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By and large Native Americans are patriotic. The American flag and U.S. military veteran honors are prominent in most powwows, fairs and other Native events. But America’s Independence Day brings some ambivalence from Native citizens. It’s difficult to get past the reference to “merciless Indian savages” in the very document that declares independence from the British. The Colonies’ demand to launch their own separate country was fueled by the promise of conquering the land and resources that Native people relied on since time immemorial. What followed were massacres, land theft, broken treaties and enduring racism. We’ll get Native perspectives on the coming Independence Day celebrations.
Guests:
Dr. Christina M. Castro (Jemez Pueblo, Taos Pueblo and Chicana) – founder of the Three Sisters Collective
Dr. Jennifer Denetdale (Diné) – historian and professor and chair of American Studies at the University of New Mexico
Nikki Pitre (Coeur d’Alene Tribe) – executive director of the Center for Native American Youth at the Aspen Institute
Break 1 music: Standing Rock (feat. Nick Ørbæk Jacobsen) (song) Uyarakq (artist) Miseraq (album)
Break 2 music: Mewasin Oma (song) Cree Confederation (artist) Kihtawasoh Wapakwani-Beautiful Flower (album)
