Editorial: Not Indigenous history, our history

'While B.C. is the first, hopefully, the other provinces will soon follow because we need to continue to put back these pages in the books of our collective library sooner rather than later.'

 

The Squamish Chief editorial staff | Mar 17, 2022 | British Columbia

Number 62 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action includes making age-appropriate curriculum about residential schools, treaties and Aboriginal peoples’ historical and contemporary contributions to Canada a mandatory education requirement for schools.Paul Bradbury

Soon, all Squamish high school grads who cross the stage will be going out into the world having completed Indigenous-focused learning.

On March 4, the provincial government announced that the Ministry of Education was implementing the new graduation requirement in collaboration with the First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC).

It is proposed that Grade 10 students will be the first to complete this new requirement, starting in September 2023.

The requirement applies to students in the province at public, independent and offshore schools.

B.C. is the first Canadian province to implement this requirement, which is disappointing.

This isn’t just a spontaneous altruistic decision. Number 62 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action includes making age-appropriate curriculum about residential schools, treaties and Aboriginal peoples’ historical and contemporary contributions to Canada a mandatory education requirement for schools.

The history of residential schools, treaties and Indigenous contributions to the country does not just belong to First Nations.

This is our collective history, our collective culture.

Previously, our education system was like a book with pages missing.

This created a deficit in our collective understanding that was evident in the reaction of many adults to an archaeologist’s discovery of bodies on the grounds of Kamloops Indian Residential School site in Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc last May.

Elders and knowledge keepers have talked of the atrocities and deaths at these institutions for years, but this knowledge didn’t reach the masses, thus the disbelief and shock of so many.

Of course, over the last few years, First Nations learning has been integrated into what our kids learn at school.

Students can meet the new grad requirement by taking new or existing courses.

“Building awareness and understanding of First Peoples’ perspectives, cultures and histories among all B.C. students will serve as an important step toward reconciliation and an effective strategy to combat racism within the province to the benefit of all British Columbians,” said Tyrone McNeil, president, FNESC in a news release.

An online public engagement period for feedback and further consultation with First Nations is underway.

There are still many questions from teachers and parents about this requirement, but those will be undoubtedly be ironed out.

While B.C. is the first, hopefully, the other provinces will soon follow because we need to continue to put back these pages in the books of our collective library sooner rather than later.

Nothern Lights School Division to use provincial truth and reconciliation grant for language video

by Sam Campling | Mar 15, 2022 | Current News

The Northern Lights School Division will be using a provincial grant geared towards truth and reconciliation education for language preservation.

Alexis McLeod, the school division’s First Nations and Métis education consultant, said she collaborated with her colleague to decide on a worthwhile way to use the funding.

“So I asked her what was done before and what needed to be done,” she said. “So we are going to make a video promoting the Indigenous languages within Northern Lights School Division.”

McLeod said the video will showcase Cree, Michif and Dene and the students will get to be a part of it.

“By doing this project, it will help (students) with their identity and promote a positive identity within their cultures and languages.”

The province made an announcement last week that division’s could receive up to $5,000 for truth and reconciliation education. McLeod explained the video is in response to call #13 in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action.

(PHOTO: The Northern Lights School Division in La Ronge. Photo by Kandis Riese. File photo.)

 

Voices From Here: Richard Hill

 

People’s Relationship to the Land 

"There is no greater thing we as peoples can do for our Mother Earth and for our children of the future than to preserve our rich heritage and relationship with this land." - Robert Whiteduck, Chief of Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation, 1998 

Read this : LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT

ABOUT THE VIDEO:

In this interview, Richard Hill shares about the complexities of Haudenosaunee territory, wampum belt teachings, and his work to repatriate material culture to his community. 

Nya:weh, Rick, for the teachings you offered and for sharing your life’s work with us.

Filmed on September 5, 2019 on Six Nations of the Grand River Territory. Cinematographer – Jonathan Elliott Series Editor – Madison Thomas Colour – Martin Gaumond + Outpost MTL Sound mix – Seratone Studios Portrait - Natasha Donovan 

Indigenous Women in the film industry

Kímmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning of Empathy, Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, provided by the National Film Board of Canada

Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers’s 2021 Kímmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning of Empathy premiered at Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Film Festival, where Tailfeathers won the Emerging Canadian Filmmaker Award.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission states that education must go beyond formal institutions in order to remedy the gaps in knowledge that perpetuate racism. Education for change needs to be able to touch minds and hearts, and film has the power to do both.

Assini: challenging the meaning of ‘Indian’

Hollywood’s representation of Indigenous people over time has educated the general public through stereotypical and racist portrayals. But that’s changing.

In Gail Maurice’s film Assini, seven-year-old Assini says to her friend after watching a western, “Indians are stupid. They always get killed. Cowboys can kill seven with one shot.”

Assini later discovers that she herself is “Indian,” and at first rejects the label — unsurprising given what Hollywood westerns and dime-store comic books have taught her.

Upon reflection and the ever-present love of her grandmother, Assini comes around to the idea that “Indians rule” and that racist representations must go. She wins a stand-off with a “cowboy,” stomps on a comic book, cheers with her friends and calls it a day.

Assini shows that films can be a source of education that succeed in interrupting rather than reproducing racist stereotypes.

The work Assini does for viewers parallels the work the character Assini does in the short film. It analyzes popular forms of entertainment, such as movies and comic books, shows their consequences in everyday life — Cree and Métis characters in the film understand “Indian” as an insult — and creates a new ending, or, more accurately, a fresh start.

Assini challenges and exceeds the meaning of “Indian” as scripted by popular culture. The film makes abundantly clear the beauty of Assini’s wide-open childhood landscape, as well as the humour and love in her community.

This is education. There is so much to learn and unlearn.

 KEEP READING 

Next time you’re looking for a movie, look up Janine Windolph, Caroline Monnet, Alexandra Lazarowich, Tracey Deer, Danis Goulet, Gail Maurice, Tasha Hubbard, Amanda Strong, Sonya Ballantyne or Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers. These are directors to follow.

Boys fish with their mother and grandmother. A young woman trains as a mixed martial artist. Relay riders race horses around a track, leaping from horse to horse. A twelve-year-old navigates the Oka Crisis. A mother joins an underground freedom movement in order to get her daughter back. A young girl learns she can change the story.

Each sentence above links to a film made by an Indigenous woman. And films by Indigenous women have recently attracted mainstream attention and critical acclaim.

Danis Goulet’s Night Raiders premiered in 2021 at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), and Goulet also won the 2021 TIFF Emerging Talent Award.

Tracey Deer won the same emerging talent award in 2020, and her 2021 film, Beans, recently won the Toronto Film Critics Association’s Rogers Best Canadian Film Award.

Analysis of the world, from experts

Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers’s 2021 Kímmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning of Empathy premiered at Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Film Festival, where Tailfeathers won the Emerging Canadian Filmmaker Award.

Tailfeathers, an actor as well as director, describes filmmaking as “life changing.” She says “having the agency to control the narrative” is “empowering and liberating” and to “feel seen and heard, and to see your people’s joy and love onscreen, is a very powerful thing.”

More than entertainment

The highly acclaimed and prolific Abenaki filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin, who has made more than 50 films in her remarkable and ongoing career, has been clear about the purpose of her work: “My main interest all my life has been education, because that’s where you develop yourself, where you learn to hate, or to love.”

Her films, on topics ranging from wild rice harvesting to the contested meaning of treaties, are themselves a remarkable source of education about life in various Indigenous communities, the determination and strength of people fighting for justice and Canadian law.

Yet films are often thought of as entertainment rather than education. We go to the movies to turn our brains off, to take a break from school, work and life. Education and entertainment regularly appear to be the opposite of one another.

But we are always learning, meaning everything is education, including what is commonly labelled as entertainment.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission states that education must go beyond formal institutions in order to remedy the gaps in knowledge that perpetuate racism. Education for change needs to be able to touch minds and hearts, and film has the power to do both.

Assini: challenging the meaning of ‘Indian’

Hollywood’s representation of Indigenous people over time has educated the general public through stereotypical and racist portrayals. But that’s changing.

In Gail Maurice’s film Assini, seven-year-old Assini says to her friend after watching a western, “Indians are stupid. They always get killed. Cowboys can kill seven with one shot.”

Assini later discovers that she herself is “Indian,” and at first rejects the label — unsurprising given what Hollywood westerns and dime-store comic books have taught her.

Upon reflection and the ever-present love of her grandmother, Assini comes around to the idea that “Indians rule” and that racist representations must go. She wins a stand-off with a “cowboy,” stomps on a comic book, cheers with her friends and calls it a day.

Assini shows that films can be a source of education that succeed in interrupting rather than reproducing racist stereotypes.

The work Assini does for viewers parallels the work the character Assini does in the short film. It analyzes popular forms of entertainment, such as movies and comic books, shows their consequences in everyday life — Cree and Métis characters in the film understand “Indian” as an insult — and creates a new ending, or, more accurately, a fresh start.

Assini challenges and exceeds the meaning of “Indian” as scripted by popular culture. The film makes abundantly clear the beauty of Assini’s wide-open childhood landscape, as well as the humour and love in her community.

This is education. There is so much to learn and unlearn.

Indigenous media is on the rise

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples provides a framework for the Government of Canada to recognize “the dignity and diversity of [Indigenous] cultures, traditions, histories and aspirations which shall be appropriately reflected in education and public information.”

The declaration similarly states that “Indigenous peoples have the right to establish their own media in their own languages and to have access to all forms of non-indigenous media without discrimination.”

Establishing media and appropriately reflecting the diversity of Indigenous people, histories and lives go hand-in-hand. Indigenous filmmakers are changing the world by telling their own stories in their own ways.

It matters what we watch, what we pay attention to and what we learn. Even if we think we are not learning, entertainment and media play a crucial role in shaping our beliefs about the world around us.

Amazing films by Indigenous filmmakers are not just fun to watch, but are also an important component of working toward a more just future in which respect for Indigenous territories, rights and responsibilities are fundamental to how we all live.

In disrupting stereotypes, showcasing Indigenous excellence and teaching about histories and contemporary realities that matter, Indigenous filmmakers are leading the way toward a better future.

Not every great film is made by an Indigenous woman, but a lot of them are. We should all be paying attention, watching, learning and, yes, being entertained.

Doing so is easier than ever, with many incredible films available on platforms such as Crave, CBC Gem and the National Film Board.

Next time you’re looking for a movie, look up Janine Windolph, Caroline Monnet, Alexandra Lazarowich, Tracey Deer, Danis Goulet, Gail Maurice, Tasha Hubbard, Amanda Strong, Sonya Ballantyne or Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers. These are directors to follow.

SOURCE

'These documents do not belong in Rome'

Oblates to open Rome archives next month for residential school records search | First time a Canadian researcher granted access to Oblates archives in Rome

Olivia Stefanovich · CBC News · March 19

Survivors await release of residential school archives from Catholic entity

WATCH

A Catholic entity that ran residential schools in Canada will soon open its archive in Rome, bringing some hope to survivors searching for records. 1:58

The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR) plans to begin a search as soon as next month in the archives of a Roman Catholic order that ran 48 residential schools in Canada, including the institution in Kamloops, B.C., where last year more than 200 unmarked graves were discovered.

Raymond Frogner, head of archives for the NCTR, will be visiting the Rome archives of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate to review and digitize residential school-related records.

It's the first time any Canadian researcher has been granted access to the Oblate General Archives.

"It's quite a wild card," Frogner said. "We've been told there's correspondence there and other documentation, but we are still a bit in the dark of what is held there."

He said the NCTR is still negotiating with the Oblates to access the personnel files of priests and residential school staff. He said the Oblates are seeking restrictions around records from those members who are still alive.

• Catholic group gives 'formal commitment' to disclose all records from B.C. and Sask. residential schools

Frogner said the long-term goal is to have everything open for research, access and use.

The Oblates have so far provided more than 40,000 files to the NCTR through the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, but the discovery in May 2021 on the grounds of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School led the order to seek this agreement, said Rev. Ken Thorson, leader of the Oblates in Canada.

Rev. Ken Thorson, leader of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate in Canada, said the order has a significant contribution to make to ensure the truth of the residential school experience is known as part of the healing process. (OMI)

"The Oblates have been moved by the events of the last year," said Thorson, who is based in Ottawa.

"It was my feeling that we should ensure that every document that might be related to the residential school history should be made available."

The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate and the Grey Nuns of the Cross ran the former St. Anne's Residential School in Fort Albany, Ont. (Algoma University/Edmund Metatabwin collection)

'These documents do not belong in Rome'

Thorson acknowledged that the Oblates have a significant contribution to make to ensure the truth of the residential school experience is known and to facilitate a deeper understanding of this history as part of the ongoing healing process.

"This is the most important work that I've been given to do as an Oblate leader," he said.

Thorson said the Oblate archives in Rome, which are separate from the Vatican archives, could contain letters from missionaries to religious leaders about their work.

Evelyn Korkmaz, a survivor of the former St. Anne's Residential School, has repeatedly called on the Roman Catholic Church to release all residential school records. (Brian Morris/CBC)

Residential school survivor Evelyn Korkmaz said she is hopeful the agreement between the NCTR and the Oblates will reveal more information about St. Anne's Residential School in Fort Albany, Ont., which the Oblates ran and she attended from 1969 to 1972.

"It's time to open that door of horrors and take a look at what's inside," Korkmaz said.

"These documents do not belong in Rome. They belong here, in Canada."

Records can't have any restrictions, survivor says

Korkmaz says she wants to make sure other Catholic entities, including the Vatican, release all residential school records in their possession, adding that there should be no restrictions on the files.

"We need to know information on priests and brothers or nuns who have passed away," Korkmaz said.

• Search for unmarked graves at site of former northern Alberta residential school to begin soon

• 169 potential graves found at site of former residential school in northern Alberta

"But we also need to know of the priests or nuns or cardinals, whatever, that are still alive today because those ones are the ones that are continuing to do damage."

Frogner said that records still held by the Oblates in Rome are vital to the work of the NCTR, which was created to be the main repository for the documented history of the residential school system in Canada.

More documents identified in Canada

Frogner said the NCTR has already identified Oblate records held by its archives in Canada, including more than 1,000 boxes held in Alberta. The centre is working to access those records through a separate research agreement with the Catholic entity.

More than 1,000 other files are located at the Société historique de Saint-Boniface in northern Manitoba, while other documentation is held at the Royal B.C. Museum in Victoria and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver, he said.

Before Frogner goes to Rome, an Indigenous delegation from Canada is heading to the Vatican for meetings with Pope Francis.

The delegates are expected to appeal for an official apology from the Pope for the Church's role in running residential schools and press for the disclosure of more records, which they have discussed with the NCTR.

Korkmaz said she would acknowledge a papal apology, but it wouldn't mean much to her because it would be "hollow words."

"I'm more concerned about the documentation than an apology that he's forced to say," Korkmaz said.

"What would mean more to me is bringing those documents back to Canada."

Canada indigenous demand Church admit role in ‘genocide,’ rescind colonization edicts

In this 1910s photo provided by the United Church of Canada Archives, students write on a chalkboard at the Red Deer Indian Industrial School in Alberta. In Canada, where more than 150,000 Indigenous children attended residential schools over more than a century, a National Truth and Reconciliation Commission identified 3,201 deaths amid poor conditions. (Credit: United Church of Canada Archives via AP.)

 

ROME – A group of Canadian indigenous persons traveling to Rome to meet the pope this month said they will ask for an apology and an admission of guilt for the Catholic Church’s role in the “genocide” of their people, and that they’ll demand papal edicts endorsing colonization be rescinded.

A joint delegation of Canadian bishops and three different indigenous communities in Canada will travel to Rome March 28 – April 1, where they will hold both individual and group meetings with Pope Francis.

Among the indigenous communities are the Assembly of First Nations (AFN), the Métis National Council, and the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami. Delegates include elders, “knowledge keepers,” residential school survivors, and youth.

KEEP READING

Trudeau’s 2017 papal gift of the Jesuit ‘Relations'

 

Children’s shoes are seen on the steps of the Holy Rosary Catholic Cathedral in downtown Vancouver, June 8, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

As an Indigenous delegation prepares to visit the Vatican, it’s worth revisiting Trudeau’s 2017 papal gift of the Jesuit ‘Relations’

A delegation of Indigenous people with the Assembly of First Nations, Métis National Council and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami travels to meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican for events during the week of March 28.

On this occasion, it’s worth reflecting on a gift Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave Pope Francis when he visited the Vatican nearly five years ago.

During Trudeau’s May 2017 visit, he offered Pope Francis a set of the Jesuit Relations. These are annual reports written by missionaries in what is now eastern Canada from 1632 to 1672, first published in Paris.

The Prime Minister was in Rome in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action #58. This urges the pope to apologize for the church’s role in the spiritual, cultural, emotional, physical and sexual abuse of First Nations, Inuit and Métis children in Catholic-run residential schools.

Keep Reading

But with renewed calls for a Papal apology growing louder and a visit to Canada by Pope Francis expected, it’s worth considering whether efforts to enlist powerful institutions like the Catholic Church in reconciliation have been helped or hindered by what Canadians hear about these early written records. 

MORE: Indian Residential Schools: What does it mean if the Pope apologizes in Canada? 

 If you are an Indian Residential School survivor, or have been affected by the residential school system and need help, you can contact the 24-hour Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line: 1-866-925-4419

Artist passing on skills to next generation

 SOURCE

SIOUX VALLEY (Manitoba)— Sioux Valley Dakota Nation artist Roland Ironman (60s Scoop adoptee) has a prolific portfolio.

People are bound to have encountered one of his logo, sign or mural designs while travelling around Westman.

One of his most recent projects has been painting the walls of the new Canupawakpa Dakota Oyate community hall, which have been adorned with hand-painted, brilliant star blankets and significant spiritual symbols after consultations with elders.

"We sat in a room and we just talked … they talked about what they wanted on those walls, and I just had a notebook and wrote down whatever ideas they gave me," Ironman said.

He has emblazoned the walls with bright reds and yellows complemented by rich blacks and whites. He still has some finishing touches to complete, but the project has been delayed due to COVID-19 and bad road conditions.

Ironman created the original mural in the old community hall before it burned down in a fire.

One of his bigger initial projects was painting the inside of Veterans Hall in Sioux Valley. The hand-painted images include a woman on horseback with a baby, representing the arrival of people in Sioux Valley. The other animal images included are spiritually significant — the Buffalo Clan, the Eagle Clan and the Elk Clan.

Ironman is originally a sign painter by trade.

He learned his trade in the core of downtown Toronto while attending George Mountain College. It was a major change of pace for the young artist, who grew up in Sioux Valley.

He ended up in the city after visiting his dad, who lived just outside of Toronto, and his mom, who lived in the core of the city. Ironman said he considers himself lucky because both sides of his family are filled with artistic souls. His father was an artist and his mother was a star blanket seamstress, his older sister creates star blankets and his younger sister creates ribbon skirts.

Ironman is a ’60s Scoop survivor and saw his family split up, sending the siblings out of Sioux Valley through adoptions. He was the youngest and was taken away from home when he was six or seven years old.

Ironman and his older brother were placed on a Kola-area farm. The people they were staying with, who were an older couple, wanted to retire and move back to British Columbia. Because of this, Ironman was sent back to Sioux Valley.

"We were lucky we got to come back to the rez here," Ironman said.

He and his brother were transferred to the Pratt family, and it became the place that suited them best. They got to stay on a farm, where they worked, driving tractors and combines.

"All the fun kind of stuff," Ironman said. "They had horses there too, so that’s where I learned to ride the horse."

He took to the arts while in grade school and eventually signed up for an arts class. From there, he went to Virden and took another art course. His passion later took him to Oak Lake, and he eventually settled in at Crocus Plains Regional Secondary School when it first opened up, and was able to take a two-year art course.

Upon graduating, he attended Red River Community College in Winnipeg to try out advertising art.

"It wasn’t my cup of tea," Ironman said with a shy smile.

From there, he went to Toronto and was looking for a job downtown. While visiting, he stopped by a sign shop. They were not hiring at the time, but they told him to apply for the George Brown Community College sign painting course.

"I got in, and that was my cup of tea," Ironman said with a grin. Before the course was over, he had already secured a job. "It worked out perfectly."

He stayed in Toronto for about 10 years before returning to Manitoba following his previous trail — he started in Winnipeg, then Brandon, Oak Lake and Virden before resettling in Sioux Valley.

"I came back the same way, just in reverse," Ironman said.

He launched a sign shop in Brandon in the early 1990s. He completed countless signs and also took to hand-painting unique designs on cars.

Ironman continues to work on signs and other projects, but is making more time to focus on his art and his community.

"I’m kind of an outdoors camper guy," Ironman said. "I like hunting and fishing … I’m into archery, too, real heavy, it’s the traditional archery I’m into."

He enjoys sharing his skills with others in the community.

Ironman recently turned 65 and has been focused on passing down his skills to young people, especially when it comes to traditional archery. He tries to get them out hunting with him in the fall, and they also go down to Rapid City, S.D., for an archery tournament run by the Dakota people.

"It is an excellent place to go. I like going to the Black Hills," Ironman said, adding he hopes to return this year.

Ironman also volunteers with Sioux Valley Dakota Nation’s Wipazoka Wakpa Climate Change and Environment working group.

"It’s a good feeling to know that I’m doing stuff for the community," Ironman said. "I try and do lots for my community."

[Sioux Valley Dakota Nation or Wipazoka Wakpa is a Dakota First Nation that resides west of Brandon, Manitoba.]

Métis Nation-Saskatchewan survivors set for meeting with Pope Francis #60sScoop #Genocide

Strict Scrutiny Podcast on Brackeen Cases

 from Turtle Talk Blog

Here is “Going Down Clutching the Constitution.”

Did you know that at least 40% percent of the 7,000 languages used worldwide are endangered?

 50 Greetings in Native American Languages

Posted By Brittany L Cerny March 5th, 2022|

Indigenous languages are much more vulnerable to endangerment for various reasons. For one, these languages are not taught in traditional schools, and oftentimes younger generations aren’t inheriting this knowledge from their elders. When you consider that funding isn’t typically available for indigenous language development programs, it further compounds the issue. That's why it is important for those who speak Native American languages to pass their fluency on to others.  

Language is integral to the Native culture and should therefore be celebrated with purpose. One way that Native languages are brought to light is through Google Earth’s Celebrating Indigenous Languages application. When you go to the site or app, you can click on different locations around the world and learn about the indigenous languages in those areas. For example, when users click on Oklahoma, a picture of a young Cherokee woman appears. When you click on the play button, she greets you in the Cherokee language.

There are tremendous benefits to learning a second language. According to the organization Lead with Languages, there is evidence that “student achievement and performance, community and school pride, and educational opportunity are clearly and directly tied to respect for, and support of, the first language of the child.” They also state that learning tribal languages helps to build stronger families, communities, and cultural appreciation. 

Several organizations, such as the popular language learning program, Rosetta Stone, have begun initiatives to help preserve indigenous languages. Rosetta Stone is just one website/app that people can use to learn a new language or brush up on emerging language skills. 

If that sounds like you, we've organized a list of 50 greetings in a variety of Native American languages so you can impress your family and friends and connect with your tribal heritage in a new way.

50 Native American Greetings

How to Say Hello

1. O'-Si-Yo'- Cherokee
2. Halito- Choctaw
3. Hau- Dakota and Lakota Sioux
4. Buzhu (Boozhoo)- Objiwa Chippewa
5. Apaa- Yupik Eskimo
6. Ya'at'eeh- Dene Navajo
7. guw'aadzi -Rio Grand Keresan
8. cama-i/ waqaa (hi) – Yup’ic
9. hè– Lenape
10. Ma-da-way-  Comanche 
11. Keshhi- Zuni
12. Shap kaij- Pima
13. Ɂedlanet’e- Dene
14. Hawé- Quapaw
15. way’ – Salish
16. Hę̄r's cē – Muskogean
17. Ba'ax ka wa'alik?- Mayan
18. Nya:wëh sgë:nö’- Seneca
19. ᑕᓂᓯ (Tanisi), ᐙᒋᔮ (Waachiyaa)- Cree
20. Kúhaʔahat – Caddo
21. maiku – Ute
22. Aho- Ponca
23. Behne- Shoshoni
24. Marúawe- Comanche
25. *haku- Chumash
26. Ahó (m>m)- Omaha
27. Weyt-kp- Shuswap
28. Haho – Winnebago
29. héébee (man speaking) tous (woman speaking, or a man speaking to a woman)- Arapaho
30. Gwe'- Míkmawísimk (Míkmaq)
31. Bhozo – Potawatomi
32. Da'anzho- Apache

How to Say How Are You? / How Have You Been?

1. Do hi tsu- Cherokee
2. Sadögweta’ – Seneca
3. Bix yanikech?- Mayan
4. chim achukma- Choctaw
5. Estonko? ‘Stonko?- Muskogean
6. Toníktuha he?– Dakota and Lakota Sioux
7. cangacit?- Yup’ic
8. Ko' do' dewanan deyaye?- Zuni
9. Aaniish naa ezhiyaayin?– Ojibwe
10. ¿Quen tinemi? (How do you live?)- Aztec
11. Ɂedlanet’e kú- Dene
12. Gasing.uu dang Giidang? – Haida
13. ‘Ii ch ‘o' ‘uy' ‘ul'?- Salish

How to Say Goodbye

1. Tókša akhé- Lakota
2. Donadagohvi- Cherokee

How to Say Good Morning 

1. Yá'át'ééh abíní- Navajo
2. Híŋháŋni- Lakota
3. Osda sunalei- Cherokee

In addition to these Native American greetings, another way you can support the continuance of an indigenous language is by learning and studying one. As stated above, Rosetta Stone is one place that offers certain tribal language courses. Another option is learning through Duolingo, which now offers practice sessions in the Navajo language. YouTube has countless videos of different instructors teaching the basics of Native languages. And don’t forget about checking around where you live; there may be someone willing to give language lessons. 

Advancing and preserving Native American languages is crucial. Not only is it important for the future of various tribes, but it's fun, educational and something you can share with your friends and family.

Opinion: Where Would Indigenous Children Be Without The Indian Child Welfare Act?

Posted By Jeanette Centeno | March 9th, 2022 | SOURCE

We all know by now that the Supreme Court agreed to hear a challenge to the constitutionality of the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 (ICWA), which makes it difficult to separate Native American children from their families, tribes and indigenous heritage.

Despite having support from both Republican and Democratic officials, state officials feel the Indian Child Welfare Act violates the Constitution’s promise of equal protection. Furthermore, state officials feel the Indian Child Welfare Act does little to protect the real needs of the child and deprives them of proper placement outside of their community. The 1978 Act was enacted after thousands of indigenous children were forcibly removed from their homes and tribal communities. Some 35 percent of all indigenous children were removed from their families and more than 85 percent were placed with families that had zero affiliation or cultural ties to a given tribal community. The generational abuse left many without a connection to their culture, language, or families. 

Family courts typically make decisions based on the best interests of the child in question. The 1978 law determined that where Native American children are concerned, one of those interests is protecting their relationships with their respective tribes. 

“The tribe has an interest in the child which is distinct from but on a parity with the interest of the parents,” Justice William J. Brennan Jr. wrote in a 1989 decision, Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians v. Holyfield. 

The Indian Child Welfare Act sets federal requirements that protect indigenous children in adoption proceedings and requires state and caseworkers to make several considerations during hearings, such as:

• the family must be involved
• appropriate placements that fit under ICWA provisions must be identified
• tribal nations must be notified of the adoption proceedings

Any measures by the courts that divert from the above, can place the child in danger. Although the Indian Child Welfare Act is labeled as the gold standard in many proceedings, states such as Texas, Louisiana, and Indiana are currently contesting the law in recent cases. According to some lawmakers, the ICWA violates state laws by simply tipping the scales and favoring tribes. Lawyers for the states feel the Indian Child Welfare Act fosters an imbalance in adoptions proceedings by favoring legal mechanisms based on race and tribal affiliation. Several tribal nations, including the Cherokee and Navajo, two of the country’s biggest tribes, have intervened in many adoption cases that attempted to place children outside their communities.

Lawyers for the state of Texas cited the only reason there is an increase in the adoption of indigenous children, is due to an increase in poverty, substance abuse in the home, gang violence, and neglect. The problems that plague Indian Country or retain reservations are repeatedly used against families, which is part of the systemic bias within the court and legal system.

For instance, if the child comes from a reservation that is high on crime, lacks certain services, or there is a history of alcoholism within the community, the lawyers tend to use this to paint a picture that is often inaccurate, if not racist.

Recent research shows that indigenous children are still four times more likely to be removed from their homes than their non-Native counterparts. So it begs the question: if indigenous children are that much more likely to be removed from their homes with the Indian Child Welfare Act in place, then where would they be without it?

Feature image credit: Native American Children by Rennett Stowe 

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AUTHOR: Jeanette Centeno (Taíno) is a nurse with 18 years of experience, ranging from Spinal Cord Injury patients to case management. She is committed to advocating for adequate healthcare and proper intervention for all people. Centeno currently works at the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, one of the leading acute care hospitals in treating Spinal Cord Injury.

 

One Year in Office: Interior Secretary Deb Haaland

 

Deb Haaland marks first year in office

By Pauly Denetclaw As the first Indigenous person to lead the Department of the Interior, her voice has finally been heard. But is it enough?  Just three weeks after the discovery made in Kamloops, Haaland announced at the National Congress of American Indian 2021 Mid Year Conference that the Interior Department would undertake a comprehensive review of federal boarding schools with an emphasis on cemeteries and potential burial sites. “As I read stories about an unmarked grave in Canada where the remains of 215 Indigenous children were found last month, I was sick to my stomach,” Haaland wrote in an op-ed. “But the deaths of Indigenous children at the hands of government were not limited to that side of the border… The United States also has a history of taking Native children from their families in an effort to eradicate our culture and erase us as a people. It is a history that we must learn from if our country is to heal from this tragic era.” ... continue reading

Technicalities: Transfer to Tribal Court Case from Iowa Supreme Court [ICWA] [CASA]

Background: Brackeen v. Bernhardt HAALAND threatens to topple ICWA and place Native American children at risk. Supreme Court Justices agree to review constitutionality of Indian Child Welfare Act (Amy Howe, February 28, 2022)

Earlier article worth a read: https://blog.americanindianadoptees.com/2019/05/op-ed-preserve-indian-child-welfare-act.html

Kate Fort : Transfer to Tribal Court Case from Iowa Supreme Court [ICWA]

210243_816EBFA59A154

This is a very useful decision directly addressing one for the most difficult parts of a transfer process--whether the state court will use a best interest analysis to determine jurisdiction.

These are not reasons to deny a tribe jurisdiction over a child welfare case:

The State argued that transfer should be denied because of the lack of
responsibility by Mother and Father, the efforts of the foster parents to promote
the children’s Native American heritage, and the good relationship between the
current professionals and the children. The guardian ad litem for the children
joined the State in resisting the transfer of the case to tribal court.

Oh, and would you look at that, a CASA:👈  👇

The juvenile court noted that the court appointed special advocate (CASA) for the children recommended that the parental rights of the parents be terminated and the children continue living with the foster parents.  (And a full picture of the racist underpinnings of the modern child welfare system helps develop a fuller view of CASA programs. The term structural racism can call to mind invisible forces that shape the world in a discriminatory way.)

But don't worry--the Iowa Supreme Court clearly channeled the Washington Supreme Court in its thoughtful discussion of ICWA and its purpose, summarizing that

The federal ICWA and accompanying regulations and guidelines establish a framework for consideration of motions to transfer juvenile matters from state court to tribal court. Although good cause is not elaborated at length, both the statute and regulations state in some detail what is not good cause. Absent an objection to transfer or a showing of unavailability or
substantial hardship with a tribal forum, transfer is to occur. Clearly, Congress has an overall objective in enacting ICWA to establish a framework for the preservation of Native American families wherever possible.

The Court goes on to discuss the Iowa ICWA at length, along with some bad caselaw in Iowa, specifically the In re J.L. case, which is a really awful decision and has been a pain to deal with for years.

This Court states,

State courts have struggled with the statutory question of whether federal
or state ICWA statutes permit a child to raise a best interests challenge to
transfer to tribal courts. In In re N.V., 744 N.W.2d 634, we answered the
question. After surveying the terms of the federal and state ICWA statutes, we
concluded that the statutes did not permit a child to challenge transfer on best
interests grounds. Id. at 638–39.

***

In short, there can be no substantive due process violation arising from a
statute that refuses to allow a party to present on an issue irrelevant to the
proceeding. To that extent, we overrule the holding ofIn re J.L. (emphasis ADDED)

***

In conclusion, if there is no objecting child above the age of twelve, we hold
that the transfer provisions of ICWA which do not permit a child from raising the
best interests of the child to oppose transfer does not violate substantive due
process.

Therefore,

In an ICWA proceeding, the United States Supreme Court observed that
“we must defer to the experience, wisdom, and compassion of the . . . tribal
courts to fashion an appropriate remedy” in Indian child welfare cases. Holyfield,
490 U.S. at 54 (quoting In re Adoption of Halloway, 732 P.2d at 972). These
observations apply in this case

There is a small dissent on whether the Father could appeal this case, but no issues with the Tribe's appeal. Also, a reminder that the issue of jurisdiction was never a question Brackeen and decisions like this one are tremendously helpful for tribes seeking to transfer cases.

 

FYI:

Volunteer child advocates, or “CASAs” (Court Appointed Special Advocates), are lay volunteer guardians ad litem appointed by the family court to represent the “best interests” of children who enter the child welfare system. 

(report)

[[...what is particularly striking about the proliferation of volunteer CASA programs is just how visible, and visibly racist, they are. When a CASA is appointed to speak for a child in family court, the child’s parents lose one of the most cherished responsibilities any person can have—the power to decide what is best for their own children and speak on their behalf.  This power is not transferred to the child, but rather to the CASA herself; once appointed, it is the CASA who voices “the child’s” position, based on the CASA’s own assessment of what the CASA thinks is best for the child. 4 When that power—not just the power to determine a child’s fate, but the power to even speak one’s own opinion on the matter—is distributed away from poor families and children of color and given to a group of middle-class white volunteers, the racial bias in the system—the structural racism—is not just clearly visible, but is actually given a seat at the table in court for all to see. And that power works real, tangible harms on families who encounter the child welfare system. The simple act of having a CASA assigned increases the chance that a parent’s rights to her child will be terminated, 5 an outcome that has been called the “civil death penalty.” CASA programs have carved out a unique and in some ways untouchable role in child welfare decision-making nationwide.