From Conducive Mag- ADOPTING HAITIAN ORPHANS: Saving Children or Repeating Unsuccessful History? February 6, 2010Removing children during times of disaster is not new. We saw this with Operation Babylift after the Vietnam War (index.php?option=com_content amp;view=article amp;id=106:the-narrative-of-international-adoption1023 amp;catid=37:critical-thinking amp;Itemid=62), where the American government hurriedly removed almost 3,000 children from their homeland during […]
- Using Anger Constructively February 4, 2010Conducive advice columunist, Dr. Kathy Hahner, gives advice on using anger constructively. […]
- A Bronx Girl Goes Home February 2, 2010The murder of a cousin takes Conducive editor Heather Tirado Gilligan back to her home in the Bronx, and back to the childhood and experiences that continue to shape her. […]
- Looking Back to the Future? January 30, 2010Humankind, both collectively and individually, has a strange little quirk. We ignore the past when it holds valuable lessons that go against what we want to hear or believe. Our insistence in doing this has negatively affected our future many times, both as individuals and as a society. We give... […]
- Campaigns Take Individual Involvement To New Level January 28, 2010The production and consumption of bottled water contributes to waste, pollution, toxins, and the bottled water industry’s interest in controlling our water resources. As a result of these negative impacts, many people have vowed to stop buying bottled water. If you have successfully ditched bottled water, and want to stay... […]
- REDUCING THE SUICIDE STIGMA Suresh Unni's Story January 21, 2010There are many ways of coping with the loss of a loved one. For Suresh Unni, solace is found in sharing his brother's experience with depression and eventual demise from suicide. Through his work as a clinical social worker and therapist and participation on the board of directors of the... […]
- Dating a Separated Person January 18, 2010Conducive advice columunist, Dr. Kathy Hahner, gives advice on dating a separated person. […]
- An Epileptic Identity-My Journey to Diagnosis January 17, 2010Conducive editor Sarah Edith Jones writes about her determination to get an accurate medical diagnosis after more than a decade of doctor visits and medical misdiagnosis. For years her epilepsy was seen as panic attacks, menstrual issues, migraines, stress, low-glucose, anxiety, and depression, and treated with medications such as birth... […]
- Yellow Fever Survivor January 15, 2010How can you deal with sexual harassment at work? Dr. Mai Kieu-Loan suggests you go "Kabuki" and be a woman worker warrior. […]
- The Coal War: Interview with Climate Hope Author Ted Nace January 14, 2010While many may think about oil when it comes to climate change, the real struggle could be coal. Coal is used for half the nation’s electricity, which is the U.S.’s largest source of carbon dioxide emissions (http://epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/co2_human.html). Scientists warn that the continued use of so much coal could put us... […]
- ADOPTING HAITIAN ORPHANS: Saving Children or Repeating Unsuccessful History? February 6, 2010
English
Remembering Alcatraz
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the occupation of Alcatraz by the Indians of All Tribes, perhaps one of the most significant acts of activism conducted by Native Americans to date. Led by Mohawk activist Richard Oakes, Indians from diverse tribes across the country occupied Alcatraz for 19 months from Nov. 20, 1969 to June 11, 1971.
“We will purchase said Alcatraz Island for twenty-four dollars in glass beads and red cloth,” reads the Alcatraz proclamation “a precedent set by the white man’s purchase of a similar island about 300 years ago. We know that $24 in trade goods for these 16 acres is more than was paid when Manhattan Island was sold…”
The proclamation used humor to make earnest demands aimed at improved rights for Native Americans while pointing out glaring truths in our history, that are often swept under the rug.
Their bold action was the the first indication that Native American culture could rise again. “Alcatraz was a big enough symbol that for the first time this century Indians were taken seriously,” Lakota scholar Vine Deloria Jr. said.
The occupation led to real changes such as the creation of Indian-studies programs, tribal museums and increases in funding for college students. It inspired the Longest Walk, a march to Washington to protect Indian rights which successfully contributed to the passage of the American Indian Religious Freedom Act. The occupation is also attributed to the removal of federal Indian termination policy, which was replaced with legislation that supported self-determination.
In 2009, Alcatraz should still call to us as we stand at a pivotal moment in history where we decide what relationship we would like to have with our earth. America’s first people hold values that can guide us toward a balanced connection with the land, one founded on respect rather than conquest. They bring song and dance and remind us of the oldest and deepest sense of ourselves.
In order to understand who we are, we must officially recognize our past. A few steps practically knocking at our door would go a long way to do so. First, the US should sign the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples which declares indigenous rights to their lands and cultures. The non-binding General Assembly vote was 143 in favor four against and 11 abstentions. The US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand voted against with Australia changing its vote this April.
As we all know an apology goes a long way, let us follow the lead of Australia and Canada by offering a formal apology this Thanksgiving to the Native Americans and agree to go forward with a new reconciliation.
Reviving Native American culture is to remember our own spirit, and to heal the wounds of our collective past so that we can move forward.