago
Long ago the people did not know how to cultivate maize (corn) and had to rely entirely upon hunting and gathering to obtain food. In the old times the people were very virtuous and spent much time fasting. Because of their fasting, the Hotcâgara were very powerful and were able to meet their needs. Nevertheless, it was very difficult for them
Once a clan of the Hotcâgara fell into want and it became necessary to fast so that the spirits would take pity upon them. However, the chief of the clan said that he would fast for all of his people. So great was his fast that he nearly fasted to death. Then one time during his fast he dreamt. The Spirit of the Maize took pity on the chief and appeared before him to give him a blessing. She told him where to find the maize and what he should do to have it in abundance. She showed him how to make a small mound, push a stick into it, and place the corn into the hole. She told him how to care for the maize, and how to tell when it was time to harvest the ripened ears. She showed him how to preserve the corn so that the people could eat it all year long.
This is how the Hotcâgara first learned how to cultivate maize. [1]
Commentary. The maize of the Indians is flint corn, which is polychrome, the kernels coming in yellow, white, red, purple, orange, and black. It is used today mainly for decoration, having been superceded by purely yellow corn.
Notes: [1] Sally M. Hunter, Four Seasons of Corn: A Winnebago Tradition (Minneapolis: Lerner Publicatons Company, 1997) 16-17.
Commentary. The maize of the Indians is flint corn, which is polychrome, the kernels coming in yellow, white, red, purple, orange, and black. It is used today mainly for decoration, having been superceded by purely yellow corn.
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Post by blackcrowheart on Aug 12, 2008 11:45:36 GMT -5
Maize Origin Myth - Winnebago
Oliver LaMère and Harold B. Shinn, Winnebago Stories (New York, Chicago: Rand, McNally and Co., 1928) 104-105. Informant: Oliver LaMère of the Bear Clan. Paul Radin, The Winnebago Tribe (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1990 [1923]) 309.
When the Medicine Rite was first created by the good spirits, each of them contributed something that would help the humans overcome the evil spirits. After all the spirits had made their contributions, only then did Grandmother (Earth) come forward and speak to Hare: "Look at my breast, grandson." Then, unexpectedly, there grew from one of Grandmother's breasts a plant that no one had ever seen before. It grew immediately from her nipple into a full stalk with ripe ears of corn ready to eat. "This, grandson," said Earth, "is maize. The two-legged walkers may eat its corn forevermore."
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Post by blackcrowheart on Aug 12, 2008 11:44:43 GMT -5
Pueblo brothers open restaurant in Arizona Friday, August 8, 2008
Two brothers from Laguna Pueblo in New Mexico hope their family recipes will lure diners to their new eatery in Mesa, Arizona. Otis and Nick Lara just opened _Cafe Laguna_ (http://www.indianz.com/my.asp?url=http://www.lagunafrybread.com/) with Otis' wife, Carla. The restaurant can seat up to 56 people and offers free wireless service. The Laras serve several fry bread dishes, including a vegetarian version. Sides include some traditional Pueblo stews. Get the Story: _Retail Corridor: Cafe Laguna opens doors in Mesa, offers Native American food_ (http://www.indianz.com/my.asp?url=http://www.eastvall eytribune.com/story/122591) (The East Valley Tribune 8/8)
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Post by blackcrowheart on Aug 12, 2008 11:42:34 GMT -5
Indian Comics Irregular #173 In ICI #163, I wrote about "Graham Greene, Shakespearean." That was far from the first Native attempt to perform one of the Bard's masterpieces. Here are some others: Earlier this year a group of Aleutians did "Othello." According to the Anchorage Daily News (2/3/08): In a new version of "Othello," the bitter tale of jealousy, ambition and racism centers on an Aleut man as he rises within the Imperial Russian Navy and starts life with his new Russian bride, Desdemona. But since this is one of Shakespeare's tragedies, Othello's promising life is destroyed by scheming and bloodshed. For Athabascan actor Allan Hayton, who plays Othello, this project acknowledges how hard Native Alaskans have had to struggle against stereotypes and exploitation. He said the production also is further reminder that Native Alaskans belong in the theater community, both onstage and in the seats. Last year the Perseverance Theatre did a Tlingit version of "Macbeth." "To hear young people speaking Tlingit and acting and talking about big ideas and big emotions is something so unique, it was really moving and exciting to hear," said director Anita Maynard-Losh in the Juneau Empire (3/8/07). But when the play debuted in the nation's capital, the Washington Post (3/12/07) wrote, "It's nicely conceived but not very powerful. Shakespeare's play overflows with emotional turbulence, but the acting is seldom intriguing or complicated." Back in 1961, David Gardner produced an Eskimo "King Lear." Reviewers resisted the changes in setting and language, but Gardner was unswayed: In retrospect, I think our attempt to find an original cross-cultural springboard for Shakespeare's tragic masterpiece succeeded. For us, it gave the production a sharper artistic focus. We were encouraged to stretch for the haunting extremes within the play: its primitive, animalistic savagery at one end of the scale, and its achingly lonely monumentality on the other. The Bard Does Natives Normally we associate Shakespeare with Englishmen, Italians, and Greeks. But he also wrote a play about Natives, believe it or not. Louis Proyect of Columbia University explains the situation in "What Shakespeare Thought of the American Indian" (12/6/98): The evidence is overwhelming that Shakespeare not only set "The Tempest" on a Caribbean island, but included a native American major character. The play's ambivalent attitude toward this indigenous slave Caliban serves not only as a useful window into 17th century racial attitudes, it also helps us understand our own period as well. The name Caliban, it should be added, is regarded as a form of Carib, the name of the original inhabitants on the islands invaded by Columbus. In 1609 a fleet of nine ships set out from England to shore up John Smith's Virginia colony, the first English settlement in the new world. As most people already know from their high-school propaganda, Smith was condemned to death by Powhatan, but was saved at the last minute when his 13 year old daughter Pocahontas interceded on Smith's behalf. The British returned the favor a couple of years later by burning down Indian villages and attempting to enslave them. One of the nine ships was separated during a violent storm and ended up on Bermuda. Pamphlets were published that gave a highly imaginative account of the shipwrecked crew's experiences. Evidently Shakespeare got the idea for his play from this background material since "The Tempest" is a tale about shipwrecked Europeans colonizing an American island and enslaving the native population. For more on Native plays, go to www.bluecorncomics.com/naplays.htm . Rob Schmidt Blue Corn Comics
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Post by blackcrowheart on Aug 12, 2008 11:40:03 GMT -5
Navajo president vetoes smoking ban August 08, 2008
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -- Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr. has vetoed a measure that would have banned smoking and chewing tobacco in public places across the vast reservation.
Tribal lawmakers had approved the ban during their summer session last month in the Navajo capital of Window Rock, Ariz. Shirley had 10 days to consider the measure. Shirley says in a veto message issued Thursday he was concerned the ban would infringe upon religious ceremonies and would affect the tribe's ability to generate revenues through its new gaming initiative.
Shirley also says the measure didn't adequately focus on underage smoking.
Supporters of the smoking ban say they are disappointed with Shirley's decision and hope to work with tribal lawmakers to override the veto.
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Post by blackcrowheart on Aug 12, 2008 11:39:03 GMT -5
Native Americans strike coal deal 8 August 2008 news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7549211.stm<http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7549211.stm> [coal] Coal-derived diesel from the plant could eventually reach 120,000 barrels a day An American Indian tribe has struck a 50-year deal with an Australian company to build a $7bn (£3.6bn) plant that would convert coal into liquid fuel. The development between the Crow tribe of Montana and Australian-American Energy, will initially see up to 50,000 barrels of fuel produced. One of the first projects of its kind in the US, output at the Many Stars plant could hit 125,000 barrels daily. Various other coal-to-fuel projects are planned for US states, including Ohio. Mining-free zone Construction will begin in several years and will use coal from a mine that is yet to be developed on the Indians' reservation. The tribe has 12,000 members and the Crow will pocket up to 50% of the profits from the plant after investors make up their costs. It is estimated the tribe could receive up to $1bn a year - a major economic boost given its annual budget is currently $26m. [0] [http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/start_quote_rb.gif] It means we will become self-sufficient as a tribe [http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/img/v3/end_quote_rb.gif] Carl Venne Crow Tribe chairman The Crow's reservation is located above some of the US's largest coal reserves and some estimate there may be as much as 9bn tonnes underneath. To date, the area has remained largely free of mining. Self-sufficiency Both the tribe and Australian-American Energy have anticipated opposition from environmental groups, and have said the Many Stars plant will be able to capture 95% of the carbon dioxide it emits. But Crow chairman Carl Venne said this was a chance for the community to escape poverty. "People have to realise this is one of the poorest counties in the whole nation," said Venne. "It means we will become self-sufficient as a tribe," he added. The US is expected to see a number of similar coal-to-liquid plants in the coming years and many have been proposed or are still being considered. West Virginia and Wyoming, Ohio, are among the locations which could accommodate similar projects. Australia-American Energy is a subsidiary of Australian Energy. Australian Energy chief executive, Allan Blood, has already embarked on two similar projects in Australia including a $2bn plant to convert coal to liquid fertilizer, and another which was recently snapped up by Shell and Anglo American.
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