Tuesday, February 25, 2003

Manifest Destiny Deja Vu QUOTE OF THE DAY "The Indians' disappearance from the human family will be no great loss to the world. I do not think them, as a race, worth preserving." - - U.S. Secretary of State Henry Clay (1777-1852) RHINO HERE: Reading the book I spoke of yesterday, Addicted To War (http://www.addictedtowar.com)' has me thinking a lot about Manifest Destiny, and how much the shrub gang's behavior reminds me of the elitist cowboy mentality that originally expanded America's real estate westward. So today I call attention to a few of the ongoing struggles that the original people's of North America face today. There are 2 types of slightly amusing questions I often get asked when non-Indian people learn that I've worked in Indian communities. The first is "What do the Native Americans think about ________ (fill in the blank). So I explain that there are over 2.5 million American Indians in the U.S. alone, and they vary in every aspect of their lives, like there are Indian attorneys and cowboys and psychologists and comedians and race car drivers and astronauts and farmers and FBI agents (& Rhino's Blog readers) so you really can't answer a question like that. Then they may ask, "Should I call them Native Americans or American Indians?" So I explain that Native American could refer to anyone born & raised in any of the Americas; & American Indian could refer to Americans whose ancestors came from India; so the best answer I've ever heard to the question is, "If you really want to be politically correct, just give the land back". Bear Butte Under Attack! The Lakota people refer to the Black Hills as"the heart of everything that is". They have 7 sacred ceremonies, with 7 corresponding sacred places within the Black Hills where the people would gather to hold each specific ceremony. And each has a corresponding stellar constellation that when in the exact mid-heaven, heralds the time to hold that ceremony. One of those places in Bear Butte. Bear Butte is considered sacred not only to the Lakota but to many other of the Plains nations. During the summer, people of the Dakota, Nakota, Cheyenne, Hidatsa, Crow & many other Indian nations come here to fast & pray. But the tranquility of Bear Butte is being threatened by The City of Sturgis, South Dakota & a group of private investors planning to build a sports complex/shooting range only 4 miles away. They've already spent a quarter million dollars of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) money. Although the parties knew Bear Butte was sacred to many Plains tribes, no tribes were consulted about the proposal, a possible violation of federal laws. Some of the effects of the shooting range will be: -The sound of an estimated 10,000 rounds per day being fired from rifles & handguns will affect the silence & serenity of the people who come to pray there. -Increased air pollution caused by the firing of the estimated 10,000 rounds per day. -Increased vehicle traffic to the shooting range by patrons & employees, as a clubhouse, motel, & restaurant are planned. -The sounds & activity will affect birds & wild life in the area, & in particular, the eagle, which is important in Native American spirituality & ceremonies. -Possible effects on patients at Fort Meade Veterans Administration Hospital from the sounds of distant gunfire. -The legality of land ownership as this area still belongs to the Great Sioux Nation according to the Peace Treaties of 1851 & 1868 made between the Great Sioux Nation & the United States, and in accordance with the US Constitution which states that "treaties are the supreme law of the land." -No Native American Spiritual leaders, or Tribal Leaders were ever contacted about the plans to build the shooting range which will affect so many people who pray at Bear Butte. Bear Butte, like so many other Indian sacred places in North America, is in danger from those who don't understand the importance of a sacred place.If you'd like to help the struggle to protect this and other Indian sacred places, check out the following web addresses: http://www.indiancountry.com/?1046104233 http://www.defendblackhills.org http://www.sacredland.org/ "Appeals Court Grants Stay In Kennewick Man Case", Indianz.com, 2/13/03 The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday granted a temporary halt to pending studies of the 9,000-year-old Kennewick Man. Four Pacific Northwest tribes asked the court for a stay while they appeal a federal judge's decision to allow scientists to study the remains. The appeals court in a short order agreed to the tribes' motion, which was supported by the federal government. http://www.indianz.com/News/show.asp?ID=2003/02/13/kennewick Relevant Links: Kennewick Man, Department of Interior http://www.cr.nps.gov/aad/kennewick Friends of America's Past http://www.friendsofpast.org Kennewick Man Virtual Interpretive Center http://www.kennewick-man.com Newspaper will no longer call D.C. football team 'Redskins' Readers of the sports pages may notice a change in the Lincoln (Neb.) Journal Star's style beginning today: We have stopped using the nickname "Redskins" to refer to the professional football team of the nation's capital. When we're reporting on that team, we'll call it Washington. We also have stopped printing logos for professional and college sports teams that use Native symbols-ones that adopt imagery such as an arrowhead and ones that caricature Native culture..... Last year, the Native American Journalists Association called on news organizations to stop using sports mascots and nicknames that depict Native Americans by 2004. http://www.freedomforum.org/templates/document.asp?documentID=17506 Relevant Links: NFL team loses trademark protection for 'Redskins' http://www.freedomforum.org/templates/document.asp?documentID=10562 Mascot supporters insult Native peoples http://www.indiancountry.com/?1016810654 The real Fightin' Whities http://www.nativepeoples.com/np_viewpoints/su99-viewpoint/harjo_viewpoint.html 8:54:34 AM    comment

THIS WEEK (Feb. 27th & 28th) ON "FIRST PEOPLES TV" (On WorldLink TV) The Peyote Road; Ancient Religion In Contemporary Crisis Narrated by Peter Coyote "The Peyote Road" addresses the United States Supreme Court "Smith" decision, which denied protection of 1st Amendment religious liberty to the sacramental use of Peyote for Indigenous people, one of the oldest tribal religions in the Western Hemisphere. Examining the European tradition of religious intolerance and documenting the centuries old sacramental use of the cactus Peyote, the film explains how the "Smith" decision put religious freedom in jeopardy for all Americans. Available from      Kifaru Productions      (800) 400 8433      http://www.kifaru.com SCREENING TIMES Thu, Feb 27, 9:00 PM ET (Thu, Feb 27, 6:00 PM PT) Fri, Feb 28, 3:00 AM ET (Fri, Feb 28, 12:00 AM PT) Fri, Feb 28, 9:00 AM ET (Fri, Feb 28, 6:00 AM PT) Fri, Feb 28, 3:00 PM ET (Fri, Feb 28, 12:00 PM PT) FOR MORE INFORMATION ON FIRST PEOPLES TV & WORLDLINK TV: For program descriptions visit http://www.dreamcatchers.org/fptv or for program schedules visit http://www.worldlinktv.org 8:22:06 AM    comment

The American Indian And The "Great Emancipator" THE BOTTOM LINE article today, The American Indian And The "Great Emancipator" examines the private behavior and public policy of Abraham Lincoln as concerned the American Indians of his day. As you read it, keep in mind those 2 key words of 19th century American history; Manifest Destiny. The American Indian And The "Great Emancipator" The Sierra Times, 1/9/03, By Michael Gaddy Perhaps the veneer of lies and historical distortions that surround Abraham Lincoln are beginning to crack. In the movie, "Gangs of New York," we finally have a historically correct representation of the real Abraham Lincoln and his policies. Heretofore, many socialistic intellectuals, politicians and historians have whitewashed these policies in order to protect Lincoln's image because of their allegiance to the unconstitutional centralization of power he brought to our government. The false sainthood and adulation afforded Lincoln has its basis in the incorrect assumption he fought the war to free an enslaved people. To believe this propaganda one must ignore most everything Lincoln said about the Black race and his continued efforts at colonization. Lincoln's treatment of the American Indian has been very much ignored, though not exactly misrepresented. One would find it hard to refute that Abraham Lincoln's political idol was Henry Clay. Lincoln would say of Clay; "During my whole political life, I have loved and revered Henry Clay as a teacher and leader." Lincoln delivered the eulogy at the funeral for Clay. When elected President, Lincoln set about implementing Henry Clay's political philosophies... READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE AT: http://www.sierratimes.com/03/01/09/gaddy.htm "RHINO'S BLOG" is the responsibility of Gary Rhine. (rhino@kifaru.com) Feedback, and requests to be added or deleted from the list are encouraged. SEARCH BLOG ARCHIVES / SURF RHINO'S LINKS, AT: http://www.rhinosblog.info RHINO'S OTHER WEB SITES: http://www.dreamcatchers.org (INDIGENOUS ASSISTANCE & INTERCULTURAL DIALOG) http://www.kifaru.com (NATIVE AMERICAN RELATIONS VIDEO DOCUMENTARIES) Articles are reprinted under Fair Use Doctrine of international copyright law. http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html All copyrights belong to original publisher. 7:59:31 AM    comment

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