Indian Country Today

We now have conclusive evidence: In a legal brief filed in the case Tee Hit Ton, the United States government traced the origin of Indian title in U.S. law to the ideology that discovering Christian sovereigns had the right to take over and acquire the lands of “heathens and infidels.”

When President Obama meets with Indian and Alaska Native leaders Nov. 5, he should announce that he will embrace the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and work to adopt an American Declaration on the human rights of Native nations. As a starting point for improving the situation of Native nations, this country needs to affirm the fundamental rights of Native nations and individuals. It is a disgrace that the United States has not done so. The U.S. was one of just four countries to vote against the UN Declaration two years ago, and the United States is still following the Bush Administration orders not to negotiate on the American Declaration that is nearing completion in the Organization of American States.

As October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, I wanted draw the attention of South Dakotans to the impact this tragic cycle has on families and communities in our state and across the country. Domestic violence is a problem that destroys lives and shatters communities.

The idea that American Indians should be exempted from any mandate to purchase health insurance has almost become a given in the debate about health care reform.

As people across South Dakota celebrate Native American Day, we reflect on the important contributions of Native Americans to our state’s history and culture. The richness of the Lakota, Dakota and Nakota traditions are a significant part of what makes South Dakota such a special place. I believe to truly honor this legacy, federal, state and tribal leaders must continue working together to find solutions for the challenges facing many tribal communities today.

As Keeper of our Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe Bundle, I am concerned for the two deaths and illnesses of the many people who participated in a sweat lodge in Sedona, Ariz. that brought our sacred rite under fire in the news. I would like to clarify that this lodge, and many others, are not our ceremonial way of life because of the way they are being conducted. My prayers go out to the families and loved ones for their loss.

I just came from a reunion of the civil rights law firm where I used to work. Most of our work involved the anti-war movement and the mainstream discrimination cases, although we did send two lawyers to help defend the avalanche of criminal cases that fell on the American Indian Movement after Wounded Knee II. One of my detractors once said, “the biggest risk you took at the Knee would be a paper cut.”

I saw an ad on TV the other day, the theme was “Puget Sound Starts Here.” It’s a good ad because it reminds people that Puget Sound is sick. It recommended a lot of ways to help, such as fixing car fluid leaks and using less fertilizer on your yard. I like the ads because they remind people that Puget Sound starts right where we are standing.

The Oct. 9 headlines read: “Sweat lodge disaster” and “2 dead, 19 taken to hospitals, 64 people in sweat lodge.”

On Oct. 7, the United States Senate passed the Native American Apology Resolution. The Senate apologized to Native Americans for the “long history of official depredations and ill-conceived policies by the federal government regarding Indian tribes.” These depredations and policies included the “forced removal” of Indians from their homelands, “armed confrontations and massacres,” theft of Native lands and resources, and condemnation of Native “traditions, beliefs, and customs.”

Are we in the final days of the health care reform debate?

My name is Ron His Horse is Thunder and I am the great-great grandson of One Bull, the nephew and adopted son of Sitting Bull, our Hunkpapa Lakota Nation Chief. All of my life, I have tried to walk the good red road and serve my people. Tunkasila, Grandfather, has a plan for all of us.

If one good thing comes out of these challenging economic times I hope every tribe would take some time to conduct a thorough assessment of its financial standing. Imagine if your tribe had conducted that assessment several years ago and then based its financial decisions not on what everyone else was doing, but instead asked themselves: What is in the best financial interest of my tribe? What can we afford? What if these good times don’t last? Are we getting a reasonable return on our investment in this project?

Sometimes we journalists take ourselves too seriously. We are widely published and read by many people. We are recognized, sometimes with big awards. We are trained and/or experienced, and we see ourselves as clever with words. Sometimes we see ourselves as wise, even, and above the people, those who read our words.

Members of Congress receive effortless health care. Like all government employees, there is a federal benefit plan with a basket of insurance options. But that’s Plan B.

Departing from the port of Palos Aug. 3, 1492, Columbus sailed his maiden voyage of the Niña, Pinta and the Santa Maria. On Oct. 12, Columbus reached the “New World” and the Bahamas archipelago was spotted. However, the “New World” concept only applies to Europeans as Native Americans had been living on this Great Turtle Island (what we now call the United States of America) for at least 12,000 years.

As I get old, it seems, I am learning that old age doesn’t give people wisdom as much as it gives them courage to say things that need to be said, no matter if those things are unpopular. That courage comes from not having all that much to lose anymore. I’m learning that few things really hurt me anymore, and those things can come only from very special people I love.

Alpheus Snow, in his book “The Administration of Dependencies,” examined “the Evolution of the Federal Empire” of the United States, “with Special Reference to Colonial Problems.” How to get Indian land has always been a central colonial issue for the United States. This is otherwise known as “the Indian problem,” or, how to get the land away from the Indian nations that first possessed it.

In these tough economic times it’s important to consider ways we can cut back on expenses. Businesses and tribal organizations are feeling the economic crunch. Using creative ways to be resourceful will not only improve the bottom line, but could mean the difference in your business or organization’s survival.

A report recently released by the Corporation for Enterprise Development, a national nonprofit that looks at the wealth, poverty and financial security of families in the United States, gives an in-depth look at how American families are faring across the country in the current economic environment and what states are doing – if anything – to improve citizens’ financial security.