Land acknowledgements, and to honor the #MMIWG by listening to one of the survivors.

"During the American period, Indian female children were sold for $200 pursuant to state indenture laws, while Indian adults were hunted as bounties. The militias were paid 50 cents to $5 per scalp.

In 1860, the California government spent $1.6 million on the hunting of Native Peoples. This would equate to $46,400,000 today. When white men would bring in a scalp, it would drip with blood in order for them to trade for their money. Hence the term redskin, which is the name of Washington, DC’s football team. This term embodies genocide of Native American people, yet the capital city of our country wears it proudly.

The history of California is gruesome and cruel, yet Native American people were able to endure multiple waves of genocide while still cultivating their connection to culture. Native American Peoples’ existence today is resistance in itself.

We were not expected to survive 300 massacres in California and many more across the country. We were told to kill the Indian and save the man by suppressing our ceremonial practices, stories, and languages.

Today we stand stronger than ever as we initiate the movement from symbolism to reality. The history of my ancestors must be respected and learned, because in order to respect the Earth, we must respect Indigenous Peoples.

This history is not a plot for the next blockbuster movie."

#OpenFacts

https://bioneers.org/jayden-lim-my-culture-is-not-a-costume/