Ofelia Rivas In protest we write…

While preparing to to write my own short reflection on the current “occupy” movement I asked Ofelia Rivas if she would like to contribute to the zine as well. Here is her letter. This will also be in the new Don’t just (re)occupy zine.

Thank you again so much for your contribution Ofelia! For more news from Ofelia and ways you can support her efforts please see: the O’odham Solidarity Project page.

O’odham VOICE Against the WALL
O’odham Rights Human Rights
Ofelia Rivas
P.O. Box 1835
Sells, Arizona 85634
October 10, 2011

In protest we write these foreign words as this is not our natural language, our O’odham language is not a written language which has existed in its oral form since the beginning of the world;

We declare our allegiance to Mother Earth and the Natural World. We are natural people of this world and original people of these lands now known as southern Arizona, United States and northern Sonora, Mexico.

We denounce the physical manipulation and destruction and alteration of the natural lands and people.

We denounce the contamination of the lands, water and air,

We denounce the destruction of mountains, waterways and natural habitats of people, animals and plants,

We denounce the alteration of human life, animal and plant life as well as all mountains and waterways and natural habitats,

We denounce the illegal bisection of our lands and illegal occupation by two foreign countries, the United States and Mexico,

We denounce the militarization of our lands, every day of the year, every hour of the day there is presence of armed military in helicopters, jets and airplanes and unmanned airplanes, on jeeps, high profile trucks and pick-up trucks, on all-terrain vehicles and dirt bikes, and on horseback,

We denounce the United States government aided and staged drug wars on our lands,

We denounce the United States enforcement of Immigration policies on the O’odham the original people of the lands,

We denounce the criminalization and de-humanizing of the O’odham, the original people of the lands;

by three military check points existing the present Tohono O’odham Nation Indian Reservation,

by monitoring and the surveillance of O’odham communities,

by demanding of proof of citizenship of O’odham in our communities,

by unwarranted illegal home invasions in O’odham communities,

by illegal searches and detainments and deportation of O’odham,

by physical and mental abuse and de-humanizing of the O’odham in our communities,

by restriction of access to original O’odham lands.

We denounce the ongoing alteration of our people through forced indoctrination through religions, forced assimilation and acculturation.

We are the original people of these lands and we hereby demand you to stop the destruction, contamination and alteration of our home, the Natural World.

We are the O’odham, the original people of these lands, demand the restoration of our Human Rights and Right to Exist and Live by own sovereign government on our Original Ancestral lands.