The Badlands National Park was formed by taking land from the Oglala Sioux Tribe of South Dakota. Photo by D. Luchsinger / NPS
Mike Myers (Seneca Nation) of the Network for Native Futures wonders why small nations like Palau and Monaco belong to the United Nations while the much-larger Navajo Nation and the Oglala Sioux Tribe do not:
Looking at these 34 nations/territories has been an interesting exercise. There are some very interesting figures that emerge when these are compared to some of the Indigenous nations in North America. The top five smallest member states of the U.N. – based on population and territory – are: 1. The Vatican, 0.2 square miles, population of 770, none of whom are permanent residents; 2. Monaco - 0.7 square miles, population 32,000; 3. Nauru - 8.5 square miles, population 13,000; 4. Tuvalu - 9 square miles, population 12,000; and 5. San Marino - 24 square miles, population 29,000. Combined, they have a total of 42.4 square miles of territory and a combined population of 86,770. The top five Non-Self Governing Territories are: 1. Gibraltar, 2 square miles, population 29,752; 2. Tokelau, 5 square miles, population 1,411; 3. Pitcairn Islands, 14 square miles, population 50; 4. Bermuda, 22 square miles, population 62,000; and 5. Arguila, 37 square miles, population 14,108. Combined they have a total of 80 square miles of territory and a combined population of 107,321. Both categories combine for a total of 122.4 square miles and 194,091 people. Even combining the territories and populations of all 34 nations/territories we come up with 118,918 square miles and 2.7 million people. The largest small member state is Palau - 191 square miles and a population of 20,000. The largest Non-Self Governing is the disputed Western Sahara Territory with 102,703 square miles and an estimated population of 531,000. Compare these to the Navajo Nation which has a territory of over 27,400 square miles and a population of 300,048. The Haudenosaunee currently control 1,095 square miles of territory and has a population of 138,000. The combined territories of the Sioux Nation total more than 10 thousand square miles and a population of over 81,000. These three nations alone account for more than 38,495 square miles and a population of over 519,000. So, where are our seats at the international tables?Get the Story:
Mike Myers: Stop Contributing to Your Oppression and Colonization (Indian Country Today 8/28)
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