Weekend Update – Wounded Knee Museum
Tegheya Kte – Garry Rowland explains about the construction of Wounded Knee Visitors Center, which is now called Museum.
Weekend Update #27: Dying of Racism
In this edition of Weekend Update, Russell Means speaks to the racist portrayals of Indians by Hollywood, the U.S. Government and the media of the left. He speaks as well to the soft racism of exclusion that too often ignores the Indigenous communites of the world and their concerns of their land and their people.
Weekend Update #27: Dying of Racism from Russell Means on Vimeo.
Photos from the funeral of victims of the Acteal Massacre that occurred on December 22, 1997
Acteal Massacre:
On December 22, 1997 paramilitary (state-trained and state-funded pro-governing party civil defense) forces surrounded a Catholic chapel in the pacifistTsotsil Mayan community of Acteal, Chiapas state, Mexico. During a period of several hours, this armed force, with the apparent consent of local Mexican Army units stationed not far away, proceeded to surround Acteal’s chapel, and shot to death those inside, and as many of those who escaped as they could find. A number of residents survived the massacre. Those murdered on that day included 15 children, 21 women (four of them pregnant) and 9 men.
Bagua Shootings:
On June 6, 2009, Police, supplied by the U.S. ‘War Against Drugs, shot dead more than 38 people. The government of Peru ordered for the National Police to attack the Amazonian Indigenous peoples. Civilians were shot from building roofs and helicopters.
Indigenous peoples in Peru were on strike for the previous 52 days protesting against free trade policies that would allow multinationals to take over their territories. The attack occurred around 5:00 AM in the morning, a day after the Congress of Peru decided not to debate one of the most important decrees that allow the sale of Indigenous land. The number of casualities is according to a Twetter sent by a Peruvian journalist who is in the area of Bagua, a city located in the Amazonas region of Peru.
Columbia:
In the first week of February, according to indigenous witnesses, Columbian FARC rebels massacred up to 27 Awa people in the southern Narino province, including women and young children (from ages 3 to 6), bringing the total number of murdered Native people to 50 since the national march in the fall.
FARC press statements have only acknowledged the “execution” of eight indigenous due to their alleged assistance of Columbian military, but witnesses deny that figure and the assertion that the Awa willingly assisted anyone.
The National Indigenous Organization of Columbia, ONIC and regional UNIPA, Indigenous Unity of the Awa People, issued a joint statement the week after the massacre, decrying the murders.
“The UNIPA and ONIC denounce the grave violation of human rights and the collective rights of the Awa people of Narino, which is nothing new. … in the last 10 years [in the AWA territory] there have been four massacres, approximately 200 murders and 50 people affected by antipersonnel mines (land mines). … and now 1,300 Awa people are trapped in the area due to confrontations between the army, the guerillas and the para-militaries.”
Guatemalan Civil War:
In its final report, the Commission for Historical Clarification (CEH- Guatemalan Truth Commission) concluded that army massacres had destroyed 626 villages, more than 200,000 people were killed or disappeared, 1.5 million were displaced by the violence, and more than 150,000 were driven to seek refuge in Mexico. Further, the Commission found the state (funded largely by the United States) responsible for ninety-three percent of the acts of violence and the guerrillas (URNG-Guatemalan Revolutionary Union) responsible for three percent. All told, eighty-three percent of the victims were Maya and seventeen percent were ladino.
Sources:
Acteal: http://www.libertadlatina.org/Crisis_Mexico_Chiapas_Acteal_Massacre.htm</em>
Bagua:
http://peruanista.blogspot.com/2009/06/alert-massacre-in-peru-police-shoots-at.html
Columbia:
Guatemala:
http://www.yale.edu/gsp/guatemala/TextforDatabaseCharts.html
Closing the Gap Between the Younger Generation and the Elders
September 16, 2009 by Thunder Horse
Filed under Culture, News
The situation on Pine Ridge and other reservations today is not much different in comparison. Outside influences have devastated families. There is a high unemployment rate, alcoholism, drug use, gangs, stealing, violence, staying up all night and sleeping all day, babies having babies and lack of safety. Adults talk about negative forces and other things in the community from tribal council to tribal police. Corruption within tribal council and tribal police does not keep the people’s trust. All of these things bring sadness, hopelessness, heaviness, and pain. Lack of jobs seems to be the denominator with the downfall of so many people on reservations. This situation has to change or the younger generation will be lost forever.
We must all stand together as a force of love. Be united NOW. There is only one way. Communication. Knowledge. Arm yourself with truth, love and perseverance. Extend your family. Join with others in giving. We are all related. People of the earth take back your heritage. I am not speaking of skin color or religion. Our heritage is this earth… Our heritage is also extended beyond this earth into the heavens where the spirit once lived before our birth into this world. You are bound to both.
To bring all the communities together things will have to change. Many elders say the solution to the problems is prayer. Going back to the Inipi. “Takashala (Creator) listens to us and takes care of us. We pray to him. None of us have nothing, no money, but we’re taken care of. We have medicine for these sicknesses. We have ceremony. That’s where we get our strength.”
Communities have already began the healing process. We need to replace the negative with something healthier- like our culture. Some suggestions included helping our people define what culture is or what “the traditional way” is or what “the traditional ways” are. Other examples included promoting language, prayer, ceremonies (all different kind including specific examples to specific tribes/areas- from naming ceremonies, to blessing ceremonies, to sundance ceremonies, to sweat lodge ceremonies to rites of passage ceremonies, etc), potlatches, hand/stick game, singing, dancing and storytelling.
Cultural strengths as resiliency factors are so important because there are thousands of teachings within every example. The core teachings are about respecting your mind, body, spirit and all living things. With this as the core teaching, one would never put a harmful substance into their body. Key cultural strength words include: Respect. Ancestors. Honor. Wisdom. Pride. Vision. Power. Love. Excellence. Courage. Spirit. Values. Belief. Family. Sacred. Traditions. These words are fairly universal for all Native people. The reverence for ancestors is an attention-getter due to the fact that through our oral traditions we acknowledge those that came before us. We highly respect them for keeping the traditions alive without writing them down and for their resiliency of living hardy lives and thriving, even through adverse times like colonization. Because of them, we are still here! We have the same responsibility and obligation to our future generations. Focus on resiliency and cultural strengths- they come in many different shapes.
Toxic Housing
Toxic black mold in housing supplied by the U.S. government along with other health related issues has led to the current health emergency on the Pine Ridge Sioux Indian Reservation in South Dakota.
“Black Mold” is a term commonly used to describe a slimy, greenish-black substance which can result in serious health risk. This infamous mold is also known as Strachybotrys chartarum and more often as Strachybotrys atra. It has been closely linked to the death of babies from respiratory bleeding, and as a contributing factor to illnesses such as asthma and bronchitis. According to the CDC(Center of Disease Control), this mold is responsible for over “100 cases of lung disorders”.
Virtually everyone has one type or another of mold somewhere in their home. Although not all types are toxic, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish types without lab testing. Thus it is imperative to treat and remove all molds as if they’re potentially harmful. Regardless of the type of mold found, a home containing mold is not essentially a healthy home.
Mold spores are very easily transported to different areas by attaching themselves to various hosts. These hosts would include people, animals, shoes and they even enter through open windows and doors. The spores then thrive and grow where it is damp and moist. Very toxic molds can develop from water seepage, and while black mold is “less common than other mold species it is not rare”.
Areas and substances where black mold can be found include water soaked wood, ceiling tiles, wall paneling, cardboard, even items made of cotton. Black mold can grow on drywall and insulation and can infest areas in the floors, walls and ceilings.
Moisture is essential to the growth of black mold, and when it is wet it is shiny in appearance. If you were to physically touch a spot of black mold, it would feel slimy and would smear on the area.
When you are contemplating clean up of black mold, you need to verify the extent of the problem. Many of the infested areas will be relatively small and be a result of small leaks or plumbing problems. After discovering the root of the problem and rectifying it, you can disinfect the area with bleach. A mixture of one cup bleach to a gallon of water is sufficient to disinfect the area. Apparently adding a touch of dish soap to the mixture will also aid in dissolving accumulated grease and dirt in the area.
You are to apply the bleach mixture to the moldy area and leave it to saturate the area for approximately fifteen minutes. After this you must take care to thoroughly dry the cleaned area.
Spores from dried mold are very dangerous and should be cleaned with caution. You should never scrape or scratch at dried mold as the spores would then be released into the air and pose an inhalation risk. A respiratory mask and eye protection are necessary and adequate clothing to prevent skin contact is recommended.
If the problem is more internal such as on insulation or throughout a carpet, the only solution is to remove and replace the items. As well an infested area of over 2ft is considered a “heavily infested” area and professional help should be consulted. Mold problems resulting from flooding should also be managed professionally to avoid possible health risk.
According to the CDC, there are some preventative measures you can personally take to battle black mold. The following are some of their suggestions; keep the humidity of the house down, make sure there is adequate ventilation inside the home(especially in the kitchen and bathroom), add mold inhibitors to new paint before painting, use mold killing products to clean and do not use carpet in the bathroom.
Black mold issues are something everyone should be aware of and know how to combat. Search through any news source and you will see that toxic mold is a common cause for school closings. If the school board will go through such measures to eradicate the problem then we should be just as cautious. It is also important to remember that like all other types of fungus, there are some people who may be more sensitive to the effects of black mold. People who have allergies, respiratory disease or any type of immune suppressing disease should be especially wary of this toxic mold.
