Heroes and History

The scholar of world mythology Joseph Campbell spoke often of hero gods disguised as monsters.  But what is to be revealed by the settler state mythologies of monsters preserved as heroes via the Master’s Narrative?

The US War in Vietnam was not a war for freedom. It was the final frontier of the imperial expansion of US hegemony as a world power.  Emerging on the stage of global imperial history with the Treaty of Paris 1898 (US-Spain), the predicate of US Imperialism in Southeast Asia in global economic terms was provided by the first truly global empire of Spain, which was marked by the beginning of World War I on October 12, 1492.  Following the defeat of the Spanish Armada, the British Empire would follow.  The French were not far behind and would attempt to remain as colonial occupiers in Vietnam until their expulsion and replacement by the US after the defeat at Dien Bien Phu in 1954.

France’s colonial project in Indochina was catalyzed by military invasions to protect the Jesuit missionaries of the Society of Foreign Missions of Paris, an entity of evangelization which was established by the Roman Catholic Church’s Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith.

 
The history of European colonialism is tied to the medieval European colonizing crusades.  Besides Spain, Britain, and France, the crowns of Portugal, Belgium, Portugal and the Netherlands were elemental agencies of Christendom’s claims of dominion over the earth. These countries colluded and competed simultaneously in the “Scramble for Africa”, regulated by the terms of the Berlin Conference of 1884–1885.

The US War in Vietnam was the last westward lurch of US territorial expansionism led by the Anglo-American hero god of the Doctrine of Manifest Destiny (1845), the uniquely American extrapolation of the Doctrine of Discovery of Christendom. The overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii, the US incursion into the Philippines, the Korean War (ongoing), were extensions of the march to the Pacific coast and beyond by the colonial project of the original 13 British colonies. 

The march of westward expansion by the American settler state colonial project, required the destruction and extinguishment of the Original Nations of Indigenous Peoples of the Great Turtle Island [North America] for its success.  Psychologically, this pogrom of genocide also requires a mythic validation via the subsequent exceptional “Fake Narrative” of America as an “Experiment in Democracy” and “Freedom”.  It requires heroes who punctuate the narrative, and sustain it as a set of social norms, laws, and policies.  General George Armstrong Custer was also an American hero.

Genocide must be sanctified and sanitized.
 

Ask the Lakota survivors of the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre (or My Lai?) how is that experiment in democracy and freedom is going for them.  You can find them battling still on ground, in the courts, and in jails today, fighting for their Treaty Rights and Self Determination as Original Nations of the Oceti Sakowin.  They survived Wounded Knee, 1890 and 1973, and they are there still standing on the frontlines of the fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline at Standing Rock in the Dakota territories.

Ask yourself: Where, how and why did America, as an “Experiment in Democracy and Freedom” become corrupted into being a successor state to the “nefarious” Doctrine of Discovery of Christendom, and all of her heroes degraded into being minions to the Doctrines of Dominion and patriarchy?

RESPECT: You can’t give what you don’t got.

RESPECT cannot be given or taken away.

RESPECT can only be shared, as good relatives always should.

Peace.

Mahuizzotl

#ColonialismZeroTolerance 

June 30, 2018 - Today the commission of Indigenous Peoples attending the Protecting Mother Earth Conference at Frank's Landing proclaimed at the gates of the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma that the illegal normalization of colonialism will be challenged now, again and forevermore as long as the grass grows and the rivers flow.

The challenge to the normalization of 525 years of colonialism and white supremacy across the continent of the Great Turtle Island Abya Yala [Americas] will be met in peaceful purpose and prayer as many times as necessary with ZERO TOLERANCE.

YouTube:

Velando August 29, 1970

CHICANO MORATORIUM

National March Against the War in Vietnam

East Los Angeles, CA

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Superseding the Doctrine of Discovery:

Abolish Columbus Day

To simply rename, re-brand and then market the Columbus Day holiday as “Indigenous Peoples Day” without addressing the ongoing colonization and genocide of the Original Nations of Abya Yala may be popularized as a step in the right direction, but if the inherent right of Self Determination is not simultaneous affirmed, respected, and guaranteed protection as a fundamental tenet of International Human Rights Law it is only a side step, and in the wrong direction at that if such policies allow the settler state systems to advance in implementing the reduction of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to a domestic delegated construct of rights defined by the colonizing states themselves within the rubric of the United Nations System Wide Action Plan.

“The question is no longer whether the Doctrine of Discovery as it is still being perpetuated in policy and practice across the hemisphere is valid. That question has been answered, definitively and finally. There is no moral, legal, or cultural presentation that can legitimately argue that the theory of the Divine Right of Kings, which spawned the Doctrine of Discovery by Christendom, can hold any validity in a democratic society. What is in question now, is on what side of history will each of us as individuals, as families, as communities, as nations and as Human Beings stand."

Not just take a knee.

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Framework of Dominance:
UN Preliminary Study on the Doctrine of Discovery

This preliminary study establishes that the Doctrine of Discovery has been institutionalized in law and policy, on national and international levels, and lies at the root of the violations of indigenous peoples’ human rights, both individual and collective. This has resulted in State claims to and the mass appropriation of the lands, territories and resources of indigenous peoples. Both the Doctrine of Discovery and a holistic structure that we term the Framework of Dominance have resulted in centuries of virtually unlimited resource extraction from the traditional territories of indigenous peoples. This, in turn, has resulted in the dispossession and impoverishment of indigenous peoples, and the host of problems that they face today on a daily basis.

SOUNDCLOUD:
HUEHUECOYOTL

From Oak Flat to Ayotzinapa 

From the fight to Save the Sacred Oak Flat of the Apache Peoples to the search of justice in Ayotzinapa, Guerrero- Mexico: A conversation on the basis of the colonial settler states violent machinations of immoral and illegal expropriation of natural resources and territory, and the efforts of the Nations of Indigenous Peoples of the Great Turtle Island Abya Yala [the Americas] mobilizing to collectively address the theological justifications of 522 years of colonization upon arrival in Philadelphia of the visitor from the Vatican State on September 26, 2015: Pope Francis.

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The Legend of Truth and the Doctrines of Power

Message from the Original Peoples of El Salvador

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El Salvador, August 16, 2018

Respectable brothers and sisters of the Cultural Network Techantit and TONATIERRA, we, the Indigenous Peoples of El Salvador, Indigenous Peoples of the Sacred Land of the Smiling Jaguar with the permission of the Creator and the Ancestors, we write to you requesting your support to communicate and make our voice known internationally regarding the current situation we are experiencing in our country.

We now pronounce:

Although there have been advances relative to the issue of the visibility of Indigenous Peoples by the Salvadoran State, and some organizational processes have been strengthened, there are still no appropriate mechanisms for the visibility and empowerment of indigenous communities, which results in the violation our rights.

That although as Indigenous Peoples we have constructed a National Policy in favor of our communities, a policy that was elaborated by several leaders, leaders, communities and indigenous organizations in conjunction with the Multi-sectorial department of the Indigenous Peoples of the Ministry of Culture and several other State Institutions, and that even though this policy has passed all the legal filters of the office of the Presidency and has even been signed and endorsed by the President of the Republic Salvador Sánchez Cerén, it has been blocked constantly, even to the point of suspending its launch on more than five occasions.

In the same way, we denounce the way in which the process of construction of the Plan Pies has been carried out, which has been elaborated by the indigenista NGO CCNIS, which calls itself the coordinator and national and international representative of the indigenous peoples of El Salvador.  This plan has been supported by the Chancellery of the Republic of El Salvador, the Salvadoran Institute of Land and Agriculture (ISTA), FAO, FIDA and the United Nations itself. For this Plan, no consultations were officially held with the Indigenous Peoples, just as there never was an inclusive process where all the different organizations and indigenous communities of the country will be taken into account in an integral manner.

The same situation occurred with the Foreign Ministry, which ended up excluding a representative number of indigenous communities by biasing their support to the indigenous NGO, NCNIS, to the extent that, on the advice of the CCNIS, obstacles have been placed to launch the National Policy on Indigenous Peoples.  The election of a new representative of the Indigenous Fund has been prevented, Amadeo Martínez being the same representative since 1999 (almost 20 years) without open and democratic elections where indigenous communities are called to elect a new representative, which converts Amadeo Martínez into a dictator who refuses to leave office.

That is why as Salvadoran Indigenous Peoples we believe that the State of El Salvador should be impartial and stop favoring the CCNIS, since that favoritism does not allow for the processes of cohesion and community collaboration of the indigenous constituencies.

That the CCNIS stop halting the launching of the Public Policy of Indigenous Peoples since this blockade only makes the original communities more invisible and hinders the processes of revitalization of our culture.

That is explained to us why the National Coordinating Council of the Salvadoran Indigenous CCNIS influences internally from within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other State institutions to obstruct or control the decisions in the work that corresponds to the Ministry of Culture, when according to article 35 of the Law of Culture of El Salvador, the cultural issue as well as the indigenous issue is established to be under the purview of the Ministry of Culture.

That it be explained to us and an audit be conducted regarding the funds of the Indigenous Fund that have always been diverted to CCNIS since 1999, in order to know how they were expended and what benefit has been delivered to the Salvadoran Original Peoples, because to date for almost 20 years, our communities they have not received any benefit.

We ask for the opening of an investigation to the Salvadoran Institute of Land and Agriculture (ISTA) who has manipulated institutional documents to the detriment of the Ministry of Culture in order to obtain a fund of $ 75 thousand dollars for the Plan Pies seeking to favor its exclusive implementation with the CCNIS and to exclude the indigenous communities of the country.

As Indigenous Peoples we also demand that the Foreign Ministry immediately call for open, democratic and transparent elections to elect a new representative of the Indigenous Fund and to end once and for all with the 20-year dictatorship of Mr. Amadeo Martínez.

That it be investigated who is the person within the Ministry of the Interior of El Salvador that has held meetings with representatives of certain groups, with the aim of dismantling the Directorate of Indigenous Peoples of the Ministry of Culture and thus affecting the work carried out by the Multi-sectorial department of the Indigenous Peoples.

That it be investigated who are the people or the group that is behind the threats to the president of the Republic Salvador Sánchez Cerén, who expressed his concern during his visit to the indigenous municipality of Santo Domingo de Guzmán, Sonsonate, last July affirming that "whenever someone tries to launch the National Policy for Indigenous Peoples, is always threatened by a group that claims they will take to the streets and generate destabilization."

Finally, we want to add two Internet links with news articles that show how the CCNIS has blocked both the launch of the National Policy on Indigenous Peoples, and the Harmonized Plan for Indigenous Peoples.

http://www.eldiariodehoy.com/noticias/nacional/89500/conflicto-de-intereses-detiene-la-politica-de-los-pueblos-indigenas/

http://www.eldiariodehoy.com/noticias/nacional/89503/ista-maneja-proyecto-cultural-de-pueblos-indigenas-financiado-por-la-cooperacion-espanola/

The Indigenous Peoples of El Salvador are united and working together for the good of the future of our communities and stand firm to defend our rights.

Sincerely,

NATIONAL NETWORK OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES OF EL SALVADOR
"THE SMILING JAGUAR"

Mensaje de los Pueblos Originarios de El Salvador

El Salvador, 16 de Agosto de 2018

Respetables hermanos y hermanas de la Red Cultural Techantit y Tonatierra, nosotros, los Pueblos Originarios de El Salvador, Pueblos Indígenas de la Sagrada Tierra del Jaguar Sonriente con el permiso del Creador y los Ancestros, nos dirigimos a ustedes solicitando de su apoyo para difundir y dar a conocer internacionalmente nuestra voz ante la actual situación que estamos viviendo en nuestro país y por la cual nos pronunciamos:

Que a pesar que han existido avances en el tema de la visibilización de los Pueblos Indígenas por parte del Estado Salvadoreño, los cuales han fortalecido algunos procesos organizativos, aún no existen mecanismos apropiados para la visibilización y el empoderamiento de las comunidades originarias, lo cual termina violentando nuestros derechos.

Que a pesar que como Pueblos Originarios hemos construido una Política Nacional a favor de nuestras comunidades, política que fue elaborada por varios líderes, lideresas, comunidades y organizaciones indígenas en conjunto con la Multisectorial de los Pueblos Indígenas del Ministerio de Cultura y varias Instituciones del Estado, que a pesar que esta política ha pasado todos los filtros jurídicos de la Presidencia y que incluso ha sido firmada y avalada por el Presidente de la República Salvador Sánchez Cerén, está ha sido bloqueada constantemente, al grado incluso de suspender su lanzamiento ya por mas de cinco ocasiones.

De la misma forma, denunciamos la mala manera en como se ha realizado el proceso de construcción del Plan Pies, que ha sido elaborado por la ONG indigenista CCNIS que se autodenomina como coordinadora y representante nacional e internacional de los pueblos indígenas de El Salvador; plan que ha sido apoyado por Cancillería de la República de El Salvador, el Instituto Salvadoreño de Tierra y Agricultura (ISTA), FAO, FIDA y las mismas Naciones Unidas. Para dicho Plan no se realizaron oficialmente consultas a los pueblos indígenas, así como nunca existió un proceso inclusivo en donde se tomara en cuenta de forma integral la totalidad de las diferentes organizaciones y comunidades indígenas del país.

Misma situación ocurrió con Cancillería quien terminó excluyendo a una cantidad representativa de comunidades indígenas al sesgar su apoyo a la misma ONG indigenista CCNIS, a grado tal que por asesoría del CCNIS, se han puesto obstáculos para el lanzamiento de la Política Nacional de Pueblos Indígenas, se ha impedido la elección de un nuevo representante del Fondo Indígena, siendo Amadeo Martínez el mismo representante desde 1999 (casi 20 años) sin que existan elecciones abiertas y democráticas en donde se convoque a las comunidades indígenas para elegir a un nuevo representante, lo cual convierte a Amadeo Martínez en un dictador que no desea dejar su cargo.

Es por ello que como Pueblos Indígenas salvadoreños consideramos que el Estado de El Salvador debe ser imparcial y dejar de favorecer al CCNIS, ya que eso no abona a los procesos de cohesión y trabajo comunitario de las poblaciones indígenas.

Que el CCNIS deje de frenar el lanzamiento de la Política Pública de los Pueblos Indígenas ya que dicho bloqueo solo invisibiliza más a las comunidades originarias y entorpece los procesos de revitalización de nuestra cultura.

Que se nos explique porque el Consejo Coordinador Nacional Indígenas Salvadoreño CCNIS influye internamente desde Cancillería y otras instituciones del Estado para obstaculizar o decidir en la labor que le corresponde al Ministerio de Cultura, cuando según el artículo 35 de la Ley de Cultura de El Salvador el tema cultural así como el tema indígena es competencia del Ministerio de Cultura.

Que se nos explique y se abra una auditoría sobre losfondos del Fondo Indígena que siempre se han desviadoal CCNIS desde 1999 para saber en que se emplearon y en que han beneficiado a los Pueblos Originarios Salvadoreños, pues hasta la fecha por casi 20 años, nuestras comunidades no han recibido beneficio alguno.

Pedimos se abra una investigación al Instituto Salvadoreño de Tierra y Agricultura (ISTA) quien ha manipulado documentos institucionales en detrimento del Ministerio de Cultura para obtener un fondo de $75 mil dólares para el Plan Pies buscando favorecer su implementación exclusiva con el CCNIS y en exclusión de las comunidades indígenas del país.

Como Pueblos Indígenas también exigimos que de forma inmediata Cancillería convoque a elecciones abiertas, democráticas y transparentes para elegir a un nuevo representante del Fondo Indígena y terminar de una vez con la dictadura de 20 años del señor Amadeo Martínez.

Que se investigue quien es la persona al interior del Ministerio de Gobernación de El Salvador que ha sostenido reuniones con representantes de ciertos grupos, con el objetivo de desarticular la Dirección de Pueblos Indígenas del Ministerio de Cultura y afectar así el trabajo que realiza la Multisectorial de los Pueblos Indígenas.

Que se investigue quienes son las personas o el grupo que está detrás de las amenazas al señor presidente de la república Salvador Sánchez Cerén, quien externó su preocupación durante su visita al municipio indígena de Santo Domingo de Guzmán, Sonsonate, en el pasado mes de Julio afirmando que “cada vez que trata de lanzar la Política Nacional para los Pueblos Indígenas siempre es amenazado por un grupo que afirma saldrá a las calles y generará desestabilización”.

Deseamos finalmente anexar dos links de internet con noticias donde se lee la forma en como el CCNIS ha bloqueado el lanzamiento de la Política Nacional de los Pueblos Indígenas y el Plan Armonizado de los Pueblos Indígenas.

http://www.eldiariodehoy.com/noticias/nacional/89500/conflicto-de-intereses-detiene-la-politica-de-los-pueblos-indigenas/

http://www.eldiariodehoy.com/noticias/nacional/89503/ista-maneja-proyecto-cultural-de-pueblos-indigenas-financiado-por-la-cooperacion-espanola/

Los Pueblos Indígenas de El Salvador estamos unidos y trabajando juntos por el bien del futuro de nuestras comunidades y firmes para defender nuestros derechos.

Atentamente

RED NACIONAL DE PUEBLOS INDÍGENAS DE EL SALVADOR “EL JAGUAR SONRIENTE”