NEWS FROM US to review dark history of Indigo Girls/Line 3 activists host New work by Native artist to A NATIVE Indigenous boarding schools Protect the Water concert rise where “Scaffold” stood AMERICAN PERSPECTIVE 40 YEARS OF SERVING THE NATIVE AMERICAN COMMUNITY

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Bringing broadband communication to tribes groups seeks to rename Columbus Avenue to Oyate BY HANNAH BROADBENT organizers, every attendee being from the neighborhood. Maltzman says she can recall don’t know how to the disdain for the name exist- talk about what it’s ing since she moved in, in “Ilike to live on 2008. Though block members ‘Columbus Avenue’ without can recall it going back another standing on a soapbox talking 20 years. about everything that is wrong “A lot of us would talk about with colonization,” Quito our address as 33–f*** Ziegler said at the Oyate Columbus Avenue,” she said. Avenue information sharing Maltzman said it was summer and community meeting in of 2020 that triggered a few Minneapolis. street artists to take it upon ‘Oyate Avenue’ is the name themselves throughout the that a group of community avenue to paint over the signs members would like to change with a different name. On 38th ‘Columbus Avenue’ to. ‘Oyate’ and Columbus the avenue sign Turtle Island Communications workers lay fiber cables on reservation lands. (Photo courtesy of Turtle Island was given to them by Makoce is now red and reads “Little Communications.) Ikikcupi, a land recovery proj- Crow”. BY LEE EGERSTROM ect based in . It sim- Resident Griffin Jefferies ply, means “the people”. agreed that after a decade of The group of community usiness journals and mainstream media a couple of miles away,” Madonna said in an name-change conversation, last members heading the place- all across America are focusing attention interview. summer’s revolutionary feel based initiative identify them- on what many call “the new normal” She is a member of the Turtle Mountain took a hold of him. He noted a B selves as white-settlers from lot of white community mem- post-pandemic way of working. Questions arise Band of Chippewa in North Dakota. He is varied linages who live or have over how many people currently working from Pueblo Zuni from the Southwest. Both grew bers coming into new con- lived along “so-called home or other remote locations will actually go up in families where calling a relative a few sciousness around racism and Columbus Ave”. The avenue back to offices or continue to work off campus miles away could be an expensive long distance asked how he can help translate runs from 18th street to 62nd using modern technology. telephone call. that commitment into the street and crosses 4 wards in For Madonna Peltier Yawakie and her hus- That is still a problem in many parts of Indian Indigenous community as well. Minneapolis. band Melvin (Mel) Yawakie, it is practically a Country, they point out. It is a huge impedi- “There was this energy and so Their website reads: “This meaningless question. But it does strengthen ment for any tribal enterprise or local entre- much neighborhood organiz- project aims to change the public awareness of the important work their preneur wanting to start and operate a modern ing, that it really felt like people name of the Avenue in South Turtle Island Communications Inc. company business from what clearly is home. were connecting in this differ- Minneapolis as a step towards does in Indian Country. The telecommunications shortcomings in ent kind of way.” He said. “So, living in the right relationship Based in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn parts of tribal lands goes far beyond sustaining with block connections happen- with each other. We don’t want Park, Turtle Island Communications (TICOM) and starting business enterprises, government ing and more people getting to live on a street that evokes works exclusively with tribal governments, local studies show. The need for modern, broadband politicized in different ways it domination, theft, loss and tribal businesses and public agencies. Through communications supports life – crucial for felt like there could really be grief.” them, they help bring modern, broadband com- modern education, healthcare, public safety momentum around this now to June 16 was the first public munications to homes, businesses and public and general quality of life. move forward and work with meeting on the potential name entities at tribal nations throughout the “You don’t just wake up one day and say, the organizing that was already change. It took place in the Midwest and Western states. “Let’s start a business,” Madonna said. “We’ve happening.” heart of the movement at 33rd The “new normal” approach to doing busi- seen the need for most of our lives.” June’s meeting was meant to and Columbus, in Dreamland ness was always the “old normal” way in remote Both had extensive telecommunications back- be an info session with commu- community space and garden. areas of rural America and especially on tribal grounds and were painfully aware of disparities nity sharing and how, why and “This is a landback initiative,” lands, the Yawakies point out. There weren’t between the communities their prior employers if people would support this said organize Josina Maltzman. many offices or homes in these settings that served with modern communications and what change as well. Aside from a “We want to invite community had proper, hi-speed communications. was available in their home communities. They few hesitancies around whether in and share about this work Without these services it has been extremely both had proper educational backgrounds to or not the name change was big because it’s going to be a lot of difficult for people to conduct business and step in and serve Native American tribes. enough or perhaps just optics, work.” “reach out to people who may be no more than even those were immediately – CONTINUED ON PAGE 8 – There were around 20 com- pushed to the side and replaced munity members present at the with complete support. 3 – Honoring Manoomin and fighting for its survival 11 – Book review: The Removed public discussion. Several of 10 – Native Americans in Sports: Jason Shaugabay 15 – It Ain’t Easy Being Indian them being the white-settler – CONTINUED ON PAGE 9 – 12 – Auger was a fierce advocate for those in need We Are Aging Support services | Housing options | Long-term care planning Medicare & prescription assistance | Caregiver support

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2 July 2021 The Circle: News from a Native American Perspective http://www.thecirclenews.org ENVIRONMENT Honoring Manoomin and fighting for its survival BY WINONA LADUKE at a comeback at the end of the mining era. Protecting the water is protecting the “You can feel the wind talk to the rice.” wild rice. – Lew Murray, Rice Lake Village. The Body Burden of Hating t’s Rice Lake Village on the White Coming to the village was a great emo- Earth reservation – the mother lode tional relief. I hadn’t realized the body I of wild rice – Lower Rice Lake. Lew burden of the hating. As I looked on and Murray stood in front of the gathering of listened to the laughs and stories of Rice about two hundred or so people, to greet Lakers, a tremendous feeling of love and runners who had just run twenty five miles healing came over us, again. Our people to honor the wild rice, and protect it. It’s love our water and our manoomin. a joyful gathering also, because people are Try being an Indian person or a Water just starting to gather outside after Protector in Park Rapids these days. COVID and we are all happy to see each There’s a lot of fearful looks, even some other. dirty looks, some yelling at us Water For some it’s been a long time. For some Protectors. It’s the Deep North, and it’s of us who are facing police many days on not just dirty looks, it’s continued exclu- the Enbridge pipeline route, it’s a welcome sion, as the Park Rapids Chamber of sanctuary from the violence- emotional, Commerce seems intent upon pushing ecological and physical. More than any- the only Native delegation out of the Park thing the gathering, organized by commu- On the White Earth reservation, people ran twenty five miles to honor the wild rice and pro- Rapids Fourth of July Parade. nity members brings us together to tect it. (Photo courtesy Winona LaDuke.) I’m having some serious flashbacks to reaffirm our commitment to our wild rice Standing Rock, as local media and and water. most of the tribal council, who see the on the manoomin for sustenance, traveling Enbridge fan show their racism. Why “I’ve been around the sun about forty opposition to Line 3. to the lakes in the south, first to harvest – would you hate on Water Protectors? eight times and that rice has been with me Wild rice, or manoomin, is the way of Big Sandy, the Sandy Lake Flowage, Hubbard County has arrested hundreds all those times. There’s really nothing like life for this village and for most of the Minnewawa, the Crow Wing lakes and of people for standing for the water, and it.” said Murray while remembering when White Earth reservation. It feeds the body more. The rice on Shell Lake is large, the yet, in the midst of the deepest drought he started ricing. “At thirteen years old I and it feeds the soul, with hundreds of river rice smaller. Then the ricers move we can remember, it stands by as Enbridge was staying at the south end with my thousands of pounds produced for not closer to Lower Rice Lake, into the takes 3 billion gallons in dewatering, push- cousin, and an old man came over and only our community but for sale. Today Tamarac Refuge, some ricing over by ing around our freshwater like it’s a waste said, ‘I need a poler’. After that I poled. the manoomin is feeding the souls, as Leech Lake or through the Ottertail River product. Coming from the reservation and I’ve done that since. It’s great way of life tribal members and friends come and systems – the people follow the rice. It into the l855 treaty territory, the Shell for us; take care of our rice and our water.” gather to honor the rice, and to challenge ripens differently in each lake and region, River is running at 25% capacity, yet That’s the story of many young men on not only Enbridge, but the Minnesota and that traditional ecological knowledge Enbridge proposes to cross this river five the reservation. Department of Natural Resources, which is kept by ricers generation after genera- times, and each time it will take hundreds Murray is one of three or four big wild has just allocated 5 billion gallons of water tion. Those lakes are throughout the l855 of thousands of gallons out of the river to rice processers on the reservation, finishing to Enbridge for the Line 3 pipeline, in the treaty territory, and today, in the impact run those pumps. Not to mention, the tens of thousands of pounds of rice, cre- middle of the deepest drought we can zone of Line 3 – the last tar sands pipeline. dewatering of all the trenches by the ating a finished rice that’s light tan in color, remember. This is the only place in the world for pipeline. and flavored by the the unique taste of The week before, tribal members saw this plant, and we’ve harvested the same In the meantime, thousands of wood parching. This is the real thing. hoses pumping water from the Upper lakes for thousands of years. That’s the Minnesotans and others are coming to The wild rice economy continues and, Rice Lake by Knife River Contracting, mark of a sustainable economy, which also support our people, supporting the treaty as Cody Eaglefeather reminds us, is a part something they’ve done for years, as well defines northern economy. For thousands rights of the Anishinaabe as well as oppos- of our migration stories, and a centerpiece as a bunch of other local businesses just of years, this was a wild rice economy, non- ing the taking of water by the Canadian of our identity. “We are having an identity taking water, with very few (if any) regu- Indians benefitting as well, as they parlayed multinational. “Asserting our treaty rights crisis”, he tells us, talking about the chal- lation. The Minnesota DNR policies are Native rice to gourmet buyers from the is not a crime, we are here to protect the lenges of this generation in keeping our being challenged, the rice needs the water, east and west. In the l970s, the advent of water. Our native relatives have been mov- way of life. Cody, like many other ricers, and those policies need adaptation. After paddy rice, created by the University of ing up in a good way to defend the treaty,” can bring in thousands of pounds of wild all, in 2019 the White Earth tribe recog- Minnesota, ravaged the wild rice economy Nancy Beaulieu tells the crowd. Nancy, rice in the fall, supporting not only his nized the Rights of Manoomin, as a part of Minnesota. The University’s work and along with Dawn Goodwin from the Rise family, but many families on the reserva- of a growing movement internationally to the creation of patented seeds of the “state Coalition, succeeded in bringing almost tion. Wild rice is our freedom, and for two strengthen regulatory and constitutional grain”, ultimately led to 75% of what’s 3000 people to the Treaty People’s hundred years, the state and other colonial protections for the rights of Nature over called wild rice being produced today in Gathering in early June, and then held cer- institutions have been trying to destroy the rights of private property and corpo- diked rice paddies in northern California emonies on the Enbridge route, holding that freedom, through policies, subsidies, rations. – a la Gourmet House, Uncle Bens, and a space for 8 days. arrests, and destruction of wild rice habitat. Silas Neeland , the fourteen year old Indian Harvest Wild Rice. Meanwhile, at Rice Lake, the rice is try- The rice harvest unifies everyone, and from Rice Lake Village stands with a The University’s historic work pushed ing to come up, it’s laying flat on the water it’s a time of great excitement and joy in microphone in front of the crowd. He’s the traditional wild rice economy to the in most places. Looking out from Big Bear the village. Not surprisingly, Rice Lake been organizing youth and events for the margins, and coupled with the misman- Landing, you can see the rice coming in village has opposed Enbridge’s plans since past year, during Covid and beyond, and agement of water by the Minnesota strong, and the swans on the lake, huge Day One, demanding hearings in the vil- traveled to Washington DC to have his Department of Natural Resources and the flocks of them – this is a sanctuary, not lage, and turning out with thousands of voice heard. He tells our community to Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, has only for rice, but for millions of migratory others at the Headwaters of the stand up for the rice, “the Black Snake is resulted in the destruction of 70% of the birds. True to form, at Bunga Landing in Mississippi. Enbridge’s work to divide the thirteen miles from our wild rice lake… wild rice in the state. That’s why the Rice Lake, it’s standing on the river, the White Earth community with lucrative it’s time to kill the Black Snake”. remaining lakes are so critical to protect, rice is returning. contracts to Gordon Construction and Lew Murray has been ricing most of his not only from Enbridge, but from indus- A constant in our lives, the rice remains, their plays in tribal politics are not viewed life, and like hundreds of other trial agriculture run off, and of course, the awaiting the Anishinaabe, our prayers, our well here. This gathering is attended by Anishinaabe from the reservation, relied ever looming mining industry’s attempt songs, and our gratitude.

http://www.thecirclenews.org The Circle: News from a Native American Perspective July 2021 3 NEWS U.S. to review dark history of Indigenous boarding schools

BY AP

he federal government will investigate its past oversight of T Native American boarding schools and work to “uncover the truth about the loss of human life and the last- ing consequences” of the institutions, which over the decades forced hundreds of thousands of children from their fam- ilies and communities, U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced in late June. The unprecedented work will include compiling and reviewing decades of records to identify past boarding schools, locate known and possible bur- ial sites at or near those schools, and uncover the names and tribal affiliations of students, she said. “To address the intergenerational Above: A photo of students from the White Earth Indian Reservation attending St. Benedict’s Industrial School in Minnesota circa 1884. impact of Indian boarding schools and (Courtesy of St. Benedict’s Monastery via Minnesota Digital Library.) to promote spiritual and emotional heal- ing in our communities, we must shed focused on assimilation. are said to have died. on the loss of life at the boarding light on the unspoken traumas of the Haaland talked about the federal gov- After reading about the unmarked schools, they will be working to protect past no matter how hard it will be,” ernment’s attempt to wipe out tribal graves in Canada, Haaland recounted burial sites associated with the schools Haaland said. identity, language and culture and how her own family’s story in a recent opin- and will consult with tribes on how best A member of New Mexico’s Laguna that past has continued to manifest itself ion piece published by the Washington to do that while respecting families and Pueblo and the first Native American through long-standing trauma, cycles of Post. communities. to serve as a Cabinet secretary, Haaland violence and abuse, premature deaths, Haaland cited statistics from the As part of the initiative, a final report outlined the initiative while addressing mental disorders and substance abuse. National Native American Boarding from agency staff is due by April 1, members of the National Congress of The recent discovery of children’s School Healing Coalition, which 2022. American Indians during the group’s remains buried at the site of what was reported that by 1926, more than 80% Haaland during her address told the midyear conference. once Canada’s largest Indigenous resi- of Indigenous school-age children were story of her grandmother being loaded She said the process will be long, dif- dential school has magnified interest in attending boarding schools that were on a train with other children from her ficult and painful and will not undo the that legacy both in Canada and the run either by the federal government or village and being shipped off to board- heartbreak and loss endured by many United States. religious organizations. Besides provid- ing school. She said many families have families. In Canada, more than 150,000 First ing resources and raising awareness, the been haunted for too long by the “dark Starting with the Indian Civilization Nations children were required to attend coalition has been working to compile history” of these institutions and that Act of 1819, the U.S. enacted laws and state-funded Christian schools as part additional research on U.S. boarding the agency has a responsibility to recover policies to establish and support Indian of a program to assimilate them into schools and deaths that many say is that history. boarding schools across the nation. For society. They were forced to convert to sorely lacking. “We must uncover the truth about the over 150 years, Indigenous children were Christianity and were not allowed to Officials with the Interior Department loss of human life and the lasting con- taken from their communities and speak their languages. Many were beaten said aside from trying to shed more light sequences of these schools,” she said. forced into boarding schools that and verbally abused, and up to 6,000

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4 July 2021 The Circle: News from a Native American Perspective http://www.thecirclenews.org http://www.thecirclenews.org The Circle: News from a Native American Perspective July 2021 5 NEWS Indigo Girls and Line 3 activists host Protect the Water concert BY JIM WALSH/MINNPOST “You can’t break those treaties today oh no You can’t break those treaties today my Ray spoke for many of the We’re standing on the shoulders of the ones 100 or so Indigo Girls fans who came before us and A and human rights activists You can’t break those treaties today gathered on the shore of the Haha Where’s Biden when we need him Wakpa (Mississippi) river in northern He promised, we believed him Minnesota on June 28th when she said, Didn’t he learn anything from Standing “This is the coolest thing we’ve ever Rock? done.” Hey there PUC regulate the corporate Flanked by her fellow Indigo Girl greed Emily Saliers, Ray was speaking from a Governor, won’t you do your job?” microphone set up on a pontoon in the middle of the river – a “free speech” Amiable, funny and relentless, zone created by Water Protectors, who LaDuke is fond of saying “we need to have set up camp and a small tent vil- start doing smart things, not dumb lage, Water Protector Welcome Center, things,” and points to renewable energy, on the edge of Great River Road, which hemp farming and an emphasis on tak- runs along the river just north of ing care of the natural world over the Palisade, Minnesota, in Aitkin County. fossil fuel system that continues to The Protect the Water event was organ- wreak havoc on the environment. ized by Honor the Earth, the organiza- The Indigo Girls (Amy Ray and Emily Saliers, left-to-right) performed at the Protect the LaDuke encouraged all gathered to be tion founded by environmental activist Water concert on June 28 in Aitkin County. (Photo by Jim Walsh/MinnPost.) careful in the “Deep North” of Aitkin Winona LaDuke and the Indigo Girls County and its outskirts, where many 27 years ago. Huckfelt, Annie Humphrey and Keith 3” and “Stop Flirting With Disaster,” Enbridge protesters have been arrested “Winona said, ‘We’re gonna put you Secola were paddled out for in a , and with the entire setting providing an of late, and warned all concerned to be on a boat on the river. They can’t arrest to soft applause from the crowd on the organic scene that poetically lived up to on the lookout for police looking to you out there,’” said Ray at the outset shore and the dancers/celebrants on the the Dakota’s “The land where the water make arrests. of the Indigo Girls’ hourlong set, which bobbing “Stop Line 3” docks anchored is so clear it meets the skies” designation, To that end, the day’s musical high- included a rousing finale of their classic in the river. the LaDuke- and Water Protectors-led lights included Annie Humphrey’s pow- ode-to-hope “Closer to Fine,” for which On a sunny day where the backdrop event was yet another creative way of erful folk songs and screamed chants fellow songwriters/musicians and of the super-DIY amphitheater was the opposing Enbridge, as they have been that echoed down the river canyon, Protect the Water performers David riverbank and signs reading “Stop Line for the past seven years. David Huckfelt’s mesmerizing beat-bal- Recent wins against the likes of the lads, and two renditions of Keith Keystone pipeline have buoyed Secola’s classic “Indian Cars,” which activists’ spirits in the face of beautifully and humorously-harrowingly Enbridge and its partners’ continued details the travails of driving while drilling and boring on ceded land per Native in a police state, which this day the 1855 treaty. But as the was repurposed for Palisades and Line said in its concert announcement: 3 country, inspiring chants of “We’re “On June 14 the Minnesota Court of still here, stop line 3!” and “Frack you Appeals affirmed the State of and all your friends, too!” Minnesota’s approval of Calgary- Early in the afternoon, the pre-concert based Enbridge’s Line 3 project.” mix playing over the p.a. and wafting As has been the case for the last several out over the river was equally edifying years, both sides of the river and the and mood-setting, highlighted by plays Great River Road were dotted with pro- of “No More Pipeline Blues” and the water and anti-Line 3 and -Enbridge Indigenous Futurisms Mixtape. signs. That evening with the sun high The day’s program started with a in the sky, the river waters underneath prayer, a song of appreciation for them and surrounded by concert-goers LaDuke from activist/artist/writer in and kayaks and another 100 Sharon Day, and then came the singu- or so on the shore of the make-shift larly beautiful concert on the river, amphitheater, the Indigo Girls per- which was highlighted by Secola’s formed songs about family, love, heart- loon-like Native American flute solos, break and protecting Mother Earth, a closing drum song, and several top- including “Go,” which was inspired by ical, thoughtful, heartfelt songs. When Minnesota activist and writer Meridel it was done, the Indigo Girls paddled Le Sueur’s “I Was Marching.” off into the sunset and moonrise over They talked about motherhood and the river, then they and most every- grief and love, and debuted a new body climbed up the riverbank and Indigos song written for the Protect the adjourned for a feast across the Great Water occasion, a gospel singalong that River Road back at the Water came with a chorus of “Can’t cross the Protector Welcome Center, with food river today,” a coda of “Water is life and courtesy of the Chef. it’s well worth the fight,” and a hot-take All in all, it was a memorable and verse that puts fire to the feet of the meaningful day of music and activism Public Utilities Commission, the – all of which was had, yes, for free President of the United States and the (donations were and are accepted). Governor of Minnesota:

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http://www.thecirclenews.org The Circle: News from a Native American Perspective July 2021 7 “Broadband communication” continued from cover

Madonna said she thought she would local groups to “overcome hurdles – I don’t sulting services. want to work on economic development like to use the term barriers” – that This includes feasibility studies of costs for tribes when she went off to college. inevitably make moving forward difficult. and benefits, a business plan for the tribes Following that objective, she received a Regulations and public policies can be or their tribally-owned enterprise, financing Bachelor’s degree in Business some of the “hurdles.” Financial ties plans, and advise on regulatory require- Administration and a Master’s degree in between tribes and outside groups can be ments. Community and Regional Planning from another. Most of these obstacles, however, Engineering and Technical services North Dakota State University (NDSU). can be crossed over again with help from include telecommunications network plan- She serves as president of the family- supportive partnerships, she said. ning, network engineering and outside owned company which allows her to con- “The Shakopee [Sioux plant engineering to support ongoing, post- tinue her original goal although from a Community] has been tremendously sup- construction operations. highly skilled, technical perspective. portive of tribes and have helped find fund- And, TICOM helps tribal entities Mel is vice president of the company and ing for projects,” she said. Melvin Yawakie and Madonna Peltier Yawakie. through construction and installation work heads engineering, planning, construction For example, the Shakopee with options for turning operations over and project management. He has a Mdewakanton Sioux Community Meskwaki Nation homes and businesses to tribal operators, other contractors, or to Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering (SMSC) provided $500,000 to help the up to speed with anywhere in Iowa. providing ongoing management of the sys- from NDSU, and an Associate degree in Blackfeet Nation in Montana secure “We did about a third of the build out tem themselves. Electronic Technology from what is now financing for its Siyeh Corp. tribal business on it. Mel designed it,” Madonna said. From local leaders on through technical Haskell Indian Nations University in firm. It helped them secure financing to Much work remains, however, for tribal expertise and financial planning, she said, Lawrence, Kan. purchase a telephone exchange from a communities across “Turtle Island” (North “it is usually five years to bring an idea to In that role, he leads in planning, design- nearby utility cooperative. America) to get caught up to speed with (tribal) acceptance.” She especially likes ing and implementing both wireline serv- This allowed Siyeh to modernize and pro- modern telecommunications. This is borne seeing tribal enterprises established that ices and wireless telecommunication vide telecom services for the Blackfeet and out by studies from the Federal create and train local people to operate the systems for the tribally owned broadband, surrounding area. Communications Commission (FCC) and new entity. high-speed communications systems. Over the year, TICOM has worked with from government auditors accessing broad- That becomes the local, “human capital The Yawakies started TICOM exactly tribes and partnering groups throughout band access and development supported building” economic development she set 20 years ago. Their first big project was the western states. These include two proj- by government programs. out to do when she went to college. for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in ects in Washington State, with tribes in Madonna said recent federal programs the Dakotas. Wyoming, conducting feasibility studies are addressing these “hurdles,” and she has Links to information and news about the This became a learning experience in for Minnesota’s Dakota communities, and been a consultant for FCC studies as well. Yawakies, Turtle Island Communications itself, Madonna said. an especially noteworthy telecommunica- Going back to the work that TICOM and specific projects can be found at: “Everything that gets done on tribal land tions program for the Meskwaki Nation, and local tribal leaders must go through, http://www.turtleislandcom.com, is the result of partnerships,” she said. To also known as Sac & Fox Tribe of the the Yawakies do offer a complex spectrum https://minnesotanativenews.org/2353, start with, she added, there needs to be Mississippi in Iowa. of services. and https://nativenews.jour.umt.edu/ strong local leadership. Then, it takes This tribally owned communications sys- As a starting point for such projects, the project/2021-home/investing-in-connec- expertise and help for tribal entities and tem is being built in stages and will have first stage is providing knowledgeable con- tion. Let’s Talk Transportation

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8 July 2021 The Circle: News from a Native American Perspective http://www.thecirclenews.org “Columbus name change” continued from cover “As a trans person I can appreciate the significance of a name change,” Zeigler said. “It’s perhaps small in comparison with the systemic harms at work, but it is a visible change and it is a very impor- tant step.” Like our Indigenous relatives who understood the importance of a name, even traditionally changing names with phases of life or significant events, the small in-person group of 20 and almost 600 people who follow ‘Oyate Avenue’ Facebook page are on board. “Now the hard part starts, but this work is a responsibility,” Maltzman said. The group has specified two ways in which they can officially change the name of the street. First, they can collect signatures from 2/3 of all people who own property abutting the Avenue. The petition fee is $300. Second, they can urge the mayor, a city council person or the Director of Public Works to submit Left: A group of community members in Minneapolis are organing to get the Columbus street name changes to Oyate. a petition. In that case, the petition fee Right: A stop sign on Columbus Avenue. would be waved. They note that in either case, With all the street signs from 18th to perform a street name change because the official name in Minnesota. Minneapolis Public Works will consider 62nd it would cost around $7,800 to the ‘city hardly ever does them’. “Of course, the goal is to change the whether there will be a “public benefit pay for all the street signs. The group is The most recent street name change name, but the ultimate goal is educa- that clearly outweighs the public con- hoping to raise $15,000 to pay for the was ‘Bde Maka Ska Parkway’. In 2017, tion, outreach and decolonization,” fusion and cost that would be created new signs but also to have a cache of the Minneapolis Park Board voted unan- Maltzman said. by the name change” as stated in the money for neighbors that would need imously to recommend changing the The meeting adjourned with fundrais- street naming policy. After that, the city assistance with updating their ID’s and lake’s name back to Bde Maka Ska (the ing, planning and event committees. charges $200/intersection to change the any other assistance residents may need. original name the Dakota people called street signs. Finally, all residents will “The city doesn’t make it easy,” it) and the Hennepin County commis- To participate or learn more, go to have approximately one year to change Maltzman said. They said their calls for sioners agreed. In January 2018, the their website at: oyateavenue.org, or see their ID’s, and will need to update all help to the city were usually returned Minnesota Department of Natural their Facebook page online at: face- other personal info. with little to no knowledge on how to Resources (DNR) made Bde Maka Ska book.com/oyate.avenue.

Indian horse

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http://www.thecirclenews.org The Circle: News from a Native American Perspective July 2021 9 P ROFILES: NATIVE AMERICANS IN SPORTS – BY DAN NINHAM Jayson Shaugabay: Warroad Warrior Hockey Player is 1st Round Draft Pick ne of the top hockey players in Minnesota has Recent accomplishments also include being named the been drafted in the first round in two major 2020 Upper Midwest Elite League Player and Minnesota Ohockey leagues. He still has two more years to All Section 8 Team, and 2018 MVP of the Minnesota improve his skill sets and make his high school and tour- Pee Wee State Tournament. nament teammates better. “I have the core value of my parents,” said Jayson. “They Jayson Shaugabay, 16, will be a junior next school year are kind, humble, and honest people. Those are values at Warroad High School. He is an enrolled member of that are important to me.” the White Earth Nation. He is a hockey and golf athlete “Don’t know where I am going for sure as an athlete,” for the Warriors. said Jayson. “I sure would like to play hockey at the college Jayson’s team accomplishments include placing fourth level in the near future. I am going to keep working hard in the 2020 Minnesota State Class ‘A’ Hockey at my game, and try to be the best I can be.” Tournament and led the Warriors to the state tournament “I have worked real hard at my sports, been very dedi- in back-to-back seasons after a 10-year drought. He was cated to try and be the best I can be for my team and my also a member of state championships at the VFW-level community,” added Jayson. in 2019, Bantam-level in 2019 and Pee Wee-level in 2018. “The most influential person in my life is my dad,” said Jayson was recently drafted in the First Round of the Jayson. “He mentors me in everything, but especially my United States Hockey League (USHL) and the 11th over- sports. He has been a coach for a long time. My mom all pick to the Green Bay Gamblers. helps me a lot also with lots of other things in life.” According to the Gamblers website, Shaugabay appeared Hockey coach and dad Darrell “Son” Shaugabay was in 20 games last year tallying 53 points with 29 goals and featured in a story in The Circle News, May 5, 2020. 24 assists in a shortened season. “My high school coach Jay Hardwick has been influ- Jason contributed tremendously as a freshman with 72 encing me over the last couple of years,” said Jayson. “He points including 30 goals and 42 assists. He was featured coaches me in hockey and golf.” in a 2020 state tournament preview. (See links at end of “Jayson Shaugabay is an unbelievably skilled and gifted article.) hockey player,” said Jay Hardwick, Warroad HS head Jason was also drafted in 2020 in the First Round of hockey coach. “His puck skills, creativity, and vision give the Western Hockey League (WHL) and the sixth overall him the ability to make hockey plays that most players pick to the Winnipeg Ice. won’t even try.” This past year, Jayson was named to the 40-man camp “Jayson is a quiet person who doesn’t say a lot, instead of the United States National Training Development he lets his play on the ice do the talking for him. He has Team, and as the Warroad Warrior Team MVP and a a love and passion for the game that will take him great member of the Minnesota All Section 8 Team. places,” added Jay.

(Photo courtesy of Tony Scott/Youth Hockey Hub.)

“I also had youth hockey coaches that have helped me along the way,” said Jayson. “Jayson played for me for two years in Pee Wee,” said Byran Hontvet, Warroad PWA hockey coach. “One of the most skilled players I’ve coached in my 14 years as PWA coach in Warroad.” SHAKOPEESHAAKKOPEE MDEWAKANTONMDEEWAKANTON “He was captain of our 2018 MN State Championship SIOUXSIOUX COMMUNITYCOMMMUNITY PWA team. He was a quiet leader who led by example. Great kid with a great attitude that absolutely loves being at the rink,” added Bryan. Jayson has a busy summer. He will be playing in the World Selects Tournament in Philadelphia then a national WWACIPIAACCIPI camp in New York. He is also trying out to make the Five Nations Tournament in Sweden. Jayson has words of wisdom for other student-athletes: AUGUUUGUGUSGUSSTT2021 20, 21, A ANND 22, 222, 20212021 “Have fun with your sports. If it is fun, you will develop a passion for your sport. If you develop a passion, you will GRAND ENTRYENTRY get real good at your sport.” FRIDFRIDAY 7PM \ SASATURDT AY 1PM AANDND 7PM \\ SSUNDUNDAAYY 1PM 1PM Gamblers – https://gamblershockey.com/2021/05 FIREWORKSFIREWWORKS SASATURDTURDT AAYY 10PM10PM Check out the newest Gambler video – https://www.youtbe.com/watch?v=C_VKqQjpteg LIVE BROAADCDCASAST:T: SSMSCWMSCWAACIPI.ORGCIPI.ORG PUBLIC WELCOME:WELCOME: FREE FREE AADMISDMISSSIONION Darrell “Son” Shaugabay article in The Circle - https://thecirclenews.org/sports/coach-darrell-son-shau- SMSCWACIPI.ORGSMSCWACIPI.ORA RG gabay-committed-to-helping-kids/ WACIPI GROUNDGROUNDSS: 3212 DAAKKOTOTAAHH PAARKWRKWAY | SSHHAAKKOPEE,OPEE, MNMN || 5537955379

OOWNEDWNED AND OPEOPERATEDR ATED BBYY THE SHAKOPEESHAKOPEE MDEWAKANTONMDEWAKANTON SIOUXSIOU X COMMUNITYCOMMUNITY

10 July 2021 The Circle: News from a Native American Perspective http://www.thecirclenews.org POLITICAL MATTERS: Native Issues in the Halls of Government – by Mordecai Specktor [email protected]

Louise Erdrich wins the Pulitzer And in late June, another graveyard I’ll admit that Love Medicine is the – this one with as many as 751 only Louise Erdrich novel that I’ve unmarked graves – was discovered on read. Anyway, Mazel Tov! to Erdrich the former site of the Marieval Indian for winning the 2021 Pulitzer Prize Residential School in Saskatchewan. for fiction, for her novel The Night The Marieval school operated from Watchman. I bought a copy for my 1899 to 1996, overseen by the Roman wife’s birthday last year, and I intend Catholic Church, according to a to read it soon. report on Native News Online, which The Pulitzer Prize judges called added that a majority of the 150 res- Erdrich’s most recent published work idential schools in Canada were in the a “majestic, polyphonic novel about province of Saskatchewan. a community’s efforts to halt the pro- In a virtual press conference, Chief posed displacement and elimination Cadmus Delorme, of the Cowessess of several Native American tribes in First Nation in Saskatchewan, the 1950s, rendered with dexterity announced the grisly discovery of the and imagination.” unmarked graves at the Marieval loca- Erdrich set her novel in 1953, and tion. The school, which operated from it is based on the efforts by her grand- 1899 to 1966, was under the aegis of father to resist a congressional effort the Roman Catholic Church. to withdraw federal recognition from “Over the past years, the oral stories their tribe. of our elders, of our survivors, and “I am an enrolled member, a citizen friends of our survivors have told the of the Turtle Mountain Band of stories that knew these burials were Chippewa,” Erdrich told Dave Davies, here,” Delorme said. Students came a host of Fresh Air, the NPR inter- to Marieval from several First Nations. view program, last year. “It would be Delorme pointed out that the site is impossible for me to say that if termi- not a mass grave, but a regular grave- nation had, indeed, won the day. So yard until the Catholic Church possi- my father is German. I'm a very mixed bly removed headstones in 1960. person. And yet, being a citizen of a “In 1960, there may have been nation within our nation gives one a marks on these graves. The Catholic certain sense of – it changes your life. Church representatives removed these It means that I care deeply about my headstones, and today they are people, my mother’s people. And I unmarked graves,” commented grew up knowing who I was and Delorme. accepting all parts of myself. And this After the news of the Kamloops is a part that I realized would not have mass grave, the Cowessess First existed had my grandfather not fought Nation began surveying what is now for it.” its community gravesite with ground You can listen to the entire Fresh penetrating radar. Air interview, which was rebroadcast As per Native News Online: in April, at: bit.ly/erdrich-fresh-air. “Delorme said the radar detected 751 ‘hits’ of unmarked graves, though the In Saskatchewan machine has a 10 to 15 percent error In my June column, I wrote about rate, which confirms at least 600 the discovery in May of a mass grave gravesites with certainty. He also said at the Kamloops Indian Residential the First Nation can’t yet confirm if School. It was widely reported that there is more than one person buried 215 children were buried on the under each detected ‘hit,’ though they grounds of the British Columbia will verify an exact number of burial school, one of the institutions estab- sites in the coming weeks.” lished in Canada to forcibly assimilate Delorme also mentioned that oral Native children. histories say some of those graves For those who want to learn more might belong to adults: “Some may about the horrific torture and murder have went to the church and from our of students at the Kamloops school, local towns, and they could have been I recommend the Intercepted podcast buried here, as well.” hosted by journalist and author Bobby Cameron, Chief of the Naomi Klein. She interviewed Doreen Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Manuel and her niece Kanahus Nations, which represents the 74 First Manuel. Doreen’s father, George Nations in Saskatchewan, also partic- Manual, was a survivor of the ipated in the virtual press conference. Kamloops school; Kanahus’ father, “This was a crime against human- Arthur Manuel, was also a survivor. ity,” Cameron said. “The only crime It’s an extremely disturbing story. we ever committed as children was You can find the program and a com- being born Indigenous.” plete transcription of the interview at: bit.ly/kamloops-intercepted.

http://www.thecirclenews.org The Circle: News from a Native American Perspective July 2021 11 COMMUNITY Auger was a fierce advocate for those in need BY DIANE WILSON In 2000, Auger received a life-chang- ing letter from Cora Baker, a Potawatomi Seed Keeper, who n a warm afternoon in the entrusted her lifetime collection of summer of 2020, Sally 200+ varieties of Indigenous seeds to O Auger (Abenaki) stood on Dream of Wild Health. Thanks to her the newly purchased land that was grandmother’s training, Auger under- growing the Dream of Wild Health stood the responsibility that came with farm into a 30-acre center for indige- this gift. nous foods and Native youth programs. “Sally knew the ancestral memory of As the founder, this was Auger ’s dream those seeds, the genetic memory that is come true; a vision that had begun 20 part of us,” said Hope Flanagan, DWH years earlier with a handful of rare seeds Cultural Teacher and Community and a leased half-acre garden in Outreach. “She understood that when Farmington. A few months after her you’re doing the work, the seeds will visit, Auger passed away on November do the best they can to help you. No 19, 2020. She was a visionary whose one else was taking on that responsibil- legacy helped spark the early food sov- ity back then.” ereignty movement that is today restor- Auger began searching for a perma- ing the health of Native families. nent home for the seeds, and in 2004 Auger dedicated much of her life to purchased a 10-acre farm in Hugo, MN. building programs and organizations She launched two youth programs to that served the needs of urban Native provide intergenerational sharing of cul- people in the Twin Cities, especially tural knowledge that would help youth those dealing with addiction. Together develop self-respect and strong identi- with her husband, John Eichhorn, an ties. Sally wanted Native youth to Sally Auger (right) with Hope Flanagan. Auger dedicated much of her life to building become warriors – Garden Warriors – Odawa from Michigan, Auger started programs and organizations that served the needs of urban Native people in the Twin Peta Wakan Tipi in 1986, a non-profit Cities, especially those dealing with addiction. who would fight to succeed, just as she that provided transitional housing to had. Within three years, she had com- Native people in recovery. Recognizing to help rebuild a relationship with the of indigenous seeds in the Upper pletely paid off the loan on the farm. that their clients needed to reconnect land, traditional medicines and indige- Midwest, produces thousands of In 2011, she retired and moved back with their culture, they launched Dream nous seeds. Dream of Wild Health now pounds of organic food each season, East to Seabrook, New Hampshire, to of Wild Health in 1999 as a program protects one of the largest collections and offers innovative programs that be near one of her two sons and grand- teach Native youth how to garden, cook, children. Several years later, she and develop job skills. returned to Minneapolis and eventually “With the creation of Dream of Wild moved into the Bii Di Gain Dash Health, Sally’s hope was to reverse the Anwebi Elder Housing, with her negative health trends in our people by beloved cat, Oscar. Before long, Auger teaching our young ones about plants, was finding ways to help other resi- food and culture,” said Neely Snyder, dents, organizing a garage sale to raise Executive Director for Dream of Wild funds, and driving friends to the nearby Health. “Sally was overjoyed to learn grocery store. that we had four youth alumni return Auger remained connected to Dream to the farm as staff last year. We are of Wild Health, visiting the farm and honored to carry Sally’s legacy forward.” attending events. “People like Sally are Auger knew firsthand the struggle of on this earth to show us what we need poverty and addiction, an understand- to do for our relatives,” said Jessika FREEFREE ing that shaped her life work. She was Greendeer, Seed Keeper and Farm born on December 18, 1938, in a poor, Manager. “They show us how to do struggling Abenaki community near right by the plants and connect younger MENTAL the Canadian border in New people with them. They need these gifts Hampshire. Her grandmother was a to know who we are.” HEALTH medicine woman whose gift with plants For those who knew and loved Auger, laid the foundation for Auger ’s later she was a mentor, a teacher, a loving work. After attending college out East, grandma, a fierce advocate on behalf of SCREENINGS she worked for the postal service in those in need, and a tough-minded New York, and developed an addiction woman who knew how to get things to alcohol. She moved to Minnesota to done. Since first meeting her in 2000 FOR THOSE UNDER 21 enter the recovery program at Hazelden when I volunteered at the garden in around 1985. Shortly after, she met Farmington, and then working with her John Eichhorn, who was also a recov- until she retired, she has been a role ering alcoholic. model whose life demonstrated the val- With little money, living in a modest ues she lived by: integrity, service to Mental health concerns in young house in St. Paul, they launched Peta community, and a sense of hope that is adults have skyrocketed over the Wakan Tipi. “Sally was an initiator in embodied in our seeds. Most of all, she past year. But help is available! the Twin Cities,” said Joy Persall, con- wanted to see our children thrive. sultant, who worked for the Headwaters CALL TO GET STARTED Foundation in the 1990s. “Sally was a Diane Wilson is the former Executive strong advocate. Had she not had that Director for Dream of Wild Health, taking 612-543-2222 fierce passion, Peta Wakan Tipi would over for Sally when she retired. not have taken off.”

12 July 2021 The Circle: News from a Native American Perspective http://www.thecirclenews.org New work by Native artist to rise where ‘Scaffold’ stood

BY PAMELA ESPELAND/MINNPOST knowledge keepers, artists and arts pro- fessionals. Two Stars’ proposal was cho- sen. The plan called for installation in or a time in 2017, the northwest the fall of 2020, but the pandemic inter- corner of the Minneapolis vened. F Sculpture Garden was the scene Two Stars is a member of the Sisseton of protest and controversy. Then it stood Wahpeton Oyate and director of All My We are a empty and waiting. In October, it will Relations Gallery in Minneapolis. Her become a place of respite, gathering, work as a visual artist has been shown learning and healing. at the Sioux Art Museum in Rapid City, A new work by Dakota artist Angela South Dakota, the Watermark Art Two Stars, “Okciyapi (Help Each Center in Bemidji, and All My Other),” will invite people to sit, stroll, Relations, among other spaces. In 2019, meet and engage with the Dakota lan- Two Stars collaborated with Mona guage. It will be sited where artist Sam Smith and Sandy Spieler on the public Durant’s “Scaffold” once stood. installation of Dakota artwork along the A free public park, the Sculpture southeast shore of Bde Maka Ska. This Garden is a partnership between the will be her first work at the Walker. Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board “Okciyapi (Help Each Other)” will be and the Walker Art Center. The Walker a sculptural form of pre-cast engraved curates and cares for the art. The appear- concrete, enameled metal panels, script ance of “Scaffold” in May 2017 led to a and audio Dakota language and medic- public outcry, widespread condemna- inal plants native to Minnesota. A water tion, national headlines, a delay in vessel in the center will remind visitors for reopening the Sculpture Garden after that the name “Minnesota” comes from . a multimillion-dollar renovation, the res- the Dakota phrase “Mni Sota Makoce,” good ignation later that year of the Walker’s or “the land where the water reflects the executive director, Olga Viso, and, clouds.” As you move through the piece, arguably, the practice today of introduc- you’ll be able to hear stories told by ing arts events with land acknowledg- Dakota speakers on your phone. ments. From above, “Okciyapi (Help Each Durant’s sculpture referenced several Other)” will look almost like a maze, or gallows used in U.S. government execu- a labyrinth in a Gothic cathedral. tions, including one in Mankato, About the location of the piece within Minnesota, where the largest mass exe- the garden, Two Stars said, “I specifically cution in our nation’s history took place: chose this site with the awareness that the hangings of 38 Dakota men on Dec. there was a need for healing, for both 26, 1862. To Native people, its presence the community and the land itself. As was intolerable and traumatic. To many part of the installation process, my fam- others, it was tone-deaf and offensive. ily led a ground cleansing ceremony at The sculpture was dismantled and the site, to help all of us to move forward removed, and its place in the Sculpture in positivity and celebration.” Garden was grassed over. Walker Executive Director Mary In January 2019, the Walker launched Ceruti said that Two Stars’ sculpture $) *0/#*22 -  $ƙ - )/ǹ an Indigenous Public Art Commission “makes poetic connections between with a call to artists, seeking proposals land, water, and language and creates a sunrisebanks.com for a new public artwork for the welcoming site of reflection. … The work Sculpture Garden or elsewhere on the adds an important Indigenous voice to Walker campus. More than 50 national the diverse group of artists from around and international submissions were the globe whose work is presented reviewed by the Walker curatorial staff there.” Member FDIC and an Indigenous Public Art Selection The public unveiling will take place Committee, a group of Native curators, on Saturday, Oct. 9.

http://www.thecirclenews.org The Circle: News from a Native American Perspective July 2021 13 ARTS A complex, masterful telling of how family ties can overcome trauma BY DEBORAH LOCKE forcibly removed – or killed – by U.S. calls the “Darkening Land,” a purgatory military. The arrival of soldiers followed of despair, filth, racial violence, extreme by the burning of homes and land is climate change and weirdness. or me, a summertime book described throughout “The Removed,” Into this mix of worry and misery means not thinking too much. hence, the title of the book. Four narra- arrives a foster child named Wyatt, who F It means reading for pleasure tors speak throughout, including a will live with Maria and Ernest until he and amusement and for a few laughs. Cherokee named Tesla who hid his fam- is placed in a permanent home. Wyatt The books are short with bright covers ily during the Trail of Tears, and Maria, is a delightful, gifted boy of 12 who and large type. Their age range appeals the family matriarch. entertains Ernest with his fascination from the youngest reader to the oldest. The story opens with 15-year-old Ray- for the music of the 40s and 50s. Music Then along comes “The Removed” by Ray Echota who is fatally shot by racially references pop up often in this book, as Brandon Robson (Cherokee), which is motivated police on Sept. 6, which is though music is a character, too. like getting hit upside the head with also the anniversary of the 1839 signing Sparkplug Wyatt is the antidote to everything you don’t want in a summer of the Oklahoma Cherokee Ernest’s Alzheimer’s and helps the elder book. It’s challenging and unsettling. It Constitution. Ray-Ray’s death throws with both long- and short-term memory. makes you think more than you want to the family into a long, numbing state of A lot of what you’ll take from this think on a hot day. Structurally complex, grief. Maria, the boy’s mother, is preoc- book depends on what you bring in. Do it demands close attention and reflection. cupied and exhausted by the progression you appreciate strong Native women? In other words, it’s a masterpiece. A lit- of her husband Ernest’s Alzheimer’s dis- Then you’ll long remember Maria, the erature professor once said that good ease. If that’s not enough, Maria fears wise and loving wife and parent who books pick you up from one place and the worse for her son Edgar, a meth holds it all together. Like kids? My drop you off in another. They change addict, who moved to Albuquerque. favorite character is Wyatt, the wonder- your world view. This book does that. Her daughter Sonja lives close by, but ful, talented boy who attracts people of “The Removed” shows the genera- her life is empty. She pursues risky sex- all ages. He reminds the Echotas of Ray- “The Removed” by Brandon Hobson was tional impact of historical trauma fol- ual dalliances and obsessions that lead Ray; in fact, Ernest believes that Wyatt published by Ecco/HarperCollins (2021; lowing the Trail of Tears when nowhere and she appears to exist with- is Ray-Ray, back home at last. Care for $26.99) Hobson also wrote “Where the thousands of Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, out a job. Indian legends? They’re here. Want Dead Sit Talking” (Soho Press, 2018), which Chickasaw, and Seminole were forced Maria plans a commemorative bonfire insight into military violence? Check. was a finalist for the 2018 National Book to leave their southeastern homes and and feast on Sept. 6, and attempts to Care for a disturbing present day dark Award for Fiction and winner of the resettle west of the Mississippi River. In reach her son Edgar to attend. Edgar side, where humans are again at their Reading the West book award. His other 1838, about 2,000 Cherokee refused to ends up in the home of a high school worst? Double check. books include “Desolation of Avenues leave Alabama and Georgia, and were acquaintance who lives in what Branson Again, this is no quick summer read. Untold” and the novella “Deep Ellum.” He It ends mysteriously, broadly open to is an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing interpretation. Hobson offers no easy at New Mexico State University and teaches answers. The violent past bleeds into a in the MFA Program at the Institute of violent present, yet family bonds create American Indian Arts. Mount Carmel Manor a salve that protects and nurtures. 1560 Bellows Street West St. Paul, MN 55118 (651) 451-0030 Montessori American Indian Childcare Center ADVERTISE NOTICE: OPENING THE ONE BEDROOM WAIT LIST Enrolling for Fall 2021, orientation begins Sept. 22. ONLINE Seniors 62 years or older, and qualified individuals Openings for pre-school children, ages 3-4. 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14 July 2021 The Circle: News from a Native American Perspective http://www.thecirclenews.org IT AIN’T EASY BEING INDIAN – BY RICEY WILD sjdfzxjmeAipunbjm/dpn

don’t do that! I felt genuine terror until times in the deep, freezing winter. Some loved ones, my relatives, is something the next time I was awful. were caught, some not and never made they could not eliminate and here are It wasn’t until I was older that my it home. Little bodies who needed to be living proof of their failure to erase Aunt Mary told me stories of her child- with their family, frozen in the snow, Creator’s people. hood and being in a boarding school in never to be reunited and buried with I once heard an Indian Elder say that Odena, WI, that I heard the horror sto- love. all of the 100+million Indigenous People ries she knew of and experienced. Her What happened to these babies was of Turtle Island who were killed are still face in the light over the kitchen table nothing more than being sent to prison here in other bodies. Yes, I do believe in in her home illuminated the remem- camps, gulags and continuing genocide. reincarnation. So, where did the spirits bered pain as she shuffled her cards and The U.S. and Candian tribes and other of all the children and people whose land looked into the past. I really didn’t want Indigenous Nations worldwide have this originally was, ands still is, go? My to know but I listened with respect and experienced this by European immi- soul says they never left. deep love. grants and their descendants. Why? We That, my loved ones and relatives is Aunt Mary, my Gramma Rose’s elder were in their way for our natural what I choose to believe in my heart. sister was born 1908. She and her sib- resources and so the obvious actions to Everywhere those babies are still dancing lings were stolen and taken away from take is murder, scalps for bounty, bio- and being loved by family and friends in family at young ages by the U.S. logical warfare and if that does not work, another incarnation. It could be you. I know. I know, my loved ones, my rel- Government to be erased as Indian peo- then spiritual and cultural genocide. There is no denying the colossal atives how it hurts; it is in our collective ple and become docile servants for the Unchecked greed is an outright sin in tragedy of their young lives stolen any DNA and we carry the sorrow in our European descendants of immigrants the Christian theology but they always longer, no. I knew about them and did individual blood trauma. Let me share who had lost the war to keep slavery. find a way to get around their own mar- not dismiss it. I’ve been suffering since this; it is all I can do other than cry and The children, as young as four years- tyr’s original teachings. “Dear Pope, I before I was in the womb. I’m not even mourn. old were stolen and forced to not speak have sinned. I killed many thousands of supposed to be here now since I was When I was a little kid, I must have their languages or practice their culture. brown and black people in the name of born with the umbilical cord around my absorbed some stories I did not under- Sadly, that was not the least of the crimes God but here is some gold and jewels” neck. Yet here I am. stand but felt. At 13-14 years old, when- committed upon the children’s little Pope: “You are absolved my son.” Yanno how we Indians have ‘We were ever I acted up, like skipping school, defenseless bodies. Mary told me that I cannot express how much I despise so poor’ stories? Ya, I have a few too. sneaking cigarettes and other teenage on a regular basis nun’s would come into them but I do condemn them all to their Like it’s a challenge or something and shenanigans, my mother would threaten the dorms and pick a child and take white man’s Hell, for eternity. yanno what? The Indians telling them that she would send me to boarding them away, some never to be seen again. Not only myself but every Indian per- are still here. WE are still here and we school. I knew what she meant. The Never have I forgotten the deep sorrow son alive now lives with the knowledge grieve and honor those who are not. Catholic nuns and priests kind; not the I saw in my Aunts eyes as she told me we were not supposed to be here, as Peace. Remember I love yooz. fancy ones white kids went to. I imme- how many children tried to escape the nations, as individuals with our own spir- diately said no! No, Mom! I’ll be good, Christian Hell-hole they were in, some- itual practices and beliefs. THAT my

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