Lakota Creations Today

09/29/2023

Good morning everyone, To all my family and friends, the best wishes ❤

08/29/2023

Unveiling U.S. Attempts to Erase Honor The Earth
By Native American DNA on Aug

Last month, Honor The Earth leader Winona Laduke resigned as one of the non-profit's leaders after they lost a sexual harassment case to a former employee. After being hit with a nearly $1 million fine, Laduke and other Native Americans point out the noticeable systemic destruction of Indigenous-focused organizations.

Evidence Of Systemic Destruction?
Honor The Earth leaders presented no argument that the case was unjust. However, Laduke and other organization members were vehemently opposed to the court's ruling, which the group felt was unfair and a prevalent example of Native discrimination.

Honor The Earth, a non-profit that raises awareness and support for Indigenous environmental issues, was served a $750,000 fine for damages and retaliation related to a sexual harassment case. “The court system is a punitive, white, carceral system that targets Native peoples,” Laduke stated in response to the fine.

Honor The Earth members quickly pointed out the jury contained no Indigenous peoples. In response, Laduke said it was “unsurprising” they received such a “staggering” fine, knowing the jury wasn’t diversified.

To be clear, Laduke posed no objection to the validity of sexual harassment found within her company. In fact, the environmental activist admitted she didn't “rapidly and adequately act on the complex personnel and sexual harassment issues” the organization faced.

Designed To Prevent Indigenous Organizations?
Laduke co-founded Honor The Earth in 1993. Does one mishandled sexual harassment case justify Laduke leaving an activist organization she's helped lead for 30 years? After all, Laduke wasn't directly involved in the situation (meaning she was not the assaulter). Handfuls of White corporate executives maintain leadership positions after sexual assault or harassment was reported within their company.

To some, the way the Honor The Earth case played out is blatant evidence the court system is designed to target Native Americans. And even further, it is designed to work against Native people's activism to save their own land.

Systemic Discrimination Running Rampant
The court system is riddled with systemic discrimination against Indigenous peoples. Since European settlers landed on North American soil, there has been racism and systemic destruction of Native people, culture, and land.

But this colonialism, racism, and systemic destruction of Native people is not a thing of the past. Today, and in recent history, there are many examples of the American government clearly attempting to erase the past, including the people the country was built on.

Until 1978 (you read that right), U.S. child welfare agencies were legally allowed to take Native American children and remove them from their tribal communities with little to no justified reasoning.

What was the purpose of this? Many see the objective as identical to the boarding schools Native children were forced to attend. As R.H. Pratt promoted, the mission was to “Kill the Indian, Save the Man.”

Native American children were forced to forget everything about their cultural identity. Essentially, the mission was to remove any detail that made these children Native. And the rigid guidelines and kidnapping affected more than the Native children's immediate mental and physical health. The generational trauma continues to impact Indigenous families today.

Boarding schools are only one of a thousand examples of White supremacy and systemic racism being blatantly practiced in the United States.

Was Honor The Earth yet another Indigenous group that was unjustly punished by the U.S. government? After all, Laduke and other members regularly attempted to save Native land and advocate for their people. And as soon as they got the chance, the U.S. hit Honor The Earth with a hefty, potentially financially straining fine.



Let us know what you think by sharing this article and starting a conversation on social media!

The NativeAmericans.com team reached out to Laduke regarding this topic and received no response on the matter.

08/05/2023

08/01/2023

We live, we die, and like the grass and trees, renew ourselves from the soft earth of the grave. Stones crumble and decay, faiths grow old and they are forgotten, but new beliefs are born. The faith of the villages is dust now... but it will grow again... like the trees.
~ Chief Joseph, Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt, (3 Mar 1840 - 21 Sept 1904) Chief Joseph was the leader of the Wal-lam-wat-kain band of Nez Perce who were forcibly removed from their ancestral lands in the Wallowa Valley (Oregon). Photo by Edward H. Latham (28 May 1903)

08/01/2023

GERONIMO.......On this day, February 17th, 1909 Geronimo dies of pneumonia at age 80, while still a captive of war at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.~ This rare cabinet card Image shows the great Apache Resistance leader leaning against a tree. photographed by William E. Irwin, Chickasha, Indian Territory with inscription in period script on the cards reverse, "Jeronamo (sic), from the Apache tribe, now in captivity at Ft. Sill.”~ "We are vanishing from the earth, yet I cannot think we are useless or Usen would not have created us. He created all tribes of men and certainly had a righteous purpose in creating each. For each tribe of men Usen created He also made a home. In the land created for any particular tribe He placed whatever would be best for the welfare of that tribe. When Usen created the Apaches He also created their homes in the West. He gave to them such grain, fruits, and game as they needed to eat. To restore their health when disease attacked them He made many different herbs to grow. He taught them where to find these herbs, and how to prepare them for medicine. He gave them a pleasant climate and all they needed for clothing and shelter was at hand. Thus it was in the beginning: the Apaches and their homes each created for the other by Usen himself. When they are taken from these homes they sicken and die.How long will it be until it is said, there are no Apaches?" ~ Geronimo, 1906.Geronimo often spoke of his desire for his people's eventual return to their ancestral homelands in Arizona. Tragically, his life ended at Fort Sill, Oklahoma far away from the beloved lands he had been forcefully taken from and imprisoned by the United States Government for defending. ~ Bedonkohe Apache leader Geronimo [Goyaałé], Mescalero-Chiricahua.

08/01/2023

The Inuit people can't be imagined without their signature parkas, fashioned from fur and hide of the local wildlife. One of the many reasons why early European voyages into the Arctic circle failed is because they were underprepared for the extreme weather conditions of the north. They wore wool clothing, which kept them hot on the inside, but made them sweat a lot, which made their clothing freeze in the extreme temperatures. The Inuit never faced this problem, as they have been making their parkas from caribou deer or seal hide from as early as 22,000 BC (Siberia). The production of these parkas took weeks, and the tradition of making them was passed down from mother to daughter, taking years to master. Depending on the geographical location of the tribes, the design of the parkas varied according to the types of animals available. Beadwork, fringes and pendants frequently decorated the clothing. Roald Amundsen was the first explorer who outfitted his crew with Inuit clothing, which enabled him to successfully circumvent the North-West Passage in 1906. In the 20th century the use of traditional Inuit clothing declined, but it has seen a recent resurgence, as the Inuit strive to preserve their culture.

07/31/2023

𝗔𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻, 𝟭𝟴𝟵𝟰
Towards the end of the 19th century, the Apache tribe were running away from the Mexican and American armies. They used to be one of the most feared tribes in North America, but while the fear for them dissipated, they still fought with as much strength.
This woman was photographed wearing the traditional Apache clothing, which included buck skin with beads adorned all over it. The purpose of the photo is unknown, but this is a window into history.

05/29/2023

Amazing😍 . . . . . .

04/11/2023

Love it ! ....

04/03/2023

Xx Awesome Vintage Photograph of A Native American xx
Xx Photographer & Tribe: Un Known xx