Category: Indigenous Rights
For the decolonialization of Indian Country!
by Jeff Armstrong U.S. imperialism originated and continues unabated in Indian Country, indigenous territories demarcated under international treaties brazenly flouted by the United States since its inception. Indigenous peoples in the Americas languish under layers of oppression at the hands of federal, state, and, more often than not, tribal authorities. Under President Obama, the U.S. … Continue reading For the decolonialization of Indian Country!
Leonard Peltier: “I Am Barack Obama’s Political Prisoner Now”
by Leonard PeltierThe United States Department of Justice has once again made a mockery of its lofty and pretentious title. After releasing an original and continuing disciple of death cult leader Charles Manson who attempted to shoot President Gerald Ford, an admitted Croatian terrorist, and another attempted assassin of President Ford under the mandatory 30-year … Continue reading Leonard Peltier: “I Am Barack Obama’s Political Prisoner Now”
“Free Leonard Peltier!” by Mumia Abu-Jamal
American Indians Fight for Land in Northern MN
On January 20 the St. Louis County Board in northeastern Minnesota refused to sell abandoned, tax-forfeited lands located on the reservation to the Fond du Lac band of Ojibwe. Like many reservations in the U.S., much of the land within the Fond du Lac reservation is owned by non-tribal members. The tribal government has for … Continue reading American Indians Fight for Land in Northern MN
MN Chippewa Tribe to Receive Venezuelan Oil
Minnesota is known for its bitterly cold winters, and in the homes of many low income people in the state, paying for adequate heat is a major concern. This winter the six bands of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe got some unexpected assistance in paying their heating bills. Where did this assistance come from? Venezuela! Through … Continue reading MN Chippewa Tribe to Receive Venezuelan Oil
Mexican Campesinos Defend Land and Water Against Privatization
By JAIME GONZALEZ MEXICO CITY-Consider the following scene, which actually took place on Aug. 27: A group of around 30 campesinos from San Salvador Atenco-a town in the eastern side of the Mexico City Valley-is traveling on several vehicles over a toll road. Their final destination will be a demonstration in solidarity with a group … Continue reading Mexican Campesinos Defend Land and Water Against Privatization
American Indians Pursue Lawsuit Against US Government
By ADAM RITSCHER In 1887 the U.S. Congress passed the Dawes Act, which took much of the remaining land possessed by American Indians and divided it up into individual plots. The plots ranged in size from 40 to 160 acres. The idea was to force American Indians to become Western-style small farmers. The effect, however, … Continue reading American Indians Pursue Lawsuit Against US Government
A Letter from Leonard Peltier
Below is Leonard Peltier's June 26 statement for the 25 year memorial of the shootout at Oglala, South Dakota. He was convicted for the alleged murder of two FBI agents during that event. On June 12, Peltier was denied parole for the fourth time. A petition for executive clemency is currently before President Clinton. Call … Continue reading A Letter from Leonard Peltier
Yankton Sioux Fight to Protect Ancestors’ Remains
By ADAM RITSCHER Native Americans have been on the receiving end of an oppressive relationship with the United States since the day this country was founded. Of late a series of confrontations has taken place between the government and Native Americans over Native rights and the racist policies of the U.S. government. Among them is … Continue reading Yankton Sioux Fight to Protect Ancestors’ Remains
Free Leonard Peltier!
On Nov. 1, Native American and civil liberties organizations kicked off a month of protests against the continuing imprisonment of American Indian Movement (AIM) leader Leonard Peltier. The events are timely since they coincide with Thanksgiving, which allegedly celebrates friendship between Native Americans and European settlers. The opening events, in Washington, D.C., began with a … Continue reading Free Leonard Peltier!
On Clinton’s ‘Poverty Tour’ – and Leonard Peltier
COMMENTARY BY MUMIA ABU-JAMAL As summer baked the land, American President Clinton began his poverty tour, the first of his presidency into the poorest pockets of American life, where American dreams sour into grim nightmares. The president of the wealthiest nation on earth visited the Appalachians, the southern California neighborhood of Watts, and, among other … Continue reading On Clinton’s ‘Poverty Tour’ – and Leonard Peltier
Mexican Police Raid Indigenous Towns in Chiapas
By GERRY FOLEY Four and a half years after the uprising of the Indian communities in the lowlands of the Mexican state of Chiapas, the Mexican and national local authorities, despite promises of reform, have not abandoned their campaign to beat the rebel communities back into submission. On June 4, more than a thousand federal … Continue reading Mexican Police Raid Indigenous Towns in Chiapas
Mexican Police Raid Indigenous Towns in Chiapas
By GERRY FOLEY Four and a half years after the uprising of the Indian communities in the lowlands of the Mexican state of Chiapas, the Mexican and national local authorities, despite promises of reform, have not abandoned their campaign to beat the rebel communities back into submission. On June 4, more than a … Continue reading Mexican Police Raid Indigenous Towns in Chiapas
Zapatista Referendum Boosted Popular Struggle in Mexico
By JAIME GONZALEZ MEXICO CITY-On April 7, hundreds of state police, headed by Chiapas state officials, stormed the offices of the San Andres Sacamch'en autonomous county government. This county seat became famous as the site of the negotiations between the federal government and the Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN). This operation provoked a determined mobilization … Continue reading Zapatista Referendum Boosted Popular Struggle in Mexico
Autonomous Indian Movement Wins Oaxaca, Mexico, Election
By GABRIELA ENRIQUEZ and JAIME GONZALEZ MEXICO CITY-On one side of the main square in Mazatlan Villa de Flores, a town in the state of Oaxaca, stands a dilapidated one-story building. It once housed the county administration in the days when Mazatlan was ruled by the Mexican government's political machine, the so-called Institutional Revolutionary Party … Continue reading Autonomous Indian Movement Wins Oaxaca, Mexico, Election
Native Peoples Face Terror in Chiapas
By GERRY FOLEY The greatest single outrage of the Mexican government's "low intensity war" against the native people's liberation movement came a year ago with the massacre of 45 unarmed pacifist Indians in Acteal, Chiapas, by a paramilitary mercenaries. Despite the outcry in Mexico and throughout the world against this savage slaughter, the regime has … Continue reading Native Peoples Face Terror in Chiapas