The centrality of Native Americans to Green philosophy and practice.

• Author: Whaley, Rick
• Position: Thinking Politically

Because Native Americans are only 1% of the voting population, it's hard to get the point across. Native American spirituality, politics and practice--all the same in the minds of the leading indigenous activists--are the germinating core of the Greens, in simple and profound ways. Native American theoretical and organizing leadership is central to an American Green revolution the way Marxism once was on other continents.

Native Headwaters

Greens in Wisconsin got their start with the organizing efforts of the late Walt Bresette, Chippewa artist and activist. On July 4 (Walt's birthday) in 1985, Walter initiated the Lake Superior Greens in the Bayfield/Red Cliff/Superior region. Walt was one of the co-founders of the Upper Great Lakes Green Network and the Wisconsin Green Party (Fall 1988).

The beginning of the statewide Greens was really the Witness for Nonviolence (1988--1992) which arose in Milwaukee--with people who con-currently started Milwaukee Area Greens--to document the racist protests to Chippewa treaty-guaranteed Spring spearing fishing in northern lakes (Chippewa-ceded territory). Spearers were called "timber niggers" and Indian women were spit on. A conscious effort was made by Walt and other Witnesses to turn the treaty solidarity into year-round Green work and organizations. Milwaukee Greens were seen as a way to broaden the base of Native solidarity and its inherently Green philosophy as well as work on environmental justice issues in our own place in creation. Treaty Rights, Mining, Urban Green Spaces, Ozone, Recycling were among MAG's first task forces.

Walt was originally involved with the Rainbow Coalition and tells in Walleye Warriors about trying to get Jesse Jackson to pay attention to Native rights in Wisconsin. But Walter realized (after getting iced by Democratic Congressman David Obey on the nuclear waste issue) that a new party was needed--Native people were the first Greens anyway on this continent in terms of understanding the sacredness of Mother Earth, the unbroken connection of resource exploitation and racism, and the centrality of fighting for place in this era.

The national Greens (The Greens/Green Party USA) platform on Native Solidarity was written directly from the Witness-Green treaty rights experience in Wisconsin. Walt Bresette keynoted the Green Gathering in Estes Park, CO in 1996 and spoke many times in Milwaukee, including hosting the 1996 Milwaukee Earth Day celebration. Walt was the initiator...