Some additional but essential reading for you

There is never any shortage of stories in the news that tie into what we are reading. Here are a few. Make sure to follow the links to read each article in full

One of the things that I've been encouraging you to think about with the reading we've done is how these texts connect to the reality faced by First Nations people everyday. These are some good reminders of that.

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The first article talks about the drastically higher rates of rape in Native communities in the US, and I expect the statistics are similar in Canada. NPR covered this story yesterday as well. An important point to note is that "most of the crimes are not perpetrated by Native American men. The report says that the perpetrators are most often outsiders, who know little will be done to stop them" (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9803207).

Native American women suffering shocking rates of rape: Amnesty - Yahoo! News:
WASHINGTON (AFP) - Native American and Alaskan women are suffering rates of rape and sexual violence nearly three times higher than the US national average, Amnesty says in a new study released Tuesday.

The human rights watchdog said a complex maze of tribal, state and federal jurisdictions often allowed men to rape with impunity, creating a vicious cycle that emboldened rapists and led to more attacks.

The study cited Justice Department figures which indicated that American Indian and Alaska Native women were 2.5 times more likely to be raped or sexually assaulted than women in the United States in general.

The figures said more than one in three Native women would be raped in their lifetime, although that figure may in fact be substantially higher because of a traditional reluctance to report sex crimes.

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Alysa from 182A passed this link along to me. This is well worth looking at and ties into our reading of The Truth About Stories among other things.

Slate Magazine has published a very interesting and, to me, disturbing slide show about the history of advertising's use of racist characterizations of minorities.

Uncle Ben, CEO? The strange history of racist spokescharacters.

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Finally, the glacial pace of land claims negotiations in Canada are causing increasing frustration for First Nations peoples. This article from the Globe and Mail discusses this in more detail. Here's an excerpt:

Ottawa — Anger over decades of federal stalling on native land claims is set to erupt in flashpoints across Canada, says former Ontario premier David Peterson.

He warns of “a new militancy.”

Ottawa must move faster on legitimate claims before growing frustration turns deadly, he said in an interview.

“There's a lot of potentially explosive situations out there.”

Mr. Peterson said people have to expect more confrontations.

“There is hardly a rail line, a road, a pipeline, a hydro line that doesn't somewhere go across disputed property.

“But one of the great frustrations for the aboriginal community is no one has sat down and seriously engaged in discussion about this.”

A stack of dusty studies, including a recent Senate report, has slammed the slow pace of settlements.