Memorial Letter from the Cherokee Nation to Congress – 1829
Editor’s note: Though not officially a declaration, this eloquent ‘memorial letter’ written in 1829 by tribal leaders of the Cherokee Nation and delivered to both chambers of Congress — just as it was set to debate Indian removal bills — springs in many respects from our Declaration of July 4, 1776, but also they point […]
Inter-American Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (1995)
Editor’s Note: Iin 1989, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights was asked by the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) to compose a declaration of rights of “indigenous populations.” This declaration was intended to have legal standing. In February 1997, this draft declaration was endorsed by the Commission. Our understanding is that it has […]
Act of Sovereign Union between First Nations and Peoples in Australia (2012)
Editor’s Note: This 2012 declaration, evocative of our July 4, 1776 document, was issued by an organization called “The National Unity Government” and asserts the sovereignty of indigenous ‘first nations and peoples’ in Australia. The document is the product of a series of gatherings that first convened in 1999. Act of Sovereign Union between First Nations and […]
Republic of Lakotah (2007)
Editor’s note: Until he passed away in October 2012, Russell Means, co-founder of the American Indian Movement, was a prime mover and shaker behind the effort to establish the Provisional Government of the Republic of Lakotah. Those who carry the torch for the movement do not see this as secession but rather as a “withdrawal;” they consider […]
Declaration of Continuing Independence – First Indian International Indian Treaty Council (1974)
Editor’s Note: This declaration emerged out of a growing activist movement among Native Americans to re-establish their autonomous rights of government, their rights under existing treaties, and their continued grievances with the U.S. government and how their rights have been continually subverted. Nearly 100 indigenous tribes and Nations took part in the 1974 gathering at Standing […]
1961 Declaration of Indian Purpose
Editor’s Note: Native Americans have historically been left out of “all men are created equal.” Recognizing the efficacy of declarations to assert and insert themselves in demanding their own rightful role as equals in America, over the years Native American groups have masterfully composed a number of them. The seeds for this in modern times were sewn […]
The Unanimous Declaration of Independence of The Chiricahua Apache Nde Nation (2007)
Editor’s Note: The Chiricahua are Apache Native Americans based in the Southwest U.S. When I came across their ‘Unanimous Declaration of Independence’ online, issued on May 14, 2007, I called one of the numbers they have listed on the website of the Chiricahua Apache ND Nation to find out who the authors were and […]
