Last Updated on August 17, 2018
Writing at Indian Country Today, Peter d’Errico discusses the business of democracy in today’s world. Noting that the elected council system imposed by the federal government on American Indian tribes is a corporate business model, it is no surprise that this system wreaked havoc on traditional societies that already had workable governments. As a system that is meant to divide and corrupt, it has been a successful means of exploiting tribal resources and controlling reservations.
Looking at the larger world now in turmoil, d’Errico posits that imposed governments never work, and perhaps more importantly, that voting is not synonymous with self-government. Given the system is controlled by commerce, d’Errico asks if it can even be called a democracy.
Reminding us that the U.S. Constitution, as originally written, legalized slavery and limited voting to white, male property owners, d’Errico asserts that the history of American democracy has been one of a small elite seeking ways to preserve their privileges while using their power to control and steal from others. In the modern world of bank bailouts, #Occupy and Arab Spring, the power of that system to call itself a democracy is called into question.
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
