Author Archives: Stephen Carr Hampton

About Stephen Carr Hampton

Stephen Carr Hampton is an enrolled citizen of Cherokee Nation, an avid birder since age 7, and a former resource economist for the California Department of Fish & Game, where he worked as a tribal liaison and conducted natural resource damage assessments and oversaw environmental restoration projects after oil spills. He writes most often about Native history and contemporary issues, birds, and climate change.

“Operation Yurok”: Saving Salmon from Pot Farms

Posted on July 20, 2015 by Stephen Carr Hampton

Press release from the California Department of Fish & Wildlife: July 20, 2015 CDFW, Partner Agencies Conclude Operation Yurok in Humboldt County Marijuana Eradication Effort Focused on Misuse of Water and Habitat Officers from the California Department of Fish and … Continue reading →

Posted in news | Tagged farms, marijuana, Operation Yurok, pot, salmon, Yurok | Leave a comment

Pope Francis apologizes “for crimes committed against the native peoples”

Posted on July 10, 2015 by Stephen Carr Hampton

In Bolivia, the nation with the highest percentage of indigenous people in the Americas, the nation with the only indigenous head of state in the Americas in 500 years, the nation that flies an indigenous flag (below), Pope Francis stepped … Continue reading →

Posted in news | Tagged apology, Bolivia, indigenous, Pope Francis | Leave a comment

On this date… July 5, 1876… Montana

Posted on July 5, 2015 by Stephen Carr Hampton

On this date in 1876, one day after the nation celebrated its Centennial, the news of Custer’s Last Stand reached the media. Eight years earlier, in 1868, the Great Sioux Reservation was “set apart for the absolute and undisturbed use … Continue reading →

Posted in On this date... | Tagged Black Hills, Custer, custer's last stand, Great Sioux Reservation, Native American history, New York Times, Paha Sapa, Sitting Bull, Ulysses Grant | Leave a comment

When Did the United States Become Our Church?

Posted on June 28, 2015 by Stephen Carr Hampton

I grew up in a conservative evangelical Republican context. I now consider myself a left-wing progressive liberation theology Christian who votes Democrat but really prefers the Green Party. I have mixed allegiances. I am a citizen of the United States, … Continue reading →

Posted in my own thoughts | Tagged christian, Franklin Graham, gay, lesbian, pluralistic, same-sex marriage, Supreme Court | 1 Comment

On this date… June 26, 1579… California

Posted on June 26, 2015 by Stephen Carr Hampton

On this date is 2015, Sir Francis Drake and the Golden Hinde pulled into a broad protected bay tucked inside Point Reyes. What ensued was one of the most unusual and fascinating interactions between Europeans and Native Americans ever documented. … Continue reading →

Posted in On this date... | Tagged 1579, Drakes Bay, Francis Drake, Miwok, Native American history, Point Reyes | Leave a comment

Report Describes Cultural Genocide in Canada

Posted on June 3, 2015 by Stephen Carr Hampton

Making international news, a report by a Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Commission describes a century of cultural genocide through the use of horrific boarding schools in Canada. Though the last school closed in 1996, the wounds continue. See my earlier … Continue reading →

Posted in news | Tagged boarding schools, Canada, cultural genocide, Native American history, rhymes for young ghouls | 1 Comment

Australia Says Sorry to Aborigines

Posted on May 28, 2015 by Stephen Carr Hampton

Amazing stuff out of Australia. This would be a step in the right direction in the U.S. Here’s a short video, Australia says sorry to Aborigines.

Posted in news | Tagged aborigines, Australia, boarding schools, Native American history, sorry, stolen generations, video | Leave a comment

A Tribal/Federal Government Conference: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Posted on May 18, 2015 by Stephen Carr Hampton

I just had the privilege of attending the National Tribal Natural Resource Damage and Restoration Conference. Hosted by the Saginaw Chippewa at the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, the conference was also sponsored by the US … Continue reading →

Posted in my own thoughts | Tagged Chippewa, echo-hawk, In the courts of the conqueror, LaDuke, Native American history, NRDA, Saginaw, the black hills are not for sale, Winona | Leave a comment

California closer to banning Redskins team names

Posted on May 6, 2015 by Stephen Carr Hampton

The California State Assembly passed a bill banning “redskins” as a team mascot in public schools. The vote was 57-9. It still needs to go to the State Senate and Governor Jerry Brown, and the odds look good there. California … Continue reading →

Posted in news | Tagged california, genocide, Native American history, redskins | Leave a comment

Baltimore Riot’s “Mother of the Year” is Part of a Historical Pattern

Posted on April 30, 2015 by Stephen Carr Hampton

Finally, after years of egregious police brutality and hundreds of cases involving paralyzed and dead citizens (as documented by out-of-court settlements), Baltimore erupted in rioting. As the white media struggled to understand why, rather than why it took them so long … Continue reading →

Posted in news | Tagged Baltimore, mother of the year, Native American history, Petalesharo, Pocahontas, police, riots, toya graham | Leave a comment