Thank you, Ireland!

Killer Wench

'Siyo,

Ositsu?

It's been years since I posted on boards, so I apologize if I am posting in the wrong forum.

I lived in Ireland in 2011-2012, attending Trinity College Dublin. I am Black American & Native, being part of the Cherokee Nation and descended from the Choctaw & Chickasaw Nation Freedmen.

Today, in a tribal newsletter, my tribe and others, specifically the Navajo Nation, have expressed gratitude to the people of Ireland who have donated to our nations. My tribe, Cherokee Nation, and the 580 tribes in the US have a sovereign to sovereign relationship with the US federal government. Per our respective treaties, we have negotiated certain benefits for Natives. This includes providing adequate health care.

However, the Trump administration has taken an overtly hostile position towards our tribes, our land, and our sovereignty. Thus, COVID has adversely affected Indian Country, leading to the death of several of my tribal officials and members' deaths.

Back during the Famine, the Choctaw Nation (Cherokee & Chickasaw to lesser degrees) donated money to the Irish folk. This occurred not many years after the forced removal of our tribes from our homeland (Trail of Tears). It warmed my cold heart to see Irish folk repaying with their kindness.

Wado. Thank you.

KW

Wibbs

Killer Wench wrote: »

'
Back during the Famine, the Choctaw Nation (Cherokee & Chickasaw to lesser degrees) donated money to the Irish folk. This occurred not many years after the forced removal of our tribes from our homeland (Trail of Tears).

For me what's truly incredible about that act of pure human generosity by the Choctaw nation was the fact that many of the US soldiers involved in that trail of tears were Irish.

They could have thought let them starve, but they didn't. They knew hunger themselves and empathised is such a human way across an ocean and culture that any grudges they might understandably hold were put aside.

ted1

We built a lovely monument to thank them and so that their charity and kindness will not be forgotten.

https://www.google.ie/amp/s/amp.irishexaminer.com/ireland/choctaw-chief-to-mark-midleton-sculpture-dedication-451850.html

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kindred_Spirits_(sculpture)

Killer Wench

That's a cool monument.

I think was definitely an element of humanity between the Choctaw Nation and Ireland. But also at a very basic level, the Irish (and Scottish) had been marrying within our tribes for generations. Chief John Ross was an eighth Cherokee & 7/8this Scottish. Some of my enslaved ancestors were owned by a Irish-Cherokee family, the Murrells.

threeball

I saw stories of Trump revoking native American lands a few weeks ago and hiding it in the furore over coronavirus. Whats the backstory to that. How can he revoke a right to native lands like that so easily?

Killer Wench

threeball wrote: »

I saw stories of Trump revoking native American lands a few weeks ago and hiding it in the furore over coronavirus. Whats the backstory to that. How can he revoke a right to native lands like that so easily?

That would be the Mashpee Wampanoag and it is complicated. In order to be considered a federally recognized tribe, there has to be a long & documented history between the US and tribal government. The Mashpee Wampanoag, keep in mind these are the Natives who welcomed the pilgrims for what became Thanksgiving, were only formally recognized as a sovereign tribe within the last few years.

The US government has passed several acts trying to terminate tribes. This happened to the Cherokee & Choctaw under the Dawes Act of the late 1890s. But by the 1930s, the US government was permitting tribes to reorganize.

One of the negotiated rights is to own land in trust. Since the Cherokee & Choctaw Nations had pre-existing relationship with the US government, land is held in trust and protected from federal intervention. Tribes re-organized after the 1930s could place land into trust, but the federal government could demand a tribe to take land out of trust.

The Wampanoag have been a continuatious nation since European arrival but they only became federally recognized as sovereign after 1930, so their lands aren't protected.

PrairieDawn

This is terrible... Trump and his admin need to be stopped.

tallaghtfornia

Killer Wench wrote: »

'Siyo,

Ositsu?

It's been years since I posted on boards, so I apologize if I am posting in the wrong forum.

I lived in Ireland in 2011-2012, attending Trinity College Dublin. I am Black American & Native, being part of the Cherokee Nation and descended from the Choctaw & Chickasaw Nation Freedmen.

Today, in a tribal newsletter, my tribe and others, specifically the Navajo Nation, have expressed gratitude to the people of Ireland who have donated to our nations. My tribe, Cherokee Nation, and the 580 tribes in the US have a sovereign to sovereign relationship with the US federal government. Per our respective treaties, we have negotiated certain benefits for Natives. This includes providing adequate health care.

However, the Trump administration has taken an overtly hostile position towards our tribes, our land, and our sovereignty. Thus, COVID has adversely affected Indian Country, leading to the death of several of my tribal officials and members' deaths.

Back during the Famine, the Choctaw Nation (Cherokee & Chickasaw to lesser degrees) donated money to the Irish folk. This occurred not many years after the forced removal of our tribes from our homeland (Trail of Tears). It warmed my cold heart to see Irish folk repaying with their kindness.

Wado. Thank you.

KW

Lovely post and many thanks for posting here I have the utmost respect Cherokee & Chickasaw people and shame on Trump for your treatment. I have made a donation and my family members will do the same.
You will always have our respect here and are always welcome on these shores.

FVP3

Ireland as a rich nation should try make sure that some of our foreign aid is directed to the Choctaw or their descendent tribes.

Killer Wench

Okay. I may have cried, reading the donations come in from Ireland. The fund will benefit the Navajo & Hopi people so much.

There are many on the Navajo reservation who still live without running water. Comparatively speaking, the Cherokee Nation & Navajo Nation are the 2 largest tribes with over 300k members. However, the Cherokee Nation is wealthier and has a lot more political influence than the Navajo. Per our treaty, the Cherokee Nation is entitled to a tribal delegate represent our needs in the House of Representatives. This has not gone forward because of Republican resistance.

Wado. 2 million has been raised!

Killer Wench

Oh, and today is National (USA) Day of Remembrance for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW). Native women suffer the highest rate of sexual assault and murder across all ethnic groups. And our missing don't break into the news cycle, resulting in hundreds of women being unaccounted for.

Wibbs

Killer Wench wrote: »

There are many on the Navajo reservation who still live without running water.

:mad: How so many seem to have forgotten that Navajo and other Native American men risked and lost their lives as part of that so lauded "greatest generation" fighting in World War Two as code talkers that helped win that war. Oh sure they'll put up a couple of monuments to them and the occasional Hollywood flic(which cost millions to make), with extra stirring music and tears, but working taps and toilets? Apparently that's difficult. :rolleyes::mad:

Then again, for such a militarised nation and culture who vaunt the Fighting Man(tm) so often and so much on the surface, it has never ceased to amaze me how little they care for them regardless of their background after the fighting is over. Sometimes even when it's still going on.

Smegging hell

While I'm delighted to see this out-swell of support for the Navajo and Hopi peoples, that they must rely on private donations to fight this pandemic is a shameful indictment of the United States.

Muahahaha

A really heart warming story. Great to see the Gofundme is almost at $2.3m
https://www.gofundme.com/f/NHFC19Relief

December2012

I am honoured to make a donation, to show appreciation for the help given so many years ago.

It’s a great privilege to be in a position to reciprocate the kindness shown to my ancestors by your own.

I wish for a better future for all members of the first nations. I hope you are supported well by your wider community as you deal with the pig in the oval office.

Looking at that list grow, last night, and it's Irish name after Irish name. Admittedly many don't seem to comprehend that the drive is to pay this forward to the Navajo, to honour of the Choctaw act but, right now, I doubt the organisers care too much about that.

Oh and to that anonymous who was able to donate $1,847...





https://twitter.com/moneenlux/status/1257563226994290691

randy hickey

Donated. $2,817,010 there now.

randy hickey

Gone up another $5000 there in the last few minutes.
List of donors reads like an Irish phonebook!

Airyfairy12

It was the right thing to do. It's great to be able to give back for our ancestors who would have been so appreiative for the help of the Choctaw people.
I dont believe in sayings like 'what goes around comes around' and dont believe in Karma but in this case, its nice to be able to be apart and witness 'Karma' take place, all these years later.
I wonder what the Choctaw ansecestors who gave the money would think if they knew that almost 200 years later the help would be remembered and paied back x100 when their future great grandchildren would need it.
Feels like it came back full circle and it's so nice being connected to history and the people of our past in such a positive way.

rapul

Thank you for starting this thread so I could help this great cause, forshame on America and Trump

I don't like the headline RTE went with about the favour being repaid. They didn't send the money during the famine as a favour and I don't like the implication that the Irish sending money over are doing it out of obligation. It was a beautiful gesture over a century ago from a people who had seen suffering like few others. Many of us have it to give and do so because it's the right thing to do. Sometimes a reminder of such things is necessary but it goes beyond it being basically transactional.

Polar101

ted1 wrote: »

We built a lovely monument to thank them and so that their charity and kindness will not be forgotten.

I've seen that before, but somehow I always thought it was over in the US. Great to learn otherwise.

Polar101

Deleted User wrote: »

I don't like the headline RTE went with about the favour being repaid. They didn't send the money during the famine as a favour and I don't like the implication that the Irish sending money over are doing it out of obligation.

Exactly. There is a difference between helping out someone because you want to, and because you think you have to. I'd like to think most people are doing the former.

LoughNeagh2017

Don't be fooled, they just do it to look good. When the Catholic people of Ulster were 3rd class citizens for 50 odd years most people were happy to watch and ignore it and when war broke out they complained about the wild northerners and they still complain. The worst part of it is that many northerners helped fight in the war which created their country. I could say much much more

LoughNeagh2017

LoughNeagh2017 wrote: »

I could say much much more

Given the sh1te you're spouting, please don't

Fleetwoodmac

LoughNeagh2017 wrote: »

Don't be fooled, they just do it to look good. When the Catholic people of Ulster were 3rd class citizens for 50 odd years most people were happy to watch and ignore it and when war broke out they complained about the wild northerners and they still complain. The worst part of it is that many northerners helped fight in the war which created their country. I could say much much more

I've been following this on Twitter for several days, I donated, i didn't put my name public nor did many many others... so it wasn't to "look good". The donation during the great genocide ( lets not call it a famine) was one of the rare stories i remember during history where someone showed us irish some much needed kindness and solidarity. I truly believe there is no ulterior motive other than reciprocating that kindness. I'll keep reading the heartwarming comments on the go fund me page, God knows it lifts the spirit a bit.

Killer Wench

This is how the feds responded to my local Indian Health Board.


Native American health center asked for COVID-19 supplies. It got body bags instead.

"Are we going to keep getting body bags or are we going to get what we actually need?" a Seattle Indian Health Board official asked.

ttps://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna1200246?__twitter_impression=true

Killer Wench

The Navajo Nation thanks Ireland.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=share&v=d01JobcHcTc

TheRepentent

I read Bury my Heart at Wounded Knee in my 20's...to this day its an unfixed injustice.


Stay strong!!