US should return stolen land to Indian tribes, says United Nations

[MichaelMcGuire]

Last edited Sat May 5, 2012, 08:08 PM - Edit history (1)

A Native American at his home on Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota, which has some of the US's poorest living conditions. Photograph: Jennifer Brown/Star Ledger/Corbis

UN's correspondent on indigenous peoples urges government to act to combat 'racial discrimination' felt by Native Americans

A United Nations investigator probing discrimination against Native Americans has called on the US government to return some of the land stolen from Indian tribes as a step toward combatting continuing and systemic racial discrimination.

James Anaya, the UN special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, said no member of the US Congress would meet him as he investigated the part played by the government in the considerable difficulties faced by Indian tribes.

Anaya said that in nearly two weeks of visiting Indian reservations, indigenous communities in Alaska and Hawaii, and Native Americans now living in cities, he encountered people who suffered a history of dispossession of their lands and resources, the breakdown of their societies and "numerous instances of outright brutality, all grounded on racial discrimination".

"It's a racial discrimination that they feel is both systemic and also specific instances of ongoing discrimination that is felt at the individual level," he said.
Anaya said racism extended from the broad relationship between federal or state governments and tribes down to local issues such as education......

Continue http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/may/04/us-stolen-land-indian-tribes-un?newsfeed=true

Some pictures of the poverty facing people in Pine Ridge Reservation.

[dkf]

1. Land by itself doesn't do much. What determines economic gain is what you do with the land.

And that takes connections and savvy.

I see that man with his home...if he had more land, would that in itself make him so much better off?

[polly7]

2. Well ........ yeah.

He could farm, maybe raise animals or vegetable produce to sell, make money from mineral rights, get sponsors or developers to build up a business.......... any of the things other people with land benefit from.

[dkf]

6. But he has to do something to get that economic gain.

Raising animals or farming isn't an easy life and i doubt that is the way out of financial difficulties, mineral rights...yeah sure the government would give that away, get sponsors or developers...you think the average person can manage that, much less a person who is currently disadvantaged?

It all starts with education. Without that there is no way a person can manage things properly, especially in a way that will help generations down the line.

[polly7]

9. I've farmed and raised animals ...... it's not all that difficult, and of course Native

Americans could do it just as well as anyone.

My uncle got rich developing a ski-hill, I don't believe he finished high school ...... but he owned the land and was able to attract some very well-off developers.

It seems to me, you're saying they'd just blow it if they had the chance to do what non-native landowners have been making money from for decades.

And ... about this education ... I know up here our First Nations People near me are getting a very good education. For sure and sadly, it's not the case everywhere, but assuming they, as a group are not knowledgeable or educated .. that's just wrong.

[dkf]

15. So their current financial difficulties aren't due to lack of knowledge or education and are

attributable to what?

Not having enough land?

[polly7]

33. Owning land equals the opportunity to profit from it in any way they choose.

Anaya said Rosebud is an example where returning land taken by the US government could improve a tribe's fortunes as well as contribute to a "process of reconciliation".

"At Rosebud, that's a situation where indigenous people have seen over time encroachment on to their land and they've lost vast territories and there have been clear instances of broken treaty promises. It's undisputed that the Black Hills was guaranteed them by treaty and that treaty was just outright violated by the United States in the 1900s. That has been recognised by the United States supreme court," he said.

[MichaelMcGuire]

10. But it was ever said its was the 'cure all'

"A United Nations investigator probing discrimination against Native Americans has called on the US government to return some of the land stolen from Indian tribes as a step toward combatting continuing and systemic racial discrimination."

A step toward combating

[RC]

19. Maybe you should read the article

Anaya said Rosebud is an example where returning land taken by the US government could improve a tribe's fortunes as well as contribute to a "process of reconciliation".

"At Rosebud, that's a situation where indigenous people have seen over time encroachment on to their land and they've lost vast territories and there have been clear instances of broken treaty promises. It's undisputed that the Black Hills was guaranteed them by treaty and that treaty was just outright violated by the United States in the 1900s. That has been recognised by the United States supreme court," he said.

>SNIP<

"These are important steps but we're talking about mismanagement by the government of assets that were left to indigenous peoples," he said. "This money for the insults on top of the injury. It's not money for the initial problem itself, which is the taking of vast territories. This is very important and I think the administration should be commended for moving forward to settle these claims but there are these deeper issues that need to be addressed."

The problem is not just any ol' land, but land that was theirs, the aboriginals, through signed deeds with the United States Government, that were subsequently found to have oil, gas, minerals, or otherwise found to have worth for the White Man and then having the land then taken away from them. The Black Hills is only the most famous of the injustices done to the original inhabitants of this country. The United States Government has kept very few of its agreements.


Edited to add: I can't believe the callus racism of some posters here. If the Native Americans were Black or Hispanic, instead of aboriginals, this wouldn't fly very well. But never mind, they're just injians, so who give a fuck, right.
Well I do!

[MichaelMcGuire]

26. "Edited to add: I can't believe the callus racism of some posters here."

Pretty much.

[Starry Messenger]

28. Yeah, especially since that poster usually gives full-throated support of private property.

Guess it's only real private property if it was stolen from the indigenous peoples.

[stranger81]

20. How do you know what this man has done or hasn't done

to improve his own situation? You can't infer that by looking at a picture of him on his deck, IMHO.

[malaise]

3. If I were the UN I would not expect a response

Very few people give a flying fugg about indigenous people anywhere.

Institutional racism is the norm on this planet.

[MichaelMcGuire]

11. More the pity (nt)

[malaise]

24. Indeed

It's frightening

[Scuba]

4. And the wingers already think the UN is a plot against them....

... this'll drive 'em berzerk.

[vaberella]

7. Which is crazy since it was President Wilson who laid the groundwork for the UN...an American Pres!

But then again he was a good looking Democratic president.

[customerserviceguy]

17. Exactly

And that's why no one in Congress will get involved with this, especially in an election year.

[vaberella]

5. And what about Mexico, UN? You seriously think that Mexico would waste it's time with Texas now?

Or Arizona...it might take Nevada though. I would.

[4th law of robotics]

29. For that matter Mexico has treated its natives horribly

they would have to give back most of their land as well.

/Mexicans are not native to the Americas. They are descendants of a variety of people and cultures that originated elsewhere.

[left on green only]

8. I think we should either leave their land

(meaning the entire country), or else start paying them rent for all of their lands that we took from them by force. But we should keep Manhattan Island as our own, because after all, we did buy it from the Native Americans for $28.00, "fair and square". Right??? It so very well illustrates the benevolence of our founding fathers to "negotiate in good faith". Too bad that they didn't have something really valuable, like a used car, that they could have traded for the Island.

[Richard D]

14. Beat me too it.

I mean, really, the entirety of the Americas was stolen from the indigenous people.

[RebelOne]

25. You got the amount wrong. Anyone who knows American history

knows that only $24 was the amount paid.

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/715/how-much-would-the-24-paid-for-manhattan-be-worth-in-todays-money

[PufPuf23]

12. The Cobell vs Salazar settlement ended all American Indian claims against the US Federal Government

for Indian Trust lands (Reservations and Allotments) sold under the Dawes Act and monies lost by BIA mis-management of natural resources on Indian Trust lands.

The settlement was for less than $0.02 on the dollar in economic terms ignoring cultural damage and excludes most American Indians.

Many American Indian leaders and the Obama Administration consider the settlement a "win" rather than a political convenience even though most American Indians are excluded.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobell_v._Salazar

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dawes_Act

About 100 million acres of Indian Trust lands were sold by the DOI/BIA under the Dawes Act. Individual Tribes were harmed more than the $2 Billion allotted for the entire USA.

From the FAQ at : http://www.cobellsettlement.com/


2. What am I giving up as part of the Settlement?

If the Settlement becomes final, you will give up your right to sue the federal government for the claims being resolved by this Settlement. The specific claims you are giving up against the federal government are described in Section A, paragraphs 14, 15, and 21 of the Settlement Agreement. You will be "releasing" the federal government and all related people as described in Section I of the Settlement Agreement.

If you did not receive an IIM account statement for 2009, you may request your IIM account balance as of September 30, 2009 by calling 888-678-6836. If you request your IIM account balance, you are agreeing to the balance provided by Interior unless you excluded yourself from the Settlement (see Excluding Yourself From the Settlement).

The Settlement Agreement describes the released claims with specific descriptions, so read it carefully. If you have any questions, you can talk to Class Counsel for free or you can talk to your own lawyer at your own expense.

[Zalatix]

13. Give back what was stolen by force? NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

1) Kill the indigenous people.
2) Take over their land.
3) Hold it for 200 years.
4) OWNERSHIP!!!!!

[Jester Messiah]

16. Expected response:

"No. Next issue?"

Honestly, what do they -think- we're going to say? "Durr, ok, we'll just tear down everything we built in the intervening 200 years or so and give the land back." Hard to see this as anything but a waste of time / counterproductive.

[RainDog]

18. k&r n/t

[Amonester]

21. Then Indian tribes should return stolen land to whoever...

(or to whatever) was there before them.

While on the matter, let's go back this way to the Romans, the Greeks, the Egyptians, the Chinese, and then way down to the Cro-magnons and the Apes before them...

[mysuzuki2]

22. It is obviously impossible to return North America to its pre 1492 condition

even if non-native people had anywhere else to go. That being said, we can and should do a helluva alot better than we have done. The conditions at Rosebud and Pineridge are a disgrace and an embarrasment to us all.

[4th law of robotics]

23. Relatives of the australian aborigine

used to control most of Micronesia. They were since replaced by Asians from the mainland (farmers with superior weapons, huh).

The UN should give them all that land back.

There's also plenty of evidence that the San (Africa's "Bushmen&quot once controlled a wide swath of southern Africa, not just the marginal desert regions. They were pushed out by darker skinned agriculturalists from the middle of Africa with superior iron weapons (the bulk of the natives the British found there when they finally arrived). We should remove them and give the San their land back.

[cali]

27. wtf?

what a callous, thoughtless post.

[Amonester]

34. Although I think all Native tribes should have a lot better living conditions

and opportunities, this 'returning stolen land' thingie will probably never happen, unfortunately.

DUer Speck Tater expressed more or less the same thought as mine, but seriously:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=114321

[think]

32. The US made treaties with the Indians and broke them

Basically the White man's words , treaties, and deeds were worthless. Not much has changed.(politically speaking)

[Zalatix]

35. And why would the Native Americans have taken the land from?

More than likely, the continent was unpopulated by humans before they arrived.

[eek MD]

30. If people are living in poverty and squalor.....

Giving them more land isn't going to do a whole lot of good at bringing them any reasonable amount of prosperity and hope, unless said land is chock full of exploitable natural resources and they get to keep all profits. (.....And you know that if our government did a major land giveaway, the land would be worthless land that nobody else wants... the good stuff is reserved for the 1% and corporations). People need resources to help get out of cycles of poverty, such as education and financial resources. If we truly want to help, that is where our efforts should be focused. Every individual we can help is one step closer to helping the group as a whole.

[MichaelMcGuire]

31. Bump

[Mc Mike]

36. +1 thanks.

Here's a link to a Peltier support site, (daughter's org., after a split with the LP Defense Committee) in case anyone hasn't had the opportunity to back him:

http://www.whoisleonardpeltier.info/alert.htm

On the site, there's another link to lobby the prez and White House, because they obviously know he's innocent. Site excerpt:

Other Ways You Can Help

The injustice to which this man has been subjected for over 36 years must end! Flood the White House with letters, e-mails, faxes, and telephone calls. Tell President Obama to free Peltier now!

President Barack H. Obama

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

Washington, DC 20500

Phone Numbers - If calling from outside the United States, dial first the International Area Code + 1 (US country code)


Comment Line: [phone]

Switchboard: [phone] (Ask to be connected with the Comment Line)

Fax: [phone]

E-Mail: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/submit-questions-and-comments


Excerpt end.


Best wishes to the DUers that are going to Pine Ridge to help the community, in honor of Med. Admin.

[lpbk2713]

37. If the Seminoles were returned their land lost in era of the Trail of Tears ...

theye would own all the Orlando theme parks. They would be wealthy as oil sheiks.


?w=450&h=362

[xchrom]

38. Du rec. Nt

[countryjake]

39. kickety!

Thank you for those pics, too.

[MichaelMcGuire]

40. Pictures it makes it harder for the apologista. (nt)

[YellowRubberDuckie]

41. We grew up really close to a reservation.

Let me preface this with saying that my father was Native American, I was raised understanding my heritage, and I was friends with a lot of the children in school that I am about to speak about. The only family life a lot of them saw, as screwed up as it was, was mine.
Anyway: There were many Native Americans in our town. They didn't live in the horrible conditions shown in the pictures, but they were close. The tribe in our area now has a casino, although that wasn't always the case. Now people are working, but back when I was a kid they didn't. My parents owned the liquor store in a small town. The Native Americans in town kept us in government commodities (Cheese, peanut butter, etc) which they traded to my dad for booze. And when they got their government checks, they would by large amounts of alcohol.
In El Reno Oklahoma, a town 20 miles south of where I grew up where the reservation actually is, they have to have what they call the Indian Education Program. They had to start it after the horrific amount of Native American children who were sent to school without school supplies. They provided what their parents refused to provide. These poverty stricken people refuse to work, barely kept a roof over their kids' heads, sent them to school in dirty, filthy clothes, and the only meals these kids got were free lunches at school. That is terribly depressing. This is the image of Native Americans that I grew up with. The subsidies provided to Native Americans have hurt them far more than it has helped them. The Elders have tried to reverse this cycle, and in some tribes this has worked, but in the one in our area, I think they are too far gone, even with the casinos they own and run now. There is no push for them to get educated, even though they could go to any state school for free. Three of my friends went to nursing school and are making something of themselves and their children are way better off for it. I wish that was the norm around here, but unfortunately, it isn't and I doubt it ever will be.
The parents of those children (in the pictures) should be ashamed of themselves. The US Government in a different time with a different group of Native Americans started this mess. In order to fix it, it is going to take a lot of work from EVERYONE to stop this cycle. And it's not going to happen as long as we keep letting them play the victims and don't hold them accountable for the decisions they made in their lives that put those children in that situation. If other tribes weren't doing that and promoting Tribal Pride and making something of themselves like the Chickasaw and the Cherokee, then I would agree with everything, but that is not the case. I've seen this crap with my own eyes and it isn't pretty. That is the side of this story no one will tell you.

[MellowDem]

42. This is always a silly suggestion...

and also not a solution to the poverty facing Native Americans.

Native Americans stole lands from other tribes that came before them. Unless you think that when humans crossed the strait in successive waves they settled in one place for 11,000 years until the Europeans came, never moving or changing borders or taking over other tribes etc. etc.

Native Americans allied with Europeans to attack other tribes. So trying to return "stolen land" is always a matter of futility, since that land was inevitably "stolen" by that tribe and the tribe before them etc. etc. infinity, it's the human condition.

And besides all that, lack of land is not the issue with Native American poverty and is not the solution.

It's a sad and hard situation all around. Native Americans have lost their way of life and can never go back to it. Preserve what they can and adapt is all they can do, but it's a tough process and takes a lot of time for any people.

[MichaelMcGuire]

43. Professor Anaya disagrees with you.

Besides you don't need to go back too far, before you come to lands that where settled and then stolen.

[MichaelMcGuire]

44. James Anaya, UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples visits NCAI