Invisible Resources

To catalog a list of resources that have been stolen from the indigenous of the western hemisphere would be an immense undertaking. This blog post will attempt to touch on the matter.

“The basic confrontation which seemed to be colonialism vs anti-colonialism; indeed, socialism vs capitalism is already losing importance. What matters today is the redistribution of wealth. Humanity will have to address this question, no matter how devastating the consequences may be”.

Frantz Fanon

Oil

In the late 1800s the Osage found oil in Oklahoma. Land they had been forcibly relocated to and the land thought to be of no value to the colonial invaders. In 1923 the tribes earned 30 million in oil revenue. The Osage revered the right to all the minerals including oil but were undermined and eroded by colonial violence in the form of legal, physical and political. The Osage had colonial overseers put in charge who’s mission was to swindle the Osage and keep them from ever being in control of their own means of production. Some whites married Osage then systematically murdered them for their oil inheritance. Hundreds of Osage were murdered in 3 short years in the reign of terror. later in the 1990s the Osage were able to sue the u.s government for another 300 million.

Timber

The timber taken from our continent is immeasurable. By the time much of the world had raped its forests the western hemisphere was left in immaculate condition because natives have a balanced relationship with the forests. Our timber has been exported all around the world. Some tree species are now threatened and extinct for colonists leaving entire ecosystems devoid of certain plant relatives. Paiute or Numu, Yakima, and Wasco have a telling about their old medicine men turning themselves into juniper trees so they could always provide for the people. Colonists have removed the juniper tree form the landscape the same way they have removed us from the landscape. Colonists are still killing our medicine people. Old growth trees form Western Turtle Island were cut down to make railroad ties and shipped to places like Venezuela and all over the world. Colonists are still making war against us for our trees. This time they want toilet paper. Our timber was taken from us to support the war machine and terrorism in the form of nearly 1000 u.s. military bases worldwide. Indigenous peoples have been pressured to cut our trees as well but, in most cases, we do not own the means of production and send our trees to the oppressor’s lumber mills.

Uranium

Uranium has been stolen from us. Uranium mining in the Dakotas lead to what is commonly referred to as the “unexplained and uninvestigated rez murders”. nearly 200 people, mostly women and children were murdered in the Dakotas. It is thought that these murders were by federal agents. Eventually the A.I.M was called in to deal with this and it resulted in the takeover of the B.I.A building and the standoff at Wounded Knee in 1973. Uranium and other materials have been stolen from us and used to make nuclear reactors that are leaking on the people making plants and animals radioactive and unusable. Many people living downwind of these still today. It was used for war. We asked Eisenhower not to drop the as we called it “The Gourd Of Ashes” in WW2. We referring to nuclear weapons. We spoke against the insanity of the colonist. We continue to speak against the insanity of the colonist who would mistake this as green energy today. We are the ones who’s water is poisoned. We are the ones living with nuclear wind. We are the most effected. We the indigenous of turtle island including the peoples of the Marshal Islands should be leading every anti-nuclear march or effort ever created. We never consented you to murder and terrorize the planet with our resources. #RightfulStewards

Gold

They have always wanted our gold. From Columbus, to Cortez, to the 49ers to Black Hills Gold. The canary effect. This yellow stone makes colonist mad. It was William Randolph Hurst who dug up over 1000 Lakota graves to get at our gold. Remember that when you wear your wedding bands and show off your “bling”. The visionary John Fire Lame Deer recounts a tale of seeing a colonist shoot himself in the head after losing all his “frogskins” a euphemism for paper currency. Capitalism is still driving the colonist insane, and it is this thought of gold that doesn’t even back it up anymore. Just a psychosis around a stone.

Tobacco

By 1610 colonists were starving to death in Jamestown Virginia. They were leaving when they were stopped by a ship and ordered to stay. This time with a new mission. To exploit as much tobacco and land to grow tobacco. Tobacco is a plant that is found almost exclusively on Turtle Island. A pound of tobacco was worth a year’s wages back in Europe. Tobacco was and still is a sacred plant to us that we use in prayer. #RespectTheSacred The Powhatan people would resist for 25 years. We still struggle to maintain control over our own plant relatives that we have been in relationship with for hundreds of thousands of years. If we could get tobacco under indigenous rule again, we would see that it was not genetically modified or treated with chemicals like the junk they sell in the stores. We do not consent to the exploitation and taxation of our sacred plant.

Corn

Probably the most common indigenous oral traditions were of corn. Many tribes have different stories for “the coming of the corn”. Turtle Island indigenous began had cultivating and breeding corn more than 10,000 years ago producing many beautiful colors, blue, purple, rainbow, red, yellow. We had popcorn like a variety of purple popcorn that I’m still growing today. We see corn in different food dishes around the world now, but it originated on Turtle Island, and it would not be here as we know it without its relationship with indigenous peoples. Corn is being used to feed livestock and create ethanol. All of this belongs the #RightfulStewards and the theft is at calculated to be a sum that colonists can never repay. Settlers including settlers of color who are early moral adopters should join under indigenous rule or organize mass exodus to the countries of their origins.

Wildlife

Colonists have exploited our wildlife to the point of decimation and extinction. The colonial practice of raising invasive bovine species, trophy hunting, dams and fishing as well as displacement from the existence of non-natives on the continent/ loss of habitat and Indian removal are contributing factors. We used to have the largest wild herds in the world. Now Africa has the largest wild herds on earth. Where the colonist goes there are no wild herds. They brought the winset and the Caucasian bison and a long list of animals including the great auk to extinction. The great leader Hiawatha told his people not to trade their animal relatives to the colonist after seeing the impacts of groups like Hudson’s Bay Company. These imbalances are still causing catastrophic loss of biodiversity in unmeasurable ways. This is perpetuated today by illegitimate colonial wildlife agencies such as Fish And Wildlife and B.L.M who continue to hold our lands and resources in bondage.

To non-natives on our island. Relinquish all land to indigenous rule or leave. They can’t pay up. They don’t speak of reparations because the debt is too great. No fiat currency can undo the harm. #LandBack

To be continued.

Written by the Invisible Warrior