Reflections from an Indigenous Youth Skolar on the Resistance at Sogorea Te

p nbsp;/p p class="MsoNormal" style="" span style="font-size: 14pt;"As this is my first assignment for Indigenous Peoples Media Project on span data-scayt_word="PNN" data-scaytid="17"PNN/span, I feel extremely honored to capture the heartfelt resistance that is hellip; span data-scayt_word="Sogorea" data-scaytid="18"Sogorea/span span data-scayt_word="Te" data-scaytid="25"Te/span. I was blessed to be invited to the closing ceremonies, as an easement has been made between the City of Vallejo and officials of span data-scayt_word="GVRD" data-scaytid="32"GVRD/span and the span data-scayt_word="Yochina" data-scaytid="34"Yochina/span Dine and Cortina Tribes./span/p p class="MsoNormal" style="" span style="font-size: 14pt;"nbsp;/span/p p class="MsoNormal" style="" span style="font-size: 14pt;"span style=""nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; /spanFirst I would like to introduce myself. My name is Phillip Standing Bear and I am an enrolled member of the span data-scayt_word="Oglala" data-scaytid="35"Oglala/span Lakota Sioux Tribe. I would like to say that I feel like it is my duty to protect what is sacred to, not just my peoples, but to all indigenous peoples. I say that with the up-most humility and humbleness in my heart and mind./span/p p class="MsoNormal" style="" span style="font-size: 14pt;"span style=""nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; /spanNow letrsquo;s get into a little bit of the 3500 years of documented history of span data-scayt_word="Sogorea" data-scaytid="19"Sogorea/span span data-scayt_word="Te" data-scaytid="26"Te/span/Glen Cove. Glen Cove was a large village and ceremonial grounds that was used by many different tribes throughout the Bay Area. This area has been deemed, declared and even federally recognized as sacred to indigenous peoples. Many natives alive today have ties to ancestors buried there. /span/p p class="MsoNormal" style="" span style="font-size: 14pt;"span style=""nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; /spanAs I was taking pictures of span data-scayt_word="Sogorea" data-scaytid="20"Sogorea/span span data-scayt_word="Te" data-scaytid="27"Te/span, I was on the west hill over looking most of the cove. A lady behind me in one of the expensive homes overlooking the span data-scayt_word="Carquienez" data-scaytid="36"Carquienez/span Strait, said to me ldquo;Excuse me, do you know that this is private land and that you are trespassing?rdquo; I turned to look at her to see if she knew what she was really talking about, it was an old white lady. Maybe in her 60rsquo;s or early 70rsquo;s. I looked away, not wanting a confrontation here of all places to have confrontations, and then she asked ldquo;Excuse me, can you speak English?rdquo; I looked back at her and told her ldquo; I can speak perfect English, and your backyard is private land, I am not in your span data-scayt_word="backyard.”" data-scaytid="9"backyard.rdquo;/span She tried telling me to tell that to the police when they get here. I then told her that they probably wonrsquo;t even bother coming, because they have to follow the law like you and I have to./span/p p class="MsoNormal" style="" span style="font-size: 14pt;"span style=""nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; /spanBut span data-scayt_word="Sogorea" data-scaytid="21"Sogorea/span span data-scayt_word="Te" data-scaytid="28"Te/span is so much more than an area of land being occupied by indigenous peoples, rather than that of a sacred place where the peoples within, felt so lost during the colonization period of the Bay Area, that they knew that they had no more sacred spaces to perform ceremonies and traditions with their ancestors who are buried there. During the span data-scayt_word="mission-ization" data-scaytid="37"mission-ization/span of the indigenous peoples of the area, the native span data-scayt_word="“christians”" data-scaytid="38"ldquo;christiansrdquo;/span were sent to the Mission area of San Francisco. There they lived their Christian lives, as to where they were ldquo;permittedrdquo; to visit their homeland twice a year./span/p p class="MsoNormal" style="" span style="font-size: 14pt;"nbsp;/span/p p class="MsoNormal" style="" span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Times New Roman Italic;"ispan style=""nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; /spanAccount from Mission San Francisco:/i/span/p p class="MsoNormal" style="" span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Times New Roman Italic;"inbsp;/i/span/p p class="MsoNormal" style="" span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Times New Roman Italic;"ispan style=""nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; /spanTwice in the year they receive permission to return to their native homes. This short time is the happiest period of their existence; and I myself have seen them going home in crowds, with loud rejoicings. The sick, who cannot undertake the journey, at least accompany their happy countrymen to the shore where they embark, and there sit for days together, mournfully gazing on the distant summits of the mountains which surround their homes; they often sit in this situation for several days, without taking any food, so much does the sight of their lost home affect these new Christians (span data-scayt_word="Kotzebue" data-scaytid="39"Kotzebue/span [1816] 1932:63). [p. 219]/i/span/p p class="MsoNormal" style="" span style="font-family: Times New Roman Italic;"inbsp;/i/span/p p class="MsoNormal" style="" span style="font-family: Times New Roman Italic;"span style=""nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; /span/spanspan style="font-size: 14pt;"This happens everywhere in the United States of America. Corporations and organizations everywhere ignore the fact that these lands are under federal protection. According to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Part II, Article 10; The Right to Traditional Space, States ldquo;/spanspan style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Times New Roman Italic;"iIndigenous peoples shall not be forcibly removed from their lands or territories. No relocation shall take place without the free, prior and informed consent of the Indigenous Peoples concerned and after agreement on just and fair compensation and, where possible, with the option of /i/spanspan data-scayt_word="return.”" data-scaytid="10"span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Times New Roman Italic;"ireturn./i/spanspan style="font-size: 14pt;"rdquo;/span/spanspan style="font-size: 14pt;" This Article alone proves that span data-scayt_word="GVRD" data-scaytid="33"GVRD/span and the City of Vallejo are ignoring federal law by trying to incorporate the land with their Re- span data-scayt_word="devil-opment" data-scaytid="40"devil-opment/span plan to add a park with span data-scayt_word="porta-potties" data-scaytid="41"porta-potties/span on top of a sacred burial site./span/p p class="MsoNormal" style="" span style="font-size: 14pt;"span style=""nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; /spanI was honored to be introduced to some of the main warriors of this fight. Those included are span data-scayt_word="Corrina" data-scaytid="42"Corrina/span Gould, Mark span data-scayt_word="Anquoe" data-scaytid="43"Anquoe/span, and a many of other fighters of this land./span/p p class="MsoNormal" style="" span style="font-size: 14pt;"nbsp;/span/p p class="MsoNormal" style="" span style="font-size: 14pt;"span style=""nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; /spanAs Tiny, span data-scayt_word="Muteado" data-scaytid="44"Muteado/span, and I pulled up onto Shoal Dr and parked there, we had already noticed how full the area was of people headed to span data-scayt_word="Sogorea" data-scaytid="22"Sogorea/span span data-scayt_word="Te" data-scaytid="29"Te/span. As we gathered the equipment out of the back of the snazzy, Cherry Red, 4-Door, 2011 Ford something rental, I could already feel heads turning, looking at the cardboard sign saying ldquo;Poor Magazinerdquo;. The three of us laughed about it later./span/p p class="MsoNormal" style="" span style="font-size: 14pt;"span style=""nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; /spanThere was actually a lot more to span data-scayt_word="Sogorea" data-scaytid="23"Sogorea/span span data-scayt_word="Te" data-scaytid="30"Te/span than I imagined, since it was my first time there. It was exhilarating just walking towards the grounds, almost like there were more people there than I saw with my eyes./span/p p class="MsoNormal" style="" span style="font-size: 14pt;"There were many other things that I noticed throughout the ceremonies, I noticed that almost after every song or dance that was performed, an eagle brother called out. He spoke, loud and clear ldquo;CAWrdquo;, like he was cheering or acknowledging the performers./span/p p class="MsoNormal" style="" span style="font-size: 14pt;"span style=""nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; /spanAll in all, the ceremonies were held in good hearts and souls throughout the community, other than the ldquo;Rude onerdquo;, as I like to call her now. I had the honor of interviewing some Hawaiian sisters that came out to give their blessings, as well as having an interview with Wounded Knee, you can check both interviews out on our website at http://span data-scayt_word="www.poormagazine.org" data-scaytid="75"www.poormagazine.org/span/indigenous_media /span/p p class="MsoNormal" style="" span style="font-size: 14pt;"span style=""nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; /spanWhen we left, I, at least felt better and more informed about the lifestyles and mindsets of the rich and how it affects the poor. I hope that the public will support Poor Magazine, as well as keep up with me in many more future stories to come.nbsp;/span/p p class="MsoNormal" style="" span style="font-size: 14pt;"nbsp;/span/p p class="MsoNormal" style="" span style="font-size: 14pt;"To the braves and feminine braves in the fight for span data-scayt_word="Sogorea" data-scaytid="24"Sogorea/span span data-scayt_word="Te" data-scaytid="31"Te/span, I hope to meet and correspond with you in the future for fights over more lands that are being stolen by the industrial complex./span/p