| Spoken word CD contains 60-minute lecture by professor and activitist Ward Churchill recorded in 1993. The lecture was sponsored by KPFA Radio, Berkley, California. In Life in Occupied America, Churchill presents in this stinging lecture his message about how Native Americans have withstood US Army, US government, and corporate onslaught for their lands. Beginning with Leonard Peltier as a sysmbol of Indigenous Resistance, Churchill explains the origin of the term "occupied America". The next topic covers life before the predators came, then presents his take on the military role of Amherst and the first use of smallpox as biological warfare. The land and population of Native Americans in 1890 and the idea of "vanishing Indian" are described. The contemporary reservations land base means that Native Americans are the largest landowners in the US. Coupled with mineral wealth found in these lands, Natives should be wealthy. But as Churchill explains he doen't know any wealthy Indians. He goes on to explain the reality of reservations as pockets of poverty and short ife expectancies of Indian men and women. He goes on to explore the ideas that Indians do not use their resources effectively. By looking at uranium and contamination of reservations, as well as coal extraction Churchill finds that Native People are colonized peoples. He views the US as the colonizer and this fact accounts for Native difficulties and their struggles for land, life and liberty. He also looks at the idea of federally recognized Indian identity, fraudulent land deals, and the general allotment act. He does not ask modern people to take the blame for previous ills but he asks that the audience look at how each benefits from these actions of colonization. |
