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.

Land acknowledgement: Minneapolis, Minnesota

Posted on March 10, 2020 by Stephen Carr Hampton

I went to Minneapolis to visit my son. I’d never even been to Minnesota before. But it’s exciting to be here—the home of so much important Native history, past and present. It’s the intersection of the Mississippi River and the … Continue reading →

Posted in land acknowledgments | Tagged aim, Anishinaabeg, Asin, birch, birch bark canoe, bison, canoe, Chippewa, dakota, education, land acknowledgement, land acknowledgment, Mankato, minneapolis, Minneapolis American Indian Center, minnesota, Oceti Sakowin, Odawa, Ojibwe, Potawatomi, Santee, schools, seven council fires, Sioux | Leave a comment

Super Bowl LIV: The Erasure Bowl

Posted on February 3, 2020 by Stephen Carr Hampton

A lot has been written about Kansas City’s use of the Chiefs as a mascot, with its various forms of “playing Indian”– tomahawk chops, the chant, etc. For more on the mascot issue– in fact, for a comprehensive review of … Continue reading →

Posted in my own thoughts, news | Tagged #SuperBowlXIV, 49ers, california, Chiefs, erasure, football, genocide, Gold Rush, Super Bowl, Sutter | Leave a comment

Movie review: “From Wounded Knee to Standing Rock: A reporter’s journey”

Posted on January 31, 2020 by Stephen Carr Hampton

In 1973, Kevin McKiernan was a young white photographer from Minneapolis looking for a job. When AIM took over Wounded Knee, he headed to South Dakota and managed to get a press pass. When the US military excluded all media … Continue reading →

Posted in my own thoughts | Tagged "from wounded knee to standing rock", aim, Anna Mae, Aquash, documentary, FBI, film, Leonard Peltier, McKiernan, movie, Oglala, Standing Rock, Wounded Knee, Yurok | 2 Comments

Land acknowledgement: San Fernando Valley, California

Posted on December 28, 2019 by Stephen Carr Hampton

I grew up and lived here for 18 years, near the southwest edge of the San Fernando Valley. My mom is still in my childhood house. This is where Tongva and Chumash land meet. In 1542 Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo claimed all … Continue reading →

Posted in land acknowledgments | Tagged Cabrillo, california, chumash, history, land acknowledgement, land acknowledgment, land grant, missions, Native American history, san fernando valley, tongva | Leave a comment

Land acknowledgement: Neah Bay, Washington

Posted on November 29, 2019 by Stephen Carr Hampton

One doesn’t really need to do a land acknowledgement for Neah Bay because it is still in Makah hands. But I’ll do it anyway: This is Makah Nation land. It’s my first time here, in the northwest corner of the … Continue reading →

Posted in land acknowledgments | Tagged cape flattery, land acknowledgement, land acknowledgment, makah, native american, neah bay, Washington, whaling | Leave a comment

Evo Morales and Bolivia: 500 years of indigenous struggle against international exploitation

Posted on November 13, 2019 by Stephen Carr Hampton

The rise of Evo Morales to the presidency of Bolivia was a landmark moment in the struggle of indigenous people against colonial oppression. Bolivia has been ground zero in this struggle for centuries. Five hundred years ago, enslaved Aymara worked … Continue reading →

Posted in my own thoughts, news | Tagged Bolivia, cashman, coup, evo, indigenous, lithium, machu pichu, morales, Tupac Katari, Wiphala | 2 Comments

Pioneer landmarks: Celebrating and denying ethnic cleansing

Posted on October 4, 2019 by Stephen Carr Hampton

So my white friend is on a road trip and posting pics on Facebook. He likes history, so inevitably we start seeing those ubiquitous historical markers of pioneer struggles. Here’s just one example. Read it. It’s typical. The historical markers … Continue reading →

Posted in my own thoughts | Tagged ash hollow, Black Hills, erasure, ethnic cleansing, fort laramie, genocide, harney, historical markers, landmarks, names, pioneer, placenames | Leave a comment

An ancient Karuk story about wildfire management in California

Posted on September 14, 2019 by Stephen Carr Hampton

With the rapid increase in deadly mega-fires in California, federal and state governments are turning to indigenous people for solutions. The US Forest Service is now working with the Karuk Tribe to implement prescribed burns to manage the land. Much has … Continue reading →

Posted in news | Tagged #climatechange, california, climate, climate change, fire, forest, Karuk, land management, mega-fires, megafires, Native, prescribed burn, Redwood National Forest, redwoods, salmon, TEK, traditional, wildfire | Leave a comment

Slavery in the US before 1619; why are we ignoring it?

Posted on August 31, 2019 by Stephen Carr Hampton

When English pirates arrived in Jamestown, Virginia in 1619 and sold 20-32 African slaves (which they had stolen from a Portuguese vessel off the coast of Spanish-controlled Veracruz, Mexico) to the settlers there, it was the first time that a … Continue reading →

Posted in my own thoughts, news | Tagged 1586, 1619, Drake, Estevanico, florida, Guale, Guasco, Narvaez, revolt, Roanoke, San Miguel de Guadalupe, Sapelo, slave, slavery, Spaniards, Spanish, St. Augustine | Leave a comment

Land acknowledgement: Palm Springs, California

Posted on August 24, 2019 by Stephen Carr Hampton

Palm Springs is Cahuilla territory, specifically the Agua Caliente Band. This was apparent to everyone attending the Tribal Lands and Environment Forum, which is what I was doing there. The Agua Caliente Band were regularly acknowledged and thanked as the … Continue reading →

Posted in land acknowledgments | Tagged Agua Caliente, bighorn, Cahuilla, california, conference, environment, land acknowledgement, land acknowledgment, Palm Springs, Ta'Kaiya Blaney, tribe | 1 Comment