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September 2010
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Appalling Violence

Disappeared in Canada

Amnesty International and the Red Cross call on the Canadian government to get in line with international law as a means of protecting indigenous women from appalling violence.

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Chile Today

Lewis and Clark Law School professor Robert J. Miller, Lisa M. Lesage, and Sebastian Lopez Escarcena examine how the Doctrine of Discovery has been incorporated into the ethnocentric policies of the Chilean state toward the indigenous peoples of Chile today.

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The Broadband Barrier

Indian Country Today looks at fighting the digital divide over broadband funding.

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Discovering Anishinabe

In his short film Apples and Indians, Lorne Olson discovers Anishinabe.

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Australia v Aborigines

Discrimination Down Under

UN rebukes Australian government for entrenched discrimination against Aborigines, including official suspension of the racial discrimination act in order to intervene in Northern Territory indigenous communities.

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Indigenous Doctors Congress 2010

Indigenous doctors from throughout the Pacific are currently meeting during the Pacific Region Indigenous Doctors Congress (PRIDoC) at Whistler, Canada home to the Squamish and Lil’wat First Nations. Born from the vision of a forum for mutual support and for the sharing of resources and expertise delegates are coming together to learn and teach one another.
Underlying factors behind indigenous consistently poor health are discussed, success stories are shared in which e.g. culture is described as a societal anxiety buffer and mechanism to handle stress.
What is emphasized throughout the sessions is the clear message that health is key to indigenous survival. Mainstream health services do not recognize the impacts of colonization and ongoing racism on indigenous health. Nor do they provide culturally appropriate care. A Canadian health worker comments: “What is urgently needed are much more indigenous doctors- not doctors who happen to be indigenous.”

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Historical Ignorance

Amazing how little some Euro Americans understand about the indigenous population and history of the country they live in. This holds true even for those who are to closely collaborate with indigenous nations to help better the health situation of local indigenous groups. They are “inbreds” a government representative working in mental health in Olympia, WA commented during a recent interview when discussing alcohol issues with the tribes. The government expert who described herself to be “a white girl”, gave a purely biomedical explanation for alcohol and mental health problems amongst the tribes. Leaving socio- cultural factors completely out of the discussion.
How come there can be such an incredible ignorance about the traumatic effects of colonization and the devastating effects colonization had and still has on indigenous health?
Educating stakeholders who work with the tribes and are responsible for managing funds is highly needed to render communication possible.

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Thick Long Wide Deep

The Christian Science Monitor reports that the BP oil plume in the Gulf is 700 feet thick, 22 miles long, a mile wide, and 3,000 feet deep. So much for the disappearing oil PR out of the White House.

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Lughnasa

Good Time God

Eddie Stack writes from West Clare about Lughnasa, the Irish harvest festival honoring Lugh, the ancient god of arts and crafts. Unlike the Catholic adaptation, says Eddie, “Lugh was a good time god.”

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Seed Money

One of the things Phil Williams discovered in his research on transnational criminal networks is that human trafficking for prostitution is an important component of organized crime portfolios, in some instances providing the seed money for other ventures in smuggling guns and drugs. With the foundation laid by proceeds from prostitution, their ability to corrupt public institutions, banks, and society at large is given an enormous boost.