A Unitarian Universalist State Action Network
Native Americans in Montana are dying from Covid-19 at a rate 11 times higher than white residents.
“I have no stomach to talk about this abstractly; my community has been hit hard,” said Sharon Stewart Peregoy, a Democratic state representative and member of the Crow Tribe. “Even today, I just got a notification that another one has passed. It’s real, folks. We should take the basic steps.”
A colleague called her words “emotional” and “insulting.”
The Tulalips are expanding efforts to protect land and water that are integral to their identity.
When Terry Williams grew interested in climate change in the 1970s, he found information about human-caused global warming to be conflicting and confusing.
“It didn’t make sense until the early ’80s, when we saw a difference in the timing of the floods,” the Tulalip Tribes elder recalled. Later studies bore out what was happening in the tribes’ traditional lands. “The glaciers were melting two to three months early. We got floods in November and December instead of March and April. Rainfall had increased 6%.”
The 5,000 enrolled Tulalip citizens are primarily from the Snohomish, Snoqualmie and Skykomish tribes. In three river systems with the same names, ever-bigger and earlier floods wash away salmon eggs or bury them in river sediment. Higher water temperatures may kill fish that do manage to hatch. They never make it to Puget Sound.
If salmon can’t survive, what will happen to a Native culture based on a plentiful supply?
Bringing salmon back to the Upper Columbia has been a goal since the habitat was blocked by the Chief Joseph and Grand Coulee dams more than eight decades ago.
Tribal members held the Ceremony of Tears 80 years ago when the final run of salmon returned.
“Our ancestors carried a prayer that our salmon would one day return to the Upper Columbia. With all the prayers that were made historically and today, combined with all the efforts of our fisheries staff, our leaders and many others who are joined in this effort, we can bring our fish home,” Colville Business Council chairman Rodney Cawston said in a statement.
In a 2019 ceremony, Colville members released 30 salmon above Chief Joseph Dam and, a few days later, above Grand Coulee. It was the first time salmon had returned to their traditional waters.
In yet another attack on the environment before leaving office, the Trump administration is seeking to transfer ownership of San Carlos Apache holy ground in Oak Flat, Arizona, to a copper mining company.
The administration pushed to finish the environmental review process, a necessary step to transfer ownership to copper mining company Resolution Copper, and its two parent companies Rio Tinto and BHP, to December 2020, almost a full year ahead of the planned completion.
For many Native Peoples, Thanksgiving is a complex day. For some, we use this day to mourn and protest as this day evokes the legacy of colonialism and the intentional false narratives about the relationship between Indigenous Peoples, early settlers and the Land. For some, we use this day to honor our survival against genocide and we reclaim this time to celebrate the sovereignty and self-determination we’ve protected despite all odds.
No matter how you celebrate or protest, the launch of NDN Collective’s #LANDBACK Campaign represents a way to face the truth about this country’s history and treatment towards Indigenous Peoples. Starting with acknowledging whose land we gather, live and work on. And commit to being in a right relationship with Indigenous Peoples, by supporting the return of Indigenous Lands to Indigenous hands.
By acknowledging the true history of this holiday and supporting LANDBACK, we are able to begin healing from the destruction and violence that colonization has imposed upon Mother Earth and the People. This is especially critical for advancing climate justice and supporting climate solutions led by Indigenous Peoples. We are building a movement for collective liberation, that starts with the reclamation of stewardship of the Land.
If you are called to take action to build Indigenous power, we have action items to share with you:
Lastly, we hope that you all are staying home and respecting the CDC COVID-19 precautions during this holiday season. We must not forget that germ warfare has been used against Indigenous Peoples throughout history and it is imperative that our non-native allies consider this history. Take flattening the curve very seriously, and be very cautious and sensitive when traveling through or near Indigenous lands and territories.
We wish you safety and health during this time,
Néa’eše
Krystal Two Bulls,
LANDBACK Campaign Director
NDN Collective
Learn More About #LANDBACK and watch HESAPA: A LANDBACK FILM
CNN article: “How Indigenous People Are Reclaiming Their Lands”
Grist Article: “Returning the Land: Indigenous Leaders On the Growing LANDBACK Movement and Their Fight for Climate Justice”
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