Colorado students form the Fightin’ Whites.
As an ironic protest against American Indian mascots, a group of Indian and non-Indian students at the University of Northern Colorado name their in-
University of Northern Colorado student Solomon Little Owl displays a “Fightin’ Whites” shirt adorned with his intramural basketball team’s tongue-in-cheek mascot. (AP/Wide World Photos)
Tramural basketball team the Fightin’ Whites. They wear shirts with a logo of their mascot—a white man pictured in the style of 1950s advertising art. After the national media takes notice of the Fightin’ Whites, the team will begin selling their T-shirts over the Internet, with the proceeds going to the nonprofit Fightin’ Whites Scholarship Fund. The fund will pay out more than $100,000 in scholarships to American Indian students.
The American Indian exhibits open during the 2002 Winter Olympics.
In downtown Salt Lake City, Utah, a large exhibition titled “Discover Navajo: People of the Fourth World” opens as an attraction for people attending the Winter Olympics. Displayed in an 11,000-square-foot tent, the exhibit tells the story of the Navajo (Dineh) from their creation to the present day. In a neighboring facility is a second Indian-themed display, “Festival of Nations.” This exhibit showcases the arts and culture of tribes throughout the country. It features an entertainment stage, a trading post, and a fine arts show displaying the works of one hundred native artists. Both exhibitions are sponsored by the Navajo tribe, which invested $1.75 million in the ventures.
The Comanche establish horse training program for youths.
With a grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Comanche leader Don Parker begins a program to teach young tribe members from public housing how to ride and train a herd of wild mustangs. The great-grandson of the famous Comanche Quanah Parker (see entry for MAY 1875), he hopes to help reconnect the Comanche with their traditional culture while also keeping them away from illegal drugs. As Parker explains, “The Comanche people are reintroducing the horse for the Indian country to share in using the spirit of the horse to fight drugs on the streets.”
The Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues is formed.
The United Nations establishes the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues as part of its Economic and Social Council. Made up of 16 elected and appointed members, the forum will represent the concerns of the more than 370 Native peoples, including American Indians, from 70 countries around the world. The forum seeks to provide the United Nations with the perspective of indigenous peoples, thus influencing and improving the organization’s policies and projects affecting Native groups.
Juan Diego becomes the first Indian saint.
Pope John Paul II canonizes Juan Diego, a 16th-century Aztec peasant. According to the church, in 1531 Juan Diego had a vision of the Virgin Mary, a miracle that left behind a mark on his cloak. Mary told Diego to build a church in her honor. Juan Diego presented a bishop with the image of Mary on his cloak, which convinced the bishop to build the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. With his canonization, Juan Diego becomes the first Catholic saint of Indian heritage.
The Rolling Rez tour takes the film Skins to Indian communities.
In the run-up to the theatrical release of Skins, First Look Pictures sends a mobile cinema, equipped with one hundred seats and a popcorn machine, to Indian communities for free screenings of the film. Skins, which tells the story of two brothers on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, is the second feature directed by Chris Eyre. Eyre, who is of Cheyenne and Arapaho heritage, explains that “to be able to bring the film to my people is the most rewarding experience I could have as a filmmaker.”
Lummi totem pole honors 9/11 victims.
At Arrow Park in Monroe, New York, a 13-foot totem pole is dedicated to the memory of those killed during the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Called the Healing Pole, it was carved by Lummi tribe member Jewell Praying Wolf James, a descendant of the famous Chief Seattle (see entry for DECEMBER 1854). While the pole was transported from Washington State, it was displayed at several reservations, where it was blessed by Indian religious leaders. During the pole-raising ceremony, a delegation of Lummi Indians place red powder and eagle feathers beneath the pole as symbols of American Indians and of the United States.
The first powwow is held on the National Mall.
A crowd of thousands come to the National Mall in Washington, D. C., to watch the first powwow held there. At this gathering, tribe members from across the country come together to sing and dance. The event also includes a tribute to LaDonna Harris, the founder of Americans for Indian Opportunity (see entry for 1970). The powwow, sponsored by the National Museum of the American Indian (see entry for SEPTEMBER 21, 2004), will become an annual event.
Vermont Law School establishes the First Nations Fellowship.
To encourage Indian students to study environmental law, Vermont Law School creates the First Nations Fellowship. The course of study for fellowship winners includes learning about pollution control, resource allocation, and ecosystem management, as well as the unique legal aspects of dealing with environmental issues on tribal lands. Graduates of the program are expected to spend one year in service to their communities after obtaining their degree.
October 7
Sovereignty Run rally is held in Washington, D. C.
On the steps of the Supreme Court building, runners from hundreds of tribes gather for a rally. The event is the culmination of the weeks-long Sovereignty Run, during which the athletes participated in a 2,800 mile cross-country relay run. Among the runners is Billy Mills, the Lakota Indian who won a gold medal at the 1964 Olympics (see entry for OCTOBER 14, 1964). The run was organized as part of the Sovereignty Initiative. Its goal is to bring attention to a series of Supreme Court decisions that many Indians feel are a threat to their tribal sovereignty.
October 10
V-Day launches an antiviolence program for the American Indian communities.
Founded to stop violence against women and girls, V-Day announces its Indian Country Project. Activist Suzanne Blue Star Boy is appointed the project’s director. V-Day’s program is designed to raise money and awareness about the issue of domestic violence in Indian communities. It will spotlight the issue throughout 2003, citing that Indian women suffer a rate of sexual assault and rape that is 3.5 times higher than that of any other racial group in the United States.
October 16
Minnesota governor recognizes government-to-government relationship between the state and Indian tribes.
During the final days of his governorship, Jesse Ventura issues an executive order, acknowledging the sovereignty of the 11 federally recognized tribes in Minnesota. The order requires the state to “recognize the unique legal relationship between the State of Minnesota and Minnesota Indian tribes. . . and accord tribal governments the same recognition and respect accorded to other governments.” Ventura’s actions amounts to a reversal of his position toward
Indian groups, whose sovereignty he questioned early in his tenure as governor.
November 9
The feature film Windtalkers opens.
Windtalkers, a film about the Navajo Code Talkers in the Pacific theater during World War II (see entry for APRIL 1942), opens in theaters nationwide. The film tells the story of Ben Yahzee, a Navajo (Dineh) who joins the Marines. Yahzee becomes a Code Talker, one of an elite corps of Navajo Marines who delivered messages in an unbreakable code based on the Navajo language. Yahzee is played by up-and-coming Ojibway actor Adam Beach. Although the Code Talkers have been the subject of numerous books and documentaries, Windtalkers is the first big-budget film about their role in the war.
November 23 to December 7
John Herrington becomes the first American Indian astronaut to travel into space.
Chickasaw astronaut John Herrington enters space as a mission specialist aboard the Endeavor Space Shuttle. The mission is the 16 th to visit the International Space Station. During his 14 days in space, Herrington conducts three space walks, lasting a total of nearly 20 hours. While on the mission, Herrington honors his Indian heritage by carrying six eagle feathers, two arrowheads, a braid of sweet grass, and the flag of the Chickasaw Nation.
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“The future of spaceflight is manned spaceflight. I would love to go to the Moon or go to Mars. If it happens in my career, great. But, it's going to happen in someone's career.” —Chickasaw astronaut John Herrington, on future spaceflight
John Herrington, a member of the Chickasaw tribe, was the first American Indian astronaut to travel into space. (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)
2003
The Oneida endow a chair at Harvard Law School.
Harvard Law school announces the creation of the Oneida Indian Nation Professorship of Law. The Oneida donate $3 million to fund the chair in American Indian law. Ray Halbritter, tribe member and Harvard Law School graduate, explains, “We are confident that the kind of scholarship for which the law school is known worldwide will help create a better understanding of the complex legal issues faced by all American Indians today and in the future.” Harvard representatives claim the professorship will help bring Indian law into the mainstream of American legal scholarship.
The Mohegan announce the purchase of a WNBA team.
The Mohegan tribe buys the Orlando Miracles, a team in the Women’s National Basketball Association. With the purchase, the Mohegan become the first tribe to own a professional basketball team. The Mohegan relocate the Miracles to the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, which the tribe constructed in hopes of acquiring a team. The Mo-hegan rename the franchise the Connecticut Sun.
Hopi soldier Lori Piestewa is killed in the Iraq War.
During the U. S. invasion of Iraq, an American army convoy is ambushed in the city of Nasiriyah after taking a wrong turn. Private Lori Piestewa, a 23-year-old Hopi Indian raised on the Navajo (Dineh) reservation, is driving a Humvee bringing up the rear when a rocket-propelled grenade hits the vehicle. The Humvee crashes into a truck, and Piestewa is severely injured. Taken as a prisoner of war, Piestewa later dies of her injuries, one of nine soldiers killed in the attack. Piestewa is the first U. S. woman killed during the war. She is also the first female American Indian soldier to die in combat. (See also entry for SEPTEMBER 21, 2004.)
A Montana court confirms the Little Shell Chippewa’s tribal sovereignty.
In deciding Koke v. Little Shell Chippewa, the Supreme Court of Montana declines to intervene in a tribal election dispute. The court maintains it does not have the authority to do so, because the Little Shell Chippewa are a sovereign tribe according to the criteria set out by the 1901 U. S. Supreme Court decision in Montoya v. United States (see entry for 1962). The judicial decision is a boost to the tribe’s battle for federal recognition, which has lasted for more than one hundred years.
The Southwest Museum and Autry Museum merge.
The Southwest Museum and the Autry Museum of Western Heritage of Los Angeles decide to merge their substantial collections. The existing museums will stay open, but a third facility to be called the Autry National Center will also be established. Despite its fine collection of American Indian art and artifacts, the Southwest Museum has received little attention in the past and has often struggled to stay solvent. The merger is seen as an opportunity for its collections to receive wider public recognition than ever before.
Indian memorial at the Little Bighorn battlefield is dedicated.
On the 127 th anniversary of the Battle of Little Bighorn, tribespeople and army veterans gather at the site of the Battle of Little Bighorn (see entry for JUNE 25 to 26, 1876), during which Lakota and Cheyenne warriors defeated the Seventh Cavalry led by Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer. At the site, the crowd celebrates the dedication of a new memorial honoring the Indians who fought in the battle. The memorial is the result of a decades-long fight by Indian groups. In 1991, Congress passed legislation calling for the memorial but the government did not provide the needed funds until 2002. (See also entries for NOVEMBER 26, 1991, and for FEBRUARY 1997.)
The first Native American Basketball Invitational is held in Phoenix, Arizona.
The Phoenix Suns sponsor the first Native American Basketball Invitational at Phoenix’s American West Arena. There, 24 American Indian high school basketball teams from Arizona will compete with one another. All proceeds from the tournament will be donated to programs for improving American Indian education and health care. Organizers note that basketball has long been the favorite sport in Indian communities. Ray Artigue, senior vice president of marketing communications for the Suns, explains, “We are looking forward to watching teenage Native Americans playing the game they love and living out some of their childhood dreams by actually playing on the same court as the greatest basketball players in the world.”
A special master’s report claims oil firms paid low prices for Indian land.
Appointed by U. S. District Judge Royce C. Lam-berth, special master Alan L. Balaran reports that oil and gas companies paid Indian landowners far less than non-Indian landowners for the right to run pipelines across their property. The Indians’ land was managed by the U. S. government, and the deals were approved by the Department of the Interior. The report suggests that the judge order a full investigation into the department’s policies for leasing Indian land. Officials at the Department of the Interior call for Balaran’s dismissal, claiming he is biased toward the Indian plaintiffs of Cobell v. Norton (see entry for JUNE 10, 1996). (See also entries for NOVEMBER 15, 2005, and for DECEMBER 19, 2005.)
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“Why are Indians getting pennies on the dollar for what others get? These people are essentially being robbed of their inheritance. You have sweetheart deals with oil and gas companies. And you have the top people at Interior saying it's okay, and aiding this corrupt practice.”
—Keith Harper, attorney with the Native American Rights Fund, on the Department of the Interior’s oil-lease policies
September 19
The Canadian Supreme Court grants hunting rights to the Metis.
The highest court in Canada finds that the Metis (descendants of Natives and French settlers) have the same hunting rights as federally recognized, or “status,” Indians. The rights granted apply only to the Sault Ste. Marie community in Ontario. (The case involved Steve Powley, a Sault Ste. Marie Metis, who challenged a charge of hunting without a license.) Nevertheless, the ruling is a substantial victory for all the Metis since it represents the first time the court has recognized that such rights are protected under the Constitution.
October
December 10
The Quapaw file suit over Tar Creek clean-up.
In federal district court, the Quapaw Nation of Oklahoma files a suit against several mining companies. The Quapaw claim their mining of lead and zinc led to the destruction of the area now known as the Tar Creek Superfund site, most of which is located on Quapaw lands. The tribe alleges the mining produced millions of tons of toxic waste. In the suit, the Quapaw are seeking funds for full restoration of the site, which could cost billions of dollars. Quapaw chairman John Berrey explains “In the long run this should set a precedent and help other tribes with this kind of problem.”
Fires destroy Indian lands in California.
A series of wildfires sweep through Southern California, burning more than 30,000 acres of land on Indian reservations. On the Capitan Grande Reservation alone, about 15,000 acres are scorched. Also hard hit is the San Pasqual Reservation, all of which was set ablaze, including about 67 homes. In total, at least four Indians are killed by the wildfires, while another 1,700 are displaced.
November
New York school district raises the Iroquois flag.
To promote racial harmony, Mark Mondanaro, superintendent of the LaFayette Central School District near Syracuse, New York, agrees to fly the purple and white flag of the Iroquois Confederacy outside the district’s junior and senior high school. About one-quarter of the school’s students are Indians from the nearby Onondaga reservation. Long complaining of discrimination, Indian students at LaFayette have lobbied for 10 years to persuade the district to fly the flag as a symbolic show of support. Some non-Indian students and parents object to the flying of the Iroquois flag. A few even threaten to tear it down.
World History
