Indigenous Sovereignty And The Being Of The Occupier

This forced excavation of the Native Americans lead to a massive number of deaths among the tribes.

Within the Aboriginal ways of knowing it is suggested that “land is the heart of Creation, a realm where humans are among a vast array of creatures” (Belanger, 2014, p. 7). In essence, the Aboriginal people have looked upon the earth as a source of resources that may be utilized but must be honored. This is further substantiated by Belanger when he states that “human beings began to measure their existence in terms of how well they ensured the land’s health and safety, as opposed to how well they acquired wealth and personal gain” (Belanger, 2014, p. 8). As a result of this deeply ingrained relationship between the Aboriginal person and Creation, it comes as no surprise to learn that the Aboriginal people of Canada have decided to revolt

Every man has a property in his own person: this no body has any right to but himself. The Labor of his body, and the body, and the work of his hands, we may say, are properly his (qtd. in SoloHQ).

“Though the earth, and all inferior creatures be common to all men, yet every man has a property in his own person. This nobody has any right to but himself. The labour of his body, and the work of his hands, we may say, are properly his. Whatsoever then he removes out of the state that Nature hath provided, and left it in, he hath mixed his labour with, and joined to it something that is his own, and thereby makes it his property”. “From all which it is evident, that though the things of Nature are given in common, man (by being master of himself, and proprietor of his own person, and the actions or labour of it) has still in himself the great foundation of property;...” (Locke, 1978

Imagine living in a world that consistently devalues your existence and is heavily populated with individuals who are quick to use and abuse your resources, but are slow to share the wealth that is accumulated from those resources. How would you feel? Unfortunately, certain populations do not have to visualize the disparity that is pictured above. This is because inequity is one of the most demoralizing social issues that plague America today. The worst thing about inequity is the fact that it continues to disproportionately burden individuals who are categorize as being minority in today’s society.

In this article, McIvor discusses the history of Aboriginal Land Claims in Canada, and how they have been handle in the past. The article also suggests that the Canadian government’s plan to extinguish Indigenous people’s interest in their lands is wrong, and they should instead, recognize Aboriginal Title. This suggests that the Canadian government should adopt a new policy that is coherent with the principles underlying the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People. Dr. Bruce McIvor is the principle of First Peoples Laws, that is an organization that is dedicated to defending Aboriginal Rights. He has practiced law for many years, and therefore is qualified to write his opinion of the subject. My study focuses on issues

What is this you call property, It cannot be the earth, for the land is our mother, nourishing all her children, beasts, birds, fish and all men, the woods, the streams, everything on it belongs to everybody and is for the use of all. How can one man say it belongs only to him¨? Said a man named massasoit, an indian chief in this text you will learn about who massasoit is and what he did in his life.

There has been a great deal of contention over Aboriginal Rights in Canada. Much of this conflict can be said to stem from the differences in both the philosophy and cultural systems of Aboriginal and non-aboriginal people, with much of it originating from the time of the original European settlement of Canada (UBC Law, 2009). The focus of this conflict has been primarily on the rights to land, sea and resources, as well as how the law is to apply to the Aboriginal peoples of Canada (UBC Law, 2009).

Sovereignty is very important to American Indian tribes, and they take many steps to preserve it. In this paper I will talk about how American Indian tribes peruse protecting natural resources as a strategy to strengthen their sovereignty.

Throughout history the problem that led to the destruction of Native Americans appear to be misunderstanding the concept of land. The Indians practiced “the communal and family basis of life” (447). That means they believe in a collective or tribal land ownership. Their view is that the entire community owns the land they lived on. Whereas for Euro-American settlers, land is more of a private or individualistic in nature. This essay will explain the importance of land to the Natives and the Euro-Americans using the five topics: Cahokia, Worcester v. Georgia, The Dawes Act, The Indian Reorganization Act and Sacred land issues. These topics are a representative of American Indian history from early pre-contact civilization of Cahokia to the

Native Americans had lived in North America long before European settlers. They had free reign of its natural resources and beauty. However, as we all know, this changed. According to the Britannica article, “United States”, “The expansion of agricultural settlement crowded the Native Americans into reservations.” After being taking away from their land, they were forced into reservations. The government now provides benefits for them, but in the past years the government has failed to live up to that expectations. Sadly, reservations are now reportedly being the poorest communities in United States. No, the government should not manage Native American Reservations due to the history of mismanaging

For longer than we care to admit, as European Americans, racism has been a significant and controversial part of our identity. Every race and culture new to the United States has experienced unique stereotypes and discrimination, and although these issues have for the large part been amended, racism and racist tendencies have yet to be completely eradicated from our nature. The most prevalent in today’s American society is directed towards the land’s own original peoples: Native Americans. According to a study “Native Americans were nearly 13 times more likely to be assaulted or raped than Hispanics, seven times more likely than Whites, five times more likely than African-Americans and 39 times more likely than Asian-Americans. Overall, Native Americans experienced less than 1 percent of all total violent crimes in 2000.” However, "American Indians and Alaska Natives make up less than 1 percent of the population, according to Census Bureau figures.” (STAR 2003). Being such a small part of the overall American population, it is no surprise Native American issues are overlooked. But, wWe have a moral obligation to rectify all our misdeeds towards Americans, both occurring presently, and the unjustified hate and discrimination of the past that caused us to drive these people from what is by right theirs.

The binary of culture versus nature has extensive implications on the relations between settlers and native populations in the political community of the United States. Locke leverages the “wild indian” as a tool in his writing to represent a being in the state of nature. He does this while explaining the foundation of property rights (12), how labor leads to ownership (14), and the value of land versus money (55). The parallel between Natives and nature is repeatedly reinforced in the reader’s mind. Locke, at one point, directly distinguishes the Natives as uncivilized.

Long before white settlers arrived in America, the entire American land was primarily considered a land of the natives. In particular, the Aboriginals viewed their communally owned land as a gift from their creator, who offered it to His people for survival. Their existence and sustenance of their livestock and food crops was entirely attributed to this gift from their creator. As such, the natives felt attached to the land and had to protect it from outsiders (Nash, 2006).

One good way to inspect the “Disssoi Logoi” a Greek philosophical treatise, is to approach it from multiple perspectives. Where different value systems tend to be viewed acceptable in one light and what is just, in different light. Therefore, labeling a situation may be viewed one way for one individual, though often may impose a completely different view from another person. Although we measure our lives in short periods of time, Kairos is the apex of conversion, because it is the moment of change.