FW: Story on Winona LaDuke at U-Mich-Ann Arbor

["Craven, Jim" <jcraven@xxxxxxxxx>]

Ex-Green Party candidate discusses Native American rights

By Soojung Chang, Daily Staff Reporter
March 24, 2003

Many may not remember Winona LaDuke, Ralph Nader's running mate for the
2000 presidential elections. But while the two lost their bid for the
White House, LaDuke - a spokeswoman for Native American rights and an
environmental activist - is still advocating for the same causes that
the Green Party championed.

"She's one of the top thinkers of our time," Law student Maren Norton
said, referring to LaDuke, who graduated from Harvard University. LaDuke
has been promoting Native American and indigenous peoples' rights since
the age of 18, when she addressed the United Nations on behalf of the
International Indian Treaty Council.

LaDuke delivered the keynote address at the Annual American Indian Law
Day Symposium Friday at Hutchins Hall in the Law School, addressing how
globalization and the environment impact Native American communities.

While discussing globalization, she commented on the current war in Iraq
and its effect on her community.

"As I watched the 7th Cavalry advance into Iraq, I had a really bad
feeling in my stomach," LaDuke said.

She expressed concern about the high percentage of Native Americans that
are enlisted in the military, saying "my community is over there in (in
Iraq)."

Law student Matt Pryor said he agreed with LaDuke's statements about the
war.

"I think the general sentiment that she conveyed about how it's a war
for oil ... and a war without a base of support was very well stated,"
he said.

LaDuke also said questions regarding whether the United States. is
fighting a just war are especially relevant to Native American
communities, who were once the victims of what she called "the
righteousness of American military power." She compared the war in Iraq
to the type of colonialism that allowed European settlers to justify
their conquest of the Native Americans and their continued oppression.

"The development of the largest economy in the world, the United States,
is directly related to the underdevelopment of native people," LaDuke said.

She said Native Americans have suffered the most in the violation of
their land rights, which has caused structural poverty and a loss of
political power.

LaDuke is currently director of the Land Recovery Project on White Earth
Reservation in Minnesota, where she resides with her family. It is a
small, community-based project dedicated to recovering the reservation's
original land base.

"The only compensation for land is land," LaDuke said.

The reservation is home to LaDuke's tribe, the Mississippi Band of
Anishinaabeg. They are currently involved in many projects that aim to
improve the environmental condition of their reservation, including a
campaign to protect the tribe's right to farm wild rice, or "manoonin,"
in the face of competition from scientists seeking patents for
genetically modified versions of their native crop. LaDuke argued that
modern farming practices are unsustainable and more damaging to the
environment than her tribe's traditional farming methods.

Public Health student Elizabeth Lowerey said she had mixed feelings
about LaDuke's attack on genetically modified wild rice.

"I see some of the benefits of genetic engineering, but I do see that
there are dangers," Lowery said.

But Lowery said she is in favor of LaDuke's proposal to utilize wind
technology as a cleaner method of producing electrical power.

"Indian reservations on the Great Plains are some of the windiest places
in the nation," LaDuke said.

The event was hosted by the Native American Law Students Association and
the Environmental Law Society. It also included a panel titled "The
Intersection of Environmental and Indian Law."

--- Begin Message ---

• To:
• Subject:
• Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2003 12:39:04 -0800

<http://media.michigandaily.com/vimages/default/box.gif>
<http://media.michigandaily.com/vimages/default/box.gif>

Ex-Green Party candidate discusses Native American rights

By Soojung Chang, Daily Staff Reporter
March 24, 2003

Many may not remember Winona LaDuke, Ralph Nader's running mate for the 2000
presidential elections. But while the two lost their bid for the White
House, LaDuke - a spokeswoman for Native American rights and an
environmental activist - is still advocating for the same causes that the
Green Party championed.

"She's one of the top thinkers of our time," Law student Maren Norton said,
referring to LaDuke, who graduated from Harvard University. LaDuke has been
promoting Native American and indigenous peoples' rights since the age of
18, when she addressed the United Nations on behalf of the International
Indian Treaty Council.

LaDuke delivered the keynote address at the Annual American Indian Law Day
Symposium Friday at Hutchins Hall in the Law School, addressing how
globalization and the environment impact Native American communities.

While discussing globalization, she commented on the current war in Iraq and
its effect on her community.

"As I watched the 7th Cavalry advance into Iraq, I had a really bad feeling
in my stomach," LaDuke said.

She expressed concern about the high percentage of Native Americans that are
enlisted in the military, saying "my community is over there in (in Iraq)."

Law student Matt Pryor said he agreed with LaDuke's statements about the
war.

"I think the general sentiment that she conveyed about how it's a war for
oil ... and a war without a base of support was very well stated," he said.

LaDuke also said questions regarding whether the United States. is fighting
a just war are especially relevant to Native American communities, who were
once the victims of what she called "the righteousness of American military
power." She compared the war in Iraq to the type of colonialism that allowed
European settlers to justify their conquest of the Native Americans and
their continued oppression.

"The development of the largest economy in the world, the United States, is
directly related to the underdevelopment of native people," LaDuke said.

She said Native Americans have suffered the most in the violation of their
land rights, which has caused structural poverty and a loss of political
power.

LaDuke is currently director of the Land Recovery Project on White Earth
Reservation in Minnesota, where she resides with her family. It is a small,
community-based project dedicated to recovering the reservation's original
land base.

"The only compensation for land is land," LaDuke said.

The reservation is home to LaDuke's tribe, the Mississippi Band of
Anishinaabeg. They are currently involved in many projects that aim to
improve the environmental condition of their reservation, including a
campaign to protect the tribe's right to farm wild rice, or "manoonin," in
the face of competition from scientists seeking patents for genetically
modified versions of their native crop. LaDuke argued that modern farming
practices are unsustainable and more damaging to the environment than her
tribe's traditional farming methods.

Public Health student Elizabeth Lowerey said she had mixed feelings about
LaDuke's attack on genetically modified wild rice.

"I see some of the benefits of genetic engineering, but I do see that there
are dangers," Lowery said.

But Lowery said she is in favor of LaDuke's proposal to utilize wind
technology as a cleaner method of producing electrical power.

"Indian reservations on the Great Plains are some of the windiest places in
the nation," LaDuke said.

The event was hosted by the Native American Law Students Association and the
Environmental Law Society. It also included a panel titled "The Intersection
of Environmental and Indian Law."


--- End Message ---