An Interview with Ofelia Rivas of "O'odham Voice Against The Wall"
Interviewed By Jeff Hendricks

Imperialism – lately this word has been re-entering debate and speech around the country.  For the most part these days, the word
imperialism is being used to describe the actions of the United States Government as it seeks to gain control over Middle Eastern
governments and economies.  The continuing occupation of Iraq by the United States is the best example of this neo-imperialism.

But imperialism is not limited to lands across the oceans, and the United States Government is currently engaged in the occupation of
lands much closer to home.  We must never forget that the very lands claimed by the Government of the United States in North America
are claimed by nothing other than the right of conquest.  The United States Government is a Government of occupation here in North
America and the lands that it continues to claim and occupy are in spirit still the autonomous territories of the indigenous tribes that
existed here before the first European colonists stepped foot on the continent.  

Since 9-11 the United States government has ratcheted up its attacks against the indigenous residents of the United States.  In southern
Arizona, these attacks have come in the guise of borderland defense. The traditional O’odham residents of southern Arizona have
become the victims of a joint program carried out by the Department of Homeland Security and the Border Patrol to build a border wall
across the entire 330 mile U.S / Mexico border, a 65 mile section of which will run along the southern edge of the Tohono O’odham
reservation.  This wall will effectively cut in half the traditional territory of the O’odham and serve to isolate O’odham villages that exist on
opposite sides of the international border. To justify the building of this wall the government has once again used the fear of terrorism, as
has become common since 9/11, to advance its fascistic imperialist interests.

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Related Links
Our Way Of Life
Ofelia Rivas

The O’odham way of life is based on the land that has held
the remains of our ancestors since the creation of this world.
The O’odham did not migrate from anywhere according to our
oral history.  Our creation tellings record our history and teach
the O’odham the principles of life. The survival of O’odham
today is our him’dag.

The Tohono O’odham Nation’s collaboration with the
Department of Homeland Security's inhumane border policies
is an outright violation of the O’odham him’dag - the traditional
O’odham way of life. Although the Tohono O’odham Nation is a
sovereign nation, it has no control of it’s lands and has no
control over the administration of it’s own tribal form of
government. Without true sovereignty, the tribal government
lacks the authority and ability to denounce the abuses of
human life and the irreparable destruction of the natural
habitat of our relatives - the plant life and animal life. This in
direct violation of the O’odham principles of life.

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THE O'ODHAM
VOICE AGAINST THE WALL

The O'odham VOICE Against the WALL is organizing and
advocating for the traditional O'odham leaders of the O'odham
communities in the Southern Territory of Mexico and the
Northern Territory of the United States.

The O'odham VOICE Against the WALL is training O'odham
youth on Indigenous Rights and O'odham Rights.

The O'odham VOICE Against the WALL is training O'odham
youth to recognize Human Rights violations and O'odham
Rights violations.

The O'odham VOICE Against the WALL is training O'odham
youth to document Human Rights violations and O'odham
Rights violations through creative writing, photography, video
film making and artistic expression, such as music, artworks
and spoken word.

Wish List:  travel funds, cameras, film supply, video camera
and film, computer equipment, website...
Community Needs:  a community work truck, legal
assistance, grant writing, sustainable economic development...
Direct cash donations are also essential!
Please remember that every little bit helps!
Donate to the O'odham Voice Against the Wall

Mail well concealed cash or money order to:
PO. Box 1835
Sells, Arizona  85634
Donate $10 or more online through
this webiste  to the O'odham Voice
Against the Wall and receive a
solidarity sticker to show your support.
(Sticker is pictured at left and printed
on vinyl)
Resistance and Collaboration:
O'odham Responses to U.S. Invasion

By Jeff Hendricks


This is a short historical paper dealing with O'odham  responses to colonization.  
The paper begins with a short overview of Spanish Colonization and moves through the
Mexican Period and into the period of United States colonial control of the O'odham territory.

This paper uses United States Indian policy as a lens to view O'odham history.  The primary
purpose of this study is to give a historical context to O'odham struggles for Tribal Autonomy
in the midst of Colonial occupation and repression.  In addition, this paper also challenges
the progress narrative of "civilization" and gives many examples of how the historical
struggle of the Traditional O'odham to maintain their autonomy has in fact been a struggle
against "civilization" it-self.

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NEWS, INFORMATION
AND EVENTS
- June 1, 2009
Press Release:  Protest to take place
Friday, June 5, 2009 at 12:00 p.m  at the
municipal building in Sonoyta, Sonora, to
demand No Toxic Waste Dump or Border
Wall on O’odham Lands.

- May 6, 2009
Reports from the May 6, 2009 International
Day of Action: "No Toxic Dump or Border
Wall onO'odham Lands!"

- March, 28  2009
Solidarity Gathering Against Toxic Dump
Proposal Near Sacred Site of Quitovac;
Resolution Against the Dump is Adopted

- December, 2009
Traditional O'odham Activist Ofelia Rivas
Delilvers Statement to Zapatista Gathering
Dignia Rabina

- July, 2008
Temporary Victory:  Quitovac toxic dump
haulted for now.  Read the letter from the
EPA

- July, 2008
Washington DC Press Conference
Statement: O'odham Voice Against the Wall

- May, 2008
Tohono O'odham Nation Chairman
Denounces DHS and the Construction of
the Border Wall

- May, 2008
Department of Homeland Security issues
waivers of cultural and environmental
protection laws to build border wall

- 03/29/08
Urgent Action needed to Stop Toxic Dump
on O'odham Lands:   Please take a moment to
sign our petition and write letters to the officials
listed on the Green Action Webiste.

- 01/07/08
Attorney for Apaches threatens suit
against Department of Homeland Secutity
to stop land seizures for border wall

-12/12/07
Reuters article on new passport law taking
effect soon: "New Travel Rules Leave
Native Americans In Limbo"

-12/07/07
Department of Homeland Security Warns
that Eminent Domain will be used to take
over land to build border wall

-11/12/07
The remains dug up during the Border
Wall construction have finally been
returned!

-11/11/07
Traditional O'odham Statment from the
October Indigenous Encuentro at Viacam
Pueblo, Mexico

-10/19/07
O’odham Return from Gathering with
Mexico’s Indigenous and Subcomandante
Marcos

-6/25/07
O'odham remains dug up during Border
Wall construction; Reuters

- 4/04/07
Photos from the April 31st gathering in
Quitovac

- 3/31/07
Protect O'odham Sacred Lands: Gathering
in Quitovac, Sonora, Mexico.

- 3/30/07
Gila River Indian Community protests
against Romic toxic waste facility.

Click Here to View Older archived articles
Pictures from O'odham Land in the Occupied areas of  the South West
United States and Northern Mexico
On May 6, 2009
solidarity
actions were
held in three
major US cities
to oppose the
construction of
a toxic waste dump that may be built very
close to Quitovac - a site that is very sacred to
the O'odham.

The May 6, 2009 action was the first part of a
solidarity campaign that was initiated at a
Mar. 28, 2009 gathering at Quitovac.

We are demanding that the US
Environmental Protection Agency condemn
the proposed dump and that the Mexican
government  agency  in charge of
environmental permitting refuse to allow
the building of the dump.

This struggle has been ongoing for a
number of years.  

For more information about this years
(Mar. 28, 2009) gathering at Quitovac
please click here.

For a writeup of the May 6, 2009 soidarity
actions please click here.  

Information from last year (Mar. 28, 2008)
For information about past actions over the
years please see our news archive page.
Image from 2009 gathering at Quitovac