Moving forward to justice
More than 500 years after the arrival of Europeans in the Americas, the indigenous peoples of the continent continue to struggle to preserve their lands and ways of life. Tribal nations have won many victories. Through mobilization, litigation and political action indigenous nations in the United States have established recognition of many treaty rights. They have built government-to-government relations with federal, state and local governments. And tribes have organized successfully to defend their communities and the environment. Tribes continue to shape the destinies of their lands and peoples and make important contributions to surrounding non-Indian communities.
However, the struggle for self-determination takes place amidst an over-arching system of a colonial law and political practice that encroach on tribal rights and place obstacles in the way of tribal self-determination. Courts have arguably become more hostile to tribes in the last 30 years, while narrow economic interests too often seek to control tribal natural resources. State governments too frequently oppose tribal rights while tribes remain under attack from anti-Indian organizations like One Nation United and the Citizens Equal Rights Alliance that seek to terminate Indian political sovereignty and treaty-reserved rights.
The constraints on tribal self-determination that permeate the American legal and political system, and recurring attacks on tribes by anti-Indian groups and greedy corporations, point to the need for Indian and non-Indian communities to join together to support tribal rights and defend the common interests we share. By standing up to those who would turn back the clock on tribal rights, and by building strong alliances between communities, we can defend the rights of all people and heal the planet on which we all live.
