One aspect of the Reservation system within the United States skipped over by common Marxists (and the American public in general) is that of the Neo-Colonial relationships between the US and Indigenous nations. In the 1970s on the Pine Ridge Reservation, the poorest community in the United States and home of the Oglala Lakota people, ruled a dictator by the name of Dick Wilson. Wilson funneled federal funds into his own wealth and to pay for a paramilitary to hunt down members of the American Indian Movement (AIM), a party of Indigenous radicals keen on fighting American encroachment and occupation of their lands and communities. The struggle between AIM and Wilson and his Fed backers, peaked in tension in the Wounded Knee Occupation. The occupation by AIM was called off after Wilson’s army with the US special forces (disputed by the US government) and AIM reached a gun battle. Wilson remained in power even having been caught rigging an election, but a Federal judge interfered on his behalf, and many of his Lakota opponents died violently over the following years until his defeat in another election. Since Wilson’s departure, the Pine Ridge Indian Reorganization Act (forced American governance) leadership has been centrist/liberal as the main radicals of the Reservation had been killed violently and many more imprisoned. Pine Ridge remains the poorest community in the country.
Hello comrades, it looks like the Chunka Luta Network (Red Road) lemmyverse account has been created. Chunka Luta is working from the Pine Ridge Reservation to build dual power in an ML direction. If you can spare some cash, there’s a fundraiser for a construction drive that’s 4k away from the goal, spread the word. They are building a meeting hall for the traditional government (as opposed to the Neo-Colonial IRA council) and a home. The fundraiser has already gathered 16k and with that they’re buying 140 acres of Rez land that’s currently growing hemp. For some history, hemp was a major component of the Lakotas’ booming economy until it was targeted by the hemp and cannabis outlaw by the Federal government. Further funds beyond the 4k left in the construction goal are going to a member’s wheelchair fund.
This project started last winter with a fundraiser for firewood and coat drive. Note that a significant portion of the population on Pine Ridge lives without electricity; warm clothing and wood are extremely important in the Dakotas.
In the future Chunka Luta wants to build a reverse osmosis water filtration system and buyback nearby farmland from American settlers to clean up a creek that runs through the Reservation. They also want to build a buffalo pasture for conservation.
Lots of promise coming from Chunka Luta, if you can spread the word it can go a long way. We are traveling the Red Road, we hope you can join us!
cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/56629 https://lemmygrad.ml/post/1744683