American Indians Resort to Banishment

Before the European invasion of Turtle Island, there were no jails or insane asylums or orphanages. Banishment worked because exclusion from the communal group was enough to put an effective check on unbalanced behavior - and not because a person might starve physically - but because they might go hungry spiritually in the absence of social support.


"One reason tribes are turning to banishment is that federal law does not allow tribal courts to impose sentences of more than a year in jail and a $5,000 fine. "

How is it that the imperialist US has granted itself this right to limit the tribal dealings of a sovereign nation? Sovereignty meaning that a nation decides for itself how to deal with its own. Start with Robert Williams' THE AMERICAN INDIAN IN WESTERN LEGAL THOUGHT for the case histories, see especially supreme court justice John Marshall's rulings.

1. All was not la deeda prior to the white man or the yellowman arrival to the americas. But
thats my opinion.

2. Granted the genocidal consequences are not worthy of defense without fundemental bible
tradition.

3. My point is enlightenment can be found in some traditional ways, but not fundementalism.
In fact most isms are nice prescriptions to prevent reason.

4. Resorting to banishment because tribes cannot mimic the prison industrial complex is not
a good reason for banishment. Both systems avoid socialogical cause or treatment.

Activists, democracy proponents, journalists, and political leadership competitors...are also subject to banishment and civil law threats that initiate criminal actions for trespass (sometimes first amendment activism of the arrestee) and a host of other stimulating law and stimulating medicalization frauds, false reports, social injustice, economic injustice, environmental injustice and basic human and civil rights violations from tribe/nation political corrupt leadership. Then there is back-door repression of many kinds. And OD murder attempts...rapes. drug rapes....ya know they should just bannish themselves for that kind of either criminal participation or non-leadership.

The article link interviews Norm Deschampe, Jr. who has with his council banned many activists, journalists ( Duluth News Tribune for 5 years), likes of MN governor Green Party candidate Julie 'Heart Warrior' Chosa, Green Party presidential, VP and MN governor candidate Winona La Duke , many Chippewa 'Walleye Warriors' of WI and MN treaty rights activism, and just about anyone tribe/nation leadership deems to corruption-cultic target and politically target.

Likely Norm Deschampe is being outed with a face and last name by somebody to go with the article on the connection of a particular MN Tribe to Bohemian Grove and Club by a tribe member for back door repression. Tribe/Nation leadership are only recently adjusted to public domain use of their names and actions as the law now allows and exercise these kinds of civil rights violating maneuvers against tribal members and activists, likely more so than against criminals.

Threats of bans, banishment, and civil law suit threats for IMC journalism have come from Norm, his vice chair, and RTC (council) toward its writers and activists. Halbritter of infamous NY state Onieda leadership almost has a clone in Norm, his vice chair, and likely most of the RTC representatives. Things may be that bad in other MN Chip Tribe Bands and politics, but that is for another activist. Things can get rough in a cookie-cutter constitution 3rd world within the USA and more of that is available at
 http://twincities.indymedia.org/newswire/display/8636
and
 http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2002/11/35529.shtml.
Being banished is sometimes a high activist honor considering the rogue, anti-civil rights, anti-human rights behavior of some reservation/tribe/nation leadership, not unlike our USA federal leadership in bring new legislation to make the USA a reservation style corruption state, as Hitler did to Germany by studying US Indian reservations.

Duel citizenship in both the USA protected civil rights and tribe/nation should require a modification of the 'Indian Resistance' commenter as civil rights must be shoved down our representatives throats especially in regard to civil rights of American Indians. 'Dude' has it right. And all are protected under UDHR by United Nations accord which the Haudenosaunee Six Nations have been involved in human rights work since inception of the UN and its predecessor; not all 'white dude-ism', owing thanks twice for both American democracy contributions and UN human rights contributions since the mid 1770's to 2004.

And all this and comment with cost someone another year of banishment as an activist-journalist for just this comment and republish of links. The original article by 'dude' here is not mine, though. Hopefully dude will continue free speech and not be repressed for it by Norm et.al. Knowing how corrupt and cultic that particular location is, I'd don't mind not visiting Mordore (movie Lord of the Rings reference) anymore. Their RTC is neither a democracy nor American Indian anymore, but new way or old way fascist.

This use of banishment does indeed sound like the work of "Red Apple" sellouts who want assimilation and the crumbs from the white man's table, based on the limited info available in this thread. Traditionally, this punishment was used to remove people whose behavior was a threat to the entire tribe, for instance someone trying to sell "firewater"(liquor) on tribal land. I will assume for the purpose of this discussion that such things as drinking on tribal land or disruption of traditional activites are not behind the banishments mentioned.

The sexual taboos common in Europe and the Middle East were rare here, so I doubt there was ever much use of banishment over, say getting rid of one's virginity without getting married! There were far fewer sex taboos in precontact North America than among the invaders, who were the fundamentalists on this continent. There have been a lot of societies that banished women over virginity and sex issues, but most of those were in Europe and the Middle East, and probably some in Africa below the Sahara as well.

Today, by comparison, teh meain weapon used in the continuing war on Native people and lands is divide and conquer. Much like the tactic of setting up a "banana republic" in Central America, the U$ and its corporate backers will offer to make a few sellouts and traitors rich in return for allowing mining and toxic waste dumping, and in return the assimilationists line up behind the sellouts and do whatever they deem necessary to keep the rest of the tribe from effectively opposing the loss of still more land.

Why are traitors called "Red Apples?" Because they are like Oreos-they are of color on the outside but white on the inside!