The violations began with Christopher Columbus and follow through to President Trump’s immigration crackdowns — January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month. One place this is occurring is at our southern border. Curiously, the Trump administration has used human trafficking as a reason to build a wall and crack down on immigration there, but experts maintain that the changes being made are putting even more migrant…

Our matriarchal cultures were built to resist — As warnings about the impending threat of climate change become reality, the western world has begun seeking alternatives to a civilization seemingly driven by greed and consumption, and if unabated, will render Earth unable to support life. In the search for answers, scientists have discovered what my ancestors knew long…

Our government has a history of colonizing our land and erasing our history, so I have my doubts — This election cycle, we are seeing an unprecedented push by Democratic presidential candidates to appeal to Native American voters, whose votes have proved crucial in some predominantly red states like Iowa, North Dakota, Alaska, and Montana, and have won congressional elections for Dems. Bernie Sanders, Julian Castro, and Elizabeth Warren…

When the president evokes Pocahontas’ name in reference to Elizabeth Warren, it is racialized violence — Since August 2014, Donald Trump has been calling Elizabeth Warren “Pocahontas.” By now, it’s no secret that most Natives find this deeply offensive. Yet despite strong rebukes from Indian Country, his inappropriate usage of the name has not ended. In fact, it has escalated. Instead of heeding the words of…

A blatant disregard of tribal sovereignty is making for a tension-filled standoff — Last week, Attorney General William Barr announced that the Justice Department will resume the practice of putting federal death row inmates to death for the first time since 2003. Five men have since been scheduled for execution. One of those named is Lezmond Mitchell, a member of the Navajo Nation. …

Tribal nations have had to fight for centuries against erasure — When Christopher Columbus arrived with the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria in 1492, the Americas were already inhabited by millions of Indigenous who comprised thousands of different tribes — each with their own language, culture, heritage, spiritual practices, and land base. Contrary to popular belief, tribes were hardly primitive. They…