Next time you're in a poor community count the Money Trees!

Posted by Mona

Here is an article from the Indian Giver newsletter, it made me think of how many times I've been on the "poor side" of town and seen the street corners littered with Money Tress or Check into Cash types of establishments. One day when you have nothing better to do drive in a "poor side of town" and then drive near a "gated" community and do a comparative summary of the types of business you're likely to find operating in each neighborhood. While this article gave a perfect argument about predatory lending, what about strip clubs, adult stores, tobacco stores, casino's, etc...and poor sides of town? You are not likely to find the same types of business in a upscale neighborhood. What are the root causes? What needs to be done in-order to have more equitable neighborhoods? Happy reading.

June 2010

"This month we focus on: Predatory Lending. With the recent economic crisis, predatory lending continues to be a hot topic and Indian Country is stepping forward to protect Native people from financial exploitation. Learn about a Native American leader who spoke out when it was not so popular, and how you can help First Nations strengthen and protect Native communities.

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Exhibiting Leadership for Indian Country, When Everybody is Watching
When it comes to regulating the payday lending industry in and around Indian reservations, some Indian leaders would just as soon let the fox guard the henhouse. But it is in moments like this that we get the rare chance to see great Indian leadership in action. On June 8, 2008, Senator Byron Dorgan (ND) held Senate Hearing 110-484, Predatory Lending in Indian Country, before the Committee on Indian Affairs.

At this hearing, when representatives from Indian Country were seemingly aligning themselves with the Community Financial Services Association (CFSA - a membership association that represents, by their own estimation, approximately 60% of the 25,000 payday lending storefronts in the United States), Indian Country was once again treated to Chairman W. Ron Allen’s undying devotion to Indian peoples.

During the hearing, one Indian leader testified that, “I would be willing to work with the people of CFSA and in the banking industry as a whole, to expand financial education to all of our people. Education ultimately is the answer to most problems, not regulation.”

And while it’s hard not to agree with the benefits of education, it is difficult to stomach someone extolling the virtues of working with CFSA as a way of protecting Indian Country from predatory lending.

Enter W. Ron Allen, Chairman of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe and then Secretary, and present treasurer of the National Congress of American Indians, who made it clear the issues facing Indian Country:

“Because of the persistent lack of economic opportunity, sustainable financial services and tribal jurisdictional issues, there have only been a handful of banks that serve tribal communities. As a result, tribal citizens continue to lack basic financial services or choices that most Americans … take for granted. Tribal members have limited access when financing a home, starting a business or purchasing necessary property like cars needed to make a living.

The vacuum created by the lack of responsive and regulated financial institutions offering competitive consumer financial products has been quickly filled by predatory lending firms that have proliferated after usury laws were lifted a few years ago—especially in transient and unbanked communities, like military bases and reservations. The effect of having a tribal population unbanked and subject to predatory financial firms is that it strips an already vulnerable population of the opportunity to advance by preventing them from building assets, equity and wealth. And the result of individuals having limited and sometimes no viable options for responsive bank products means tribal citizens pay higher fees and much higher interest rates, leaving tribal citizens that live check-to-check more vulnerable when one of life's predictable emergencies arises such as a death in the family or a medical bill, forcing a cycle of debt.”

For Mr. Allen, it all came back to the core Indian Country asset – sovereignty. Ron’s testimony concluded with:

“The last item is jurisdiction. This is an area where, as we move forward, we want the financial institutions to come onto our reservations or around our communities. But we need some sort of controls over that industry. So as we explore these issues, it really becomes an issue of, should there be some additional legislation that provides clarity about the tribes' authority over these institutions, whether they are banking or non-banking lenders on the reservation.

Congress should consider giving tribes the same capability to protect their citizens with the ability to opt into models such as the military fix. Congress should also consider promoting responsive community banking in tribal communities by giving tribes the authority to approve banks that do business on their reservations in a manner similar to state governments.”

Emerging leaders in Indian Country would do well to emulate Mr. Allen’s continued commitment to Indian peoples and Indian Country’s fight to retain its sovereignty."

Favorite Native Prayer

Posted by Mona

Well, I know prayers can be controversial, this is one of my favorites. It sums up personal responsibility and the connection to nature that are common threads among Native Americans. I thought it was so beautiful I'd share it. While I've known we were always a civilized people, it also shows the wisdom that Native Americans possessed in 1887 for those who doubted that and felt we needed to be assimilated!

Best, Mona

An Indian Prayer

O' GREAT SPIRIT,
Whose voice I hear in the winds,
And whose breath gives life to all the world,
 hear me! I am small and weak, I need your 
strength and wisdom.

Let Me Walk In Beauty, and make my eyes
 ever behold the red and purple sunset.

Make My Hands Respect the things you have 
made and my ears sharp to hear your voice.

Make Me Wise so that I may understand the
 things you have taught my people.

Let Me Learn the lessons you have hidden 
in every leaf and rock.

I Seek Strength, not to be greater than my 
brother, but to fight my greatest 
enemy...myself.

Make Me Always Ready to come to you with 
clean hands and straight eyes.

So When Life Fades, as the fading sunset,
 my spirit may come to you
 without shame.

(translated by Lakota Sioux Chief Yellow Lark in 1887)
published in Native American Prayers - by the Episcopal Church

What I've learned this year

Posted by Mona

What I've learned this year, by Mona Halcomb

After reading a multitude of theorist I am finally able to have a clearer picture of some of the complexities in my life that have frustrated and eluded meaning for me until now. Like the chemical reaction that happens when film is processed which brings the amber silhouettes of a negative into a positive image I am able to take the theories (chemical solution) and submerge my experiences (negatives) and come to a more informed understanding of these experiences. While there could be several sites of investigation to consider in my life, as a Native American woman, I will concentrate on two very important and fundamental ones. I’ll take two situations with my dad and brother and putting them in to a broader context that allows me to look at them through a more compassionate lens. As the quote, “I am all the daughters of my father's house, And all the brothers too” - William Shakespeare suggest the relationships of daughters, fathers, and brothers are worthy of deeper contemplation.

One Saturday my dad and I were shopping at Costco for a family picnic. A man approached us and said, “I like your boots sir.” My dad proceeded to put one hand on his waist and the other in the air and twirl around in a 360⁰ circle saying, “I have a matching belt.” I was so embarrassed I leaped three aisles in a single bound with a heavy cart all the while saying to myself, “I don’t know him!” When I returned to work on Monday morning I talked to a friend who taught Native American Studies about the episode. He kindly shared with me the experiences of some Indian children in boarding schools, their school clothes, which usually consisted of ugly, green, and cheaply made uniforms that resembled current day scrubs many hospital workers wear. My parents were stripped of the self-expression as many young people typically are allowed to experiment with clothes and hair when discovering “who they are.” The fact that both my mother and father were raised in boarding schools, and were both “fancy dressers” and could even be labeled as “Clothes Horses” which refers to a person excessively or obsessively interested in clothes was a result of being in boarding school. As Stanley J. Grenz states, “truth and even the way we envision truth are dependent on the community in which we participate.”[1] When my friend shared with me the boarding school experiences, I was given the gift of looking at my parents through the lens of the community they were a part of and not see their love of clothes as personal idiosyncrasies and flaws of theirs but rather in the larger context of historical domination and the results of that domination.

I have never heard either of my parents speak about their personal boarding school experiences in great detail. I do know that the affects that boarding school had on both my parents extend far beyond their clothing choices. Nor have I had the opportunity to learn about boarding schools during my education, even in a master’s level program about culture, the attention of Native American policies and experiences remains on the peripheral of inquiry and only receives a modest level of inclusion. Therefore, the implication of Michel Foucault’s theory of power-knowledge[2] is critical in understanding why this is. As Foucault explains power is based on knowledge, yet power (re-) creates itself through knowledge. We are often ambiguous to the fact that knowledge being produced has it’s own intentions. Some of these intentions are to make invisible in a systemic way the experiences of marginalized groups. Another theorist, Chela Sandoval claims, “Under conditions of colonialization, poverty, racism, gender or sexual subordination, dominated populations are often held away from the comforts of the dominated ideology or ripped out of legitimized social narratives, in a process of power that places such constituencies in a very different position from which to view objects-in-reality than other kinds of citizen-subjects.” (104) [3] Had some of the events of boarding schools been taught when I was in school I might have understood my parents a little more as a young person. However, as Ien Ang points out this is not a problem that only Native Americans face, she says that cultural studies is not in daily conversations of people because it is not considered relevant. She cautions that research institutions collaborating with outside funders must be able to look at a situation in its complexity, and not “name a problem” to research.” And lastly, that cultural study must contest meanings negotiated and constructed for these groups and become relevant. [4]

Moving from a daughter / parent relationship to one of a sibling / sister I would like to look at an exchange between my older brother and a neighbor. I had just moved to Washington State from California, it is prudent to say something about the cultural norm in California, you could be in a supermarket and meet someone in line and be invited to a bbq at their house on the spot. People may not have been deep life long friends but they were often very friendly. In my new apartment I expected similar types of interactions. There was a neighbor who was a middle aged white woman. Our doors faced each other. I tried everything I could to be friendly with her, I’d always say hi, good morning, or can I help you with those bags? She never spoke or replied in any way to me. After eight months I began to think she was a deaf mute. One morning around 4:00 a.m. the fire alarm sounded. We all rushed out our doors and in her panic she looked at me and said, “What’s going on?” I was stunned, not by the alarm but by my neighbors voice. I replied, “Oh, you can talk!” Which angered her beyond measure and she rushed down the stairs. My older brother who grew up in the Northwest was over for a visit just after this incident. He and I were running an errand and the neighbor was coming up the stairs as we were walking down. Being the eternal optimist I looked her straight in the eye and said, “Hi!” She in her usual manner ignored me. My brother on the other hand (who was loud and outgoing) dropped his head immediately to the ground and refused to make eye contact with her. He became meek and subordinate in a split second. I was furious with him. I’d lost a lot of respect for him in that moment. How dare he become humble and timid because of this one individual! I needed an older brother I could look up to and emulate. Someone to be a role model for me not someone who had learned the lesson of subordination.

Reading scholars like Grenz, Foucault, Sandoval, and Ang shed some insight but did not completely rectify my disappointment with my older brother’s response. Then upon reading Carole Pateman describe the public / private debate in feminist theory a light came on for me. In, “The Disorder of Women” Carole Pateman speaks about the role of men and women. Men are seen as breadwinners and women are not seen to be owners of their own persons, and are not able to bring their persons to market.[5] She does a nice job or laying down the dichotomy and polarization of men and women’s roles, however she fails to articulate the complex space men of color inhabit. Despite the fact Congress enacted the Indian Citizenship Act in 1924, the right to vote was enforced by individual states and until 1957 some states did not allow Native American’s to vote. By looking at the complex relationship between men and women that Pateman outlines and then looking at even more complex policies that affected Native American’s to the mix, how can I be angry with my older brother for situating himself into a role that society had prescribed for him? Can I expect him to rise above the societal roles of dominated cultures single-handily? Of course I can’t and if he were he still with me I’d apologize for my anger. I didn’t say anything to him at the time but I am sure he could tell I was seething beneath the surface at something. I didn’t have the words to articulate my emotions at the time. But now having read some of the theorist I am able to see these in a new light.

Reflecting on the two experiences with my dad and brother reminds me of doing beadwork. When you are concentrating and focusing on the individual process: one red bead, two white beads, five black beads, etc…it is hard to see the larger picture. Once you are far enough along and hold the piece at a distance you can begin to make out a picture, which after some time comes into focus of what is being created. Looking at these two experiences closely and in isolation I only felt embarrassment or anger. Holding them at a distance and seeing the larger picture of what society has constructed through the lens of these theorist allows me to view them in terms of power-knowledge which has created roles for public / private citizens. And by having these roles come into focus the possibility to create paths that move beyond prescribed locations.

---

[1] Grenz, S.J. “Star Trek and the Postmodern Generation”

[2] Foucault, M., The History of Sexuality, vol. 1, Harmondsworth, Penguin, 1981 (see pp. 92-102)

[3] Sandoval, C., “Semiotics and Languages of Emancipation” in Methodology of the Oppressed

[4] Ang, I., Who Needs Cultural research?

[5] Pateman, C., “the Disorder of Women” 1989

Memory & Memorial Day

Posted by Mona

Memory & Memorial Day: A Native America perspective by Mona Halcomb

As we prepare to put away the final decorations of Memorial Day celebrations until next year’s festivities it is an opportune time to stop and consider the complexities this holiday holds for Native American and Alaskan Native (NA/AN) communities. While the contradictions may be many, they cannot overshadow the pride NA/AN have in serving their country. Attending any cultural event such as a pow wow will be evidence of this pride, where an Eagle Staff is first carried in then, the American flags, Indian Nation flags, and any other flags that are being displayed (e.g. the POW-MIA flag, a state flag, or the Pow Wow’s own flag etc…) The flags are raised while a flag song is preformed, which is followed by a veterans’ honoring song.

The patriotic commitment of NA/AN is not a new phenomenon. Even before NA/AN were citizens they served this country. Indian Scouts were used from 1812 until 1947. American Indians in the Military were finally granted U.S. citizenship in 1919. Five years later the Snyder Indian Citizen Act would grant all American Indians this.

While many think of military service with being a “warrior” and "men" there are many instances of women serving this country. During the American Revolution a Native woman by the name of Tyonajanegen was said to have fought along side her husband. In Alaska, the Alaska National Guard had over 60 women serve as of 1980. Four Indian nuns went to Cuba as nurses. And many have heard of the contribution made by Sacajawea. There are many more examples of contributions made by women however, for the sake of time I will leave this up to you to find them.

While the Navajo Code Talkers in World War II are credited with using their language to aid in the war efforts, this was also done in World War I with the Choctaw nation. During WWI it is estimated that as many as 12,000 Native Americans served their country. In light of the current immigration policies debate-taking place in Arizona, it is ironic that part of the Navajo Reservation is located in within it's borders. A Hopi woman by the named Piestewa from Arizona died in the Gulf War. In addition, Arizona is listed as one of the top five (5) states that NA/AN veterans are originally from. The battle over immigration, which targets “brown people” is brewing in Arizona where so many heroic minorities are from.

During WWII nearly 24% of Native American’s were involved in the war. With a population of less than 350,000, there were 44,000 NA/AN serving in WWII. In fact 99% of healthy Indian males registered for the draft during WWII; another 40,000 NA/AN left the reservation to work in industries that supported the war. NA/AN also made significant financial contributions to war bonds and organizations like the Red Cross and the Army & Navy Relief societies.

In the Vietnam War it is estimated that 42,000 NA/AN served. The report Senator Matsunage Project found higher levels of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among Native Americans. Of course there are many considerations that may contribute to this yet one in particular is usually agreed upon. The “stereotype” that all Indians are better trackers and scouts often put them in the front line and in dangerous situations more than their peers.

On a personal note, my dad served in both the Navy and the Army. This is something I did not even know this until at his funeral when both branches showed up to honor him. He had once told me a story, which is a perfect example of the dichotomy of this article. He had just returned from war, a number of his buddies and he got together to celebrate their safe return. A bartender refused to serve my dad a drink even though he was in his uniform and with his other returning comrades. Saying, "We don't serve Injuns here." A fight broke out because his friends were so outraged at the injustice of him not being able to be served a drink after fighting for this country.

According to the congressional testimony of Gordon Mansfield, a deputy secretary for veterans’ affairs, in 2004, Native American veterans are four times less likely to receive healthcare than other veterans. NA/AN’s are less likely to have health insurance than veterans of all races. And many NA/AN get caught up in bureaucracy, such as the case of former Army Sergeant Andres “Buzzy” Torres who has been fighting the VA for 21 years. He had barely enough to survive on and continues to get denied benefits even though he is unable to work due to being injured in the military and the care he received from that injury. The only reason he was able to manage was because of his wife’s income to supplement him; unfortunately he lost his wife to cancer. Now this man who sacrificed so much is about to lose everything because he is still fighting the VA. NA/AN veterans in general are more likely to have family incomes in the ranges below 30,000 dollars and less likely in the range of 50,000 dollars or more than all races.

For a community that believes it is an honor to serve, show strength, pride and devotion to a country who does not always reciprocate these stories and facts are extremely painful to hear. Native Americans have the highest per capita rate of enlistment of all races. Despite the long term affects of historical trauma Indian people have endured they remain very patriotic. Examples of this historical trauma which continues today include, ethnic cleansing which didn’t end with military defeat and occupation of their land. It has persisted for generations, losses that include language, religious practices, subsistence, traditional ways, taking children from homes, dress, and traditional healing practices. The toll on NA/AN is evident in their current economic status, educational attainment, health and life expectancy rates, and the number of NA/AN caught up in the cycle of addictions or the legal system.

And yet we see, more than 180,000 Native Americans and Alaska Native veterans living today. This number is projected to increase given the number of NA/AN serving in the military. Let us hope that our Veteran Affairs, Government and Society show the respect and support that these and all veterans deserve.

Resources/further reading:

Badkhen, Anna. September 17, 2007. “Native American Veterans seen at risk Region lags in efforts to help stress-afflicted” Boston Globe

Holiday, L.F. and Gabriel Bell, Robert E. Klein, and Michael R. Wells. September 2006. “American Indian and Alaska Native Veterans: Lasting Contributions” Office of Policy, Assistant Secretary for Policy, Planning, and Preparedness, Department of Veterans Affairs.

http://www.defense.gov/specials/nativeamerican01/women.html

http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq61-1.htm

http://www.race-talk.org/?p=3677

This Memorial Day, Remember

Posted by Mandy



I ask you all to take a few moments this Memorial Day and watch the video embedded above, in which photographer Aaron Huey asks us to give recognition to the blood of Native soldiers and civilians spilled in the creation of the United States. Memorial Day often sees tribute paid to the American soldiers who have died in service of the U.S. government, yet little attention is given to the soldiers whose lives were lost in battles for survival against U.S. soldiers.

In his memoir, Black Elk reflects on the Wounded Knee Massacre, the turning point in Native history, which saw the transformation of all Native people into prisoners of war:

…it was all over.

I did not know then how much was ended. When I look back now from this high hill of my old age, I can still see the butchered women and children lying heaped and scattered all along the crooked gulch as plain as when I saw them with eyes still young. And I can see that something else died there in the bloody mud, and was buried in the blizzard. A people’s dream died there. It was a beautiful dream.

And I, to whom so great a vision was given in my youth,- you see me now a pitiful old man who has done nothing, for the nation’s hoop is broken and scattered. There is no center any longer, and the sacred tree is dead (207).

Some further memories of the Wounded Knee Massacre are remembered in Dee Brown’s Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee:

We tried to run, but they shot us like we were a buffalo. I know there are some good white people, but the soldiers must be mean to shoot children and women. Indian soldiers would not do that to white children (444).
-Louise Weasel Bear

I was running away from the place and followed those who were running away. My grandfather and grandmother and brother were killed as we crossed the ravine, and then I was shot on the right hip clear through and on my wrist where I did not go any further as I was not able to walk, and after the soldier picked me up where a little girl came to me and crawled into the blanket (444).
-Hakiktawin

I also ask that you consider the plight of the Nez Perce, who, after choosing to flee their land in hopes of escaping the brutal attacks and repeated broken treaties of the U.S. government, were pursued and systematically slaughtered while trying to escape to Canada. The path that these exiles traveled has become known as the Nez Perce Trail. The efforts of Chief Joseph and the remaining 431 Nez Perce were ended in 1877 at the Battle of the Bear Paw, in which an armed civilian makeshift militia fought and lost against U.S. army soldiers. The battle took place just 40 miles from the Canadian border.

This short video offers a brief history of Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce:



I will conclude with Chief Joseph’s speech of surrender to General Howard, words which I hope express the importance of remembering the legacy of Native soldiers:

Tell General Howard I know his heart. What he told me before I have in my heart. I am tired of fighting. Our chiefs are killed. Looking Glass is dead. Tu-hul-hul-sote is dead. The old men are all dead. It is the young men who say yes or no. He who led on the young men is dead. It is cold and we have no blankets. The little children are freezing to death. My people, some of them, have run away to the hills, and have no blankets, no food; no one knows where they are – perhaps freezing to death. I want to have time to look for my children and see how many of them I can find. Maybe I shall find them among the dead. Hear me, my chiefs. I am tired; my heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever.

Works Cited

Black Elk, Nicholas. Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux. Ed. John G. Neihardt. Lincoln and London: U of Nebraska P, 1979.

Brown, Dee. Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West. New York: Owl Books, 1970.

Chief Joseph. “Surrender at the Battle of Bear Paw.” Chinook, Montana. 5 Oct. 1877.