Tohono O'odham Ofelia Rivas 'The Pirates Who Stole My Words'

Tohono O'odham Ofelia Rivas: The Pirates Who Stole My Words

Ofelia Rivas, Tohono O'odham, points out that today more than 20 books use her words about O'odham and the border without her permission. The pirates range from the United Nations and book authors, to non-profits and corporate-paid activists. Ofelia's words and life work are often plagiarized for profit and self-promotion by those who do not live on the Tohono O'odham Nation.

By Ofelia Rivas, Tohono O'odham, Censored News, August 15, 2024

Pirates

In 2003 the Elders from my fathers community and the ceremony Elders from my mothers community appointed me by consensus to be their voice.

Prior to 9-11 hundreds of heavily-armed border patrol soldiers invaded O'odham lands violently attacking O'odham in their yards, homes, communities, on reservation roads and state highways.

United States Homeland Security, Tom Ridge then Michael Chertoff under George W. Bush declared our territory as open territory for unmonitored and unauthorized armed border patrol military operations on O'odham lands.

Through research, Elders were advised to always carry their federal enumeration identification card issued by the Tohono O'odham Nation. Elders, the majority only O'odham speakers, were interrogated by border patrol military soldiers calling them "undocumented aliens."

Not immigrants but "undocumented aliens."

Elders were verbally attacked and questioned in Spanish and vulgar english. Elder passengers in vehicles without tribal cards were dragged out by throat holds and this caused dislocated shoulders. They were forced on their knees on asphalt roads for hours. Tribal cards were confiscated and discarded.

I self-taught myself to research human rights including civil rights, local and international rights, and learned to document border patrol abuses occurring at the ancient O'odham community routes, now the International United States and Mexico border.

An awareness campaign to inform the general public of border patrol abuses, major and local media were invited to tell our story.

This grassroots efforts is to protect people and protect the rights of the original people of the land.

Today more than 20 so-called authors of books, without permission and some with explicit request to not use my words or conversation, have used my research, my words and sometimes my image to promote themselves as experts on the border issue on the O'odham land, while they meanwhile reside in safe homes and safe communities far away from border patrol military violence.

Writers asserting white privilege, with institutional privilege -- illegal unethical piracy -- permeates university professors and dissertation writers.

The pirates often are under the guise of the pretense "indigenea," the new found identity, reviving obscure tribes and stealing from ancient cultures such as Anasazi and Aztecs, and have become the exotic "indigenous" ancestry identity.

All pretenders step forward -- from the United Nations and all its "indigenous" components -- to the entertainment business, non-profit organizations and corporate-paid activists.

Not a single dollar from these pirates have addressed the injustice on border issues, not a single dollar has addressed immigration policies and not a single dollar has supported human rights violations on O'odham land.

The pirates gain illegal notoriety as experts to testify on behalf of a group of people they met and spoke to in a day.

While others become high ranking "experts" without having any experience nor an ounce of first people blood.

All young people beware of these pirates -- they steal words, grassroots efforts, and cultural identities.

Tohono O'odham Ofelia Rivas testified that her people are being brutalized by the US Department of Homeland Security, and her homelands militarized, just as was the case in Standing Rock.

Speaking before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in Jamaica, Ofelia told of the 500 years of genocidal policies that today result in her people constantly under attack by the United States.

"U.S. Homeland Security has criminalized the Tohono O'odham," Ofelia testified, as reported in Censored News live coverage from Jamaica.

Ofelia exposed how the U.S. government contracted the Israeli-owned Elbit Systems to build spy towers on the Tohono O'odham Nation. Today, the crime-infested U.S. Border Patrol stalks O'odham using live video cameras mounted on the spy towers. Elbit's surveillance, weapons and drones are used in the ongoing genocide in Palestine. -- Censored News

Read more on at O'odham Rights
https://www.oodhamrights.org/

Copyright Ofelia Rivas. Content and photos may not be used without written permission. This includes the use in media, dissertations, books, films, grants and all other use. Contact Ofelia on her website: https://www.oodhamrights.org/