Of land and belonging
By Harley Eagle

We need only to look at our own history between the Indigenous of North America and the more recent "settlers" of this land to see that the same situation is being played out in Palestine. Terms such as "Manifest Destiny" are replaced by "Zionism." The struggle over Jerusalem is the same as our struggle over our Sacred Black Hills of Mount Rushmore fame, to name but one of many sacred sites lost to the indigenous peoples of the Americas. During the fourth international Sabeel conference this past February, as I listened to the tragic stories being told of the horrors that the Palestinians face on a daily basis, it was clear to me that the similarities were profound. I could not help but wonder at the outrage of North Americans regarding the treatment of Palestinians, when many refuse to acknowledge the similar treatment of Native North American people that continues today. The process of land confiscation and genocide is very much alive and well on this continent.

We oppressed people find solidarity with each other and find the struggles we face as nations are not that different. I believe that this was the thinking of the Sabeel organizers in requesting the presence of an indigenous person from North America at the conference. Not only did we recognize our common struggles, but my mere presence made non-indigenous people, especially from North America, realize the connection. This identification helped people to realize that the situation in Palestine is following a pattern practiced and almost perfected, if you will, with the indigenous populations in their own countries.

Within our indigenous traditional cultural teachings we are taught the interconnectedness of all. We understand that the dominant culture’s way is to separate, individualize and become detached from things. It is my perspective that when we realize that we actually do have a part in what happens to all of Creation it becomes more urgent for us as human beings to accept our responsibility to move to action in addressing justice issues.

A common theme that came out from the Sabeel conference was the hope in bringing both Palestinians and Israelis to the understanding that "the land does not belong to us but we belong to the land." This is essential to our world view as indigenous peoples. If this is hard to grasp for non-indigenous people of North America, I would suggest that you look to your own land holdings. I would suggest taking a journey into your own history to discover what this concept would mean to you considering your own property. If you expect the folks of the Middle East to accept this notion, you must first accept it in your own hearts and look into the issue of the inhumane treatment of the indigenous nations of this part of the world.

Harley Eagle, a Dakota/Saulteaux from White Cap Dakota Reserve in Canada, visited Palestine twice over the last three years. He was part of a Palestinian/Native North American exchange in 1998. This past spring he participated in the 2001 Sabeel conference. Eagle is Co-Program Coordinator of the Mennonite Central Committee Oglala Lakota Nation service unit with his wife, Sue, and daughter Danielle, on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota.