Let's Talk Native with John Kane: Recent Episodes
John Kane
This show has one function and that is to provide a forum for Native issues. New episodes are uploaded every week. Like what you hear? Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/letstalknative
This is the first of the racist, slave era "legal" doctrines that still drive US law and policy regarding Native peoples.
I join Ahmed Ali for a second day in the run up to our screening of the Oscar nominated film Sugarcane at the Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington NY. Hoping to fill the house and looking forward to the conversation after the film.
It cannot possibly be a coincidence that this level of abuse could occur at EVERY Indian Boarding School. "Kill the Indian - Save the Man" was not just a metaphor. Metaphors do not require graves!
Yesterday a group calling themselves a tri-council signed a land claim settlement in direct violation of their own authority and will of the people.
Lots of bad history with December and a year that ends with Trump returning to the White House. How fitting!
I didn't produce an LTN podcast this week but I did a special two hour broadcast in Washington DC on WPFW for Indigenous Peoples Day on Monday.
Almost ten years after the school's name change, the Lancaster little league football team still has "Redskins" embedded in their program.
The slogan never should have been "Every Child Matters!" That was like responding to "Black Lives Matter" with "All Lives Matter." We should have used "Native Children Matter" or "Our Children Matter." But the final report from the Interior Department on Residential Schools suggest our children didn't and still don't matter to government officials. The sad part is, we aren't showing much concern for Deb Haaland's whitewash of this American Genocide either.
The Jim Thorpe Longest Run stretched from New York City to Los Angeles and from May 24th to July 19th of 1984. Ross John Sr. joins us to talk about his experience as one of the runners and Ross John Jr. joins to talk about a program this year from May to July to run and commemorate the 40th Anniversary
Tekarontake joins me for a broadcast from Akwesasne to discuss a land claims settlement proposed by frauds.
Noel Bass joins me again three years after producing a short film on the incredible people tackling the suicide epidemic on the Pine Ridge Reservation with a full length documentary covering the issue.
Much of what is deemed "law" in the US is not an actual product of the legislative system. The creation of "legal doctrine" requires no actual law. Courts, the Supreme Court in particular has somehow become vested with a power to legislate from the bench and allow their written opinions to gain the force of law.This program challenges three legal doctrines that have no basis in either rule of law or the US Constitution. They represent pure authoritarian rule.
I am interviewed by Agnes Williams of the Indigenous Women's Initiative. We cover the Seneca Gaming conflict with NYS and displacement in the gaming market by the State.
Between the attacks on education coming from the right and higher ed themselves marketing college only as a path to financial enrichment, universities and colleges are losing a battle for survival. enrollment is down as the costs continue to rise. But have we lost the true value in pursuing education? It's about enlightenment and fulfillment not just making more money.
I've seen film and television, even with Native producers, that mention suicide or otherwise include suicides in their content but fail to adequately address the underlying issues leading to them.
The Gaming Compact will expire before the end of the year and the Seneca Nation is miles away from an agreement with the State and even farther away from an agreement with their own people. The Seneca Nation attempted to stop revenue sharing in 2017 so why are they pushing for revenue sharing now?
So the US Interior Secretary Deb Haaland made a quiet visit to Hawaii and was hosted for an event at the Hawaiian Kingdom's Iolani Palace. She talked about restoring the building but not restoring the Palace to its rightful owners. My long time friend Kaiulani Mahuka joins me for trip to the past and an update to where we are now.
This is another show lifted from my radio shows in New York City and Washington DC. I give a few comments on the ICWA challenge now that some of the dust has cleared after the Supreme Court ruling and then I return to the on-going saga of Seneca gaming and the organized crime syndicate known as New York State.
This podcast is actually from my radio show but the subject is important and the info needs to be shared. The SCOTUS just rejected a challenge to the Indian Child Welfare Act. I have never been a fan of the law but this challenge had a lot more at stake than ICWA. Let's talk about the law, the challenge and the ruling. And why this flawed law needed to stand.
A small section of the New York State Thruway (Interstate 90)crosses through the Seneca Territory of Cattaraugus. The Seneca Nation has been assessing payments due to them from tolls collected by the State and argues the State owes them over $600,000,000. Grace Burich joins me with her father Professor Keith Burich to talk about her research project on the NYS Thruway dispute.
Well! The Vatican did it again. They condemn the actions of others but avoid any responsibility for their own.
I had a surgery that went a little sideways on me and has laid me up for the last two months. Here's my ordeal in detail to explain where I have been.
This was recorded for a Resistance Radio broadcast but it is well worth sharing here for the LTN listeners. Coming from two very different perspectives and attitudes towards the Bureau of Indian Affairs, John and Valerie offer a great look at the agency, now almost completely run by Native bureaucrats.
I cannot emphasize enough the scope and scale of this atrocity committed against Native children. It is almost the entirety of US history. 200 years of Genocide.
The conflict in the Cayuga homelands has raged on for years. At the center of it all is an abuse of authority made possible by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and those who played the Fed Wreck game.
Famed Stanford Psychology Professor joins me for Resistance Radio to refute certain claims made about him and his work. We discuss Native mascots, stereotyping and racism.
He refused to apologize for the Church or take ANY responsibility. Keep in mind, this guy made Junipero Sera a "Saint" and he was responsible for deaths of thousands of indigenous children at his missions.
It's not really breaking a glass ceiling if nothing gets broken! Carrying water for the white male power structure is not change.
A white supremacist came to Buffalo to kill Black people. But not all racists carry guns.
This one gets an F! The real info is pretty anemic. Nothing new and no mention of Genocide.
With nearly 100 cannabis dispensaries on Seneca territory alone, questions about what NYS will do when they enter the business remains.
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I heard it said that we don't need to push our kids to be lawyers and doctors. We need to teach them to be activists.
Governor Kathy Hochul extorted half a billion dollars out of the Seneca Nation this week by freezing all its bank accounts, affecting the livelihoods of every Seneca and every employee, vendor and contractor. She literally strangled the second largest employer in WNY for a ransom payment that she plans to use for the new Buffalo Bills stadium.
A law passed that targets a specific group of people by race to assert control and dominance over them is RACIST by definition and starts from a belief of racial superiority. And that racism continues with the enforcement and oversight of the law.
We need to document the atrocities but also create the accounting of the losses inflicted on our people through 100 years of "Kill the Indian - Save the Man." Let's not let the Genocide be obscured by the atrocities committed children. Both need to be "reconciled." We need "Restoration of land and autonomy. Not just an apology or payouts.
This week, we shift our focus to South America with our guest Ervin Liz of Native Root Coffee. Ervin is a third-generation Nasa indigenous coffee farmer who founded Native Root Coffee to address and correct the inequalities and exploitation of indigenous farmers and coffee bean producers that he witnessed while growing up on his family's farm in Columbia.
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Dr. Preston McBride joins John to talk about his research on the genocidal residential school system in the United States. In this episode, we turn our attention away from Canada and focus on the United States with a conversation featuring historian and researcher Preston McBride. Preston is of Comanche and settler colonialism descent. He lives and works on Tongva lands where he is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the USC-Mellon Humanities and the University of the Future Program.
Closing song is "Savages" by Snotty Nose Rez Kids Feat. Drezus
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"Truth and reconciliation" are the current buzz words yet again for government officials tasked with fixing the broken relationships between indigenous people and the colonial governments that occupy their stolen land. In this episode, John address the elephant in the room when it comes to these types of "talks" between Native governments and federal governments. There can be no reconciliation without land restoration!
Closing song is "ANISHINABE" by SAMIAN.
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Journalist, writer and documentary filmmaker Jay Rosenstein joins the show for a great conversation on the mascot debate and winning the war of appropriation. Jay is a retired professor of journalism and the director of "In Whose Honor?", a 1996 documentary that follows Charlene Teters as she campaigns against Chief Illiniwek, the University of Illinois' offensive team mascot.
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Dina Gilio-Whitaker joins John for this episode. Dina is an author, journalist, lecturer and adjunct professor of American Indian studies at California State University at San Marcos. Much of her work is focused on Native American studies, Decolonization and Environmental Justice.
Closing song is "The Social" (feat. pHoenix Pagliacci) by DJ Shub.
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Dr. Stephanie Fryberg joins John to discuss her work in researching the psychological harm caused by native mascots and the impact they have on children and teens. Dr. Fryberg is a Tulalip psychologist who received her Master's and Doctorate degrees from Stanford University and has spent most of her career researching and collecting data on how Native people feel about Native mascots and their overall representation in media. During her time spent researching this subject, she has been able document significant data that shows race-based mascots do in fact cause psychological harm and they are especially harmful to young children and teens.
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Outgoing U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy Jr. recently sent a letter out to almost every native smoke shop on Seneca territories threatening to prosecute, fine, imprison and seize the assets of any native person living on a native territory found to be involved in the "illegal" manufacture, distribution or sale of "rollie" style cigarettes on native territories inside the "Western District of New York."
John uses this letter as an opportunity to explain why the state and federal laws that Kennedy claims are being violated on Seneca Nation territory do not actually apply.
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On this episode, Jeff Reina, an attorney from Buffalo, NY joins us to talk about a recent court case involving a million dollar fine levied against a Native wholesaler over the transportation of tobacco from one native territory to another. The case was recently tossed out based on an illegal search and seizure ruling after almost a decade long legal battle. For centuries the courts have refused to rule in favor of legal arguments that rely on "sovereignty" as a core component and instead fall back to "back door rulings" that may benefit individual defendants but fails to set precedent for other Native people, businesses and nations.
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The new school board in Cambridge, NY has decided to double down on the use of their offensive Native mascot. On the very day the latest right-wing board member was sworn in, this new board with their pro-mascot majority made it their priority to rescind a previous resolution that ended the use of the mascot and made it clear that they will continue to use their offensive mascot moving forward. Heather Bruegl, the Cultural Affairs Director for the Stockbridge-Munsee Mohican Nation, joins John to discuss this recent development in Cambridge and more on this episode of Let's Talk Native.
The closing song is a medley of The Halluci Nation featuring “We Are The Halluci Nation with John Trudell & Northern Voice” and “ALie Nation with John Trudell, Tanya Tagaq, Lido Pimienta & Northern Voice.”
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For several decades the male dominated power structure in Onondaga has tried to keep Haudenosaunee women out of lacrosse in order to maintain their dominance over the Iroquois Nationals men's lacrosse team. After facing pressure from lucrative sponsors and outside organizations to merge the two teams under one banner, a delegation from the men's team spoke to the Grand Council of Six Nations at an unusual closed-door session and the women's team was disbanded without justification shortly after. The women were not given an opportunity to defend themselves and their team's sanction was pulled by the Grand Council which made it impossible for them to compete at the international level. In this episode, John is joined by Katie Smith, Erin Francis and Kathy Smith to peel back the curtain on the inner-workings of Haudenosaunee politics and to discuss these troubling developments.
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Well, it finally happened! The Cambridge New York Central School Board voted to retire their offensive Native mascot. The decision to finally hold the vote on the original resolution removing the mascot came after a week of embarrassing developments for the small New York community. Cambridge for Social Justice member Scott Carrino joins John for this episode to discuss the school board's decision to retire the mascot and the embarrassing opinion piece published in The Washington Post that called out the small community for failing to address the mascot problem adequately.
Closing song is "Bless" by Drezus.
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On June 8, a high speed police pursuit ended in a fiery car wreck on the Cattaraugus territory of the Seneca Nation. The driver of one of the vehicles then took a female passenger hostage and a 3 hour stand-off began in the middle of the small Seneca community of Cattaraugus. In this episode, John provides some potential solutions to stopping these types of incidents from ever reaching our lands.
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The recent discovery of 215 bodies at the Kamloops Residential School in British Columbia, Canada surprised everyone except Native people. For several decades survivors of these genocidal institutions have told stories of the abuse, neglect and violence that they experienced at these schools but the general public largely ignored them. In this episode, we take another look at the genocidal residential school system implemented by the Canadians and the Americans. Author and historian Keith Burich joins John to discuss the history and long-term impacts of the residential school system.
Closing song is "War Club" by DJ Shub feat. Snotty Nose Rez Kids.
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In this episode John examines the double standard that's obvious to some and invisible to others when it comes to the topic of Native people in the national discourse on racial equality.
Closing song is "Anishinabe" by SAMIAN.
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In this episode John is joined by Ed Schindler and Paul Winnie to discuss the differences between "environmentalists" and "land defenders" and how it all ties back to the concept of Seven Generations. Join John, Ed and Paul in a discussion on how the Native view of land and our responsibility to it is fundamentally at odds with how European settlers and their descendants view the land.
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In this episode we introduce a new format for the show and take a look at the Oka Crisis. After a year-long dispute over the expansion of a golf course between the city of Oka and the Mohawk community of Kanesatake, the Quebec provincial police stormed a barricade erected by the Mohawks to stop the expansion. What began as riot police tossing tear gas canisters at a small group of Mohawks spiraled into a 20 minute long shootout which resulted in the death of one SWAT team member. What followed was a 78 day siege that ended after the Canadian military surrounded the small Mohawk community and pushed their way past the barricades. Kahentinetha Horn and Loran Thompson join John to talk about what happened after the police officer was killed and how they managed to survive the military invasion of Kanesatake.
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After the NYC Department of Education canceled Columbus Day and renamed it to Indigenous People's Day, white fragility was on full display when virtually every "Italian rights" organization across the state rallied to defend Christopher Columbus proclaiming him to be an Italian hero. White privilege and fragility is not always intentionally hurtful or offensive but racism can manifest in various ways. More often than not, the unintentional displays of racism hurt the most because only the affected recognize and experience it.
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Carving out spaces to move through in order to avoid state authority is NOT the same things as asserting and establishing sovereignty. We need to do more than push back against the state, we need to see our fight all the way through to the end.
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After participating in a restorative justice healing circle for the mascot battle in the small town of Cambridge, NY, John reflects on the issue of "safe spaces." Specifically, how the discussion among the members of the Cambridge, NY community highlighted the lack of contemporary indigenous spaces and how that impacts Native people as we confront issues in spaces that are no longer ours.
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May 5th has been designated as MMIW Day since 2017 but 2021 is ushering in "MMIW National Week of Action!"
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The origin of U.S. capitalism and the influence of wealth on politics begins with genocide and slavery.
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We interrupt are regularly scheduled programming to bring you a special release of "Resistance Radio with John and Regan" featuring historian and author Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz. Regan and John discuss her new book due out in August, "Not A Nation Of Immigrants" and her collaboration with Raoul Peck on the HBO mini-series, "Exterminate All The Brutes."
Be sure to check out "Resistance Radio" on all your favorite podcast apps!
Former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum made the news recently after he delivered his racist American exceptionalism speech at a Young America's Foundation event on April 23, 2021. However, his moronic take on U.S. history has been shared by prominent politicians for the past two centuries. It is taught in schools, it is preached about in churches and it has been proclaimed by judges, congressmen, senators and presidents up to and including current office holders. It is a false and dangerous myth used to justify the treatment of the native population of the United States and is part of a long process of erasing us from the past, present and future.
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The U.S. Department of the Interior has finally responded to the Seneca Nation regarding their on-going battle with New York state over casino revenue sharing payments. It's time for the Senecas to start asking the BIG questions!
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How did Native people go from being the despised victims of genocide to having their images used for school mascots and told they represent pride, courage and honor?
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John explores the long history of New York State screwing over Senecas. Even with unfettered access through Seneca land for their commerce the state still criminalizes Native businesses and extorts revenue from Seneca casinos.
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The widely accepted version of the history of the United States is filled with lies, half-truths, and complete fabrications in order to justify the heinous acts carried out on the indigenous population of this continent. Native mascots do not honor or "pay respects" to the indigenous population because the very foundation used to justify their continued use is based on an almost entirely false narrative. Removing Native mascots is not about erasing history. It's part of a long and necessary process of correcting the false history that a majority of the population of the United States is taught from an early age.
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After 40 years of tobacco sales on native territories New York state is still criminalizing native businesses. As one native wholesaler faces fines in excess of $1,000,000 for transporting native brands to native retailers, the state continues its legacy of racism against a people they cannot claim.
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Have Native communities become a part of the assimilation process? Police, churches and the governing systems implemented on most Native territories have no ties to our traditional forms leadership and conflict resolution. Very few people teach the true history of what happened to the Native population on this continent, and as a result of this knowledge gap, our people have been absorbed into the settler colonial system of oppression.
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Throughout history the use of metaphors in Native cultures has often been mischaracterized as proof of a broader spiritual or religious belief. European settlers used these mischaracterizations to cast us as primitive savages with pagan beliefs ready to be dominated. In reality the use of metaphors to describe our immediate surroundings and environment are really about the emotional, not spiritual, connections we felt to the world around us.
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How can we learn about the history of colonialism, genocide, slavery and American imperialism and not feel a tremendous amount of anger? We must use our anger and outrage to drive our fight for change.
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John discuses how allies and other Native people can get involved in social justice activism. Learn what you can do to help create spaces where Native activists can grow and effectively communicate their messages. Most importantly, John discusses what you should not do if you want to get involved and support Native and social justice activists.
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Our system is different from the hierarchy based systems of Europe and the United States. Our sovereignty is a birthright.
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Line 3 is the next battle line for Native people fighting the extractive industries and fossil fuels. Enbridge plans to run this tar sands oil pipeline through treaty lands and the wild rice region of Minnesota.
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In a follow up to episode #522, Tiny DeCory and Eileen Janis join John to talk about the Bear Program and its suicide prevention outreach initiatives on the Pine Ridge territory. Beginning as a youth education group, the Bear Program shifted its focus to suicide prevention after a wave of teen suicides swept across Pine Ridge. Tiny and Eileen discuss their ongoing efforts to tackle this mental health crisis.
Want to support the Bear Program? Check out their Facebook page and make a donation today! https://www.facebook.com/Bear-Program-336607163039770/
Documentary filmmaker Noel Bass joins the show to talk to John about his new documentary focusing on the catastrophic youth suicide epidemic affecting the Pine Ridge territory and the two women fighting back with limited resources to stem the tide of a mental health crisis.
The 31 billion dollars included in the most recent COVID-19 stimulus bill is not reparations and it's a long way from back-filling the gross under funding of the past. It doesn't make us "even" or anywhere near square with the debts and obligations that the U.S. government has fallen behind on. If you think this was a "gift" John is here to remind of the Cobell suit that the Obama administration settled for pennies on the dollar.
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White supremacy is a force that has fostered tensions not only with white people but also within other marginalized peoples. Regardless of preferences, we need to check ourselves. There is no place for racism, bigotry and bias among and between other minority groups.
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Almost every social ill that plagues our territories is a direct result of poverty brought on by the large, systemic policy decisions of federal, state and tribal governments. Our young people are particularly affected by these social ills, and more often than not, deal with the direct consequences of these systemic issues every day. It's time for the activist community to take on the challenge of improving the conditions of the younger generations on Native territories through direct action, mutual aid and creating the spaces and conditions where hope and opportunities can flourish for our young people.
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It's tough to talk about Women's History without addressing the contemporary issues faced by Native woman. Heroizing figures of our past is not really our way so for this Women’s History Month let’s talk about our women today and the threats they face!
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"Tone policing is one of many ways that dominant culture 'polices' people of color. It is often used – whether subconsciously or intentionally – to put this person 'back in their place.' It doesn’t just attempt to discredit what the person is saying. It implies that they are not worthy of the time and attention until they play by the rules of the oppressor. And these rules are rooted in sexist and racist ideals of how marginalized people are 'supposed to act' in society today. " - Nicole Cardoza, Anti-Racism Daily, October 22, 2020.
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The Cambridge Central School Board of Education held a meeting on March 11, 2021 and found a way to not vote on their race-based mascot. For months the school board promoted their March meeting as the day for the vote, but in a surprise act of evasion, the school board opted to delay the vote until the end of the school year.
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Paul Delaronde (Tekarontake) joins John to discuss the formation of The Warrior Society. Starting from their humble origins as a male singing society touring native territories, all the way up to arming themselves and protecting various native communities when called upon. Join Paul and John as they discuss the formation, funding, organizing, social programs and impact of The Warrior Society over the past several decades and their continued influence on present day Native activists.
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Paul Delaronde (Tekarontake) joins John to discuss the formation of The Warrior Society. Starting from their humble origins as a male singing society touring native territories, all the way up to arming themselves and protecting various native communities when called upon. Join Paul and John as they discuss the formation, funding, organizing, social programs and impact of The Warrior Society over the past several decades and their continued influence on present day Native activists.
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With more than 70% of our people living away from Native communities, how do we represent ourselves?
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Can we hold faith, religion and churches responsible for the atrocities committed against our people? How do religious Native people reconcile the atrocities of the past with their current indoctrination and complicity in our oppression while simultaneously declaring themselves to be followers of the Christian faith?
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With all legal remedies exhausted, the Seneca Nation is preparing to cut a check to New York state for over four hundred million dollars. Only one option remains but will they press the new leadership at the Interior Department for a solution? John breaks down the three questions the Senecas should demand answers to.
Check out John's in-depth explanation of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7O0Twq8jvk
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As John's fight to end the use of a race based mascot at his old high school heats up some are trying to call out criminal charges from 30 years ago in an attempt to discredited John and his message. It's time for John to tell his story.
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We cannot be silent because silence is complicity but we need to proceed in a way that discourages some on the edge from digging in further and entrenching themselves in racist beliefs.
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Who are "Native Americans?" Are they distinct and autonomous? Have they become part of the American subculture? Are they slowly losing their culture and identity as the systems of oppression and assimilation grind them into dust?
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The U.S. launched its assimilation program in 1819. Residential schools would follow from Lincoln all the way to Kennedy and throughout the civil rights movement.
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We cannot view the events of history in a vacuum. We have to put the tragic events of our history in to context. Who was the sitting president? What else was happening in the US and the rest of the world while massacres and land left was occurring?
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There is always a lot of talk about the need for unity and building support for change but a small group of strong, like-minded activists can accomplish far more than a group of performative activists and media pundits.
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The NFL tried to push a message of social justice in this year's Super Bowl but couldn't bring themselves to mention Colin Kaepernick or the Washington team dropping its racial slur of a name. How could they when the sole remaining NFL Team with a native based name and logo were playing in their big game?
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Millions have been spent on these people to help us navigate the systems of power in Washington D.C. and in state capitals and where has it gotten us?
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When did Native people decide to keep their identity and resist dropping into the melting pot? The answer may not be so obvious. Certainly, the United States did NOT expect Native people resisting what Jefferson called the "final consolidation."
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Today's episode is a bit of a reintroduction. We introduce a new format, explain our mission and goals, and let you know what you can expect from Let's Talk Native moving forward in to 2021.
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Native people live today a across a spectrum of "Land Back" and pipeline activists to those almost completely assimilated to the colonial systems of oppression. We are still here... but as what?
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The Biden administration appears to be picking up where the Obama administration left off by trying to make Native Hawaiians into a "Federally Recognized Tribe."
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Let Americans celebrate their leader. Leave us out of it!
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Dr. King's message has been co-opted by many moderates today primarily because his more radical positions on the three evils of America have been intentionally left out of the history books. Dr. King advocated for a radical change in American society to combat militarism, capitalism and racism but the history books tend to focus on his early activism and largely ignores his radical stance on the three evils of America.
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"The great stumbling block in the stride toward freedom is not the white citizen's councilor or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action"; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's freedom."
- Martin Luther King, Jr. 'Letter from a Birmingham Jail' April 16, 1963
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Capitalism preys on the poor to feed the rich and democracy in the United States promotes racism. This inequality is built into the foundation of democracy when 60% of the U.S. population identifies as "non-hispanic white."
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Desiree Kane joins John to discuss "new agers" appropriating "Native spirituality" and the slippery slope of new age spirituality being co-opted by far right political ideologies. The insurrection at the U.S. Capitol building is also discussed.
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We have to revisit this from time to time because many people simply don't know the basic meaning or difference between prejudice, discrimination, racial bias and racism.
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Skyler Williams joins the show again to give all of us an update on the current situation at 1492 Landback Lane after 169 days of resistance.
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Today is the 130th anniversary of the Wounded Knee Massacre. A monument stands today at Niagara Falls honoring local veterans who participated in this heinous act. Paul Winnie Returns to the show to talk about the effort to have the monument altered or removed.
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Special guest Chaz Kader joins John to have a tough conversation about our people joining the system of oppression. Breaking glass ceilings or skating on thin ice?
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Philip Yenyo, Executive Director of AIM Ohio, joins the program to break down the 60 year battle to change the Cleveland baseball team's name.
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The Cleveland baseball team has finally dropped its problematic name. That makes two major sports franchises to remove their offensive names and imagery this year. Will there be more to follow in 2021?
Closing song is "Freedom" by Dakota Bear.
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John travels to his old high school to deliver his remarks before the Cambridge Central School Board of Education and push for an end to the use of their problematic mascot. Cory McMillan, of Cambridge for Social Justice, joins the show to give an assessment of the meeting.
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John and special guest Paul Winnie discuss the various strategies for regaining and reclaiming lost lands.
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John discusses the importance of associating with like minded people. Who will you lead? Who will you follow? Who are your teachers, mentors and partners?
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How can the most heinous massacre of Native people and the largest mass execution in the history of the United States not be associated with the sitting president at the time? Let's put history into context.
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Toppling or defacing statues is not erasing history -- propping up false heroes is! History is not just erased by writers. It is erased by murder, genocide and eliminating the people who tell the truth about America's traumatic past. By all means cancel the false narratives and fraudulent heroes.
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Some carry a far greater burden. Systemic racism, poverty, health and opportunity all create inequity. Many are crushed by the affluence and success of others. This is hardly a level playing field.
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Talon Kane joins John to discuss what he's taught in school about Native people. Even schools with Native mascots refuse to teach the truth about Native people and the United State's long history of atrocities directed towards the indigenous population. Teach the flaws not just heroism.
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Why are we still allowing our oppressors to define us in the past tense? "National Native American Heritage Month" suggests nothing about our current culture, politics, or philosophies!
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John recaps a trip he recently took to his old high school to push for an end to their use of a racist mascot.
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Let's skip the window dressing and lip service. Just make the Interior Department/BIA do its job! States have used the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act to extort gaming revenue from Native owned casinos for decades now. The Interior Department is supposed to enforce the regulations that are in place to prevent aggressive states from exploiting Native gaming. These regulations were not enforced during the Obama or Trump administrations. Can we expect anything different from a Biden administration?
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Decolonization requires separating ourselves from the circus and learning from their behavior. The Two Row Wampum depicts two paths or two ways of life. It is a symbol of peaceful coexistence, not assimilation and submission.
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Looking for our "Let's Talk with John and Regan" show? Well, It's now called "Resistance Radio with John and Regan." New name, same great show! Find "Resistance Radio" on all your favorite podcast platforms using the link below!
https://linktr.ee/ResistanceRadio https://linktr.ee/ResistanceRadio https://linktr.ee/ResistanceRadio
Tuesday's elections may be the beginning of a long, drawn out and turbulent event. But it's theirs, not ours. We should learn from their behavior and by no means get stuck in the middle of their conflicts over power, policies and politics.
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Their elections our also not our solutions. We need to bring our minds together and develop our own solutions for the problems we face. Some Native issues do intersect with their issues but our solutions don't have to.
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Another update on the stand off in Six Nations. Roads, rail lines and lines of communication are all torn up. The people of Six Nations are unified and bracing for a winter of resistance. Also, some COVID-19 updates.
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Skyler Williams joins John to give us an update on the police actions at 1492 Landback Lane. On October 22, 2020 the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) opened fire with rubber bullets and tasers to enforce an injunction against the land defenders of Landback Lane. Skyler gives us all the details of the raid and the push back from the surrounding Six Nations community.
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On October 13, 2020 an angry mob of about 200 people attacked a lobster storage facility, barricading Mi’kmaq fishers inside, pelting the building with rocks, burning one of their vans and destroying their lobster catches. Three days later, that same storage facility was destroyed in a suspicious fire. No arrests have been made. These attacks on Mi’kmaq fishers in Nova Scotia are racist and unacceptable. This is white supremacy asserting its power. White mobs, white cops and white crime. John discusses all of this and more.
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A discussion about the "God Concept" being forced on to Native people and how it's crept so deeply into our lives.
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Even though change comes slowly, it is important to realize the progress we've made. Just as John's generation has advanced our cause in ways that those who came before him never thought was possible, the next generation will do the same. There is a lot more left to do but we have come a long way.
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John discusses how "fed wreck" crushes our autonomy/distinction and how it plays into the on-going assimilation and indoctrination policies.
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With Indigenous People's Day (formerly known as Columbus Day) fast approaching, Paul Winnie joins the show to talk to John about a rally against development on ancestral Seneca land. John also covers this year's upcoming Indigenous People's Day in the wake of the murder of George Floyd and the protests and uprisings that ensued after. Some of those protests resulted in the toppling of several Columbus statues across the United States.
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Many think being Native means having special privileges. Few realize the obstacles and challenges Native people face and overcome.
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Why is it still such a fight to maintain our distinction? Why do the US and Canada consider Native autonomy and sovereignty such a threat? They benefit from our distinction too and they always have.
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Why is assimilation so destructive? The cultural imposition was so violent and dramatically different from our own that inter-generational trauma and cognitive dissonance persists.
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With all the hysteria and doom surrounding the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsberg are we forgetting or just ignoring some of her more overtly racist rulings and comments? Conservatives are celebrating another opportunity to stack the Supreme Court while liberals are mourning the loss of this so-called 'feminist icon' but what about the Native perspective on RBG? John discusses all of this and more in this episode of "Let's Talk Native."
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Tired of governments, politics and politicians? Make them irrelevant by taking back responsibilities they have assumed.
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Don't say America deserves better. Instead, look at its history because it appears to have achieved exactly what it has always wanted. The system isn't designed to be fair or equitable because it's rigged. The system didn't fail... it did exactly what it was designed to do.
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The gaining popularity of lacrosse at the international level combined with the political pressure to ignore our autonomy and distinction may force the team permanently out of international competition. The successful promotion of the sport by Native leaders and the push to have it included in the Olympics may sideline the team representing the sport's creators.
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The debate on "America's Original Sins" continues as a few push back on the assertion that Genocide and Land Theft predated Slavery. Plus a look at Buck v Bell, eugenics and the sterilization of Native women.
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America's original sins were Genocide and Land Theft; then came the African Slave Trade! Get it right, Joe Biden! Plus, John did't wait for the phone to ring this time. He's going after the race-based mascot at his old high school.
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We are entering the perfect storm: a sure to be contested election, violent clashes of ideology and race on the streets, COVID-19 poised for its big comeback and the major economic fallout from the first wave of the pandemic about to rain down. And NO ONE is prepared! Unprecedented times in the States of Confusion!
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Mike Sahtekaientes joins John for this episode to discuss his history of activism, the true meaning of the unity flag, and preparing the next generation to stand up for what they believe in.
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Janene Yazzie joins John again, this time to explain Navajo leadership on the wrong side of too many issues. Navajo Vice President Myron Lizer heaped praise on Donald Trump and endorsed him for US President at the RNC Convention.
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Words matter and the words we choose to use matter even more. We use words to identify ourselves, to communicate, to teach, to write and to read. We add words to our own vocabularies sometimes not knowing their true meanings or origins.
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Donna Fann-Boyle joins John to look at the high school mascot battles after the Washington NFL franchise abandoned the racial slur for their team name. We'll look at Donna's fight with Neshaminy (PA) High School and the fight John is just beginning with his high school in Cambridge, NY.
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We are defined by our past. What we take forward from our past will define our future. Melissa Montour-Lazare joins John for the program to talk about putting the clan system to work, resisting imposed governments and pushing back against patriarchy.
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When we hear "occupied settlements," we immediately think of Israel building settlements in occupied Palestinian lands but this has been going on in the US and Canada to Native lands for centuries. It continues today with settlements being built at the doorstep of the Six Nations Territory within the Canadian province of Ontario. Myka and Skyler from Six Nations join John to explain the continuing battle to stop non-Native development on Native lands.
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We cannot learn FROM history if we don't ACTUALLY learn history! We cannot teach our children to one day serve our people if we don't teach them OUR history!
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The Trump flags are up and the Biden campaign is in full swing! The calls to get out and vote are just beginning. It's indoctrination/assimilation versus decolonization. Where do you stand? In a voting line or for sovereignty and distinction?
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With all the warnings of impending doom, this is the time for survival training.
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Janene Yazzie from Navajo Territory joins John for the program. The news coverage has faded but the spread of COVID-19 across Dine' persists. Janene and John discuss the impact of COVID-19 on the Navajo people as well as the Black Lives Matter movement and the solidarity between black and native activists.
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We don't mean that your chiefs, presidents, chairmen or councilors have law degrees. We mean THEY aren't the decision makers -- the lawyers are!
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Federal police are arresting, assaulting and harassing people in Portland. Native people have experienced this for years all in the name of DHS and US Customs and Border Protection. John discusses what the people of Portland are currently experiencing and how it to relates to the experiences of Native People when dealing with federal law enforcement agencies.
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A special council session is being called by the Seneca Nation to approve revenue payments to New York State. That's over half a billion dollars now and at least that much again going forward. Why pay? The cost of doing business? Fear? More bad legal advice?
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The Washington NFL franchise announced it is retiring the racial slur they have used for its team name for over 80 years. They did it so hastily that they haven't secured a new name yet. This change was not out of a sudden development of a conscience but because sponsors, retailers and shareholders no longer wished to defend their support for a racist name with a public now moving more and more toward an anti-racist ideology.
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So a group of Italian Americans in Buffalo, NY removed their precious statue before activists toppled it. The move, while a positive thing, was still steeped in racism and a failure to acknowledge the atrocities of the man in bronze. Liz Mariani joins me to offer an Italian American woman's perspective.
The 30th anniversary of the attack on Kanesatake is today!
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Decades of appeals to decency and morality couldn't shake the owners of the NFL franchise in the US capital city. But a handful corporate sponsors has the Washington NFL franchise scrambling for a new name. Money talks in a world where capitalism reigns supreme and the rich are morally bankrupt.
It wasn't just a Declaration of Independence; it was a declaration of war against the "Merciless Indian Savages."
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White Supremacy carved in stone, that is! These statues, monuments and mascots are all propaganda and revisionist history. None accurately depict history or truth!
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The daily new cases numbers are spiking globally and across the US and turns out the Seneca death rate numbers are as bad as the Navajo.
There is too much at stake and too much still unfolding to hold back now.
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John supports the celebration of Juneteenth but he rejects the heroizing of Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln's execution order for 38 Dakota occurred one week before his Emancipation Proclamation.
Prominent Black and Native figures need to stop trying to calm protesters down. Raise Hell! Don't Stop! I support those on the street fighting to make a difference! I won't say don't riot. I won't say don't burn or bust up property. And I damn sure won't tell anyone not to topple a racist statue!
The debate over removing Columbus statues demonstrates the racism that the left shares with the right. What is the difference between "Italian Pride" and "Southern Pride" if it's connected to racist monuments?
COVID-19 and police violence from killer cops to riot squads assaulting protesters; What lessons can we take from these unprecedented times?
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Many Native people wrestle with their identities. The conflict is driven by Church, citizenship, patriotism, party affiliation, military enlistment and where Native people fit in with racial conflicts.
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Police departments all over the U.S. prove abuse of force is systemic with their attacks on protesters.
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Riots across America! Even in Buffalo! Peaceful protests haven't worked so the unheard are demanding to be heard! George Floyd's death has broken the restraints.
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Show dedicated in memory of Chaz Wheelock. What will be our legacy? Identity? Survival? Sustainability? Environment? We all leave something or someone behind. Some will follow a path we helped make and will take it further than we could.
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Casinos are set to reopen after a three month shutdown. What will the new gaming experience be like in the age of Covid-19? Will people flock to their favorite machines or table games? Or will health and safety concerns keep patrons away? Will masks and social distancing be required and smoking prohibited? What about the bars, restaurants and buffets?
Forced compliance with beliefs or behavior across an entire culture or people is a plague upon those people. This is Cultural Cognitive Dissonance!
How did Navajo territory become a hot spot for COVID-19? Church! In the first week of March, a large church gathering brought church leaders together from all over Navajo territory. From there they got infected and brought the disease to all corners of Navajo land. Church gatherings have caused major outbreaks all over the world. Neither the cause nor the cure has anything to do with divine intervention... but "belief" is certainly among the causes.
Ready or not, it's time to open the economy. Euphemisms abound as they "balance" economic impact against health and safety. Plus my thoughts on Ahmaud Arbery and why Kap took a knee.
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Between Hollywood, TV, history books, church and government we have struggled to cast off the identity that was imposed upon us and reclaim our own. The 70's saw the growth of the sovereignty movement with AIM and warrior societies. By the 90's, Native people were being defined by resistance. All this was about reclaiming our identity.
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It's MMIW Awareness Day! From the rape culture of the European invaders to the man-camps for the extractive industries; this combined with a culture of male dominance and racism and there's MMIW. And can we stop with the "Land O Lakes" crap already?
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A few Covid-19 numbers then a look at the seven deadly sins and how they define the US and its president. Then we look back at 1990 and the decade that followed. What lessons were learned?
This global pandemic and the utter failure of the United States to prepare for it or deal with it does not become some magic wand for change. It can, however, become the impetus for that change. The US education system has failed Native people! In this era of distanced learning from grade school to college, is this our opportunity to use this change in the delivery to change the content? Can we bring the resources from across Turtle Island to produce systems for us and by us?
COVID-19 is clearly a deadly disease but it is particularly deadly to those with pre-existing underlying medical conditions. COVID-19 brought an immediate concern to those who could otherwise see their conditions as something with limited present day consequences even if they had dire long term impacts. Can the takeaway from this pandemic be that we better prepare ourselves for the re-occurrence of this one or the next by improving our life choices for better health?
We open with some Covid-19 numbers and then look back at all the heinous acts committed in the name of the Church. Some say those were not acts committed by true Christians but perhaps the history of violent crimes is true to the church. Perhaps it's the righteous who have been duped.
After only one month of social distancing and staying at home Americans are mad as Hell and won't take it any longer! Protests in over a dozen states calling for the end of state shutdowns of the economy carry on for three days with more planned for next week. Meanwhile, the people on Native territories are calling for MORE shutdowns as outside access is limited or shutdown completely.
The problem with "flattening the curve" is that it fattens the curve as well. That means while the effort to slow the rate of infections may lower the infections per day, that same effort by design extends the infection period. Flattening the top of the curve fattens the base of the curve. This will be around for months!
John goes over some numbers and challenges what they really mean. Two confirmed cases on Seneca territories and a conflict over NFTA buses and who is welcome on Seneca land and who isn't.
Desiree Kane joins John from Colorado to discuss her Rent Strike and Eviction Defense work. Get to know Desiree and catch our conversation on COVID-19, capitalism, Native resistance and more.
We start with a short Covid-19 update but then delve into parsing out authority and power from responsibility and service. Language and centuries of assimilation leave us struggling to reason what's our and what's not.
Racism seems to be immune to COVID-19. At times of crisis, it's nice to think that people can come together and drop their prejudices. But sometimes lines get drawn between us and we imagine enemies where there are none; until we create them.
Updating the numbers on cases, deaths and spread of COVID-19. I discuss the impacts back home and the battles that continue in spite of a global pandemic.
Group worship versus home alone? "Social Distancing" has closed churches, synagogues and mosques. What about Longhouses? Does your religion "require" group worship? Is "Longhouse" a religion? Must ceremonies continue during a pandemic?
This global pandemic is not the Wrath of God or nature's payback or cosmic karma. It's nature doing what it does. It's not the planet's grand attempt at depopulation. The natural systems are not that direct or blunt. Nature is a balancing act. It never reaches a state of balance. It's dynamic and fluid. Always moving towards balance and equilibrium but never reaching it. Mankind adds to the tensions in nature. This Coronavirus is a product of nature that is a response to tension. Man-made tension? Perhaps. Likely. But COVID 19 is nature's response to tension. Not good. Not evil. Just a response.
Seneca Councilor Ross John joins me for the hour! We talk about the Coronavirus: how we are doing and what we are doing! What's the Seneca Nation doing? What lessons can be learned?
The Coronavirus is named after its crown-shape appearance. COVID 1492 is the plague caused by Crowns of the Christian nations of Europe. Join me for a discussion on the "Plague of Assimilation" and lessons to be learned by COVID 19.
Austin cancels the famed SXSW Festival, major universities ending classes, National Guard securing an NYC suburb; unprecedented actions over a somewhat downplayed virus. It wasn't the show I planned but after announcing I was ending my trips to NYC for my WBAI show, I figured I had to explain.
Do we allow the states to dictate the education standards for our Native children? What about home schools?
Dakota Bear joins John for the show to talk about his music, his work and the youth.
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The Cayuga conflict degrades even farther as anger and outrage rules the day. Unity and solidarity at the blockades for Wet'suwet'en. Factionalism and divisiveness in Cayuga.
Some follow up to the Cayuga conflict and updates on the blockades across Canada and the pipeline resistance in Wet'suwet'en.
Another Fed Wrecked "leader" demonstrates abuse of power with cops and bulldozers. Reminiscent of the bulldozing of smoke shops by the Onondaga chiefs and the use of police against their people, Clint Halftown followed the playbook of his former mentors.
The Canadian House of Commons met to address the Wet'suwet'en pipeline conflict and the Mohawk blockades. The Left wants to kill us with kindness and the Right just wants to kill us. Sakoietah joins me once again to talk about holding Canada accountable and a review of all the band council chiefs sucking up to Canada.
Free, prior and informed consent IS veto power. But who has it? Original people! Certainly not Americans and Canadians of "Indian" descent!
What can we do? How do we support our brothers and sisters on the front lines defending our lands and people? There is much we can do but there is also what we cannot do.
James Sakoietah Gray joins John to talk about Wet’suwet’en and the actions people are taking all over Canada. We aren’t talking “protests”, we are talking shut downs!
The legacy of the Doctrine of Christian Discovery is the pervasiveness of Christianity among the victims of the doctrine. Black and Native people succumbed to the pressures of slavery, genocide, assimilation and subjugation and now are predominantly Christians.
Decolonization is not about finding comfortable places within the systems of oppression. It's about dismantling those systems! We cannot simply mirror all their failed systems and claim independence because we now have them. We need to formulate our own solutions that bring our past forward.
The American Genocide: 1492-???? What's the end date? Is there one? When will we say this was the day/month/year it ended?
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True history is not only buried but it's lied about and white washed. And that history is carried forward in pop culture and what's taught to children everyday.
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That promissory note was not written to us. The creed was not to us. The American Dream was never ours. Our playing field was not tilted or skewed. It was stolen. We still fight for a free and independent existence, not for equality and sameness.
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Seven years ago we had a powerful movement that called for our people to be Idle No More! Since then far too many have grown idle and silent. It's time for us to to get active and support activism. I have no problem with social media activism but less selfies and mind numbing videos and more education valuable info would go along way.
Ours was not the "primitive culture." We saw all creation not as man's dominion but rather we saw our place in it. We made commitments to seven generations to do no harm. We didn't believe in an all seeing, all knowing, all powerful white man in the sky who created all things, heard all prayers and created man in his image to rule the world. Nope we had to regress to a primitive culture to buy this bullshit!
An anniversary of sorts, 7 years after standing up to cops trying to shut down an "Idle No More" flashmob round dance. But the real topic is calling out what has infiltrated our culture and sorting out what's ours and what's not.
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The Cherokee, Chickasaw and Choctaw fight the State of Oklahoma over the State's attempt to extort a new gaming compact out of Native casinos for more money.
Will Trump's New Years fireworks finally convince us to stop our kids from enlisting into the US military? It pains me to hear Native people boasting about our enlistment rates. If we really wanted to defend our lands we would fighting against the US not for them.
Some will celebrate. Others will struggle. Let's commit to more kindness in the new year.
Massacres, murder and the largest mass execution in US history make December a tough month for Native people. I have lost a family member in December and today I lost my Choctaw brother Ben Carnes.
Is "Identity Politics" becoming the new "Political Correctness"? I support both and so should you. I support identity and being correct.
How much has our culture taken a backseat to all the other influences on our lives: church, school, work, media, money?
The ship has long sailed to prevent man-made climate change and the hate and divisiveness world-wide over race, religion, greed and oppression is only growing. So what impact can we, as indigenous peoples, have to change these global conflicts? NONE!! We cannot topple their leadership or move their populations to reform but we can prepare for these conflicts and ultimately show true leadership by example.
Who has the most influence on us? Church? Schools? Media? Hollywood? The Internet? Well where do we fit in? Where do we stack up on the influence scale?
Genocide doesn't just happen. It is a crime committed against people. A caller who joined me made a powerful statement. She said that her ancestors were NOT slaves. They were enslaved!
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The good white skinned folks of Langhorn, Pennsylvania insist on being "Redskins." And they reject the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission attempting to put conditions on their use of a racial slur for a nickname. Donna Fann-Boyle joins me for the program to discuss the desire of these folk to be unrestrained racists.
Native people are not monolithic; especially when it comes to our identities. There is a full spectrum when it comes to that. On one end we have our hardliners who reject all things Eurocentric or American. On the other are the sellout; I mean the complete sellouts who not only embrace everything the white man imposed upon us but reject much of any Native distinction. Most of us are between those extremes.
Racism doesn't just come in white hoods and carrying Nazi flags. Nope! It is built into every institution in the US. Even the do-gooder white allies harbor their own sense of entitlement and privilege as the "help" us. Oh! And the same goes for all those white professional we hire to help us navigate their systems.
Man created "God", not the other way around. And Native people bought it too with "Creator" and "Sky World" and religion.
Convincing us to participate in a process to carve out some non "extravagant" benefits from federal tax liability is a trap to giving taxing authority on everything else!
The conflicts in South America are less about political ideology and more about stomping on indigenous peoples. These are race wars, plain and simple. And guess which side the US is on?
"You People" is a euphemism for you are not us. And although it's a step up from being called dogs, it is still meant to be demeaning and disparaging. Canada's old man celebrity bites the dust with this one but it's clear that racism is alive and well in Canada. A bit more on the Seneca fight as well.
A US District Court Judge ruled for the State in the Seneca battle to keep their gaming revenue from NYS. Ooh! What a surprise! Happy Native American Heritage Month! Now Pay Up, Sucka! Join me for a recap on the Billion Dollar Squeeze the State is attempting to put on the Senecas!
White Privilege! Where does it come from? How about every damn document that formed the United States? That's where!
Don't miss this show! What is Genocide? We'll define it, explain it and give undeniable examples.
We are NOT mascots! And don't tell me about polls suggesting Native people are just fine with the mockery and racial slurs. The are more Americans falsely claiming to be Native people than real Native people. These are the clowns that are polled. I remember Chanie Wenjack who died on this date in 1966 of exposure attempting to escape from a boarding school almost 400 miles from his home in Ontario
We choose our path: ours or theirs. Ours was laid down by millions of feet of our ancestors. Theirs is a path of slavery, war and genocide.
The Arts: and what we need to do to support them. We need more resources to support creativity. This is more than economic development. It's community development; Human Development!
Well, we survived another "Indigenous Peoples Day versus Columbus Day" media battle and I think we won this one! Our latest Let's Talk Native TV video is climbing the charts and we are ready for our next one.
Check out "Columbus: In His Own Words" at youtu.be/Nd8K7GGt2YU
Today is the 527th anniversary of a white man washing up on the shores of the Arawak. We'll talk Columbus, promote our new video and talk of events and the crazy world of WBAI.
Check out "Columbus: In His Own Words" at https://youtu.be/Nd8K7GGt2YU
Federal recognition (Fed Wreck)for Native people is defined as "a tribe, band or nation of Indians subordinate to the laws of the United States and under US jurisdiction." So who's signing up? Far too many but most of the 573 recognized "tribes" have never agreed to this definition and most of the others ignore it. But none of that changes how they view us and how far too many of our own people identify themselves.
Some say our existence is our resistance. Well, I say it depends on our existence. What are we existing as? Shadows of who we once were? Assimilated versions of those people? Or as Onkwehohnwe? How do we define ourselves? What is our identity?
Yesterday was Orange Shirt Day to honor the children of residential school, those that survived, those who suffered and those who perished. So tonight we talk about those schools; the deaths, the genocide and the legacy.
What's with the obsession with where Native people come from and when we got here. There is a motive to these questions and it's not about a quest for knowledge. We'll start with the ever changing Bering "land bridge" myth and go from there.
The climate wars came to NYC and the UN. Kids walked out of school all over the world in protest and one girl spoke to the world. Greta Thunberg grabbed headlines and plenty of unwanted attention from critics on the right and some just plain jealous of her success. In the meantime, the moron in chief continues to Tweet his ignorance and will finally face a formal impeachment inquiry.
The school board for the City of Buffalo Public Schools passed an absurd resolution making the case for "Indigenous Peoples' Day" but then just jammed "Italian-Heritage Day" into the same space. The resolution gets the same failing grade the Buffalo schools do. It fails in grammar, spelling, content and courage. Shame on the entire board for your incompetence.
The CDC says the suicide rate for Native women has increased 139% since 1999; Native men 71%. This is our discussion tonight. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 800-273-TALK(8255).
The refusal to acknowledge our distinction is racist! Sameness and conformity is subjugation. Failure to respect our identity is to say it doesn't exist; that we don't exist. Of course, that was/is the plan but let's not help them.
Who owns the land? The future! The unborn! We are merely temporary occupants. The land is like the future: forever. This is tied directly to the "Seven Generations" philosophy and defining ourselves as Onkwehohnwe.
School is back in session! So it's time for us to step up as parents, grandparents and community members to be educators ourselves. We need to correct what our kids are being taught. Expose those "Little White Lies." And that goes for history, global studies, science and literature; not to mention language. Schools are institutions of indoctrination! It's on us to give our kids the information to support their development as a distinct people.
NYS Governor Cuomo is refusing to repair and maintain the section of NYS Thruway where it crosses Seneca land. He seems to think this is a way to punish Senecas for not sharing gaming revenue. Hey Andrew! We don't use that section of Thruway! It can go to Hell for all we care. Anyone gets hurt on your mess of a highway and it's on you!
We talk a lot about sustainability but what about sustainable communities? What products and services do our communities need from within to be sustainable?
Damn! I said don't vote in their crappy elections. I didn't say do nothing. Stand up! Resist! Support your people!
Court uphold North Dakota stripping the vote from Native people! So what? We shouldn't be voting in their elections anyway!
What's the difference between Native and non-Native people? Land? Do we live up to our distinction? What is true and what is assumed?
Tonight marks 9 years of "Let's Talk Native..." August 10th of 2010 was our first show. We are a story more of perseverance than success but that was really the goal from the start. This was not about stardom but of service. We have the tough conversations and voice opinions that defy the conventional thoughts. And we just keep doing it! Tonight I ask, are we supporting white supremacy?
So the coward from the El Paso shooting says the genocide that white people inflicted against Native people is proof of what unsecured borders can create. He says he will not make the same mistake we did in allowing people in. Moron!
Matt Hill joins me in studio and Paul Delaronde by phone. We discuss the "Dish One Spoon" Gathering that took place in Kahnawake last weekend.
The Senecas aren't the only ones being squeezed for their gaming revenue. Other states want what New York has: Native casinos paying 25% of their slot revenue for NOTHING!
An update on some of the protests we talked about a few shows back. The protests in Puerto Rico have forced the resignation of the Governor and the battle to protect Mauna Kea has suddenly gained momentum and star power. Jason Momoa, Duane " The Rock" Johnson, the ladies of the "View" have all thrown support to the cause. Better late than never, I hope!
Our word for peace is not a noun. It's not the absence of conflict but rather a process of restoring balance and harmony to our place in an ever changing world. It's not a one-man game. It involves community. Ed Schindler joins us one last time before he leaves us for awhile to offer his thoughts on the subject.
Protests in Hawaii, Puerto Rico and NYC! Ed Schindler joins John Kane to talk about what these protests are all about.
Columbus's ships brought racism and slavery to our world by taking slaves back to his. He brought atrocities and genocide all in the name of God and greed; not necessarily in that order.
A replica of the Santa Maria has been docked at the Erie Basin Marina in Buffalo for over a week. We paid a visit ourselves today. Join Ed Schindler and I as we discuss Columbus and the American perception of him and his legacy as well as my exchange with the Santa Maria crew.
So when does a practice become a custom? Church, alcohol, patriarchy, patriotism? None of these were ours before white men brought them. They are with us now. But are they our traditions? Is this now a part of our culture? Is this our identity?
The truth I hold self-evident is that the war for independence was not about all men being equal. This war was fought over the greed of a colonial aristocracy bent on their own expansion of wealth. That wealth could only come with new appropriation of lands which required the genocide of Native peoples and the expansion of slavery. Both of which Great Britain was obstructing. This was the "tyranny" these British colonists were willing to kill their countrymen over.
Who is defending Native to Native trade? Eric White seems to be alone on this one. The Yakima Nation defended and submitted briefs for one of its wholesalers. Where is the Seneca Nation for Eric? Where are all the nations Eric supplies that maybe at risk for inventory?
I was told our people are too dependent on government programs to talk about "Decolonization." Well? You are talking about it wrong then. We need to decolonize our minds first and remember that we have solutions to problems.
Michele-Elise Burnett joins me to talk about bringing a Native show to Artpark after 40 years. I hit on our identity again asserting that maintaining it is critical to our survival.
It was bound to happen. The long arm of Facebook finally caught up to me and locked me down for a day. But I'm back with one of my least favorite topics: The Cayuga.
Mark Charles joins us for the show. Charles is running for the US presidency and trying to become the first Navajo president of the US. We tackle the obvious assimilation issue, his use of history and the cognitive dissonance of assimilation.
Racism demonstrated by individuals is easy to react to but that's not creates white privilege; systemic racism does. We'll talk about both. We see it in privilege of the wealthy, elite of the Hamptons in their sense of power to dictate to the Shinnecock, but we see it even more in the power they wield in the political and governing systems. We see condescending dismissive attitudes in courts, legislatures and even with our own paid lawyers. This is systemic racism and it's much more difficult to confront but still needs to be!
A couple days ago it was the 95th anniversary of the passage of the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924. Before it was called "Genocide", it was called "Denationalization." This was the process of stripping away the national or cultural character of a people and imposing the character of another upon them. Declared me a citizen, my ass! I am Onkwehonwe!
The Lockport Journal joined The Buffalo News in calling down the Seneca Nation. These guys even blamed the Senecas for Niagara Falls having old fire trucks. They ignore the State taking a billion dollars out of the region and worse want it to continue.
Well the Buffalo news showed it racism with a shot from its editorial board at the Seneca Nation. I'll take a few return shots tonight.
This Summer will enter "Let's Talk Native..." into its 10th year. I'll reflect a bit on the past and project a bit into the future.