Day 17: Resistance & Native American Graves Protection Act (#NAGPRA)
Choose one thing to read, watch, listen to, do, or engage with today. Try to mix it up each day between the categories!
READ
Occupation of Alcatraz Island How a group of Red Power activists seized the abandoned prison island and their own destinies. by Eleri Harris and Mariah-Rose Marie Medium (2018)
Native American food traditions: A renewed drive to keep them alive “Food sovereignty” emphasizes local food production and people’s agricultural and culinary heritage. For Native Americans, it’s a way to repair damage inflicted when European Americans severed them from their traditional ways. by Richard Mertens Christian Science Monitor (2021)
Indigenous Resistance Movements From the 20th and 21st Centuries We Can Learn From While many Nations were coerced into signing treaties or willfully did so, Indigenous people in the U.S. never stopped resisting settler colonialism, white supremacy, and occupation. Also speaks to the uneducated hypocrisy of being pro US Indigenous rights yet not pro Palestine rights as both populations are victims of settler colonialism, white supremacy, and occupation. by Stef Rubino autostraddle (2023)
WATCH
Bones of Contention: Battling for Human Dignity at the Salina Indian Burial Pit For over 50 years, human remains were displayed at a tourist attraction. When the Pawnee Nation protested, they were met with opposition from archeologists who wanted to study the remains. Through amazing persistence, the two groups were able to reach a compromise, and lay the foundation for NAGPRA. SjoborHammer (2009) 10 minutes
NAGPRA NAGPRA in a nutshell. Short Takes: A composite of interviews with NAGPRA constituents. National NAGPRA Program (2012) 20 minutes T CC
Revitalizing the Wolastoquey Language Members of the Wolastoquey Nation share their experiences around speaking and reclaiming their language to maintain and pass along culture. They ask the question: Can you be a nation without language? CBS News (2019) 14 minutes T CC
Dakota Access Pipeline Protesters: ‘The World Needed To See What Was Going On’ Native Americans protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline broadcast their own story live online to show the world “the truth” about the controversial construction project. NBC News (2017) 3 minutes T CC
Winona LaDuke - Seeds of Our Ancestors, Seeds of Life Winona LaDuke works nationally and internationally on the issues of climate change, renewable energy, and environmental justice with Indigenous communities. In her own community, she works to protect Indigenous plants and heritage foods from patenting and genetic engineering. TedxTC (2012) 17 minutes T CC
The Standing Rock resistance and our fight for Indigenous rights Still invisible and often an afterthought, Indigenous peoples are uniting to protect the world's water, lands and history -- while trying to heal from genocide and ongoing inequality. Tara Houska (Couchiching First Nation) offers a personal perspective on all of it. TEDWomen(2017) 11 minutes T CC
LISTEN
Listen to this song: Stand Up about DAPL Taboo (2017) 5 minutes T CC
Listen to one or more of the Indigenous Rights Radio podcast episodes. Find it by scrolling down the this website page. Indigenous Rights Radio 20 minutes
Why the American Museum of Natural History is closing some Native American exhibits NPR talks to Sean Decatur, president of the American Museum of Natural History, about why some Native American exhibits are closing under a law requiring consent from Native tribes. NPR: Morning Edition (2024) 3 minutes T
BRING IT HOME
Geronimo: Spiritual Leader, Patriot, Freedom Fighter, Defender of the Homelands and Nations Against Alien Invading Conquerors, War Criminals, and Occupiers of his Ancestral Land by W. Fox Tree
DO
Check out the book Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley. This is a young adult novel which includes NAGPRA and MMIW. Check out this author interview.
EXPLORE & REFLECT
CONTENT WARNING: State violence on civilians. Watch Police blast Standing Rock protesters with water cannon and rubber bullets
21-Day Question
How would you describe the power differential in this scene? Have you ever had to take a stand for your land, family, or community? How did that feel?
T Transcript Available
CC Closed Captions Available