- Details
- By Levi Rickert
WASHINGTON — Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs Tara Sweeney had just finished her update to the National Congress of the American Indians when she was confronted during the question-and-answer period by tribal leaders about the Trump administration’s insensitivity to American Indian issues.
Tara Sweeney - Native News Online photo
After a tense exchange with members of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe about the ongoing land-in-trust battle with the Dept. of Interior, the chairman of another tribe addressed Sweeney about the Trump administration’s handling of another issue that has been making headlines.
Chairman Ned Norris Jr. of the Tohono O’odham Tribe stood to let Sweeney know about his displeasure with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection blasting sacred sites for Trump’s border wall on ancestral homelands of his Tribe.
"They desecrated those human remains that were there," Chairman Norris said. "You have an obligation to protect sacred sites and sacred areas and religious areas for Native American people. You have failed to make sure...I call on you to exercise your responsibility and stop the destruction of sacred sites of Native American communities."
Sweeney simply thanked the tribal chairman for his comments.
Tohono O'odham Chairman Ned Norris Jr. Photograph by Levi Rickert
Chairman Norris was referring to construction crews recently blasting sacred burial sites along Monument Hill at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.
Not only is the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument sacred to the Tohono O’odham Nation, but the area has been designated as a biosphere reserve by the United Nations because it is full of rare plants and animals.
The blasting caught the attention of Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.), whose district includes the reservation. On January 7, 2020, he sent a letter expressing his concern about the lack of tribal consultation with the Tohono O'odham Nation. He visited the construction zone last month.
"At the end of this month we're holding a hearing to deal with this issue," Grijalva told KVOA, the ABC-affiliate in Tucson. "Homeland Security on the next day will also hold a hearing on the issues of accountability for the agency and why this occurring."
More Stories Like This
Q+A: Journalist Connie Walker Reflects on Season 3 of 'Stolen' Podcast Investigating Navajo Nation MMIP CasesNative Bidaské with Sarah Eagle Heart (Oglála Lakota) on the Indigenous Fashion Collective
Twelve Cherokee Nation Cyclists, 950 Miles: The 40th Annual Remember the Removal Bike Ride
Leona Carlyle-Kakar (Ak-Chin), Instrumental in Securing the 1st Water Rights Settlement in Indian Country, Walks On
California Moves Forward with Pilot MMIP Program
Native Perspective. Native Voices. Native News.
We launched Native News Online because the mainstream media often overlooks news that is important is Native people. We believe that everyone in Indian Country deserves equal access to news and commentary pertaining to them, their relatives and their communities. That's why the story you’ve just finished was free — and we want to keep it that way, for all readers. We hope you'll consider making a donation to support our efforts so that we can continue publishing more stories that make a difference to Native people, whether they live on or off the reservation. Your donation will help us keep producing quality journalism and elevating Indigenous voices. Any contribution of any amount — big or small — gives us a better, stronger future and allows us to remain a force for change. Donate to Native News Online today and support independent Indigenous-centered journalism. Thank you.
