As the pandemic surges, Native Americans are resilient

By Brenda Norrell
Censored News

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to surge, Native Americans are manifesting resilience, from the San Carlos Apache running for their sacred land to the Kumeyaay standing to protect their sacred land from the border wall construction.

Lakota are cooking hot meals for relatives who are in quarantine in Rapid City, South Dakota, while Dine' and Hopi raise their own funds and deliver food, water and supplies to those most in need.

San Carlos Apache ran from Oak Flat to Mount Graham in Arizona this week, praying for the protection of their sacred land from copper mining.

"As we lay our prayers down for everyone in this world, continue to keep us all in prayer," said Vanessa Nosie as family members made the annual run this year.

Kumeyaay are protecting their sacred, ancestral land, at the so-called border in California, from the destruction of the border wall construction.

"The Army Corp is in charge of the construction project to build Trump's wall across Indigenous tribal lands they have inhabited for over 16,000 plus years, since time immemorial," said Kumeyaay gathered for prayer and ceremony.

Lakota in Rapid City, South Dakota, are cooking and delivering hot fresh cooked meals to those in quarantine, in an incredible grassroots effort, Meals for Relatives, City COVID-19 Rapid City Community Response.

Natalie Stites Means, Lakota, said, "We serve COVID-19 positive families committed to quarantine, especially the families whose matriarchs are sick and cannot cook for their families for 14 days."

On the Navajo Nation, those in quarantine, isolated and sick with coronavirus, tell Censored News that the only people bringing food, water and supplies to their homes are the volunteers who are raising their own funds and delivering, by way of no contact deliveries to the homes. They say no one from the tribe has come to their home with relief.

While hospitals send people home to quarantine, there is no plan in place for visiting home health care. There are 200,000 and 300,000 Dine' living in 110 chapters in Arizona, New Mexico and Utah on the Navajo Nation.

The Navajo Nation government has received $714 million in federal CARES Act funds. However, more than $600 million in relief is stalled in the tribal government appropriation process.

This is the fifth month of the pandemic on the Navajo Nation.

Meanwhile, the Navajo Hopi Families COVID-19 Relief and McKinley Mutual Aid, based in Gallup, N.M., continue to raise their own funds and deliver to communities and homes of those most in need, including the sick, the elderly and families with young children.

These are just two of the organizations raising their own funds and carrying out the difficult work of delivering freshly purchased food, barrels of water and cleaning supplies. Dine' and Hopi individuals are also carrying out relief work on their own.

Mercury Bitsuie and Andy Dann, shown in the top photo, are among the Dine' delivering to remote homes on Black Mesa and elsewhere on the Navajo Nation.

Bitahnii Wilson, Dine', has raised funds and brought in large water barrels filled with water to the homes of those in desperate need on the Navajo Nation and Hopi Nation.

Please go to Censored News to read more of these articles. Censored News is a service to Indigenous Peoples upholding human rights. It is in its 14th year with no ads or revenues, with volunteer writers, photographers, broadcasters and translators.

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