Tulalip News

The Government Shutdown Hits Indian Country Hard, On Many Fronts

Source: Indian Country Today Media Network

The government shutdown continues into its third week as funds are drying up for many agencies struggling to remain open. Even with an end potentially in sight, the crisis has proven to be good for some areas of Indian country but has been very bad news for most of it.

The shutdown of non-essential government entities like national parks around the country has helped the tourism business for the Hualapai and Navajo Nation. Both tribes offer attractive alternatives to the Grand Canyon, which is closed. As NPR reports, the Hualapai who owns Grand Canyon West, offers a Plexiglas horseshoe walkway tour of the Canyon. The Navajos offer tours of Antelope Canyon – the often-neglected stepchild of the Grand Canyon.

“Tourism is the backbone of the tribe,” Matthew Putesoy, Havasupai vice chairman told NPR. “We really don’t have any other economic development.”

The lack of economic development is a situation that hurts many tribes. “One of the real casualties is our economic development projects,” Kevin Washburn, Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs at the Department of the Interior, said in a phone interview with Indian Country Today Media Network. “We are working only on matters posing an imminent risk to life and property. I had a tribe that came in and was ready to close on a loan. The loan just needs a review and signature and we’re not able to do that, so that loan is not being funded yet.”

Washburn also mentioned a tribe waiting for a coal mine project review, and another waiting for a renewable energy project approval. “Everything has come to a screeching halt,” he said.

While the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Bureau of Indian Education are running for the most part, social services are operating at minimal staff, according to Washburn. Social services and tribal assistance for heating are two areas of grave concern in Indian country as the harsh winter season approaches.

A New York Times article on October 13 followed Audrey Costa, a Native in Montana who is wondering where the money for the heat will come from. Costa, a mother of three, “relies on lease payments from the Bureau of Indian Affairs” and has yet to see a check since the shutdown.

Costa lives on the Crow Reservation, one of many impoverished Indian tribes that rely heavily on federal dollars according to The Times. The Crow tribe has continued to operate with a skeleton crew.

Skeleton crews are also operating in South Dakota, particularly the Pine Ridge Reservation, which was just hit with an unexpected blizzard. The storm brought 70-mile-per-hour winds and blinding snow, and trapped at least 60,000 cattle throughout Nebraska, Wyoming and South Dakota. The exact number of cattle lost on the Pine Ridge Reservation is unknown, as the slim crew continues to search the almost 3,500 square mile reservation. This job was made even tougher by power outages caused by the storm.

On October 11, Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) shared stories of tribal families in North Dakota being put in difficult situations during her speech on the Senate floor. North Dakota was also pounded by the recent snowstorm that hit the plains. “The stories that I heard I want to share with this body today, Mr. President, because they are telling stories about how foolish – how foolish and how dangerous – this government shutdown is to many, many, very, very vulnerable families, particularly vulnerable Native American families.” (Most of the tribes in North Dakota are direct service tribes which rely on the BIA for much of the assistance.)

“Because of the shutdown, BIA Law Enforcement at the Spirit Lake Nation is limited to one officer per shift, in charge of patrolling the 252,000 acre reservation,” Heitkamp said. “And because of the shutdown, when the Sisseton-Wahpeton community recently lost a three month old baby, the mother now has been turned away for burial assistance for her child.”

According to a press release from Heitkamp’s office, the majority of the BIA offices – which provide services to more than 1.7 million American Indians and Alaska Natives from more than 500 recognized tribes – is now shuttered. This means funding has been cut off for foster care payments, nutrition programs, and financial assistance for struggling Native families.

According to Washburn, the BIA has roughly 1,600 employees still working while another 2,500 are furloughed. “Everyone of those 2,500 furloughed employees has an important job serving Indian tribes and they aren’t able to do that right now,” Washburn said.

For the Oglala Sioux and its Pine Ridge Reservation, this shuttering will result in the release of prisoners, hundreds of tribal employees furloughed and a suspension in the heating assistance to elderly tribal members according to The Rapid City Journal.

“It is a devastating situation, not a political debate,” Oglala Sioux President Bryan Brewer said in the statement via The Journal. “Our people suffer the worst poverty in the country. It is unthinkable to have to close programs, stop services and turn people out of their jobs. In an area with 80 percent unemployment, furloughs are a humanitarian disaster.”

Like Brewer, Darrin Old Coyote, Crow tribal chairman, does not agree with the way the shutdown is being handled. “They don’t have a clue what’s going on out here,” Coyote said in The Times of politicians in Washington. He was speaking from his office in Crow Agency, which sits in the shadow of the Little Bighorn battlefield, itself closed because of the shutdown. “It is hurting a lot of people.”

“[The shutdown is] going to be more and more damaging the longer it goes,” Washburn told ICTMN. “And the longer and longer it goes on it will be harder for us to ramp back up…

“We are feeling for everyone out there in Indian country.”

Ballots and local voters’ pamphlets scheduled to be mailed for November 5 General Election.

Source: Snohomish County Auditor’s office

EVERETT – Snohomish County Elections will mail ballots tomorrow to over 412,000 voters for the November 5 General Election. The Snohomish County local voters’ pamphlets will be mailed today one per household. Voters will also receive a pamphlet from the Secretary of State covering statewide ballot measures and advisory votes.

This year’s general election features two statewide initiatives, five advisory votes, three county council positions as well as a number of city, school district, fire district, sewer district and other local district positions. Ballot measures in the City of Lynnwood, the Stanwood-Camano School District and Public Hospital District 1 are also up for voter consideration.

Voters are encouraged to be an informed voter by learning about the races and issues on their ballot, reading and following the ballot instructions, using the write-in line for serious office seekers only, signing their ballot envelope and returning their ballot as soon as practical. These steps will ensure that their ballot can be counted without issue or delay.

First time voters wanting to vote in this election may register in person at the Snohomish County Auditor’s Office through Monday, October 28. In order to register to vote in the state of Washington, a person must:

· be a citizen of the United States;

· have lived in Washington State for at least 30 days;

· be at least 18 years old by Election Day;

· not disqualified due to a court order; and

· not currently under Department of Corrections supervision for a felony conviction.

Snohomish County conducts all of its elections entirely by mail. All eligible voters will be mailed a ballot to their current residential or mailing address beginning October 17.

Voters choosing to return their voted ballot through the mail must ensure that it is postmarked no later than November 5. Voters may return their voted ballot postage free to any one of eleven 24-hour ballot drop box locations in Snohomish County. Ballots can be deposited at these locations any time until 8:00 pm on Election Day, though voters are encouraged to return their ballot as soon as practical to avoid wait times at drop boxes on Election Day.

The eleven 24-hour ballot drop boxes locations are:

Arlington (near library)

135 N Washington Ave, Arlington

Edmonds (near library)

650 Main St, Edmonds

Everett (Courthouse Campus)

Rockefeller Ave and Wall St, Everett

Everett (at McCollum Park)

600 128^th St SE, Everett

Lake Stevens (near the city boat launch)

1800 Main St, Lake Stevens

Lynnwood (in front of City Hall)

19100 44^th Ave, Lynnwood

Marysville (behind Municipal Court)

1015 State Ave, Marysville

Monroe (near Library)

1070 Village Way, Monroe

Mukilteo (near library)

4675 Harbour Pointe Blvd, Mukilteo

Snohomish (near library)

311 Maple Ave, Snohomish

Stanwood (near library)

9701 271^st St NW, Stanwood

More information is listed on the insert delivered with each ballot and can also be found online at www.snoco.org/elections.

Snohomish County Elections will have accessible voting equipment designed for voters with disabilities available in the Auditor’s Office beginning October 16 through November 5 and at the Lynnwood Sno-Isle Library on Monday, November 4 from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Election Day, Tuesday, November 5 from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. The Lynnwood Sno-Isle Library is located at 19200 44^th Ave, Lynnwood.

The Snohomish County Auditor’s Office is located on the first floor of the Snohomish County Administration Building, 3000 Rockefeller Avenue, Everett. Voters may drop their voted ballots at the Auditor’s Office Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The office will have extended hours on Election Day, Tuesday, November 5 from 7:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m.

Snohomish County Elections may be reached at 425-388-3444.

Motivational Speaker, Performer and Musician Brian Frejo Joins SWAIA’s Inaugural Native American Youth Performing Arts Workshop as a Mentor and Teacher

As a motivational speaker and youth mentor, Brian Frejo promotes creativity, expression, and strength in identity through art and music. Frejo will lead SWAIA’s youth workshops with a focus on hip hop and Native American traditional music.

Source: PRWeb

Motivational speaker, cultural activist, performer, and musician Brian Frejo (Pawnee/Seminole) joins SWAIA’s inaugural Native American Youth Performing Arts Workshop as a youth mentor and teacher. Frejo, a member of the Grammy nominated drum group Young Bird, will lead workshops throughout the weekend that focus on Native American traditional and hip hop music.

As a motivational speaker and youth mentor, Frejo promotes creativity, expression, and strength in identity through art and music. He is the founder of Created 4 Greatness which originated in the southern plains of Oklahoma with a vision and message of healthy lifestyles, drug and alcohol free wellness, spirituality, culture and language preservation, artistic and musical expression, leadership, teamwork, and goal setting. The organization has provided invaluable educational services and entertainment to more than 200 reservations and urban Indian communities. Frejo’s powerful programs have positively affected the lives of thousands of youth throughout the United States and Canada.

Joining Frejo as youth mentors will be artist Louie Gong, artist Ehren Kee Natay, and actress Michelle St. John.

The workshop weekend will conclude with a performance on November 17, 2013 in Santa Fe, NM.

Cheyenne River Youth Project Fundraiser has Global Reach

Win Handmade “Christmas” Lakota Star Quilt

Source: Native News Network

EAGLE BUTTE, SOUTH DAKOTA – The Cheyenne River Youth Project has just launched its Christmas Star Quilt Raffle, giving members of the public a chance to win the distinctive, queen size Lakota star quilt appropriately named “A Christmas Star.” CRYP’s staff is eager to see where the requests for raffle tickets originate, as the 25-year-old, not-for-profit youth organization’s raffle fundraisers tend to reach far beyond US borders. Previous years’ raffle winners have come from as far away as the United Kingdom and New Zealand.

The quilt above is “Winter on the Plains,” which was raffled off in March

“The best part of these raffles is that they’re international,”

said Julie Garreau, CRYP’s executive director.

“Anyone can buy tickets, whether you live in South Dakota, elsewhere in the United States or in another country.”

The blue and white quilt is hand-crafted by Bonnie LeBeau, an enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe.

Star quilts originated among the Great Plains nations after European contact. The star pattern evolved from the nations’ original buffalo-robe designs.

“Our people simply adopted the newcomers’ quilting techniques and adapted them to suit our culture,”

said Tammy Eagle Hunter, CRYP’s youth programs director.

“A star quilt is a truly one-of-a-kind item to add to your home or give to a loved one.”

“For this year’s Christmas star quilt raffle, we’re adding an extra challenge,”

she continued.

“We’re hoping to raise $2,500 in honor of CRYP’s 25th anniversary. All proceeds will benefit our youth programming and services.”

Tickets are already on sale and may be purchased until Tuesday, December 24. CRYP will conduct the drawing and announce the winner on Friday, December 27; the organization will then ship the quilt to the winner free of charge.

“There are several ways people can help with the raffle,”

Eagle Hunter said.

“First, buy tickets. They are $1 each or $5 for a six-ticket packet. You also can sell tickets for us, and help spread the word by telling family and friends, sharing information on Facebook and posting on Twitter.”

To purchase tickets go to www.lakotayouth.org.

Simply click the “Donate Now” button on the home page, and put “A Christmas Star” in the notes section when paying with a credit card. Please avoid writing the word “raffle” anywhere in the payment.

Or send cash, checks or money orders by mail to:
Cheyenne River Youth Project
Attn: Christmas Star Quilt
P.O. Box 410
Eagle Butte, SD 57625

To sell tickets, please send an email to Julie Garreau, CRYP’s executive director, at Julie.CRYP@gmail.com. She will send as many tickets as you request; they come in books of six. Once you receive your tickets, along a quilt photo and information sheet, you will be responsible for selling those tickets. All tickets need to be turned in by December 24 so CRYP can conduct the drawing as planned on December 27.

Garreau also noted that buying a raffle ticket can lead to much more.

“One of our raffle winners, Shaun McGirr, ended up traveling to the Cheyenne River reservation to serve as a volunteer during our Christmas Toy Drive,”

Garreau recalled.

“You just never know where your raffle ticket might take you. You might win a star quilt, you might discover a passion for volunteering, you might decide to fulfill a “Dear Santa” letter in our toy drive — but no matter what happens, you know that your contribution makes a real difference in the lives of Cheyenne River’s children.”

To learn more about the Cheyenne River Youth Project and its programs, and for information about making donations and volunteering, call 605.964.8200 or visit www.lakotayouth.org.

New Sportfishing Fees Will Help Move Gill Nets Off Columbia River

Source: Oregon Public Broadcasting, October 4, 2013

The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission on Friday approved new fees for salmon, steelhead and sturgeon fishing in the Columbia River Basin.

The fees are part of Gov. John Kitzhaber’s plan to end non-tribal commercial gill netting in the Columbia River channel. It allows recreational anglers to catch more salmon in the Columbia River channel by moving commercial gill-netters into off-channel areas.

But it also requires recreational anglers to pay a new set of fees – $9.75 a year or a dollar a day. The fees are expected to generate $1 million a year. Most of that money will be used to boost the production of hatchery fish for commercial gill-netters to catch in off-channel areas.

Hobe Kytr of the gill-netting group Salmon for All said that funding won’t make the gill-netters whole once they are barred from fishing on the Columbia River channel.

“If it helps further the concept so we can have something to catch, then I guess that’s fine and dandy,” he said.

But he said the river’s off-channel areas don’t have enough capacity to support the gill-net fishery.

“We have opposed this plan from the get-go,” Kytr said.

Commissioners said they were surprised to learn that the fees would have to apply to sport fishing in tributaries of the Columbia River as well as the main channel. That means people fishing for salmon in the Deschutes River or the John Day or even the Oregon stretch of the Snake River will have to pay the fees as well.

The new fees, known as endorsements, will be required in the rivers outlined in blue.

That was unwelcome news to Commissioner Laura Anderson of Newport. She was the sole board member to vote against the new fees. Anderson said she thought the fees would be limited to sport fishers in the Columbia River channel, or main stem.

“I really don’t feel good about what I feel is a switcheroo,” she said. “I think the intent was for a main stem to main stem commercial-recreational deal.”

Commissioner Bobby Levy asked Oregon Fish and Wildlife Fish Division Administrator Ed Bowles whether the meeting would be packed “with people screaming their heads off” if more recreational anglers knew the fees applied to fisheries in tributaries to the Columbia River and not just the main channel.

Bowles said organized sport fishing groups helped negotiate fees but most of the public is still unaware of them.

“The public blowback is probably still to come,” he said.

Washington state already imposes a surcharge for fishing on the Columbia River.

Inslee Wants To Explore State-Only ‘Cap and Trade’ Scheme

Source: OPB.org

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Gov. Jay Inslee on Monday laid out his wish list for how he’d like Washington state to combat global warming pollution.

It includes eliminating any electricity generated by coal and putting a statewide cap on greenhouse gas emissions. Legislative Republicans immediately raised concerns.

Back in 2008, the Washington Legislature set ambitious goals for reducing the state’s carbon footprint. But they’re just goals, without enforcement mechanisms. Subsequently, a pact between 11 Western states and provinces to put a price on greenhouse gas emissions fell apart.

Now Inslee chairs a bipartisan legislative work group tasked with recommending policies to achieve the state’s climate goals. He says on its current course the state will fall far short.

“That shows the necessity in my view of having a belt-and-suspenders, economy wide approach to capping emissions in this state,” the Democratic governor said.

By that Inslee means a “carbon cap and trade” system for industrial polluters along with requirements to increase use of alternative fuels in transportation.

Republican legislators flanking the governor at a workgroup meeting weren’t shy about raising the fear that this could drive businesses to leave Washington for less regulated neighboring states.

“How do we address for Washington state going it alone on certain issues in terms of the economic impact to manufacturing, job base and agriculture,” Sen. Doug Ericksen, R-Ferndale, rhetorically asked.

The four legislative members of the work group also offered proposals Monday.

Ericksen talked up nuclear power. Rep. Shelly Short, R-Addy, suggested focusing on energy conservation incentives, especially to increase energy efficiency in buildings. Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon, D-Burien, echoed the governor’s call to “transition off fossil fuels” in transportation.

Sen. Kevin Ranker, D-Orcas Island, joined Inslee in proposing to wean the state’s electric utilities off of coal-fired generation. The State of Washington has already signed a deal with the energy company TransAlta to phase out the only large coal power plant inside the state’s borders – that located in Centralia. Now the Democratic politicians are targeting what they call “coal-by-wire,” meaning utility purchases of electricity generated from coal at out-of-state power plants. The bipartisan workgroup aims to produce a prioritized set a recommendations by December for how the state can curb carbon emissions in the future.

The goal is the get the state back on track to meet the following targets set by the 2008 Washington Legislature:

By 2020, reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions in the state to 1990 levels;
By 2035, reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions in the state to 25% below 1990 levels;
By 2050, reduce overall emissions to 50% below 1990 levels, or 70% below the state’s expected emissions that year if it were to continue with business as usual.

Citizens can offer their two cents for how the state should try to cut global warming pollution at two upcoming public hearings. The first is Wednesday evening in Spokane. A second hearing is scheduled for Oct. 23 at the Seattle waterfront.

This was first reported by the Northwest News Network.

Stevens and Leecy: Establish a Native American Heritage Day

Source: Indianz.com

Ernie Stevens and Kevin Leecy, the chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of the National Indian Gaming Association, call for the creation of Native American Heritage Day:

As the chairman and vice chairman of the National Indian Gaming Association, we offer this Columbus Day message on behalf of the 184 tribes that form our organization. Throughout this great and diverse Nation, there are certain holidays that carry more weight for certain segments of our nation than for others. This is true for Indian people as well. There are certain holidays that generate discussion amongst our Tribal citizens and their tribal governments because they speak to our place in the history of this great democracy. Columbus Day is certainly one of those holidays. Indian people have their own governments, cultures, societies, and values that were in place long before we were supposedly “discovered.” Our status as preexisting sovereign nations is acknowledged in the Constitution of the United States in three separate sections. The treaties our ancestors signed with the United States are still in force today and are as the Constitution states: “The supreme law of the land.” Tribes have great respect for the preservation of our roles as separate sovereigns under the Constitution and at the same time Indian people are proud American citizens as shown through our high rates of participation in military service to this nation. Tribes are determined to uphold their rights assured through the treaties with the United States of America and to ensure that our children are provided with accurate historical accounts of our families, societies, governments, and status as separate nations, as well as our true place in world history.

Get the Story:
Ernest L. Stevens Jr. & Kevin Leecy: NIGA Talks About Columbus Day and the History of Indian Country (Indian Country Today 10/14)

Controversial Sports Mascots Not New; Released More Than a Decade Ago, NCAI Says

Source: Indian Country Today Media Network

A poster image that went viral because of its controversial references to sports mascots: New York Jews, San Francisco Chinamen and Cleveland Indians, has caused some media confusion.

According to Slate, news media reported that the poster was “new” and was released recently by the National Congress of American Indians because of the Redskins name change controversy.

But an NCAI source told ICTMN that those reports are inaccurate. The poster, shown above, is not a new one. It was originally published and distributed by the NCAI more than a decade ago. The organization said that what’s “new” is that people are finally paying attention to the Redskins controversy and have merely “stumbled upon” the image during their reporting.

The image, as seen above, shows that there is a double standard between the stereotypical Native American mascots like the Cleveland Indians and other racial epithets. The quote on the poster reads, ”No race, creed or religion should endure the ridicule faced by the Native Americans today.”

The NCAI says that they have been working to shed light on offensive and racist sports team mascots for decades. Jacqueline Pata, Executive Director for the NCAI, pointed out that the original poster was developed in the 1990s, but published by the advertising firm Devito/Verdi in 2001.

Pata told Slate magazine, which has denounced the so-called ‘R’ word that “Those kinds of racial images aren’t even acceptable today.” In other words, the ‘racial equality ad” is not something that the organization would have put out recently because of its tendency to offend and be misconstrued as their response to the current name change controversy.

The organization has instead asked the public to focus on its 29-page report called “Ending the Legacy of Racism in Sports & the Era of Harmful ‘Indian’ Sports Mascots.” ICTMN reported that the report was released last week.

Jefferson Keel, the president of the NCAI, has publicly stated that the word Redskins is a racial slur to the Native American community as is very offensive.

“[That name] originated in the bounty paid for Native body parts and human flesh. It does not honor Native people in any way, and has no place in modern American society,” he explained in a news release.

Top adult and children Halloween costumes not scary this year

Goodwill costume trending poll: 29 stores, 15 counties, 1,500 costumes sample thru last weekend (Oct 1 – 13)

George White, Tacoma Goodwill

TACOMA, WA (October 15, 2013) – After 13 days of costume sales at 29 Goodwill stores in Tacoma Goodwill’s 15 county region, non-scary costumes are topping the list for adults and children this year.

*Adults (684)*	%	*Children (821)*	%
Fairy – traditional (33)	4.8	Animals (86)	10.5
Witch – sexy (32)	4.7	Princess (55)	6.7
Vamp (29)	4.2	Fairy – traditional (49)	6.0
Hick (26)	3.8	Angel	5.4
Witch – scary (25)	3.7	Ninja (43)	5.2
Zombie (24)	3.5	Vampire (35)	4.3
Cheerleader (23)	3.4	Tinkerbell Fairy (31)	3.8
Devil – sexy (23)	3.4	Witch – scary (27)	3.3
Vampire (21)	3.1	Witch – hip (25)	3.1
Army brat, Flapper, Go Go Girl, Nurse-Sexy, Soldier	2.3	Police Officer (24)	2.9

In a straw poll of 1,500 costume purchases from Oct 1 – 13 where cashiers asked customers their costume choice(s):

A majority of the top 10 are non-scary: seven top adult and eight top children’s costumes are traditional, fun or sexy this year
More kids costumes are selling (821) than adults (684)
Top children costumes are trending unisex (gender neutral) such as animals, ninja, vampire and police officer
The impact of merchandising is apparent as adult and children fairy costumes were a featured item in our store imagination station wall displays

The poll reflects the imagination of Washington residents this year as the vast majority of Goodwill costumes are assembled from a non-Halloween base product that is accessorized. (For example, a fairy would be centered around tights, a leotard, a tutu and slippers accessorized with wings, a wand and make up. A “ghost bride” would consist of a real wedding dress with a white hat, parasol and makeup for accessories – and all for 20% of original cost).

“By culling through 8,000 truckloads of household, estate and community donations each year, we create a Halloween shopping experience similar to visiting a wardrobe department in a movie studio,” said John Nadeau, Director of Retail Sales for Tacoma Goodwill.

“Pirate coats, boots and belts are real. And the same for pilot, soldier, fireman, doctor and nurse attire. Now a “She Devil” can wear that fantastic red dress AND Prada,” said Nadea.

Chile indigenous groups mark Columbus Day with protests

Some of the protesters threw rocks and other objects at police after the main, peaceful march earlier Saturday. Photo: Luis Hidalgo/AP

13 October, 2013. Source: Al Jazeera

Protesters clashed with police in Chile’s capital Saturday during an anti-Columbus Day march organized by Indigenous groups, with activists calling for the return of ancestral lands and the right to self-determination on the 521-year anniversary of the arrival of Christopher Columbus to the Americas.

Demonstrators in Santiago threw rocks and other objects at police who responded with water cannons. At least 10 protesters were detained by police, local media reported.

More than 15,000 people participated in the march, organized by the country’s largest indigenous group, the Mapuches, who have been in a long struggle with the government over ancestral land taken from them during colonization.

While Columbus Day celebrations took place across Latin America, the Mapuche affirmed, “we have nothing to celebrate”, according to the Santiago Times.

A press release by the group complained of mistreatment by the state, particularly against Mapuche political prisoners, and on-going land disputes in the south.

On Wednesday, a major police operation cleared indigenous occupants from disputed land in Ercilla, in southern Chile, and eight Mapuche activists were arrested. Witnesses said the police response was aggressive and unprovoked, the Santiago Times reported.

The Mapuche people have been fighting to accelerate the process of repatriation of traditional lands. The government has said it will return some of the land, but the process has been slow and the perceived inaction has been met with demonstrations and occasional violence.

Mapuche protesters have been treated as ‘terrorists’ by the Chilean government — which uses an anti-terrorism law against them. Thousands of Mapuche and their supporters demanded an end to the application of this law on Mapuche land activists in peaceful marches Saturday.

The U.N. urged Chile to stop applying the anti-terrorism law against the Mapuche in July.

“The anti-terrorism law has been used in a manner that discriminates against the Mapuche,” U.N. Special Rapporteur on human rights and counter-terrorism Ben Emmerson said in a press release. “It has been applied in a confused and arbitrary fashion that has resulted in real injustice, has undermined the right to a fair trial, and has been perceived as stigmatizing and de-legitimizing the Mapuche land claims and protests.”

Though the Mapuche resisted Spanish conquest for 300 years and wish to be autonomous, in the late 19^th century they were defeated militarily and forced into Araucania, south of the Bio-Bio river — about 350 miles south of Santiago. Most live in poverty on the fringes of timber companies or ranches owned by the descendants of those who arrived to the region in the late 1800s from Europe.

Another anti-Columbus Day protest took place Saturday in Mexico City, where people from various indigenous groups marched peacefully to observe “Dia de la Raza,” or Indigenous People’s Day, as Columbus Day is called in Mexico.

“Indigenous people are in resistance because we are survivors after 500 years of the European invasion,” Leonico Macuixle, a demonstrator, told The Associated Press. “They came to take from us our culture, our language, they built Catholic churches in our sacred places.”