Survival International : A Global Movement

On September 8, 2000, the head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) made a formal apology for the their participation in ‘Ethnic Cleansing’ of the Indigenous Nations of the Western Territories of the Unites States.2 From forced relocation to obscure lands and forced assimilation into the white man’s view of the world, the BIA previously set out to ‘destroy all things Indian’.3 Through the colonization of Turtle Island (North America), the American Federal policy set out to eliminate in part or as a whole, the Indigenous populations.4 The attitudes of the colonists were intentionally detrimental and the process is naturally exterminatory.5 The process of colonization was often exemplified by violent confrontations, deliberate massacres, and in some cases, total annihilations of a people.6 The culture of conquest was developed and practiced by Europeans well before they landed on Turtle Island as the practice was developed, and perfected well before the fifteenth century.7 Taking land and imposing values and ways of life on the social landscape created a conflictual relationship with the Indigenous peoples and forced a new way of life that ultimately destroyed those that previously existed there.8 Modern Europe

At first, it came as a surprise to me that there are still many tribes who are trying to become federally recognized and colonize land again just like before to continue their culture and identity. By now, I would had imagined that the Native Americans are at peace and can continue their traditions. However, I have come to discover that Natives Americans are still fighting for social justice when they have existed here way before Christopher Columbus discovered their land and called them, Indians. The impact that these social justice issues has on me is that the issues in which Native Americans face cannot be entirely solved. It is an impossible action to fix.

“He asked me how far I was willing to go. I said, ‘Six feet under.’ And I think that’s what’s going to happen. It’s going to be a death feast,” says an activist from Alanis Obomsawin’s riveting documentary entitled Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance. Indigenous political activism, in any setting, is a struggle against death—the death of a culture, the death of a language, and most insidious of all, the death of resistance. These ‘deaths’, in the political and institutional context

During the end of the nineteenth century, the United States had formed policies which reduced land allotted to Native Americans. By enforcing these laws as well as Anglo-American ideals, the United States compromised indigenous people’s culture and ability to thrive in its society.

In order for VAWA true intentions to be carried out, the pilot project needs to be implemented into all tribes and funding also needs to be distributed to every tribe whether recognized by the Unites States government or not. Just because a tribe is not “formal” does not mean that the native women do not experience assault. In fact “Native American women represent a unique class of victims among the larger population…”(Torpy,2008). This idea is still prevalent to today's Native American women and the struggles that they endure in their everyday

experience and knowledge of indigenous peoples and their various ways of life. He explains the

There have been many instances throughout history in which indigenous people have unwillingly suffered the consequences of foreigners’ interaction with their culture. In the case of the Huaorani two foreign groups, the oil companies and the missionaries, invaded their land and gravely affected the life they led in the Ecuadorian amazon. In the book Savages Joe Kane gives a firsthand account at how the Huaorani fight to preserve their land and traditional way of life.

Historically, relationships between European colonists and Native American were extremely complex and complicated. Due to the violent European colonization of America, Native Americans became susceptible to oppressions and extinction for over five hundred years (Poupart, 2003). European colonists’ central focus were directed towards acquiring maximum profits by exploiting Native American’s vast resources and utilizing their physical performance toward enslavement. This created devastation among Native American families, movement of various fatal diseases, and destruction of the traditional lifestyle of Native Americans (Starkey, 1998). The elimination of Native American culture came with strong opposition and resistance through civil organizations, religious movements, and conflict revolutions.

With globalization and colonization taking over almost the entire known world, native tribes who are indigenous to their lands are losing control of the lands that their people have lived in for ages to the hands of foreign colonizers who claim the land as their own. Now, indigenous people all around the world are struggling to reclaim the lands and rights that were taken away from them through non-violent social relations with national governments and large corporations. Anthropologists have recorded how indigenous people across the globe attempt to create relations with national governments to reclaim rights and lands that they once had before the colonization of their ancestral homeland.

In the wake of a gruesome history of displacement and mutilation of sacred customs and beliefs, native adolescents struggle with cultural and internal identity crises. When European nations discovered an already inhabited territory, capturing, raping, and murdering tribal members, the peace and tranquility of native tribes were dismantled and smothered in colonialism destruction. Native Americans enabled and guided the settlers to thrive, explore, and prosper on the flourishing land, while they were gifted in return forced relocation, stripped of their long indigenous hair, plagued with disease, and required to learn and practice European customs.

Oil companies failed to recognize that there is already a community living at the Standing Rock reservation, who are dependent on its water and land to survive. They were only interested in the future outcomes the pipeline will bring to the local community. Oluo felt reporting about the Standing Rock protesting to Americans will encourage support whenever in America and to donate whatever they can to help Native Americans to fight for their home. The author is speaking to America as a whole to understand the recent protests and its effects on minorities. She believes all citizens of America should be aware of such events occurring in their community and to stand in solidarity to help the unheard to seek justice and have freedom. But, Oluo also emphasized the struggles minorities has endured in America by referring back to known history such as mentioning the Civil Rights Movement and the first colonization in Americans by Europeans. In this case, the real message was to enlighten America to rethink their attitudes toward minorities, to look at such things as wrong and to stand in solidarity for those voices are silent. However, it seems as if she is speaking to the dominant white society and proving to them that Native Americans will fight for their rights

Survivance is a term that is used in Native American studies and it includes two important terms: “survival” and “resistance”. Survivance refers to an active sense of presence and in native stories, natural reason, active traditions, customs, narrative resistance, and clearly observable in personal attributes, such as humor, spirit, cast of mind, and moral courage (Vizenor). It allows them to transform their experiences of historical trauma into courage, forgiveness, and healing through political activism and cultural revitalization (sfsu).Vizenor defines this term in opposition to “victimry” and it is more than just survival for the Native Americans, but as self-reliant perseverance through all the hardships that had presented themselves such as the forced assimilation into the “white” community and culture. Instead of losing their roots, the Native Americans were able to hold on to their historical culture and traditions and were so much more than mere survival.

Since America’s colonization, the Indian people have been told to conform or face consequences. Today, they are under constant pressure to change their views and customs in order to conform to modern American society. In order to practice their beliefs and live in their preferred lifestyles Indians are sectioned off and forced to live on Reservation land like the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation where Swift Bird resides. Nevertheless, as the essay shows, the Reservations are still not safe from the outside

Each individual makes up the society as it is, and various characteristics and beliefs makes up an individual. Although, individual lives together with a variety of personal ideologies, emotions, cultures, and rituals, they all differentiate one person from the other making up one’s own identity. This identity makes up who one is inside and out, their behaviour, actions, and words comes from their own practices and values. However, the profound history of Indigenous people raises question in the present about their identities. Who are they really? Do we as the non-native people judge them from the outside or the inside? Regardless of whether the society or the government were involved in their lives, they faced discrimination in every

This webpage outlines the discussion of the 2014 United Nations (UN) world conference on indigenous peoples. It brings together in succinct detail the outcomes and objectives, promoting the implementation and advancement of Indigenous peoples rights. The Human Rights Commission mentions only the UN which could suggest bias. However, the UN is made up of a multitude of organisations and governing bodies that give the source authority.