BACK UP BLOG

This blog is a backup for American Indian Adoptees blog
There might be some duplicate posts prior to 2020. I am trying to delete them when I find them. Sorry!

SURVEY FOR ALL FIRST NATIONS ADOPTEES

SURVEY FOR ALL FIRST NATIONS ADOPTEES
ADOPTEES - we are doing a COUNT

If you need support

Support Info: If you are a Survivor and need emotional support, a national crisis line is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week: Residential School Survivor Support Line: 1-866-925-4419. Additional Health Support Information: Emotional, cultural, and professional support services are also available to Survivors and their families through the Indian Residential Schools Resolution Health Support Program. Services can be accessed on an individual, family, or group basis.” These & regional support phone numbers are found at https://nctr.ca/contact/survivors/ . MY EMAIL: tracelara@pm.me

Sunday, October 13, 2024

Racism is EMBEDDED in American archaeology: Q and A with Cree-Métis archaeologist Paulette Steeves

 
Recently discovered evidence is changing the story of when humans arrived in the Americas.  Steeves isn’t surprised: she believes Indigenous people have been here
for more than 100,000 years.

Most archaeologists in North America have spent the last several decades
believing that humans arrived in the Americas around 12,000 - 14,000
years ago by crossing the Bering Land Bridge from Siberia to Alaska.

But Paulette Steeves isn't most archaeologists. 

Steeves is a professor at Algoma University and Canada Research Chair in
Indigenous History, Healing and Reconciliation, and her work focuses on
the Pleistocene history of the Western Hemisphere. 

She believes that Indigenous people were present in the Americas far earlier, and has created a database of North and South American archaeological sites that are thought to date from 250,000 to 12,000 years before present day.

Steeves is featured in Walking with Ancients, a documentary from The Nature of Things that explores how new archaeological discoveries are challenging our
understanding of when the first people arrived in North America,
featuring findings from dig sites from the Yukon to Mexico.

In an interview with documentary director Robin Bicknell, Steeves shares
her story, and explains how conversations about colonialism and racism
have largely been absent from archaeological research, impacting the way
it's been funded, presented and taught.



INTERVIEW

**

Researcher catalogs hundreds of archaeological sites

Anna Menkova/Contributing Photographer Paulette Steeves, a member of the Cree nation who is pursuing her doctorate in anthropology at Binghamton University, is compiling a database to challenge the traditional view that people had not arrived in the Americas before 40,000 years ago.

Conventional knowledge holds that indigenous peoples have populated the Americas since the time of the last ice age.

But one graduate student at Binghamton University hopes to challenge this convention with a lecture that introduces an online database of archaeological finds in the Americas she created that is one of the most comprehensive of its kind.

Paulette Steeves, a member of the Cree nation who earned her masters in anthropology from BU last year and who is now pursuing her doctorate, compiled the Western Hemisphere Indigenous Peoples Pleistocene Data Base, which catalogs hundreds of archaeological sites across the American continents that provide evidence for human habitation in the Americas from anywhere between 14,000 and 40,000 years ago, or perhaps much earlier.

The database, available at www.whippdb.com, will feature aggregated information on about 800 archaeological sites. What makes these sites unique is that the artifacts they contained — including tools, fractured bones and other signs of human habitation — may indicate that humans lived in the Western Hemisphere much earlier than previously thought.

“Advancing technology has really supported archaeological studies,” said Steeves, who worked with the Denver Museum of Nature and Science this past summer uncovering artifacts from several ancient sites.

She said new methods of analysis can pinpoint the presence of certain animals based on proteins found in soils, and that types of wood, seeds, food and animal remains that are signs of human activity can be used to date humans to older eras than before. According to Steeves, some archaeologists have uncovered evidence for the existence of humans in the Americas as early as 200,000 years ago.

That assertion would previously have been cast aside as unsupported by scientific evidence within the traditional archaeology viewpoint, Steeves said.

The National Museum of the American Indian, a division of the Smithsonian, does not hold an artifact older than 12,000 years.

Spencer Wells, a Cornell University professor, archaeologist and geneticist who works with the National Geographic Society, wrote in his 2002 book, “The Journey of Man,” that the first appearance of humans in the Americas “could have happened any time between 40,000 and 12,000 years ago.”

Steeves believes that the actual range of time extends much further back, but for her, it is also much more than a numbers game.

“It’s more than just talking about a time frame,” she said. Rather, it is about writing a “decolonized history,” she said, one that questions the fundamental assumptions of a history written by European conquerors.

Steeves is promoting the launch of her database with a lecture that will feature Steve Holen, one of the premier archaeologists who studies extinct mammals that existed at the time of early American humans.

Steeves said Holen, who works with the Denver Museum, will discuss Steeves’ project and give a PowerPoint presentation. He will also speak to the reasons he believes conventional science has underestimated the length of time humans have lived in the Americas.

The lecture will take place at 7:30 p.m. today in Science I room 149. Prior to now, Steeves said, ideas like hers have been suppressed in mainstream academia.

“Talks like this are just starting to happen,” she said. “People are very comfortable with the old paradigm.”

But Steeves hopes that this research will also have a broader impact.

She hopes to explain “how this reflects on contemporary popular history and how this will help [contribute to] a healing” for indigenous peoples.

According to Steeves, poverty and marginalization are facts of reservation life for many indigenous peoples. She said reassessing popular notions of history can lead to a broader acceptance of indigenous American culture and a broader awareness of indigenous peoples’ struggles.


 

 

1-844-7NATIVE

 


Where is Michael Swartz?

By Trace Hentz

2024: I have read new comments on this case. If you have information, please email me: tracelara@pm.me

It will be kept confidential.

Back in 2011, I posted a story on this blog about the book SUDDEN FURY and the grizzly murder of Maryland adoptive parents Kay and Larry Swartz who had adopted three children, Larry, Michael and Annie. (This old post is still getting comments and questions.)

In the book (right) it stated that Michael Swartz was a Native American adoptee who was removed from his family at age 4 and adopted by the Swartz couple in Maryland.

Three days after their parents' funeral, adopted son Larry Swartz confessed that he was the killer.

What Happened to Michael Swartz?

Michael continued to get into trouble and at age 25, he was given a life sentence without the possibility of parole, for participating in robbing and murdering a man. Today Michael would be 48 years old.

Here is a profile of the case from 2004:

Profile of Larry Swartz

I have contacted Leslie Walker, the author of Sudden Fury, to ask her if she followed up on this case and if she might be able to help me locate Michael.

If you know where he is, what prison, please email me: tracelara@pm.me


Tuesday, October 8, 2024

Success! Whiteclay Makerspace

 

NEW MURAL - SO NICE!

White Clay Nebraska is a within walking distance and a few miles from Pine Ridge, SD...

Fall update 🍂

Our space has been buzzing with activity! From creating beautiful ribbon skirts to many other artistic projects, our community has been busy expressing their creativity and bringing their unique visions to life. It’s been inspiring to see so many makers come together to collaborate, learn, and share their talents.
We’re also thrilled to announce that the mural outside our space is nearing completion! This vibrant piece, which has been in the works for some time, truly reflects the spirit of our creative community. We can’t wait to share the final results with you!

Painted imitation Eagle feather

Regular price
$35.00

Thank you for being such an integral part of this journey. Your support allows us to continue providing a welcoming space for artists and makers of all kinds, and we’re excited for what’s still to come!

- Whiteclay Makerspace


Welcome to the Whiteclay Makerspace online store: offering Lakota creators' arts and crafts made on the Pine Ridge Reservation and at our facility in Whiteclay. Learn more by clicking here - whiteclaymakerspace.com

 SHOP : https://whiteclay-makerspace.myshopify.com/collections/all

Povery Porn? Exploiting trauma for clicks

 

Tommy G

October 8, 2024

A portrayal of the Pine Ridge Reservation by a YouTube personality with more than 2,000,000 subscribers is drawing criticism for focusing on stereotypes of poverty and substance abuse. Tommy McGee, who goes by the name “Tommy G”, makes a name for himself producing what he calls “documentaries” that depict extremes of American life. His video of the Oglala Lakota reservation, called “The poorest place in America”, has more than 3,000,000 views. He paints a picture primarily of meth and alcohol addiction, unemployment, squalor, and crime. Pine Ridge residents, including one Native youth organization, say the video crosses the line into “poverty porn.” We’ll explore current approaches for responsible media representation of Native people.

LINK: https://www.nativeamericacalling.com/tuesday-october-8-2024-exploiting-trauma-for-clicks/

Minnesotans Rally On State Supreme Court Steps to Protest Latest Challenge to the Indian Child Welfare Act

Minnesotans Rally On State Supreme Court Steps to Protest Latest Challenge to the Indian Child Welfare Act
As rally preparations were underway, early arrivals showed their support for ICWA with signs in hand. Photo by Alex Perez.

Amid drums, smudging and chants to “bring our children home,” supporters of the Indian Child Welfare Act gathered early this morning outside the Minnesota Capitol building, as the state’s highest court considered the latest legal threat to the bedrock 1978 law. 

The rally outside the Supreme Court today was deeply personal for Korina Barry, of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe. After losing her siblings to foster care, now she worries that her 2-year-old daughter could be taken from her by child welfare workers.

Minnesotans Rally On State Supreme Court Steps to Protest Latest Challenge to the Indian Child Welfare Act
Korina Barry and her daughter joined those rallying in support of the Indian Child Welfare Act and the Minnesota Indian Family Preservation Act. Photo by Alex Perez.

“For me that trauma is very real,” she said. “And that’s why I’m here because we should be pushing back against these attorneys who are challenging ICWA’s constitutionality.”

A crowd of more than 50 people attended what became part celebration, part protest — including state lawmakers, activists, mother-daughter pairs and county workers, some wearing regalia and dancing, others pushing strollers.

“We’re all part of the solution,” state Rep. Heather Keeler, a member of the Yankton Sioux Tribe, told the assembled. “If we’re mad that Native children are getting placed outside of our homes, that means we need more of us to step up — it’s a job for the entire community.”

Keeler, in an orange dress, joined others wearing the color to mark Canada’s Indigenous holiday marking National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, which commemorates survivors of Indian boarding schools and their descendants.

Rose, a young Lakota woman, said she showed up to dance for children “dealing with generational trauma.” Tamra Edwards, who works with Minnesota’s ICWA Guardian Ad Litem program described herself as an “ally,” working “to keep children with their families and relatives.” 

Red Lake Nation case

Inside the Capitol building later that morning, Supreme Court justices heard oral arguments in the case named for parents L.K. and A.S., which centers on two Red Lake Nation foster children. The case is before the state supreme court following a June appeals court ruling.

Plaintiffs Kellie and Nathan Reyelts of Fairmont, a white couple, seek custody of twins who now live with their maternal grandmother.

The Fairmont couple say they should have custody of the twins, who lived with them for more than a year shortly after they were born in 2022. Their legal argument centers on a constitutional challenge to the Indian Child Welfare Act, as well as the local version of the law, the 1985 Minnesota Indian Family Preservation Act, or MIFPA.

The justices did not rule from the bench today. A lower court has already struck down the couple’s claim that the two laws — which seek to ensure the preservation of tribal families — discriminated against them because of their white race.

The Fairmont couple, who have fostered more than 30 children, are represented by the same attorneys who took a similar challenge all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court in the Brackeen v. Haaland case. Thus the case is being closely watched by legal experts across the country.

The Reyelts’ attorney, Mark Fiddler of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, has devoted much of his legal career to dismantling the 45-year-old ICWA law. In this case — similar to Brackeen v. Haaland — his clients are white foster parents who allege that ICWA’s provisions are discriminatory. In a previous interview, Fiddler said when the twins went to live with their relative, they “were harmed by ICWA by being removed from a loving home where they were thriving.” 

The Reyelts continue to request the children be returned to their custody. Arguing on their behalf alongside Fiddler is attorney Timothy Sandefur, the vice president of legal affairs for Goldwater Institute. The Arizona-based Libertarian think tank has opposed ICWA in more than a dozen cases since 2015

They are opposed in court by attorneys for the Red Lake Nation, and the Minnesota Attorney General.

They’re joined by the biological mother of the two children at the center of the case. She is being named only by her initials, L.K., to protect her confidentiality. 

But a statement sent by her attorney Ryan Gustafson reads:

“The Mother wants it to be known that she is grateful for the protections of the Indian Child Welfare Act and the Minnesota Indian Family Preservation Act. She recognizes that these laws have helped her Native community and its children, both in Minnesota and elsewhere.”

Gustafson further stated that “the children’s Mother agrees with her tribe and the state of Minnesota that ICWA and MIFPA are constitutional” and remains opposed to the current attempts to dismantle them. She said remaining with her children’s relatives is in their best interests and they are thriving, even as “this litigation has dragged on.”

In oral arguments, the Minnesota Supreme Court justices queried both sides intently, at times having heated debates during the hour-long proceeding.

Minnesotans Rally On State Supreme Court Steps to Protest Latest Challenge to the Indian Child Welfare Act
Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Anne McKeig. Provided photo.

Chief Justice Natalie Hudson and Associate Justice Anne McKeig, a descendant of the White Earth Nation, questioned Sandefur on a number of his arguments. There was particular focus on whether his clients, the Reyelts, had “standing” in the case — in essence, whether they had grounds to bring the constitutional issue before the court. 

McKeig wondered aloud whether ICWA opponents had larger aims — and were using the state court as an “avenue to try to get the issue of constitutionality of the Indian Child Welfare Act before the United States Supreme Court.”

The justices also debated why the court should, or could, review the challenge to the U.S. Constitution’s equal protection clause, based on the claim of racial discrimination before the court today. Both ICWA and MIFPA grant special status for people who are members of tribes or who are eligible for membership, not because of their race, but because they are citizens of sovereign nations within this country.

In his opening remarks, Sandefur said due to ICWA and MIFPA, his clients “compete on an unequal playing field when they pursue their custody petition, and they are currently injured because of this pending matter.” He maintained that the laws were based on “biological” and “immutable characteristics determined by the accident of birth.”

Justices Hudson and McKeig repeatedly challenged that assertion.

“Your argument appears ahistorical to me, when you’re talking about federally recognized sovereign tribes,” Chief Justice Hudson said. “There is a history there that we cannot ignore, but I hear you minimizing that history.”

Sandefur shot back: “These children are citizens of the United States and citizens of the state of Minnesota,” Sandefur said, “and they are entitled to the same equal protection rights as all other children.”

Hudson had another quick retort:

“But that undercuts the whole purpose of ICWA,” she said. “What ICWA was all about was because our country had proceeded along a path designed to disrupt the tribes. It’s about the tribes being able to control their future and their children.”

Attorney Joe Plumer, representing Red Lake Nation said that to date, the Reyelts have not been granted standing by lower courts, have been unable to establish any injury, and have not explained how the bench could redress their grievances. 

Like some of the justices, Plumer pointed to the appearance of a larger aim sought by the plaintiffs, one that goes well beyond the best interests of the Red Lake Nation twins.

“We believe the appeal on the constitutionality should be dismissed because it’s not properly before the court,” Plumer said. “This Court’s not in the business of issuing advisory opinions, and that’s exactly what they would be issuing.”

ICWA supporters vow to fight on

Dozens of ICWA supporters who rallied in the early morning on a bright and windy day say they will be watching intently for the state Supreme Court’s decision, which is expected in the coming months.

Rep. Keeler said her Native-rich state continues to be a battleground for opponents of the laws that preserve Indigenous families, and she pointed to the toll that takes.

“Minnesota is a stomping ground for cases against ICWA and it’s just really exhausting and harmful,” Keeler said in an interview. 

Dozens of ICWA supporters rallied today outside the Minnesota state Supreme Court, after Fred Desjarlait led them in prayer. Photo by Alex Perez.

Those who gathered alongside her wore orange to honor Phyllis Webstad, the inspiration behind the “Orange Shirt Day” campaign and ongoing efforts to honor and preserve the legacy of boarding school survivors. Their centuries-long history is closely connected to the forced removal of tribal children into white foster and adoptive homes. 

Webstad’s orange shirt movement is represented by a wound she suffered. Her grandmother gave her an orange shirt to wear on her first day at the Canadian boarding school that she was forced to attend. It was snatched from her the day she arrived. That shirt never made its way back to the family.

Rep. Alicia Kozlowski, who is of Ojibwe descent, and state Sen. Mary Kunesh, who is of Standing Rock Lakota descent, also attended the rally.

“When they come to us and say ICWA and MIFPA are unacceptable, we have to fight back and educate them — it’s not a racial issue,” Sen. Kunesh told the crowd gathered on the Capitol steps. 

Some of the assembled came to honor family members who they’ve lost contact with in the child welfare system, and to reflect on ongoing attempts to erase Indigenous culture. Chairman Faron Jackson of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe noted his personal loss.

“My brothers were in foster care — taken away from our families before ICWA was established,” he said. “That law was put in place to keep our families together, learn the language, learn to trap, learn to hunt.”

Now, it’s up to supporters to teach the public on the vital importance of the law, he added.

“We’re going to keep educating and we’re going to talk about things that are important to us — and most of all, we’ll never leave our children behind.”

Oct. 1 correction: This story has been revised to clarify that the twins’ current placement is with their maternal grandmother.

IMPRINT NEWS: https://imprintnews.org/top-stories/minnesotans-rally-as-supreme-court-hears-latest-icwa-challenge/252057

Family members of Destiny Rennie say her death was preventable | APTN News

Saturday, October 5, 2024

CBC BOOKS: Who We Are by Murray Sinclair

LINK::  CBC : 14 books you heard about on CBC Radio recently

Who We Are by Murray Sinclair

A book cover of a man with grey hair. A photo of the same man wearing a fur hat and Indigenous regalia.
Who We Are is a memoir by Murray Sinclair. (McClelland & Stewart)

Heard on: The Current

Murray Sinclair made his mark on Canadian society as a judge, activist, senator, the chief commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the co-chair of the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry — and now he writes all about it in his memoir Who We AreThe book answers the four guiding questions of Sinclair's life — Where do I come from? Where am I going? Why am I here? Who am I? — through stories about his remarkable career and trailblazing advocacy for Indigenous peoples' rights and freedoms. 

Murray Sinclair is a former judge and senator. Anishinaabe and a member of the Peguis First Nation, Sinclair was the first Indigenous judge appointed in Manitoba and the second appointed in Canada. He served as Co-Chair of the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry in Manitoba and as Chief Commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. He has won awards including the National Aboriginal Achievement Award, the Manitoba Bar Association's Equality Award and its Distinguished Service Award (2016) and has received Honorary Doctorates from 14 Canadian universities. 

Sara Sinclair is an oral historian of Cree-Ojibwa and mixed settler descent. She teaches at Columbia University and is currently co-editing two anthologies of Indigenous letters. 

Niigaan Sinclair is a writer, editor, activist and the head of the Department of Native Studies at the University of Manitoba. He is the co-editor of Manitowapow: Aboriginal Writings from the Land of Water and Centering Anishinaabeg Studies: Understanding the World Through Stories. He won the Peace Educator of the Year award in 2019He is also the author of the book Wînipêk.

LISTEN | Murray Sinclair reads from his memoir on The Current:
Former judge, senator and chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Murray Sinclair reads an excerpt from his book Who We Are: Four Questions For a Life and a Nation. The memoir draws from his personal experiences to reflect on truth and reconciliation in Canada.

Patient furious as health centre demands proof she's Indigenous

 Wabano Centre says new criteria needed to fight identity fraud

Cheri Power stands in front of Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health, where she has received health services for 16 years. She recently was asked to provide proof she's Indigenous, documentation she says she doesn't have. (Arthur White-Crummey/CBC)

When Cheri Power tried to book a new round of therapy this week at her clinic of 16 years, she got an unwelcome email.

"You must provide proof of Indigenous ancestry," it said.

It was a new policy, the Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health informed her. She would need a status card or an official letter from a federally recognized band. 

Power has relied on the Ottawa clinic for her doctor, for mental health and addiction support and for everything from nutritionists to chiropractors. Though she's able to hold onto her doctor for now, she was devastated to read that she would lose access to other services with so little warning. 

"It's just not fair," Power said. "To do this without any notice to their clients is cruel."

Wabano says the new policy is needed to combat fraudulent claims of Indigenous identity and that it will offer a transitional period to allow people to gather documents.

But Power doesn't think she should have to revisit past trauma to keep care.

Her Cree mother was a day school survivor facing homelessness and drug problems, Power said, when she was born. Put in foster care and then adopted out to a white family, Power said she was always told she was Indigenous.

She said she finally found her birth mother five years ago.

"I don't have the paperwork to prove any of that," she said. "All of a sudden, there's this incredible barrier to service that I don't know how I'm going to overcome."

'It's a lot of bureaucracy'

Colleen Hele-Cardinal of the Sixties Scoop Network said the barrier can be high and it can sometimes take years to surmount it.

"If you know that you're First Nation, but you can't prove it and the band doesn't sign you on as a member, it's very difficult for you to get status," she said. 

"The time it takes to write for this information [and] to get it back [is substantial]. And if you don't get the right information, you have to send out more requests. It's a lot of bureaucracy."

Survivors can face redacted child welfare records, she said. The problems can be far worse if their father is the one with status but doesn't appear on their birth certificate.

"Once you get the information, you have to apply to [Indigenous Services Canada], and there's a huge backlog for that as well," said Hele-Cardinal.

Wabano blames fraud that denies Indigenous people care

In a statement to CBC, Wabano's director of administration, communications and engagement, Natalie Lloyd, said the centre will accept other ways of confirming Indigenous identity.

Those could include "a letter of kinship connection" for Indigenous people who were caught up in the Sixties Scoop or have no formal records, Lloyd said.

But that possibility was not mentioned in the email to Power, who said it also never came up in subsequent phone calls with the centre.

Lloyd told CBC the policy change was necessary to conserve limited resources for Indigenous people in the face of increasing fraud that deprives Indigenous people of health resources they need.

"Akin to other organizations across Canada, we have seen an increase in individuals fraudulently claiming Indigenous identity to access services and benefits," she said.

"Over the last two years we have consulted with subject matter experts and community stakeholders to assist us in developing our eligibility policy to prevent misuse of limited resources funded for First Nations, Inuit and Métis."

Lloyd would not share how many of Wabano's clients could be affected by the policy change, citing privacy reasons. She said the centre will help any patients who can't prove their Indigenous identity find appropriate health and wellness services elsewhere in Ottawa.

She did not respond to follow-up questions on how long the transitional period will last and whether it applies to all services.

The exterior of a beige building, with a staircase and some plants.
The Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health has been providing health and social services to Ottawa's Indigenous community for 26 years (Jean Delisle/CBC)

Revisiting past 'filled with emotion and turmoil and pain'

Power said she'd have little chance of getting an official letter from a band she has never been to. She said she has previously tried to get her status card but faced similar issues to those Hele-Cardinal described.

Since finding her mother, she now has more information.

"I have a place to start, but this isn't something I ever expected I'd have to deal with or be forced to do," she said. "All of it is so murky, and so filled with emotion and turmoil and pain that it's really hard to even think about starting."

She called the experience of having her Indigenous identity questioned and losing access to medical care "painful and traumatic."

"It's difficult, because a lot of us don't know where we come from," she said. "It touches a really sore spot for a lot of people."

As for the transitional period, Power said it wasn't offered for mental health services. She confirmed she is still being allowed to see her doctor, and saw a nurse on Thursday, though she doesn't know how long that will continue. 

"I have a recent diagnosis of a genetic condition that requires a lot of medical follow through right now, and I'm in a bit of medical turmoil requiring a lot of care with surgery and specialists and a lot of co-ordinating," she said.

"That now is all uncertain. What do I do?"

SOURCE: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/patient-furious-as-health-centre-demands-proof-she-s-indigenous-1.7341405

Friday, October 4, 2024

American Indian Boarding Schools: The Michigan Anishinaabe Experience (October 5)

Stamps Gallery’s panel discussion with Benedict Hinmon and Rochelle Ettawageshik supports its major exhibition of renowned black ash basket weavers.
Kelly Church, “Before and After” (2024) (photo by Michigan Photography)

On the occasion of the major exhibition showcasing renowned black ash basket weavers, Kelly Church & Cherish Parrish: In Our Words, An Intergenerational Dialogue, Stamps Gallery is proud to organize an important public discussion on the tragic legacy of American-Indian Boarding Schools in the United States and the intergenerational trauma and suffering they inflicted on Indigenous communities. Church and Parrish explore the consequences of this time through their boundary-breaking basketry as they pay homage to their community’s resilience, strength, and bravery. 

Taking place at Stamps Gallery in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on October 5 from 2 to 4pm (EDT), American Indian Boarding Schools: The Michigan Anishinaabe Experience will include the following speakers and moderators:

Rochelle Ettawageshik is a citizen of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians and serves as vice chair of the tribe’s child welfare commission. She currently sits on the board of directors for the National Indian Child Welfare Association and is vice president of the Michigan Indian Education Council. Ettawageshik recently retired from the State of Michigan as the director of Native American Affairs in the Child and Family Services Administration, where she developed policies to improve services to American Indian families in Michigan. 

Benedict Hinmon is the Director at Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan. Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians. Mount Pleasant, Michigan. Hinmon is the grandson of Obwaandiak (Chief Pontiac) and comes from a proud family of Michigan Anishinaabe. 

Matthew L.M. Fletcher is the Harry Burns Hutchins Collegiate Professor of Law at Michigan Law. He teaches and writes in the areas of federal Indian law, American Indian tribal law, Anishinaabe legal and political philosophy, constitutional law, federal courts, and legal ethics. He also sits as the chief justice of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, and the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. 

Wenona T. Singel is an Associate Professor of Law at Michigan State University College of Law and the Director of the Indigenous Law & Policy Center. Her research and writing address issues related to Tribal Sovereignty and Indigenous Rights. She is working on a book about the intergenerational impact of federal Indian law and policy on Native families. 

Learn more and register for the panel.

*-*


Kelly Church & Cherish Parrish: In Our Words, An Intergenerational Dialogue

On view through December 7, this exhibition centers the subjectivities of two contemporary Indigenous artists whose practices have sustained and bolstered the relevance of the age-old Anishinaabe practice of black ash basket-making in the 21st century. Kelly Church and Cherish Parrish explore the themes of Native women’s labor as carriers of culture, the legacy of boarding schools, treaties, and stories from ancestors who walked on through their work.

Curated by Srimoyee Mitra with Curatorial Assistant Zoi Crampton. 

This exhibition and its associated programs are generously funded by Michigan Humanities and U-M Arts Initiative. 

All programs are free and open to the public.

For more information, visit stamps.umich.edu.


 

 

Canada's War on First Nations: Sovereignty, Self-Determination and LandBack

 


 

Post from Peter d’Errico


CANADA'S WAR ON FIRST NATIONS

Russell Diabo, First Nations Policy Analyst, on First Nations Self-Determination

Russell Diabo (Kahnawake Mohawk) is a long-time advocate for First Nations rights and self-determination.

His website, “Truth Before Reconciliation”, provides extensive resources to support his powerful vision statement:

“My vision is to see First Nations protecting their traditional lands and waters by developing and implementing their own Self-Determination Plans for Community Development and Nationhood based on restoration of stolen lands, territories and resources, or restitution where lands and resources aren’t returned.”



On September 19, 2024, Russell released an updated summary of his analysis, CANADA'S WAR ON FIRST NATIONS, which opens with this statement:

My belief--which is based upon my policy experience and observations over the past 4 decades of First Nations-Canada relations--is that the Crown (governments & courts) is continuing to empty out (limit & restrict) the meaning (scope & content) of Aboriginal and Treaty Rights….

The full statement is available here as a PDF:

Canada's War On First Nations Update
344KB ∙ PDF file
Download

A major conclusion of Russell’s analysis is that:

First Nation Peoples would be better served focusing on internal organizing, networking and capacity building instead of hoping a federal political party will save us.


 Getting rid of the Indian Act? That's colonialism (2024) in action... Trace

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Veronica, we adult adoptees are thinking of you today and every day. We will be here when you need us. Your journey in the adopted life has begun, nothing can revoke that now, the damage cannot be undone. Be courageous, you have what no adoptee before you has had; a strong group of adult adoptees who know your story, who are behind you and will always be so.

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