LaSells fills for speaker on activism and choice

Once a vice presidential hopeful running with Ralph Nader, LaDukespeaks on a variety of issues

By: Aleks Cherednichenko

Posted: 3/8/07

Winona LaDuke's lecture "Politics, Motherhood and Environmental Justice" filled the LaSells Stewart Center on Wednesday. This internationally recognized Native American activist, environmentalist and author delivered her message of activism and choice through personal stories of her tribe, the Anishinaabeg-Objibwe (sometimes known as the Chippewa).

She is also a two-time vice presidential candidate on the Green Party ticket with Ralph Nader, running in 1996 and 2000.

The speaker gave a greeting to the audience in her native language. The entire lecture consisted of personal stories involving LaDuke and her tribe on the White Earth reservation in Minnesota, but the issues affecting that small community are global, she said.

The audience was filled with students and community members; there was not a single empty seat left and many sat on the floor to listen.

Some people, like Miriam Chandhary, a senior majoring in industrial engineering, came to the lecture simply because she found the topic interesting. Others, like Emily Ferris, an anthropology student, were familiar with her work and found it relevant to their studies.

The event was sponsored by the Women's Center, Native American Collaborative Institute and the Indian Education office.

"We decided to invite her as a speaker because she has been a prominent social justice activist for nearly three decades, and why not invite a strong woman leader such as Winona?" said Heather Ebba Maib, activism and outreach coordinator for the Women's Center.

"Democracy is not a spectator sport," LaDuke said. This mother of three and Harvard graduate, founding director of the White Earth Land Recovery project and winner of many prestigious awards, is driven by her family and heritage.

Issues of corporate greed, environmental decay, and federal land regulations were tied into stories of LaDuke's effort to raise her children.

"What I do, it's not activism. I call it responsible parenting," LaDuke said.

"I teach my kids not to steal. I think that's a familiar lesson in our society," LaDuke said. "But how am I suppose to teach my kids that when my people's land was taken away, and now 90 percent of it is controlled by the federal government?"

She brought up the example of the Winema National Forest in Oregon, land that belonged to the indigenous people in the region and is now federal property. "The only compensation for land is land," LaDuke said.

A lesson which isn't taught in American culture is to avoid greed, said LaDuke. "We never ask how people get rich. We don't care," she said.

LaDuke presented the audience with the hard reality of wealth disparity not just in America, but all around the world. Quoting statistics from a United Nations study, the 220 richest people in the world have the same combined income as the bottom 2.5 billion people.

"Ethics and morals of such greed should be addressed," LaDuke said. She noted that in indigenous communities like her own, the accumulation of wealth takes a backseat to distribution, which takes the form of an annual ceremony performed on the White Earth reservation.

"I tell my kids to clean up their mess before starting another one," LaDuke said. She pointed to the U.S. military and the nuclear industry as the largest polluters in the world. "The nuclear industry is an example of overuse of technology, and this is a general health problem for our society," LaDuke said.

"America does not know how to say sorry - not socially, politically or environmentally," LaDuke said.

Responsibility for one's mistakes was the final lesson of the lecture. "The reality is that it took awhile to get things screwed up and it will be awhile before it gets fixed," LaDuke said.

LaDuke also spoke to the audience about one of the causes she is committed to - keeping wild rice from being genetically engineered. Recently, the University of Minnesota has bid for the right to genetically engineer wild rice, a food sacred to the Ojibwe Indians. That is something that LaDuke does not intend to let happen.

"Change is made by the hands of individuals," LaDuke said. "If you want to live with dignity you have to make it for yourself."