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Native American Heritage Month – Day 2: The Hominy Indians’ Triumph Over NFL Champs
At the end of each NFL season, one team is crowned as the NFL World Champions and globally accepted as the top football team in the world. Yet, an enthralling chapter in sports history challenges this narrative with the remarkable journey of an all-Native football team, composed of players hailing from 22 different tribes. They were the first professional football team from Oklahoma known as the Hominy Indians. The year was 1927, and the New York Giants had just etched their name in the annals of NFL history with what many hailed as one of the most dominant campaigns in NFL history. With a formidable tally of 11 victories against a solitary defeat, they outclassed their adversaries by an overwhelming margin, boasting a cumulative score of 197-20 and having shut out the NY Yankees —not to be mistaken with the baseball titans—to clinch the NFL championship. The Giants appeared invincible. Meanwhile, the Hominy Indians, despite playing on a smaller scale, were undefeated and unyielding, never having suffered defeat or even a tie in franchise history. Despite earning a fraction of the compensation NFL players received and frequently playing their games on humble cow pastures, the Indians rose to the occasion during their most significant moment. With that backdrop, the New York Giants and the Hominy Indians squared off in a match that was far more than a mere game, it was a clash of cultures, a testament to determination, and a battle for recognition. And on that fateful day, the Hominy Indians emerged victorious by a score of 13-6. It was a victory that transcended the mere numbers on a scoreboard; it was a symbolic victory that resonated far and wide, affirming the greatness of the Hominy Indians. This historic victory against the New York Giants celebrated the spirit of a team that, despite the odds, claimed their place in the world of football excellence. The Hominy Indians, by their sheer talent and unbreakable resolve, redefined what it meant to be champions of the gridiron.
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Honoring the Code Talkers: The Forbidden Languages that Shielded a Nation
November is here, and with it, SAGE Development is excited to unveil a special series that celebrates Native American Heritage Month. Throughout this month, we'll spotlight stories from various tribes, sharing the rich tapestry of our collective histories. While we recognize that your inbox will see a few more emails, we humbly request your engagement - read, reflect, and share these stories, ensuring they reach as many hearts and minds as possible. Our first email centers on the valor of the Code Talkers of World War I and II.Amidst the heart of American soil, a heinous crime was placed upon Native children. Kill the Indian, Save the Man Boarding schools, under the guise of 'civilizing' the Indigenous children, subjected these innocent souls to brutal and harrowing punishments merely for uttering words in their native tongues. Words that held love, culture, and centuries of wisdom were met with violence, humiliation, and suppression. Yet, in a twist of irony, these very languages, once stifled, emerged as a secret weapon for the United States during two world wars. In World War I, the Germans had the upper hand, adeptly tapping into the American Army's phone lines. Their eavesdropping gave them a clear vantage point, revealing the positions and plans of the Allied Forces. Enter the Choctaw soldiers. An unintentional strategy emerged when a commanding officer overheard several Choctaw soldiers conversing in their Indigenous language. Recognizing an opportunity, he marshaled these soldiers to handle most communications. With their fluency, the tables turned as the Germans could not decipher the transmissions, making the Choctaw Code Talkers pivotal in changing the war's trajectory. This legacy grew stronger before the start of WWII with the formation of the code talker program. Beyond the famed Navajo Code Talkers, we remember the bravery of 33 diverse tribes. This includes the 67 Lakota Code Talkers, who, despite bearing the scars of boarding school trauma, championed the cause of their nation using the very language that they were once punished for. This month, as we pay homage to our rich tapestry of cultures and stories, let's give a special salute to the Code Talkers. Their story isn't just one of valor on the battlefield but also a testament to the indomitable spirit and resilience of Native American communities. For the Indigenous community, our languages are more than mere communication tools; they are sacred threads connecting us to our ancestors and our legacy. The irony is glaring: A government that once sought to eradicate these languages later found solace in their complexity during its most challenging hours. Wóphila Tháŋka for walking alongside us on this deeply moving journey. Let us come together to honor and remember our ancestors with the reverence they so rightly deserve. For daily tales of resilience and legacy, be sure to visit our Facebook page each day this month.
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Part 1: “Shattered Silence: The MMIW Crisis and its Roots in Tribal Sovereignty Disputes
The MMIW crisis represents one of the most glaring human rights violations in Indian Country today. This crisis is significantly exacerbated by the U.S. government's failure to recognize tribal nations as actual sovereign nations fully. When non-natives commit crimes on tribal lands, they often go unpunished due to a tangled web of jurisdictional issues, leading to a climate of impunity that fosters ongoing violence against indigenous women. This legal complexity primarily arises from a series of court decisions and laws that limit the jurisdiction of tribal courts over non-natives. For instance, the Supreme Court's ruling in Oliphant v. Suquamish Indian Tribe (1978) held that tribal nations could not exercise criminal jurisdiction over non-tribal members. This decision effectively created a jurisdictional gap, where federal law enforcement, often located far away or unfamiliar with the local community, is responsible for responding to crimes on tribal lands. Contrast this with the way the U.S. treats other sovereign nations. For example, if an American citizen committed a crime in Mexico or Canada, the case would likely be prosecuted under Mexican or Canadian law. Yet, in the case of indigenous tribes within the United States, the legal precedent does not follow the same logic due to the lack of full acknowledgment of tribal sovereignty. This discrepancy not only perpetuates violence but also belittles the sovereignty of tribal nations. The Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 addressed part of this problem by giving tribes limited jurisdiction over non-Indigenous people who commit domestic or dating violence against Native American women on reservations. However, this law does not extend to crimes committed by strangers or to crimes of sexual assault that occur outside of a domestic relationship. Hence, it doesn't fully close the jurisdictional gap. The lack of complete jurisdiction over non-tribal members results in many cases falling through the cracks and non-native perpetrators evading justice. This systemic failure significantly contributes to the MMIW crisis and reflects the federal government's ongoing disrespect for tribal sovereignty. Addressing the MMIW crisis, therefore, requires increased attention and resources and reconsidering the laws and precedents that undermine the sovereignty of tribal nations. Only then can we begin to close the jurisdictional gap and ensure justice for the victims of these heinous crimes. Indeed, President Joe Biden's administration has made strides toward addressing these systemic issues by reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) in 2023. This reauthorization expanded tribal jurisdiction over non-Indigenous offenders on tribal lands, a critical step towards addressing the MMIW crisis and empowering tribal nations. Under the updated provisions, tribes have increased authority to prosecute non-natives who commit violence against native women on tribal lands. Additionally, the law offers resources and funding to help tribal law enforcement and criminal justice systems adequately address these crimes. However, these improvements are currently facing challenges in the court system. Some contend that the expanded tribal jurisdiction infringes upon the rights of non-native defendants, arguing that tribal courts do not offer the same constitutional protections guaranteed in federal and state courts. These legal disputes undermine the progress made by the VAWA reauthorization, leaving tribal communities in a state of uncertainty and delaying much-needed justice for indigenous women. Nonetheless, the ongoing court battles underline the continued importance of upholding tribal sovereignty. It's essential to recognize that tribes, as sovereign entities, should have the jurisdictional power to protect their citizens and maintain law and order within their territories. Therefore, the legal recognition of tribal sovereignty, inclusive of robust jurisdictional authority, remains fundamental to addressing the MMIW crisis and numerous other systemic issues indigenous communities face. The path to justice and respect for tribal sovereignty may be challenging. However, the concerted efforts towards strengthening the rights of tribal nations indicate a potential turning point in the nation's commitment to honoring treaties, empowering indigenous communities, and rectifying historical wrongs. It is a journey we must undertake with urgency and determination.
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How SAGE uses Modern Tools to Reinforce Lakota Traditions
For the people of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, our connection to the land is about more than just survival. It is phesolta, or “connectedness” – and is deeply spiritual. The Standing Rock Renewable Energy Power Authority (or “SAGE” for short), is a renewable energy power authority that reflects us, the Lakota/Dakota people of Standing Rock, and our traditions, perspectives, and connection to the land. As an institution, SAGE offers a new model of energy management for Tribal governments and communities – one that prioritizes people, land, and nature over a strict profit motive. Specifically, SAGE manages the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s renewable energy resources for the tribe’s economic development. A Native-owned entity, the acronym “SAGE” stands for Strategic, Advancement, Goals, and the Environment, and its first project is a 235MW wind farm to be built right there at Standing Rock. Called Anpetu Wi (“morning light”), the wind farm will be the single largest revenue source for Standing Rock, with profits to be reinvested into future projects to benefit the Tribe and future generations. Earth in Balance Central to our perspective is the idea of “Natural Law”, a fundamental respect for nature and the balance of all living things. This had been central to our ways of life for centuries, until it was stripped from us (along with our land, language, our own history, and other deep aspects of our cultural identity) at the barrel of a gun during the violent government-backed colonial expansion westward across the Americas during the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries. Rather than respecting and replenishing the land, the capitalist interests that replaced our fundamentally sustainable traditions have plundered the United States’ natural resources for profit. Now, 300+ years later and facing consequences of unbridled exploitation, capitalism is making space for “sustainability” (aka, Natural Law) as business strives to find balance between profits and environmental or social impact. The term “sustainable” is new, but the idea is not. Finding balance for the Earth, equity, and economy is, and always has been, a core belief and way of life for Indigenous people. Through SAGE, we work to find connection with Natural Law while using present day technology and economic tools to achieve these goals. – Traditional Lakota / Dakota tipis along the prairie at Standing Rock Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Values, History, and Present Challenges Surrounded by tall prairie grasses, wide plains, and buttes, it is easy to see how a wind farm could thrive on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. Standing Rock spans 2.3 million acres across the borders of central North and South Dakota; our reservation is the fifth largest in the United States.[i] Home to the Lakota and Dakota nations, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe is committed to protecting the language, culture, and well-being of our people through economic development, technology advancement, community engagement, and education. Originally, our ancestors lived in the Great Lakes Woodland area. We were then pushed West in the 17th Century as a result of the fur trade and Gold Rush, which greatly disrupted our society.[ii] As we adapted to life on the Plains, our culture reformed to center around the horse and buffalo. “Rather than respecting and replenishing the land, the capitalist interests that replaced our fundamentally sustainable traditions have plundered the United States’ natural resources for profit. Now, 300+ years later and facing consequences of unbridled exploitation, capitalism is making space for ‘sustainability’…” This changed again when U.S. reservation policies in the mid-to-late 1800s formally restricted Indigenous rights under U.S. law. To make our people stationary and keep us on reservations, the government distributed food rations to discourage us from hunting, gave us certain types of clothing to encourage assimilation, and established schools that refused to teach our language or history – for generations. This intentional dismantling of our way of life affect us to this day. The people of Standing Rock have long been excluded from participation in economic opportunity and activity. Our county is one of the top 10 poorest in the United States, with a 40% poverty rate and a 70% unemployment rate on the reservation. Through it all however, certain values – family, community, connectedness, the common good, and our individual and collective responsibility to future generations – these have remained central to our way. Origin of SAGE Energy management is one area where changing the status quo will greatly impact our people’s economic position. Energy inequity is a core driver of our economic disparity, and this is where SAGE aims to make great change. The cost of electricity for those on Standing Rock is more than double the cost in nearby Bismarck, ND. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe sells power to the regional grid at $0.026 cents per kilowatt hour, yet purchases that same power back from the same regional grid at over $0.14 cents a kilowatt hour. This is a huge disparity; people in our Nation cannot afford to pay increasing energy bills. We want to (and need to) generate our own power in order to help create affordable, sustainable living for our people. “Energy inequity is a core driver of our economic disparity, and this is where SAGE aims to make great change.” This is the core economic idea behind SAGE, which started in 2007 when developers began coming to the Standing Rock suggesting we open ourselves up to commercial wind farm development. Commercial developers wanted to partner with us, earn tax credits or tax breaks, and profit off of their investments. But with the model they proposed, the Tribe would only earn income on the lease of our land. Dave Archambault II, Tribal Chairman at the time, saw an opportunity for something more. “I believe wind energy is one way to bring our Nation out of poverty, but we can’t just allow another infrastructure project happen with no benefit to us, we should be owners and developers of the project,” Archambault said. With the goal of owning a wind farm on our Tribal land, and the mindset of moving from economic exclusion to energy ownership, the Tribe secured a grant to establish a Renewable Energy Department and hired expert technical consultants. The Tribe would later establish SAGE as a Section 17 Tribal entity as the legal home for business development and operational management of this effort. This distinction of a Section 17 entity preserves the integrity of the Tribe’s decision-making process by separating Tribal and SAGE business decisions. SAGE acts as a public power authority (PPA) under Tribal government, but apart from it, with a mandate to develop, control, and operates all the energy production assets within the reservation. SAGE institutionalizes Standing Rock’s involvement in renewable energy projects such as the wind farm, holds the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s equity interest in projects, and facilitates agreements with third-party entities. Dakota Access Pipeline Strengthens Our Voice – A man on horseback during #NoDAPL protest The groundwork was set, but the real catalyst for launching SAGE was the 2016 protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline (“DAPL”). DAPL is a nearly 1,200-mile oil pipeline system designed to carry crude oil from North Dakota to Illinois.[iii] The pipeline runs near the Standing Rock Reservation, under the Missouri River, and threatens our primary water source, Lake Oahe. But the federal government did not give Standing Rock a say in the DAPL process, project scope, or pipeline route. It was yet another thing that in a long history of actions that would directly (and negatively) impact us and was being doing done to us without our input. – Heavily armed police during #NoDAPL protest “The government approval process for infrastructure projects like DAPL happens without seeking our Nation’s insight or approval. When something goes wrong, the greatest impact lies on us,” Archambault said. “Through SAGE, our tribe is advocating for an appropriate way to develop energy with respect to Mother Earth, protecting sacred places and our sources of life.” We at Standing Rock responded to the government’s actions with the tools we had – legal challenges, and massive public demonstrations. While the #NoDAPL hashtag trended worldwide on social media, we camped and protested at Standing Rock. Thousands joined our cause in person and witnessed the excessive force of security workers against us including the use of pepper spray, attack dogs, and water cannons sprayed on protestors in cold November weather. More than 400 people were arrested, some of whom reported inhumane and harsh treatment in jail. “Standing Rock’s response to DAPL was like a spark, uniting ancestral ideals with action, like the four winds of Tate Topa bringing change and often new life.” The intent of DAPL was to provide energy in the form of fossil fuel. The intent for SAGE is also to provide energy, but not in the form of a depleting resource, rather, in the form of renewable energy. “Through SAGE, our tribe is advocating for an appropriate way to get energy without emptying Mother Earth, disturbing sacred places, or potentially contaminating our life source,” said Archambault, who now serves as SAGE’s business advisor. While DAPL continues to facilitate energy inequity, SAGE actively promotes freedom and sovereignty, with its profits being reinvested into future projects, and other infrastructure works that will benefit the Tribe. DAPL was ultimately completed in 2017. We’re disappointed, but we emerged from the crisis with renewed strength. Joe McNeil Jr. used to sit on Tribal Council, and is now General Manager of SAGE. To him, the Standing Rock’s response to DAPL was like a spark, uniting ancestral ideals with action, like the four winds of Tate Topa bringing change and often new life. “DAPL helped catalyze our people to make our own decisions on our own behalf,” McNeil said. SAGE Today At SAGE, form equals function – its business advisor, general manager, and Board of Directors (itself women-led) all are enrolled members of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, and support SAGE’s goals and day-to-day operations. And a host of internationally-recognized partners collaborated with SAGE, including the Bush Foundation, Wallace Global Fund, and the Sierra Club Foundation, among others. SAGE also continues to work with a variety of technical consultants and advisors, including: fiscal sponsor Seventh Generation Fund; economic strategy and investment advisors Justice Capital; coordination and project management consultant Petrika’s Solutions; operations, communications, technology, and other strategic support through Connexus Capital; and accountant Haga Kommer. Above, “met mast tower” that collect data on wind speed and direction, temperature, relative humidity, and barometric pressure, among other metrics – recently installed. And the wind farm is only the beginning. By the end of 2025, SAGE plans to create a community-led economic development strategy to begin attracting (and launching) new projects. Current projects under consideration include regenerative agriculture, housing & microgrids, electric vehicles, charging stations, and commercial solar energy, among others. Another goal is to build the infrastructure and operational capacity of SAGE and the Standing Rock community more broadly to develop and lead these new projects. For example, the Anpetu Wi Wind Farm alone will employ many skilled and non-technical positions – from technicians to utility line workers, in IT system management, and across billing and sales. And this is just the first project. We intend for there to be generations of workforce opportunities as a direct result of SAGE’s work. It is our commitment that revenue from the wind farm and future SAGE projects will be reinvested into local infrastructure and education. SAGE plans to invest in a museum and interpretive center that will offer educational opportunities, promote tourism, and bring revenue to Standing Rock. We also plan to help finance a federal credit union to expand access to capital for our people. Our investments in the tribe’s Mni Wiconi Health Clinic and STEM education will impact the health and well-being of current and future generations. We are also committed to reclaiming decommissioned land and recycled energy assets. Lastly, we are committed to sharing our institutional knowledge. We plan to develop a playbook of the “SAGE model”, which we plan to freely share with other Tribes and communities across the country looking to develop and revitalization their world. How You Can Help SAGE exists to make a real difference in peoples’ lives. The Anpetu Wi wind farm will provided Standing Rock with a clean and sustainable source of revenue, all while honoring and reinforcing phestola – our spiritual connectedness to the land and everything that is. Moreover, profits from the wind farm will be reinvested into the community to improve badly-needed infrastructure and economic development efforts. This is why sovereignty and self-determination are so important – we’ll be able to direct the flows of this reinvestment in ways that benefit our people and our children for generations. And it all begins with Anpetu Wi. If you’d like to donate and support our efforts directly, we invite you to visit our dedicated to the wind farm website – www.anpetuwi.com – and join a community of over 6500+ who are helping us make this a reality. To learn more about everything else SAGE is up to, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and on YouTube, or visit us at www.SAGESRST.com. [i] TravelSouthDakota.com – “The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe” (link) [ii] 2018-2022 Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Comprehensive Economic Development Strategies (CEDS) [iii] United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) – “The Dakota Access Pipeline” (link) * Photo credit: Whitebull Photography
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“Keep and Bear Arms”: How the 2nd Amendment Justified Violence Against Native Americans
This Summer’s shootings in the cities of Buffalo, Uvalde, and Tulsa unearth a clear reality: We are suffering as a country. Yet, the right to bear arms in the United States continues to be a rallying cry for independence and freedom — covering up a history of gun-related aggression, hostility, and violence towards black and brown peoples across the Americas, and specifically against Native Americans. During the U.S. “Westward Expansion,” gun violence towards Native Americans was justified (made legal) by the government’s advancement of the right to bear arms. We must not let the 2nd Amendment’s destruction of Native American nations and culture be forgotten. When the 2nd Amendment was drafted, the U.S. had recently gained independence from Britain. The colonies desired to expand – geographically, politically, and economically. “Everything in U.S. history is about the land…how it became a commodity (real estate) broken into pieces to be bought and sold on the market.”[i] Among other things, creating a new nation freed the brand-new United States of America from the treaties and agreements the United Kingdom had previously made with Native Nations. For the Native Nations living within and west of the existing 13 colonies, “manifest destiny meant the destruction of our towns, fields and food supplies.”[ii] We recognize the origins of this cultural oppression, from the Northwest Ordinance (1789) which resulted in the U.S. taking lands from Indian tribes,[iii] to Red Cloud’s War (1866) where the U.S. attacked our relative, the Buffalo.[iv] These actions were all justified by virtue of the constitutionally-enshrined 2nd Amendment. The principal language of the 2nd Amendment is well-known: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” To this day, scholars continue to debate the meaning of the phrase, “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms,” and its relationship to the “security of a free State.” Was the intention for self-defense or collective defense? If collective defense, then Tribal use of weapons and the use of arms by militia would both fall under that category. As it happens, the courts have consistently reinforced the self-defense interpretation of the clause. “‘Indians are monolithically portrayed as a force to defend against and therefore implicitly lack a right to self-defense in their own right.’ That right was reserved for the colonists.” As recently as 2008, the Supreme Court decision in District of Columbia v. Heller[v] struck down Washington D.C.’s handgun ban, asserting that the ban infringed on the 2nd Amendment protection of an individual’s right to keep and bear arms based on the need for individual self-defense. As law professor Ann Tweedy writes in the Journal of Constitutional Law, the Heller case assumes that “Indian tribes were one of the paramount reasons that colonists and early Americans needed to engage in self-defense generally, and needed guns specifically.”[vi] Referring to Justice Stephen Breyer’s dissent in Heller, Tweedy writes that “Indians are monolithically portrayed as a force to defend against and therefore implicitly lack a right to self-defense in their own right.” That right was reserved for the colonists. At the dawn of America, the 2nd Amendment gave colonists and settlers the individual right to bear arms in order to “defend” themselves by visiting violence against Native Nations as they spread ever-further into our lands. Today, that same right lets individual Americans purchase weapons that are more destructive than their 18th century counterparts, inflicting violence at a scale previously unimaginable. It doesn’t have to be this way. Through the legislative process, and by exercising our right to vote, we can do something about it. And in so doing, perhaps we can bring peace to over 400 years of pain that has been brought by the barrel of a gun. === The Standing Rock (“SAGE”) Renewable Energy Power Authority acts as a Public Power Authority (PPA) that will control and operate all the energy production assets within the reservation. SAGE institutionalizes the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s involvement in renewable energy projects, facilitates agreements with third-party entities, and holds Standing Rock’s equity interest. SAGE is an acronym that means “Strategic Advancement Goals for the Environment.” Learn more at www.SAGESRST.com [i] Dunbar-Ortiz, R. (2014). An indigenous peoples' history of the United States. Beacon. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/237686/an-indigenous-peoples-history-of-the-united-states-by-roxanne-dunbar-ortiz/9780807057834/excerpt [ii] Kaplan, Robert D. (2005). Imperial Giants: The American Military on the Ground. Random House. [iii] National Institutes of Health. (n.d.). The Northwest Ordinance Guarantees Tribal Land Rights - timeline - native voices. U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved June 7, 2022, from https://www.nlm.nih.gov/nativevoices/timeline/241.html [iv] Lakota People’s Law Project [@lakotalaw] (2022, June 2). When the United States could not defeat our ancestors in combat, they began to attack our relative, the Buffalo. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/CeT-kSiMCwG/ [v] Supreme Court of the United States. (2007). Retrieved June 7, 2022, from https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/07pdf/07-290.pdf [vi] Tweedy, Ann E. (2011). “Hostile Indian Tribes . . . Outlaws, Wolves, . . . Bears . . . Grizzlies And Things Like That?” How the Second Amendment and Supreme Court Precedent Target Tribal Self-Defense. Journal of Constitutional Law, 13(3), p. 696. https://scholarship.law.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1086&context=jcl
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SAGE Board Chair reflects on defining moment for herself, environment
When Fawn Wasin Zi was eight years old, her relative Stanley Looking Horse (Interim Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe) had a dream that our way of life: our beliefs, culture, language, and religion would be gone in her generation. He envisioned that the Lakota would need to return to their beliefs and practices of our relationship to Unci Maka. If we continue the path we are currently on, then our relationship or Way of Life will come to an end, as Stanley Looking Horse foretold. “Now my relative’s vision is coming true,” says Fawn, whose Lakota name is Shun Hizi Ota Agli Win, which means She Brings Many Buckskin Horses. “Unci Maka (Grandmother Earth) is suffering and we are doing something about it.” Learning of her relative’s dream was a turning point in Fawn’s life. Today, Fawn serves as Board Chair of the SAGE Renewable Energy Power Authority. Her vision is to see the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, and in particular Standing Rock itself, become the energy epicenter of the world. “We have big goals. The wind farm is our first project – and it will be followed by others such as solar and geothermal,” says Fawn. SAGE is a renewable energy power authority that reflects the Lakota/Dakota people’s traditions, perspective, and broader connection to the land. As an organization, SAGE offers a new model of energy management for tribal reservations and communities that prioritizes people, land, and nature over a strict profit motive. A biologist by trade, Fawn believes it is her duty and honor to speak for those cannot speak for themselves – including the wildlife and plants. Fawn grew up in Ft. Yates, N.D., and earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Mary. Fawn attributes her interest in the science field to the way she was raised in a traditional Lakota home. While growing up, Fawn was a voracious reader and spent much of her time outdoors preparing and gathering traditional foods. “I was drawn to becoming a naturalist because that is how I was raised,” says Fawn. “We watched our environment for signs if it was going to be a bad winter, a bad summer. I was very in tune with the environment.” – A flower on the plains of Standing Rock at sunset In school, math and science came naturally for Fawn, and she turned her love of nature into a career. In addition to her role as Chair of SAGE, Fawn worked as the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Land Operations Officer. In this role, she worked with producers, ranchers, and farmers on sustainable practices. And it was in her prior role as the Standing Rock Project Manager for Energy Minerals that Fawn became such an advocate in renewables and sustainability, as she found herself researching the history of renewable energy at Standing Rock, and developing ideas for the future. With the support of from former Tribal Chairman Dave Archamabult II, Standing Rock established SAGE and Fawn began managing the wind farm project on behalf of the Tribe. “We were seeing wind farms all over North and South Dakota,” says Fawn. “We wanted that renewable energy resource for our people, and our Tribe.” In 2019, Fawn left her professional position with the Tribe to teach. She taught 5th/6th grade math at Fort Yates Middle School and high school science at Standing Rock Community School. But when stakeholders from the Standing Rock community asked Fawn to continue her work for the Tribe by serving on the SAGE Board of Directors, she realized she couldn’t step away. She accepted, and as Chair has recruited each member of the Board so far, as well as SAGE’s CEO and General Manager. In June 2022, Fawn returned to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Land Management Department, where she serves as the Director of Reservation Resources. Working now in both the Board room and in the field, Fawn feels she is on the cutting edge of her subject area, able to help direct the work of SAGE to maximize the benefit for Standing Rock and its future generations. “Leaving the classroom was the toughest decision of my life. The questions from students are amazing. Somewhere down the road I am hoping to still combine my two passions: teaching and science,” says Fawn. “We are figuring out how to get our young people involved in natural resources. And with climate change, it has to happen now – we need to act now. And that is what we are doing through SAGE.” === * Photo credit: Whitebull Photography
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The End of Columbus Day
October 10, 2022 is a federal holiday, but the topic of the celebration differs greatly across the United States. On the second Monday of October, America celebrates Columbus Day, Indigenous Peoples Day, or Native American Day. There is a movement in America toward acknowledging the atrocities Christopher Columbus inflicted on Indigenous peoples, and instead of celebrating Columbus in October, to use that day to honor the resilience and survival of the First Americans. Yet, the federal government continues to recognize Columbus Day as a federal holiday. The question is this: Is America celebrating the life and accomplishments of Christopher Columbus on October 10? Or is America celebrating his “discovery” of America? Both precepts are flawed. Christopher Columbus was a 15th century navigator who massacred Native peoples in now called Haiti and the Dominican Republic, participated in the transatlantic slave trade, cut off Native peoples’ noses and ears for minor offenses to terrorize and dominate for control[1], and ordered for their dismembered bodies to be paraded in public[2]. American is celebrating a colonizer and a murderer on the second Monday in October. If we are not celebrating the man but are instead celebrating the discovery of America on Columbus Day, we should be honoring the Native Americans who had already inhabited America for thousands of years by the time Columbus sailed the ocean blue.[3] Columbus did not even step foot on American soil[4]. He landed on Guanahaní, a Bahamian island, and did not reach North America. The celebration of Christopher Columbus Day reflects and perpetuates the historical genocide of Indigenous peoples. Indigenous people have survived through relocation, termination, extermination, and forced dependence, some of which occurred at the direction of the venerated Columbus under the guise of law purported by the Doctrine of Discovery by the Catholic Church. We are now at a turning point in history where each year more states and localities are choosing to honor the First Americans on the second Monday in October. Let’s look at the history of Indigenous Peoples Day. In 1977, a United Nations conference was held in Geneva to address discrimination against Native people. It was the first UN conference with Indigenous delegates and the first time that Native peoples were allowed to speak on behalf of themselves at the UN[5]. This is where the idea for an Indigenous Peoples Day was first proposed. A draft declaration was produced at the conference to “observe October 12, the day of so-called ‘discovery’ of America, as an International Day of Solidarity with the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas.”5 In 1990, South Dakota became the first state to replace Columbus Day with Native American Day. The year prior, the South Dakota legislature unanimously passed legislation to proclaim 1990 as a “Year of Reconciliation” between Native Americans and whites, to change Columbus Day to Native American Day, and to make Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday a state holiday.[6] Founder of Indian Country Today Tim Giago, Oglala Lakota, said South Dakota accomplished these changes through discussions and writing, with the 100-year anniversary of Wounded Knee as a catalyst.[7] In 1890 at Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, at least 250 Lakota who were not engaged in combat, including many women and children, were slaughtered at the hands of U.S. soldiers.[8] The movement towards fuller adoption of Indigenous Peoples Day continued at The First Continental Conference on 500 Years of Indian Resistance (since the arrival of Columbus) held in 1990 in Ecuador. During the Conference, Indigenous spiritual elders suggested, and the conference unanimously passed, a resolution to change Columbus Day 1992 “into an occasion to strengthen our process of continental unity and struggle towards our liberation.”[9] Their hope in transforming Columbus Day was to “reveal the historical truths about the [European] invasion and the consequent genocide and environmental destruction, to organize against its continuation today, and to celebrate Indigenous resistance.”6 Berkeley, California was the first city to ditch Columbus Day for an Indigenous Peoples Day in 1992, also doing so in protest of the 500th anniversary of the arrival of Columbus in the Americas.[10] In America today, 10 states and more than 130 localities officially recognize an Indigenous Peoples Day in place of Columbus Day: Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Maine, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, and Vermont.[11] Eleven states and Washington, D.C., celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day through proclamations. Colorado no longer celebrates Columbus Day and as of 2020 the state now honors Italian-American immigrant Frances Xavier Cabrini in October.[12] In 2021 President Biden was the first U.S. President in history to officially recognize Indigenous Peoples Day through a proclamation. There is much to celebrate about Native Americans. From a social perspective, the Indigenous culture is now especially of interest in American culture. The FX television series Reservation Dogs is an example of a big step forward in Native representation on camera and Native media production. Indigenous culture is also of increased interest now because the world is experiencing the consequences of environmental destruction and climate change. Inherent in Indigenous cultures are the values of caring for and protecting Mother Earth. Organizations like the Standing Rock (“SAGE”) Renewable Energy Power Authority provide renewable and sustainable energy resources in balance with Natural Law. SAGE prioritizes people over profit, in stark and deliberate contrast with the legacy of Christopher Columbus. One way to rectify past atrocities is to get Indigenous lands back into Indigenous hands. Land management is one recent example of how Land Back has worked in a successful and non-threatening way. In 2020, Congress passed a law transitioning management of 18,000 acres of undeveloped land in Montana back to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes.[13] U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, Pueblo of Laguna, recognized Native peoples’ resilience, knowledge of conservation, and the Biden administration’s commitment to honoring treaty obligations while visiting Salish Kootenai College in celebration of the law’s passage. Under Haaland’s leadership, the U.S. is also actively reviewing and replacing derogatory Indigenous names (such as “squaw”) on the nation’s geographic features. Whether or not your state recognizes Indigenous Peoples Day on October 10, 2022, you can reflect on and celebrate Indigenous history. Learn about the diversity of the tribes in your area, support Native-owned businesses like the Standing Rock “SAGE” Renewable Energy Power Authority, or read a book or article from an Indigenous writer. In these ways, you too can be part of the movement toward a federally recognized Indigenous Peoples Day. — [1] Indian Country Today (2013). Mutilation and other carnage: War crimes committed by Columbus. https://indiancountrytoday.com/archive/mutilation-and-other-carnage-war-crimes-committed-by-columbus [2] Contreras, Russell (2019). AP Explains: Columbus, once immigrant hero, now heel to some. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/20a2a775f59340a29391cb4b446f940a [3] Johnson (G). (2021). Indigenous views of Christopher Columbus. Penn Today. https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/indigenous-views-christopher-columbus [4] Strauss, V. (2013). Christopher Columbus: 3 things you think he did that he didn’t. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2013/10/14/christopher-columbus-3-things-you-think-he-did-that-he-didnt/ [5] Curl, J. Archives of Indigenous Peoples Day: Part 1 The Geneva Conference, 1977. IPD Powwow. https://ipdpowwow.org/Archives_1.html#:~:text=The%20International%20NGO%20Conference%20on,peoples%20into%20international%20affairs%2C%20the [6] Native American Day (2022). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_American_Day [7] Every day is Indigenous Peoples’ Day (2021). Indian Country Today. https://indiancountrytoday.com/newscasts/10-08-21 [8] Wishart, D. (2011). Wounded Knee Massacre. Encyclopedia of the Great Plains. http://plainshumanities.unl.edu/encyclopedia/doc/egp.war.056 [9] Indigenous Peoples Committee (2022). The history of Indigenous Peoples Day. https://www.ipdpowwow.org/IPD%20History.html [10] Camhi, T. (2017). How Berkeley dumped Columbus Day for Indigenous Peoples Day. Berkeleyside. https://www.berkeleyside.org/2017/10/09/berkeley-became-1st-city-dump-columbus-day-indigenous-peoples-day [11] Andrew, S. & Willingham, A.J. (2020). These states are ditching Columbus Day to observe Indigenous Peoples’ Day instead. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/12/us/indigenous-peoples-day-2020-states-trnd/index.html [12] Townsend, L. The first Monday of October in Colorado is Frances Xavier Cabrini Day. Colorado Public Radio. https://www.cpr.org/2020/10/03/monday-is-colorados-1st-mother-cabrini-day-heres-why-the-state-chose-her-to-replace-columbus-day/ [13] Monares, F. (2022). Native tribes celebrate Montana land ownership and bison range restoration. National Public Radio. https://www.npr.org/2022/05/25/1100823011/native-tribes-celebrate-montana-land-ownership-and-bison-range-restoration
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