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Front of march procession
Prior to the march procession starting, prayers were held on the steps of the U.S. Department of the Interior.

The first Indigenous Peoples' March was a political demonstration on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. on January 18, 2019. The event included speeches, prayers, songs, and dance, and was intended to draw attention to global injustices against indigenous peoples.[1] After 8:00 prayers outside the Building of Interior Affairs, the marchers proceeded along Constitution Avenue and ended at Henry Bacon Park, north of the Lincoln Memorial.[2] Organizers expected a crowd of about 10,000 people.[3]

At the end of the formal program, an incident occurred between a group of more than 200[citation needed] teenage students who had been attending the March for Life rally and Nathan Phillips and a small group of people who had marched in the Indigenous Peoples March. Videos of the students around Phillips were shared widely on social media.[4] According to Phillips, he had walked into the crowd of boys in an attempt to defuse what he perceived as a conflict between them and a group of people who identified as Black Hebrew Israelites.[5] The boys were widely condemned for mocking and harassing Phillips, including by several lawmakers and by their school, and some people affiliated with the march described the boys as threatening due to their numbers, actions, and the "Make America Great Again" hats that a number of them wore. A student who is seen in the video standing closely faced by Phillips, released a statement to refute the negative characterization of the incident.[6] In the wake of the publication of a longer video of the incident, some have expressed doubt about the initial negative interpretation of the students' actions; others have maintained that the boys were harassing the group of Native Americans.[6]

Context

According to a January 18 article in the New York Daily News, the March was intended to build on the momentum of the 2016–2017 Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) protests, which had drawn attention to concerns of indigenous peoples globally.[7][2][Notes 1]

The organizers of this "grassroots effort"[8] include indigenous leaders, tribes, and celebrities, many of whom are part of the Indigenous Peoples Movement.[9] who acted as fundraiser and media facilitator,[10][10]

Program

The event began at 8:00 outside the Building of Interior Affairs, which runs the Bureau of Indian Affairs,[11] with opening songs, prayers and smudging with sage, a ceremony for cleansing our "eyes to see clearly, our mouths to speak the truth, and our hearts to spread love."[10] The marchers who chanted, sang, and drummed then walked towards the Lincoln Memorial from Constitution Avenue to 17th St. NW and through the National Mall.[10][12] Featured guests who spoke beside the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool included Ruth Buffalo, a North Dakota Representative and member of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation,[13] spoke at the Lincoln Memorial.[8] Paulette Jordan who had served on the Tribal Council, sovereign government of the Coeur d'Alene people and as a member of the Idaho House of Representatives from 2014 until 2018 when she ran for governor of Idaho.[14][8] Deb Haaland and Sharice Davids, the first Native American women elected to Congress, spoke at the March.[2] Haaland is a representative for New Mexico and a member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe; Davids is a representative for Kansas and a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation.[3][15]

Indigenous elders continued to speak, sing and drum even as the March for Life rally "began to overlap the Indigenous Peoples Movement among the stairs of the Lincoln Memorial."[10] Bhie-Cie Ledesma of the Western Shoshone/Washoe tribe said, "No one is illegal on stolen land. You’re on Indian land."[10]

The day ended with a a round dance on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial with chants of "We are still here."[16]

Issues

The March was intended to raise public awareness of issues that affect indigenous people worldwide, such as missing and murdered Indigenous women (MMIW),[8] the ravages of climate change, the 2018–19 United States federal government shutdown,[2] "voter suppression in Indian Country",[8] families divided by walls and borders, human trafficking including sex trafficking, police brutality against Native Americans,[2] "mistreatment of Indigenous peoples at the borders", and to protect Indigenous lands.[8] Marchers carried signs that said, "Water is Life" which is a theme of the Indigenous movement, "There is no O'Odham word for wall",[8] and "We will not be silenced."[17] They also "came to bring awareness of the ill-effects of oil pipelines running through Indian Country."[8]

Participants

Organizers expected about 10,000 people would attend.[3]

Native News Online said that "thousands of American Indians, Alaska Natives and other indigenous peoples from various parts of the world" attended the March.[8]

A delegation representing eight tribes from Oklahoma included Reverend David Wilson, a member of the Choctaw Nation and the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference superintendent.[18] Wilson said that half of his group were young American Indian Methodists in the group ranging in age from 20 to 32 "who are more inclined to work on issues of social justice, more so than other generations.... Social justice is in their DNA".[18]

Women carrying a banner calling attention to missing Indigenous women, wore red, and one woman carried a red dress, a symbol of the missing Indigenous women.[10]

Funding

Organizers raised funds through crowdfunding via Facebook, emails, GoFundMe, and other sites.[10]

Incident

An incident took place which a January 20 New York Times article described as an "explosive convergence of race, religion and ideological beliefs — against a national backdrop of political tension... The encounter became the latest touch point for racial and political tensions in America, with diverging views about what really had happened."[6] The incident involved some students who were part of a larger group of more than two hundred boys from the private, all-male Covington Catholic High School in Park Hills, Kentucky. They had traveled to Washington, D.C. to attend the pro-life March for Life rally and were gathering at their meeting point.[Notes 2] Omaha elder, activist, and Vietnam veteran Nathan Phillips, who was with a small group of people from the Indigenous Peoples' March, became the center of a media storm. According to CNN National Correspondent, Sara Sidner, who analyzed the full-length video of the entire incident, shortly after the end of the Indigenous Peoples' March and before Phillips and the students arrived on the scene, about five Black Hebrew Israelites, who were standing near the Lincoln Memorial, began "taunting...people of all colors, other black visitors, natives, and a Catholic priest".[19][20] As the students began to arrive to wait for their bus for their return trip to Kentucky, the black men began to shout directly at them.[19][6][21] More students arrived, and in response to the taunts by the Black Hebrew Israelites, the students performed school spirit chants,[19] including the Māori haka.[22][Notes 3]

After listening to the chants for about ten minutes,[23] in what Phillips later said he saw as a confrontation that had reached a "boiling point",[24] he walked towards the students to attempt to defuse the escalating tension. CNN's Sara Synder said that two minutes after one of the students took off his shirt to lead their haka dance, you could hear the "drum beat of Phillips and another Native American drummer in the video",[19] chanting the AIM Song, a Native American intertribal song.[24][25] Synder said that while some of the students danced to Phillip's drum and chanted along with him for awhile, they were not "enjoying each other's company".[19] Soon however, 64-year-old Phillips, found himself tightly "encircled" by about thirty students,[16] "many of them white and wearing apparel bearing the slogan of President Trump".[6] He continued to beat his ceremonial drum as a "boy wearing a red 'Make America Great Again' hat stood inches away"[6] staring him down with a smirk on his face.[26]

On January 18, videos of this encounter were widely shared through social media, including on Twitter and YouTube, with one January 18 video uploaded by KC Noland reaching two million viewers in two hours Saturday morning, January 19[27][28][29] and almost four and a half million by January 21.[30] Another video that went viral was filmed by Guam resident Kaya Taitano, who is currently a student at the University of the District of Columbia, and who attended the March. The video, which was posted by posted by CNN, showed "a smiling young man in a red Make America Great Again hat standing directly in front of Phillips while other students could be seen laughing, jumping around and making fun of Phillip's chants. Taitano told CNN the boys surrounded and mocked Phillips."[31] Tatiana said that she heard the students chant "build that wall" and "Trump 2020", but these chants were not audible in videos reviewed by CNN.[26][24][32][33] A January 21 statement by a PR company on behalf of a student denied that the students chanted this.[34][35][24][36]

A longer hour-and-a-half-long-video was made public on January 20 revealing the complexity of the incident.[19]

Response

The initial videos uploaded on January 18, resulted in backlash against the school and the students. In a brief interview on Twitter, Phillips responded to the alleged chants of "build that wall" by saying "This is Indigenous Land you know, we're not supposed to have walls here. We never did for millenniums before anybody else came here we never had walls. We never had a prison. We always took care of our elders and took care of our children. We always provided for them, we taught them right from wrong. I wish I could see that energy in that young mass of young men down there. To put that energy into making this country really great — helping those that are hungry..."[33] Phillips also alleged that the students had made racist comments throughout the day.[32] Some others affiliated with the march described the group of boys surrounding Phillips as threatening due to their numbers, actions, and "Make America Great Again" attire.[6]

Shortly after the event took place, the Covington Catholic communications director released a statement expressing regret that it had happened.[28] In a joint statement on January 19, the Diocese of Covington and the Covington Catholic High School extended apologies to Phillips, condemned the students' behavior, and said that after they reviewed the situation, they would "take appropriate action, up to and including expulsion."[37] A PR firm representing the student[34] who was recorded standing closely facing Phillips, released a statement where he alleged misinformation and "outright lies" were being spread about the incident. According to him, the situation began when a group of African-American protesters directed insults at the students, and the students responded with school spirit chants. The student said that he was confused when Phillips and other Native Americans subsequently approached him and the other students, and tried to remain calm to avoid trouble. In his statement, he said he "did not witness or hear any students chant 'build that wall' or anything hateful or racist at any time."[24][32][35]

The organizers of the March for Life initially released a statement criticizing the students' "reprehensible" behavior, but rescinded it on January 20, saying "It is clear from new footage and additional accounts that there is more to this story than the original video captured."[32][38]

According to a CBC News report, Ruth Buffalo, said the students' disrespect of what was meant to have been a "celebration of all cultures" saddened her. She added, "The behaviour shown in that video is just a snapshot of what Indigenous people have faced and are continuing to face."[39] Buffalo suggested "some kind of meeting with the students to provide education on issues facing Native Americans."[39] House Representative Haaland wrote, "The students' display of blatant hate, disrespect, and intolerance is a signal of how common decency has decayed under this administration. Heartbreaking."[27] Alison Lundergan Grimes, Secretary of State of Kentucky, described the scene as "horrific" and said the students' actions did not reflect Kentucky's values. She wrote, "I refuse to shame these children. Instead I turn to the adults that are teaching them and those that are silently letting others promote this behavior. This is not the Kentucky I know and love. We can do better and it starts with better leadership."[40]

Kentucky Representative Thomas Massie wrote that after watching videos from four different cameras he believed the media had misrepresented the incident and that "In the context of everything that was going on (which the media hasn’t shown) the parents and mentors of these boys should be proud, not ashamed, of their kids’ behavior."[41]

Chase Iron Eyes, a spokesperson for the Indigenous People's March and an attorney for the Lakota People's Law Project,[31] who witnessed the incident, said that "Conservative people are fearful now—with the election to congress of our first two Native American women, Deb Haaland and Sharice Davids, and so many other powerful women...But yesterday the world saw, whether it was live media or social media, the fight ahead of us can be won—if we are united."[16]

Another Indigenous Peoples March organizer, Nathalie Farfan said, "The good news is, that connection to the sacred may have resonated with some of the Catholic youths. What is not being shown on the video [the KC Noland February 18 video] is that the same youth and a few others became emotional because of the power, resilience and love we inherently carry in our DNA. Our day on those steps ended with a round dance, while we chanted, 'We are still here.'"[16]

The Twitter account "@2020fight" which uploaded the minute-long video showing Phillips and the Covington students but not the preceding events was suspended because "Deliberate attempts to manipulate the public conversation on Twitter by using misleading account information is a violation of the Twitter Rules." The account purported to be of a Californian teacher but used the image of a Brazilian blogger.[42]

Media coverage

The Washington Post described the Indigenous Peoples' March as "meaningful"[43] and an example of how Native Americans will not be silenced. The article drew attention to Donald Trump's joking about the Wounded Knee Massacre to mock the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, Elizabeth Warren.[44][Notes 4][45] The Post also wrote in a separate article that the "tense encounter in Washington prompted outrage".[4]

Notes

  1. ^ The protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline construction, which had been rerouted through the Standing Rock Indian Reservation under Lake Oahe and the Missouri River, began in the spring of 2016 and ended in 2017, but supplemental complaints were still being filed in court in October 2018 the most recent in a list of dozens of litigation documents. One of President Trump’s first Presidential Memoranda was signed on January 24, 2017, and authorized the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Presidential Memorandum Regarding Construction of the Dakota Access, which according to a January 24, 2017 BBC article, "infuriated environmentalists."
  2. ^ The March For Life also had a permit for a First Amendment demonstrations on the National Mall on that day. According to The Cut, CovCath sends an annual delegation of its students to attend the anti-abortion March For Life in Washington.
  3. ^ The Haka is a traditional ceremonial dance or challenge in Māori culture that has been adopted in popular culture, often in sports. According to the AP reporters, Chief Quese Imc said that he felt "the students were mocking the dance."
  4. ^ Warren has often been criticized for her claim of Native American ancestry. See Beinart's article in The Atlantic.

References

  1. ^ Massimo, Rick (January 16, 2019). "The Indigenous People's March: What you need to know". WTOP. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e Braine, Theresa (January 18, 2019). "Indigenous People's March highlights environmental decline, violence against Native women, amid optimism". New York Daily News. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c Cai, Kenrick (January 17, 2019). "Native American couple to speak at indigenous people's march". The Herald Sun. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  4. ^ a b Olivo, Antonio; Wootson Jr, Cleve R.; Heim, Joe (January 19, 2019). "'It was getting ugly': Native American drummer on the MAGA-hat wearing teens who surrounded him". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  5. ^ Politi, Daniel (January 20, 2019). "Native American Elder Says He Approached MAGA-Clad Teens to Defuse Argument With Black Protesters". Slate Magazine. Retrieved January 20, 2019. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Mervosh, Sarah; Rueb, Emily S. (January 20, 2019). "Fuller Picture Emerges of Viral Video Between Native American Man and Catholic Students". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  7. ^ "Trump backs controversial oil pipelines". January 24, 2017. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i Charles, Mark; Thompson, Darren (January 19, 2019). Rickert, Levi (ed.). "Photographs of Indigenous Peoples March in Washington, D.C." Native News Online. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  9. ^ Reinstein, Julia; Baer, Stephanie K. (January 20, 2019). "The MAGA Hat–Wearing Teens Who Taunted A Native American Elder Could Be Expelled". BuzzFeed. Retrieved January 21, 2019. What we saw yesterday, the display surrounding Mr. Phillips, is emblematic of the state of our discourse in Trump's America. It clearly demonstrates the validity of our concerns about the marginalization and disrespect of Indigenous peoples, and it shows that traditional knowledge is being ignored by those who should listen most closely.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h Lee, Danielle (January 18, 2019). "First Indigenous Peoples March takes place in Washington DC". The Free Lance-Star. Fredericksburg. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  11. ^ Chiu, Lisa (January 18, 2019). This is why Native Americans are marching on Washington. YouTube via CGTN TV. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  12. ^ Elena Piechundefined (Director) (January 18, 2019). 360 Video: Indigenous Peoples' March 2019, Washington D.C. Event occurs at 243 seconds. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  13. ^ Astor, Maggie. "Meet the Native American Woman Who Beat the Sponsor of North Dakota's ID Law". New York Times. Retrieved 2018-11-21.
  14. ^ Spence, William L. (February 14, 2018). "Governor candidate may still resign her legislative seat". Idaho Statesman. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  15. ^ Hignett, Katherine (November 7, 2018). "Who is Sharice Davids? Kansas Democrat becomes first openly LGBT Native American woman elected to House". Newsweek. Retrieved January 19, 2019. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  16. ^ a b c d Nelson, Daniel Paul (January 20, 2019). "Marchers for Life Harass Indigenous Elder at Indigenous Peoples March" (PDF). Lakota People’s Law Project. Press Statements. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  17. ^ Ryan, Lisa (January 18, 2019). "Mob of MAGA Hat-Wearing Teen Boys Caught on Video Harassing Native Elder". The Cut. Retrieved January 19, 2019. The Cut quoted an Instagram post, "As we tried to move through the crowd, they closed in tighter around us, and wouldn't allow anyone to pass. It was obvious that they wanted any excuse for the day to turn violent. They repeatedly 'bumped' into us, trying to agitate people into confrontation. But instead, the very few of us left stood quietly, trying to remain calm. I was seething with anger and rage and disappointment. I was so confused about why these boys would go out of their way to harass such a small, vulnerable group."
  18. ^ a b Hinton, Carla (January 19, 2019). "Oklahoma Methodists participate in Indigenous People's March". News OK. Oklahoma City. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  19. ^ a b c d e f Sidner, Sara (January 21, 2019). "CNN.com". Transcripts. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  20. ^ "New video emerges in Lincoln Memorial encounter". KAVU-TV. Crossroads Today. January 21, 2019. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  21. ^ Mervosh, Sarah (January 19, 2019). "Boys in 'Make America Great Again' Hats Mob Native Elder at Indigenous Peoples March". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  22. ^ Karoub, Jeff; Beam, Adam (January 21, 2019). "Teen in confrontation with Native American: I didn't provoke". AP News. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  23. ^ Tobin, Olivia (January 20, 2019). "Covington Catholic High School: Outrage as teens in MAGA hats 'mock' Native American Vietnam War veteran". London Evening Standard. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  24. ^ a b c d e Johnson, Alex (January 21, 2019). "Young man in D.C. march video denounces 'outright lies' about him". NBC News. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  25. ^ Schilling, Vincent (January 19, 2019). "Outrage as non-Native youth wearing #MAGA hats taunt and disrespect Native elder". Indian Country Today. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  26. ^ a b Grinberg, Emanuella (January 21, 2019). "A new video shows a different side of the encounter between a Native American elder and teens in MAGA hats". CNN. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  27. ^ a b "Haaland condemns students' behavior toward Native elder at Indigenous Peoples March". The Hill. January 18, 2019. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  28. ^ a b Londberg, Max (January 19, 2019). "School faces backlash after incident at Indigenous Peoples March". Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  29. ^ "Local high school 'looking into' incident at march in D.C." WCPO. January 19, 2019. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  30. ^ Noland, KC (January 18, 2019). Indigenous Peoples March Washington, D.C. YouTube. Event occurs at 3:44 minutes. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  31. ^ a b Brookbank, Sarah; Londberg, Max (January 21, 2019). "Video shot by Guam resident at Indigenous Peoples March: What we know". Pacific Daily News via Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  32. ^ a b c d Miller, Michael E. (January 21, 2019). "A tribal elder and a high school junior stood face to face, and the world reacted". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 21, 2019. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  33. ^ a b Gallucci, Nicole (January 18, 2019). "Teens in MAGA hats sparked outrage after crashing the Indigenous Peoples March". Mashable. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  34. ^ a b "US teen denies mocking Native American". January 21, 2019. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  35. ^ a b "Statement of Nick Sandmann, Covington Catholic High School junior, regarding incident at the Lincoln Memorial". CNN. January 20, 2019. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  36. ^ Brookbank, Sarah (20 January 2019). "Analysis: What the video from the incident at the Indigenous Peoples March tell us about what happened". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
  37. ^ "'Blatant racism': Ky. high school faces backlash after video shows students surrounding indigenous marchers". USA Today. January 18, 2019. Retrieved January 19, 2019. We condemn the actions of the Covington Catholic High School students towards Nathan Phillips specifically, and Native Americans in general, Jan. 18, after the March for Life, in Washington, D.C. We extend our deepest apologies to Mr. Phillips. This behavior is opposed to the Church's teachings on the dignity and respect of the human person.
  38. ^ March for Life [@March_for_Life] (January 20, 2019). "It is clear from new footage and additional accounts that there is more to this story than the original video captured. We will refrain from commenting further until the truth is understood. (2/2)" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  39. ^ a b "U.S. diocese investigating after students mock Indigenous demonstrator". CBC News. January 18, 2019. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  40. ^ Martinez, Gina (January 19, 2019). "Kentucky Teens Wearing 'MAGA' Hats Taunt Indigenous Peoples March Participants in Viral Video". Time. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  41. ^ Birnbaum, Emily (January 20, 2019). "Massie claims media misrepresented Covington Catholic incident]". The Hill. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |newspaper= (help)
  42. ^ O'Sullivan, Donie (22 January 2019). "Twitter suspends account that helped ignite controversy over viral encounter". CNN. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  43. ^ "A meaningful march days after Trump joked about a Native American massacre". The Washington Post. January 18, 2019. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  44. ^ "Trump's Use of Wounded Knee to Mock Elizabeth Warren Angers Native Americans - The New York Times". January 14, 2019. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  45. ^ Beinart, Peter (January 2, 2019). "There's a Reason Many Voters Have Negative Views of Warren—But the Press Won't Tell You Why". The Atlantic. Retrieved January 3, 2019. The better explanation for why Warren attracts disproportionate conservative criticism, and has disproportionately high disapproval ratings, has nothing to do with her progressive economic views or her dalliance with DNA testing. It's that she's a woman.
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