[Marxism] Fwd: Some American Indian issues/struggles

[Louis Proyect <lnp3@xxxxxxxxx>]

> LEWIS AND CLARK TRIBUTES MUST TELL THE TRUTH
> LEWIS & CLARK -- ON THE TRAIL: LEWIS-CLARK TRIBUTES MUST TELL THE TRUTH,
> SAYS ANGRY BLACKFOOT
> -
> Friday, November 24, 2000
> By DEAN BAKER, Columbian staff writer
> -
> The rhetoric is still red-hot, even though two months have passed since
> Jim Craven fired the first verbal shots in an American Indian war of words
> in Clark County.
> -
> The skirmish caused Craven, a Blackfoot tribal judge, to leave a
> countywide committee that's planning a 200th anniversary for the Lewis and
> Clark expedition visit here. Now it threatens to grow into an American
> Indian protest in Vancouver.
> -
> "The only thing I mind is lies and cover-ups," said Craven, 54, a Clark
> College economics professor and an expert and prolific writer on genocide
> of indigenous peoples. He either quit the committee or was fired by the
> mayor depending on whom you believe.
> -
> "There will be a protest," said Craven, saying he expects 200 Indians to
> show up in Vancouver to protest mistreatment of the Blackfoot and other
> tribal people over the past 200 years. "I promise you that." He didn't say
> when they would come.
> -
> Craven left the 20-member Vancouver-Clark County Lewis and Clark
> Commemoration Committee after using explosive words such as "genocide" in
> a speech to the committee Sept. 14. He graphically described for the
> committee the rape and murder of American Indians that followed closely on
> the heels of Lewis and Clark's odyssey on the Missouri and Columbia rivers
> in 1803-1806.
> -
> After he spoke, Craven said Vancouver Mayor Royce Pollard fired him from
> the committee, but Pollard said that isn't so. Pollard said he asked
> Craven in a private meeting to tone down his language or leave the group.
> It was Craven's decision, the mayor said.
> -
> Fired or not, Craven left. He said the coming of the 31 Lewis and Clark
> explorers marked the beginning of a campaign against his people. That's
> not something the Blackfoot celebrate or describe in a polite way, he
> said. But it wasn't what Craven said that was offensive, Pollard said. It
> was the way he said it.
> -
> "He really had two options," said Pollard, 61. "He had to modify his
> behavior or he had to leave the committee."
> -
> Craven said this week he's still upset, but not simply from being fired.
> "If they want to throw me off the committee, that's OK," he said. "I just
> don't like dishonesty. No one has told me specifically what I said that
> was offensive. They didn't have the guts. I heard they didn't like my
> tone. If they don't like my tone, too bad. I don't like their tone either,
> or their pomposity and arrogance. This is like a cross betweenJoseph
> McCarthy and Franz Kafka."
> -
> He said he's being accused of offenses that are unclear. Craven said he
> was under a directive from Blackfoot Confederacy Chief Sikapii to tell the
> Blackfoot story unequivocally and directly, and he did so. Sikapii (also
> known as White Horse, or George YellowHorn), 62, is a hereditary Blackfoot
> chief who lives in Fort Macleod, Alberta. He told The Columbian this week
> that he dispatched Craven to tell the story of the exploitation of his
> tribe, which followed the coming of Lewis and Clark.
> -
> "Under the Bureau of Indian affairs, the U.S. and Canada are racist
> governments, white people saying we are their children, saying they are
> going to look after us while they steal our land and throw us scraps," he
> said. "The Blackfoot pushed Lewis and Clark off their land in present-day
> Montana", Sikapii said.
> -
> Pollard said he respected the grievances of the Blackfoot Confederacy but
> couldn't abide Craven's manner of speaking. He said it was he who asked
> Craven to join the committee in hope that he would bring a strong native voice.
> -
> "But he didn't help," the mayor said. "These people on the committee were
> volunteers and they were uncomfortable."
> -
> The other American Indian on the committee, however, said he wasn't
> offended and understood both points of view. Honorary Chinook Chief Cliff
> Snider said he held a milder view himself and asked Craven to speak
> softer."I knew that he was rubbing some people wrong," said Snider, 74,
> who lives in Milwaukie, Ore. "He was coming on strong, and I told him
> afterwards, 'I think some people are taking offense to what you are
> saying.' I could see that in the crowd, and I told him, 'I know how you
> feel, and I know the outrage your tribe feels. I'm just asking you in
> these meetings to tone it down a little bit.'"
> -
> Snider said he represents 52 tribes along the Lewis and Clark trail, and
> every one has its own way of viewing Lewis and Clark. Some will join in
> the commemoration while others may boycott, he said. "I know the Blackfoot
> still feel their tribe lost in its encounter with Lewis and Clark," he said.
> -
> Craven said he respected Snider's point of view, but he had to speak
> plainly, as a Blackfoot. "We are contemptuous of phony politeness
> ('smiling with the front teeth while grinding with the back teeth'),"
> wrote Craven in an e-mail to editors of The Columbian. "(We don't believe
> in) schmoozing and networking, and we are mandated to tell the truth as we
> know it or believe it, and talk straight; this is often interpreted by
> those adept at schmoozing and phony politeness as being 'impolite' and
> 'uncivil.' Indeed history records hundreds of years of whites and sell-out
> Indians doing some very 'impolite' and very 'uncivil' acts of genocide,
> while hiding behind masks and postures of 'civility' and 'politeness.'"
> -
> One committee member, Gerard Smith, a Clark College English professor,
> said he heard Craven's presentation at an earlier meeting in August and
> wasn't offended. He said Craven "read from several historic documents
> which supported his assertion that 18th century U.S.policy included
> genocide for the American Indian." "I explained (to the mayor) his action
> was similar to asking a Jew not to speak about the inhumanity of the
> Nazis," Smith said in an e-mail to the Columbian. "Here's the crux of the
> matter," he added. "The crimes committed in the name of manifest destiny
> are no different than the crimes committed in the name of Aryan
> superiority. Is such language intense? Is such language harassment? The
> truth can be painful, but it must be spoken."
> -
> But it also stripped the committee of the Blackfoot Confederacy's point of
> view.
> -
> posted by Jim Craven (Omahkohkiaayo i'poyi) @ 1:57 PM
>
> Friday, December 02, 2005
> SKULL AND BONES AND THE SKULL OF GERONIMO
> Native Americans groups fight to recover lost skull of Geronimo.
> -
> BY NOAM RUDNICK The Yale Herald October 24, 2003
> -
> An axe pried open the iron door of the tomb, and Pat[riarch] Bush entered
> and started to dig...Pat[riarch] James dug deep and pried out the trophy
> itself...I showered and hit the hay...a happy man...''
> -
> So recounts a document thought to be an internal record from the Skull and
> Bones Society. "Pat[riarch] Bush" is Prescott Bush, father of an American
> political dynasty. His "trophy" is the skull of Geronimo, the Native
> American spiritual and military leader laid to rest in 1909 at Fort Sill,
> Oklahoma, where Bush and fellow Bonesmen were stationed nine years later.
> -
> Alexandra Robbins, ES '98, has researched Bush's secret society
> extensively. Her recent book, Secrets of the Tomb, has heightened interest
> in the activities of Skull and Bones. She attests to the legitimacy of the
> story, "The text looks to be an authentic Bones document describing
> Prescott Bush and other Bonesmen robbing Geronimo's grave and cleaning the
> skull with carbolic acid." In interviews with Robbins, Bonesmen have
> admitted that there is a skull in the tomb that they call Geronimo.
> -
> Current Members of Skull and Bones chose not to comment on the legitimacy
> of the allegations.
> -
> Apache tribal leader Ned Anderson was informed of the alleged theft in
> 1986. As an ancestor of Geronimo, Anderson petitioned the Federal Bureau
> of Investigations to force the return of the skull. Noting that Apaches
> have a "great fear and respect for death," Anderson said that he hoped to
> honor Geronimo's express wish to be laid to rest in "Arizona acorn country."
> -
> Unwilling to remove himself from the case entirely and yield all his
> evidence to the FBI, Anderson withdrew his request for action. Instead, he
> arranged to meet with George H. W. Bush's, DC '48,(Skull and Bones)
> brother Jonathan in New York City. Anderson recounts that Bush sounded
> "very encouraging" during their initial meeting. Eleven days later, Bush
> presented the display case. Anderson refused to accept the skull because
> it appeared to belong to a small child. Bush acknowledged this fact but
> claimed that it was the only relevant artifact in the society's possession.
> -
> He urged Anderson to accept the display and sign a document verifying that
> the society was not in possession of Geronimo's skull. Anderson refused.
> -
> Since the meeting in Manhattan, no further efforts to recover the skull
> have been made. Anderson puts great faith in the Bonesmen. "I believe that
> those who are involved need to come clean on this," he said. "I think
> they'll come around and do what is appropriate."
> -
> GETTY IMAGES
> The skull of Geronimo, an Apache chief, is rumored to be in the possession
> of Skull and Bones.Jim Adams, managing editor of Indian Country Today,
> provides an explanation for the notable absence of recovery efforts.
> "Apache tribal governments seem reluctant to raise the issue because it
> does violate taboos about speaking about the dead. This doesn't mean
> they're not concerned; rather they have their own laws of secrecy."
> -
> Native Americans are far from unconcerned. Adams' publication, the leading
> Native American news source, has run several articles on the secret
> society's alleged possession of the skull. On Oct. 6, 60 Minutes televised
> a segment on Skull and Bones that briefly addressed the society's
> posession of Geronimo's skull.
> -
> James Craven, an economics professor at Clark College, suggests that such
> media exposure is leading to action. "In the near future, there will
> finally be large groups of Natives showing up in front of 'the tomb' to
> protest this ugly racism and grave robbing by the Bones, and they will not
> be leaving until that skull and any other Native artifacts have been returned."
> -
> Adams expressed similar sentiments. "My sense is that American Indians in
> general are appalled outraged by the accusation, but not surprised," he
> said. "Remains of ancestors have been exploited and desecrated for
> centuries in the name of anthropology or simply for idle curiosity. But
> even by these standards, it's bizarre and embarrassing that a supposedly
> elite group would use the remains of any human being for its own
> entertainment."
>
> Supposing the grave-robbing allegations are true, why would the Skull and
> Bones be interested in the head of Geronimo? Robbins suggests that the
> answer lies in their name. "Bones as a society is preoccupied with death;
> skulls, skeletons, and artwork depicting death are prevalent in the tomb.
> When Bonesmen steal things they use the euphemism that they are taking
> 'gifts to the goddess' whom they honor within the tomb." The focus on
> death is not arbitrary. The society emphasizes mortality in order to
> illustrate the necessity of success.
> -
> Robbins, herself a member of Scroll and Key, attests to the centrality of
> ritualized stealing in many of the societies at Yale. Each class attempts
> to outdo its predecessor in the acquisition of valuables. In addition to
> Geronimo's skull, the Bonesmen's tomb is rumored to contain the skull of
> Pancho Villa and Adolf Hitler's silverware.
> -
> Robbins expresses outrage at Skull and Bones' behavior. "I think it's
> ridiculous that Bonesmen's sense of entitlement is broad enough to include
> items that allegedly don't belong to them. The items they supposedly steal
> as a prank or competition may be valuable and meaningful to the actual
> owners. It's appalling that proper authorities have not forced their way
> into the tomb to retrieve the items that don't belong in there."
> -
> The legality of Skull and Bones' behavior is dubious. According to Adams,
> members of Skull and Bones have violated laws preventing the desecration
> of graves and should be held responsible as felons. "If it is true that
> Skull and Bones and its corporate parent RTA Inc., continue to hold these
> skulls, my belief would be that they are participating in a continuing
> conspiracy to be in possession of stolen property." Many are quick to cite
> the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act as grounds for
> prosecuting Skull and Bones. Ironically, it was George H. W. Bush, DC '48,
> a member of Skull and Bones, who signed this bill into law in 1990.
> However, NAGPRA only applies to organizations that receive federal
> funding. The University, in fact, was forced to return certain artifacts
> previously held by its Peabody Museum in accordance with the bill.
> However, secret societies are not directly affiliated with the University,
> exempting them from NAGPRA jurisdiction.
> -
> While the society's exemption from NAGPRA relies on financial independence
> from Yale, the two organizations are in fact closely intertwined. As
> Robbins emphasizes, the administration hasn't taken steps against the
> societies because administrators have historically been members. To this
> day, prominent figures on the Yale faculty and administration are members
> of Yale secret societies. There has always been a kinship between society
> men at the faculty, administration, and undergraduate levels. This close
> connection may explain Yale's failure to investigate the activity of
> certain students.
> -
> In addition to being high-ranking members of the Yale administration,
> members of Skull and Bones work in important governmental positions. The
> upcoming presidential election could potentially pit Bonesman against Bonesman.
> -
> George Bush, DC '68, and John Kerry, JE '66, both members of the society,
> could be hurt by their involvement in an organization that allegedly takes
> part illegal behavior. "I think these politicians are caught in a real
> conflict between their loyalty to Bones and their oaths as public servants
> if they don't take positive steps to return any human remains. The reports
> about Geronimo certainly poison relations between the Presidency and the
> tribes," Adams said.
> -
> Whatever the repercussions, many see the society's behavior as wholly
> reprehensible, particularly among those who would run for high public
> office. "[The theft] is a metaphor for something much bigger and even
> uglier. It is the ugly racism and hubris of the in-bred power elites who
> seek to infiltrate positions of power," Craven said.
> -
> 2002 The Yale HeraldThe Herald is an undergraduate publication at Yale
> University. Book Excerpt: The Legend of Skull and Bones, An Expos of
> President George W. Bush's Secret Society:
> -
> "Skull and Bones has curled its tentacles into every reach of American
> society. This tiny club has set up networks that have thrust three members
> to the most powerful political position in the world. And its power is
> only increasing - the 2004 Presidential election might showcase the first
> time each ticket has been led by a Bonesman. The secret society now, as
> one historian admonishes, is "'an international mafia' . . . unregulated
> and all but unknown." In its quest to create a New World Order that
> restricts individual freedoms and places ultimate power solely in the
> hands of a small cult of wealthy, prominent families, Skull and Bones has
> already succeeded in infiltrating nearly every major research, policy,
> financial, media, and government institution in the country. Skull and
> Bones, in fact, has been running the United States for years.
> -
> They are taught that once they get out into the world, they are expected
> to reach positions of prominence so that they can further elevate the
> society.s status and help promote the standing of their fellow Bonesmen.
> -
> This purpose has driven Bonesmen to ascend to the top levels of so many
> fields that, as one historian observes, "at any one time The Order can
> call on members in any area of American society to do what has to be
> done." Several Bonesmen have been senators, congressmen, Supreme Court
> justices, and cabinet officials. There is a Bones cell in the CIA, which
> uses Skull and Bones as a recruiting ground because the members are so
> obviously adept at keeping secrets. Society members dominate financial
> institutions such as J.P. Morgan, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, and Brown
> Brothers Harriman, where at one time more than a third of the partners
> were Bonesmen. Through these companies, Skull and Bones provided financial
> backing to Adolf Hitler because the society then followed a Nazi - and now
> follows a neo-Nazi - doctrine. At least one dozen Bonesmen have been
> linked to the Federal Reserve, including the first Chairman of the New
> York Federal Reserve. Skull and Bones members control the wealth of the
> Rockefeller, Carnegie, and Ford families. -
>
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