Internet Archive: Details: Radyo Inteligentaindigena-07-19-2008

Transmitting from within the occupied Aboriginal territories of North America for Radio Free First Nations, this is Radyo Inteligentaindigena for 04.09.2008


This Dispatch: The Angryindian Reads listener Emails and discusses the politics of awareness.

These items, Fourth World news and more on Radyo Inteligentaindigena, the podcast of the Intelligent Aboriginal news service.

Subscribe to our handy dandy Internet Radio Broadcast RSS/XML feed here or you can directly download this episode MP3 file here.
-----------------------------------------

The Radyo Inteligentaindigena Internet radio broadcast is hosted by the Internet Archive -----------------------------------------

*Special thanks to the lovely people of Dance-Industries, the best copyleft music on the www and the Creative Commons licensed sounds of Jamendo, Protest Records and CC Mixter.

Alaskans suffer nation's highest gasoline prices - Yahoo! News

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - Think you're feeling pain at the gas pump? Consider the residents of Lime Village, Alaska, an isolated Denaina Athabascan Indian community where gasoline prices have hit $8.55 a gallon.

The price is severely curtailing movement around the
interior Alaska village, where four-wheelers are sitting idle,
said Ursula Graham, administrator for the Lime Village
Traditional Council.

"Nobody's going on joy rides, that's for sure," Graham
said.

Alaska, despite its status as a major crude oil producer,
has the highest average gasoline prices of all U.S. states,
according to the American Automobile Association. Alaska prices
averaged $4.65 a gallon for regular gasoline on Friday,
compared with a national average of $4.10, according to AAA.

Neal Fried, an economist with the Alaska department of
labor, said the ironic situation reflects the hard reality that
the state's small population hinders economies of scale and
market competition.

two-spirit : Message: FW: [twospiritgatherings] Register Online for 20th Anniversay Int'l Two-Spirit Gathering

You can now register for the 20th Anniversary International Two-Spirit
Gathering online. Yes, you can pay for registration online too! Just
go to http://www.intltwospiritgathering.org. The gathering is taking
place in Sandstone, MN from August 28 - September 1, 2008 at the
Audubon Center of the North Woods.

Commemorative posters are available online too. Proceeds support
programming and participation by Native Elders, youth, and women. You
can donate $15 for 1 poster (plus $5 shipping/handling) or $25 for 2
posters (plus $5 shipping/handling).

Let me know if you encounter any issues as we want to get those
ironed-out asap.

See you at the gathering!

Louva Hartwell, Diné
2008 Webmaster of International Two Spirt Gathering Website

Native_American_Issues_Causes : Message: Mediation OK'd in split by tribe on membership

VALLEY CENTER – A dispute over membership in the San Pasqual Indian band is threatening its government and its operation of the Valley View Casino, which has created hundreds of jobs and earned millions in revenues.

The disagreement has split the tribe into two camps, which the Bureau of Indian Affairs is working to reconcile.

The sides met yesterday with James Fletcher, the BIA's Southern California superintendent, and agreed to mediation, he said.

Without a resolution, Fletcher said he's at a crossroads.

Each side is asking him to recognize it as the true tribal government.

Fletcher said he has three options: recognize one group, the other, or neither. If he chooses neither group, then there is no tribal government. And without a government, the tribe can't run a casino, Fletcher said.

“I just don't know how it's going to come out,” Fletcher said last night.

Tribal membership has been a heated issue at San Pasqual for years. But last month, about 50 members of the 300-member tribe were told they were suspended because an anthropological study had determined an ancestor was adopted; as a result, they weren't really Indians.

The tribe is denying them tribal benefits, which include monthly casino-profit payments of nearly $4,000 each and, for some, housing and jobs.

On Sunday, the day of the tribe's quarterly general meeting, two meetings were held.

One was in a tent on the Valley Center reservation and called by the tribal chairman. The other was in an Escondido meeting hall, called by the tribe's vice chairman and attended by people whose ancestry is being challenged.

People who attended the meetings said each had the appropriate quorum of the tribe's adult members.

NatNews : Message: Native leader takes umbrage at French PM's remarks

Comments by the French prime minister in a speech about the founding of
Quebec 400 years ago were ill-informed, says a P.E.I. Mi'kmaq leader who
has written asking for an apology.

John Joe Sark, a member of the Mi'kmaq Grand Council, was referring to
references by Prime Minister François Fillon to the region landed in by
French settlers in 1608 as "lawless" and "populated by Indians." Fillon was
speaking in French at a celebration held in Quebec City on July 3.

Sark told CBC News Wednesday those comments show a lack of understanding of
native laws and traditions, and of the role First Nations played in helping
the French gain a foothold in Canada.

"It's kind of ironic because without the Mi'kmaq and other aboriginal
people those guys would never have survived," said Sark.

Native_American_Issues_Causes : Message: Re: NA Issues & Causes The relative importance (unimportance) of Aboriginal people to Canadian society.

TORONTO — Aboriginal people have been granted the 102nd spot on a government-sponsore d list of 101 things that most define Canada after online respondents pointed out that First Nations people, culture and symbols weren't included in the original tally. The oversight and late addition reflects how the historic marginalization of First Nations people has pushed them to the fringes of Canadian consciousness, an aboriginal studies instructor said.
Still, at least one aboriginal chief said it was a positive sign that, upon reflection, Canadians recognized the error.

The list, commissioned by Citizenship and Immigration Canada and the Dominion Institute, was compiled from the responses of more than 3,000 Canadians who were asked to identify those people, places, events, accomplishments and symbols that best define Canada.
"The top symbols were the Maple Leaf, the beaver, the Canadian flag," said Marc Chalifoux, executive director of the Dominion Institute.

"Aboriginal culture, in my view - it was a really surprising element that was missing from the list. The survey was quite exhaustive."

After the original list was finalized the project's website posed the question: Tell us what's missing?
"What's nice is to see that, when Canadians were asked what was missing from the list of 101, that's what came in as the first choice, the most glaring omission," Chalifoux said.

SURVIVAL INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASE

17 JULY 2008

A secret document accidentally posted on the internet reveals plans to build a series of massive hydroelectric dams in the Malaysian state of Sarawak, submerging the homes of at least a thousand Penan, Kelabit and Kenyah tribal people.

The document is a presentation by the managing director of the company Sarawak Energy Berhad, and gives the location of twelve proposed hydroelectric power projects to be constructed between now and 2020. Sarawak Energy Berhad controls the production and distribution of electricity within the state.

The dams would submerge several Penan, Kelabit and Kenyah villages, displacing at least a thousand people. One dam would also submerge part of a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Mulu National Park.

The dams are projected to produce far more electricity than Sarawak uses.

The Penan have been fighting for twenty years to prevent logging companies, including the Malaysian timber giant Samling, from cutting down their forests. But the companies, with the backing of the Malaysian government, have devastated much of the tribe’s land.

The Penan are nomadic hunter-gatherers. Many have now been settled, but continue to rely very much on the forest for their existence. About 300 still live a completely nomadic life.

The Sarawak Energy Berhad presentation was posted on a Chinese website and has now been removed.

To download the presentation and a map of the proposed dam sites from Survival’s website, visit http://list-manage.com/track/click?u=b14580b05b832fb959c4ee444&id=1eb1403010&e=pxycOWqgOe

Survival International
6 Charterhouse Buildings
London EC1M 7ET
UK

Tel: (+44) (0)20 7687 8700
Fax: (+44) (0)20 7687 8701
www.survival-international.org

This comes in from our Aotearoa corespondent Sina Brown-Davis: Tuesday 15 July 2008 For immediate release

INDONESIAN DIPLOMATS GET THEIR HANDS DIRTY FIGHTING CULTURE WAR IN CANBERRA

Members of a group working with Australia’s West Papuan community have today revealed efforts by the Indonesian Embassy in Canberra to derail a cultural celebration held last Friday night at the Theo Notaras Multicultural Centre.

Embassy officials held multiple meetings with the management of the Multicultural Centre; made representations to the ACT Government; the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT); and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) in the weeks leading up to the culture night.

The Australia West Papua Association (AWPA) will be submitting a Freedom of Information request to determine what advice was provided to the Multicultural Centre by DFAT.

Article 2 of the ‘Lombok Treaty’ was used as the grounds for shutting down the culture night based on its statement that the Australian Government will not support so called ‘separatist’ activities.

This has confirmed fears expressed during the treaty process that the inclusion of this section was a trojan horse to leverage the Australian Government into restricting free speech in relation to Indonesian human rights issues. Under such a clause, Australia could never have advocated for the referendum in East Timor.

After their initial attempts failed, Embassy officials then sought guarantees that no ‘political statements’ would be made at the cultural night. This tactic also failed.

A spokesperson for the Australia West Papua Association (AWPA), Daniel Scoullar, said that attempts to limit the free speech of Australians inside Australia show the lengths the Indonesian Government will go to to suppress West Papuan cultural expression.

“Culture becomes political when expressing it is made a crime.

“West Papuans face this reality in their own country. Expressing their culture is illegal and punishable by up to 20 years in prison or, more commonly, by day-to-day intimidation and human rights abuses by security forces. This was demonstrated recently in the high profile case of 16 students arrested in March for raising a flag.

“Imagine risking twenty years in jail for singing Waltzing Matilda.

“Finally, AWPA would like to thank the management of the Theo Notaras Multicultural Centre; the ACT and Federal governments; and the Australian Federal Police for not backing down from this high level diplomatic intimidation. The night itself was a great success.”

Please contact Daniel Scoullar on 0402 596 297 for more information

BBC NEWS | Americas | Cuba reforms turn to state land

Cuba is to put more state-controlled farm land into private hands, in a move to increase the island's lagging food production.

Private farmers who do well will be able to increase their holdings by up to 99 acres (40 hectares) for a 10-year period that can be renewed.

Until now, private farmers have only been able to run small areas of land.

The BBC's Michael Voss, in Havana, says this is one of President Raul Castro's most significant reforms to date.

Ontario police almost moved in on 2007 Mohawk blockades

Newly released court documents show Ontario Provincial Police were just minutes away from moving in to forcibly remove a First Nations blockade that prompted the closure of Highway 401 during last summer's aboriginal day of action.

The documents include wiretap transcripts that feature OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino telling Mohawk protest leader Shawn Brant in a telephone conversation that, "your whole world’s going to come crashing down" and threatening to "do everything I can within your community and everywhere to destroy your reputation" during the tense standoff between police and aboriginal protesters at blockade sites in eastern Ontario.

The at-times heated comments by the province's top police officer fly in the face of the police force's own conduct guidelines in discussions with aboriginal groups that were recommended in the wake of the police killing of Dudley George at Ipperwash Provincial Park in 1995, Brant's lawyer said.

The court documents, released Friday after being freed from a publication ban, are transcripts from Fantino's testimony in August 2007 at Brant's preliminary hearing in a Napanee, Ont., court. Preliminary hearings are held to determine if there is enough evidence to warrant a trial.

Brant is charged with nine counts, including mischief, stemming from the First Nations blockades on Highway 401, Highway 2 and a CN Rail line near the eastern Ontario town of Deseronto on June 29, 2007, which prompted provincial police to close Canada's busiest highway and CN to suspend all rail service on the Montreal-Toronto corridor.

Que. Algonquin community opens own school over language fears

Indian Affairs denies government-run school stifles Anishnaabe tongue
Last Updated: Thursday, July 17, 2008 | 2:54 PM ET
CBC News

Parents and elders in the last Algonquin-speaking community in Canada have pulled most of their reserve's young children from an official government-run elementary school over what some in the community say is a continuing attempt to erase their language and culture.

Some of the 650 Algonquins of Barrière Lake living in the remote village of Rapid Lake, or Kitiganik, have set up their own school on the reserve on the shore of Quebec's Cabonga reservoir, about 300 kilometres north of Ottawa.

A few weeks ago, Canada formally apologized for trying to assimilate native children through the residential school system in the 20th century. But some members said the reserve's government-run school has been engaging in similar practices.

The Barrière Lake Algonquins are the last of 10 Algonquin communities in Canada to still speak the language known as Anishnaabe at home. The parents and elders have previously pushed to have more of their language included in the curriculum of Algonquins of Barrière Lake School, where instruction is given primarily in English.

Contact:

Coalición de Derechos Humanos P.O. Box 1286Tucson, AZ 8570Office: 520.770.1373or 1.800.682.4280Fax: 520.770.7455
http://www.derechoshumanosaz.net/
Coalición de Derechos Humanos is a grassroots organization which promotes respect for human/civil rights and fights the militarization of the Southern Border region, discrimination, and human rights abuses by federal, state, and local law enforcement officials affecting U.S. and non-U.S. citizens alike.

Call to Action!

Defend Isabel Garcia!---Defend our First Amendment Rights!---Demand Accountability from those who would support Hate media! As many of you are aware, a protest last week of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio last week has had some ugly backlash. As a community, we set out to let Arpaio know that there were many who did not welcome him into our community. As part of this protest, and in a symbolic expression our disagreement with Sheriff Arpaio, his policies, and his promoting of his xenophobic and narrow-minded perspective in his recent book, an empty piñata with the likeness of Sheriff Arpaio was hit by local youth.

As a result, the right-wing radio talk show host, Jon Justice (104.1 The Truth) has launched a campaign to have one of our Co-chairs, Isabel Garcia, fired from her position as a Pima County Legal Defender.

Many do not know that 104.1FM is associated with local news channel KGUN 9-we would like to ask KGUN 9 about their support of such divisive views as those expressed on 104.1FM. Since last Friday, our office has received numerous hate calls, and Jon Justice has posted a YouTube video of himself with a piñata with Isabel's likeness, caressing it and making comments about "wanting to take it home with me," among a few other comments about "chorizo" and "viva la raza." You can see this video at the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTR20jav2RA
We ask you, as community allies, to step up with us in defending Isabel Garcia, demand accountability from 104.1FM and KGUN 9, and that hate speech not be given a platform in our communities.

It is our First Amendment Right, and our duty as members of this society, to denounce anything that goes against the basic human and civil rights that ALL posess. To try to silence those that would condemn torture and raciscm is contrary to the rights of us all! Please help us to spread the word, and take up the following action items:

1. Contact Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckleberry in support of Isabel Garcia. 520.740.8661 or e-mail chh@pima.gov 2. 3. Contact the Journal Broadcast Group, expressing your opinion of Jon Justice and the tactics of 104.1FM, and your concern that local KGUN 9 would be associated with an outlet that is so obviously NOT an objective media source. Contact Julie Brinks: 520.290.7600 or e-mail: jbrinks@journalbroadcastinggroup.com 4. 5. Contact the Board of Supervisors, voicing your support of Isabel Garcia, who has broken no rule or regulation as a Pima County employee.

Pima County Board of Supervisors 130 West Congress Street, 11th FloorTucson, Arizona 85701 Receptionist - (520) 740-8126 Fax - (520) 884-1152 Ann Day, District 1Ann.Day@pima.gov (520) 740-2738 Ramón Valadez, District 2district2@pima.gov (520) 740-8126 Sharon Bronson, District 3district3@pima.gov (520) 740-8051 Ray Carroll, District 4district4@pima.gov (520) 740-8094 Richard Elías, Chairman, District 5district5@pima.gov (520) 740-8126 We need your support! Please spread the word on this Call to Action! Defend our First Amendment rights!