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NOTE BY HUNTER BEAR: September 18 2010 The following exchange is from a discussion on Redbadbear, Sycamore Canyon, and Bear Without Borders. Initially I respond to Sam Friedman's good post -- which is immediately attached to mine. The discussion centers on such matters as the current Iroquois struggle in New York State to preserve the Haudenosaunee nations' sovereignty and the integrity of very old and very viable and very vital treaties and economic self-determination -- in the face of the effort by the State to tax the tribally based tobacco industries. The other issue involves the police killing at Seattle of an older [and deaf] Native man, a traditional wood carver who was doing absolutely nothing of even remotely threatening nature. But in another context, much of the general non-Native liberal and left are taken to task for their apparent indifference to Native social justice concerns and issues. [H] >From Hunter: Thanks, Sam, for the good post. Appreciated. Same to those responding now on RBB. On the matter of other "minorities": I am not talking about precisely the same situation vis-a-vis the Iroquois tax struggle. But I am talking about the fact that most of the non-Indian left is quick to react constructively if the victims in any racist and/or ethnocentric situation are Black or Chicano -- but much less so in the case of Native people. For example, the police killing of a deaf and older Native woodcarver, who was simply holding a small knife [his carving tool] at Seattle has drawn little non-Indian attention, though it has mobilized the Native community in that city and also in Vancouver BC [and the environs of each]. The slain man was from the Vancouver region. There are certainly non-Native leftists who are genuinely concerned about these matters. Early on, I've been much impressed, for example, by Louis Proyect and Macdonald Stainsby. And persons somewhat new to all of this, like yourself and David McReynolds, much inclined to be empathetic with Natives and Native concerns, have picked up much on these discussion lists. These are only a few names and there are certainly others thusly concerned on all of these lists -- and, in some instances, a sprinkling of Native activists and Native-related people as well. But, by and large, the non-Indian liberal/left isn't much concerned about Natives' social justice concerns and issues. Earlier this month, I wrote on RBB: "Tribalism has sometimes been questioned -- academically, so to speak, since it isn't going to change -- because it's felt to prevent a cohesive, united front. There's something to that, but identification/commitment with/to one's specific tribe and specific tribal culture is, in the last analysis, the most basic sustaining social force for Native Americans. And there's really no reason why a plethora of activist Native leaders from many tribal backgrounds and of basically like minds can't arise in these times, as they have in the past and surely will in the future. [The Native conception of the "good leader" is that the person be a good public servant -- and there's a good deal of skepticism about leaders who become too strong and too bossy.] As for Native resistance to the still ongoing incursion by "others," there has always been a fair amount of that on many fronts -- always some direct action and much litigation. But there does need to be much, much more -- especially on social justice matters." [H] I agree that us Natives -- and initially to get the ball really rolling -- Native activists, are going to have to do much more to reach out and mobilize the broad Native community in the 'States and Canada and at least in the northern part of Mexico. And, at the same time, we need to "work on" the potentially good sensitivities of most liberals and leftists. "An injury to one is an injury to all" -- makes timeless great good sense for the whole of Humanity. In 2002, the CCDS journal, Dialogue and Initiative, published an article of mine, "Natives, Issues, and Radicals." Around the same time, the DSA journal, Democratic Left, published another piece of mine, "The Native American Struggle." These are basic sketches -- a little dated and with some overlap -- but have relevancy in this current context. They are both on the same webpage -- along with several referral links. http://hunterbear.org/nativeamericans.htm A relative of mine, Native, very recently wrote me, commenting on the current Iroquois treaty battle: "Why is it that it's mostly tribal elders like you and me who are the ones who usually get really angry about these things?" And he pointed out that this isn't the horse-and-buggy period any more -- "Most of us have computers and phones." He's right. He's seen a lot in his years -- and so have I -- and so have a vast number of other Natives in our general age group. So, if it's up to those of us who are old-timers, well -- we'll have to keep lighting [figuratively] good fires. And keep fighting. And we will. Solidarity, Hunter [Hunter Bear] HUNTER GRAY [HUNTER BEAR/JOHN R SALTER JR] Mi'kmaq /St. Francis Abenaki/St. Regis Mohawk Protected by Na´shdo´i´ba´i´ and Ohkwari' >From Sam Friedman: Much of the thrust of these articles seems to be Indians exhorting other Indians to get involved. This is difficult for non-Indians to get too actively involved in unless we are deeply active with Indians in various projects. I have not yet had the opportunity, in spite of a few feelers I have sent out. I would add that when Hunter says, "But suppose this situation didn't involve Natives -- but instead involved, say, Blacks or Chicanos. In that case, there would likely be some Hell to pay", it is difficult to imagine a parallel situation within the US boundaries. Only Indians have sovereign tribes. But of course, I agree with Hunter's more basic point on this. The non-Indian left does not seem to care much about these issues, which is one of its many grievous problems in its politics (to say nothing of its strength) S.F. HUNTER GRAY [HUNTER BEAR/JOHN R SALTER JR] Mi'kmaq /St. Francis Abenaki/St. Regis Mohawk Protected by Na´shdo´i´ba´i´ and Ohkwari' Our Hunterbear website is now more than ten years old. It contains a vast amount of social justice material -- including much on techniques of grassroots activist organizing. Check out http://hunterbear.org/directory.htm See Outlaw Trail: The Native as Organizer: http://hunterbear.org/outlaw_trail1.htm [Included in Visions & Voices: Native American Activism [2009] See our extensive course on activist Community Organizing -- often with new material: http://hunterbear.org/my_combined_community_organizing.htm See: The Stormy Adoption of an Indian Child [My Father] and its accompanying essay on Minority Adoptions and Native Land and Resources: http://hunterbear.org/James%20and%20Salter%20and%20Dad.htm ________________________________________________ Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
