Silent Genocide

Can’t say that I would argue with singer Billie Elish’s statement made when she accepted her 2026 Grammy Award for Song of the Year.  She stated, “No one is illegal on stolen land.”  This is in reference to the war being waged on immigrants by the Trump administration.  The land our nation claims is land stolen—not bought and paid for—from the original people who inhabited it.  History clearly documents the “land grab”.  In this way, we are all immigrants.  outside of Native Americans, all of us originated from somewhere else . . .came from somewhere else . . . immigrated here. 

 

I can’t argue with that because it is true.  Ms. Eilish caught some flack over the statement because it seems that her home—a multi-million-dollar mansion—sits on “stolen land”.  That land originally belonged to the Tongva Tribal Nation.  The tribe acknowledged this fact but stated that the singer has never contacted them about the land.  They appreciate the acknowledgement of the land as “indigenous” but question her sincerity.  They kind of see it as a “prayer and thoughts” sort of statement. 

 

No one wants to be called a hypocrite.  A day or two after the Grammy Awards, Ms. Eilish put out a statement about a recent ancestry test she took.  The test revealed that she had a small percentage of Native American heritage in her family background.  A DNA test. The test confirmed that she was 1/164th Native American.  Though she doesn’t agree, the implication is that “technically” she has a right to the land that her mansion sits on.  She acknowledges that being “native” is more than a number from a DNA test.  That just shows the person where he or she comes from.  Real proof comes in honoring the land, history, culture, and living communities. 

 

Though Ms. Eilish understands this, there are a lot of people who see her 1/164th score as validation of her indigenous heritage and place in a tribe.  Lots of people believe this.  They believe it because that is the great American myth and most are ignorant of history and reality. 

From the beginning, the goal of the people who settled here and formed our nation was the land.  To own the land, they need to remove the inhabitants already occupying it. They used concepts like the “Doctrine of Discovery” and “Manifest Destiny” to justify their actions.  Our nation was built upon these ideologies.  Colonialization—plain and simple. But to work the inhabitants either had to be removed, assimilated, or eliminated . . . they had to disappear.  

 

History paints the story if we want to delve deeper than the white-washed garbage the present administration wants to sell us.  From the beginning of our nation, the original inhabitants were to be removed—even extinguished.  Pushed westward from their lands, found, massacred, poisoned with disease, starved as their food sources were annihilated, rounded up, placed on reservations, made to assimilate, boarding schools . . . all designed to rid the land of these people.  To get rid of them.  Genocide.  History shows this movement of genocide.  

 

General Philip Sheridan in 1869 declared, “The only good Indian I ever saw is a dead Indian.”  This became “The only good Indian is a dead Indian.”  Richard Pratt, founder of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania (model for all boarding schools), in 1879, had this to say, “Kill the Indian, save the man.”  Both were staunch in their goals of getting rid of the “Indian problem” . . . both had their methods of genocide.  The goal was removal and the mans was genocide.  Look it up. Plenty has been written and is being written about it.  It is the wiping out of people and their cultures. 

 

Thank goodness our nation no longer practices genocide . . . right?  I suppose, considering the present administration’s immigration policies and activities, that statement is debatable.  It sure feels like genocide no matter how much this administration wraps it up in “red, white, and blue”.  If you ask the Native American tribes, they will tell you that genocide is alive and well.  Instead of blatant it is more subtle . . . almost silent, but it is still there.  Which brings me back to Ms. Eilish and this idea of DNA or blood as the definitive solution to who us a Native American. 

 

Blood quantum—a controversial, colonial-era policy measuring the amount of “Indian blood” a person possesses to determine Native American identity and tribal enrollment. 

 

The goal of blood quantum is not to quantify “Indianness” but to bring “Indianness” or “Indians” to the state of extinction.  To make them disappear.  This is not a scientific-based method—there is no science that grounds it.  The only “science” might be the fact that if this practice continues there will be no Indians/Native Americans remaining—no tribes—they will be eliminated through simple math.  Blood quantum is not real.  It is made up.  Created to extinguish Native Americans.  Silent genocide.  

 

Tailyr Irvine is a photojournalist whose work has been published in National Geographic, the New York Times, the Smithsonian, the Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal. She has hosted shows across the country.  She has been on the national Public Broadcasting System’s programs.  She is a registered member of the Salish and Kootenai Tribal Nation on the Flathead Reservation in Montana.  She shares the stories of life and culture from the Native side.  One story that intrigued and bothered her was about blood quantum.  The result was a documentary story, Reservation Mathematics: Navigating Love in Native America.  Ms. Irvine states that this “not real” issue “focuses on how the government-imposed system of blood quantum affects who Natives marry, who they have kids with, who they spend their life with and how this number dictates one of the intimate choices that we have.”  The end result is extinction.  Take a moment to watch her as she explains this silent genocide.  There is a short version at this link, or a longer version that explains it in greater deal at this link.  She tells the story well. 

 

Ms. Eilish’s statement pulled back the curtain hiding the long-held secret of genocide against Native Americans who were the original inhabitants of our nation.  It still exists.  It is still practiced.  Amazingly the Native Americans are a resilient people who have survived this continuing onslaught of purposeful extinction.  And, yes, it will continue.  As the Trump administration has demonstrated since Day One, there is an on-going cleansing of America hidden behind ridding our country of illegal immigrants.  It is “cleansing”.  It is an act of aggression.  An act of cruelty.  All aimed at ridding our nation of people of color. We witness it daily.  Because their skin and culture are not “white” . . . they must go. 

 

I have Native American friends who now carry tribal documents stating that they are American citizens.  Proof that they belong.  I am scared for them.  I am scared for my neighbor who is Hispanic.  He is a naturalized citizen of the United States.  A legal resident who has jumped through all the hoops, signed all the papers, and sworn allegiance to the country.  But I watch daily to see if unmarked vehicles will come, a knock upon his door, and him being escorted away.  Not only him, but others.  Not only people of color, but people of gender.  A couple, gay, live on the corner of the street.  The vile rhetoric and treatment against the LGBTQ+ have made me fear for them.  They are not wanted by the present administration.  Actions speak louder than words and demonstrate this fact.  No one is safe who is contrary to the present administration’s desires and whims . . . no one.  

These are scary times.  We are witnessing the act of genocide cloaked in patriotism . . . draped in “red, white, and blue”.  We cannot turn away.  We must ally ourselves with those who are being attacked.  If not . . . well, remember the words of Pastor Martim Niemoller: 

First they came for the Communists 

And I did not speak out 

Because I was not a Communist 

Then they came for the Socialists 

And I did not speak out 

Because I was not a Socialist 

Then they came for the trade unionists 

And I did not speak out 

Because I was not a trade unionist 

Then they came for the Jews 

And I did not speak out 

Because I was not a Jew 

Then they came for me 

And there was no one left 

To speak out for me 

 

Someday: In Plain Sight

We are creatures of habit.

My daily routine is to read the newspaper first thing in the morning.  This used to be done sitting at the kitchen table with a nice cup of hot tea.  Though those days are gone thanks to the continuing demise of “paper” newspapers, I still read the news first thing in the morning except now it is on my computer.  And, yes, I still have the cup of hot tea as I scan the news.  Though it is not the same . . . the feel and crinkling of paper at my fingertips . . . ink smears on my hands . . . all gone to the past, yet I get the news.

 

Last week as I was going through the pages I caught a glimpse of a photograph.  The photo was not associated with any article.  It was just there.  Newspapers often do this . . . throw in a picture . . . as a filler for the page.  Apparently, some editor thought this picture would fit that purpose.  Whatever the case, it caught my attention.  The picture was of a mannequin with a red dress sitting on top of a power box in a vacant lot in downtown Billings—a location I drive by several times a day going and coming from my work at the university.  The photo was the first time that I saw it.  Not once did I see it as I made my daily commute. 

 

The mannequin was sitting at one of the busiest intersections in Billings . . . yet, somehow, I missed it.  But it caught my attention while reading the newspaper.  The photo’s caption noted that “the mannequin, which was installed without explanation, was only displayed a short time.”  It went on to explain that the lot it was sitting on has been vacant since the demolition of Burger King and the US Bank with no plans for redevelopment publicly made at this time. That was it . . . no further explanation . . . no further exploration of its meaning . . . just good ol’ filler . . . something to take up space.

 

I expect more from journalists . . . expect them to use their minds . . . to do a little homework . . . to show even a little curiosity.  No explanation?  No explanation!  The editor must be new to Montana . . . new to Indian Country.  Come on . . . it is a “red dress”!  Since 2010, the “red dress” has been a powerful symbol within the indigenous nations of Canada and the United States.  Created by Metis artist Jaime Black the “red dress” is used to draw attention and create dialogue on the issue of missing or murdered indigenous women . . . to point to the gendered and racialized nature of violent crimes against Native women and to evoke a presence through the marking of absence.  Annually there is a day set aside to commemorate and bring attention to this important issue and is known as “REDress Day” across both countries.  It is an issue that is epidemic.

 

On an empty lot at the intersection of 27^th and 6^th Streets was a silent, yet powerful statement that escaped most people’s attention.

 

This shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise . . . after all, such a topic or issue is not on the radar of most the population as the prominent race in the state of Montana is “white”.  The indigenous or Native American population is approximately seven percent in Montana.  It is not a “white” issue.  Despite being in plain sight, we are talking about an invisible population . . . one that is not often invited to the table.

 

But why argue with history . . . even though the history is wrong.  From the beginning there has only been one course of direction when it comes to the indigenous and that is to eliminate them.  History shows it.  Genocide is the method . . . even today . . . it is just more sophisticated and subtle.

 

Take for instance the recent scuttlebutt with the remarks of the Republican U.S. senate candidate Tim Sheehy about Native Americans.  Several recordings from speeches he gave at fundraisers last year are plaguing his campaign and getting him branded as a racist.  Statements that tribes and tribal leaders within and outside of Montana are demanding a public apology . . . one that has yet to come.

 

In one statement he is heard saying, “Great way to bond with all the Indians, to be out there while they’re drunk at 8A.M.”  In another he describes riding in the annual Crow Fair parade, “If you know a tough crowd, you want to go to the Crow rez.  They let you know whether they like you or not—there’s Coors Light cans flying by your head riding by.”  Hard to believe in the 21^st century, but here it is as reported by Billings KTVQ News.

 

Not the smartest thing to say and then have show up in a tight race that is only a few percentage points separating the two candidates!  With a difference of six percentage points between the two candidates and the indigenous population at nearly seven percent of the state’s population, I don’t think it serves Mr. Sheehy well to be insulting a base that could be the determining factor in the election.

 

Talk about a “red dress” statement!  Again, spoken in plain sight but slipping by most of the people.  Outside of the news stations, civil rights groups, and the tribes themselves there does not seem to be much credence being put into the situation by the average Montanan.  Instead, it seems to be greeted with a wink of the eye . . . a misinformed acknowledgement based on old stereotypes and racist beliefs.  But what would you expect . . . we are creatures of habit.

 

“Habit” is “a settled tendency or usual manner of behavior” . . . “an acquired mode of behavior that has become nearly or completely involuntary” . . . “a behavior pattern acquired by frequent repetition or physiologic exposure that shows itself in regularity or increased facility of performance” . . . a “manner of conducting oneself”.  Our habits inform the way that we see or not see the world and the people of the world around us.  We are used to it; thus we don’t flinch or even see a mannequin in a red dress on an empty lot.  We don’t squirm when racist stereotypes are flung around in our presence, or we laugh. That is our habit . . . we are used to it.  The world and the people of the world are invisible even though they are there in plain sight.  Or at least they are if they are not “one of us” . . . if they are not white.

 

I want to see.

 

I do not want to get caught in a mode of privilege because I was lucky enough to have white skin.  I do not want to think of myself as better than any other person—again, because of my skin color . . . or my education, economic level, physical ability, nationality, political party, gender, or anything that is a part of my identity.  I do not want to be a creature of habit that cannot see the world or the people around me for the wonderful, diverse, creative, unique gifts created by the Holy.  I do not want to be blind to the “holy” around me and the potential for what could be.

 

No, I want to open my eyes and see . . . open my ears and hear . . . open my heart and love.  I want to embrace life.  I want to acknowledge that which others do not or cannot see though it is in plain sight for all to see.  I do not want to be a creature of habit because that limits the world and the people who inhabit it . . . it places it in a box . . . it denies the “holy”.

 

I want to live . . . and I want others to join in.

 

In the movie American Beauty, one of the characters is a teenage loner who is viewed by the other characters as a misfit who doesn’t fit in or belong.  His name is Ricky.  In the movie there is a scene in which he is explaining how in awe of the world he is . . . a world that is there, but no one seems to see.  He says: “It was one of those days when it’s a minute away from snowing, and there’s this electricity in the air, you can almost hear it. And this bag was just, dancing with me, like a little kid beggin’ me to play with it – for fifteen minutes. And that’s the day I realized that there was this entire life behind things, and this incredibly benevolent force that wanted me to know that there was no reason to be afraid, ever. Video’s a poor excuse, I know. But it helps me remember – I need to remember. Sometimes, there’s so much beauty in the world – I feel like I can’t take it, like my heart is just going to cave in.” (See it here.)

 

Ricky also says: “It's hard to stay mad when there's so much beauty in the world. Sometimes I feel like I'm seeing it all at once, and it's too much, my heart fills up like a balloon that's about to burst. And then I remember to relax, and stop trying to hold on to it, and then it flows through me like rain and I can't feel anything but gratitude for every single moment of my stupid little life. You have no idea what I'm talking about, I'm sure. But don't worry, you will someday.”

 

I am tired of living in a world filled with anger and fear . . . and so are many others.  The beauty of the world . . . of others . . . of the Holy . . . is all around us, yet invisible because we our blind to our habits and fears.  It is there . . . in plain sight . . . waiting.  Waiting for us burst forth from our chains that bind us to the way that we have always done life . . . to break our habit.  As you Ricky says, “You have no idea what I'm talking about, I'm sure. But don't worry, you will someday.”

 

Someday . . . can’t you feel it?  Can’t you see it?  Someday.