Out of spotlight, tribes keep fighting Dakota pipeline

Posted on August 5, 2019 by

“Our sacred fight to protect the planet for our next generations, and respect the previous ones, does not end when the cameras are turned off”

Kevin Cummings – CouncilFIRE

Article from Reuters, written by Stephanie Keith

Native American tribes that tried to block the Dakota Access oil pipeline during a months-long standoff with authorities in North Dakota more than a year ago are carrying on their fight in federal court, in what they contend is a symbol of their ongoing struggle for tribal sovereignty.

“People think Standing Rock has come and gone,” said Danielle Ta’Sheena Finn, a spokeswoman for the Standing Rock Sioux, referring to the sight of the protests. “But we will continue this fight until we are heard and the world knows what happened to us.”

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Washington State Labor Council Convention Passes Resolution in Support of Native American Workers and Council FIRE

Posted on September 24, 2017 by




The Washington State Labor Council unanimously passed a resolution in support of Council FIRE and Native American Workers. This is a strong step toward a voice for Native issues within the labor movement, and for Council FIRE to achieve full recognition by the AFL-CIO.

Washington becomes the seventh state organization to pass a resolution in support of Council FIRE, joining Arizona, Oregon, California, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming. We have also been endorsed by the Ontario Federation of Labour, LCLAA, CBTU, and ILCA.

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Tribal Nations Continuing to Support Action on Climate Change and Paris Accord

Posted on June 12, 2017 by




Article from the National Council of the American Indian (NCAI). To visit this article on their site, click here

Published on Jun 02, 2017

WASHINGTON, D.C. | In spite of the disappointing news that President Trump has decided to withdraw from the Paris Agreement on climate change, Tribal Nations, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), and the Native American Rights Fund (NARF) remain firmly committed to representing and advancing Indigenous peoples’ interests in the ongoing process of implementing the Agreement.

“We will work to ensure that all parties respect, promote, and consider Indigenous peoples’ rights in all climate change actions, as is required by the Paris Agreement,” said NARF Executive Director John Echohawk.

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Council FIRE Support Letter to Standing Rock Sioux

Posted on January 4, 2017 by




To:         David Archambault II
Chair, Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Council

Dear Sir and Brother,

The leadership of the Council for First Inhabitants Rights and Equality (Council FIRE) stand in unanimous support of the Standing Rock Sioux, their right to speak for themselves and to demand that treaties signed between the sovereign nations of the United States of America and the Sioux be honored and enforced. As Brothers and Sisters in the battle, we cannot sit idle. When one nation is in need, all nations must rise to defend what is most vital to future generations. People, native and non-native alike, are called to lift their prayers and fight to protect the water, the future will judge each of us on how we acted in this attack on sovereignty and Mother Earth.

Council FIRE calls for the cessation of construction on the Dakota Access Pipeline that encroaches on land and water that has long been granted to the Standing Rock Sioux through multiple treaties. We demand an end to the illegal trespassing, desecration of sacred sites, hostile attacks, violations of the 1851 and 1868 Fort Laramie treaties, the 1899 Fort Belknap treaty, as well as the 1908 Winters Doctrine of the United States Supreme Court. These treaties are no less valid that those the US Government has signed with Japan or Germany, or any other Supreme Court decision – it is long past time that this nation honor its’ word.

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Native American Heritage Month

Posted on November 1, 2016 by




November has been designated as Native American Heritage Month, signed into law by George H.W. Bush in 1990.  Council FIRE encourages each of you to pause and reflect on the many contributions on those who were here first.

The list of Native accomplishments and gifts are too numerous to mention them all. Whether you offer respect for the Code Talkers for their heroism in the World Wars; for the kindness of those who met the earliest explorers with trust, acceptance and help; for the continuing gifts of traditional medicines, foods and development of cotton and rubber; or the earliest development of Sign Language, there is no shortage of examples where Native culture, practices and history have benefitted all of us. The American colonists modeled their government after the hierarchy of tribes such as the League of Iroquois, and our current US government is based on the same principles.

It is a wondrous culture that continues to deliver gifts. From their respect of the environment and all the creators gifts, to respect for women and elders, and their history of service as warriors who stand to protect the entire nation at a rate higher than any other demographic.

Take some time to learn about Native Heritage month, and the many reasons that First Nations are deserving of respect and more.

Council FIRE is proud to be working with the AFLCIO to see that issues of those who were here first are included in the path for progress that Labor has always championed.


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