Summary -
Indigenous Americans are failing to have the same rights as non-Indigenous Americans. We take their land and mine it without their permission, we don't investigate indigenous missing and murdered women nearly as often as the non-indigenous, and in general, not a lot has changed since we got to this country. SO why does that matter to us? First of all, because all people matter. Obviously. But second, do we really think that this is the only example of what’s happening in our country? It’s certainly not. Lance was just yesterday pointing out that you see more homeless people in states that have support for them. Key in on the words “YOU SEE” because that’s important. Areas that don’t want homeless around tend to be mean to them and drive them (sometimes literally) away. Gang…those people could be any of us. If we’re not protecting and supporting everyone, we’re just plain being inhumane….or “MEAN” if that word wakes us up more. People matter. All of us. And if a politician isn’t supporting all of us…are they really supporting any of us?
Discussion -
So you have tribal lands, which we’ll call lands that the US has “given” to tribes. In several states, if the government wants to do something on those lands even though they’re tribal lands, they can. A perfect example -
“DAPL” - Dakota Access Pipeline – https://www.nrdc.org/stories/dakota-access-pipeline-what-you-need-know#ongoing-fight
A pipeline was moved from a planned affluent area (where they didn’t want it) to Indigenous property and ran under their water supply. There was a HUGE, and violent (which police/feds started) protest over it in Obama’s last few months (he did nothing to help them btw) and then Trump made sure the pipeline happened. I talked with a pipeline worker at one point. I asked if pipeline leaking was not a big deal or what. She looked me right in the eye and said “they all leak.”
That’s an example of how strongly our government supports indigenous rights. Our government uses their land a LOT for mining. Ever wonder what all these solar panels use for metals?
In short, mining is really an environmental and humanitarian problem. “The Institute for Human Rights and Business reports that of the top 300 undeveloped copper ore reserves in the world, 47% are located on or in Indigenous lands, 65% are in high water risk areas, and 65% are in or near biodiversity conservation areas.” (source - within article in link above)
You get the picture right? If we chose solar (and everyone IS) then that comes at a very high cost...which no one is realizing because it's quietly not discussed.
Which brings us to the MMIW. When these mines are put together, they are constructed in the middle of nowhere (fewer people complaining) and usually on or near indigenous lands (because we didn’t “give them” superior land, we gave them deserts, and then realized that the underground value was high, so we came back and said “yeah, we’re going to use your land for our purposes and give you nothing”). These mines have men living in the middle of nowhere…away from women…so what do they do in their spare time? Drink….and take advantage of local women, who happen to be indigenous. And here’s the thing – because they are on tribal lands, when the women go missing, because they are of a different legal system, the local (non-tribal) law enforcement isn’t responsible (not their jurisdiction) and the FBI won’t investigate (“tribal thing”, not their responsibility) so those missing women get zero support and just remain murdered and/or missing. “The National Crime Information Center reports that, in 2016, there were 5,712 reports of missing American Indian and Alaska Native women and girls through the US Department of Justice’s federal missing persons database, NamUS, only logged 116 cases. (source – https://www.nativehope.org/missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women-mmiw) . Please notice that the quote is from 2016. Which means that there is no reporting of anything more recent…because people don’t care. Here’s more info from 2022 - https://blogs.und.edu/ndlaw/2022/10/silent-crisis-thousands-of-missing-and-murdered-native-americans-professor-lewerenz-is-quoted/
SO why does that matter to us?
First of all, because all people matter. Obviously. But second, do we really think that this is the only example of what’s happening in our country? It’s certainly not. Lance was just yesterday pointing out that you see more homeless people exist in states that have support for them. Key in on the words “YOU SEE” because that’s important. Areas that don’t want homeless around tend to be mean to them and drive them (sometimes literally) away. Gang…those people could be any of us. If we’re not protecting and supporting everyone, we’re just plain being inhumane….or “MEAN” if that word wakes us up more. People matter. All of us. And if a politician isn’t supporting all of us…are they really supporting any of us?
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