AIFI Blog Post

     One online resource that I thought was extreme interesting was the American Indian Film Institute. I have heard of schools for Film but I did not realize there was one for American Indians. This website has a lot of information on it about American Indian Film, such as the American Indian Film Festival, which was November 1-9^th of this year. It was the 39^th one so far.

Since 1975, AIFI has recognized the opportunity and responsibility to empower American Indian media artists

by placing the tools of technology in their hands and to introduce their works into the fabric of Indian community life, mainstream media and international audiences.  - Michael Smith, AIFI President

     However they aren’t just a place looking to make money. Every summer they go to areas with at risk youths. These areas often have limited job opportunities and they bring professional filmmakers and the youths get to participate in making a short broadcast quality films that are played in their tribal community. This institute helps youths realize that they can do something with their life. They may have ended up thinking that they were not good for anything, if not for this group of people who did not want to see them struggle.

     I believe this source was selected because it shows how much of a difference you can make if you just try. If this group did not volunteer their time every summer there may have been a lot more youths just going from job to job and trying to make ends meet, rather than pursuing a passion- if they even got a job at all. There are many kids out there who people just give up on-and this is with any culture, if someone would just show them they can do something important they may just live a fuller life.

http://aifisf.com/tribal-touring-program/

A Look at Tribal Hunting and Fishing Regulations

Tribal Hunting and Fishing

What - Where - Why?

It is a well-known fact that Native Americans were (and still are) proficient hunters, gatherers and fishers.  To some tribes, a young boy's first kill is considered a rite of passage of sorts -- a transition from childhood to becoming a man.  In the Supreme Court case of United States v. Winans, the Court stated, "Fish and wildlife played a central role in the spiritual and cultural framework of Native American life, not much less necessary to the existence of the Indians than the atmosphere they breathed."

Today due to treaties signed by tribal nations between the United States and tribes during allotment, Native Americans enjoy the right of hunting and fishing under tribal law and are exempt from the laws and regulations that non-tribal members have to obey, including open seasons and catch and bag limits.

Many people (myself included) that losing lands and receiving hunting and fishing privileges, but I also feel as if the Native Americans were trying to hold onto something -- anything -- that personified their culture and identity.  So much had already been stolen from them because of the boarding schools, assimilation, and being forced to "Americanize", and I believe that this one small thing, the right to hunt and fish, was something small to hold on to so that they could teach their future generations the "old way".

A video depicting Native American fishing culture in Alaska

New York Federal-State-Tribal Courts and Indian Nations Justice Forum

Site Reviewed:  New York Federal-State-Tribal Courts and Indian Nations Justice Forum

Link:  http://www.nyfedstatetribalcourtsforum.org/history.shtml

In this module I reviewed the New York Federal-State-Tribal Courts and Indian Nations Justice Forum, a site that lists its mission as a place to “foster understanding and improve cooperation among jurisdictions.”  The forum developed from an organization of chief judges from the 50 states and its territories and attempts to improve the administration of justice in state court systems.  From this organization also came the Tribal Relations Committee (TRC) whose primary objective was to study tribal and state relations in the court system.  The results of these studies made it obvious that there was a need to “address and resolve jurisdictional conflict” in a cooperative manner across federal, state and tribal entities.    

Most of the information on this site is for the purpose of providing legal information in protection of Indian rights and ensuring that federal and state governments upheld their legal obligations. The site also contains direct links to the official websites of the different Indian nations of the Haudenosaunee League.  In addition to the extensive links to tribal courts and justice systems, the site also provides information on education, research, training and technical assistance programs that enhance the health and promotes the culture of Native Americans.  One of the links that I was most interested in exploring was “Native Laws & Traditions” but unfortunately the hyperlinks were inactive.  Many of the cases discussed on the site were related several legal decisions made in the tribal, New York State and Federal courts involving taxes on cigarettes sold on the reservations taxes. Other cases involved civil and ancestral land compensation suits.

Most interesting to me were copies of the historical treaty documents and the language that was used therein. In the “Treaty with the Six Nations” signed in 1794, the boundaries of Indian land are defined and states that the Six Nation League forfeits their rights to all other lands, while other treaties spell out the penalties for stolen horses not returned and so forth.  Examining the language used in these treaties shed new light on how these documents were drawn up primarily for the benefit of the white man with the Indian being promised little more than being allowed to subsist among them.

M2 web resources

What I learned in M2 web resources was how much the Native American had to adapt to the twentieth   century environment and they did so without losing their Indian heritage. I also did not realize how much the Native American worker contributed to the major structures of the United States, like the building of the Empire State building and the George Washington Bridge in New York City, as well as the Chrysler Building in Chicago.  I’m sure this was difficult balance that the Native American had to endure, working in the society that persecuted them not so long ago, but they still needed the money to support themselves and their families, all without giving up their identity and native customs. I’m sure this was not easy for any of them.

The American Government passed laws against the native people, but in the 1920’s policymakers found that they needed to take efforts to undo some of the damage produced during the previous 140 years, so they passed the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924, which recognized the American Indian as a citizen of the United States. A lot of native women became citizens by marrying “white men” or  they became citizens for their military service to the United States, but the rest of the population were not considered citizens until the Indian Citizenship Act was adopted. Even after the adoption of the Act some states denied citizenship to the American Indian until the U.S. Supreme Court forced all states to recognized natural born native people as citizens of the U.S. and allowed them to vote and have a voice in government. The thing I didn’t realize was that some of the native people were cautious of this right, as they felt that they had their own citizenship and this Act automatically made United States citizens out of them, whether or not they wanted to be so. They believed that this was a violation of our sovereignty.   

 

 

Web resource:

http://americanindiantah.com/history/nar_20thcenturyrelations.html

http://americanindiantah.com/index.html

 

 

Is Indian Activism the new Terrorism?

Indian activism has been on the rise for a number of years, as the next generation becomes of age and is realizing the fight for their rights will be the determining factor for their cultural existence. Throughout North America (and even in South America), aboriginal people are joining the resistance, to fight for not only their rights but also their land and culture. Nativeweb.org features an article; Indigenous resistance is the new terrorism. In Ecuador “terrorists" are indigenous peoples from the Amazon and the Andean highlands fighting to preserve access to water in their communities. As "terrorists", they are labeled as enemies of the state, and arrested.

In the north, Canadian aboriginal activists are standing together to raise awareness and protest the passing of new laws brought forward by Parliament that pose threats that will extinguish aboriginal lands and rights.  In November 2012, Idle No More, one of the largest Indigenous mass movements in Canadian history was founded. Their mission;

Idle No More calls on all people to join in a peaceful revolution, to honour Indigenous sovereignty, and to protect the land and water

INM has and will continue to help build sovereignty & resurgence of nationhood.

INM will continue to pressure government and industry to protect the environment.

INM will continue to build allies in order to reframe the nation to nation relationship, this will be done by including grassroots perspectives, issues, and concern.

The Idle No More movement has been met with strong opposition from the Canadian government and many non-native spectators. But this past September marked a huge step forward for Indigenous activists (Idle No More included) and their fight for environmental awareness. The Peoples Climate March was held in New York City September 21, 2014, along side 400,000 supporters. With Indigenous people leading the way, they have been able to bring environmental concerns to a world stage. Now more than ever, people are coming together in support of one cause.

http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2014/09/22/biggest-climate-march-history-watershed-moment-indigenous-peoples-156987

http://www.nativeweb.org

http://www.idlenomore.ca/vision