ABSTRACT
‘The red earth paint,’ Ma’heo’o said, ‘will be the beginning of the substances that make earth.’ From the mud and dirt of this red earth, he made human beings with their four limbs and he called the winds from the four directions to come and give them breath. Today, millions of Indigenous peoples of the Western Hemisphere are asserting their basic human right, as distinct nations with unique cultures, to be who and what they are. They also share a common heritage as the red children of their mother, the earth. It is no coincidence that they inherited her sacred red color of life and happiness. The Indian Reorganization Act (IRA), passed in 1934, signaled a change in federal government policy from allotment to reorganization. Called the Indian ‘New Deal’, its first provision called for a termination of the allotment process. Congress has enacted further legislation reaffirming the commitment to Indian self-determination and cultural integrity.
