Reading Annotation 2.4

"Indeed, one of the effects of colonialism is that, in the United States, members of the non-Native privileged class cannot see or grasp the travails of Native peoples." In this vein of thought, I find that there are several subjects that this statement could be relevant toward in what stymies the path of self-determination and decolonization for the peoples in Indian Country. Anyone whom is outside of that privileged class is not going to appreciate the significance of how large the definition of sovereignty is. Sovereignty includes the language you use, the choice of faith, the right to eat and drink as you choose, and the right to pursue endeavors that reflect your own identity and values. As the inclusion of tribes in the Americas in the proliferation of technological advancements in regard to communication continues down the path of previous infrastructural advancements, it is of no surprise that broadband access for tribes is woefully short of their most basic of needs. Many people assume that it's just as simple as it would be to call a provider and have the service connected, without realizing that in many areas the infrastructure on reservation land may barely exist for decent land line phone service. This is where Duarte is able to crystallize this sentiment, as most of the "privileged" class in our country are unable to appreciate the extent to which Native American Tribes have been routinely marginalized. One such roadblock is demonstrable when she speaks of the trials of Red Spectrum Internet, serving the Couer D'alene tribe. There had to be proven a demonstrable demand, and also the feasibility, and also a number of other issues that demonstrated the sheer numbers and concrete institutions such as property titles to addresses, which could be problematic depending on the tribal customs regarding record keeping with respect to such things. "How do Native and Indigenous peoples utilize an array of broadband toward the furtherance of explicitly Native and Indigenous goals?" I found this rather interesting as a standalone question posed by the author, as it seems like she and others are already taking action in order to press the matter of self-determination in Indian Country. In one way that sovereignty has been able to be expressed thoroughly has been to make these services available where they can be, and also to have the conferences specific to the interests of tribes and the problems they face where access is concerned. The availability of information has allowed Tribes to contend with large companies thereby asserting their sovereignty, as the Couer D'Alene tribe did in 2005 by suing mining companies that had polluted the local watershed over a century of dumping, resulting in billions of dollars in settlements and ongoing clean-up efforts. As the information becomes more readily available, so do the opportunities of self-determination. King Mountain Tobacco company is another such endeavor where sovereignty has been determined and upheld, as they had faced fierce commercial opposition and gone through extensive litigation in order to produce tobacco products in the Yakima Valley. In the end, it was decided that it was an undeniable entitlement to the Yakamas that they could cultivate tobacco on the reservation. As it says on King Mountain's website; Due to the Nature of our Treaty language, King Mountain Tobacco takes an aggressive stand in exercising the right to travel and trade tobacco, "Border to Border – Ocean to Ocean." In 1855 Chief Kamiakin, when asked if Yakama’s wanted to trade for the non-indian tobacco he stated, "we the Yakama people have our own tobacco, and we shall reserve the right to trade our tobacco, and the non-indian tobacco fee-less." These Treaty rights have in recent times been reinforced by case law within the Supreme Court, as well as 9th Circuit District Court. I don't know if there's a stronger statement that can assert sovereignty than the ability to go to court with the Federal Government and Big Tobacco and win, and the awareness that will be available once information begins to flow more freely can ensure more of that to come; surely, it could be said that a little bit of "Manifest Destiny" can be reinterpreted through Indian Country as they see fit, with their own interests at heart.