It takes a lot of motivation, internal strength, and spirit to make a 2,800-mile journey across the country on horseback. That is what a group of Native American tribal leaders, elders and their children just accomplished in their crusade to bring some attention to their fight for self-determination – a fight that many Indian nations are surprisingly still battling with the United States Federal Government to this very day.
The Muwekma Ohlone tribe of California was once recognized as a sovereign tribe by the U.S. government, which wrongly terminated their legal status. The tribe has protested what they claim is blatant political interference in their quest to restore the sovereign rights of their tribe.
Independent Presidential candidate and environmental attorney, Robert F Kennedy, found the tribe’s legal claim so compelling that he pledged to renew the group’s Federal recognition if he became president.
His running mate, Nicole Shanahan, also called for the full restoration of the Muwekma Ohlone people’s rights. Now tragically, the group’s protest has turned violent.