Posted under Indigenous Studies & El movimiento
“In Leah Castella’s legal note, “The United States Border: A Barrier to Cultural Survival,” she shares a story about Deskaheh, a tribal elder of the Cayuga Iroquois Nation and early advocate for the recognition of Indigenous and treaty rights. This tragic tales ends when Deskaheh was denied repass into his native Canada upon return from the League of Nations in Switzerland in 1924. He spent the rest of his life in the U.S. Deskaheh’s final words were to “fight for the line,” a reference to the border. The last words of Deskaheh are just as relevant now as they were in the 1920’s. Native Nations must be incorporated into the debate and resolution process of border issues that adversely affect their nations and their members with the nation-states. After one hundred and fifty years of neglect and abrogation of treaty rights, along with attempts to diminish their sovereignty, it is time to ‘Make it Right.’”This was the last paragraph in my monster-size thesis that I completed over a year ago on “Good Friday.” The very, very, long saga I undertook to finally complete my Masters should have a thesis dedicated to it unto itself!
Almost a year to the date I had the great surprise last Monday (4/7), to meet up with an old friend to discuss and catch up with the situation on the border along the Tohono O’odham Nation. I met David Garcia over five years ago when he was the legislative councilmen for the Chukut Kuk District, he was instrumental, if not crucial, in my development towards grasping enough of an understanding of the “line” and of raising my awareness of all the other issues that impact the T.O.N. that stem from the border. When he told me a few months back that he read all of my thesis and was impressed by my work, I felt like I had done some justice in my research to the situation on the border and to the pass and repass issue.
David was on campus with Mike Wilson, a fellow O’odham member and migrants rights advocate. They were on campus screening a film “Crossing Arizona” and speaking on a panel about their current humanitarian struggle of putting water out in various water stations on the Tohono O’odham Nation for migrants crossing the border north into the vast desert corridor.
During lunch I asked David what are the new issues in the Nation that relate to the border since the last time I visited in 2003. He told me that everything was completely different, from the attitudes of the nations’ members, to the border enforcement strategies being undertaken as a result of the new push to “secure” the border, he said, you would not recognize what has happened as a result of build up along the southern border. Mike Wilson added that “pass and repass” was stalled due to September 11th.
A conversation than arose about my thesis, and David asked if I had been sharing it. I said I give to who ever would read it… a 150-page thesis on Native American pass and repass along the U.S.-Mexico border is important, but most people I know don’t want to read about those types of “borderlands”… Chican@s!!! I offered to share it with Mike Wilson, and I was stoked when he said he would like to read it.
I have to admit after I watched “Crossing Arizona” and heard Mike Wilson’s testimonials about the resistance he has encountered at home and abroad for merely wanting to give water to migrants crossing north on his ancestral homeland—so that they will not die. I was glad I met such a good hearted person.
I also felt a re-newed sense of urgency to share my thesis because the research I did is valuable for anyone trying to get a grasp on the impact of the border on Native Nations, and not just in the case of the Tohono O’odham Nation, but of all border-crossed nations.