New Trail of Tears markers to go up in Arkansas

[Nagishkaw 510]

LITTLE ROCK (AP) — New signs and markers along Arkansas' portions of the Trail of Tears should be erected by spring, officials said after President Obama signed an act that expands the historic trail to more than 4,900 miles in nine states.

The Trail of Tears is the name given to the routes that more than 16,000 Cherokee Indians traveled during their forced removal from their homelands to what is now Oklahoma.

Those involved in the expansion view the new markers and designation as a boon to tourism and the state's cultural history.

"It gives us a chance to commemorate this sad event in history," said Carolyn Kent, a retired nurse who has spent years researching Native American history. "Even though it's a sad event, I think people need to know about it."

Until recently, the only recognized portions of the trail in Arkansas were a short section in northwest Arkansas and the water route that includes the Arkansas River. Much more of the state will now be marked.

"As far as we know, all of the members of those southeastern tribes ... came through the state of Arkansas somewhere," said Daniel Littlefield, director of the Sequoyah Research Center at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. "We have literally hundreds and hundreds of miles of travel routes."

The next step is developing "interpretation," such as roadside panels for people to stop and read, Littlefield said.

"What it is going to end up meaning in the long run is that Arkansas is going to enjoy a good bit of cultural tourism," Littlefield told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. "People should be able to get a map out and do a driving tour."

The largest additions in Arkansas are called the Benge and Bell routes, which were left out of the original federal Trail of Tears legislation passed by Congress in 1987.

The Benge Route is named for John Benge, who led a detachment of about 1,100 to 1,200 Cherokees from Fort Payne, Ala., in early fall 1838. Scholars say the group crossed into Arkansas in Randolph County, then headed toward Batesville, crossed the White River north of Cotter and eventually made its way through Fayetteville and Prairie Grove before heading into Oklahoma.

This was the only group to follow this route, and it disbanded the following January in Indian Territory.

The Bell Route, named for detachment conductor John Bell, crosses into Arkansas in West Memphis and goes through what is now Village Creek State Park in Cross County. The 650 or so Cherokees traveling that route continued through North Little Rock and followed the Arkansas River to Van Buren.

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2009-11-02-trail-of-tears-arkansas_N.htm?csp=outbrain&obref=obnetwork

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Right on. America needs to remember it's history, and which of our "heroes" are responsible for much of that genocide, and later atrocities.

[Nagishkaw 510]

No need for apologies among friends.

[scandal 951]

No need for apologies among friends.

I'm glad you feel that way Nagi.

My intent here is not to offend you in any way.

Bill, on the other hand, ...

[Nagishkaw 510]

Anyway, my contribution...just because I can.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-ijnLgHKA8

[scandal 951]

Nagi, with all due respect. So now the tragedy of the Cherokee nation is going to be used because a few rowdy protesters had an issue with the local cops in Denver a few years ago?

The relevant part from your 4 minute Youtube clip was this part at 2:24:

"Some protesters arrested at the Democratic National Convention could be jailed in a city-owned warehouse"

Gasp. This is the sum total of the indictment of the DNC, and by implication, Obama.

Do you have anything else on offer?

[Nagishkaw 510]

No.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Two posts containing an image totally unrelated to the topic and threatening to derail the topic have been removed so as to keep the discussion on topic . Comments from those two posts are returned here through cut and paste:

Scandal:

##########, on 11 April 2010 - 11:17 AM, said:

Right on. America needs to remember it's history, and which of our "heroes" are responsible for much of that genocide, and later atrocities.

Of course. Genocide, atrocities. We all know who's to blame, right Bill?

########## : Now you are defiling a post of our mutual dear friend. I would ask the moderators to delete the previous post, this post, and any further posts that are off the topic.

Sorry Nagi.

Edited April 12, 2010 by Kathryn41

[scandal 951]

What's the smiley for?

Oh, of course. Censorship often arrives in the guise of frienship.

Comments from those two posts are returned here through cut and paste:

Posting etiquette calls for stating 'fixorred' when hacking up someone else's post, but of course that doesn't apply to the censor brigade.

[IR5FORMUMSIE 850]

What's the smiley for?

Oh, of course. Censorship often arrives in the guise of frienship.

Posting etiquette calls for stating 'fixorred' when hacking up someone else's post, but of course that doesn't apply to the censor brigade.

When in doubt, redact.

BTW, that's real nice that they put up those fancy signs, when do the Natives get their two billion acres back?

[scandal 951]

No.

Uh huh.

From an NPR piece following the last election:

As an overall constituency, research shows that Native Americans are generally on the conservative side, more traditional and more in favor of a paternal system of government. It's estimated that nearly half the Native population lives in urban areas while the other half lives on reservations in rural areas. Despite rural, conservative values in reservation communities, most Natives vote 90 to 95 percent Democrat.

The full transcript of the segment:

Paying Attention to the Native American Vote

Votes of Native Americans could impact several battleground states

BY Tristan Ahtone November 4, 2008

Tristan Ahtone is a member of the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma. Before becoming a reporter, Ahtone graduated from the Institute of American Indian Arts with a bachelors degree in Creative Writing. In 2008, he received a masters degree in broadcast journalism from the Columbia School of Journalism. Since graduating, Ahtone has worked with

The Online Newshour and National Native News. This story is part of our "Abroad At Home" election coverage.

Political analysts say the presidential race this year could easily be swung by Native voters in battleground states with high Native populations, such as New Mexico, Wisconsin, Michigan, Nevada and Colorado, but only if effective outreach has been made to Native communities.

During the primaries, for example, Senator Obama visited the Crow reservation in Colorado to give a campaign speech. When the votes were in, Crow precincts reported higher turnout then the rest of the state. In the end, Obama won the state with 91 percent of the vote.

"If you speak to those people, they will remember and they will come out to vote," says Russ Lehman, professor at Evergreen State College and the author of the 2004 and 2006 Native Vote Report commissioned by the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI).

"The opposite is true as well. If you don't, you give those voters very little reason to come out and very little reason to be a part of the process," Lehman says.

There are 562 federally recognized tribes spread across America but Native Americans make up only 1 percent of the population. As a voting block, Native Americans were the last group in the U.S. to get the right to vote -- in some places as late as the 1960s -- and American Indians are the only ethnicity that the U.S. Census Bureau doesn't track when it comes to election data.

This leaves organizers and campaigns at a disadvantage when trying to find and reach Native Americans and make sense of them as a new voting block.

There are 562 federally recognized tribes spread across America but Native Americans make up only 1 percent of the population.

"You're dealing with three sets of data: you have census data, election data and tribal enrollment data, and of course they're all so different that even when you layer them it's hard to extrapolate real numbers," says Loren Birdrattler, National Native Vote coordinator for the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI). "We have tracked, in a few states, precincts that are on reservations to get an idea, but that makes the assumption that a reservation is 100 percent native, which obviously it isn't. So, it's very difficult to get real numbers or real data."

Historically, Native Americans have some of the lowest voter turnout rates of any ethnic group in the country, and available data shows Native voters participate in tribal elections at almost twice the rate of national elections. This is primarily because many tribal voters believe policies and laws are written by their own tribal government

"They're right, but only half right," says Lehman. "A tremendous amount of what affects their lives on a day-to-day basis happens in the U.S. Congress. In fact, they have a right and responsibility to decide who makes those decisions in Congress, just like every non-Indian in this country."

Only during the last eight years have Native voters begun to show their power at the polls.

Only during the last eight years have Native voters begun to show their power at the polls. In 2002, Tim Johnson, the Democratic Senator from South Dakota was elected with little more 500 votes that came from the Pine Ridge reservation in the middle of the night. In 2004, Native voters helped elect Democratic Governor Brad Henry in Oklahoma, and in 2006, U.S. Senator John Tester of Montana credited Native voters with his win against Republican incumbent Conrad Burns.

The most pivotal race, and perhaps the greatest impetus for increased Native voter participation around the country, was the 2000 unseating of Slade Gorton by tribal voters in Washington State. The Republican Senator was viewed by many as unfriendly toward Native American concerns, and behind a number of proposals to weaken tribal sovereignty in his constituency.

"In 1999 leading up to the election, there were meetings in Indian country around the United States. National tribal leaders would say to tribal leaders from Washington State 'You gotta do something about that Slade Gorton,'" said Lehman. "I think over a period of time in 1999 and 2000, tribal leaders here realized, 'You know, maybe we can have an impact; maybe we can play in this game.'"

Lehman was directly involved with the 2000 election through his non-profit First American Education Project (FAEP), comprised entirely of tribes from around the country. Through research and television advertising, FAEP influenced and galvanized voters to pull support from Gorton.

Native American men

As an overall constituency, research shows that Native Americans are generally on the conservative side, more traditional and more in favor of a paternal system of government.

When the votes were counted, the Democratic candidate, Maria Cantwell, had defeated Gorton by 2,229 votes.

"If tribes had not played the role that they did," says Lehman, "Slade Gorton would have won, there's no question."

Native Americans also face a number of social and economic challenges. As a demographic, unemployment rates among Native Indians is nearly double the national average. Twenty-one percent of Native families are dealing with poverty, and the average household income is around $33,000 a year -- almost $13,000 less then the non-native population.

As an overall constituency, research shows that Native Americans are generally on the conservative side, more traditional and more in favor of a paternal system of government. It's estimated that nearly half the Native population lives in urban areas while the other half lives on reservations in rural areas. Despite rural, conservative values in reservation communities, most Natives vote 90 to 95 percent Democrat.

Republican Senator John McCain has been an exception. As former chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, McCain has cultivated a long and deep relationship with Indian country -- building relationships with tribal leaders in his home state of Arizona and across the nation. However, it has been an uphill battle for the Republican as Senator Obama has spent a lot of time and money reaching out to Native Americans during his campaign.

"If McCain were to even pull 20 percent of the Native vote, that would be twice as much as Republicans traditionally get." Loren Birdrattler, National Congress of American Indians.

"If McCain were to even pull 20 percent of the Native vote, that would be twice as much as Republicans traditionally get," says Birdrattler. "I don't think he's trying to get a majority of Natives to vote for him. I think he's just trying to make inroads, especially in states like New Mexico."

In May, McCain met with the All Indian Pueblo Council (AIPC) -- the governing body for the 19 pueblos of New Mexico. In the meeting, McCain cited his experience and pledged his support for education efforts and sovereignty while promising to implement a tribal government position in the White House.

However, even back then when the election was more unsettled, AIPC chairman Joe Garcia sounded hesitant. "Experience is good but we need to find alternative solutions to our needs," Garcia said. "That means not only incorporating changes, but creating new solutions, because that's what true change is all about. I thank Senator McCain for taking the time for this important meeting."

In September, Obama picked up the endorsement from AIPC in a private meeting held in Albuquerque with the Mescalero Apache tribe, the Jicarilla Apache tribe and Navajo Nation president Joe Shirley. The endorsements of all 22 New Mexico tribes effectively seal the Native vote for Obama in the state of New Mexico.

Native American voters

Because increased political participation in Native communities is relatively new, political campaigns have had a hard time making sense of the new voting block during this presidential race.

According to President Shirley, there has been a relationship with McCain in the past, but he hasn't seen it as very meaningful and hopes that his endorsement of Obama will help fill the communication void.

"He promises to give a listening ear, he promises to work on our issues," says Shirley. "I think it all begins with sitting down together as comrades, as leaders, and talking about the different challenges that face both of us, and what we can do working together to take on these challenges together."

Nationally, organizers and activists believe that working to mobilize the Native vote will cause politicians to pay more attention to native issues. Since 2006, Native Vote Washington has been working to create a database of Native voters in the state in order to demonstrate native power at the polls with solid facts.

"They're not going to want to [sit down together] based on anecdotal evidence, so we hope to change that," says Chris Stearns, the press director for Native Vote Washington, a voter advocacy group based on the Tulalip reservation in Washington State. "We know the Indian vote matters in certain races, we just want the Indian vote to matter all the time."

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Uh huh.

From an NPR piece following the last election:

As an overall constituency, research shows that Native Americans are generally on the conservative side, more traditional and more in favor of a paternal system of government. It's estimated that nearly half the Native population lives in urban areas while the other half lives on reservations in rural areas. Despite rural, conservative values in reservation communities, most Natives vote 90 to 95 percent Democrat.

The full transcript of the segment:

So, you are telling the first peoples how they are supposed to think now? Why can't Nagi be just like the rest of the good Indians and just follow the "plan"? Don't wander off the Rez, now, or we can't help you!

How typical of the liberal mindset. Native Americans are not monolithic, any more that the Blacks, the Hispanics, the Asians, the Jews, the Catholics, or any other ethnic, racial, religious, or lifestyle group your perverted little mind can stuff individuals into.

Well done Nagi, and shame on you, Ron.

[scandal 951]

So, you are telling the first peoples how they are supposed to think now? Why can't Nagi be just like the rest of the good Indians and just follow the "plan"? Don't wander off the Rez, now, or we can't help you!

How typical of the liberal mindset. Native Americans are not monolithic, any more that the Blacks, the Hispanics, the Asians, the Jews, the Catholics, or any other ethnic, racial, religious, or lifestyle group your perverted little mind can stuff individuals into.

Well done Nagi, and shame on you, Ron.

I asked her if she had anything more to offer than the fact that some rowdies faced arrest by Denver cops. She said no.

I have no problem with her politics, and it has never dawned on me to ask her to change how she thinks. I challenge you to show where I've done any such thing. The point of discussion is to share views, and perhaps to persuade others through dialog, not coercion. So now because just I post an NPR piece that offers statistics on Native American voting trends, I'm coercive and have a "perverted little mind"? Bill you shame yourself with your ranting. My little mind is indeed perverted, but not in the way you're thinking.

[IR5FORMUMSIE 850]

I asked her if she had anything more to offer than the fact that some rowdies faced arrest by Denver cops. She said no.

I have no problem with her politics, and it has never dawned on me to ask her to change how she thinks. I challenge you to show where I've done any such thing. The point of discussion is to share views, and perhaps to persuade others through dialog, not coercion. So now because just I post an NPR piece that offers statistics on Native American voting trends, I'm coercive and have a "perverted little mind"? Bill you shame yourself with your ranting. My little mind is indeed perverted, but not in the way you're thinking.

Ron, I had no idea that that was your name, is indeed a perv. Wild Bill, I fail to see how this is a liberal issue. Both parties engage in assuming that there is a prototypical voter that must be appeased. The Democrats tend to have a large tent mentality and, until quite recently, so, too, did the Republicans. Ron certainly didn't start this trend, so what's the big deal. Nagi can support any party she wishes, she doesn't presume to speak for the Native American community as a whole or even in part.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

[/b]

Ron, I had no idea that that was your name, is indeed a perv. Wild Bill, I fail to see how this is a liberal issue. Both parties engage in assuming that there is a prototypical voter that must be appeased. The Democrats tend to have a large tent mentality and, until quite recently, so, too, did the Republicans. Ron certainly didn't start this trend, so what's the big deal. Nagi can support any party she wishes, she doesn't presume to speak for the Native American community as a whole or even in part.

How about Nagi is an individual, and is free to pick and choose which issues concern her, without being stuffed into any category! Individualism is what this argument is about. Indoctrination is not about developing free thinking individuals, it is about creating a rainbow of mindless zombies. I dislike party labels, and would like to see some valid choices, other than the closeted perverts of the Republic party, and the sexless zombies of the Democratic party.