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Ed Menard, Park Ranger
A United Nations official says sacred lands -- like the Black Hills of Dakota, which includes Mount Rushmore -- should be returned to Native American control.
The United States must do more to heal the wounds of indigenous peoples caused by more than a century of oppression, including restoring control over lands Native Americans consider to be sacred, according to a U.N. human rights investigator.
James Anaya, the U.N. special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, just completed a 12-day visit to the United States where he met with representatives of indigenous peoples in the District of Columbia, Arizona, Alaska, Oregon, Washington State, South Dakota, and Oklahoma. He also met with U.S. government officials.
"I have heard stories that make evident the profound hurt that indigenous peoples continue to feel because of the history of oppression they have faced," Anaya said in a statement issued by the U.N. human rights office in Geneva Friday.
That oppression, he said, has included the seizure of lands and resources, the removal of children from their families and communities, the loss of languages, violation of treaties, and brutality, all grounded in racial discrimination.
Anaya welcomed the U.S. decision to endorse the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in 2010 and other steps the government has taken, but said more was needed.
'History of oppression'
His findings will be included in a final report submitted to the U.N. Human Rights Council. While not binding, the recommendations carry moral weight that can influence governments.
"It is clear that this history does not just blemish the past, but translates into present day disadvantage for indigenous peoples in the country," Anaya said.
"There have still not been adequate measures of reconciliation to overcome the persistent legacies of the history of oppression, and that there is still much healing that needs to be done," he said.
Game hunt for sacred white buffaloes riles Native groups
In Alaska and the Pacific Northwest, where some Native Americans depend on hunting and fishing, Anaya said tribes face "ever-greater threats ... due to a growing surge of competing interests, and in some cases incompatible extractive activities, over these lands and resources."
"In Alaska, indigenous peoples complain about a complex and overly restrictive state regulatory apparatus that impedes their access to subsistence resources (fish and wildlife)," he said.
Native American tribe gets permit to kill bald eagles
Mining for natural resources in parts of the country has also caused serious problems for indigenous peoples.
"Past uncontrolled and irresponsible extractive activities, including uranium mining in the Southwest, have resulted in the contamination of indigenous peoples' water sources and other resources, and in numerous documented negative health effects among Native Americans," he said.
Mount Rushmore
He said indigenous peoples feel they have too little control over geographic regions considered sacred to them, like the San Francisco Peaks in Arizona and the Black Hills in South Dakota. Anaya suggested such lands should be returned to Native peoples.
"Securing the rights of indigenous peoples to their lands is of central importance to indigenous peoples' socioeconomic development, self-determination, and cultural integrity," Anaya said.
"Continued efforts to resolve, clarify, and strengthen the protection of indigenous lands, resources, and sacred sites should be made," he added.
How genocide wiped out a Native American population
Mount Rushmore, a popular tourist attraction, is located in the Black Hills, which the Sioux tribe consider to be sacred and have territorial claims to based on an 1868 treaty. Shortly after that treaty was signed, gold was discovered in the region. U.S. Congress eventually passed a law taking over the land.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1980 that the seizure of the land was illegal and ordered the government to pay compensation. But the Sioux rejected the money and has continued to demand the return of the now public lands.
Anaya said he will make specific recommendations on these and other issues in a full report later this year.
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Leave a Comment:
Hey United Nations..........PHUCK YOU..........GET THE PHUCK OUT OF OUR BUSINESS.
All of our land is sacred, give it back....
No! Life is not fair. This could lead to giving all of North and South America back. This idiot makes no sense. Where would the world be and what would it be like to be searching for food on a daily bases,wearing only buckskin clothes; being at war constantly with your neighboring tribe. Could you live with a life span of about 30 years? Where would the people now in the Americas go? Could the world exist with out the modern tools , the health tools, transportation means? What if the " invasion" of the Americas had never have been allowed. This person and there mind set is and idiot and any one who follows it are themselves going to be exploited by a regressive mind set. These people should be put in a place where there craziness can be treated. It is likely they have other non normal tendencies of functions.
The United Nations can keep their opinions out of the US. I suppose, under the Obama leaderless presidency, we will become a protectoriate of the UN and governed by the high council. Yes, I agree that the Native American's were treated about as bad as Stalin treated the White Russians. We moved them from their native lands and put them on what we thought was nothingness. Today these lands occupied by Native Americans are the riches land in the nation. Coal; Gas; Oil are under them and the Native American's are exploiting that resouce. Good for them. They have gamblining hall throughout America sucking the wealth of people who cannot afford to be risking their money. They have educated their children to become lawyers and re-evaluate the treaties and make legal claims. So where does the UN fit in this picture. The right of America to be independent and an independent nation governed by its laws without interference of other political powers is essential. The UN has no authority over anything the US does. Keep your butts out of the US.
It is time for all Americans to stand up and fight! It is time to declare war on the United Nations. Who is with me to invade the United Nations? Or, we can just cut off their funds and they will wither on the vine.
As our Texan friends would say..."Come and GIT it!"
throw the bastards out and give the un building to the injuns and it will become a casino in about ten minutes!!! the injuns are already getting loads of free money from the government not to mention their disgusting dirty casinos where they gouge the white eyes!!! enough is enough!
I've never seen anyone being forced to enter a casino, have you?
If nothing else the UN is consistently hypocritical. Why do they never condemn the Arab/ Moslems from invading many nations, committing genocide against the native populations and stealing their lands. The UN should be demanding Arab/ Moslems give back Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morroco, Lebanon, Syria, Sudan, Iraq, and Jordan to their original inhabitants. And what the native populations in Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Malasia, and Indonesia?
What right does the UN have to tell the U.S to give land to someone with an alleged historical claim! The nerve. Ooops, the same right it used to take away lands from the Palestinians to give to Western European Jews! My mistake.
Naacp wants U.N. to control our elections. U.N. wants a sales TAX on all transactions is the U.S. U.N. wants complete control over our military. After November, the leftist radicals will return to the shadows and regroup. OBAMA has to GO!!!!!!!
The U.N. needs to understand what it means to be a sovereign nation is. They have zero right to tell the U.S. to give back land to the "native" American Indians.
The U.N. needs to get out of the U.S.. It has turned into a Liberal Socialist think tank that now thinks it can order countries to return land that has been claimed for over a century. I want that nice expensive hunk of real estate back the U.N. sits on!
Yet another example of someone trying to divide the American people. Enough already!!!! Indeed, this country has a bloody oppressive past. But in all fairness, show me a country that doesn't. Life centuries ago was hard, people were hard, but to try and correct the wrongs of the past today is not only foolish but dangerous. It is a very slippery slop. How abouts we just deal with the present day issues and read and study history but leave it where it belongs in the past and just make sure it never happens again. Why can't we as a country focus on the positive and the good of the variety of people that define American? Why can't we as a country come together and build the best and strongest country in the world? Let us stop the bickering and the pettiness and the absurd. If not for us, ya'll folks with children need to be thinking about the kind of country you want your children and grand children to have. Can't we all just get along?
I see a day when we are going to boot the UN's ass out of the USA - they are increasingly over stepping their authority' they are nothing but a bunch of scum' dog crap eating 3rd world homosexuals - by the way you filth' I own a gun - try taking that from me too.
FUC* YOU
What right does the UN have to tell the U.S to give land to someone with an alleged historical claim! The nerve. Ooops, the same right it used to take away lands from the Palestinians to give to Western European Jews! My mistake.
I am sure you mean that in a nice way..........
I mean that I can appreciate where the Palestinians are coming from. Look, even John (above) is threatening to arm himself. Isn't that what the Palestinians have done?
I did not even read the article. I can say in the strongest terms, the UN has, or should have, nothing to say about the US in any case. If I had my way, I would seal off the UN building, nothing in or out. Then evict the occupants. Give them one month to get out of the country. Move UN to a neutral country, or, anywhere but here. Then cut off any funding, and sever all ties. The UN has no business here. By the same token, the US should butt out of other countries' government, if the people can not or will not change their own government, tough. If they mess with US, annihilate them. One or two, should do the trick. They will understand that much better than bribing them, or apologizing to them. Until we are strong enough to help ourselves, we can not help anybody else.
No matter how you slice it the Native American peoples land was stolen from them in a most horrific way. A strong defense is their best defense against the ongoing effort to steal even more from them. I find it amusing that our political leaders and those behind the scenes pushed for this UN power and now it comes back to bite them in the butt. Don't you just love global rule? LOL
What right does the UN have to tell the U.S to give land to someone with an alleged historical claim! The nerve. Ooops, the same right it used to take away lands from the Palestinians to give to Western European Jews! My mistake.
England also played a part in the land divided between Jews and Palestinians. Jews were living in what is now Israel and Palistine before the split. Everything was fine until the Jews acquired independence and would no longer accept dhimmitude at the hands of the Muslims. Funny how the Patriarchals scale of justice swings back and forth. Lots of suffering for all.
To the victor the spoils.
As Eddie Izzard says, "You got to have a flag......"
Obama has a job waiting for him at the U.N.
40-50 years ago there was a strong movement in favor of getting the US out of the UN. It's about time we resurrect that movement. Apart from the endless and endlessly documented instances of corruption in, just to name one, the Oil for Food fiasco - the UN continues to meddle in the affairs of sovereign nations and does so on a seemingly random basis. Even the UN disaster assistance programs end up being wasteful and rife with corruption. Sorry, we don't need them anymore - if indeed they were ever of value in the first instance.
Occupy the UN!
Is the UN going to demand that the Palestinians give Jerusalem to Israel?
As mentioned we have treated our conquered better than most other 'Invaders'.
How about we ditch Black History Month, Cinco de Mayo, St. Patrick's Day and every other Cultural, PC Holiday for the Fourth of July? Then at least we'd be celebrating as a nation instead of a bunch of fake, don't really wannbe Americans that have really only come to this country to take from it instead of actually becoming Americans?
What's next? Do we print Voter instructions in Sioux & Navajo AS WELL as freaking Spanish, maybe Chinese & Vietnamese too, huh?
It's getting real tiresome watching our country founded on, yes, diversity, become a nation of Afro-Americans, Mexican-Americans, etc...what the Hell hppened to JUST being really happy & Proud of being AMERICAN's?
I have an even better idea - let's annex Mexico, Spain, Germany, England, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Iraq, Italy and every other country we have EVER bailed out or 'Conquered', then tax them all into oblivion, make them speak English, become US citizen's! Then at least when they want more of our MONEY they'd actually BE contributing some of it instead of just sucking our goodwill dry!
Wow, I just can't wait till those Immigrants take over this land. Then they'll be the Amercans and all of the racist bigots on here will be called the New Native Americans and live on desolate lands. Then you will be called "injuns" or whatever hateful name calling you deserve. You'll be sitting there by your humble homes trying to figure out what you ever did to deserve this.
YEA! We'll jump right on that U.N.-NOT! Some loser types want to live in the past, only looking at the negative. Why don't silly ne gros and their silly cauca sion counterparts that always cry about the FEW cau casions that practiced sla very. NEVER, never do you hear one peep from them about the MILLIONS of cau casions that left home and family to free them, not a peep about all the cau casions that risked their futures to help out the ne groes in the segregated south! They will NEVER be free until their conversation includes these heroic cauca sion men and women! The indians migrated here also , they're immigrants just like everyone else. The loony left leaning nutcases leave out all the savage acts the indians put upon mexi cans, neg ros and whi tes alike! Why one comanche chief had 1,ooo-three zeros castrated mexican men just to tend his horses! QUIT with the whining and try to look at the WHOLE PICTURE!!!!
It seems to me the US has battled before...paid reparations and moved on. How long are we going to have to pay for winning this war against the natives? Yeah, you were here first...you lost. Stop whining and move on...sheesh
It's a good thing that don't have long memories like the Palestinians. Or, do they?
An expert in International Human Rights and Indigenous peoples law, Professor Anaya is the author of the acclaimed book, Indigenous Peoples in International Law (Oxford Univ. Press, 1996, 2d. ed. 2004), and currently serves as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Professor Anaya has lectured in many countries in all continents of the globe. He has advised numerous indigenous and other organizations from several countries on matters of human rights and indigenous peoples, and he has represented indigenous groups from many parts of North and Central America in landmark cases before courts and international organizations. Among his noteworthy activities, he participated in the drafting of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and was the lead counsel for the indigenous parties in the case of Awas Tingni v. Nicaragua, in which the Inter-American Court of Human Rights for the first time upheld indigenous land rights as a matter of international law.
Prior to becoming a full time law professor, he practiced law in Albuquerque, New Mexico, representing Native American peoples and other minority groups. For his work during that period, Barrister magazine, a national publication of the American Bar Association, named him as one of "20 young lawyers who make a difference."
Professor Anaya served on the law faculty at the University of Iowa from 1988 to 1999, and he has been a visiting professor at Harvard Law School, the University of Toronto, and the University of Tulsa.
I wonder who paid for his education?
So what you are saying is the UN hired an activist with an agenda. The UN wanted a certain opinion and found the guy that would give it.
He is also a native American with an ax to grind:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-finkelman/parents-children-and-citi_b_687223.html
Time to get the UN out of our country and get us out of the UN, where does this a$$ hole come off, like were the only country where natives got displaced, how about the spanish taking over the indians of South America, I don't see his sorry A$$ there taking stock of how mistreated the locals are, we don't need some jerk from another country telling us how to take care of ours, this idiot is probably from some socialist backwater in europe that there economy is getting ready to crater and he wants to tell us what we should do, send his stupid A$$ back to where he came from GET US OUT OF THE UNITED NATIONS!!!!!
He is not from another country, he is from the United States and works at Arizona University.
Native Americans are NOT the original habitants of the land. Read about Kennewick Man, the oldest human remains found in North America. Native Americans refuse to allow DNA testing on Kennewick Man because they know it would prove that they are not "aboriginal."