Censored in Indian Country: From Akwesasne to Coast Salish and the Sonoran Desert

By Brenda Norrell, Censored News, Nov. 13, 2024

Akwesasne Mohawk asserting their rights to their island homeland won a court victory on Tuesday. Coast Salish shared their struggle to protect their waters from the oil tankers and Trans Mountain Pipeline carrying dirty oil from the Alberta tar sands, during the Salish Sea Assembly in Seattle. Akimel O'odham women faced off with President Biden in Arizona, holding him responsible for genocide in Palestine. Federal Judge Diane Humetewa, Hopi, is the first to halt lithium mining in Native American ceremonial and burial places. The Hualapai Tribe filed a lawsuit against Interior Sec. Deb Haaland.

The most important news in Indian country is widely censored today.

The Akwesasne 8 said charges against them were dismissed on Tuesday, when the New York Power Authority failed to produce documents necessary to move forward.

"The charges of conspiracy to a felony, and trespassing against the six of the Akwesasne 8, who appeared today, were dismissed today at Massena Town Court. The District Attorney stated that New York Power Authority (NYPA) did not produce appropriate documents to move forward," Akwesasne Mohawks said in a statement last night.

In Seattle, Coast Salish protectors of the waters spoke on the emergency actions to protect the Salish Sea during the three-day Salish Sea Assembly at Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center, Nov. 6 --8.

Paul Chiyokten Wagner spoke on carrying forward the sacred way of life, from the Salish Sea to Standing Rock

"Our people hold the road map to paradise. Our people have that memory within us."

Protectors of the Salish Sea baked camas on their ancestral island for the first time in one-hundred years, occupied the Washington State Capitol, and journeyed to Standing Rock to build warm structures for the elders to brace against the blizzards, said Paul Chiyokten Wagner, WSANEĆ (Saanich) sharing the history from the Salish Sea to Standing Rock and beyond.

Chiyokten joined Coast Salish water protectors from throughout British Columbia and Washington State, and Native people living with the widespread destruction from the Alberta tar sands in Canada, during the Salish Sea Assembly.

In the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona, Biden claimed to be issuing an apology to Native children who were victims of abuse in U.S. boarding schools.

As Biden spoke, an O'odham woman held up this sign: "There Are Still Babies in Mass Graves. Your Apology Means Nothing!! Land Back."

Calling out to Biden, an O'odham woman yelled, "What about the people in Gaza! What about the people in Palestine!"

"How can you apologize for a genocide while actively committing a genocide in Palestine! Free Palestine!"

O'odham Solidarity said, "Multiple O’odham U’uvi were harassed, heckled, followed for simply using their voice on their own land to bring awareness to the tens of thousands of Palestinian people brutally murdered by our government, our taxes, utilizing our ancestral lands to construct surveillance, weapons etc while manipulating our people."

Federal Judge Diane Humetewa, Hopi, in Phoenix is the first federal judge to halt the lithium mining in Native American ceremonial places and burial sites. Humetewa's ruling to halt lithium drilling at Hualapai's sacred spring south of the Grand Canyon comes as the lithium mining continues into the Paiute Massacre Site, Peehee Mu'huh, Thacker Pass, in northern Nevada, in violation of all federal laws that protect Native historic and religious sites, the environment and endangered species.

The Tohono O'odham and San Carlos Apache Nations filed a federal lawsuit against Interior Sec. Haaland for the bulldozers now tearing through their ancient village sites, burial places and ceremonial places in southern Arizona for SunZia's transmission lines for a wind energy project. A federal judge in Tucson denied O'odham and Apache a restraining order to halt the destruction and the lawsuit continues.

Read more:

Protectors of the Waters: From the Salish Sea to Standing Rock

Protectors of the Waters: Paul Chiyokten Wagner speaks on carrying forward the sacred way of life, from the Salish Sea to Standing Rock

"Our people hold the road map to paradise. Our people have that memory within us."

By Brenda Norrell, Censored News, Nov. 11, 2024

SEATTLE -- The Protectors of the Salish Sea baked camas on their ancestral island for the first time in one-hundred years, occupied the Washington State Capitol, and journeyed to Standing Rock to build warm structures for the elders to brace against the blizzards, said Paul Chiyokten Wagner, WSANEĆ (Saanich) sharing the history from the Salish Sea to Standing Rock and beyond.

Read the series at Censored News:

https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2024/11/protectors-of-waters-from-salish-sea-to.html

In a Major Win for Hualapai Tribe, Judge Extends Drilling Freeze Victory — Arizona Lithium must pause activity near Ha’Kamwe’ until lawsuit plays out

By Earthjustice, Censored News, Nov. 6, 2024

PHOENIX, Arizona — A federal judge yesterday decided to extend a temporary pause on harmful drilling for the duration of the Hualapai Tribe’s legal case challenging federal approval of the Sandy Valley Lithium Exploration Project.

The Tribe won a temporary restraining order when it sued the Interior Department and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for wrongfully approving a plan that could permanently damage its lands and waters, including the sacred hot spring of Ha’Kamwe’.

“I feel a huge sense of relief today, but we know this is not the end of the story,” said Chairman Duane Clarke of the Hualapai Tribe. “Our people have used Ha’Kamwe’ for centuries for healing, prayer, and rites of passage. We are absolutely determined to protect our sacred waters and our way of life from those who would destroy it to enrich themselves.”

The Hualapai Tribe said Haaland issued a lithium permit to Hawkstone Mining of Australia without consulting Hualapai. Hawkstone has hired the CEO of a Navajo Nation enterprise, Navajo Transitional Energy Company, to operate drilling into the sacred site.

The first federal judge to stop the run-away train of lithium mining in Native sacred places, Diane Humetewa, Hopi, received the Chief Standing Bear Prize for Courage in Nebraska. Humetewa halted lithium drilling at Hualapai's sacred spring. Hualapai sued Interior Sec. Deb Haaland for the permit.

https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2024/11/in-major-win-for-hualapai-judge-extends.html

O'odham Woman Becomes Hero When Genocide Joe Comes to Town

By Brenda Norrell, Censored News, Oct. 25, 2024

LAVEEN VILLAGE, Gila River Indian Community, Arizona -- In the Gila River Indian Community today, Biden claimed to be issuing an apology to Native children who were victims of U.S. boarding schools. His glory campaign was short-lived.

As Biden spoke, an O'odham woman held up this sign: "There Are Still Babies in Mass Graves. Your Apology Means Nothing!! Land Back."

Security removed her.

Calling out to Biden, an O'odham woman yelled, "What about the people in Gaza! What about the people in Palestine!"

"How can you apologize for a genocide while actively committing a genocide in Palestine! Free Palestine!"

O'odham Solidarity said, "Multiple O’odham U’uvi were harassed, heckled, followed for simply using their voice on their OWN land to bring awareness to the tens of thousands of Palestinian people brutally murdered by our government, our taxes, utilizing our ancestral lands to construct surveillance, weapons etc while manipulating our people."

https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2024/10/oodham-woman-becomes-hero-when-genocide.html

Interior Sec. Haaland's Pueblo is in the Ballistic Missile Parts Business

By Brenda Norrell, Censored News, Nov. 4, 2024

LAGUNA PUEBLO, New Mexico -- Interior Sec. Deb Haaland's tribe's enterprise, Laguna Industries, manufactures parts for both the ballistic missile, and parts for combat jets, including the F-15. Biden recently approved the sale of fifty F-15 jets to Israel in a $20 billion deal.

The discovery comes after Biden was protested at Gila River Indian Community, and Interior Sec. Haaland was sued by three Arizona tribes for targeting and destroying the sacred.

https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2024/11/interior-sec-haalands-pueblo-is-in.html

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