Last Updated on August 17, 2018
As in Canada, tribal governments in the US have a choice to make about sovereignty; they can either assert political jurisdiction over their territories, or they can become further entrenched in colonial dependency. They can either become fully functioning governing authorities that control taxation, trade and resource management, or they can become wholly controlled corporate entities that answer to Washington and Wall Street.
Assuming the responsibilities of sovereignty and the obligations of self-determination under international law is a demanding proposition, especially within Canada and the US, two of the four countries in the world that opposed the 2007 UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Many American Indians who are willing to fight for these rights find their elected or appointed tribal leaders on the other side. Two hundred years of dependency have created dysfunctional tribal societies.
In her column at Indian Country Today, Dina Gilio-Whitaker observes that not fighting for these rights means continuing to settle for scraps at the master’s table.
Across the world right now, Indigenous peoples are facing a renewed assault on their lands, rights, and ways of life.
From extractive industries pushing deeper into ancestral territories, to governments rolling back hard-won protections,
the threat is global—and it is growing.
What makes this moment especially dangerous is how little attention it receives.
Stories like this are disappearing in real time. Mainstream media
barely covers it and the coverage is fragmented. The public is left without the context
needed to understand what is truly at stake.
That is exactly why IC Magazine exists..
For more than 20 years, IC has reported on Indigenous struggles worldwide — consistently, independently, and without compromise.
We don’t follow news cycles; we trace patterns. We don’t sensationalize; we provide context.
And when the world looks away, we stay focused.
But this work is increasingly difficult to sustain.
We refuse to lock our reporting behind a paywall. We don’t sell access through subscriptions.
And we don’t answer to advertisers. IC Magazine survives solely because readers like you choose to
support independent Indigenous journalism.
Please donate today if you can. Every contribution helps us to continue this crucial work.
Thank you,
John Ahni Schertow
Founder and Editor in Chief
